The dinner between Zou Shuyang and Jian Mengyan’s parents went smoothly, mostly because both of her parents were incredibly busy.
The meal lasted just about an hour and a half, during which the two of them were constantly taking calls. One minute it was Mr. Zhao confirming materials, the next it was Mr. Qian calling to curry favor, and just as that call ended, Mr. Sun was ringing in to build connections. It felt like they were going through the entire list of Chinese surnames.
When it was time to part ways, Jian’s mother looked apologetic. “Xiao Zou, we’re entrusting Mengmeng to you. You saw how it is with us—we’re both so busy with our businesses that we barely have time to take care of her.”
Jian’s father sighed with a similar sentiment. “Luckily, her high school teacher was a good person. She often ate at her teacher’s house. Otherwise, we really wouldn’t know how she would have grown up.”
Zou Shuyang was taken aback. “I’ve never heard Mengmeng mention that.”
Jian’s father, who had clearly had too much to drink, swayed unsteadily like he didn’t have heels to keep him grounded. “Mengmeng had some issues in high school. She doesn’t remember much from back then.”
He then looked at Jian Mengyan with a guilty expression, his mouth trembling before he suddenly burst into tears. This tall, sturdy man leaned heavily on Jian Mengyan, almost knocking her back several steps. “Mengmeng, it’s your parents’ fault! We let you go through so much hardship. If the doctor hadn’t called, I wouldn’t have even known you were in trouble.”
Jian Mengyan, who was not used to being so close to her parents, cast a helpless look at Zou Shuyang and her mother, seeking some support.
Zou Shuyang was the easier one to deal with, calmly pulling Jian’s father off her while soothing him with gentle words.
But Jian’s mother seemed overwhelmed by guilt herself, almost on the verge of tears as she stared intently at her daughter.
It took some effort, but they finally managed to get the drunk pair into a car, and both Zou Shuyang and Jian Mengyan breathed a sigh of relief as they climbed into their own vehicle.
“My parents, they can be overly emotional sometimes. Don’t take it to heart, okay?” Jian Mengyan said apologetically.
Zou Shuyang chuckled and reached over to ruffle her hair, but she immediately started fussing over her disheveled hair in annoyance. Beneath his smile, though, countless questions churned in his mind.
Once Jian Mengyan finally finished fixing her hair, she managed a faint smile. “So, should I take you home now?”
She pursed her lips and remained silent as the car ride continued.
It wasn’t until they were halfway home that Jian Mengyan finally spoke up. “Alright, go ahead. You’ve been holding back all evening. What is it that you want to ask me?”
Zou Shuyang was caught off guard by how perceptive she was. He abruptly pulled the car over and turned to look at her.
Outside, the neon lights flickered into the small space, casting shadows on Jian Mengyan’s face, making her expression seem cold and distant.
This side of Jian Mengyan…
Zou Shuyang found her strangely unfamiliar.
It felt as though the closeness between them had suddenly grown distant.
Despite the thirty-plus degree heat, Zou Shuyang was breaking out in a cold sweat.
After waiting for a while and still hearing no questions, Jian Mengyan turned to see that Zou Shuyang’s ears had turned red. Worried, she asked, “No way, you didn’t even drink, did you? Are you… drunk on juice?”
Zou Shuyang stared at her smiling eyes for a long time before shaking his head and asking, “Mengmeng, there’s something I’ve been wondering about, but I’m not sure if I should ask.”
“Not sure if you should ask?”
Zou Shuyang, feeling like a child who had done something wrong, closed his eyes. “I feel like if I ask, it’s as though I don’t trust you. It makes me feel guilty.”
Jian Mengyan chuckled and undid her seatbelt, leaning her head on his shoulder. “Come on, stop being so wishy-washy. You’ve had a lot of questions these past couple of days, haven’t you? Alright then, go ahead and ask. I’m in a good mood right now, so I won’t get mad, no matter what you ask.”
Zou Shuyang opened his mouth but then closed it again, repeating the motion a few times before finally saying, “You…”
But he only managed to get one word out before Jian Mengyan cut him off, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. “If it’s about an ex-boyfriend, don’t bother asking. You’re my first love. You’ve got to believe that.”
The heavy atmosphere instantly lightened, and Zou Shuyang chuckled, nodding. “Alright, it’s not about an ex-boyfriend. I wanted to ask if you remember much about your high school days.”
Jian Mengyan sat up straight and asked curiously, “High school?”
Zou Shuyang nodded. “While investigating Shen Tinglan’s case, I found out that a girl named Ding Jing from your class disappeared.”
“Ding… Jing?”
Seeing the growing confusion on Jian Mengyan’s face, Zou Shuyang hesitated. “According to your classmates’ statements, you and Ding Jing were best friends.”
Jian Mengyan blinked and repeated Zou Shuyang’s words back at him. “Ding Jing and I were best friends?”
She tilted her head, thinking for a while, but eventually shook her head helplessly. “I don’t remember. Ding Jing… the name sounds familiar, but who is she?”
While Zou Shuyang was still trying to figure out whether Jian Mengyan’s words were genuine or not, she suddenly clutched the back of her head, hissing in pain.
