Speed and Love

In the end, Jin Chao didn't get Jiang Mu's response—she fell silent as if asleep.

The next morning, fearing Jiang Mu would be late for school, Jin Chao deliberately raised the rolling shutter before dawn, making it the earliest opening in Feichi Auto Repair's history.

He could hear Jiang Mu's phone alarm ringing three times from outside the shop, yet there was no movement inside. When it rang for the fourth time, he finally lost patience, dropped what he was holding, and knocked on the restroom door. The alarm continued blaring as he pushed the door open, lifted the curtain, and asked, "Skipping school?"

What he saw was a girl who had buried her entire head under the pillow, her phone left ringing alone on the bedside table.

Jin Chao strode over and turned off the alarm, looking down at Jiang Mu, who was wrapped tightly in her blanket. He finally understood that her WeChat name "Sleeping-in Struggler" was the perfect reflection of her self-awareness.

Due to his experiences during the first two years in Tonggang with Jin Qiang, Jin Chao had always been a light sleeper, waking at the slightest noise and rarely lingering in bed. He couldn't comprehend how anyone could be this exhausted.

He pulled the pillow away and said, "Get up."

No response—just like when she was a child in kindergarten. Back then, Jiang Yinghan would have to pull her up, and she'd lean against her mother with closed eyes until Jiang Yinghan stuffed her little arms and legs into her clothes, carried her to the bathroom, and washed her face and brushed her teeth—all while her eyes remained shut.

But she was small then, and dressing her wasn't a big deal. Now that she was grown, he certainly couldn't dress her.

He could only bend down and pat her. Unexpectedly, as soon as he touched her, she got irritable, waving her arm and mumbling, "Stop bothering me."

"…"

Jin Chao withdrew his hand and straightened up, his tone cool as he tossed out, "If you're not out in five minutes, think of a good excuse for being late."

With that, he left. Jiang Mu's consciousness snapped back, and she bolted upright, frantically feeling around for her phone.

As soon as Jin Chao stepped out of the restroom, he heard a loud "thud" from inside—who knew what she'd bumped into now? Then came a series of clattering noises, as if she were tearing the place apart.

Though Jiang Mu tried her best to hurry, it still took her a full ten minutes to emerge. Her school uniform zipper was undone, one shoelace tied and the other loose, her backpack slung over her hand. She rushed over to Jin Chao, who was squatting down working, and asked, "I don't know the way. How do I get to the Affiliated High School?"

Jin Chao unscrewed a valve, draining oil from a car, and without looking up, told her, "Bus 6 across the street, get off at Yangbei Station."

Jiang Mu dashed toward the opposite side of the street with her backpack. Jin Chao slowly turned his gaze to her, and she fake-ran a couple of steps before looking back, pouting, "I'm going to be late."

Jin Chao remained squatting, unmoved. "And?"

Jiang Mu glanced at the motorcycle parked beside the shop that Tie Gongji hadn't ridden away last night, then shuffled closer to it, leaning against the back seat.

Jin Chao tightened the car's valve. The sky wasn't fully light yet, and the street was shrouded in the hazy, chilly atmosphere of early morning, tinged with the first cold of early autumn. His profile, sharp and handsome, was half-lit in the dim light as he said flatly, "Willing to go hungry just for ten more minutes of sleep?"

"I can't function without enough sleep."

Jin Chao glanced sideways at her. Jiang Mu added, "The bed depends on me."

"…"Jin Chao straightened up, picked up a bag from the stool behind him, and handed it to her. Jiang Mu paused for a moment before accepting the breakfast. As Jin Chao started the motorcycle, he said to her, "Zip up your jacket."

Holding her backpack in one hand and the breakfast in the other, Jiang Mu glanced around for a place to set her things down. Jin Chao glanced back at her, then turned and tugged her open school jacket, pulling her closer.

