Before returning to China, Jiang Mu still didn't know where Jin Chao was, nor could she contact him. But she knew he was out there somewhere—he wouldn't abandon her. She had to go back.
Nanjing held an irresistible allure for Jiang Mu, though it was hard to pinpoint why. Perhaps it was about fulfilling an old dream. People always yearn for places where regrets linger, so she returned without hesitation.
The plane landed in the capital, but she didn't stay. She first went back to Tonggang.
In just a few years, the small town had transformed. Dilapidated streets were now lined with commercial housing, the large plastic trash bins had been replaced by automatic sorting trash cans, and the familiar bus stop signs had become electronic ones.
The rapidly changing landscape had erased the original traces, yet some memories remained eternally etched in her heart, indelible.
Jin Qiang and Zhao Meijuan hadn't changed much, but Jin Xin had grown into a young woman. Jiang Mu remembered her as a ten-year-old the last time they met; now she was a high school freshman with ear-length short hair, reminding Jiang Mu of her own high school days.
Unlike before, Jin Xin smiled when she saw Jiang Mu. This time, Jiang Mu brought her a gift too. Instead of shying away, Jin Xin said shyly, "Thank you, sis."
Though they hadn't interacted much, that "sis" felt strangely intimate to Jiang Mu. She suddenly understood the care Jin Chao had shown her back then—though their connection was tenuous, a subtle familial bond tied them together.
She asked about Jin Chao's life over the years and tried to contact him again, but Jin Qiang only told her that Jin Chao sent them money every year but rarely returned. They had little contact and didn't know much about his life outside, adding that he hadn't come back for years and might have settled down elsewhere.
The words "settled down" cast a frost over Jiang Mu's heart.
She hadn't been in touch with San Lai for years either. When she went abroad, she thought modern communication made it impossible to lose contact, unlike the old days of landline calls or letters. But she never imagined how hard it would be to find someone once their lives no longer intersected.
Jiang Mu didn't stay long in Tonggang—just two days. She visited her alma mater and posted a photo at the school gate on social media. Pan Kai saw it immediately and contacted her, asking if she was back in Tonggang and insisting on meeting her for a meal.
Truth be told, Jiang Mu hadn't seen Pan Kai since graduation. They arranged to meet, and Pan Kai arrived in a flashy S300, parking ostentatiously by the roadside. He stepped out flamboyantly, dressed in designer clothes with a slicked-back hairstyle, making Jiang Mu laugh.
Pan Kai's college entrance exam scores hadn't allowed him to shine in philosophy, so he later studied economics and management before returning home to take over the family business. Now a procurement manager, though his father hadn't fully handed over the reins, he was thriving at the factory.
After Jiang Mu got in the car, Pan Kai sat with her in the back while a driver took the wheel. He played the manager role perfectly, but once they entered a private room alone, his quirky side emerged. He told her Yan Xiaoyi had gotten married, had twins, and divorced just last year.Jiang Mu was utterly stunned, feeling as though she had merely been away for a few years of schooling, yet her former classmates had already gone through so many twists and turns, even experiencing marriage once. It was truly lamentable.
Pan Kai was indeed quite the gossip. After talking about one person, he moved on to another, leaving Jiang Mu in a near-constant state of astonishment. Eventually, he asked, "What about you? How are you doing now?"
Before Jiang Mu could answer, he suddenly remembered something and exclaimed, "Damn, I really thought you and Jiu Ge were relatives. I kept that to myself for years, not daring to say anything. Then last year, when Jiu Ge came back, I found out you two aren’t actually related. It scared the hell out of me…"
Clang! Jiang Mu’s spoon fell onto the porcelain plate. She abruptly looked up and stared at Pan Kai. "What did you say? What do you mean Jin Chao came back?"
Pan Kai was taken aback by her reaction and explained, "Early last year, there was a supply chain issue with a batch of goods at the factory. The client had a long-term order, and if we couldn’t deliver, we’d have to pay a hefty penalty. I was scrambling everywhere, so stressed my hair was falling out. I couldn’t source the goods from nearby cities, so I reached out to friends in the west, but they couldn’t help either. Then one day, I got a call from an unknown number. The guy said he was Jin Chao, listed a few model numbers, and asked if I was short on them. I was floored and immediately asked about the price. Turns out, his quote was even lower than our usual average. When I discussed it with the old-timers at the company, we all thought it was a scam. He said he’d come in person to talk, and when I met him, I realized it was Jiu Ge! Jin Chao was Jiu Ge all along. I’d been in contact with him for days and had no idea!"
"…"
This was the only news Jiang Mu had heard about Jin Chao in years. Afraid of missing any detail, she pressed Pan Kai for more information.
Pan Kai simply said, "I really don’t know what he’s doing now. I wanted to treat him to a meal to thank him for saving me from that crisis, but he said he was short on time. He only stayed for a day, helped us set up a new supply chain, and left the next day. When he came, he brought someone with him who called him ‘boss’ and was extremely deferential. It’s just…"
"Just what?"
