Everything at this moment was causing Jiang Mu immense distress. Whether it was the people around her with unclear identities, the events that had happened tonight, or the warmth of Jin Chao’s hand, every line of which seemed to be seared onto her skin, so vivid that she found it impossible to ignore.
Jiang Mu felt as if her heart was floating, the surrealness of it all making her steps unsteady. Just then, the white car drove over, and Jiang Mu instantly recognized the man who had driven alongside them on the sandy ground a few times.
At that time, Jin Chao had deliberately kicked up a cloud of dust to obscure the opponent’s vision, but only this man hadn’t slowed down at all, even surpassing them by half a car’s length. However, at that moment, when neither car could stop, having an extra person gave them an advantage.
The man with a round crew cut got out of the car, wearing an expensive mink coat, crossing his arms and leaning against the car as he spoke to Jin Chao, “Youjiu, is your navigator for sale?”
As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Jiang Mu with interest, and a man beside him added, “What’s this? Young Master Feng, are you changing your tastes now? Do you like them young?”
Liang Yanfeng didn’t answer but gave Jiang Mu a meaningful look.
Jin Chao chuckled lightly and directly replied, “Sorry, she’s priceless.”
Liang Yanfeng raised an eyebrow, and a few of his acquaintances laughed, teasing Jin Chao, “Be careful, Youjiu. Young Master Feng always gets the woman he wants.”
Jin Chao looked back at him indifferently, his tone carrying a hint of disdain, “Let’s see about that.”
Liang Yanfeng’s smile gradually widens. He lowered his head to light a cigarette, took a slow drag, and then exhaled a series of heart-shaped smoke rings toward Jiang Mu. She had never seen someone do such a thing and immediately judged this person as improper and stared at the rich playboy with a serious expression.
Liang Yanfeng had never seen a girl look at him with such an archaeological gaze. That unimpressed expression made him burst into laughter instantly.
Jin Chao frowned slightly and turned to glance at him indifferently. Jiang Mu awkwardly shifted her gaze and said to Jin Chao, “It’s so cold.”
The surroundings were barren, and the night wind howled relentlessly. Jin Chao slowly withdrew his gaze and looked at Jiang Mu’s face, which was flushed red from the cold. He unzipped his jacket, a playful smile tugging at his lips as he asked, “Do you want a hug?”
Jiang Mu’s pupils slowly dilated, her dark eyes trembling with uncertainty. Even then, she couldn’t tell whether Jin Chao was acting or being serious. His eyes seemed to hold a magnetic pull, radiating a charm that made her heart flutter. In comparison, her acting was rather poor. She didn’t dare to touch him at all. She didn’t dare touch him directly, instead simply slipping her hands into his jacket, keeping them suspended in the air, careful not to brush against his waist.
Jin Chao lowered his gaze and smiled lightly, then tightened his jacket, pulling her into his arms. Jiang Mu’s body unexpectedly fell into his warm chest, enveloped in his jacket. The warmth and the familiar sense of security instantly overwhelmed her.
The first time she came to Tonggang and saw Jin Chao standing by the roadside, what did she feel? She had once thought about giving him a long-overdue hug, but by then, she had already realized that the current Jin Chao was no longer the brother he used to be. He no longer pinched her cheeks playfully, warmed her hands when she was cold, or spun her around just for fun.
This hug was five months too late. Jiang Mu slowly lifted her arms and wrapped them tightly around his waist, her eyes starting to redden.
Jin Chao looked at the people nearby and said casually, “My girlfriend is cold. I’ll take her back.”
The others chimed in, saying it was indeed cold and that they should all disperse. Jiang Mu’s expression froze, unsure if Jin Chao pulled her into his embrace just to use her as an excuse to leave.
She lifted her head from his chest to look at him. Jin Chao lowered his gaze, and the tenderness in his eyes, impossible to distinguish as real or fake, shattered as he smiled at her, “Not enough of a hug? We can keep hugging when we get home.”
A man beside them said, “Alright, you two hurry back and get to business.”
