Chapter 118: A Web Around Her
The taxi started, heading toward the hotel.
Fang Xiaocao gazed out the window, her eyes cold and devoid of emotion.
At this moment, her heart felt just as cold.
She realized she had been too kind in the past.
And that kindness had only brought her endless trouble.
An hour later, the taxi stopped in front of the hotel. Fang Xiaocao scanned the QR code to pay, pushed open the door, stepped out, and walked inside.
At the front desk, she booked another room—507.
In this hotel, odd-numbered rooms were in one row, even-numbered in another.
Room 507 was directly across from 508.
She planned to wait in 507 for the assassin to arrive.
Since Su Wanqing had asked for her room number, the assassin was bound to come.
Everyone knew that the hotel walls had poor soundproofing.
From 507, she could hear everything happening outside 508’s door.
After getting the key card, she took the elevator up to the fifth floor and unlocked the door to 507.
Stepping inside, she inserted the card to power the room but didn’t turn on the lights. She even shut off the bathroom’s ventilation fan to ensure her hearing wouldn’t be affected.
Lying in the darkness, she listened carefully to the footsteps outside, trying to distinguish whether anyone paused at 508’s door.
Suddenly, her phone screen lit up, its harsh brightness catching her attention.
It was a WeChat message.
Fang Xiaocao frowned and unlocked her phone.
It was from “Hot Noodles.”
She hesitated for a moment, feeling a bit puzzled.
“Could it be a clue?” she muttered, tapping on the chat.
[Hot Noodles]: Your current thoughts are very dangerous. Don’t be impulsive.
Fang Xiaocao rolled her eyes and quickly typed back:
“If I don’t do this, how do I break the game?”
[Hot Noodles]: At the very least, you can’t kill anyone!
[Hot Noodles]: I don’t want to become a wanted criminal.
She stared at the messages for a moment before replying, “I don’t want that either. That’s why I’ll be careful.”
[Hot Noodles]: There’s no such thing as a perfect crime. Even hypnosis leaves traces.
[Hot Noodles]: In the future, high-tech advancements will make it possible to reconstruct crime scenes.
Fang Xiaocao froze, falling into deep thought.
“So… why wasn’t Han Xue caught in your timeline?” she asked curiously.
[Hot Noodles]: She escaped. But sooner or later, she’ll be caught.
[Hot Noodles]: So don’t be impulsive. Don’t kill anyone. We still have a bright future ahead of us.
Hot Noodles was trying to pull back the old, kindhearted Fang Xiaocao.
“I can’t be as weak as before.”
She sent the message with a cold expression.
[Hot Noodles]: Not being weak doesn’t mean you have to kill.
[Hot Noodles]: There are many ways to prove your courage.
Fang Xiaocao fell silent.
A battle raged within her—the angel and the devil inside her mind clashed fiercely.
She had to admit, Hot Noodles had a point.
Murder was a one-way road. Once she crossed that line, there would be no turning back.
“…I’ll try.”
After a long pause, she finally replied.
[Hot Noodles]: Not ‘try.’ You must promise me.
[Hot Noodles]: You have to swear.
Even through text, she could sense the unwavering determination in Hot Noodles’ tone.
Sitting up on the bed, she stared at the messages, silent for a long time.
“…Fine. I promise.”
“But if my life is in danger, I won’t just sit there and die.”
She sent the message.
[Hot Noodles]: Fair enough. Just don’t let your killing intent consume you. We must not go down the wrong path.
In the darkness, Fang Xiaocao nodded.
[Hot Noodles]: Alright, now I can give you some useful information.
[Hot Noodles]: After investigating, I can confirm that Su Wanqing isn’t the mastermind. She was just being used.
[Hot Noodles]: But I don’t know who used her.
Fang Xiaocao was stunned.
“…Su Wanqing isn’t the culprit?”
She quickly typed back, “Are you sure? Could this be a smokescreen?”
[Hot Noodles]: I’m certain. I’ve double-checked.
“If she’s innocent, why not just ask her directly who made her do it?”
She frowned.
Hot Noodles was so confident—there was no need to doubt their information.
After all, Hot Noodles was her, just from a different timeline, someone who had lived decades longer than she had.
[Hot Noodles]: I’d love to ask her…
“Then why don’t you?”
Fang Xiaocao’s frown deepened.
[Hot Noodles]: Because, in my timeline, Su Wanqing is already dead.
That single message left her speechless.
“…Dead?”
She muttered the word to herself.
“How did she die? When did it happen? Why didn’t you mention this earlier?”
She fired off a string of messages.
[Hot Noodles]: Not long ago.
[Hot Noodles]: While I was investigating her, someone silenced her.
Lowering her phone, Fang Xiaocao stared at the mirror in the darkness, her reflection lost in confusion.
She didn’t know if this was good news or bad.
On one hand, Su Wanqing’s innocence was proven.
She hadn’t betrayed Fang Xiaocao—she was just a fool who got manipulated.
She likely died without ever realizing what she had done.
On the other hand…
The situation was even more complex than she had imagined.
It felt like an invisible web was closing around her.
“…Damn it.”
“This is so frustrating.”
She clutched her hair, grumbling to herself.
After a long while, she picked up her phone again and typed:
“Aside from Su Wanqing, who else has died?”
She hoped to use the process of elimination—whoever remained alive might be the real mastermind.
After all, if she could change fate, she could protect them.
But then again…
Changing fate didn’t always mean making things better.
Sometimes, it only made things worse.
(End of Chapter 118)
