Sinners

[Please read the author's notes for context] The changes began six months ago. Lian Jingyuan kept having dreams in which he alternated between two identities: a bar owner and a doctor. The unfamiliar professions and relationships felt so real that he kept waking up later and later each day. Lian Jingyuan soon realized that these might not be dreams at all, but parallel worlds he had been researching with all his might. Gradually, things that didn't belong to him began appearing at home and at school. While he was "dreaming," his time was also being taken over and used recklessly by two other parallel versions of himself. The three Lian Jingyuans became aware of one another. Notes beside the calendar became their means of communication. Day after day, the messages grew stranger and more disturbing, until one day, a line appeared. [Lian (Dr): Who killed someone?] * [06/04, Avenoir] "Where were you at eight p.m. on the twentieth of last month?" Lian Jingyuan thought carefully. He'd been on duty at the hospital on the twentieth, and there was nothing special marked on the calendar. "Don't want to tell me, or don't know?" He Wei leaned over the table, looking down at him. "Are you a bar owner, or the physics professor I used to know?" Lian Jingyuan smiled faintly. "You can't guess." [06/12, Haijing] "If you don't cooperate, we can't help you." "I didn't kill anyone." Lian Jingyuan's eyes darkened. "To be precise, it wasn't this 'me' who did it." Lin Heyu glanced at the camera. Yi Shi had already switched off the surveillance and audio recording, so only the two of them knew what was being said. "How many of you are there?" "...Three. No, there might be more." [07/02, Shengzhou] "Captain Yin, Lian Jingyuan's psychological evaluation results are in." Yin Bo took the stack of papers, flipped straight to the end, then strode into the interrogation room. "Lian Jingyuan, stop pretending to have dissociative identity disorder. There's nothing wrong with you." Yin Bo grabbed him by the collar. "I have limited patience. Keep going in circles and you'll find out what happens." "Come a little closer." Yin Bo leaned down. A sudden warmth touched his lips, and he was kissed before he could react. Everyone inside and outside the interrogation room was stunned. Yin Bo flew into a rage and tried to hit him, but his colleagues held him back. Amid the commotion, Lian Jingyuan's voice was unusually calm. "Don't get the wrong idea. I was just testing whether the other two 'me's could stop me from doing anything." Tips: 1. The labels in [ ] in each chapter title indicate the main point of view. If there is no label, the point of view is shared. The marks "" in the text indicate the date, world, and point of view. If it feels confusing, please check the chapter title again. 2. The three Lian Jingyuans have different personalities, so their top/bottom roles differ. The point of view is therefore unclear. 3. This story has crossover elements. Please don't read if that's not your thing. 4. There are three worlds, and the protagonists have the same name, so it may be confusing. I'll do my best to keep the three worlds clear. Thank you for understanding. Theme: Experience three different lives.