It was a weekend afternoon, and the sun was quite nice. After Jiang Mu woke up, she went to the car shop. Jin Chao and the others were busy, so Jiang Mu moved a stool and sat between the car shop and the pet shop, putting on her headphones to practice her listening skills. Lightning, her dog, lazily lay at her feet. It was a restful day, and business at the shop was going well, with a few dogs coming in for baths and grooming.
Around evening, a brown Mercedes slowly stopped in front of the car shop. A young man got out of the car and called into the shop, “Someone, check the right front tire.”
Xiao Yang, who had been working in the repair area, walked out. But just then, the man suddenly shouted into the car shop, “Whoa, who’s that? Is that who I think it is? The top student from the High School?”
Jin Chao, who was in the repair area helping a customer replace the engine filter, turned his head at the sound. He recognized the man and his name was Liang Zhi, a former classmate from high school. As the class monitor, Liang Zhi had never let Jin Chao get away with anything, always keeping track of his every move. He’d been the one to report Jin Chao for being late, even if it was just by half a minute. He’d written most of the “self-reflection” letters Jin Chao had had to submit. There was even an incident where Liang Zhi had reported him for smoking, almost causing him to get disciplinary action. However, there was no solid evidence, and in the end, Old Ma had let it slide. Later, the shop’s tough guys had even beaten Liang Zhi up, and after that, he’d become much quieter.
Jin Chao never expected to run into him at a car shop today. Seeing Jin Chao in his work uniform, Liang Zhi suddenly laughed and waved at Xiao Yang, saying, “No need for you to come, I know this guy. Let him do it.”
Xiao Yang hesitated for a moment and looked back at Jin Chao. Jin Chao motioned for the mechanic, Tie Gongji, to take over his work, then stepped out and asked, “What’s the issue with the car?”
Liang Zhi looked Jin Chao up and down and answered with a question of his own, “How did you end up in this kind of situation? I almost didn’t recognize you.”
He then pulled out a pack of cigarettes, offered one to Jin Chao, and shook his head, “Who would’ve thought?”
Jin Chao didn’t take the cigarette. He turned and said, “The right front tire, right?”
Liang Zhi licked the back of his teeth, clearly annoyed, and shoved the cigarette back into its pack. He leaned against his Mercedes and suddenly said, “Do you remember Xiao Hui? The class flower from Class 3? The one Liao Zi dragged into the small bamboo grove and you ruined things for them? After that, she started treating you like a support to cling to. After you disappeared, Liao Zi and his gang made her life miserable, and she’d go to your house looking for you every day. Even then you didn’t come back for the university entrance exam. Then, after I passed the 985 university entrance exam, she started being nicer to me. Women are so practical, aren’t they? After I got tired of playing with her, I invited Liao Zi out. I never thought that a few years later, she’d still be in Liao Zi’s hands. I heard he sent her off to Guangzhou. Tsk tsk…”
Jin Chao was checking the tire pressure and removing the tire, keeping his gaze low, offering no response.
Liang Zhi slapped the side of the car mockingly and said, “How did you end up fixing cars? If you can’t make a living here, you can come to work with me. I’m in charge of a project at Tongjian Group, and I need a driver.”
Jiang Mu, who had been practicing her listening, pulled off her headphones and stared at the man. He looked well-dressed, in a shirt and suit pants, looking the part, but the words coming out of his mouth made her want to slap him.
Jin Chao’s expression remained indifferent, but he turned to Jiang Mu and simply said, “Go play inside.”
With that, he returned to his task of inspecting and removing the tire. Jiang Mu, holding a stack of papers, stood up and was about to head to the repair area, but suddenly stopped in her tracks. She turned around, her face breaking into a smile as she looked at Liang Zhi. “Hey, little brother, you graduated from 985? That’s amazing!”
Liang Zhi had been focused on Jin Chao and hadn’t noticed Jiang Mu. Now, hearing her, he turned his head to see a delicate-looking girl with bright eyes and a sweet smile. She looked quite innocent, which caught his interest. He turned back to her and asked, “How old are you?”
Jiang Mu smiled at him and replied, “Me? I’m in my third year of high school.”
Jin Chao frowned and turned to shoot Jiang Mu a cold, sharp look. Jiang Mu didn’t pay him any mind and simply pulled out a piece of paper, putting everything else down on the bench. She flipped open the problem on the sheet and handed it to Liang Zhi with an expectant smile, saying, “I’ve been stuck on this question for a while. You must be able to solve it, right?”
Liang Zhi, flattered by her attention, took the paper and responded, “Let me take a look.”
