On the way, Jiang Mu thought Jin Chao would say something. After all, Lao Ma had asked her to come back early today, so he must have discussed her with Jin Chao.
But Jin Chao remained silent the entire journey. When the car stopped at the auto shop entrance, Jiang Mu got out and saw San Lai peeking out from inside the store. She waved at him. As soon as she stepped into the repair bay, Jin Chao directly lowered the rolling shutter halfway behind her and said to her, "Let's talk."
Jiang Mu halted her steps. Jin Chao placed her backpack on a nearby crate and gazed at her across the car lift, yet he didn't speak.
His stare made Jiang Mu somewhat uneasy. She spoke first, "Brother San Lai said you were on a business trip?"
Jin Chao made a questioning "Hmm?" sound, then quickly affirmed, "Yeah."
Jiang Mu lightly scuffed her shoe soles against the repair bay floor a couple of times. The bay was so quiet she could hear her own breathing. After hesitating a moment, she asked again, "Did you go alone?"
"No." Jin Chao's voice sounded slightly hoarse, as if he hadn't slept well.
Jiang Mu's heart began to waver, but she finally voiced the question, "Was it with a woman?"
Her question successfully made Jin Chao lift his eyelids. He then asked, "Why do you ask?"
Jiang Mu glanced toward the curtain, because behind it, on the nightstand, there was a box of indescribable items.
But now, facing Jin Chao directly, she couldn't bring herself to ask further.
After a long pause, Jin Chao's voice softened slightly, "Still thinking about going back to Suzhou?"
Jiang Mu lowered her lashes, looking at her toes, "Did Lao Ma tell you?"
Jin Chao let out a faint breath, stepped over the car lift, and walked up to her. Jiang Mu retreated a step, leaning back, but before she could touch the wall, Jin Chao directly grabbed her school uniform and pulled her close. The sudden force made her heartbeat spike. She lifted her head, her face instantly flushing red.
But Jin Chao only said to her, "The wall is dirty."
Jiang Mu stared at him, her mind going blank. Jin Chao moved aside and leaned against the car lift's post, asking her, "So eager to leave?"
Jiang Mu lowered her head and said quietly, "I'm afraid of disturbing you by staying here."
"Disturbing me how?"
Jiang Mu bit her lip. The lights in the repair bay weren't on, and the dim light from the half-lowered rolling shutter cast an awkward expression on her face that she found hard to articulate.
Jin Chao seemed to suddenly understand. He silently studied her expression until Jiang Mu yielded, slightly lowering her gaze. Only then did Jin Chao sigh and step forward to stand before her again.
He was too tall; Jiang Mu only reached his chest. His tall shadow gently enveloped her like a veil as he said, "I went out with Jin Fengzi. There was no woman."
After saying this, Jin Chao suddenly laughed. He lowered his head, feeling somewhat absurd—as if he had done something shameful that needed explaining. But he had been alone all these years; where would there be a woman to care about him, or a woman to whom he needed to account for his innocence?
He lifted his gaze, a hint of amusement in his eyes. His handsome, cold features were almost too striking to look at directly. In a deep voice, he asked, "Is that why you want to leave? Because of this concern?"
Jiang Mu sucked in her cheeks. Though he had seen right through her, she was too embarrassed to admit it, keeping her hands properly clasped in front of her.Jin Chao had no idea where Jiang Mu got all these messy thoughts from. Watching her fidget nervously, his heart was filled with mixed emotions. The girl who used to laugh heartily when happy, cry openly when sad, climb all over him to snatch food, and pester him for hours over every little thought—now she had become so sensitive and cautious in front of him. Time had changed him, but it had changed her too. He even wondered if she would have more confidence and self-assurance now had he always been by her side.
Jiang Mu's short hair fell across her cheeks, making her face appear even smaller. Just as he raised his hand to brush it aside, San Lai bent down and stuck his head in through the rolling shutter door. What he saw was Jiang Mu shrinking back, obediently lowering her head, while Jin Chao reached out as if to embrace her. The dim light cast their overlapping shadows, startling San Lai so much he blurted out: "Holy shit, what are you two doing?"
