Chapter 74

Miao Bai said the boy on the podium had been a complete accident.

She also told Meng Bai there wouldn’t be a second time. She urged her to settle down and study hard, without letting the incident affect her.

Strangely enough, life really did become incredibly peaceful after that. Nothing at all happened.

As the College Entrance Exam drew near, the workload grew heavier, and Meng Bai had no time to dwell on other things. Her days narrowed to a straight line between school, home, and Miao Bai’s house.

In that way, the days slipped away quietly, day after day, layer upon layer.

When she snapped back to reality, deep winter had arrived, and she had no memory at all of autumn passing.

At the start of the new year, just before Spring Festival, they held their final exams ahead of the holiday break.

On the last day of testing, heavy snow began to fall over the town, goose-feather flakes blanketing the entire playground.

It was bitterly cold. Meng Bai was shivering as she emerged from the exam room.

Plenty of classmates lingered in the corridor, comparing answers. Zhou An waited for Meng Bai around the corner.

“Where’s Xu Zhou?”

Zhou An shook her head. “How should I know?”

“You’re still not planning to make up with her?”

Zhou An looked a little awkward. “It’s not like that. We still talk sometimes.”

They did talk, but not with the closeness they once had. Ever since Xu Zhou’s love letter, they kept a strange distance from each other.

Meng Bai couldn’t quite put her finger on what made it so odd.

“Should we wait for her and grab a bite together?”

Zhou An glanced down the corridor. Xu Zhou was just stepping out of the classroom.

She nodded. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

After school, the three of them headed into town for some snacks. The snow was coming down too hard to ride their bicycles, so they pushed them along.

Meng Bai’s nose was bright red from the cold. She sniffed and sighed. “Time flies.”

Zhou An chimed in. “Tell me about it. February’s almost here.”

“February.” Meng Bai counted on her fingers. “That means I’ve been with her for nearly four months.”

Four months. Dating Miao Bai still felt like a dream to Meng Bai.

If she hadn’t been so buried in studies, those months should have been full of sweet memories.

“Too busy. Feels like we barely did anything.” Meng Bai frowned, regret dawning on her late. She glanced at Xu Zhou, who hadn’t said a word, and nudged her arm. “What’s up? You seem down.”

Xu Zhou answered listlessly. “Nothing. I probably just bombed the exam.”

Zhou An muttered, “So what if you did? It’s not the real College Entrance Exam.”

Xu Zhou shot her a look. Their eyes met, and then silence fell again.

The mood shifted—shifted too much. Meng Bai realized it had been ages since these two had been their usual wild, goofy selves.

Truth be told, Zhou An wasn’t the grudge-holding type. She should have moved past it by now.

“Come on, you two. Can you stop acting like this?”

“Like what?” Zhou An spoke up first. “We’re not acting like anything.”

Xu Zhou gave her a silent glance but said nothing.

“Never mind. Forget I said anything.” Meng Bai pointed to a snack shop. “I’m hungry.”

They ate at a plain little noodle place. The food was nothing special, but no one complained—it was cheap, after all.

“Spring Festival plans?” Zhou An slurped a noodle. “Only seven days off anyway.”

Meng Bai didn’t hesitate. “I’m spending it with Miao Bai.”

“All of it?”

“Yeah. I’ve been swamped lately, no time at all. Gotta make up for it over the holiday.”

“Romance over friendship.” Zhou An said it offhand. “What’s it like, anyway? Dating someone. I’m curious.”

“You’d know if you tried. But you won’t.”

Cough cough cough. Xu Zhou choked on her noodle broth. She grabbed a napkin, wiped her mouth, and turned the color of pig liver.

Zhou An eyed her but let it slide, changing the subject. “Doesn’t life feel weirdly peaceful lately?”

Meng Bai nodded. “Too peaceful. I’m not used to it.”

Zhou An lowered her voice. “Remember that cop?”

Xu Zhou said, “Officer Li Su?”

Zhou An nodded. “Yeah, the one looking into the murder. Why’s he gone quiet? It’s creepy.”

Xu Zhou set down her bowl and chopsticks, her face serious. “And what about Zhang Gou? Haven’t you noticed he hasn’t barked in ages?”

Meng Bai blinked in realization. “You’re right.”

The three of them exchanged glances. Were they being paranoid? Still, a thread of unease tugged at them.

Zhou An frowned. “Something big isn’t about to go down, is it?”

Xu Zhou spat. “Pfft, don’t jinx us. You’ll curse our good luck.”

Zhou An rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah? Weren’t you ignoring me? Now you’re lecturing.”

Xu Zhou shot back, “When did I ignore you? You’re the one freezing me out.”

They were better off not talking. The moment they did, the bickering started. Better than silence, sure, but it was giving Meng Bai a headache.

“Enough, both of you. Calm down.” Meng Bai pushed down her own anxiety. “Let’s not jump to conclusions until something actually happens.”

Maybe life was just supposed to be this peaceful.

Wasn’t peace good? Peace was great.

