“In your impression… how old am I?” Qi Xia asked Chen Junnan.
“Age…?” Chen Junnan frowned. “You look exactly the same as back then.”
That pointed question instantly dismantled half of Qi Xia’s wild speculations.
So, he hadn’t entered the “Land of the End” at nineteen—he had entered at twenty-six.
He wasn’t from seven years in the past. Was he from seven years in the *future*?
“Too many inconsistencies…” Qi Xia muttered, gripping Chen Junnan’s arm after a long pause. “Don’t you think there are too many inconsistencies?”
Chen Junnan blinked. “Where?”
“From your perspective… if I escaped at twenty-six and then spent seven years before returning here… shouldn’t I be in my thirties?” Qi Xia pressed, his brow furrowed. “Why am I still twenty-six?!”
That question made Chen Junnan pause as well.
“So… what if I never escaped at all? What if I just became a ‘Native’?”
Qi Xia felt like the only way to make sense of it all was if he had lost his mind. “I must have gone insane during those years… and met another Native, Yu Nian’an! Since all Natives believe the ‘Land of the End’ is the real world… I must have thought I met her in reality… when in truth, we were just two madmen…”
This time, his speculation felt closer to the truth than ever before.
It also explained why Yu Nian’an had appeared in the “Land of the End.”
Chen Junnan thought Qi Xia sounded pretty insane right now.
“Old Qi…” Chen Junnan said with a frown, “We’ve been together in the ‘Land of the End’ long enough to know one *principle*.”
“What principle?”
“‘Natives’ can *never* return to the ‘Interview Room,'” Chen Junnan said coldly. “If you really became a Native… then you’d be one *forever*.”
“No… that’s not right…” Qi Xia countered. “‘Natives’ *can* go back to the Interview Room… Xu Liunian, the one I met before… she…”
Before he could finish, Qi Xia froze.
Had Xu Liunian *really* returned to the Interview Room?
According to rumors, she had been in the same Interview Room as Chu Tianqiu, Yun Yao, and Jin Yuanxun.
If she *had* returned, how could Yun Yao not know?
From Yun Yao’s reaction last time, she had seemed completely unaware of Xu Liunian’s existence.
“Was I deceived again…?”
Had Yun Yao and Xu Liunian conspired to trick him?
Did Yun Yao actually know *everything*?
Seeing Qi Xia’s expression, Chen Junnan hesitated for a moment before slapping him—hard.
The slap wasn’t painful, but it was sharp and loud.
“What was that for?!” Qi Xia flinched.
“Are you some imposter pretending to be Qi Xia?” Chen Junnan demanded. “Are you that ‘Shapeshifter’?”
“What?” Qi Xia slowly furrowed his brows. “How could I be the ‘Shapeshifter’?”
“Then what the hell are you babbling about?” Chen Junnan snapped. “The Qi Xia I know has *never* said ‘I was deceived’—but I’ve heard it from you multiple times now. You *sure* you’re not a fake?”
“I’ve… never said ‘I was deceived’?”
“Nope. You’d just tell me, ‘Relax, they can’t fool me.'” Chen Junnan sighed. “Looking at you now, I doubt we’ll ever escape.”
Those words struck Qi Xia like a revelation.
When he had first arrived in the “Land of the End,” he had confidently declared something similar.
He feared no deception—no one could outwit him.
Yet now, he was jumping at shadows, second-guessing everything.
“…I’m starting to believe you really *are* my teammate,” Qi Xia said, clapping Chen Junnan on the shoulder.
Even though this was their first conversation, Qi Xia felt an odd familiarity with him.
“Don’t touch me,” Chen Junnan grumbled, shaking him off. “I *still* think you might be an imposter.”
“Right. I almost *wasn’t* Qi Xia,” Qi Xia mused, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “I should trust my instincts more.”
Just then, Yun Yao emerged from the school building.
“Qi Xia,” she called.
“What is it?”
“And this is…?” Yun Yao glanced at Chen Junnan.
“An old friend who just joined us,” Qi Xia replied.
“Oh…” Yun Yao nodded. “Tonight’s the usual—there’s a welcome party. Will you two come?”
“Got it. We’ll catch up later,” Qi Xia said.
Once Yun Yao left, Chen Junnan muttered, “You don’t remember who Chu Tianqiu is?”
“Huh?” Qi Xia’s expression darkened. “Did we know him before?”
——
At the welcome party, everyone listened to Chu Tianqiu’s same old speech.
This time, the roles seemed reversed.
Most of Qi Xia’s allies were “Echoers,” yet fewer people in “Paradise’s Gate” retained their memories compared to last time.
But that made sense—the more people who remembered, the harder it was for Chu Tianqiu to control them.
What surprised Qi Xia was that Xu Liunian was sitting boldly in the crowd, acting as if nothing had happened last time.
In this twisted place, even if you committed the worst crimes, as long as you silenced the witnesses before their “Echo” returned, it was as if nothing had ever happened.
Qi Xia glanced over and saw the timid Tian Tian beside Yun Yao.
Yun Yao was introducing her to everyone, asking them to look out for her.
Ironically, that was probably the worst thing for Tian Tian—it would only heighten her anxiety. In her world, kindness always came with strings attached.
Su Shan sipped a beer, scanning the lively crowd. Admittedly, “Paradise’s Gate” left a good first impression—it didn’t seem like a den of villains.
She turned to Qi Xia and asked, “Why’d you come so late?”
“I had to deliver something to my wife,” Qi Xia replied.
“Deliver something?”
“Where *is* your wife?” Lin Qin asked.
“She didn’t want to come,” Qi Xia said with a shake of his head. “And I didn’t want her to. These fake gatherings are just excuses for Quan Tou to scam some free beer—no reason for her to be involved.”
“You still haven’t told us—what’s she like?”
Dr. Zhao and the others gathered around. Though they didn’t understand how Yu Nian’an had appeared in the Interview Room, she seemed harmless—a quiet, gentle girl.
“She’s perfect,” Qi Xia stated.
“Perfect?” The group exchanged puzzled looks.
Dr. Zhao scoffed. “Qi Xia, no one’s *perfect*.”
“Yes, someone is,” Qi Xia insisted. “Yu Nian’an is perfect. She has no flaws.”
The others could only sigh and shake their heads.
Qi Xia had always been… *unusual*. They knew that.
Attorney Zhang murmured, “I envy the love between you and your wife.”
Officer Li raised an eyebrow. “I never asked before—Attorney Zhang, are *you* married?”
“No…” Attorney Zhang paused. “Wait… *yes*.”
Qi Xia studied her. Everyone had their own story.
But what kind of story made a *lawyer* unsure if she was married or not?
“Bad news! Bad news!” Jin Yuanxun burst into the cafeteria, shouting. “Someone’s *dead*!!”
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