Jin Chao had just arrived at the auto shop with Jiang Mu when Wan Qing's car also pulled to a stop. San Lai was already waiting anxiously at the entrance and said to him, "You'd better go inside and take a look."
Jin Chao opened the shop door, strode straight through the repair bay, and unlocked the back shed. The moment the shed door swung open, his figure froze in place. The courtyard was in complete disarray—boxes were strewn everywhere, their contents either smashed or destroyed. His gaze gradually fell upon the corner of the yard where the tarpaulin had been torn away, revealing the black GTR battered beyond recognition, resembling a scrapped vehicle.
From beginning to end, Jin Chao had never mentioned the goods to San Lai. Regardless of whether San Lai had any suspicions, Jin Chao didn't want to involve him. Only Tie Gongji knew the origin of this batch of goods. They had been guarding the auto shop these past few days, waiting to ship out tomorrow. An hour ago, Tie Gongji received a call and had to leave temporarily.
It was San Lai, returning from outside and hearing Shandian's unusual barking, who sensed something was wrong and called Jin Chao.
Wan Qing happened to visit Jiang Mu tonight, was spotted by Zhang Fan who then called Jin Chao, and left just a few minutes before the goods were vandalized.
When too many coincidences pile up, they cease to be coincidences.
Jin Chao's eyes darkened as he scanned every corner of the shed courtyard, then slowly turned to Wan Qing and said, "Get out."
Wan Qing trembled under Jin Chao's sinister gaze and explained, "I really don't know anything."
Jin Chao roared again, "Get the hell out of here!"
Wan Qing left with red-rimmed eyes. Jiang Mu stood in the corner watching Jin Chao. She didn't know how much this batch of goods would cost him, or what more serious consequences there might be, but she understood that if these items were truly smuggled, they couldn't report it to the police—meaning there would be no legitimate way to resolve this.
Veins bulged faintly on Jin Chao's forehead, his eyes were terrifyingly gloomy, and he was enveloped in an aura that seemed ready to destroy everything at any moment. Jiang Mu had never seen Jin Chao this furious before; no matter how serious things were in the past, he always remained composed and unflappable.
This was the first time she had witnessed such intense emotion from him. She didn't even dare approach him or speak.
Jin Chao turned to San Lai and said, "Do me a favor—take Mumu home."
San Lai stood at the other end of the repair bay, said nothing, and simply nodded at him.
Then Jin Chao shifted his gaze to Jiang Mu. She was huddled in the corner, hands clasped to her chest, her eyes filled with fright.
Jin Chao took a deep breath and walked over to her. When he stopped before Jiang Mu, he glanced sideways at San Lai, who turned and walked out. After he left, Jin Chao lowered his gaze and asked in a deep, quiet voice, "Scared?"
Jiang Mu was indeed terrified—whether from learning he was selling smuggled parts, witnessing the chaotic scene in the shed courtyard, or seeing Jin Chao's rage. Each incident, every image, was a significant shock to her.
Seeing the flickering unease in her eyes, Jin Chao frowned slightly. He placed his hands on her shoulders and bent down to her eye level, his gaze intense and serious: "When you were little and failed an exam, too scared to ask Mom to sign it, I signed for you. When your homeroom teacher found out and demanded to see your parents, you cried like the sky was falling, remember? I told you it wasn't a big deal—that I could handle it. Do you remember?"Jiang Mu gazed at him with a pale face, a faint glimmer of tears welling in her eyes. Jin Chao’s grip on her shoulders gradually tightened as he said to her solemnly, "Do you trust me?"
All the trouble Jiang Mu had gotten into since childhood had been resolved by Jin Chao. Her trust in him was ingrained in her bones, as if it had been there from birth.
He wasn’t a god, but in Jiang Mu’s heart, he was the one she could trust and rely on unconditionally. It was precisely because she trusted him that she never believed he would risk smuggling.
What lay before her now wasn’t a matter of exam forgery or parental meetings, but a perilous gamble that could cost him the rest of his life. Her body trembled, and her eyes were filled with unconcealed fear.
Jin Chao looked into her eyes, his gaze seeming to send a beam of light straight into her heart. His voice was mesmerizing as he said, "If you trust me, go back and focus on your college entrance exams. Do what you need to do."
With that, he straightened up and ruffled her hair, adding, "Be good and go with San Lai."
