Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Nan Mu clutched the unopened letter in his hand, his heart instinctively leaping into his throat. He stiffly turned his head to see a figure in a white lab coat.

Nan Mu’s gaze slowly settled on the man’s face. He had a buzz cut and looked to be in his forties. He seemed somewhat familiar.

Who was he? Who exactly was this man? Where had he seen him before?

Nan Mu racked his brain until Wen Miao gave a respectful greeting. “Professor Xu.”

Xu Lei, the senior biological researcher from Wisdom Biotech Company!

So, he was Xu Lei!

It made sense. After all, Nan Mu had attended one of his lectures ten years ago. But ten years was a long time, and Nan Mu had almost forgotten what he looked like.

However…

Reports of Xu Lei being murdered by Wen Tangtang and the police investigation report showing Xu Lei being released with an alibi flashed back and forth in Nan Mu’s mind.

For a moment, Nan Mu couldn’t determine if the man before him was the killer or if his own appearance had altered the world’s trajectory, causing an unexpected outcome.

Xu Lei also seemed momentarily stunned to see the two of them, but he closed the door and greeted them nonetheless.

“Nan Mu, right?”

Nan Mu was shocked. Xu Lei actually knew him.

Perhaps noticing his surprise, Xu Lei gave a casual smile. “Your mentor always talks about you. He says you have a real talent for biological research.”

That was right. Nan Mu suddenly remembered that his mentor and Xu Lei were university classmates. His mentor had told his graduate students that after graduation, he could introduce them to Xu Lei, a researcher at Wisdom Biotech Company. After all, Wisdom Biotech Company was the leading enterprise in City A. Both its funding and its laboratories were among the best in the country-a dream destination for everyone. Researcher Xu Lei was a highly prestigious figure within the company.

“You changed your clothes so quickly, though I think the previous outfit looked a bit better.” He smiled and pointed at Nan Mu’s clothes, but before Nan Mu could explain, he shifted his gaze to Wen Miao. “And this is…”

“Hello, Professor Xu. I’m a student from the Materials Science Department. I just heard Professor Meng’s lecture this morning. She mentioned you; I heard you’re her husband?”

Wen Miao knew about the relationship between Meng Ran and Xu Lei?

Nan Mu watched Xu Lei as he smiled and spoke with Wen Miao. Suddenly, something felt off. His gaze slowly swept over the man.

As Xu Lei spoke, he was fiddling with a ballpoint pen in his hand.

*Click-clack!*

*Click-clack!*

It seemed like an unconscious habit. While talking to Wen Miao, Xu Lei repeatedly pressed the cap of the pen.

A ballpoint pen…

Nan Mu’s thoughts drifted. In a daze, he seemed to hear someone saying: “On a side note, do you all usually use ballpoint pens? …Haha, I still recommend that students use 2B pencils… Naturally, it’s because when doing biological drawings, it’s easier to use fine dots to clearly represent the darker areas of the diagram… Of course, the ink in ballpoint pens contains phenolic compounds, which inhibit plant growth. The higher the concentration, the greater the inhibition, even leading to plant death… I usually don’t use ballpoint pens much…”

Who said that?

Nan Mu thought hard, and the face of the person speaking in his memory gradually overlapped with the face before him.

Xu Lei!

And he was a senior biological researcher!

=

“Wen Miao!”

Nan Mu suddenly shouted, rushing forward to shield Wen Miao behind him.

His abrupt movement startled both people in front of him.

But Nan Mu didn’t dare be careless. He stared warily at Xu Lei, watching as the man’s surprised expression gradually returned to a calm state. Finally, Xu Lei sighed softly and put away the ballpoint pen.

No, that was definitely not a ballpoint pen. It was likely just something that looked very similar to one.

Because Xu Lei never used ballpoint pens, he naturally didn’t have to worry about mistaking the device for a real pen.

“Nan Mu, what are you doing?” Wen Miao grabbed his arm nervously, seemingly afraid he was about to make a mistake. “Calm down.”

Just as she finished speaking, her legs suddenly went weak. Her whole body slumped downward. Fortunately, because she was clutching Nan Mu’s arm tightly, she didn’t collapse onto the floor.

Nan Mu locked eyes with her. In an instant, seeing the blank look in her eyes, he had an epiphany. It was a knockout drug!

That object shaped like a ballpoint pen had been releasing a knockout gas while he was clicking it. Because the killer later injected Wen Miao with an anesthetic when performing the craniotomy, the police hadn’t realized the killer had drugged her at the very beginning. They had mistakenly assumed the killer was someone Wen Miao was very familiar with, allowing them to subdue her instantly without giving her time to resist.

Nan Mu heard Xu Lei’s leisurely sigh from behind him. “Your mentor was right. You are indeed a clever student. It’s a pity…”

A pity? A pity for what?

Nan Mu felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy, keeping Wen Miao firmly behind him. He instinctively clenched his fists, gauging the effect of the drug on himself.

If he couldn’t subdue Xu Lei immediately, then both he and Wen Miao would become lambs for the slaughter!

