Genius Club

“Chu… Chu An Qing?!”

Gao Yang scrambled up from the ground, peering into the coffin. The headlamp on Lin Xian’s helmet had already illuminated the coffin’s details clearly. Now, Gao Yang’s headlamp joined in, casting more light onto the photo frame.

“That… that’s definitely Chu An Qing!” Gao Yang turned his head, staring at Lin Xian in shock.

Before this moment, he had only heard Lin Xian repeatedly mention that Zhang Yu Qian looked exactly like Chu An Qing, but he had never seen it for himself. The concept of “exactly alike” was abstract to him, just a vague notion. But now, looking at this photo, taken at least 24 years ago… The resemblance! It wasn’t just a resemblance; they were identical, like a perfect copy!

“Move over, let me take it out for a closer look,” Gao Yang said, squeezing past and leaning over the coffin. He reached down, retrieving the photo frame that was standing on a makeup box. Returning to Lin Xian’s side, they both stared at it together.

“Hiss…” Gao Yang gasped. “No matter how you look at it, that’s Chu An Qing. Look at the eyebrows, the face shape, even the hair color… Chu An Qing’s dark brown hair isn’t dyed; it’s her natural color. Because if it were dyed, the roots would grow back in her original color. But we’ve known Chu An Qing for so long, spent so much time together at the astronaut training base, she had no time to dye her hair. So her natural hair color is dark brown.”

“This… my gosh… I really can’t believe it. Look at the teardrop mole, it’s identical. You did tell me before that the two girls looked exactly alike, but seeing Zhang Yu Qian’s photo today… at this level, I’m genuinely stunned.”

Gao Yang stammered, struggling to find the right words. However, Lin Xian understood. When he first met CC and later saw Chu An Qing at the MX celebration, who looked just like CC, he had a similar reaction. Now, he was somewhat desensitized. But for Gao Yang, this was the first shock.

“You don’t need to find any differences, Gao Yang,” Lin Xian patted his shoulder. “There’s no meaningful research value in this. In fact, it’s reasonable to say Zhang Yu Qian and Chu An Qing should look exactly the same, like a copy and paste. If they looked different or had obvious differences, what truth would we be searching for now? What answers would we be looking for?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Gao Yang’s brain finally caught up, smacking his lips. “Indeed, this was expected. It’s just that seeing the photo was too much of a shock. By the way, had you seen Zhang Yu Qian’s photo before?”

Lin Xian shook his head, then nodded. “I saw the ID photo on her first-generation ID card. It was a black-and-white photo, all pixelated, not worth mentioning.”

“Then…” Gao Yang pointed at the coffin filled with miscellaneous items and clothes, but no body, bones, or any sign of decay. “Then what’s the deal with this coffin having no body or ashes? The old lady clearly said her daughter was buried here. And look at how neatly everything is arranged. When the coffin was buried, it was obviously like this. There’s no way someone stole Zhang Yu Qian’s body, or that she ran away.”

“So, that means the old man lied to us from the start! No wonder he was so evasive when we mentioned visiting Zhang Yu Qian’s grave… There’s no one buried in this grave! Zhang Yu Qian isn’t here at all!”

“Then where is she buried? Or maybe, Zhang Yu Qian didn’t actually die back then, and this couple faked her death. Maybe she’s still alive somewhere else, or even in another country.”

“Impossible,” Lin Xian quickly dismissed Gao Yang’s idea. “There’s no need for that… Their family was already wealthy enough. If they wanted to live elsewhere, they could have just left. Why go to such lengths? Besides, you saw the old lady’s mental breakdown over her daughter’s death, and the old man gave up his career. Judging by their suffering, Zhang Yu Qian’s death was real. There’s no need to question it. Since there’s no body in the coffin, it’s likely as I guessed.”

“Zhang Yu Qian’s death left no body. She, like Chu An Qing, turned into blue stardust at 00:42 and vanished into thin air. So, linking this to that mysterious car accident back then, it’s not hard to piece together what happened that night.”

“Although we don’t know who was driving or how many people were in the car, Zhang Yu Qian’s sudden transformation into blue stardust scared the driver, causing the car to crash into a tree.”

“I can’t say this theory is absolutely correct, as we have no evidence. Ultimately, only Zhang Shi and Yan Qin know the exact details of the accident. But I feel this guess is pretty close. It’s the only way to connect what happened to both Chu An Qing and Zhang Yu Qian.”

Gao Yang held his chin, circling the open coffin, nodding. “Got it. So, according to your theory, since Chu An Qing and Zhang Yu Qian look the same, are the same age, have similar experiences, and disappeared at the same time… it suggests Zhang Yu Qian was also a Millennium Stake!”

“Amazing… Does a girl with this appearance appear every twenty-odd years and turn into a Millennium Stake on her 20th birthday? Why does this happen?!”