The exclamation made Jin Chao withdraw his hand. He lifted the rolling shutter door and stepped outside. Jin Chao didn't return for a long time, so Jiang Mu picked up her backpack and went into the break room to study.
He went to sit with San Lai for a while. San Lai asked how he'd been these past couple days, and Jin Chao casually chatted with him. But San Lai kept staring at him with a smirk that wasn't quite a smile, annoying Jin Chao so much he grabbed his cigarette pack and threw it at him: "Keep looking at me like that and I'll gouge your eyes out."
San Lai caught the cigarette pack, pulled one out, and tossed it back to him: "Little Jiang Mu asked me if you have a woman."
Jin Chao lowered his head, flicked a cigarette out of the pack, and put it between his lips: "What did you say?"
San Lai sprawled in the swivel chair, feet propped on the checkout counter, eyes crinkling with laughter: "I said you have one that's not officially stamped yet."
Jin Chao's expression froze—the phrasing made it sound like he had some casual bed partner. He slowly stood up, walked over to San Lai, snatched the freshly lit cigarette from his mouth, crushed it in the nearby ashtray, and cursed: "You really know how to make trouble for me."
...
When Jin Chao returned from next door, Jiang Mu was still bent over her homework. He walked over to the glass window and started cleaning fuel injectors. Whenever she looked up, she could see his busy figure. Though separated by the glass and each occupied with their own tasks, Jiang Mu really liked this feeling of stability.
After who knows how long, Jin Chao suddenly spoke: "I don't have a woman, and I'm not considering it for now. You don't need to worry about that. Since you've come to Tonggang, besides Jin Qiang's place, if you're willing, this can be your home too. As long as I'm here, no one can drive you away."
Jiang Mu's hand holding the pen tightened slightly. Her anxious, uncertain heart, upon hearing Jin Chao say these words himself, felt like a drifting leaf that had finally found roots to cling to temporarily.
Seeing her keep her head down without responding, Jin Chao paused his work and glanced up at her. Jiang Mu reached for the notice she'd received that evening, pressed it against the glass, pointed to the "parent signature" in the lower right corner, and gave him a bright smile.
The notice was a letter to parents, basically advising them to pay attention to the physical and mental health of senior high school students, promptly care about their psychological state and schedule during this period, and work with the school to help them through the final sprint of high school.Jiang Mu watched as Jin Chao meticulously reviewed the standardized content, only reaching out for a pen after reading the final word. He then bent over and signed his name "Jin Chao" at the corner of the desk.
This wasn’t the first time Jin Chao had signed for her. Back in second grade, she had brought him a failed exam paper, too afraid to tell her mother but needing a parent’s signature. Seeing her tearful distress, Jin Chao signed it for her.
The consequence was the teacher demanding a parent’s presence. Jin Chao, then just a first-year middle schooler, showed up with his backpack, carrying himself like a miniature adult. He assured the young female teacher that he would take responsibility for Jiang Mu’s grades and promised she wouldn’t perform so poorly again.
The teacher, familiar with Jin Chao’s reputation as a top student fresh out of sixth grade, was struck by his earnest demeanor. She gave them a chance, keeping their secret. From then on, Jin Chao dragged Jiang Mu through nightly drills—memorizing vocabulary and ancient poems, quizzing her anytime, anywhere.
But just two weeks after Jiang Mu’s grades improved, Jin Chao left her. Since then, no matter how great the difficulty, there was no one to shoulder her burdens.
Jiang Mu took the form and studied it for a long time. The two simple characters were bold and powerful—she hadn’t seen Jin Chao’s handwriting in years. By the time he left Suzhou, his penmanship already carried distinct flair. Jiang Mu had spent ages trying to mimic his leftover homework notebooks, but she never mastered his vigorous, effortless style. Still, for years, she persisted in practicing calligraphy, chasing the shadow of his technique.
Folding the notice neatly into her backpack, Jiang Mu looked up and couldn’t suppress a smile as she gazed at Jin Chao outside. That small signature had bridged time and space, pulling their connection taut once more.
Even without looking at her, Jin Chao seemed to feel her gaze. He lowered his head, a rare warmth clouding his eyes.
