What exactly the situation was now, he couldn't quite articulate, but he hoped it was the third possibility; that, perhaps, would grant him some peace. He wanted to assure Han Chong that as long as he was present, no one would harm him. Yet, he couldn't voice it; what if he was mistaken? Wouldn't that be terribly embarrassing and a complete loss of face? Moreover, if that were the case, his admission would signal that he already knew the truth, making Han Chong even more vulnerable. So, he fell silent, merely glancing at Ma Xiong. Ma Xiong remained seated on the stool as if nothing were amiss, saying nothing, simply staring intently at Han Chong. The tension that had gripped Han Chong moments before suddenly vanished, replaced by an air of ease and contentment.

Lu Zong spoke up, "Han Chong, oh, no, perhaps I should address you as 'Miss.' Ah, now that you mention it, I suddenly recall a friend of mine who was also called 'Fatty'; he disappeared around here recently too. I wonder if it's the same Fatty you speak of?"

Han Chong replied without hesitation, "Impossible. My husband and I have lived here for so long—so long, in fact, that I can't recall when we arrived. Therefore, I am certain he cannot be the Fatty you are referring to. By the way, what does your Fatty look like?"

Ma Xiong quickly interjected, "He has one very distinct characteristic, one I believe you'd recognize instantly." Han Chong looked at Ma Xiong with curiosity and asked, "What characteristic? Something I'd recognize instantly? How could that be? I don't know him—at least, not until we've spent some time together will I come to know him." Ma Xiong burst into loud laughter. "His most noticeable trait is simply being quite fat. I suspect you won't need much time to figure that out. Heh heh."

Only then did Han Chong realize Ma Xiong was deliberately teasing her, so she paid him no mind. Seeing that his attempt at banter had met a wall, Ma Xiong fell silent. Lu Zong then began his description: "He has a high nose bridge, a large mouth, and his lips are so thick they hang by his face like two sausages. Most importantly, his hair is styled in a perfect middle part. If he walked down the street, people would surely mistake him for some new generation of Chinese traitor." As he spoke, he glanced at Han Chong and was shocked to see her complexion flush crimson, then immediately drain to a pale white—a ghastly color that betrayed the depth of her inner terror. Lu Zong realized that the Fatty he described must bear a strong resemblance to the Fatty in Han Chong's mind; at least on that point, there was a similarity, suggesting the possibility that they were indeed the same person. Han Chong clearly did not want to believe this, her face turning ashen as she stared blankly at Lu Zong.

Lu Zong cleared his throat and asked gently, "Miss, what is wrong? Are you alright?"

The young woman quickly responded, "Nothing, nothing at all. I just felt what you said was a bit... unlikely. But, you know, the Fatty you speak of does look quite similar to my husband. If the two ever met, they would surely become fast friends." With that, she busied herself attending to them, her attitude noticeably softening. Lu Zong watched Han Chong bustling about with a pang of bitterness in his heart. His pre-ordained wife, so capable and virtuous, was already married? If only she exhibited such diligence at his own home! But why should he expect such good fortune? Forget it. Everything is destined; let heaven arrange this marriage. Thinking this eased the turmoil in his mind, and his mood improved considerably.

However, a long time passed, and the Fatty husband Han Chong mentioned had yet to return. Lu Zong grew slightly impatient. He asked Han Chong, "Miss, may I ask where your husband has gone, and when he might be back?"

Han Chong answered nervously, "Truthfully, I don't actually know where my husband went. I woke up this morning already in this bed. I vaguely recall him telling me before he left to stay put, not to go out, and that two guests would be arriving today, instructing me to receive you well. And sure enough, here you are."

Lu Zong and Ma Xiong stared at Han Chong in shared astonishment, especially Ma Xiong, who was so shocked his teeth nearly clattered out. His mouth hung wide open. Seeing Ma Xiong on the verge of drooling, Han Chong quickly reminded him, "Hey, handsome, try to catch your saliva. The floor here gets dirty easily." She even pointed a finger at the drop of saliva about to fall from his mouth. Ma Xiong noticed his lapse in composure and, a grown man of his stature, felt his neck flush red—a sight rather endearing. Han Chong couldn't help but let out a laugh.

Lu Zong pressed eagerly, "What? You don't know where Fatty went? Ah, right, I saw Fatty earlier; I caught a glimpse of him through a tear in the tent flap. I don't know what that means, Miss, but do you have any idea?"