Jin Chao picked up her backpack, moved behind her, and helped her put it on. San Lai had already started the car and was waiting by the roadside. Jiang Mu turned and walked step by step into the night, away from the repair shop. With every step, her heart felt as if it were tearing apart. When she reached the entrance, she paused and looked back.
Jin Chao was still standing there, watching her, and he gave her a faint smile. But Jiang Mu couldn’t bring herself to smile back. She simply cast one last worried glance at him before heading toward San Lai’s car.
…
A week before the college entrance exams, evening self-study sessions finally came to an end. Lao Ma urged everyone not to lose momentum, explaining that the early dismissal was to allow ample rest, adjust schedules, and ensure good sleep for optimal performance during the exams.
For Jiang Mu, the tension that had built up over four years finally eased in these last few days. Compared to her classmates, she was already thoroughly prepared.
Since that night when San Lai had taken her home, she hadn’t returned to the auto shop.
Two days before the exams, with some free time, she decided to visit everyone, including Shandian. She took the bus one stop farther than usual to the milk tea shop she frequented. She remembered Tie Gongji’s order—half sugar, no cream; San Lai’s—full sugar with cheese; Xiao Yang’s dislike for pearls; and Jin Chao’s preference for only oolong tea.
After waiting in line for a while, she bought drinks for everyone and carried the bag toward the auto shop. As she passed the floating bridge, a taxi drove past her and stopped at the foot of the bridge. A middle-aged man got out, carrying two bags of fruit. After closing the car door, he headed into the nearby elderly community.
Jiang Mu’s eyes lingered on the man, finding him strangely familiar. Just then, the man ran into an acquaintance and turned to greet them. His broad forehead and hooked nose suddenly jogged Jiang Mu’s memory—he had come to Feichi for repairs last year. That day, there were no other customers at the shop. Tie Gongji was out, and Xiao Yang had gone to the restroom. As Jiang Mu stepped out of the break room, she overheard a brief exchange between Jin Chao and the man. Jin Chao had told him to stop coming around so often, and she remembered Jin Chao’s unusually stern expression at the time.
Yet, when they ran into this same man at the market after the New Year, Jin Chao claimed he had no recollection of him. Jiang Mu had recognized the man after just one glance—how could Jin Chao, with his sharp memory and having spoken to him, have no impression?
The more Jiang Mu thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Without realizing it, her footsteps had already quickened as she followed him.West Lowland Hollow was an area formed by several clusters of old buildings, mostly former residential compounds for cadres' families. Due to their age, the layout was intricate and interconnected, lacking formal neighborhood gates. The residents were primarily elderly, with fitness equipment and roadside vegetable vendors visible everywhere.
Jiang Mu followed the man through a bustling street. As dusk fell, the area was crowded with people coming and going. The man stopped to ask an elderly woman selling produce at a roadside stall about the price of tomatoes per jin.
Jiang Mu paused near a barbershop, pretending to examine the price list posted outside. After the man bought a bag of tomatoes and continued inward, she quickly followed.
Beyond the street, the man turned into a large compound where the crowd thinned. Not daring to follow too closely, Jiang Mu pulled out her phone, feigning absorption in it while keeping her eyes forward. Inside the compound, several elderly women sat on small stools chatting, while a group of children chased each other on light-up scooters. However, the man had vanished.
Jiang Mu hurried to the center of the compound. Surrounded by several old buildings, she couldn't tell which one he might have entered. Just as she turned, she caught a glimpse of a bag of tomatoes disappearing behind the eastern building, partially obscured by a large paulownia tree in the corner. She quickened her pace, but rounding the tree, the man was gone again. She ran behind the buildings to find an empty concrete area filled with parked electric bikes and bicycles—no sign of anyone.
As she prepared to leave, she abruptly turned and found the man she'd been tailing emerging from a bike shed on the other side of the paulownia tree.
Jiang Mu's heart leaped, her expression freezing instantly. The man, carrying fruit and tomatoes, stepped closer, silently scrutinizing her before stopping in front of her. "Looking for me, little girl?" he asked.
Jiang Mu faltered, "N-no, I'm not."
The man narrowed his eyes. "Then why have you been following me?"
Spotting the chatting elderly women in her periphery, Jiang Mu straightened up and replied calmly, "I can't find my classmate's house."
The man studied her for a moment until someone called from across the compound, "Jiang Nanshan!"