…
Jiang Mu didn’t bother figuring out what that unmentionable box was for, leaving it discarded in the bedside drawer and paying it no further mind.
After Jin Chao signed the notice for her, Jiang Mu felt he was truly leaning into the role of a guardian. The next day, a milk delivery box appeared at the auto repair shop’s entrance—he had actually ordered milk for her.
Though Jiang Mu detested boiled eggs, Jin Chao insisted on making her one each morning. On the first day, she perfunctorily accepted it, tucking it into her pocket with a claim she’d eat it on the way.
By the second day, Jin Chao peeled the egg for her, stripping away any pretense of evasion. She had no choice but to eat it in front of him, sparking days of egg-induced dread.
He even commandeered San Lai’s juicer, buying piles of oranges. Every night after self-study sessions, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice awaited her on the table.
One morning, Jiang Mu finally blurted out, "You’re stricter than my mom."
Jin Chao replied flatly, "I signed the form."
It took her a moment to realize he meant that notice—a simple letter to parents had somehow become a binding contract in his hands.
As Jiang Mu stared at him speechlessly, Jin Chao handed her the peeled egg. "If you end up malnourished under my watch, where would that leave my dignity? Eat it."
As for his obsession with the orange juice, he claimed it was to boost her vitamin C intake, worried her weak immunity would lead to another round of colds or fevers.As for the mysterious pendant San Lai had mentioned, Jiang Mu was still quite curious about it. Over the past few days, she had been looking for opportunities to investigate and finally seized one on Thursday evening.
When Jiang Mu returned, Jin Chao was squatting at the entrance of the auto repair shop, busy with work. Noticing that his hands were too dirty to handle anything, she deliberately approached him and pointed at the rolling shutter door, saying, "I need to get to school early tomorrow. You don’t have to wake up early—just give me the spare key. I’ll open the door myself."
Without much thought, Jin Chao stood up to wash his hands. Jiang Mu immediately stepped in front of him and said, "Just tell me where it is. I’ll get it myself."
Jin Chao stood still, his eyes flicking toward the left pocket of his jeans. Suppressing her curiosity, Jiang Mu reached into his left pocket and, sure enough, found a key. But before she could pull it out, she noticed it felt bare—no pendant attached. Pretending she hadn’t found it, she slipped her hand into his right pocket instead.
Her mind was entirely focused on finding the pendant, and she unconsciously leaned closer. The wind lifted her short hair, brushing repeatedly against Jin Chao’s chest, the tickling sensation creeping into his heart. Frowning, he looked down at her. As she drew near, the gradually heating atmosphere reminded him again and again that the person standing before him was a strikingly beautiful adult woman—he could no longer see her as a child. So, when her hand moved toward his back pocket, Jin Chao narrowed his eyes and asked, "What exactly are you feeling for?"
His dangerous gaze made Jiang Mu extremely embarrassed. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted San Lai leaning against the shop entrance, laughing so hard he was almost doubled over. Suddenly, she felt she had been played. Humiliated and angry, she ran back to her room, leaving Jin Chao utterly confused. He had no idea why not letting her search his pockets had upset her. Was there gold in his pockets? Should he start keeping a handful of coins there for her to play with?
Before leaving that night, Jin Chao deliberately placed the key next to Jiang Mu’s schoolbag. Yet, the next morning, even their dog Xishi was up and about, but she was still asleep. He couldn’t fathom what the point of her asking for the key had been.
On Friday, the mock exam results were released. Overall, Jiang Mu was quite satisfied with her scores and ranking—she placed 48th in her grade and 7th in her class. This was unprecedented for her. At her previous school, where competition was fierce, she usually hovered within the top hundred, with her best rank being around 70th in the grade.
However, she knew it wasn’t due to a sudden improvement in her performance after transferring but rather the disparity between schools.
Still, her ranking left Pan Kai and Yan Xiaoyi stunned. Pan Kai even asked in disbelief, "Didn’t you only score a little over 300 in the last college entrance exam?"
"...I’m from Jiangsu."
In that education powerhouse where the total score for the college entrance exam was 480, Jiang Mu’s score of a little over 300—though slightly below the first-tier cutoff—was far from poor.
