“It’s Saturday,” Jiang Chengyi walked directly into the room.

Although he had arranged to meet Dr. Yu in the afternoon, he had gone to the bureau out of habit in the morning, but concerned about leaving her alone at home, he had only made a brief appearance before returning.

“Saturday?” She looked at him in surprise.

“Been resting at home so long you’ve lost track of the days?” His voice carried a hint of mockery.

Determined to have a proper conversation with her, he deliberately avoided looking at her bare skin visible above the covers. Walking to the bedside, he picked up clothes from the floor and handed them to her: “Get dressed before you catch a cold.”

Lu Yan sensed his displeasure but didn’t take the clothes, looking up at him instead: “I need to shower first.”

She needed a bath towel.

Was she ordering him around?

Jiang Chengyi’s composure cracked: “Lu Yan.”

His anger hadn’t subsided yet.

She met his gaze, dark hair framing bright eyes, sitting quietly on the bed, beautiful enough to pierce his heart just as she had eight years ago.

Back then, when they first experienced intimacy, she had been shy and flustered around him, refusing to let him help her dress or follow her into the bathroom.

After a moment’s standoff, remembering her former sweet awkwardness, he yielded, fetching a towel from the bathroom and handing it to her: “Come out when you’re done. We need to talk.”

Only then did she wrap herself in the towel, lift the covers, and head to the bathroom.

He sat on the sofa, patiently waiting for her. He remembered waiting like this before, listening to her shower sounds, his heart fluttering like a feather, unable to stay still, thinking only of how to have her again.

He had gotten his wish then, trying many times in just a few short days, but not long after, she had broken up with him.

The shower sounds stopped.

The hair dryer started.

Soon after, the door opened and she emerged.

She had used his shower gel, carrying a faint scent of verbena, fresh and invigorating.

Watching her move around the room, he felt the formerly quiet atmosphere stirring restlessly. His body grew warm, knowing if he stayed longer, their planned conversation would surely derail. Pretending not to notice her slender white legs beneath the towel, he suddenly stood up: “Get dressed and come out for breakfast.”

Lu Yan returned to her room to change into clean clothes, thought for a moment, and then took a folder from her suitcase before walking to the dining room.

A bowl of porridge steamed on the dining table. Sitting down, she took a sip, the fragrant, smooth porridge sliding down her throat, immediately wrapping her stomach in warmth.

He pulled out a chair, and sat beside her, watching her eat. His icy demeanor had thawed, though traces of displeasure still lingered on his face. Seeing her enjoy the food, he couldn’t help asking: “Is it good?”

“It’s good.” Her heart warmed like her stomach.

After eating, knowing he was waiting, she opened the folder and took something out, sliding it across to him.

“Do you recognize this?”

Jiang Chengyi took it, seeing it was a photocopy, the ink faded with age, but the paper was smooth, corners unworn, showing it had been carefully preserved over the years.

It appeared to have been torn from a notebook, with jagged edges on the left side. Written in large characters were the words: “I hate her! I hate her! Even as a ghost, I won’t let her go!”

Of course, he recognized it. It had been included in the first year’s materials among the anonymous letters sent to the Anshan District Police Station.

He had seen his colleague’s investigation records noting: “Handwriting matches the deceased Deng Man’s.”

He knew his colleague had taken the anonymous tip seriously, repeatedly reviewing surveillance footage from the night of Deng Man’s death, but the footage showed she had walked to the riverbank and fallen in alone. The autopsy report found no traces of poison or hallucinogens in her system.

Though the note’s content was strange, young girls could say anything when emotionally unstable. His colleague’s conclusion: homicide ruled out.

“Deng Man wrote this two days before the incident.” After eight years, she could now speak of it matter-of-factly.

He waited for her to continue.

“Before the college entrance exam, Deng Man’s mood was already off. Though I had noticed, I hadn’t dared confirm my suspicions. Once, Tang Jie saw Deng Man’s diary entries saying ‘I can never have him’ and ‘I can’t betray friendship.’ Finding it strange, she told me. I suspected Deng Man was in love, but couldn’t understand why she’d keep it secret from her best friends. Later, I noticed her frequently seeking you out, helping with your team uniform, and always watching you play basketball from the stands. I guessed she might like you but stayed silent to preserve our friendship.”