Stumbling forward, she found herself enveloped by his shadow. His strong fingers deftly fastened the zipper of her jacket, swiftly pulling it up to wrap her snugly. The sun peeked out with a faint glow from the east, casting a soft light on Jin Chao’s lowered eyelashes, turning them a lighter shade. Jiang Mu looked up at him, and in that instant, all the grievances, confusion, and worries from before yesterday suddenly cleared away. A warmth spread through her heart, rising like the morning sun.

However, once they were on the road, Jiang Mu understood why Jin Chao had told her to zip up. The moment the motorcycle sped out onto the street, the yueliang mo in her hand nearly choked her. The gentle morning breeze instantly turned into a fierce wind slapping against her face, forcing her to huddle behind Jin Chao to protect her breakfast. She couldn’t help muttering, "Actually, my alarm usually only rings three times before I get up. It’s just that you kept me up too late chatting last night..."

"..."

He had no idea how it became his fault for chatting with her. What had he even said? He’d mostly listened to her ramble, and before he could get a word in, she’d fallen asleep.

What should have been a ten-minute ride felt to Jiang Mu like Jin Chao was flying. They pulled up at the school gate in just two minutes and fifteen seconds.

Jiang Mu had only managed two bites of her yueliang mo. Glancing at the nearly closed school gate, she hurriedly took a few more big bites. Jin Chao got off the motorcycle, eyed her sneakers for a moment, then glanced at her hunched-over, focused eating. Finally, unable to watch any longer, he knelt on one knee. Jiang Mu froze, looking down as Jin Chao’s fingers quickly tied her loose shoelaces. Then, as if it were nothing, he swung back onto the motorcycle.

Her heartbeat erratic, Jiang Mu felt like she might choke again. She shoved the remaining yueliang mo into Jin Chao’s hand, puffed out her cheeks, waved at him, and made to dash into the school.

Jin Chao took the mo and called out, "Come back."

Puzzled, Jiang Mu turned around. Jin Chao adjusted the rearview mirror toward her. Peering into it, she saw her short hair blown into a messy, upright style—a look only her features could salvage from being outright hideous. Embarrassed, she instinctively glanced at Jin Chao, who averted his gaze. Feigning composure, she smoothed her hair a couple of times, restoring it to its neat, ear-length softness. Then, just as the school bell rang, she turned and stepped through the gate.

Jin Chao tilted his head, watching her retreating figure with a silent smile. As the security guard craned his neck to look his way, he snapped his helmet into place, all expression vanishing, and sped off, disappearing beyond the school gates.

Jiang Mu and Lao Ma entered the classroom almost one after the other. Naturally, Lao Ma noticed her and fixed his gaze on her as he stepped onto the platform. Unhurried, she took out her test papers and pen.In Lao Ma's eyes, this girl's temperament was vastly different from her brother's. If Jin Chao of the past had been an unignorable blazing sun in this campus, refusing to admit defeat, then this girl was more like the gentle and subdued moonlight, neither competing nor contending.

In truth, for Jiang Mu, this year of repeating senior high was less about striving for better college entrance exam scores and more about buying herself more time to clarify her future path.

Jiang Yinghan wanted her to study economics or law, but she had no interest in either. Even the thought of statistics, calculus, linear algebra, or those complicated legal provisions made her head spin.

Among her former classmates, many believed she could easily apply to art schools, given her guzheng skills and appearance were sufficient to secure her admission to an arts institution.

These might all be promising fields, but they weren't what she truly loved or wanted to pursue. As for her guzheng talent, it had been drilled into her through years of rigorous practice enforced by Jiang Yinghan at home. Her mother insisted that a girl should have some skills to fall back on—if she couldn't find a job or had to endure a difficult boss, she could always teach guzheng to avoid starvation. But when it came to genuine fondness, Jiang Mu couldn't really claim to have any.

If not for her previous major clash with Jiang Yinghan and her subsequent passive approach to the college entrance exam, she might have muddled through and chosen any random major. Without surprises, the next few years would have seen her drifting along—studying required courses, obtaining various employment-related certificates, and then applying for internships.