He genuinely began solving the problem, placing the paper and pen on the hood of the car. Jiang Mu stood next to him, watching with apparent humility, and whenever he looked up, she gave him a smile of admiration. This, in turn, made Liang Zhi feel a sense of satisfaction, and he continued writing the solution.
But the moment his head lowered, Jiang Mu’s expression shifted. The warm smile disappeared, replaced by a cold, calculating look. She stared intently at the tip of his pen as if reading his every movement with a new purpose.
Jin Chao glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Jiang Mu, sensing his gaze, quickly shifted her focus, their eyes briefly meeting in silence. She then pulled her gaze away, and he returned to his work, refocusing on the tire.
Jiang Mu’s question was no simple one. Jin Chao had explained it to her twice, but she still couldn’t fully grasp it. What’s more, Liang Zhi had graduated from high school years ago. Although he had decent grades back then, he was the kind of student who thrived in a high-pressure academic environment. Now, after several years, his focus had shifted, and tackling a high school question was proving difficult.
Fifteen minutes later, Liang Zhi handed her the paper and said, “It should be about right.”
Jiang Mu examined the paper, but the more she read, the more her brows furrowed in confusion. Liang Zhi noticed her troubled expression and asked, “What’s wrong? You can’t understand it?”
Jiang Mu nodded honestly, “Yeah, I don’t quite get what you wrote, and it seems like something’s off.”
Jiang Mu quietly handed Liang Zhi the piece of paper that Jin Chao had written for her earlier. With a calm tone, she said, “So this is what a 985 graduate can do, huh? Can’t even compare to someone who hasn’t even been to college.”
Liang Zhi finally realized what was happening; it wasn’t about the question, she was setting him up. His face flushed with anger, and he crumpled the paper in his hand. Just as the tension was about to escalate, Jin Chao swiftly grabbed Jiang Mu and pulled her away, speaking coolly to Liang Zhi, “This is a temporary fix for a flat tire. Even after it’s patched up, it won’t last long. If you’re driving on highways often, you should just replace the tire.”
The door to the workshop opened, and San Lai stepped out after hearing the commotion outside, sensing the rising conflict. Liang Zhi, still seething with anger, stepped closer, his chest almost touching Jin Chao’s as he hissed, “I’m not getting it fixed here.”
Jin Chao simply nodded and gestured to Xiao Yang, “Patch it up and put it back on.”
As he started to turn toward the repair room, Liang Zhi’s voice shot out, cold and venomous, “I bet this is all you’ll ever do in this lifetime. Even if you were awesome back then, what good did it do?”
Jin Chao’s steps faltered for a brief moment, but he didn’t turn back. Liang Zhi’s eyes flashed with malice as he added, “I also heard you still carry someone’s life on your back?”
With a loud “thud,” Jiang Mu heard a wooden stool flying past her, cutting through the air with force, straight toward Liang Zhi’s forehead. She whipped her head around in shock to see San Lai, his expression dark and dangerous, far from the laid-back demeanor he usually carried.
The air around them seemed to freeze. Xiao Yang and Tie Gongji immediately circled around, their presence blocking any potential conflict. The setting sun bathed everything in a crimson hue, and Jiang Mu stood frozen, her body stiff, the sounds around her distorted and sharp. She felt like she was glued to the spot, unable to move, as her thoughts spiraled with the words “someone’s life” echoing in her mind, chilling her to the bone.
In the midst of the chaos, Jin Chao grabbed her arm and shoved her into the car workshop. The rolling shutter door was pulled down from the outside, and Jiang Mu was instantly enveloped in darkness. Fear slithered over her skin like a cold snake. She didn’t know what was happening outside through the rolling shutter, what they intended to do, or even what that man had said. She only felt that all her perceptions were being shattered in an instant.
……
-“I heard he didn’t continue his studies after high school, why?”
“He couldn’t continue studying.”
-“Kid, change your tone, he’s long past being Touqi.”
-“After all, that title represents the end of an era. Not many people like to bring up old, rotten stories to bring misfortune upon themselves.”
-“Don’t know what happened, but about a month or two before the college entrance exam, he suddenly disappeared. No one at the school saw him again, and they said he didn’t even show up for the exam.”
Someone’s life.
All the doubts collided with Jiang Mu’s brain in an unexpected way, gradually merging into the most terrifying answer.
She stood frozen, unable to move. It felt as if her flowing blood had turned to ice. She couldn’t believe what she had heard nor could she connect this with Jin Chao. She remembered when she was a child, poking a snail with a twig. Jin Chao would always stop her, saying not to harm a defenseless life casually. He said that nature has its food chain, but that doesn’t mean humans should look down upon and trample on the weak.