Jiang Chengyi resisted interrupting.

“After failing the college entrance exam, she became even more depressed. To help her through it, we arranged to meet at the library that day. When I arrived at school, I unexpectedly found her already at the basketball court. Seeing her folding your clothes and watching you play, I couldn’t hold back anymore and told her: ‘I value our friendship, but I also like Jiang Chengyi.’ I wanted to hint that regardless of her feelings, you were my boyfriend, and I wouldn’t let go. I hoped she would think about it rationally.”

Recalling the scene, her voice was notably less steady than before.

“She quickly understood my meaning. Her face changed instantly, as if severely shocked. She left the basketball court immediately. When I found her in the classroom, I saw her throw this note out the window. After she left, seeing what was written, I knew I had hurt her deeply. I wanted to talk with her, but for the next two days, she refused my calls. Then—”

The memory hit like ice water; even years later, it still chilled her to the bone. She stopped abruptly, taking a long moment before continuing: “Then, I received news of her suicide.”

He heard the pain in her throat and grew exceptionally quiet.

“You were in the suburbs for your grandfather’s birthday, not in the city. When I got the news, I rushed to the hospital. It was so sudden, that Deng Man’s father was still out of town. Her mother, emotionally distraught, dragged me to the morgue to identify the body. When I saw Deng Man’s condition—”

Her face remained calm, but tears finally broke free, falling silently down her cheeks, crystalline drops that pained his eyes.

She spoke woodenly: “Deng Man was always so considerate of others. I’m sure she didn’t choose to like you intentionally, and her diary showed how tormented she was during that time. But knowing she had just experienced the shock of exam failure, I still said those things to her, effectively slapping her in the face. She was so sensitive—fearing she’d lose my and Tang Jie’s friendship, it’s not surprising she couldn’t cope and chose a desperate path.”

His chest tightened. No wonder she had fallen so suddenly, severely ill then, and emerged from the hospital completely transformed.

“Seeing Deng Man’s mother’s devastating grief, beyond guilt, I felt fear. I didn’t dare tell anyone about that day, not even you or Tang Jie. I only knew that Deng Man was her parent’s only daughter, just eighteen years old, now gone forever. I was tormented day and night, constantly thinking: if I had communicated differently that day, or waited until her mood improved before hinting, would she still be alive? Looking back now, for an eighteen-year-old girl, perhaps failing the college entrance exam wasn’t the most terrible thing—losing friendship was what truly led to despair.”

Tears streamed down her face: “I dreamed of Deng Man every night. Later when you came to see me, I desperately tried to convince myself: that this had nothing to do with our relationship. I had been with you first, and even if my words indirectly led to Deng Man’s death, I alone should bear the blame, it shouldn’t affect our relationship. But when I went downstairs to see you, I realized things weren’t that simple. Just seeing you reminded me of how Deng Man looked at you that day, reminded me of her swollen face after death. My legs would go weak, and I couldn’t even find the courage to approach you. I realized then that I could never happily continue our relationship.”

His face darkened as he stared at her intently. Though he had suspected her breakup was related to Deng Man’s death, he hadn’t imagined such a complex story behind it.

And even after so much time, just mentioning it could still affect her so deeply, showing how heavily her friend’s death had shadowed her heart all these years.

Seeing her tears flowing more freely, his heart unconsciously clenched, the original purpose of their talk forgotten, years of accumulated resentment dissipating almost entirely in a minute.

He pulled her into his arms, wiping her tears with a stern face.

She looked at him through tear-filled eyes: “After we broke up, I heard you went to B City for university. I thought someone as outstanding as you would quickly find a new girlfriend, and I tried to immerse myself in university life.”

He remained silent. After being dumped back then, his friends had noticed his heartbreak and tried forcing him to meet new girls, frequently dragging him out, but something must have been wrong with his eyes—among so many girls, he couldn’t find a single one appealing.

He went to university, underwent intensive training, and determined not to let his father mock his choice to study criminal investigation, he persevered in his studies. Gradually, he found this lifestyle suited him, at least better than the heart-wrenching pain of romance. Later graduating first in his class was partly due to those years of focused study.

In some ways, he and Lu Yan were very much alike.