It was a weekend afternoon bathed in pleasant sunshine. After waking from her nap, Jiang Mu went to the auto repair shop. Jin Chao and the others were occupied with work, so she settled herself on a stool between the repair shop and the pet store, practicing her listening comprehension with headphones. Shandian lay languidly at her feet. Being a rest day, the Three Brothers’ shop was bustling with business, with several dogs coming in for grooming services.
As dusk approached, a brown Mercedes-Benz rolled to a stop before the shop entrance. A young man stepped out and called into the shop, “Someone check the right front tire.”
Xiao Yang responded and emerged from the repair bay, but at that moment, the man suddenly exclaimed into the shop: “Well, well! Who do I see? If it isn’t Number Seven from Fu Zhong Middle School?”
Jin Chao was in the repair bay helping a customer replace their engine core and filter. He recognized the man – Liang Zhi, their former class study monitor. Throughout their three years of high school, Liang Zhi had never managed to surpass Jin Chao academically. Presumably harboring resentment, he had constantly made trouble behind Jin Chao’s back, recording even half-minute tardiness. Half of Jin Chao’s written self-criticisms in high school were due to Liang Zhi’s efforts. He had once nearly gotten Jin Chao disciplined for smoking, though lacking concrete evidence. In the end, Teacher Ma had smoothed things over, and after the Three Brothers taught him a lesson, he had become considerably more subdued.
Finding him unexpectedly at Flying Speed Auto today, Liang Zhi observed Jin Chao in his work uniform and laughed, waving off Xiao Yang: “Don’t bother, I know that mechanic. Let him handle it.”
Xiao Yang glanced uncertainly at Jin Chao, who had Iron Rooster take over his task before stepping out to ask, “What’s the issue with your car?”
Liang Zhi surveyed him condescendingly, evading the question: “How did you end up like this? Barely recognized you.” He produced a pack of Huazi cigarettes, offering one while shaking his head: “Never would have imagined.”
Jin Chao declined, turning away: “Right front tire, correct?”
Liang Zhi ran his tongue along his back teeth, visibly disgruntled as he returned the cigarette to its pack. Leaning against his Mercedes, he suddenly remarked: “Remember Little Hui? Class Three’s beauty, the one Liao got to in the bamboo grove before you could? She clung to you like a protector after that. When you vanished, Liao and his crew made her life miserable. She went to your house daily, but you didn’t even show up for the college entrance exam. Heard her attitude toward me improved considerably after I got into a 985 university. Women are just that materialistic. After I tired of her, I arranged a meeting with Liao. She never imagined she’d end up in Liao’s hands again years later. Word is he’s taken her to Guangzhou now, tsk tsk…”
Jin Chao finished checking the tire pressure and was removing the wheel, maintaining his downward gaze, offering no response.
Liang Zhi patted his vehicle and sneered: “What made you turn to auto repair? If you can’t make it here, come work for me. I’m handling engineering projects at Copper Construction Group now, and I happen to need a driver.”
Jiang Mu removed her headphones and fixed her gaze on the man. Though he was properly attired in a shirt and slacks, appearing presentable, his words provoked violent thoughts.
Jin Chao maintained his indifferent expression, only turning to instruct Jiang Mu: “Head inside.”
Returning his attention to the wheel removal and inspection, he remained focused on his task. Jiang Mu had gathered her test papers and was about to move toward the repair bay when she paused, turned back with a bright smile, and addressed Liang Zhi: “Elder Brother, you graduated from a 985 university? That’s incredible!”
Liang Zhi, whose attention had been solely on Jin Chao, hadn’t noticed Jiang Mu previously. Seeing a young woman with refined features and admiring eyes, appearing quite innocent, his interest was piqued: “How old are you?”
Jiang Mu smiled sweetly: “Me? Final year of high school.”
Jin Chao frowned, shooting Jiang Mu a stern look, which she completely disregarded. She extracted one test paper from her stack, placed the remainder on the stool, and opened to a specific problem before presenting it to Liang Zhi expectantly: “I’m stuck on this problem. You must know how to solve it, right?”
