After getting back in the car, Jin Chao asked Jiang Mu where to go. She took out her phone and followed the GPS location, which led to a place near the county town on the west side of Tonggang. She showed it to Jin Chao, who glanced at it briefly before driving toward their destination.
There weren’t many cars on Tonggang’s roads at night, allowing Jin Chao to drive quickly. Strangely enough, when Jiang Mu first came to Tonggang, it was also Jin Chao who picked her up. She remembered being so nervous about his speed during that first ride that she secretly gripped the door handle. Jin Chao had scoffed then, saying, “What are you afraid of?”
Back then, she had no idea that the man before her was already a seasoned race car driver, and she had worried about why he drove so fast. Now, even when Jin Chao drove at breakneck speeds, she felt no fear at all.
The surroundings became increasingly desolate as they drove on, following the GPS into an industrial area. The factories loomed dark and empty in the night, with processing plants clustered together and new facilities appearing every few blocks.
They drove around to the back entrance of one factory, which bordered a barren hillside with only a single road. There weren’t even streetlights on either side. Jin Chao drove in with his high beams on and stopped at the security room, flashing his lights twice.
An elderly guard emerged from the security room and asked what their business was. Jiang Mu dialed a number and handed the phone to the guard. After exchanging a few words with whoever was on the line, the guard hung up and opened the electric gate for them, instructing, “Go in 200 meters and turn left at Warehouse 3.”
Jin Chao handed him a cigarette with a “Thanks” before driving into the complex.
This was Jiang Mu’s first time visiting a factory in the dead of night. The vast complex was eerily silent, giving her goosebumps. Jin Chao, however, remained calm, steering while looking for directional signs. Upon seeing the arrow pointing to the warehouse, he turned. They came upon a series of connected buildings, each with locked doors at various points. Jiang Mu rolled down her window to help search until she spotted a large circle with the number “3” on one of the warehouse doors. She pointed and said, “Over there, right?”
Jin Chao drove up to the door marked with 3 and honked twice before getting out. Jiang Mu also stepped out from the passenger side.
They stood on opposite sides of the car, watching the door. Soon, there was a slight movement from inside, followed by the mechanical sound of the door rising. As the headlights illuminated the warehouse interior, two figures gradually came into view behind the rising door.
One was Pan Kai, and beside him stood a dark-skinned man in his fifties.
Upon seeing them, Pan Kai excitedly waved to Jiang Mu, saying, “You got here fast! I just arrived too.”
Then he respectfully addressed Jin Chao: “Brother Seven.”
Jin Chao nodded to him, his gaze falling on the middle-aged man. Pan Kai quickly introduced him: “This is Master Technician Ren Dongwei, the chief engineer at my father’s factory. Jiang Jiang said you wanted to restore the car, why don’t you talk with Engineer Ren?”
A familiar look appeared in Jin Chao’s eyes as he addressed the technician: “Long time no see, Uncle Ren.”
Both Pan Kai and Jiang Mu were surprised. Engineer Ren pointed at him and said, “So you’re the Brother Seven that young Pan mentioned. Still as stubborn as ever, I see.”
Jin Chao smiled faintly. “There are always more solutions than problems.”
Engineer Ren gestured inside. “Let’s talk inside.”
Jiang Mu and Pan Kai stayed outside while Engineer Ren and Jin Chao talked for over half an hour. They weren’t privy to the details of the conversation.
Looking at the dark expanse of the factory complex, Jiang Mu remarked, “Your family’s business is quite substantial.”
Pan Kai replied modestly, “It’s all right.”
Jiang Mu turned to him: “Then why do you always try to mooch my pens?”
Pan Kai paused before saying with a smile, “I’ll return them before the college entrance exam.”
When Jin Chao came out, Jiang Mu and Pan Kai were sitting on the steps by the warehouse door, chatting. He walked over, and Jiang Mu immediately stood up to ask, “How did it go?”
A slight smile appeared in Jin Chao’s eyes as he unexpectedly reached out and pinched her cheek. This gesture surprised Jiang Mu, but she soon smiled too. Pan Kai looked between them, confused.
On the drive back, Jiang Mu learned that Engineer Ren was a respected veteran technician in Tonggang’s circle. He had known Jin Chao during his motorcycling days, though they hadn’t seen each other for many years.
