Chapter 3

Chapter 3

His name was Wen Zhao. He was the star pupil of a notoriously demanding professor in the Physics Department at A University, and the constant subject of gossip among countless female students.

He was someone whose name frequently appeared on various campus Confession Walls-a man whose looks and abilities were considered flawless by everyone. His only perceived flaw was perhaps his humble upbringing.

In my memory, our paths rarely crossed. We had only run into each other a few times at our school library, but my most vivid impression of him came from my junior year, on the day I went to the hospital to visit a sick Wei Ze.

On my way back to campus, while crossing the street with other pedestrians at a green light, a speeding car ran a red light and hurtled toward us.

Amidst the screams and chaos, a black Mercedes suddenly appeared out of nowhere at an incredible speed, physically blocking the car. After a violent screech of tires against the pavement, both vehicles crashed into a distant guardrail together.

I instinctively started running toward them, but halfway there, an explosion erupted without warning. Flames instantly cut off my line of sight, and the summer cicadas in the nearby camphor trees fell silent for a moment before resuming their desperate, piercing cries.

No one inside the vehicles survived. A flying shard of debris grazed my forehead, leaving a scar.

Later, the incident became a trending topic. The official report stated that of the two bodies burned beyond recognition, one was the driver of the first car-a man who had lost everything to gambling and sought to take his revenge on society, carrying gasoline in his vehicle.

The other was Wen Zhao.

The car belonged to his professor. That day, he had been driving to another university to pick up documents for the professor and just happened to be passing through that road on his way back.

Netizens quickly dug up all sorts of information about him. Countless photos of him flooded the internet. Some marveled at his looks and talent, mourning his passing, while others remarked:

“He saved so many families; I suppose he died a worthy death. After all, he was all alone in the world.”

He had grown up without a father, and his mother had died of a severe illness during his senior year of high school. It was true that he was alone; there was no one left to feel the weight of grief for his departure.

The only thing left behind was his research project, which came to an abrupt halt. For years afterward, no one was able to take over and continue his work.

Once, when I went to visit him with flowers, I ran into his mentor-a stout little old man. He stood silently before the grave until a fine drizzle began to fall, only then letting out a heavy sigh.

“Sigh, this child… he had such a bright future ahead of him.”

For a long time after that, I suffered from insomnia. It felt as though my heart was being soaked in water-heavy, dull, and aching.

I suppose that feeling was a mix of guilt and regret on his behalf.

A gentle tug on my wrist snapped me back to the present. Wen Zhao was no longer outside the window, and a student’s voice reached my ears:

“Teacher Xiao Yu, I’m heading to Teacher Wen’s physics class now! Remember what I just said-don’t be late tomorrow night.”

In truth, I hadn’t heard a word she said just now, but distant memories from my past life told me that tomorrow was her birthday. Because her parents were too busy to spend time with her, she had begged me to keep her company.

The rain outside had stopped at some point. I looked toward a sliver of warm sunlight peeking through the clouds and suddenly remembered the information I had seen online about Wen Zhao after his death-

Tomorrow was also his birthday.