Jiang Mu glanced over and saw Hai Deye, immediately waving at him. The hook-nosed man then walked away with his groceries.
Once he was gone, Jiang Mu hurried back around the tree into the main compound. Hai Deye, holding a teacup behind his back, smiled and asked, "What brings you here?"
Jiang Mu chuckled awkwardly, "Looking for someone, that's all."
As they walked out of the compound, Hai Deye suddenly inquired, "Do you know Lu Wan's son?"
"Who?"
"Weren't you just talking to him?"
Jiang Mu paused, then quickly understood. "Not really. By the way, what does he do?"
Hai Deye replied, "Xiao Lu? He works at Customs."
Jiang Mu frowned. "Customs? Doing what?"
"It seems like Customs..."
This was the first time Jiang Mu had heard of the "Smuggling Investigation Bureau." After parting with Hai Deye, she immediately searched the term on her phone. The webpage displayed an introduction: the Smuggling Investigation Bureau is a key component of Customs, under the leadership of the Ministry of Public Security and the General Administration of Customs, tasked with rigorously combating smuggling activities.Jiang Mu's mind exploded with a buzzing sound. The Smuggling Investigation Bureau had visited Feichi Auto Repair. Jin Chao had told that person to come by less often. After the New Year, Jin Chao began smuggling large quantities of auto parts. All these pieces were haphazardly connected by an invisible thread in Jiang Mu's mind, sketching out a terrifying speculation that filled her with immense panic.
"Since you can self-study university courses, why not get a diploma?"
"Every stage has its own tasks. Your current mission is the college entrance exam. For me, there are always more urgent matters."
"Is it about a lot of money? Civil compensation?"
"It's not about money."
Jiang Mu suddenly felt as if every pore was being invaded by an icy liquid, her body's hairs standing on end. A shocking truth seemed to be emerging from behind a veil.
She had indeed felt sorry about Jin Chao dropping out of school, and she truly believed he was wasting his talents doing manual labor all day, cooped up in that tiny auto shop. But she had never been disappointed in him because of these things. Even after learning about his illegal street racing, she always thought he would quit after a few races. What truly disappointed her was discovering over the past ten days that he was risking himself in these illegal activities - this crossed a line Jiang Mu couldn't accept. After their last parting, she felt reality had ultimately forced them onto two completely opposite paths. He would drift further and further away from her, that powerless despair often making Jiang Mu feel like a drowning person, without even the strength to struggle.
But at this moment, when all truths presented themselves to Jiang Mu in a completely unexpected manner, she only felt a beam of blazing light brewing inside her - frightening, terrifying, yet instantly illuminating her path forward.
She almost jogged back to the auto shop, but Jin Chao wasn't there. Tie Gongji and the others were about to get off work. Xiao Yang told her: "Don't wait, we don't know when master will be back."
Jin Chao indeed returned quite late. Deep into the night, he lifted the rolling shutter door. The break room was dimly lit, and Jiang Mu sat quietly at the table waiting for him. When he stepped into the repair bay, she lifted her head, her eyes shining with bright, clear light.
Author's Note: Thank you everyone for your support along the way. When I started this story, I mentioned it was something I wrote casually during the pandemic to pass boring, lonely time.
Originally planned to end around 100,000 words, but after receiving messages from some readers who really liked this story, I decided not to rush through it and instead present the complete story to everyone.
So now we've unknowingly reached 200,000 words, roar~ (proud little roar)
Thank you for all the birthday wishes. I won't be home for the first three days of National Day holiday, so I'll take two or three days off without updates, letting you know in advance.
The next few chapters should get more and more exciting with each one, so stay tuned in your trenches. After the short break, this book will begin wrapping up.
Once again, thank you for your company and support. Every dear reader following along is my motivation for writing, love you all.
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated with nutrient solutions between 2021-09-27 14:56:14 and 2021-09-28 14:22:32~
Thank you to the little angel who threw a hand grenade: 17444142, 1;Special thanks to the little angels who threw landmines: PeachEatsKiwifruit (2); Takayasan, Director Gu's Support, Ther-doki, Master of Language Pavilion, 45671851, 《Dazzling》, Ethereal Little Kitten, Dali Loves Cabbage, 47685181, WannaBePanda (1 each);
Special thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solutions: EverythingGoesWell (5 bottles); GreenImmortalMonkey (2 bottles);
Thank you all for your support—I will keep working hard!
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