Jin Chao didn’t say much else, only instructing Jiang Mu not to worry about the remaining matters and to focus on her exams, saying he could handle everything.
However, the next day after school, Jiang Mu and Pan Kai returned to the warehouse. Feichi had left only Xiao Yang there, Iron Rooster had come to help, and Engineer Ren had brought two assistants. By the time Jiang Mu and Pan Kai arrived, they had already set up a temporary workspace in the warehouse specifically for working on the car.
Seeing her arrive, Jin Chao beckoned her over. While working, he lectured her: “Do you know when your exam is?”
“Of course, tomorrow at 9 AM.”
Jin Chao gave her a pointed look.
Jiang Mu grinned playfully, “Well, I’d just be idle anyway. Didn’t you always used to say, ‘Play hard for big exams, pay less for small exams, and don’t play when there’s no exam’? I’m about to take the biggest exam of all.”
Implying that if not now, then when?
Jin Chao’s lips curved slightly as he told her, “Go home after dinner.”
Jiang Mu pouted silently in dissatisfaction. Turning around, she saw Pan Kai still solving problems while sitting on the steps.
Confused, Jiang Mu looked at herself, realizing she hadn’t even brought her schoolbag that day. She walked over, bent down to look at his work, and exclaimed, “What’s the use of studying this now when the exam is tomorrow?”
Pan Kai mysteriously replied, “You don’t understand. I have a poor memory, so studying too early is useless. I need to cram at the last minute.”
Cramming for the college entrance exam? But as Jiang Mu looked up at the vast expanse of factory buildings, she suddenly thought maybe it wasn’t so unreasonable – after all, he had a family business to inherit if things didn’t work out.
She crouched down and asked, “Does your father know they’re working on the car here?”
Pan Kai answered without looking up, “Yeah.”
“What did you tell him?”
Pan Kai put down his pen and turned to tell her, “Right after you called me, I went to talk to my dad. I told him I wouldn’t be able to focus on the exam if this wasn’t sorted out.”
“…Were you threatening your father?”
Pan Kai grinned, “Well, I’m his only son. He wouldn’t dare upset me at this time – what if I pull out his oxygen tube in the future?”
“…”
Pan Kai continued, “About Brother Se… I mean…”
“Just call him Brother Jiu now, no one calls him that anymore.”
Pan Kai paused, then continued, “Well, about Brother Jiu’s situation, I told my dad about it. He made two phone calls and looked at me very seriously for a long time. I thought he wouldn’t agree, but then he said he’d let Engineer Ren help us. Whatever materials and people we need, Engineer Ren would coordinate, and they’d clear some space in the warehouse. He’d pretend not to know about anything else.”
Jiang Mu was quite moved. Pan Kai’s father knew about Jin Chao’s situation with Boss Wan, and even with the entire Tonggang on high alert, he was still willing to provide technical support behind the scenes. The phrase “conscientious entrepreneur” suddenly floated through her mind.
When it was time for dinner, San Lai’s white car appeared at the warehouse entrance. Jiang Mu, with her sharp eyes, spotted it first and ran out calling, “Brother San Lai, why are you here?”
San Lai, wearing a pair of cool sunglasses that covered most of his not-so-large face, removed them stylishly and clipped them to his collar. He exclaimed dramatically, “Aren’t you about to take the college entrance exam? Why are you hanging around here?”
Glancing over at the steps where someone was still solving problems, San Lai wordlessly took out several large bags from the back seat and called to Jiang Mu, “Come help!”
Jiang Mu quickly ran over to help San Lai carry out all the bags from the back seat, then joined him in setting up tables and taking out the takeout boxes.
San Lai called out to the busy workers, “Wash up and eat! You can continue after dinner.”
San Lai truly lived up to his role as logistics manager, preparing an extremely generous meal. At his command, everyone gradually put down their work.
Jin Chao washed his hands and came outside the warehouse to light a cigarette. The sky was gradually darkening. After taking a few puffs, he turned to look at Pan Kai’s serious studying and asked, “Can you see?”
Pan Kai looked up proudly, blinking his small eyes: “I have 5.0 vision, it’s fine.”
“…” Jin Chao chuckled, turning back as the sunset’s glow gradually faded. His voice became deep and distant: “I’ll remember this favor and repay you in the future.”
