Chapter Seven: Someone Has Been Watching Him
Lin Mo didn't walk toward the window right away. He simply stood there, staring at the photo on his phone. The photo was incredibly clear. Clear enough to make out even the coffee cup on the table. More frighteningly, the two people in the photo were none other than Lin Mo and Su Yan as they were now. The photo had been taken three minutes ago. And the room they were in was on the tenth floor.
Lin Mo looked up and gazed out the window. The night was as heavy as a limitless sheet of fabric. A scattering of lights glowed in the high-rises in the distance. Cars kept passing along the street. Everything was normal. Normal enough to be terrifying.
“Don’t go over there.”
Su Yan grabbed his hand.
“Yeah.”
Lin Mo didn't move. He slowly pulled the curtains shut. Only the glow of the computer screen remained in the room. The two of them stood where they were. Neither said a word.
After a long while, Lin Mo finally asked, “Have you ever been through something like this before?”
Su Yan nodded. “Once.”
“When?”
“Three years ago.”
“Someone took pictures then, too?”
“Yeah.”
“How did you handle it?”
“I deleted the photos.”
“All of them?”
“All of them.”
Lin Mo looked at her. “But they still have them.”
“Right.”
“So deleting them was useless.”
Su Yan lowered her head. “I know.”
Lin Mo walked to the table and shut off the computer. “We should leave first.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere crowded.”
Su Yan didn't object.
The two of them left the room together. The hallway lights were bright. The stairwell, however, was unnervingly quiet. Lin Mo walked in front. Every few steps, he turned around to look. There was no one there. But the feeling of being watched never went away.
Once they left the building, there were more people on the street. Someone was smoking outside the convenience store. People were waiting for buses at the bus stop. Nearby restaurants still had their lights on. Lin Mo finally relaxed a little.
“Let’s go to a coffee shop first.”
“Okay.”
They walked for more than ten minutes before entering a coffee shop that was open twenty-four hours a day. Only then did Lin Mo sit down.
“Tell me everything from the beginning.”
Su Yan looked at him. “Do you really want to know?”
“I do.”
“It could get you into a lot of trouble.”
“It’s already a lot of trouble.”
She didn't argue. After a while, she said, “Three years ago, the first time I saw that girl was at the school.”
“When?”
“Before your birthday.”
Lin Mo froze. “My birthday?”
“Yeah.”
“She was standing outside the school entrance.”
“Watching you the whole time.”
“I thought she was your friend.”
Lin Mo frowned. “I don't know her.”
“I found that out later, too.”
“So I went to ask her.”
“She didn't answer.”
“She only asked me one question.”
“What?”
Su Yan looked down at the table. “She asked me whether you were planning to go to Japan with me.”
Lin Mo was stunned. “How did she know?”
“I don't know.”
“Did you ever tell her?”
“No.”
“Then how did she know?”
“I don't know.”
Lin Mo fell silent. “Then what?”
“I asked her who she was.”
“She gave me a name.”
“What name?”
Su Yan shook her head. “I’m not sure.”
“She said her name was…”
She paused.
“M.”
Lin Mo's heart jolted. “M?”
“Yeah.”
“Same as the email?”
“Right.”
The two of them fell silent again.
Lin Mo took out his phone and opened the email.
Sender: M
There was no other information.
“Why did she tell you her name was M?”
“I don't know.”
“Did she say why she was taking pictures of me?”
“She said…”
Su Yan stopped.
“She said you weren't as ordinary as you thought.”
Lin Mo frowned. “What does that mean?”
“I don't know.”
“Did she say I'd done something?”
“No.”
“Did she mention my parents?”
“No.”
“Then why is she watching me?”
Su Yan shook her head. “I don't know.”
Lin Mo leaned back in his chair. Suddenly, the whole thing struck him as absurdly ridiculous. He was just an ordinary person. He went to class. He studied. He prepared for exams. He took pictures now and then. He worked out occasionally. He had someone he liked. He got anxious over little things. He procrastinated. He felt lost. He had never thought there was anything special about him. Why would someone spend half a year watching him? Why?