Pleased with himself, Liang Zhi accepted the paper, saying: “Let me take a look.”
Taking both paper and pen from Jiang Mu, he placed them on the car’s hood. Jiang Mu stood obediently beside him, offering an admiring smile whenever he looked up, compelling him to keep working on the problem.
Once he lowered his head, Jiang Mu’s smile vanished, replaced by an icy expression as she stared at his pen tip.
Jin Chao glanced at her, and Jiang Mu met his gaze. Their eyes met briefly before she looked away, leaving him to continue patching the tire.
The problem Jiang Mu had posed to Liang Zhi wasn’t simple. Jin Chao had explained it to her twice, and she still couldn’t fully grasp it. For Liang Zhi, who had graduated high school years ago, it would be even more challenging. Though his grades had been decent then, he was the type of student who succeeded through intense pressure, and after relaxing post-college entrance exam, tackling current high school problems would naturally be difficult.
Fifteen minutes later, he handed the paper back to Jiang Mu saying: “That should do it.”
As Jiang Mu reviewed it, her brows furrowed increasingly. Seeing her troubled expression, Liang Zhi asked: “What’s wrong? Don’t understand?”
Jiang Mu nodded honestly: “Yes, I can’t follow what you wrote, and it seems incorrect.”
She then produced Jin Chao’s previous solution and handed it to Liang Zhi, saying coldly: “So this is all a 985 graduate can do? Can’t even match someone who never attended university.”
Only then did Liang Zhi realize this young woman hadn’t genuinely sought help – she had been setting him up. Enraged with embarrassment, he crumpled the paper. Jin Chao quickly pulled Jiang Mu aside and addressed him: “This is a run-flat tire. Even after patching, it won’t be as reliable. For frequent long-distance driving, I recommend replacement.”
San Lai heard the commotion and emerged. Liang Zhi, face flushed with anger, suddenly moved close, his chest nearly touching Jin Chao’s as he said: “Replace it? Not at your shop.”
Jin Chao nodded and told Xiao Yang behind him: “Patch it and put it back on.”
He then turned to head back to the repair bay, but Liang Zhi stared coldly after him: “Looks like this is all you’ll ever amount to. No matter how impressive you were before.”
Jin Chao paused but didn’t turn around. Liang Zhi’s eyes flashed with malice as he suddenly said: “I heard you’ve got a death on your hands?”
With a loud bang, Jiang Mu felt a wooden stool whiz past her, cutting through the air straight toward Liang Zhi’s forehead. She turned back in horror to look at San Lai – even when the Wan Ji Auto Shop people had come to make trouble, San Lai hadn’t raised a hand. She had never seen him like this, his face twisted with a terrifying expression.
In an instant, Xiao Yang and Iron Rooster gathered around. The evening sun painted the ground blood-red, and Jiang Mu felt as if she’d been struck with a heavy club. The surrounding sounds became shrill and sharp, her body seemingly nailed in place, too rigid to move. Two words kept echoing in her mind: “A death.”
In the chaos, Jin Chao grabbed her arm and pushed her into the shop, immediately followed by the rolling door being pulled down from outside. Jiang Mu was suddenly plunged into darkness, fear crawling across her skin like a cold snake. Separated by the rolling door, she had no idea what was happening outside, what they were going to do, or even what that man had been talking about. She only felt that everything she thought she knew had been destroyed in an instant.
All her previous uncertainties crashed into her mind, gradually coalescing into the most terrifying answer.
Standing frozen in place, unable to move, her blood seeming to congeal, she couldn’t believe what she’d heard, couldn’t connect it to Jin Chao. She remembered how as a child, when she’d tried to poke a snail with a twig, Jin Chao had stopped her, saying they shouldn’t harm defenseless creatures – nature had its food chain, but that didn’t give humans the right to look down on smaller beings.
Yet this same person, who held such goodwill toward the world, carried the weight of a death. When the rolling door came down, eighteen years of Jiang Mu’s understanding of Jin Chao shattered in an instant.
