Lu Yan helped Tang Jie into the back seat and told the designated driver: “Please take us to Nanwan Royal Garden.”
But Tang Jie waved her hand dismissively: “Go to First Hospital.”
The driver calmly watched through the rearview mirror, waiting for them to decide.
“You’re drunk. Let’s get you home first.” Lu Yan patiently tried to fasten Tang Jie’s seatbelt.
“Not drunk, not drunk. Let’s go to your place first.” Tang Jie grabbed the seatbelt and buckled it herself. “Handsome, listen to me, go to First Hospital.”
As the car started moving, Tang Jie took off her coat and ruffled her hair to sober up, then turned to face Lu Yan.
Lu Yan quickly lowered her head and, maintaining her usual expression, took out her phone to browse through work-related WeChat messages.
Her gaze was intensely focused, as if afraid of missing an important department notice.
This routine again.
Tang Jie snatched away the phone and grabbed Lu Yan’s shoulder: “Let’s get things straight today. What happened between you and Jiang Chengyi back then?”
Lu Yan brushed off her hand and casually dusted her shoulder: “What do you mean what happened?”
Tang Jie gave her a sidelong glance: “Tonight, ever since Jiang Chengyi arrived, you haven’t been yourself. Though I was completely in the dark about what happened back then, seeing how you never mentioned it all these years, I always thought Jiang Chengyi had wronged you. But tonight I finally understand—if he had wronged you, he should be the one acting timid. Why are you the one being evasive?”
She remembered learning about Lu Yan and Jiang Chengyi’s breakup just before university started.
That summer, too many things happened, flashing by like lightning, too fast to catch the details.
She remembered everything was still peaceful right after the college entrance exam.
Classmates pooled money for gatherings, having wild fun every few days.
Lu Yan was busy dating Jiang Chengyi, often nowhere to be found.
Deng Man became much quieter, staying home watching soap operas all day.
She was excitedly busy getting her passport and visa, preparing for the long-anticipated graduation trip.
June’s sunlight was dazzlingly bright, with the scent of roses lingering in the breeze. Life had never felt so full—every morning felt like a holiday.
But while she was immersed in dreams of the future, destiny’s shadow was quietly approaching from behind, and soon she would face a devastating blow in her life.
The college entrance exam scores were released. Lu Yan maintained her usual standard, while she had performed exceptionally well, barely surpassing S Medical University’s admission line.
Only Deng Man had underperformed, not even reaching the first-tier university threshold.
On the day they were filling out their college preferences, she had gotten up especially early, thinking she’d be the first classmate there, but when she arrived at the classroom, someone was already quietly sitting at a desk, checking their preference form.
“Deng Man.” Her heart tightened as she silently sat down beside her.
She and Lu Yan had already exhausted all words of comfort and encouragement these past few days. Lu Yan had even stayed at Deng Man’s house for several consecutive days to keep her company.
Today, Deng Man’s condition has indeed improved significantly. Her eyes were bright, and she no longer seemed depressed. Though she hadn’t been resting well these days, having grown so thin her chin had become sharp.
“Still decided on S Medical University?” Deng Man asked seriously, her tone no different from usual.
Tang Jie carefully nodded.
She had never been so cautious in dealing with people before, nearly suffocating herself these past few days trying to be mindful of Deng Man’s feelings.
Although the three of them had been good friends since their first year of high school, their personalities were completely different.
She was openly bold, daring to say and do anything.
Lu Yan was quietly bold, typically keeping to herself until making a surprising move, as exemplified by how she had quietly won over their school’s most popular boy.
Deng Man was the most introverted among the three.
That was the problem—if it had been her or Lu Yan who had underperformed, things would have been easier to handle. Given their personalities, neither would have been completely devastated.
But it had to be Deng Man.
She remembered that day after she nodded, Deng Man’s gaze suddenly shifted past her shoulder to look outside.
Then, an indescribable emotion suddenly welled up in her eyes.
She quickly followed Deng Man’s line of sight and realized several people had arrived at the door.
She immediately spotted Lu Yan and Jiang Chengyi among the crowd—impossible to miss, as they both looked exceptionally beautiful that day.
Jiang Chengyi wore a white t-shirt, hands in his jeans pockets, tall, strong, and handsome.
Lu Yan had found a white dress somewhere, one Tang Jie had never seen before. She stood in the corridor smiling and talking with classmates, bright and cheerful. The morning light fell warmly on her, giving her skin a luminous glow.
Tang Jie pulled Deng Man over, but when they got close, looking at Lu Yan, she suddenly felt something was different.
