Same Name, Same Surname

The snow outside fell at just the right pace, while the fragrance of tea inside grew ever richer.

As six in the evening arrived on the dot, the wall where Lan Yu had been earlier suddenly began to tremble.

Then, as if it had become a sliding door, the wall slowly opened from behind, revealing the small guest room within.

With the wall opened up, the two rooms became one.

Steam drifted across the tea table, making Li Yi's figure seem somewhat illusory.

He sat on a cushion, gently swirling the tea bowl in his hand before draining it in one gulp.

Ji Li emerged from the corner and walked into the inner room, eventually sitting across from him.

In the quiet room, there were only the two of them and the tea still giving off steam.

After lighting a cigarette, Ji Li placed the Cigarette Case and lighter on the tea table.

One drank tea, the other smoked. Neither spoke immediately.

Beyond the mist-covered window, snowflakes drifted leisurely through the air. Both of them savored this brief and precious peace.

Only after Li Yi set down his tea bowl and folded his hands over his knees did he softly say:

"Congratulations."

Ji Li looked at the man opposite him, who had an identical face to his save for a few differing features, and asked:

"Congratulations for what?"

"You obtained a puzzle piece, and you killed Gu Xingjian."

There was a trace of melancholy in Li Yi's voice. Clearly, his congratulations were not sincere, or perhaps something weighed on his mind.

As Ji Li looked at him, he suddenly realized that Li Yi had given off a very different impression each time they met.

The first time, he had been exceptionally forceful and stubborn;

The second time, on the moat,