The diary's faded script was like scattered fragments in the river of time—Lin Xiaoxia strained to piece them together, to uncover the truth hidden beneath. The handwriting belonged to Xu Yuan’s grandfather, its strokes imbued with reverence for time and the weight of guarding a secret.
"The silver covenant… the watch’s hands…" These phrases echoed relentlessly in her mind. She pored over the journal, hunting for more clues. One passage revealed that the grandfather had stumbled upon a pocket watch with peculiar power—one that seemed mysteriously linked to the flow of time itself.
The diary hinted at someone coveting that power, a figure tied to a "silver family." The grandfather, wary, had hidden the watch and left behind cryptic clues decipherable only to himself—hoping to shield it from those who would misuse it.
Lin Xiaoxia’s thoughts raced to Li Mingzhe’s silver ring, to Future Lin Xiaoxia’s warning about "the man with the silver ring." A terrible suspicion took shape: Li Mingzhe might belong to that "silver family," hunting the watch all along. Had Xu Yuan’s grandfather died because he uncovered their secret?
And Xu Yuan—what role did he play? If Li Mingzhe was the mastermind, then the "accident" was no accident. Future Lin Xiaoxia’s warning to leave Xu Yuan might not have been to save him, but to protect her from being ensnared in this conspiracy.
The realization sent a shiver through her. She’d assumed Future Lin Xiaoxia acted to shield Xu Yuan, never considering that she might be the one in danger.
The diary’s final pages held the watch’s hiding place, described in riddles—a specific time and location, veiled in the grandfather’s cipher. Only by solving it could the watch be found.
Lin Xiaoxia scrutinized every word, every stroke, as night deepened outside. Fatigue didn’t touch her; the truth felt within reach. Find the watch, and she might avert the future’s tragedy—and expose Li Mingzhe.
Then, a nearly invisible notation caught her eye:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUZn6CBTzh
"The labyrinth of time points the way home…"
Labyrinth of time? The phrase struck like lightning. Her gaze snapped up, scanning the dust-choked house. A wild thought ignited—what if the watch wasn’t hidden in a place, but in… time itself?
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