It was as if overnight, subtle changes had occurred in Lu Yan, changes that made her even more beautiful and striking than usual.
Actually, besides Lu Yan and Jiang Chengyi, there were quite a few others around, but her attention had been completely captured by these two.
It was only when she happened to turn her head that she noticed Deng Man’s cold gaze, fixed distantly on someone.
Huh, perhaps because of tonight’s reunion, she suddenly recalled many previously missed details.
Who had Deng Man been looking at then?
Besides Lu Yan and Jiang Chengyi, who else was there?
She held her head, trying desperately to remember.
The alcohol numbed her thoughts, and though her head felt like it would split open from thinking so hard, just when she seemed about to grasp something, it slipped away.
Finally, she shook her head in resignation, unwilling to think further, because the memories that followed were almost all gray: within days, Deng Man had jumped into the river to commit suicide. And after identifying the body at the morgue, Lu Yan collapsed with illness.
That summer, the fall from heaven to hell seemed to happen in an instant.
They quickly arrived at First Hospital, and her stomach suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. As Lu Yan was about to get out of the car, she grabbed her insistently: “I don’t care, I just want to know tonight—between you and Jiang Chengyi, who dumped whom? Was anyone else involved?”
Lu Yan had already opened the car door when she was suddenly grabbed by the arm, and could only reply helplessly: “No, no! I was being immature—I dumped him, okay?”
Tang Jie was stunned and only processed the meaning of these words after Lu Yan’s figure had disappeared into the narrow alley.
The night was deep, and she didn’t dare make noise to disturb others, so she could only grab the car window and call softly after Lu Yan’s retreating figure: “But why?”
Back home, Lu Yan collapsed onto the sofa.
The past was like a sleeping elder, gradually showing signs of awakening in her heart.
After curling up in a daze for a while, she shook her head as if to shake something off, then checked her phone. There were several missed calls—she hadn’t heard any ringtones while on the road, so these must have been scam calls that were cut off immediately.
She blocked each number one by one.
It was almost dawn, and she felt exhausted both physically and mentally. It took considerable effort to pull herself up from the sofa and head to the bathroom for a shower.
After bathing and changing into her pajamas, she went to the kitchen to get milk from the refrigerator.
As she passed through the living room, very faint footsteps suddenly came from the corridor outside.
She gripped the refrigerator handle and turned her head slightly, listening carefully.
Who would be wandering in the corridor so late? Most residents were First Hospital staff or their families—perhaps someone called in for an emergency shift?
Fortunately, the footsteps only lingered at her door briefly before fading away.
She breathed a sigh of relief and went to her bedroom to sleep.
The next morning, Lu Yan was awakened by her alarm clock as usual.
She hadn’t slept well last night and was still yawning when she arrived at her department.
Early morning handover.
Director Yu had returned from an out-of-town meeting and arrived earlier than anyone else. Once everyone was present, he stood seriously before the medical staff.
Intimidated by his presence, colleagues began voluntarily reporting cases in English.
Lu Yan remembered she had been off duty yesterday and had no patients to visit, so she stood there, considerably more relaxed.
While listening to a colleague discuss a rheumatic heart disease valve replacement surgery, suddenly there was talking in the corridor, and Director Yu was called out.
Colleagues were puzzled to see it was the head of security outside.
Lu Yan was also confused.
But after a moment, Director Yu reappeared at the door and said to Lu Yan: “Lu Yan, come out for a moment.”
Everyone’s eyes shot toward her.
“Huh?” She was stunned for a moment, then came out and asked curiously, “What is it, boss?”
In private, she wasn’t afraid of her mentor at all.
Director Yu’s expression was somewhat strange. He kept his mouth shut as he led her forward, and only when they reached the director’s office door did he say: “Go in. There are two police officers inside who want to ask you some questions.”
Seeing Lu Yan’s eyes widen in surprise, he quickly lowered his voice: “Don’t worry, we’re all outside.”
Lu Yan pushed open the door and froze.
There were indeed two people inside, both young. One stood by the window with hands in his pockets, his tall silhouette unmistakably familiar.
Hearing the sound, Jiang Chengyi turned around.
Seeing Lu Yan’s shocked expression, he gave her a cool once-over, stepped closer, and said in an official tone: “We’re criminal investigators from Anshan District Police Station. Last night, a female body was discovered in the artificial lake at Fengwan Road Park. The medical examiner’s preliminary assessment indicates homicide.”
Lu Yan’s heart seized suddenly, hit by an extremely ominous feeling.
Sure enough, Jiang Chengyi continued: “We found some messages on the victim’s phone. It’s been confirmed that you were the last person the victim contacted before her death.”