“All done? Let’s pay up and head out.” Meng Bai fished ten yuan from her pocket. “Noodles are on me today.”

~~~

The snow hadn’t let up when they left the noodle shop. Flakes tumbled from the sky like bits of torn paper.

The three trudged through the snow, their bicycle wheels carving long tracks behind them.

Zhou An rubbed her hands together. No gloves meant her fingers were raw and red, on the verge of frostbite.

She huffed out a breath, watching it turn to white mist. “Freezing. Last winter wasn’t this bad.”

Xu Zhou pulled off her gloves and scarf and held them out. “Here. Put these on.”

“Why? You were just snapping at me.”

Xu Zhou paused, her tone softening. “Just wear them. Don’t get sick.”

Zhou An was a pushover for kindness, not force. With the olive branch extended, she took the gloves. “Thanks.”

Meng Bai’s lips quirked up. “There we go. No need to act like enemies all the time.”

They ambled homeward along the narrow stone path, thick with snow.

On days like this, time dragged on forever. Summer and autumn felt distant as dreams.

Her irritable mood settled in that moment, and the three of them fell silent by tacit agreement, each lost in thought.

Halfway along the path, a creak shattered the quiet—the wooden door of a nearby house swung open, and out dashed a little girl with pigtails.

Five or six years old, she toddled along unsteadily as she ran, the picture of cuteness with her innocent smile lighting up her face.

She was so caught up in her joy that the next instant—

Splat! She tumbled headlong into the snow.

Meng Bai started forward to help, but a middle-aged man coming from the opposite direction beat her to it. He scooped the girl up with a gentle hand.

“Careful there, little one, when you’re walking.”

His voice was rich and resonant, his face wreathed in a kindly smile. His hair was touched with white, but he brimmed with vitality—likely in his forties or fifties. A stylish black cashmere coat draped his frame, giving him a sharp, energetic air.

He didn’t look like a local from the town.

In crass terms, he resembled a wealthy city dweller more than anything.

One glance at his crisp collar, his gleaming leather shoes, his poised expression and bearing.

No, definitely not from around here.

The little girl giggled twice, clinging to his arm as she clambered back to her feet, pouting up at him. “Thank you, Uncle—”

“None of that ‘Uncle’ business.” He crouched down and pinched her cheeks affectionately. “At my age, you’d better call me Grandpa!”

Meng Bai had meant to keep walking, but the man drew her eye. She couldn’t help stealing a couple more glances.

Two questions burned in her mind: Who was he? And why was he here?

This remote little town clearly wasn’t his world. She didn’t need to ask—a sharp sixth sense told her as much.

“What’re you daydreaming for? Come on.” Zhou An nudged her arm.

“Oh, yeah. Let’s go.”

Meng Bai took a few steps before glancing back over her shoulder at the man.

By sheer coincidence, he looked up at that exact moment.

Their gazes locked.

To her surprise, he nodded at her, wearing that warm, elder-statesman smile.

Unsure how to respond, Meng Bai turned and hurried after Zhou An and the others.

~~~

“Who do you think he was?” On the way home, Meng Bai finally asked.

Zhou An gave her a puzzled look. “Who else? Just some random passerby.”

“I’ve never seen him before, I don’t think.”

Xu Zhou chimed in. “Same here. Total stranger.”

The town was so small that you knew every face, even the unfamiliar ones, at least in passing. Outsiders stuck out like sore thumbs.

Xu Zhou muttered, “And his clothes, his whole vibe—he’s gotta be from out of town.”

Meng Bai and Xu Zhou both sensed the man had some kind of backstory. Good or bad, that was unclear.

Zhou An blinked in confusion but said, “Whatever his deal is, he doesn’t strike me as a bad guy. Seemed pretty nice, actually.”

Nice was right—his first impression radiated benevolence.

Xu Zhou shot back bluntly, “Doesn’t mean he is a good guy, though. That’s jumping to conclusions.”

Zhou An shrugged. “Good or bad, what does it have to do with us? Even if he’s from away, he might not cross our paths.”

Fair point.

“You’re being too paranoid.” Meng Bai sighed. “We’re all way too jumpy these days, the three of us. Fine, no more imagining ghosts.”

Before they knew it, they’d reached the fork in the road. Xu Zhou had to head off in the opposite direction.

Meng Bai and Zhou An were nearly home.

“First day of break, and we’re calling it already??” Zhou An sounded wistful.

Xu Zhou paused at the edge. “Dinner later, then another hangout? Hate to waste vacation time.”

Meng Bai hesitated, her thoughts drifting to Miao Bai.

But Xu Zhou and Zhou An’s expectant faces tugged at her. She couldn’t bring herself to say no.

“I’ll check with Miao Bai, see if she wants to join us tonight.”

“Sweet!” Zhou An’s eyes sparkled. “Hit us with the good news.”

Xu Zhou asked, “If she’s in, where to after dinner?”

“Into the city—let’s hit the city streets.” Zhou An grinned at Meng Bai. “Little Meng, quit hiding her away. You’ve been together long enough. Time to introduce her properly to your friends. Tonight it is.”