Time seemed to freeze before her. She felt as if she’d fallen into an ice cellar, countless tiny insects crawling from all directions in the darkness, gnawing at her thoughts, making her entire body tremble.
When the rolling door finally lifted again, peace had returned outside. The man and his Mercedes were gone, as were Xiao Yang and Iron Rooster. Only San Lai remained, crouching by the roadside smoking.
The moment Jin Chao stepped into the shop, he saw Jiang Mu’s slight wobble. She was shaking, the fear in her eyes piercing his heart like a blade.
Jin Chao just looked at her, a single step’s distance feeling like an impassable gulf of blade mountains and fire seas. The warmth they’d rebuilt in recent days instantly froze over.
He said nothing, silently walking to the repair bay, and opening the courtyard door. With a soft click, the door closed, leaving Jiang Mu alone in the repair bay, her eyelashes trembling violently, her entire being lost and uncertain.
San Lai tossed his cigarette and stood up, turning to see the girl shivering against the rolling door, fists clenched. He walked back, telling her before entering the shop: “Don’t ask him anything. Don’t ask at all.”
After San Lai entered the shop, Jiang Mu turned toward the courtyard, trying the door handle several times, but Jin Chao locked it from outside. She knocked repeatedly, met with silence. “Can you open the door?” she called.
Jin Chao still didn’t respond. Jiang Mu grew anxious, her hands red from knocking as she pleaded: “I won’t say anything, just open the door, please?”
When her hands hurt too much to continue, she ran to her room, climbed onto the bed, and opened the Venetian blinds. The courtyard was dark and unlit, but she finally spotted Jin Chao in a corner, leaning against the large tarpaulin, his back to her. Moonlight fell coldly across his silhouette as he kept his head down, twisted wisps of smoke rising from the cigarette between his fingers, dissolving into nothingness.
Jiang Mu called to his back: “Why won’t you acknowledge me?”
He didn’t move. Jiang Mu called urgently: “Say something!”
Jin Chao slowly raised his hand, drawing smoke into his lungs, his voice emerging with the exhaled smoke: “You’re better off without a brother like me.”
Jiang Mu’s hands gripped the blinds, her heart sinking at his words, color draining from her face.
His voice melted into the night, soft and faint: “Go home.”
“Go back to your father’s house, and don’t come here anymore.”
Jiang Mu’s eyes instantly reddened. Fighting to control her trembling voice, she demanded: “Didn’t you say this was my home too, that no one could drive me away?”
Jin Chao took another drag, his tone cynical: “Yeah, no one can drive you away, except me.”
Exhaling deeply, his voice showed impatience: “Actually, your abilities are more than enough for the college entrance exam. I’m running a business here, not a training center. If you want to aim for Tsinghua or Peking University, I can’t help you. Honestly, you’re just in the way here.”
Jiang Mu’s knuckles whitened as she gripped the blinds, unable to suppress her tears as she stared at his back: “Say that again.”
“Don’t bother me.”
Shandian seemed to sense something, whining as it paced the repair bay. When Jiang Mu rushed out, it chased after her, barking miserably. She stopped at the shop entrance, and Shandian jumped up against her. Hugging it, she sobbed: “I’m not abandoning you, I won’t give you up, I just can’t take you with me right now.”
San Lai heard Shandian’s unusual barking and got up to open the door, seeing Jiang Mu across the street. Shandian stood at the roadside, barking continuously at her. Before a taxi stopped, she wiped her tears, opened the door, and vanished into the night.
San Lai turned and walked into the shop, stopping at the courtyard door to knock: “She’s gone.”
The door opened shortly after. Jin Chao’s brow ridge cast a shadow, his eyes containing only icy emptiness.
San Lai leaned against the wall uncomfortably: “Was that necessary?”
Jin Chao passed by expressionlessly, crouching to call Shandian, who still stood at the shop entrance looking out: “If the Acacia tree lost its Müllerian bodies, would the Azteca ants still stay in its trunk? I’ve been foolish lately.”
He reached out to pat Shandian’s head, gently soothing it. Shandian whimpered once, obediently lying at his feet, tucking its head between its paws and pressing close to Jin Chao.