Noticing Jiang Mu’s eagerness, Pan Kai said doubtfully, "It’s just that the guy seemed overly obsequious. He even tried to help Jiu Ge up the stairs, but Jiu Ge glared at him, and he quickly pulled his hand back. Young people these days are desperate for promotions and raises."
It was only after Jin Chao helped Pan Kai turn the situation around that Pan Kai gained some authority in the factory and stopped being labeled as someone who got by on connections.
Later, Pan Kai said to Jiang Mu, "It wasn’t until afterward that I remembered why Jiu Ge suddenly reached out to me."
Jiang Mu asked, "Why?"
"Do you remember that time you brought Jiu Ge to my dad’s factory to fix the car?"
Jiang Mu nodded. Pan Kai clicked his tongue and said, "Back then, Jiu Ge told me he’d repay the favor someday. I’d completely forgotten about it, thinking he was just being polite. I never expected him to remember it after all these years. I respect him for being a man of his word."
Jiang Mu had no idea they’d had that conversation. Her heart tightened. If he could remember a favor he owed Pan Kai, why had he promised to contact her but never followed through?
Frowning slightly, she asked, "Then you must have his contact information, right? Can you give it to me?"
Pan Kai leisurely took out his phone and began scrolling through it. "Yeah, let me find it."Then he dug out a string of numbers and sent it to Jiang Mu. Jiang Mu frowned upon seeing it: "A landline?"
"Yeah, that's the number Jiu Ge used to contact me back then."
Ever since getting this landline number that could connect her to Jin Chao, Jiang Mu lost all interest in finishing her meal.
After parting ways with Pan Kai, Jiang Mu walked all the way holding her phone until she reached a secluded bench at the street corner. She sat down, spent a long time calming her emotions, and organized her words—like what she should say if the call went through to avoid sounding abrupt. After agonizing for a long time, she finally dialed the number string, only to be surprised that it was an invalid number. Her emotions soared and plummeted, and she truly suspected Pan Kai was playing a trick on her.
Checking the registered location of the landline number, it was in Changchun.
She wasn’t familiar with Changchun, had never been there, and had never heard of Jin Chao knowing anyone there. She couldn’t understand why Jin Chao would have gone to Changchun, but now this number couldn’t be reached either.
On the way back, the more Jiang Mu pondered, the more peculiar the situation seemed. Based on her understanding of Jin Chao, since he had returned last year, it made no sense for him to pass by his home without visiting Jin Qiang. He wasn’t a heartless person—back when times were tough, he often helped Jin Xin get medicine and supported the family financially. It was impossible that he never returned after the case was resolved.
But Jin Qiang claimed he hadn’t come back for years. It was also possible that he had returned, but for some reason, Jin Qiang had concealed the situation from her.
What reason could make Jin Qiang act this way? The only thing Jiang Mu could think of was Jin Qiang’s remark yesterday: "Who knows, he might have already settled down elsewhere."
A casual comment at the time, but now, looking back, it felt like a hint to her.
Although Jiang Mu had never explicitly told Jin Qiang about her relationship with Jin Chao, Zhao Meijuan had an idea. Both times she returned, she had been eager to find Jin Chao, so Jin Qiang couldn’t possibly be unaware of her feelings for him.
Speaking of which, Jin Chao was already past thirty—it would be normal for him to start a family. But the thought that he might already have a family somewhere made the invisible thread tugging at Jiang Mu’s heart feel abruptly severed, leaving her adrift.
The unwavering belief she held before returning to the country was suddenly uprooted by an invisible, forceful wind. At nineteen, she had believed in promises without doubt and faced the future with hope, but time ultimately mercilessly strips away the innocence and naivety of youth, revealing the world’s true nature.
Even Yan Xiaoyi, who back then only cared about chasing celebrities, had already been through a marriage. Who could guarantee that everyone would stay in place?
But Jiang Mu wasn’t willing to give up. After returning, she asked Jin Qiang again, but he flatly denied that Jin Chao had come back.
Life had to go on. She couldn’t dwell on this issue forever and could only head to Jiangsu with her luggage.
Before reporting to Nanjing, she returned to Suzhou. She always felt that since it was the place where they grew up, she wanted to go back and see. She had once told Jin Chao that after he left in their childhood, she often went to the old building to leave her contact information, hoping that one day if he returned, he could find her.
Jiang Mu held onto a glimmer of hope—maybe Jin Chao would use the same method to convey some information to her. As long as she went back, she would surely find some clues.Yet when she truly returned to the place where they had lived together for nine years during their childhood, Jiang Mu nearly got lost. The old residential area had long since been demolished and replaced by a commercial complex. All the surrounding roads had been widened and renovated, completely erasing the former cramped and dilapidated appearance. Had she not asked the local shopkeepers, she might have doubted she had come to the right place.
Standing on the street, she gazed around in bewilderment. Across 9.6 million square kilometers of their homeland, if he wouldn’t come to see her, where could she possibly find him?
At that moment, for the first time, Jiang Mu felt it was possible that they might miss each other for the rest of their lives...
OpenNovel