Han Chong, however, was greatly alarmed by this. She looked at Lu Zong with visible tension, her voice trembling as she asked, "What tear? This tent is brand new; how could there be a hole? You must have seen wrong. I have lived here for over twenty years; how could I not know about a hole? You must be mistaken."

Lu Zong and Ma Xiong exchanged a look. It was strange that the proprietress didn't know her own tent had a tear. But then he immediately recalled seeing the injured Fatty moments before and worried about his current state. He requested that Han Chong accompany them to look at the tear and see what was going on.

Han Chong immediately agreed, following dutifully behind the two men to the corner of the tent—the very corner where she and Ma Xiong had just been spying. As they walked, Lu Zong asked Han Chong, "We also heard a wild beast cry out just a moment ago, seemingly coming from inside this very tent. Do you know anything about that, Miss?"

Han Chong hastily replied with a tense expression, "No, no, that's impossible! How could there be any wild beasts here? Just look around—all these tents are damaged only by natural wind; there's no sign of any beasts. Even if there were, they wouldn't come here! How could you possibly hear a beast's cry coming from inside my tent? You must have misheard." Han Chong explained dismissively, appearing utterly unconvinced.

Ma Xiong backed up Lu Zong, saying, "Yes, Miss, I assure you we did not mishear. The sound came from right here. Also, we saw Fatty's silhouette through that tear just now. Fatty is inside this tent, but for some reason, when we looked inside, the scene was completely different. Do you know what's going on?"

Han Chong shook her head frantically and then said, "Stop talking about it. You must be hungry; please come inside quickly, and I'll make you something to eat." She turned to leave, eager to get away from the subject. Lu Zong and Ma Xiong realized this topic was too sensitive for her, and she wanted to drop it quickly.

But Lu Zong and Ma Xiong weren't fools; they knew that the issue Han Chong wanted to avoid must be highly problematic. Ma Xiong stepped quickly in front of Han Chong, blocking her path, and said, "Miss, let's look at the scene inside that tear first. See, we're already out here, and we've found the opening."

Han Chong looked up in terror at the looming Ma Xiong, realizing she had no choice but to explain the situation to them. She could only shake her head in resignation and follow Ma Xiong to the tear. Lu Zong was already bent over, peering into the tent. Hearing their footsteps, he straightened up, glanced at Ma Xiong, and nodded slightly, signaling that the scene inside remained unchanged.

Han Chong obediently lowered her head and peered inside. Her face grew paler and paler. Watching her expression, the two men knew she must know something and quickly asked, "Miss, did you see the scene inside? Do you know how to explain this?"

Han Chong finally pulled her eyes away from the hole, staring blankly at the two men, her voice trembling, "How can there be another me inside? Why am I in there?"

Ma Xiong and Lu Zong's eyes widened again. They hadn't expected Han Chong to see yet another different reflection this time. It was one thing for what they saw to be slightly different from each other, as they shared no common interests, but for Han Chong's vision to be completely different from both of theirs was truly astonishing.

Lu Zong hurriedly asked, "Miss, what did you see inside? Tell us exactly what you saw! Didn't you see the tattered tent scraps and the battered, injured Fatty? Tell me, is that Fatty your husband or not?"

Han Chong still replied in a shaky voice, "How is that possible? How could I be in there? Why am I in there?" Seeing Han Chong muttering to herself, Lu Zong guessed she was emotionally overwhelmed by something unbelievable. He quickly calmed her, "Han Chong, look into my eyes. Now, tell me, what exactly did you see?"

Only then did Han Chong raise her head, studying the rather handsome man before her with confused eyes, and said slowly, word by word, "How could I be in there? Why is there another me inside?" Now, the two men understood: Han Chong must have seen another version of herself inside, which was why she was so terrified.

Ma Xiong refused to believe the hole was so bizarre and leaned in again, trying to reconfirm what exactly was in there. But this time, he saw nothing inside except for the scattered scraps of cloth and some haphazardly arranged furniture, a scene vastly different from what he observed in Han Chong's room earlier.

He touched his head in disbelief, looking at Han Chong.

As if suddenly realizing something, Han Chong wrenched herself free from Lu Zong's grasp and bolted back into the room. Ma Xiong and Lu Zong followed closely behind, only to be amazed to find that Han Chong had vanished.