She parked the electric scooter by the side of the road and took out her phone. It was a WhatsApp message from Isaac Adler.
[Ms. Lynch, Keegan Lowell was successfully apprehended five minutes ago.
[One of our officers suffered a minor scratch during the arrest, but there were no other injuries or casualties.
[On behalf of the Aethel City Criminal Investigation Detachment, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to you!]
Below the message was an attached photo. In the picture, the plain-looking, square-faced man from the film studio was pinned firmly to the ground by several plainclothes police officers, his face written with absolute despair and indignation.
Seeing this photo, the heavy burden that had been weighing on Wendy’s heart was finally lifted.
She had succeeded! She had successfully prevented that future tragedy!
She let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as though even the breeze off Lake Cyrillian had grown gentler. Right after, Isaac’s second message arrived.
[By the way, I’ve already submitted the application for your reward money to my superiors.
[We’ll need you to provide a valid bank account for the transfer, Ms. Lynch.
[According to the application process, the 230,000 yuan reward should hit your account in about a week.]
Wendy’s eyes instantly lit up at the second message. This was killing two birds with one stone! Not only had she saved a life, but she had also easily netted over 200,000 yuan! Combined with the jade rough she had picked up earlier, this trip to Aethel had earned her a solid 500,000 yuan, even after deducting her expenses!
In a fantastic mood, she shoved the phone back into her pocket, twisted the throttle, and caught up with Charlotte up ahead.
"I’m coming, I’m coming! I’m in a great mood today, so I’ll take as many photos of you as you want!"
"Yay!"
The two girls’ laughter sprinkled across the sparkling surface of Lake Cyrillian.
As night fell, the hustle and bustle along the shores of Lake Cyrillian gradually faded away, leaving behind only the gentle evening breeze and a few scattered stars on the horizon.
After a crazy day of fun, Wendy and Charlotte were now sprawled out on the hotel’s soft, king-sized bed. Each held their phone, scrolling through the photos and videos they had taken earlier.
"Wendy, look at this one! I took such a gorgeous picture of you! Look at these long legs and this slim waist—if you post this on Instagram, you’ll definitely farm a ton of likes!" Charlotte shoved her phone in front of Wendy’s face. On the screen was a photo of Wendy looking back with a smile while riding the electric scooter, set against the backdrop of the shimmering Lake Cyrillian and Mount Aeridor.
"Alright, alright, you’re the best photographer."
The two chatted and laughed, and the time quickly slipped past midnight. Wendy opened her email inbox.
[You have a new email from October 7, 2025]
[I told them over and over not to work overtime, but they just wouldn’t listen!!!]
[They aren’t seventeen or eighteen anymore. Why risk their lives for a few dozen bucks??]
[Now look what happened! Two fingers directly crushed off by the machine!!]
[If only... if only I were more successful and could have let Mom and Dad retire early, maybe this accident could have been avoided!]
Seeing the message in the email, Wendy felt her vision suddenly go black. Every single word was like a red-hot iron awl, stabbing viciously into her heart.
Fingers... crushed by a machine!
Her good mood from the past few days was instantly wiped clean by this email from the future. She could vividly imagine just how much remorse and self-blame her future self must have felt when typing out these words.
However, she didn’t let that icy terror last long before forcibly suppressing it. It wasn’t that Wendy was cold-blooded, but rather that she had realized something crucial: none of this had happened yet!
There was still time!
Wendy knew her parents’ personalities inside and out. If she merely called to warn them, they would likely agree over the phone but still go into work for overtime that night as usual. Therefore, she had to rush back immediately to stop her parents from working overtime tomorrow!
Wendy’s movements weren’t exactly quiet, and they immediately woke up Charlotte, who had just fallen asleep.
"Wendy? What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
"N-No... it’s nothing." Wendy quickly reigned in her emotions and squeezed out a smile. "I’m probably just too tired from all the walking today. My leg is cramping a bit. Go back to sleep."
She didn’t want to worry Charlotte, and she certainly didn’t want to expose the secret of the emails from the future.
That night, Wendy barely closed her eyes. She stared up at the ceiling, her mind running through how to talk to her parents and how to explain to Charlotte why she suddenly had to leave.
Early the next morning, just as the sky began to show the first hints of dawn, Wendy couldn’t bear to lie in bed any longer. She tiptoed out of bed and started packing her luggage.
"Wendy? What... what are you doing? What time is it?" Charlotte looked at Wendy busying herself with the suitcase through sleepy eyes, her face full of confusion.
"Charlotte, I have to go back immediately," Wendy said as she zipped up her suitcase and turned around with an apologetic look on her face. "An urgent project suddenly came up at the company, and they specifically asked for me to head back and handle it. I don’t have a choice."
"Huh? So suddenly? What kind of garbage company forces you to go back right now?" Charlotte’s sleepiness vanished instantly. She sat up in bed, looking thoroughly displeased. "We agreed to head back on the seventh. It’s only the fourth today."
"I can’t help it. The project is urgent, and the client is pressing us hard." Wendy had long since prepared her excuse. She walked over, patted Charlotte on the shoulder, and consoled her, "Don’t worry about me. Just enjoy the rest of the trip by yourself."
Though Charlotte looked completely reluctant, seeing that Wendy wasn’t joking around, she had no choice but to pout and accept it.
"Alright then... work comes first. Be careful on the way back."
"Mhm."
Wendy had already booked the earliest flight back to Ramspire last night. After saying goodbye to Charlotte, she dragged her suitcase and rushed toward the airport without looking back.
Sitting by the window on the airplane, looking at the rolling sea of clouds below, Wendy felt her heart hanging in her throat the entire time. She checked the time over and over again, feeling as though the plane was flying agonizingly slow.
After several agonizing hours, the plane finally landed at Ramspire’s Lyndale International Airport.
Wendy didn’t even have time to catch her breath before immediately hailing a cab to rush home. Returning to her empty house, she dropped her luggage, immediately whipped out her phone, and dialed her father, Gordon Lynch.
The phone rang several times before it was connected. The background noise was the familiar roar of machinery.
"Hello? Wendy? Why are you calling? Dad’s at work right now! Whatever it is, let’s talk after I get off shift!" Gordon shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Dad! You and Mom need to come home right now! Immediately!" Wendy’s tone was incredibly frantic.
"Huh? Come home? It’s... it’s not even time to clock out yet, and we still have to work overtime tonight. The factory is rushing out a shipment today." Gordon was somewhat baffled.
Overtime!
Hearing that word, Wendy’s heart gave a violent lurch.
"No overtime!!! Absolutely not!" Her voice suddenly skyrocketed in pitch, carrying a tone of absolute command that brooked no refusal. "I don’t care what reasons you have. Right here, right now, take a leave of absence and come home immediately! I have something extremely important to tell you!"
On the other end of the line, Gordon was completely stunned by his daughter’s sudden, forceful attitude.