Instantly, his concern for her well-being overpowered his focus on the case. He asked worriedly, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Jian Mengyan held her head and grimaced. “My head hurts. I feel like I remember someone named Ding Jing, but the more I try to recall, the more my head aches.”
Zou Shuyang gently touched the back of her head, guilt washing over him. “Don’t think about her anymore. It’s my fault for bringing it up.”
It took about ten minutes for Jian Mengyan’s headache to finally subside, but by then, her entire body was drenched in cold sweat. Her hair clung to her temples, damp with perspiration, and fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead. Her lips were pale, making her look like she had just recovered from a serious illness.
Seeing her in such a state made Zou Shuyang’s heart ache terribly.
As he worried about her, he also scolded himself for being so caught up in the case that he had even begun doubting the person closest to him.
When he saw that she was feeling better, Zou Shuyang hurriedly started the car. “When we get home, take a nice hot bath and go to bed early, alright? If you’re still feeling unwell tomorrow, I’ll ask for a day off for you. This is all my fault for pushing you. I really…”
Hearing Zou Shuyang’s guilt-ridden words, Jian Mengyan couldn’t help but chuckle despite her pale face. “It’s alright, it’s not your fault. I’m the one with the problem. You’re just trying to solve the case as soon as possible.”
Luckily, her home wasn’t far, and within ten minutes, Zou Shuyang had parked the car in front of her building.
Looking at her still-weak appearance, Zou Shuyang asked worriedly, “Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you upstairs?”
Jian Mengyan waved him off. “No, really, it’s fine.”
“But…”
Zou Shuyang frowned, about to insist, but Jian Mengyan pulled him by the collar, drawing him closer, and planted a light kiss on his lips, effectively shutting him up. “Did I get myself a boyfriend or a new dad?”
Helpless, Zou Shuyang could only watch as she got out of the car, waved at him, and then skipped up the stairs.
It wasn’t until the lights in her apartment turned on and he saw her standing on the balcony, waving at him, that Zou Shuyang finally buckled his seatbelt and drove away.
Jian Mengyan stood at the window, watching as his car disappeared from view.
As soon as it was out of sight, the smile she had been holding up crumbled instantly.
Stumbling back to her bedroom, she collapsed onto the bed.
She took deep, gasping breaths as she tried to calm herself down.
Her chest felt heavy, and her head throbbed with a dull ache.
Jian Mengyan stared at the floor, absentmindedly touching the faint scar by her nose, and let out an almost inaudible sigh.
She remembered.
June 3rd 2012. The day Ding Jing disappeared.
The floor seemed to turn into a projection, showing the events of that day.
That night, she had ignored Teacher Shen’s advice and snuck out of her house, walking through the rainy night to help search for Ding Jing.
But Ding Jing had vanished as if she had never existed. All the usual places she might go had been searched, but there was no trace of her.
Then, she received a call from Ding Jing.
The other side of the line was chaotic, and she… heard Ding Jing say goodbye.
And then…
What happened next…
Jian Mengyan shook her aching head.
She couldn’t remember.
She only remembered that when she returned home, the wind and rain had intensified. The rain hurt as it pelted her skin, and the wind was so strong that she could barely stand.
When she reached her front door, a plastic board used to cushion flower pots fell from upstairs, blown off by the wind, and struck her.
That’s how she got the scar on her face.
Touching the scar beside her nose, Jian Mengyan closed her eyes, and an image appeared in her mind of her and Ding Jing having dinner at Shen Tinglan’s home. Shen Tinglan had fussed over them, reminding them how dangerous it was to go out at night and urging them to finish their meal quickly so they could head home before dark. Later, when it was clear it had already gotten dark, he suggested they just stay over since they had enough rooms.
His wife, Lin Xi, had smiled quietly from the side, chuckling as she served them more food, telling them not to listen to Shen Tinglan nagging because he was just getting old.
After dinner, Shen Tinglan hadn’t let Jian Mengyan and Ding Jing stay overnight. Instead, he had grabbed a flashlight and personally walked them both home.
He had even checked her English homework on the way.
Thinking about it made Jian Mengyan smile softly.
But the smile didn’t last long. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and her eyes suddenly snapped open.
He was dead.
And so was she.
Taking a deep breath, Jian Mengyan pulled out her phone from her purse, opened WeChat, and called a contact saved under “Y.”
A male voice answered, sounding confused. “Jian Mengyan?”
It took her a moment to steady her voice before she finally spoke. “Doctor, I think my condition has worsened.”
“Hold on.” There was a brief sound of commotion on the other end, followed by the sound of a door closing. The surroundings grew quiet. “What happened? Did something happen?”
Jian Mengyan gently touched the scar on her face. “I think I’ve started to remember things from high school.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? Do you want to come to the hospital tomorrow?”
After thinking for a moment, Jian Mengyan shook her head. “I’m busy tomorrow. How about you come to my place instead?”
The other end was silent for a moment before the man’s voice came through again, this time with a smile. “Alright then. I’ll come by after work tomorrow.”
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