Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Nan Mu suddenly remembered that ten years ago, he had been a pure, innocent youth. Forget holding Wen Miao’s hand-back then, he had to use Wen Tangtang as an excuse just to say a single word to her.

He had done it so often that Wen Xin once thought he was pursuing Wen Tangtang, which was why the man used to look at him with such blatant disapproval.

Wen Miao also noticed Wen Xin’s gaze. As if scalded by fire, she jerked her hand away from Nan Mu’s and gave Wen Xin an awkward smile.

Wen Xin’s expression was dark. His intimidating gaze swept over Wen Miao before he shot Nan Mu a fierce glare.

Nan Mu felt equally awkward. He felt like he had been caught in an intimate moment with his girlfriend by his future brother-in-law, even though that hadn’t been his intention at all.

On stage, the scientific documentary was finishing up. Meng Ran stepped up, scanned the classroom, and then turned to begin the lecture.

With no one paying attention to the back of the room, Wen Miao lowered her voice and asked why he had been standing there earlier and what had happened.

An afternoon breeze brought a wave of heat. The teacher’s lecture droned in his ears, and the girl he had dreamed of for ten years sat right beside him. This scenario wasn’t a dream; it was actually reality. For a moment, Nan Mu felt dazed, as if he had fallen into a wonderful dreamscape, and he began to doubt the authenticity of the moment.

“You seem a little different today,” Wen Miao said, leaning halfway across the desk and tilting her head to look at Nan Mu.

Nan Mu fidgeted with his fingers, feeling a bit guilty.

Perhaps a person’s mindset changed as they grew older. Thoughts that used to be green, shy, and hidden were now things he dared to speak aloud without even blinking.

In the ten-plus years after Wen Miao’s death, he had always lived with regret-regret that he never told her “I like you,” and even more regret that during those long four years of university, he always thought there was still time, always felt there was no rush. It resulted in the years he spent alone afterward, where the shared memories and stories he could look back on were pitifully few.

He couldn’t count on his ten-years-younger self, so he might as well let his current self handle the confession!

Nan Mu took a deep breath, psyching himself up. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Wen Miao propping up her head. “Did you stay up late last night? You look so much more haggard.”

Nan Mu, who was actually in his thirties: “…”

***

“Am I old?” Nan Mu stared at himself in the restroom mirror for a long time. Finally, he splashed some water on his face and smoothed back his bangs.

Looking at his reflection, he refused to give in to age and pumped himself up. “I’m not old! I’m clearly just as handsome as ever!”

Nan Mu held his breath and practiced a perfect eight-tooth smile. He was just about to head out when he suddenly heard Wang Zheng’s familiar voice echoing in the distance. “Nan Mu, don’t say your brother doesn’t look out for you. Just ask Wen Miao out this time. Once the two of you are on that roller coaster, I guarantee she’ll be so scared she’ll dive right into your arms…”

“Stop giving me these terrible ideas…”

It was his “self” from ten years ago.

Nan Mu jolted. He turned and ran back, frantically pulling open a door and ducking inside.

“Didn’t you see the ad? That’s the biggest water park in the province! You’re really not going to ask her?”

“It’s just us guys… If I bring Wen Miao along, what will she think?”

The two voices drew closer. Nan Mu could even hear the sound of them fooling around.
“Hey, are you saying we shouldn’t go and it should just be you and Wen Miao? You’ve got quite the imagination, kid.”

“That’s not what I meant at all!”

Nan Mu suddenly remembered that back then, Wang Zheng’s uncle had been the project manager for the Water Park and had given Wang Zheng six tickets.

Wang Zheng had invited everyone in the dorm, and since there was one extra, he had specifically told Nan Mu to ask Wen Miao to come along.

Unfortunately, the “self” of ten years ago only dared to think about it in his heart; he hadn’t dared to actually ask her. Moreover, he had felt it wasn’t appropriate to bring a girl along while hanging out with his brothers, so in the end, he never asked at all.

Later, after Wen Miao’s accident, the school was locked down. People were constantly going in and out of the police station, and everyone was called in to give statements. The trip to the Water Park naturally fell through.

If he remembered correctly, the guys in the dorm had planned to head to the Water Park tomorrow. In other words, the Nan Mu of ten years ago wouldn’t be at school tomorrow.

The sounds of the two men fooling around in the restroom gradually faded away.

Nan Mu stepped out of the restroom, feeling relieved that he hadn’t let Wen Miao come out earlier and had instead told her to wait in the classroom.

==

When Nan Mu entered the classroom, Wen Miao was standing by the window with a camera, taking photos of the view below.

It was a point-and-shoot camera-not expensive, with a resolution only slightly better than a phone camera.

Wen Tangtang had once mentioned that Wen Miao was very good at photography. It was just that the three of them were orphans and didn’t have much money; even their graduate studies were funded by scholarships.

This point-and-shoot camera was a gift that Wen Xin and Wen Tangtang had saved up for a long time to buy for her.

Wen Xin was a typical STEM guy, and Wen Tangtang didn’t care for studying cameras. When the three of them went out, Wen Miao was usually the one taking the photos. Consequently, after she passed away, Wen Xin and Wen Tangtang couldn’t find many photos of Wen Miao herself when they were sorting through her belongings.

Wen Miao turned around, saw Nan Mu come in, and flashed him a smile.

“What did you take pictures of?”

“Some interesting things.” Wen Miao smiled and held the camera up toward him. “Do you want to see?”

“Sure.”

Nan Mu walked over to Wen Miao’s side. He didn’t take the camera but simply leaned down to bring his face close to hers, his tall frame almost blocking out all the sunlight behind him.

Being so close, Wen Miao could even smell the scent of tobacco on him. The smell wasn’t unpleasant, but she still subconsciously frowned because, in her memory, Nan Mu didn’t smoke.

“What interesting things?”

Because Nan Mu had leaned in close, his breath brushed against the back of Wen Miao’s ear as he spoke.

The thoughts she had been mulling over regarding the smell of smoke were instantly blown to the back of her mind. With a flushed face, Wen Miao made an effort to push the camera further toward Nan Mu.

“Look at the photo.”

The photo showed Crescent Lake behind the Chongjing Building. The camphor trees were growing lushly in October, but the angle of this photo was captured brilliantly. Through the layers of camphor leaves, the figures of a man and a woman leaning against each other were clearly visible.

Coincidentally, they knew both the man and the woman. They were Meng Ran and Xu Lei, who were holding a lecture at A University of Science and Technology today.

Xu Lei-the victim of the Wen Tangtang murder case.

Nan Mu’s fingers, hanging at his side, gave an imperceptible tremble.