Chapter 8

The next day, when Lan Xiao walked toward me, I turned away and went into the women’s restroom.

Inside the restroom, I received a call from Gu Yisheng.

“I’ve carefully studied the manner and timing of each of your deaths. If we exclude the repeated deaths from unavoidable events, and remove the fixed noon jumps during that period, the remaining times of your deaths are showing a gradual delay.”

I was taken aback. “So?”

“So, maybe we can try to make your time of death last until the end of the day.”

“What would happen then?”

“Since your loop is based on days, if you can survive until this day is over, there’s a high chance you can break out of the loop. It’s just-”

He stopped, as if he couldn’t bear to go on.

“Just what?”

“It’s just that you have to go through death again and again. That’s not easy. I’m worried about you…”

I paused for a moment. “I’m not afraid.”

“I’m still so young, and I have so much money I haven’t spent. It would be such a waste to die like this. No matter how hard it is, as long as I can keep living, I’m willing to try.”

“I can do it!”

“An Ge.” Gu Yisheng’s voice was full of sorrow, but gentle and firm.

“Don’t worry, I’ll always be with you.”

After hanging up, I thought things over carefully for a long time.

Yisheng was right.

If I remove the repeated deaths, the time I die in each cycle really is gradually getting later.

Only later, never earlier.

For dozens of days in between, because I chose to jump at noon every day, the delay paused.

But when I answered Yisheng’s call and let the cycle progress naturally, the time started to get later again.

Today is the seventy-seventh day of the loop.

As of yesterday, my time of death was 3:50 p.m.

If Yisheng’s theory is correct, then I have only one thing left to do: do everything I can to prolong my survival until the end of today!