Jin Chao raised his head, a roguish grin on his face, and exchanged a few playful words with the man. Jiang Mu flustered, let go of him and turned away in a hurry. Jin Chao wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her toward the car. But as soon as they were away from the crowd, Jin Chao let go of her. Everyone got into their cars, and in the blink of an eye, all the cars drove off. Jin Chao’s phone was still in Jiang Mu’s pocket, and as soon as she got into the car, it vibrated. She took out the phone and saw that the group chat had been disbanded.
Jiang Mu handed the phone back to Jin Chao. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that the tenderness and charm were gone from his face, replaced by the usual indifference and coldness.
Everyone had been deceived by his appearance, but she alone knew it was all a facade. There was still a moment when she got lost in the heat of his gaze. Jiang Mu turned her attention to the window, falling into an eerie silence.
Jin Chao occasionally glanced at her. Jiang Mu’s expression was tense, her hands gripping the seatbelt tightly. Though the car wasn’t going fast, she remained stiff, a deep frown on her face.
After about ten minutes, Jin Chao turned the car onto a remote hillside and drove all the way to the edge of the slope, where he slowly came to a stop.
Ahead of them was an abyss, and above them, the night sky was filled with stars. There was no light in sight, and in the city where Jiang Mu had grown up, it was hard to find such a tranquil, almost vacuum-like place.
Jin Chao opened the car door and stepped out, walking around the back of the vehicle to her side. The engine was still running, and the heater continued to blow warm air. He tapped on the window, and Jiang Mu rolled it down. His body blocked the cold wind from outside as he lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled the smoke into the night sky. He said to her, “Open the envelope and take a look.”
Jiang Mu tore open the envelope she had been clutching in her hand. Inside were stacks of hundred-yuan bills. She lowered her gaze, clutching the money tightly.
Jin Chao, with the cigarette dangling from his lips, stared out into the vast darkness. “This is what you wanted to know.”
A chill ran through Jiang Mu’s body, “For money?”
“What else? What other reason could there be?”
Jiang Mu’s voice trembled with fear. “That person just crashed their car.”
“He won’t die,” Jin Chao responded indifferently, his tone cold and matter-of-fact.
Jiang Mu looked up, disbelief written across her face as she stared at his back. “What do you mean, ‘he won’t die’? I told you to take a detour into the second lane to shake him off, not to cause him to crash. What if something happens to him? What if they trace it back to us?”
Jin Chao held the cigarette in his hand, and lowered his gaze, almost nonchalant. “There are so many car accidents every day across the country. Do they all blame the cars nearby?”
“But… this is illegal street racing. What if someone reports it?”
“And what if they do? Who knows if we were even there?”
“Those other people…”
Jin Chao scoffed, “You think they’d rat themselves out?”
“What if a passerby saw something?”
“I don’t know those people. Are you saying I can’t drive on this road?”
“And the location in the group chat, the group…”
The group had been disbanded, all members muted, and with no chat history left behind. The transaction was in cash, untraceable. The area was undeveloped, without a single surveillance camera in sight.
A cold chill suddenly surged from Jiang Mu’s feet up to her chest. She threw the envelope onto the seat, yanked the car door open, and stepped out, slamming the door shut behind her. She glared at him. “Even if you cover your tracks perfectly, so what? What if something goes wrong? Are you willing to risk your life for money? Today it’s him, but what if it’s you tomorrow? Is money really that important? Why live a life hanging by a thread?”
Jin Chao’s brow cast a shadow over his eyes, making them seem as deep and unfathomable as a starry abyss. His voice, low and heavy, echoed as if from a distant valley. “A life hanging by a thread.”
A sarcastic smile flickered at the corner of his lips. “Then what kind of life do you think I should live?”
The cold wind tousled Jiang Mu’s short hair. She turned and walked to the edge of the cliff, staring into the boundless darkness. “I don’t know. But at least not like this. Can’t you live a peaceful life?”
“Since you don’t know, let me tell you.” Jin Chao tossed his cigarette onto the dirt and ground it under the thick sole of his shoe until it was completely buried, unable to rise again.
“When Jin Qiang and I first came to Tonggang, we had nowhere to live. We rented a basement, with no windows, no light. Day felt like night. Whenever it rained heavily, the room would flood up to our knees. Homework, school bags, mattresses, everything would be soaked. There were even dead rats floating in the water. We had to sleep on tables pushed together, and the next day, we’d scoop the water out bucket by bucket.
