Chapter 198

Chapter 198

Wang Zheng organized the alumni gathering on a grand scale. A University of Science and Technology was reportedly planning to rebuild one of its academic buildings, and to secure sponsorships, he invited everyone who had achieved a measure of fame and success in recent years. The guests included leading figures from every industry. Their influence might vary, but each of them carried real weight in their respective field, and most were rarely seen at ordinary events.

The banquet hall glittered beneath brilliant lights as wineglasses passed from hand to hand. Every guest was a prominent figure. Some were powerful and some even more so, but none could be underestimated within their own sphere. People who were normally almost impossible to meet had gathered here tonight, each happy to make new acquaintances and expand their network.

For a time, the room buzzed with conversation and endless toasts.

After everyone made the rounds, someone called out during the break, “Hey, Wang Zheng, are you going to deliver on any of those promises, or do you only know how to talk? You told me Wen Miao, Wen Xin, and Wen Tangtang would all be here. Where are they?”

The hand holding Nan Mu’s wineglass paused.

“I really wasn’t lying to you. Their flight was delayed…”

Someone teased skeptically, “I don’t believe you. Maybe their flight will be delayed until after the party ends. Then once we’ve all gone home, you’ll claim they finally arrived…”

Everyone was still laughing when a server opened the doors leading in from the courtyard. Three people entered one after another.

Nan Mu spotted Wen Miao at the back in an instant.

She wore an ivory turtleneck sweater and a blue floral straight skirt that sat high on her slender waist, giving her an air of intelligence and elegance.

She did not need to say a word. She looked like a beauty who had stepped from a painting of misty spring mountains and gentle streams. Even before anyone saw her face clearly, her beauty struck with undeniable force.

Nan Mu let his gaze rest on her for only two seconds before forcing himself to look away.

Ten years, Wen Miao.

It really had been a long time.

===

Wen Miao had not returned to the country in ten years. Wen Xin repeatedly warned her to remain cautious while they were here, but she could not withstand so many people taking turns toasting her. By the time she escaped, she was somewhat drunk.

She left the banquet hall alone.

The instant she opened the door, cold air swept across the courtyard and drove away the stifling heat from inside, clearing her head considerably.

Following the signs along the path, she found the restroom at the far end.

Whether the lights were broken or the dimness was intentional, this hallway was much darker than the one she had just crossed.

Her head was already spinning. One careless step sent her into a broad back, and she would have fallen if the man had not caught her around the waist in time.

She clutched his wrist and felt the cold metal of the watch beneath her fingers. Looking up, she saw a strong, angular wrist emerging from a pristine white cuff.

“Are you all right?”

The voice was deep and pleasant-and somehow familiar, awakening memories she had buried in the depths of her heart. Wen Miao lifted her head, but all she could see was the slightly open collar of his shirt and the movement of his Adam’s apple as he spoke.

Only then did she realize how close they were. She instinctively pushed against him and stepped back, finally seeing the man’s face.

His dark eyes were half-hidden beneath raven-black lashes, quiet and luminous, as though they held an endless store of untold stories. They tugged at her heart.
“N-Nan Mu?”

Nan Mu’s intense gaze swept almost casually across her flushed, tipsy cheeks. He extinguished the cigarette in his hand and gave a soft laugh. “I’m honored Dr. Wen still recognizes me. I assumed you’d forgotten me long ago.”

Wen Miao opened her mouth as if to answer, but in the end, no words emerged.

How could she possibly have forgotten him?

“Your sweater.”

Nan Mu suddenly stepped toward her, making Wen Miao jump. Looking down, she found him pinching her sleeve.

Her gaze followed his hand. Only then did she notice a small burn hole in the fabric.

“It brushed against my cigarette.” Nan Mu frowned. Despite his cool voice, Wen Miao heard a trace of frustration.

“It’s fine.” She brushed at the fabric and tried to sound casual. “It wasn’t expensive.”

Nan Mu lowered his eyes and pressed his lips together, staring at the damage for a long moment. Then he abruptly said, “How much was it? I’ll pay you back.”

Wen Miao stared at him.

Unsure whether to laugh or cry, she said, “There’s really no need. It wasn’t expensive at all.”

But Nan Mu seemed to have declared war on her sweater and refused to let the matter drop until she gave him a number.

Left with no choice, Wen Miao named a price.

“I don’t have cash. How should I send it to you? Do you have WeChat?”

After Wen Miao moved abroad and changed to a foreign phone number, she could no longer log in to her old domestic WeChat account. She had spent so long overseas, where her friends used other messaging services, that fewer and fewer people remained in touch with her through WeChat. Eventually, she stopped using it altogether.

Embarrassed, Wen Miao scratched her head and struggled for quite a while before finally logging back into the old account.

Throughout the process, Nan Mu waited quietly beside her without hurrying or pressuring her.

Only after she logged in did he transfer the money. When he saw his name rise to the top of her long list of unread conversations, his mood finally improved.

Once Wen Miao accepted the payment, Nan Mu said in a cool, even voice, “Now that I’ve paid for it, I believe the sweater belongs to me. When would it be convenient for you to give it to me?”

Caught completely off guard, Wen Miao froze. She turned to him in shock, almost convinced she had misheard.

“Wh-what did you say?”

The stammered question was full of disbelief.

Nan Mu seemed utterly unaware of how outrageous his statement was. Without changing expression, he repeated it word for word.

Wen Miao felt as though the foundations of common sense had collapsed beneath her. Yet, strangely enough, his request also seemed logical. She could only stammer, “T-tomorrow?”

“Will you come to me, or should I go to you?”

Nan Mu pressed her relentlessly, as if afraid she might flee with the damaged sweater.

“I… I’ll come to you?” Wen Miao answered uncertainly.

“Good.” Nan Mu sent his home address to her through WeChat, then reminded her with utmost seriousness, “I hope Dr. Wen will keep her promise.”

Wen Miao had no words.