“There’s one more thing,” Su Yan said.
“What?”
“Before you went to the place where my dad lived three years ago…”
“I received a letter.”
“Who sent it?”
“M.”
“What did it say?”
“Only one sentence.”
Su Yan looked at him. “She said that if I didn't want anything to happen to you, I shouldn't tell you the truth.”
Lin Mo was silent. “So you didn't tell me.”
“Yeah.”
“Until now?”
“Until now.”
“Then why are you telling me now?”
Su Yan looked at him. Her eyes slowly reddened.
“Because I realized that even if I said nothing, you'd still get dragged into this.”
“I thought leaving you would protect you.”
“But I was wrong.”
Lin Mo didn't blame her. Because he suddenly understood. Su Yan hadn't stopped loving him three years ago. Quite the opposite. She might have made the most hurtful decision because she cared too much.
“You didn't do anything wrong,” he said.
Su Yan looked up. “What?”
“At least, not all of it was your fault.”
“You don't have to comfort me.”
“I’m not comforting you.”
Lin Mo looked at her. “We've both done things wrong.”
“I have, too.”
“If I hadn't been so stubborn three years ago…”
“If I'd been willing to ask what was really going on…”
“Maybe a lot of things never would've happened.”
Su Yan lowered her head. “But knowing now isn't too late,” she said.
Lin Mo smiled faintly. “Yeah.”
At two in the morning, the two of them decided to return to their dorms first. This time, Lin Mo didn't let Su Yan walk alone. He walked her to the bottom of her building.
“Text me when you get there.”
“Okay.”
“Don't go out alone after you get inside.”
“I know.”
“If someone comes looking for you, call me first.”
Su Yan looked at him. “You, too.”
“Me?”
“Don't go looking for that person by yourself.”
Lin Mo didn't answer.
Su Yan looked at him. “Promise me.”
“Okay.”
She finally turned around. After walking a few steps, she suddenly looked back.
“Lin Mo.”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not leaving me behind this time.”
Lin Mo looked at her. “This time, I’ll be the one staying by your side.”
Su Yan didn't say anything. She only smiled. Then she walked into the building.
Back at the dorm, Lin Mo didn't sleep. He turned the computer back on and organized all the photos by date. June 3. June 4. June 5. June 6. June 7.
He began to notice something strange. Before June 3, the “M” in those photos was far away from him. Sometimes, it was nothing more than a reflection in glass. But after June 3, she drew closer and closer. June 4. About fifty yards away. June 5. Thirty yards. June 6. Ten yards. June 7. She was even standing behind Lin Mo. Only a few yards away.
Lin Mo stared at the photo. A chill slowly spread through him. This wasn't ordinary stalking. It was as if she had been waiting for a specific point in time. And that point was— June 3.
He played M-01 again. Seventeen seconds. A man entered the building. A girl entered. Finally, he entered. Then the video stopped.
Lin Mo started playing it frame by frame. At the seventh second, Takahashi came through the door. At the tenth second, the girl appeared. At the fourteenth second, Lin Mo appeared. At the sixteenth second, all three of them seemed to be in the same place. At the seventeenth second, the image froze.
Lin Mo frowned. “That’s not right.”
He played it again. “Too coincidental.”
If this was surveillance footage, why had all three people happened to appear within seventeen seconds? Unless— Someone had known in advance that they would go there.
Lin Mo downloaded the video to another folder. Then he checked the file information. Creation time. Modification time. Source.
He stared at the screen. Then he suddenly noticed one field.
Creation time: June 8, three years ago.
But the time in the video was June 3. In other words, the video hadn't been sent to him directly that day. It had been reorganized five days later.
Who had organized it? Why?
At three in the morning, his phone rang. An unknown number.