Someone told him they could introduce him to a job in mining, but it required a referral fee. He handed over all the money we had, and the person’s phone number immediately became invalid. We couldn’t even afford the basement anymore.
We slept under bridges, on the streets, in bathhouses. And you’re telling me money isn’t important?
Later, he finally found a decent job and met Zhao Meijuan. He was divorced, and she was marrying for the first time. He had no house and was dragging me along. We barely scraped together enough for a down payment. After paying the mortgage every month, there was nothing left. Every time the school needed money, I’d stand outside their door with the payment slip, struggling to ask for two or three hundred yuan. And you say money isn’t important?
A twenty-year mortgage, and endless medical bills, do you think Jin Qiang could handle all that alone? At his hardest, he didn’t abandon me. Do you think I should just walk away from your dad now?”
In the northern sky hung the brightest star. On countless dark nights, that star had guided Jiang Mu, its light leading her step by step to where she was today. She had thought that after her father and Jin Chao left her, her life had shattered into pieces. While she envied other children for having fathers and wallowed in her own emotional needs, on the other side of the world, Jin Chao was struggling just to survive, unable to even secure the most basic necessities.
When Jiang Mu looked up again, the star was still there in the north, but its light had become piercing, like an icicle stabbing into her heart, blurring her vision with tears.
She turned to him and asked, “Does Mom know? Does she know about Dad being scammed when he came here? Does she know you had nowhere to live?”
The shadows in the dark outlined Jin Chao’s profile. He lowered his head, and when Jiang Mu mentioned Jiang Yinghan, a flicker of emotion passed through his eyes, but it quickly settled back into a lifeless calm as he spoke indifferently, “What does it matter if she knows or not? They’re divorced.”
Jiang Mu took a few steps toward Jin Chao, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at him. “Even so, it doesn’t mean you have to resort to such dangerous things.”
Jin Chao lifted his eyelids, his expression cold and mocking. “For me, as long as I can get money, it’s worth it. What does it matter if life is hanging by a thread? What does it matter if life’s already lost, are you scared of it hanging on a thread? I didn’t want you to see any of this. You’re right, you’re only here for a year of school. You shouldn’t have gotten involved and now you’re scared, aren’t you?”
Jiang Mu stood on her tiptoes, gripping the front of his jacket tightly as she shouted at him, “Do you have to be like this? Why take the dark road when there’s a bright road ahead?”
Jin Chao simply lowered his gaze, his tone cold and detached as he said, “Let go.”
“I won’t let go. Why should I let go?”
His jacket was crumpled in her tight grip, and his patience had run out. He gave her one last warning. “Let go.”
Jiang Mu glared at him, pulling even tighter. “Do you think I’ll let go? Do you think no one can control you anymore?”
Jin Chao raised his chin slightly, his thin lips curling into a cold smirk. He grabbed her by her shoulders, lifted her off the ground, and pinned her against the car door. Leaning in, he said, “You want to control me, huh? In what capacity? Do you still think you’re one of the Jin family? You even changed your last name. If you’ve forgotten what it was, let me remind you, Jiang Mu.”
She felt small and fragile in front of him, her entire body pressed against the car door, staring at him with determination despite her vulnerability. The overwhelming, icy aura emanating from Jin Chao seeped into Jiang Mu’s heart, leaving no corner untouched, making her tremble with anger.
He had never called her by her full name. Since coming to Tonggang, he had never once addressed her by her first and last name together. Even Jin Qiang hadn’t. They all cared, didn’t they? That tiny change in her last name had driven a wedge between them, pulling their lives in completely different directions.
Her voice choked with emotion as she asked him, “So… is this why you never came back to see me? Do you blame us? Do you blame Mom for making Dad leave with nothing? You hate her, don’t you?”
Jin Chao’s grip on Jiang Mu’s shoulders faltered slightly. He slowly lowered his eyelids, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he swallowed the bitterness deep inside. He opened the car door, shoved Jiang Mu back into the seat, and then closed the door again.
