Chapter 13: Your Future—I Can Experience It, But Not Foresee It
After tidying up and replacing all the disposable bedding, Fang Xiaocao checked the time—17:21.
She left the apartment complex and drove out of Xintiandi Community.
Instead of heading straight to the rental unit, she made a detour to the hotel.
Based on the message from “Hot Noodles,” Fang Xiaocao deduced that the killer would likely visit the rental unit that night.
She decided to take the opportunity to retrieve her belongings from the hotel.
With the room card in hand, she unlocked the door, swiftly packed her things, and headed downstairs.
After checking out at the front desk, she drove away from the hotel.
Upon returning to Xintiandi Community, she dropped off her belongings at Unit 301 before setting out again.
Just as she was about to head to the rental unit—
Gurgle!
Her stomach protested.
She glanced at her phone. The time: 18:07.
“I haven’t had a proper meal all day… No wonder my stomach is complaining,” she muttered, pulling over.
“Nothing is more important than eating!”
With that, she pushed open the car door and walked into a fast-food restaurant.
Looking at the array of dishes—braised pork, tiger-skin green peppers, stewed tofu shreds—her appetite surged.
After ordering and paying, she chose a seat by the window and started eating heartily.
Midway through her meal, a familiar figure entered the restaurant.
Fang Xiaocao froze.
It was Qi Yu.
And he was wearing a food delivery uniform.
“What the hell?”
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
“Isn’t Qi Yu a rich second-generation heir? Why would he be delivering food?”
As Qi Yu waited for his order, he scanned the restaurant.
Almost instinctively, Fang Xiaocao lowered her head, pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt, and continued eating while discreetly watching him.
Qi Yu didn’t notice her.
His gaze swept the restaurant before he put on a mask and a helmet, revealing only his eyes.
At that moment, Fang Xiaocao was stunned.
Those eyes…
They belonged to the killer!
She was sure of it—those were the same eyes from the rearview mirror of her Mini Cooper, the same ones that had haunted her nightmares.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
She finally understood why the killer had found her so quickly at the hotel.
It was because she had accidentally run into Qi Yu and Han Xue there, exposing her whereabouts.
It also explained why the killer had shown up at another hotel the next day—he had been tracking her movements all along.
Qi Yu had been pursuing her for so long. It was only natural that he knew her habits.
Since he hadn’t caught her at the first hotel and she hadn’t returned to the rental unit that night, it wasn’t surprising that he guessed she’d checked into the nearest hotel to the police station.
At last, Fang Xiaocao understood why “Hot Noodles”—her future self—had warned her to stay away from Qi Yu and Han Xue.
Han Xue and Qi Yu were in on it together.
Qi Yu must have known Han Xue’s whereabouts. If he learned she was with Han Xue, he would set a trap in advance to kill her.
Now she also understood why Qi Yu had been trying so hard to kill her.
Back when he murdered the neighbor’s sister, he must have made some noise. Having attended several gatherings at the rental unit, he was familiar with its soundproofing.
If he was hunting her down, it was because he was afraid she might recognize his voice or remember some crucial detail that could expose him.
But what Qi Yu didn’t know was that Fang Xiaocao had been too terrified at the time to recognize his voice.
It was his relentless pursuit that ultimately gave him away.
If he hadn’t tried to kill her, if he had just stayed hidden, not even “Hot Noodles”—her future self—would have known he was the killer.
From the moment he decided to silence her, the gears of fate had started turning.
It was only because of this choice that her future self had learned the truth ahead of time.
Now, only one question remained—why had Qi Yu killed the neighbor’s sister?
Qi Yu took his order and left the restaurant.
Fang Xiaocao immediately put down her chopsticks and followed him.
She knew his family background. A rich second-generation heir like him wouldn’t be delivering food for money.
Qi Yu carried the takeout box to his Maserati, stepped on the gas, and sped away.
Fang Xiaocao’s lips twitched.
“A Maserati… for food delivery?”
“Yeah, right! There’s definitely something fishy going on here.”
She quickly jumped into her Mini Cooper, started the engine, and prepared to follow him.
Ding!
A notification popped up on her phone.
She hesitated, foot hovering over the accelerator, and picked up the phone.
[Hot Noodles: Don’t follow him. You’ll blow your cover.]
Fang Xiaocao immediately turned off the ignition.
“You knew all along that Qi Yu was the killer?” she asked urgently.
[Hot Noodles: Just as you suspected, I can only foresee things when the gears of fate start turning. I only realized it when he began hunting you down.]
[Hot Noodles: Although I exist in the future, I can only foresee unchangeable events. Your future is unpredictable. Every choice you make alters what I will experience.]
[Hot Noodles: So, I can only inform you of your choices’ consequences shortly before they unfold.]
Fang Xiaocao fell silent.
She understood now.
If she had followed “Hot Noodles'” warning and not returned home that afternoon, she wouldn’t have been hunted over the past two days.
And “Hot Noodles'” experiences would have changed accordingly.
Before she had received messages from her future self, “Hot Noodles” had already lived through Qi Yu’s crimes.
Had she not been warned in advance, she might have turned on the lights that night—leading to Qi Yu breaking in and trying to silence her.
Yet, somehow, her future self had survived.
The only logical explanation was that she had been injured.
At some point, Han Xue and Qi Yu must have visited her in the hospital.
During Qi Yu’s probing, she must have unknowingly revealed that she hadn’t recognized his voice or appearance—ensuring her temporary safety.
(End of Chapter 13)