Lin Mo didn't answer. The caller hung up. Then called again. He still didn't answer. On the third call, he picked up.
“Hello?”
There was no sound on the other end.
“Who is this?”
Silence.
Lin Mo glanced at the time. 2:02 a.m.
“Who the hell are you?”
A few seconds later, a girl's voice came through. It was very soft.
“You finally answered.”
Lin Mo went completely rigid. “M?”
The girl on the other end chuckled. “You still remember that name.”
“Who are you?”
“That isn't important.”
“Then what is?”
“The things you want to know.”
Lin Mo tightened his grip on the phone. “What exactly did I do on June 3 three years ago?”
The other end fell silent.
“You really don't remember?”
“I don't.”
“Then why did you go there?”
“I don't know.”
“It isn't that you don't know,” she said. “You're unwilling to remember.”
Lin Mo stopped breathing. “What does that mean?”
“That night, you saw something.”
“What?”
“You saw someone hit your father.”
Lin Mo was stunned. “My dad?”
“Not in the way you're thinking.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Your father didn't merely have a disagreement with Su Yan's father back then.” “There was a secret between them.”
Lin Mo fell silent. “What secret?”
“Find out for yourself.”
“Why won't you just tell me?”
The girl on the other end chuckled. “Because once you know, you'll start suspecting everyone.”
“Su Yan included.”
Lin Mo frowned. “I won't.”
“You won't right now.”
“But what about after you know everything?”
The call suddenly disconnected.
Lin Mo sat frozen for a few seconds. Then he immediately called back.
The number didn't exist.
He sat on the edge of the bed, his mind a mess. His father. Su Yan's father. Takahashi. M. June 3, three years ago.
These names slowly began to form a line. But one piece was missing in the middle. Himself.
Why had he gone to that building? Why didn't he remember? What exactly had happened that day?
Lin Mo suddenly thought of someone. His mother. Maybe she knew.
At eight in the morning, Lin Mo went home. His mother was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. When she saw him suddenly come back, she froze.
“Why are you back?”
“Mom, I want to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Where did I go on the night of June 3 three years ago?”
The chopsticks in his mother's hand stopped. Only briefly—just one second. But Lin Mo saw it.
“Why are you suddenly asking about that?”
“You remember?”
“No, I don't.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
She turned around and continued cooking. Lin Mo stood behind her.
“Did I go somewhere that night?”
His mother didn't answer.
“Mom.”
“No.”
“Look me in the eye and say it.”
His mother slowly turned around. The two of them looked at each other. Her expression changed.
“Who told you something?”
Lin Mo's heart sank. “So you do know.”
His mother said nothing.
“Mom.”
“Stop digging into this,” she said suddenly.
Lin Mo froze. “Why?”
“Because it's over.”
“But it isn't over.”
“You don't even know what you're investigating.”
“Then tell me.”
His mother was silent for a long time. Finally, she said quietly, “Your father doesn't want you to know.”
“My dad?”
“Yeah.”
“What about you?”
His mother looked at him. Her eyes were slightly red.
“I just want you to be safe.”
Lin Mo stood there. Those words were almost exactly what Su Yan had said three years ago. He suddenly felt that this was much bigger than he had imagined.
“Mom,” he asked, “what exactly was the relationship between my dad and Su Yan's dad?”
His mother's face instantly went white. The chopsticks fell to the floor with a crisp clatter.
Lin Mo didn't say anything else. Because he already had his answer. At the very least, he knew the question's answer had to be important.
His mother sat down. Only after a long while did she speak.
“Your father and her father used to be friends.”
“I know.”
“But they weren't later.”
“Why not?”
“Because of a business deal.”
“What kind of deal?”
His mother shook her head. “I don't know all of it.”
“What do you know?”
“I only know that they worked on a project together when they were young.”
“A project?”
“Yeah.”
“It failed later.”
“Someone ended up owing a lot of money.”
“Someone left.”
“Someone even…”
She stopped.