Jiang Mu sat inside the car, while Jin Chao stood outside, smoking one cigarette after another. This wasn’t the first time they had fought. In fact, their childhood was filled with arguments almost every week. They fought over toys, meals, playtime, and even over a single piece of chalk. But every time, Jin Chao was the one to back down. He would let her have the toys, give her the best parts of the fish roe and chicken gizzards, and humor her by playing what he considered childish and boring games.
But there was one thing he would never compromise on. Every Saturday afternoon, he would go to the model shop. Even if Jiang Mu threw a tantrum, even if Jin Qiang and Jiang Yinghan forbade him, he would stand stubbornly at the door until they had no choice but to give in.
Jiang Mu knew that Jin Chao was willing to compromise on everything, but there was one thing he would never give up on, the things he truly wanted. No one could stop him, and he had been like this since he was a child. This was precisely why she became increasingly anxious. She was afraid he was heading down a path of no return, afraid his future would repeat the same mistakes, and afraid once she left, he would become even more reckless, with nothing to hold him back.
After an unknown amount of time, Jin Chao answered a phone call, then put out his cigarette and tapped on the car window. “Jin Qiang called. Let’s go back?”
“No.” Jiang Mu didn’t look at him, didn’t roll down the window, and only uttered that one word.
Jin Chao walked around to the driver’s seat, closed the door, and rested one hand on the steering wheel while leaning slightly toward her. When she got angry, her face always puffed up, as if she had suffered some great injustice. Jin Chao’s tone softened slightly, “What will it take for you to go back?”
“Promise me first.”
Among Jin Chao’s circle, the most experienced in relationships was Jin Fengzi. Although he had dated many people, he usually got dumped within three months, perpetually sprinting down the path of heartbreak and rejection.
Every time he got dumped, he’d call his buddies out for drinks. Over time, everyone got used to it, and it almost felt like he went through relationships just to have an excuse to drink.
Jin Fengzi often said, “Women, when they feel wronged, always act like you’ve done something unforgivable to them.”
Although Jin Chao had never experienced this kind of trouble before, looking at Jiang Mu’s puffed-up face now, he inexplicably felt the same way.
Jin Chao chuckled softly, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel, his eyes regaining their usual relaxed demeanor, “What do you want me to promise you?”
Jiang Mu didn’t know how he could still laugh at a time like this. She snapped, “Promise me you’ll do something serious and stop messing around. If you don’t promise, none of us are going back tonight.”
Jin Chao’s jaw tightened, his gaze calm and steady. He looked at her quietly for a moment, then reclined his seat and lay back.
Jiang Mu sat up straight, her voice anxious, “You…”
Jin Chao crossed his arms behind his head, completely at ease. “Then we won’t go.”
Jiang Mu was so angry she felt like exploding. Jin Chao even closed his eyes, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. If this were their childhood, she would have climbed on top of him and started a fight by now. But now she couldn’t beat him, and she didn’t dare climb on him either. All she could do was recline her own seat and let out a loud “hmph,” turning her back to him.
Jin Chao, hearing her deliberate noise, squinted his eyes and looked at her. She had her back turned to him, curled up into a ball.
Jin Chao had too much on his mind, and after the chaos Jiang Mu had stirred up tonight, he needed to sort things out. With his eyes closed, he wasn’t asleep, just deep in thought.
As for Jiang Mu, not long after she lay down, her breathing became steady. Jin Chao sat up and looked at her. Her slightly curled eyelashes rested gently, and even in her sleep, her brows were slightly furrowed, as if weighed down by worries. He lifted his thumb and gently smoothed the crease between her brows. Jiang Mu turned over, her soft face bathed in the moonlight as if draped in a gentle veil that brushed against his heart.
Jiang Mu, on the other hand, had soon fallen into a peaceful sleep, her breathing steady. Jin Chao sat up and stared at her for a while. Her softly curled eyelashes, the way they fluttered slightly as she slept, and the way her brow was furrowed as if weighed down by worries. He gently brushed his thumb over her brow, and she turned over, her face bathed in moonlight, giving her a soft, ethereal glow that touched his heart.
He had no roots, no origin, drifting from south to north. She was the only one who would always have him in her heart!
No matter how dark the night, no matter how long the road, on this night, a corner of Jin Chao’s heart that had been cold and shadowed for so long was finally touched by light because of the person before him.