Pan Kai immediately regarded her score with newfound respect. Yan Xiaoyi quietly remarked, "Lend me your English workbook to copy."
Jiang Mu had no grand ambitions and never aimed for top-tier universities like Tsinghua, Peking, Fudan, or Jiaotong. Thus, she was easily content and felt she had performed quite steadily this time.But when they returned that evening, Jin Chao went to the lounge to retrieve his things and happened to glance at her school model test papers. He casually picked them up and flipped through them before abruptly asking, "Have you considered signing up for tutoring classes?"
The question caught Jiang Mu completely off guard. She asked in surprise, "Do you think... I performed poorly?"
Jin Chao laughed. "Was it good?"
Jiang Mu instantly felt as if she had suffered ten thousand critical hits. The self-satisfaction she had felt after school vanished completely.
Jin Chao was naturally gifted. In Jiang Mu's memory, he had never attended extracurricular tutoring. Studying had always been effortless for him, leaving him plenty of time to read and visit model shops.
As for her, from elementary to junior high school, Jiang Yinghan had enrolled her in nearly every subject's training program. Maintaining her position in the upper ranks of her grade had required immense effort and countless sleepless nights.
Yet, facing Jin Chao, she had to admit that innate differences between people could be significant.
She thought of the school uniform he was wearing and looked up to ask him, "Did you win this school uniform in some competition?"
Jin Chao pulled over a chair, picked up a pen, tore a sheet of newspaper from the metal cabinet nearby, and placed it on the table. "The municipal physics competition selection," he replied.
Jiang Mu recalled Yan Xiaoyi mentioning that only those who placed in the top three at the municipal level or higher had golden trophies on their school uniforms.
She couldn't help but ask, "So you were selected?"
Jin Chao merely responded with an "Mhm."
She pressed further, "And then?"
"No 'and then.'"
His reply was crisp and clear as his pen moved swiftly across the paper.
Remembering his visit to the school a few days prior, Jiang Mu tentatively asked, "So that day, the second-year physics teacher..."
"He was the team leader for the municipal competition."
Jiang Mu also recalled how Old Zheng from their class had stared at the emblem on her school uniform for a long time and inexplicably spouted a bunch of motivational words, something like, "Heaven rewards the diligent; endure hardships to achieve greatness, as the three thousand Yue soldiers could conquer Wu."
At the time, she thought the physics teacher was just being sentimental. Now, looking back, she felt Old Zheng's words might not have been directed at her at all but rather reminded him of the owner of this uniform.
Jiang Mu's expression suddenly turned serious. After hesitating for a long while, she asked solemnly, "You... why didn't you take the college entrance exam back then?"
Jin Chao's pen suddenly halted, but only for a moment before he flipped the math test paper over and continued writing without pause.
Though he said nothing, Jiang Mu could feel a heavy, oppressive aura emanating from him. The air grew still, and she realized she had touched upon the most sensitive topic for him. She suddenly regretted asking.
Just as she was racking her brains for a way to change the subject, Jin Chao straightened up, tossed the newspaper to her, and said, "Take a look at this first. Ask me if you don't understand."
With that, he strode out of the room.
Jiang Mu looked down and saw that Jin Chao had filled the margins of the newspaper with dense formulas—all solutions to her incorrect answers. Clutching the newspaper, she stared at his fluid problem-solving approach and felt her heart tighten.
That night, she took off her school uniform, folded it neatly, and placed it by her bedside. After turning off the lights, she could still see the golden trophy gleaming in the center of the emblem in the darkness.Jiang Mu suddenly realized this uniform was no longer merely a school garment, but rather Jin Chao's former trophy. This battle robe embroidered with a special award cup, now worn by her, made her feel unworthy, as if constantly reminding her that her abilities were still insufficient to match the honor this uniform represented.
Closing her eyes, the world dissolved into chaotic darkness while her hearing expanded infinitely. Her body floated like a feather in boundless space. Gradually, a tiny glimmer appeared in the far distance, multiplying until she saw numerous abstract, moving points of light. They traced magnificent beams that illuminated her entire world. When she opened her eyes again, the future that had bewildered her for eighteen years finally found its destination. For the first time, she clearly saw where the path beneath her feet should lead.
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