In the past, with her mother by her side, she had grown accustomed to following the path laid out for her. But it was precisely because of this unexpected turn of events that Jiang Mu gained a completely new perspective on her future—a path where she could fully follow her heart and take control of her own destiny.

Thus, compared to other motivated and driven senior high students, she adopted a more laid-back approach. After all, her previous three years of youth had been sacrificed to endless homework, leaving her overwhelmed. As long as her grades didn't decline during this repeat year, she didn't want to push herself too hard.

In class, Lao Ma reminded everyone about the upcoming grade-wide assessment test the next day, encouraging them to stay calm and not worry. He emphasized that this test would help them understand their standing among peers and set the direction for the sprint months ahead.

The classroom immediately erupted into chatter—some students were eager to try, while others complained about being unprepared. Jiang Mu, however, remained unfazed. Having just experienced five major exams in the first half of the year—three provincial mock tests, one municipal mock test, and the actual college entrance exam—she felt quite composed about this school-level assessment.

As soon as class ended, Pan Kai scurried over and called out, "Jiang Jiang, Jiang Jiang! Is it true we'll be randomly assigned to different classrooms for tomorrow's test? I wonder if we'll end up in the same one. What was your score on the last college entrance exam?"

Without looking up, Jiang Mu replied, "332."

Pan Kai was slightly taken aback. He had always thought Jiang Mu was a good student—aside from often arriving just before the late bell, her attitude toward studying seemed quite serious. Otherwise, why would someone so self-disciplined choose to repeat a year? It never occurred to him that her score fell far short of the undergraduate cutoff line. Even Yan Xiaoyi, who was sitting next to Jiang Mu and copying her test paper, wore a speechless expression, unsure whether to continue copying or just do it herself.

Pan Kai quickly comforted her, "It's okay, it's okay! There's still more than half a year to go. If there's anything you don't understand later, just ask me. Let's aim to get into a second-tier university together."Jiang Mu silently glanced up at him, not even bothering to explain that the liberal arts cutoff score for second-tier universities in Jiangsu was 284—it had never been her target to begin with.

She lowered her head again and flipped open the comprehensive liberal arts test paper. Seeing her remain silent, Pan Kai continued chattering, "Don’t be nervous. If we end up in the same exam classroom tomorrow, I’ll find a way to help you."

"..." Thanks a lot.

Suddenly remembering something, he leaned closer and whispered to Jiang Mu, "By the way, weren’t you asking about someone called Seventh Day last time? I found out who that person is."

Jiang Mu’s hand, holding the pen, froze. She lifted her gaze and stared at him. Noticing she finally reacted, Pan Kai dragged his stool closer and said, "Yesterday, I was playing basketball with some guys near the neighborhood. They happened to be graduates from the affiliated high school a few years back. Someone mentioned that name, so I specifically asked about him. They said he was a senior from several years ago, into cars. They even had a motorcycle team that often raced illegally. The reason he’s called Seventh Day is because he was so fast that anyone who encountered him was doomed—they wouldn’t even make it to their seventh-day memorial."

Jiang Mu’s expression stiffened. The sensation of flying on the back of Jin Chao’s motorcycle that morning surged back, suddenly connecting with Pan Kai’s words. The skilled cornering and anticipatory overtaking did seem like those of a seasoned expert.

Pan Kai went on, "They say this guy was quite famous back then. Not just at our school—everyone in Tonggang who was into cars knew him. At his peak, girls from several nearby high schools would come to our school just to see him.

But later, their vehicles got confiscated, and things quieted down. Then, something happened. A month or two before the college entrance exams, he suddenly disappeared. No one at school saw him again. They say he didn’t even show up for the exams. The ironic part is, this Seventh Day guy actually had decent grades. Even if he couldn’t make it into Tsinghua, Peking, Fudan, Jiaotong, Zhejiang, or Nanjing University, he could’ve gotten into one of the top finance or trade schools. Pretty legendary, huh? Who knew our school had someone like that? By the way, why are you so interested in him?"