“Why?” Nan Mu struggled to steady himself, staring intently into Xu Lei’s eyes, trying to find an answer from him.
Xu Lei’s gaze fell upon Wen Miao, as if he were looking for someone else through her. Ultimately, he merely sighed, said nothing, and slowly walked toward them.

“Even if I’m going to die, at least let me die knowing why!”

Nan Mu growled, attempting to intercept him, but his feet felt weightless against the floor. His entire body stumbled uncontrollably toward the opposite corner.

Nan Mu struggled for a moment, but his limbs were weak, and he simply couldn’t stand.

“Don’t worry, I have no intention of killing you.”

Nan Mu had expected the man to strike him first, but Xu Lei walked straight past him without so much as a glance, heading directly for Wen Miao.

Wen Miao was in worse shape than Nan Mu; she had already drifted into unconsciousness.

Xu Lei lifted Wen Miao onto the scientific research table and calmly began preparing the surgical tools required for a craniotomy, one by one.

Just as he turned his back to Nan Mu to inject Wen Miao with an anesthetic, Nan Mu suddenly lunged forward. He surged toward Xu Lei and plunged a dissecting knife into his body.

Nan Mu watched as Xu Lei turned his head in disbelief, his gaze slowly traveling from Nan Mu’s face down to the knife in his hand.

“Did you really think my stumbling earlier was real?”

Nan Mu used the last of his strength to rip the blade out, intending to accelerate the blood loss.

He watched as Xu Lei clutched his chest, blood gushing out as he slowly slumped to the floor. Nan Mu had stabbed him right in the heart; there was no way he could survive.

Seeing that Wen Miao was unharmed, Nan Mu let out a sigh of relief and sneered, “I only went over there to grab the knife she had left on the other side.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the effects of the drug swept over him like a tidal wave, finally pulling him into a deep, heavy sleep.

***

He didn’t know how long he had been unconscious, but when he woke again, Nan Mu was back in the year 2032.

Perhaps it was a lingering effect of the sedative, but his head still felt heavy and groggy.

However, his mind was filled with the urge to find Wen Miao, so he immediately dialed Qiu Ziyu’s number.

“Hello, the number you have dialed is currently busy…”

Nan Mu called Qiu Ziyu three times in a row, but none went through. Growing impatient, he hung up and called Wang Zheng instead.

Wang Zheng was still dealing with jet lag when he answered. Hearing Nan Mu’s question, he froze for a few seconds.

“What did you just say?”

“I said,” Nan Mu took a deep breath, “do you know where Wen Miao is?”

“Nan Mu! Are you sick or something? Do you even know what year it is? It’s 2032! Wen Miao has been dead for ten years! Yes, I know you loved her back then, but can’t you give me a break? Give yourself a break! Do you think Wen Miao would be happy if she knew you were like this from beyond the grave? How many years has it been? Do you even know how old you are? My son is eight years old now. Are you planning to stay a widower for her your entire life?”

Wang Zheng was likely the only person who had known about Nan Mu’s feelings for Wen Miao from the very beginning, having witnessed the seeds of that affection sprout and grow.

Nan Mu remained silent for a long time before finally whispering an apology.

“I took a Time Machine back to the past. I thought I saved her…”

Wang Zheng: “…”

*What Time Machine? Brother, what kind of nonsense are you talking about?* Wang Zheng wanted to snap at him, but considering Nan Mu’s state of mind, he ultimately held back.

“I knew you were deeply devoted to Wen Miao, but I didn’t realize your condition… was this serious!” Wang Zheng fell silent for a moment before saying earnestly, “Brother, take my advice. Go see a psychiatrist, okay?”

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Nan Mu wouldn’t have believed that he might ever see Wen Miao again in this lifetime.

On his arm, the warmth from where she had held him seemed to linger, but how… how could she still be dead?

What was the cause of death?

Nan Mu lowered his eyes and stared blankly at his phone. He found it impossible to accept the fact that Wen Miao was still dead, even though he had clearly killed Xu Lei.

His phone suddenly rang; it was Qiu Ziyu calling back.

“What did you need?”

Nan Mu was silent for a moment before asking tentatively, “Is Wen Miao still alive?”

“Huh?” Qiu Ziyu was stunned, unable to understand why Nan Mu would ask something so absurd. “I just sent you the case report on Wen Miao a few days ago. What do you mean asking if she’s alive today?”

“When… when did she die?”

“October 24th.”

“Who was the killer?”

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line. Qiu Ziyu said flatly, “Uh, don’t you already know? It was a major cold case that shocked City A back then… if I knew who the killer was, I would have arrested him long ago.”

“Xu Lei…”

“Are you asking how the interrogation of Wen Tangtang is going?” Qiu Ziyu sighed. “No luck. Same as always, she refuses to say a word!”

Nothing had changed. Absolutely nothing had changed.

Why? The last time he saved Wen Miao, her date of death had been pushed back.

This time, he had clearly killed Xu Lei, yet not only had Wen Miao’s time and method of death remained the same, but even Xu Lei wasn’t dead…