However, faced with Gao Yang’s speculation, Lin Xian shook his head.

“Your reasoning isn’t rigorous. Even if Zhang Yu Qian and Chu An Qing both disappeared into blue stardust, it doesn’t prove they were both Millennium Stakes. Moreover, we still don’t know what a Millennium Stake truly is, what it signifies, or how it forms. The key lies in the time-space particles. In the events of January 21, 2000, at 00:42 when Zhang Yu Qian disappeared, and March 28, 2024, at 00:42 when Chu An Qing disappeared… there’s an uncertain variable.”

Lin Xian looked at Gao Yang. “Time-space particles. Chu An Qing knew she would disappear at 00:42 after touching the time-space particles, and then she did. But what about Zhang Yu Qian? What was her situation when she disappeared twenty years ago? Did she also touch the time-space particles, or did she vanish without encountering them? I believe figuring this out is crucial.”

“Did Chu An Qing and Zhang Yu Qian disappear at 00:42 because they touched the time-space particles, or would they have disappeared at that time regardless? What’s the relationship between the time-space particles and the Millennium Stake? Is there a direct link? Yellow Finch’s words were ambiguous… If Chu An Qing hadn’t touched the time-space particles, would she still be considered a Millennium Stake?”

“Yes, exactly!” Gao Yang nodded vigorously, pointing with his finger. “I get what you mean, Lin Xian. We need to determine if the Millennium Stake phenomenon is caused by the time-space particles or if Chu An Qing and Zhang Yu Qian were inherently Millennium Stakes. If their disappearance is due to the time-space particles, we need to focus on researching those particles. If their disappearance is unrelated to the time-space particles and is due to their own nature, we need to find out what that is! We’re just one step away from uncovering the truth!”

With their thoughts clear, the purpose of coming to Qufu, Shandong to dig up the grave was achieved. At least many things became clear. Lin Xian turned to look at the various items and memorabilia in Zhang Yu Qian’s coffin.

“Let’s search through them and see if we can find anything useful.”

They adjusted the coffin lid further open. Lin Xian jumped inside, starting to rummage through the items. It had to be said… The items exuded an antique aura. Many of the objects, Lin Xian had never seen in his childhood, truly ancient. He picked up a Sony Walkman, the front bearing its logo.

“Wow! A Walkman!” Gao Yang recognized it instantly, reaching out. “Quick, let me see it. This is a treasure… Sony’s first-generation, or at least an early-generation Walkman. In the ’80s and ’90s, this was a major deal! If someone wore this on the street, their cool factor would be off the charts!”

Lin Xian handed the Walkman to Gao Yang. Gao Yang’s words weren’t wrong. Lin Xian vaguely remembered that when he was in kindergarten, the older kids in the neighborhood still used Walkmans to listen to tapes. And Zhang Yu Qian had this Japanese-made Walkman in the ’90s, indicating her family’s wealth.

Then, he noticed the cassette tapes. They contained albums by Liu Dehua, Zhang Xueyou… singers from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Back in Zhang Yu Qian’s time, mainland music hadn’t yet risen to popularity. Lin Xian opened a clear cassette case, looking at those old items imprinted with the marks of the era.

“Kids today wouldn’t even know what a cassette is. They’re so rare now.”

“Definitely,” Gao Yang continued to fiddle with the Walkman. “Nowadays, not just cassettes, even CDs and DVDs are gone. Technology has advanced too fast.”

Click. He finally figured it out, opening the cassette compartment and pulling out a tape. It was a Teresa Teng album. Gao Yang chuckled. “If Zhang Yu Qian had lived one more year, she would have heard Jay Chou and S.H.E.’s music. What a pity… she missed out on the golden age of X Country pop music. Look at all these tapes, she must have been a music lover.”

Lin Xian nodded. Indeed. The coffin contained not just tapes, but music posters, entertainment magazines… clearly showing Zhang Yu Qian was a music enthusiast. But… she didn’t live to see 2001, the miracle year for X Country pop music.

Looking at these items from Zhang Yu Qian’s life, Lin Xian couldn’t help but think of Chu An Qing. With today’s rapid technological advancements… What might Chu An Qing miss out on?

Setting down the cassette case, Lin Xian picked up a photo album. Opening it, he found it documented Zhang Yu Qian’s life from birth to her death at 20. The album was thick, filled with photos. Zhang Yu Qian must have loved taking pictures.

But it wasn’t just that. In the 1980s, having a camera at home was rare. Many kids didn’t have the chance to take photos; it was a luxury to take pictures freely. Film wasn’t expensive. But cameras were. Most people had to go to a studio for pictures.

“Huh?” Lin Xian picked up a black VHS tape. Heavy, large, almost brick-sized. “Gao Yang, look at this. It’s been so long since I’ve seen one, only glimpses in childhood.”