But this person, who held the greatest goodwill towards the world, was carrying the burden of someone’s life. In that moment when the rolling shutter door fell, Jiang Mu’s perception of Jin Chao over the past eighteen years was completely overturned.
Time seemed to freeze in front of her. She felt as though she had fallen into an ice cellar, and in the darkness, countless tiny insects came from all directions, gnawing at her thoughts, making her tremble all over.
Until the rolling shutter door was lifted again, and the outside had returned to calm. The man and his Mercedes were gone, as were Xiao Yang and Tie Gongji. Only San Lai remained, squatting on the side of the road, smoking.
When Jin Chao stepped into the car shop, he saw Jiang Mu’s figure waver slightly. She was trembling, and the fear in her eyes stabbed at his heart like a sharp blade.
Jin Chao just stood there, watching her. The distance between them was only a step, yet it felt as if a mountain of blades and fire separated them. All the warmth from their reunion in the past days seemed to freeze in this instant.
He didn’t say a word. Silently, he walked into the repair room, opened the door to the back, and with a soft “knock,” the door was closed. The repair room was once again left with only Jiang Mu, her eyelashes trembling violently as she became completely at a loss.
San Lai threw away his cigarette, stood up, and turned back. Seeing the girl trembling, her fists clenched against the rolling shutter door, he walked over to her. Before entering the shop, he told her, “Don’t ask him. Don’t ask anything.”
After San Lai entered the shop, Jiang Mu turned toward the back. She twisted the door handle a few times, but it was locked from the outside by Jin Chao. She knocked on the door a few times, but there was no response. She called outside, “Can you open the door?”
Jin Chao still didn’t respond to her. Jiang Mu became a bit anxious. She slapped her hands until they were sore, and called out to the door, “I won’t say anything, can you just open the door?”
After slapping her hands sore, she ran into the room, climbed onto the bed, and opened the blinds. The shed was dark without any lights on, but finally, she saw Jin Chao in the corner of the yard. His back was facing her, leaning against the large tarpaulin. The pale moonlight spilled across his silhouette, and he lowered his head. The curling smoke from his cigarette drifted up from his fingertips into the air, disappearing into nothing.
Jiang Mu shouted towards his back, “Why aren’t you talking to me?”
He didn’t move. Jiang Mu became anxious, “Say something!”
Jin Chao slowly lifted his hand, and inhaled the smoke into his lungs, and his voice emerged with the smoke, floating into the air, “You’re fine without me as a brother.”
Jiang Mu’s hands gripped the blinds. After hearing those words, her heart sank, and the color drained from her face bit by bit.
His voice melted into the night, very faint and light, “Go back.”
“Go back to your dad’s place. Don’t come here anymore.”
Jiang Mu’s eyes instantly turned red. She tried to control her trembling voice as she questioned him, “Didn’t you say this was also my home, that no one could drive me away?”
Jin Chao took a drag of his cigarette, his tone laced with cynical indifference, “Yeah, no one can drive you away, except me.”
He exhaled a deep cloud of smoke, his voice tinged with impatience, “Honestly, you’re more than capable of handling the college entrance exam. I’m running a business, not a tutoring center. If you really want to get into Tsinghua or Peking University, I can’t help you. To be honest, you’re just a hindrance here.”
Jiang Mu’s fingers, gripping the blinds, tightened until they turned white. She couldn’t hide the suppressed sobs in her voice as she stared at his back, “Say that again.”
“Don’t bother me.”
……
It was as though Lightning sensed something, moving back and forth in the repair shop, whimpering pitifully. When Jiang Mu ran out, it began barking wildly as if it had lost control, chasing after her with desperate cries. Jiang Mu stopped at the entrance of the car shop, and Lightning leapt into her arms. Holding it, she cried, “I haven’t abandoned you. I won’t leave you. I just can’t take you with me right now.”
Hearing Lightning’s unusual barking, San Lai stood up and pushed open the door. He saw Jiang Mu run across the street, and Lightning stood on the curb, barking at her. Before the taxi pulled away, she wiped her tears, opened the door, and vanished into the night.
San Lai turned back and walked into the car shop. He stopped in front of the shed door, knocked, and said, “She’s gone.”
A moment later, the door opened. Jin Chao’s brow cast a shadow over his face, his cold, lifeless eyes now filled with icy detachment.
San Lai leaned against the wall, feeling uneasy, “Why go that far?”
Jin Chao, expressionless, walked past him and crouched down. He waved at Lightning, who was still standing at the door, watching anxiously, “If the ant’s tree is gone, do you think the ants would stay on its trunk? I’ve been confused these past few days.”
He gently petted Lightning’s head, soothing it with a soft touch. Lightning whimpered once and obediently lay down by his feet, burying its head between its paws, close to Jin Chao.