Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Speaking of which, why on earth did Wen Tangtang want to kill Xu Lei?

In Nan Mu’s memory, she was a cute and lively girl. If he had to point out anything special about her, it was probably that she was exceptionally bright. She had a natural talent for biology; whether it was observation or experimentation, her choices always led her closest to the correct answer.

Nan Mu truly could not imagine what kind of grudge could exist between Wen Tangtang and Xu Lei.

“Nan Mu.”

Someone suddenly called his name from behind. Nan Mu glanced back and saw himself from ten years ago standing not far away.

The first rule of Wen Xin’s Time Machine Experiment Manual: Never meet your past self, and never let your past self know of your existence.

Nan Mu instinctively ducked behind a bulletin board. Through a gap, he saw “himself” talking to another young man. They were likely college classmates, but he couldn’t even remember the guy’s name anymore.

Over the years, because of Wen Miao’s death, he had never attended a single college reunion.

Nan Mu raised his hand to check his wrist, only to remember that since electronic products couldn’t pass through the Time Machine, he had taken off both his watch and his phone.

He pulled the brim of his hat lower and walked quickly toward the school exit. Wen Miao’s time of death was 10:40 AM today. No matter what, he had to change her ending first.

Standing by a landline at a small convenience store, Nan Mu dialed the number he knew by heart.

The popular 2022 song “Lone Warrior” played as the ringback tone. The phone rang for a long time, but no one picked up.

Refusing to give up, Nan Mu dialed three times in a row, but Wen Miao never answered.

Although he had been mentally prepared for the fact that the past might not be so easily altered, he still felt a massive sense of frustration.

But he didn’t have much time to grieve; he had to execute Plan B.

A watch and a knife.

Time was tight, and there wasn’t much Nan Mu could prepare.

Fortunately, after Wen Miao’s death, he had taken up martial arts. Having stuck with it all these years, taking down two or three ordinary people at once was no problem for him.

In the countless nights following Wen Miao’s death, he had hated himself for not being by her side. But today…

He looked at his tightly clenched fist.

He would, without a doubt, change Wen Miao’s fate.

***

Nan Mu arrived at the 308 Biology Research Lab on the third floor of the Chongjing Building.

This was the place where Wen Miao had once been murdered.

At this moment, the classroom was still empty. Nan Mu instinctively touched the knife hidden at his waist.

He circled the room before finally setting his sights on the space beneath the lectern. Aside from teachers, people generally didn’t stand there.

He crouched down to inspect the spot. It was just large enough for him to hide inside, and there was a partition behind the lectern. In the upper right corner of that partition was a small round hole, likely intended for threading electrical wires.

Through this hole, however, he could observe the entire classroom. It was an excellent hiding spot.

***

Time ticked away second by second. In the silent classroom, Nan Mu could hear his heart racing.

He restlessly adjusted his position. As the time drew nearer, he grew more anxious about whether he could truly change the fate of Wen Miao’s death.

*Click.*

At 10:30 AM, Nan Mu heard the sound of someone pushing open the classroom door.
Who was it? Was it the killer?

He held his breath, slowly gripping the knife at his waist. His eyes were fixed forward, staring intently through the small hole.

One step, two steps, three steps. A black hem came into view. Nan Mu followed the edge of the skirt upward until he saw a face that was both familiar and strange.

Wen Miao.

She was wearing a white shirt and a black flared skirt that accentuated her slender waist. Her hair was mid-length and fluffy, and her small face was clean and fair. She looked nothing like the corpse frozen in his memory-the one with her head shaved and her face covered in blood.

According to the police’s deduction back then, the killer was likely someone Wen Miao knew. There had been no signs of a struggle in the Biology Research Lab, suggesting that Wen Miao hadn’t been on guard when the killer entered, allowing the culprit to succeed in a single strike.

The police even theorized that Wen Miao had entered the Biology Research Lab with the killer voluntarily. After all, the lab wasn’t a place she frequented, yet the police found no clues regarding any appointments she had made to meet someone there…

But now that Wen Miao had arrived first, it was highly probable that the killer had followed her here.

If he took her away now, could her death be avoided?

He certainly wanted to know the killer’s true identity, but if he waited for them to arrive, he couldn’t guarantee that Wen Miao wouldn’t be harmed in the ensuing struggle. In this moment, the truth seemed far less important than her safety.

Nan Mu didn’t have much time to think. With his mind set on a single goal-getting Wen Miao out of this room and preventing her from meeting the killer-he lunged out from under the podium. Wen Miao gasped, nearly jumping out of her skin at his sudden appearance.

Once she saw who it was, she let out a sigh of relief. “You scared the life out of me!”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” Nan Mu apologized repeatedly, but his feet didn’t stop. He walked right up to her and grabbed her hand. “Come with me for a moment. There’s something I need to tell you.”

Nan Mu practically coaxed and wheedled Wen Miao out of the Biology Research Lab. As they headed downstairs, they ran into Meng Ran, a senior materials researcher from Wisdom Biotech Company.

She was another big shot invited by the school to give a lecture.

“Professor Meng,” Wen Miao said, stopping to greet her.

Meng Ran looked rather stern. She frowned as she glanced at Nan Mu and Wen Miao’s joined hands. “You asked for leave just now saying you had something to do… Was it for a date?”

Wen Miao opened her mouth, unsure of how to explain herself.

Suddenly, Nan Mu realized something. What place could be safer than a lecture hall full of people?

“No, it’s just that I couldn’t find the lecture hall, so I asked Wen Miao to come pick me up,” Nan Mu apologized with a look of utter sincerity. “I’m sorry, Professor Meng.”

Then, without waiting for either of them to respond, he took the lead and pulled Wen Miao through the back door of the classroom.

When they entered, a research film was playing on the screen-something about the discovery process of a certain molecule-so not many people noticed them.

Wen Miao led him to the very back row. Sitting directly in front of them was Wen Xin.

Wen Xin glanced back casually at first, but his head snapped back around almost immediately. His expression was grim, and his eyes were fixed intently on Nan Mu’s hand, which was still holding Wen Miao’s.