The class bell rang, forcing Pan Kai to drag his stool back to his seat. But Jiang Mu’s mind was anything but calm. She never imagined that Jin Chao hadn’t even taken the college entrance exams.

She suddenly recalled what he’d told her: Jin Xin fell ill at age three. Working backward, that would’ve been around Jin Chao’s senior year of high school. She’d asked if Jin Xin had been difficult after getting sick. He told her there was a period when he wasn’t around, and by the time he returned, Jin Xin had already settled down.

So what exactly happened to him? Where did he go? Why did he vanish so abruptly?

Questions swirled around Jiang Mu like a thick fog. But clearly, whether it was Jin Qiang, Jin Chao, or even San Lai, they all kept silent about those past events. It was as if everyone was deliberately avoiding a truth she couldn’t uncover. And the more evasive they were, the more intensely curious Jiang Mu became.All day long, her mind was almost entirely occupied with thoughts of Jin Chao. She couldn't pretend to be indifferent or unaware. Remembering how Jin Chao had helped her with her zipper and tied her shoelaces when dropping her off at school that morning, Jiang Mu felt a dull ache in her heart. She didn't know what Jin Chao had gone through to become so reticent, but he hadn't neglected her. No matter how cold he appeared on the surface or how often he acted detached, Jiang Mu wasn't foolish—she could sense the warmth he suppressed.

But if he cared about her, why hadn't he contacted her all these years? It seemed everything about him was beyond her comprehension.

In the afternoon, she couldn't resist taking out her phone and sending Jin Chao a message: "Which bus did you say to take this morning?"

A few minutes later, Jin Chao replied: "Bus 6."

Chronic Bed Lover: "How many stops?"

Chao: "Three stops. Get off at Tongren Line South."

There were no extra words. Jiang Mu reread the few messages several times during her break. During evening self-study, she sent him another: "What are you doing?"

This time, Jin Chao replied quickly, but with only two words: "Busy."

Jiang Mu took a photo of the mountain of workbooks and test papers piled in front of her and sent it to him, adding a "crying" emoji to show how hard she was working.

Just after sending it, a voice sounded beside her: "Jiang Jiang, who are you texting?"

Jiang Mu looked up and saw Pan Kai leaning in. She quickly put her phone away and replied, "Family."

Xiao Yang and the others had already clocked out. A car owner was in a hurry to pick up their vehicle, so Jin Chao was at the auto shop's entrance, topping up the windshield fluid for this regular customer free of charge. When his phone buzzed, he closed the hood, lit a cigarette, and leaned against the shop's doorway, casually opening the photo Jiang Mu had sent. The messy desk was so cluttered there was hardly any space to rest a hand. He frowned and was about to swipe away when San Lai's face suddenly appeared close to his, remarking lightly, "Wow, so intimate, huh?"

If he hadn't mentioned it, Jin Chao wouldn't have noticed. Amid the pile of test papers and workbooks was a water bottle. Zooming in, he could see Jiang Mu's reflection in the bottle, holding her phone, with a boy leaning in so close they were almost touching. Jin Chao locked his phone and delivered the customer's car.

On Jiang Mu's end, she waited a long time but received no reply from Jin Chao. Assuming he was still busy, she didn't disturb him further.

After evening self-study ended, Jiang Mu packed her things and turned to Pan Kai, saying, "I'm not going home today. Don't follow me."

Pan Kai asked, "If you're not going home, where are you going?"

Jiang Mu pressed her lips together without answering, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and left the classroom. Just as she stepped out of the school gate, her phone vibrated. She took it out and saw Jin Chao's reply: two words—"Across the street."

Jiang Mu looked up in surprise, gazing across the street. Under a black streetlamp stood Jin Chao, tall and poised, his shadow cast at his feet, proud and aloof.