Nowadays, capturing life on video is easy. Phones have endless storage. But back then, recording life in motion required a video camera and tapes.

“Wow.” Gao Yang clicked his tongue, taking the tape from Lin Xian. “Incredible… I thought having a camera in the ’80s was impressive, but they even had a camcorder. Don’t you wonder what’s on this tape? I have a colleague who collects old stuff; he has a player for these tapes. Should we take it back and watch it? See what life was like for Zhang Yu Qian, who looks just like Chu An Qing!”

“That… doesn’t feel right,” Lin Xian hesitated, feeling it was a boundary. “We should just look here for clues. Taking items from the coffin feels inappropriate.”

“You can’t think like that, Lin Xian!” Gao Yang urged. “We’re not stealing; we’re solving problems! Not just for Chu An Qing, but for Zhang Yu Qian too! We need to take these clues seriously. And… when you go back to Donghai, you’ll need to explain to Chu Shan He. Without solid proof, do you think he’ll believe you? This tape might be your key evidence!”

Lin Xian thought about it. It made sense. Not just for the evidence… If he had to explain the Millennium Stake’s origins to Chu Shan He, photos and videos of Zhang Yu Qian would be more convincing.

“Let’s take this photo album too. Since we’re taking some, we might as well take a few more.” He handed the album to Gao Yang and continued searching. Certificates, toys, awards… These items told Zhang Yu Qian’s life story. She seemed quite accomplished. There were many certificates, though not for major competitions, plenty of school awards for being a good student, academic achievements, and cultural performances. She seemed well-rounded.

After another sweep, there was nothing more useful in the coffin. Finally, he found a diary with a combination lock.

“Ah… diaries, such a distant concept.” Lin Xian recalled. In elementary school, teachers assigned diary writing. Older siblings often complained about parents snooping in diaries to learn their children’s thoughts. Lin Xian never had that issue… his generation rarely kept diaries, even if they did, it was often half-hearted. But considering Zhang Yu Qian’s era… Maybe… In a time with fewer entertainment options, people might genuinely write diaries!

“Lin Xian,” out of nowhere, Gao Yang’s voice interrupted. “Peeking at a girl’s diary is pretty low.”

Lin Xian looked up. “You’re double-standard. Isn’t watching her tapes low?”

“Tapes are meant to be watched!” Gao Yang replied matter-of-factly. “It’s like posting on social media. Diaries are different; they’re private! They contain personal secrets!”

Secrets? The word struck a chord… Lin Xian remembered talking to Chu An Qing about time travel when he returned from the World Hacking Championship in the U.S., at Pudong Airport. Lin Xian had asked Chu An Qing if she could time travel, would she go to the past or the future? Without hesitation, Chu An Qing said.

“Definitely the past!”

She explained. “Traveling to the future is pointless… I’m not even 20; I can live to see the future, even without a cryo-chamber. But the past… those fixed, historical moments, aren’t they more fascinating? Only the past is unreachable. No technology, no cryo-chamber can take us back even a second. So… if I had time travel powers, I’d choose the past, not the future!”

Back then, Lin Xian thought it was just a fun chat and didn’t take it seriously. So he played along, asking. “If you could go to the past, what would you do?”

Lin Xian still remembered. That day, that moment, Chu An Qing smiled mischievously. She put a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture.

“Secret~”

Secrets. Lin Xian looked at the pink combination-locked diary in his hand. “Then I should definitely take a look.”

“Hey! You shameless!” Gao Yang sneered, then scooted closer. “If you look, we look together.”

Lin Xian turned the diary over, examining its build. Indeed, Zhang Yu Qian’s belongings were all high-quality, well-made. This diary looked plain but was actually foreign-made! The text on it was Japanese. Probably a gift from Zhang Yu Qian’s father during a trip abroad? Honestly, the quality was excellent. The cover was genuine leather, though Lin Xian couldn’t tell what kind. It didn’t feel like ordinary cowhide. Judging by the cartoon characters on the cover, it might be a collaboration with some animation or classic character. The style was so old, Lin Xian couldn’t recognize the character. A typical notebook, left for over twenty years, would fall apart. But this genuine leather diary was still sturdy, though the leather had some cracks, it remained resilient.

It could be torn open, but Lin Xian and Gao Yang had all sorts of tools on them. Disassembling a notebook was easy. However, Lin Xian believed that, besides Zhao Ying Jun’s password gate, each specially set password had unique significance. So, forced entry would be a last resort.

This diary had a four-digit combination lock. A four-digit numeric password wouldn’t take long to crack using brute force. No need for violent measures; after all… this was Zhang Yu Qian’s last diary left to the world.

“Let’s guess the password.” Lin Xian showed Gao Yang the still-bright combination lock on the diary’s side. “A four-digit numeric code… What do you think it is?”