Chapter 193
Chapter 193
To Nan Mu, the past hour felt like a long dream, as if he had crossed into another lifetime.
First, Wen Xin’s Time Machine had truly taken him back to the past he remembered, like a dream both strange and startlingly real.
Then he had encountered Wen Miao in the Biology Research Lab at Chongjing Building.
His original plan had been to prevent her murder. He never expected Wen Miao herself to be the first person who appeared, so he changed course and decided to get her out of the lab before the killer could meet her.
But just when he finally persuaded Wen Miao to leave with him, someone locked the laboratory door from the outside, sealing off their escape.
Nan Mu feared it was the killer’s doing and prepared himself for a fight to the death. Then the door was opened by Xu Lei, the eminent biology researcher visiting the university to give a lecture that day.
Nan Mu thought the crisis was over. Less than five minutes later, the situation took another disastrous turn.
To his horror, he realized that Xu Lei intended to use a sedative concealed inside a ballpoint pen to knock them both unconscious.
When the truth finally struck-that Xu Lei was the killer-despair surged through Nan Mu like a rising tide.
But he did not give up. Even in that despair, his mind raced to calculate the best way to strike once and kill Xu Lei.
Just as he was about to act…
“Ah Lei, stop!”
The closed door suddenly flew open from the outside, and a furious shout rang out behind them.
At the sound of it, Xu Lei jolted as though struck by electricity. He turned stiffly, a low, indistinct murmur emerging from his throat. “Ran Ran.”
Meng Ran rushed in and tore the weapon from Xu Lei’s hand. Disbelieving horror and fury still filled her face. “What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?”
Xu Lei’s gaze instinctively darted past her to the empty doorway.
He had no time to work out why Meng Ran had appeared here at this exact moment. All he could do was follow the decision already made in his heart and push her forcefully toward the hall.
Meng Ran was no match for his strength. He drove her backward, leaving her stumbling and nearly sending her to the floor.
She clung tightly to the classroom door and refused to let go. “What exactly are you trying to do?”
Xu Lei’s eyes reddened slightly as he stared at her. His voice was low. “Stay out of this. Leave. Go now…”
“How can I stay out of it?!” Meng Ran could not believe he would say such a thing. “What happened that you can’t tell me about?”
Her gaze fell on Wen Miao, whom Xu Lei had placed on a laboratory table. “Did the two of you have some kind of conflict? Whatever happened, why can’t you sit down and discuss it calmly? Do you have any idea what you’re doing?!”
“We have no conflict.”
“Then why were you threatening her with a knife-”
Meng Ran’s voice rose as she berated him, but she cut herself off mid-sentence.
Though no one else was nearby, she lowered her voice for fear of attracting attention from downstairs. “Don’t do something stupid. Come with me.”
“I can’t leave…”
For the first time, Meng Ran discovered just how stubborn her husband could be.
“Why? Give me an explanation.”
“Ran Ran.” Xu Lei took hold of her arm and gazed deeply into her eyes. “I don’t have time to explain. You have to trust me.”
Meng Ran realized how little she truly understood him. How could this man, who had always been so gentle, say something so incomprehensible? “Trust you to do what? Hold a knife without killing anyone?”
When Xu Lei could not answer, Meng Ran forced herself to calm down. She knew the only person who could “save” Xu Lei now was Xu Lei himself. Softening her voice, she pleaded, “Ah Lei, murder is a crime. If only for my sake… come with me. Please?”
Xu Lei bowed his head. Tormented by conflict, he shook it painfully. “For you… It’s because of you that I can’t leave…”
Meng Ran did not understand, but she refused to keep arguing with him. She seized his hand and told him firmly, “If you’re doing this for me, then you should come with me!”
Unable to shake her off, Xu Lei could only reveal the truth. “Ran Ran, I really can’t leave! I know how to cure your illness!”
Meng Ran stopped pulling for a moment. “What do you mean?”
“I know how to cure you! Didn’t you ask me before how Jia Lingyuan and the others recovered?” Xu Lei’s breathing grew rapid. “It wasn’t neural cloning. I lied to you. Current biotechnology isn’t advanced enough to clone and cultivate cerebral nerves. They…”
Looking into Meng Ran’s eyes, he suddenly found himself unable to continue.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then forced out the words. “It was cerebral nerve transplantation.”
Meng Ran gave a disbelieving laugh, confusion and uncertainty clouding her eyes. “How is that possible…? Even setting aside the success rate of nerve transplantation, how could they find matching cerebral nerves in such a short time?”
“They could.” Xu Lei’s words fell with the weight and finality of a hammer.
Meng Ran saw an intense flame ignite in his eyes. His voice trembled with excitement, while resolve and madness mingled in his gaze. “Ran Ran, you can too. I can save you! Trust me!”
In a flash, Meng Ran understood everything. Her eyes moved to Wen Miao, and suddenly she knew why Xu Lei intended to attack her.
“Ran Ran, this has nothing to do with you.” Xu Lei pulled his arm free of her grip. “Listen to me. Go back to the classroom and stay with your students. Soon…”
His voice suddenly softened. “Soon, I’ll be able to save you.”
“We can still spend the rest of our lives together. I’ll stay with you. Always.”
Dazed, Meng Ran watched Xu Lei slowly retreat into the classroom and pick up the knife again.
She saw the young man on the floor. Though the sedative had left him only half-conscious, he was still struggling to crawl toward the young woman.
She saw Xu Lei give her a gentle smile and heard him say softly, “Don’t be afraid. We’ll always be together.”
Then he slowly closed the door.
At that moment, it felt as if something had closed inside Meng Ran’s heart as well.
Would they truly be together?
Could they really stay together forever?
At the cost of other people’s lives?