“Even what?”
“Died.”
Lin Mo's heart sank. “Who?”
His mother didn't answer.
“Mom.”
“Don't ask.”
“I have to know.”
“What good will knowing do?”
“At least I'll know what I'm actually afraid of.”
His mother looked at him. She was silent for a long time. Finally, she said, “Your father's best friend back then.”
Lin Mo was stunned. “Who?”
His mother shook her head. “I can't say.”
“Why not?”
“Because I promised him.”
“Promised what?”
“That as long as you grew up safe and sound…” “I would never tell you.”
The room went quiet.
For the first time, Lin Mo realized that there were so many things in his life that other people had chosen to hide in order to protect him. But that protection had ultimately become another kind of hurt. Because he had always thought his life was ordinary. Only now did he realize that perhaps, from a long time ago, someone else had been deciding for him— which things he could know, which things he couldn't, which people he could get close to, and which people had to leave.
At noon, Lin Mo left home. He didn't return to the dorm. Instead, he went to his father's old study. His father hadn't used the room in a long time. It was piled with old documents.
Lin Mo began searching. One drawer. Two. Three. Nothing.
Finally, he found an iron box at the very bottom of the bookcase. It wasn't locked. Inside were only a few sheets of paper, an old photograph, and an envelope.
Written on the envelope were the words: “For Lin Mo.”
Lin Mo's hand stopped. The handwriting was his father's.
He opened the envelope. There was only one sheet of paper inside. Only a few lines were written on it.
“If you see this letter one day, it means I can no longer tell you in person.”
“What happened three years ago was not an accident.”
“You didn't go to see Su Yan because you wanted to.”
“I was the one who told you to go.”
Lin Mo went completely rigid.
The next line held only one sentence:
“Because you're the only one who can get that thing.”
Lin Mo stared at the words. His heartbeat grew faster and faster. What thing?
He continued reading. But the rest of the writing had been torn away. Only the last half of a sentence remained.
“If M finds you…”
Nothing followed.
Lin Mo's hands began to grow cold.
Just then, his phone suddenly vibrated. It was Su Yan. Only one sentence:
“Lin Mo, I remember now.”
Lin Mo immediately replied: “What do you remember?”
Su Yan took a long time to answer.
“On the night of June 3 three years ago, before you left my dad's house, you gave me something.”
Lin Mo was stunned. “What?”
A few seconds later, Su Yan sent:
“A voice recorder.”
Lin Mo stared at his phone.
At that exact moment, he looked down at the iron box his father had left behind. Beneath the old photograph inside, a small black corner had somehow appeared.
He reached out and moved the photograph aside. A voice recorder lay quietly underneath.
A small piece of paper was stuck to it. There was only one character on it: M.
Lin Mo didn't pick it up right away. Because he suddenly realized— this might be the thing everyone had desperately tried to hide for the past three years. And now it had returned to his hands.
He pressed the play button. At first, there was only a burst of static. Then a man's voice slowly emerged.
It was his father's.
“If you're listening to this recording…”
A pause.
Then came a sentence that instantly froze Lin Mo in place.
“Lin Mo, there's something you need to know first.”
“That dead person you saw three years ago…”
The recording suddenly cut off.
Lin Mo stopped breathing.
“A dead person?”
He pressed play again. There was no sound. He pressed it once more. Still nothing.
The recording was only seventeen seconds long now. The same as M-01. Seventeen seconds.
And in the final second of the recording, a very soft girl's voice suddenly came from the background. Lin Mo heard it clearly.
The voice said:
“He's awake.”
The recording ended.
The room fell into dead silence once more.
Lin Mo stood in the center of the study, the voice recorder clenched in his hand. Outside the window, the sunlight was bright. People walked past on the street. The world continued turning as usual.
But he knew that from this moment on, there was no way he could return to his old life. Because that night three years ago—the night everyone had hidden away— was finally beginning to speak to him.