Pan Kai looked up at Jin Chao in surprise, then turned to look at Jiang Mu, who was distributing chopsticks. Jin Chao directly turned Pan Kai’s head back and lowered his eyelids, saying, “I’m the one who’ll repay you, not her. Don’t get any ideas about her.”
Pan Kai smiled sheepishly, “I wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare.”
After dinner, San Lai, like a mother hen, drove the two youngsters home. Along the way, he fussed about what they needed to prepare for tomorrow’s exam and took the opportunity to boast about his own glorious college entrance exam experience. He’d heard that the first person to rush out of the exam room would get on TV, so he’d specifically worn running shoes to be first. However, there weren’t any TV crews at all – just a crowd of parents who surrounded him asking questions until his clothes were nearly torn off. Therefore, he advised them not to try to be first.
However, San Lai’s advice and experience were practically useless to Jiang Mu and Pan Kai.
The next day, Jin Qiang specially took time off work for the exam. Zhao Meijuan had prepared breakfast early, and during breakfast alone, she told Jiang Mu “Don’t be nervous” no fewer than three times. Jiang Mu didn’t feel particularly nervous, but she felt that Zhao Meijuan, who had never even attended high school, was more anxious than she was.
Before leaving, Jin Xin ran up to Jiang Mu and stared at her. Jiang Mu bent down and asked, “What is it?”
Jin Xin handed her a tiny sticky note, saying, “Look at it when you get downstairs.”
Jiang Mu held the small note as she left. Jin Qiang had already gone ahead to hail a taxi. When Jiang Mu reached the bottom of the stairs, she opened the note to find small hearts drawn in a circle with two words written in pencil: “Good luck!”
Jiang Mu’s eyes immediately curved into a smile as she carefully tucked away the note and walked toward the community entrance.
Her phone rang – it was Jin Chao calling.
After connecting, Jin Chao asked, “Have you left yet?”
“Dad’s already getting a taxi. What about you?”
“Still here.”
“You didn’t go home last night?”
“No, I need to pick someone up today.”
Jiang Mu smiled and asked, “Will there be a reward if I do well?”
Jin Chao seemed to smile too: “What kind of reward do you want?”
“Let me think about it.”
The phone went quiet for two seconds before Jin Chao’s voice came through the receiver, carrying an irresistibly melodious depth: “Mu Mu, do your best.”
After hanging up, Jiang Mu faced the morning sun like a warrior heading to battle. This time, though, she carried with her the faith that Jin Chao had once lost as she stepped into the exam room.
…
Jin Chao indeed needed to pick up someone important today – Zhang Fan’s brother, Zhang Guangyu. A week ago, Zhang Guangyu had already gathered all the parts Jin Chao needed from Hangzhou and Shanghai. Worried that shipping might cause delays or issues, he had taken time off work to personally bring everything back to Tonggang.
As soon as Jin Chao picked up Zhang Guangyu, they rushed back to the warehouse, where everyone immediately threw themselves into repairs and modifications.
So while Jiang Mu was fighting for her future, Jin Chao was also battling for the road ahead. Everyone was racing against time, not daring to slack off.
When Jiang Mu stepped out of the exam room on the last day of the college entrance exam, she finally felt the burden of four years lift from her shoulders. She experienced an unprecedented sense of liberation.
Pan Kai called her name from afar, bouncing like an excited puppy as he ran toward her, shouting, “We’re free! We’re free! Come on, we need to celebrate today!”
For once, Jiang Mu didn’t find his excitement crazy and laughed along. Just as they reached the school gate, they saw Jin Chao, San Lai, and an unfamiliar man standing behind the crowd.
Despite the gate being packed with parents holding banners and flowers, creating quite a lively scene, Jiang Mu spotted them immediately. The three men were quite conspicuous with their height, especially San Lai in his bright red “Chinese” national trend T-shirt. While others held flowers, he was waving a tiny national flag, making it impossible not to notice him. Jiang Mu strongly suspected he was hoping to catch the attention of TV station reporters.
Jiang Mu hadn’t expected Jin Chao to leave his work to pick her up. Just as she was about to squeeze through the crowd toward them, someone else got there first – Zhang Fan, who ran straight to Zhang Guangyu asking for his phone and cigarettes.
Only after pushing through did Jiang Mu learn that the unfamiliar young man was Zhang Fan’s brother, who had previously given Jin Chao the blueprints.
She walked up to Jin Chao with a smile and handed him her exam admission ticket. Jin Chao took it and examined it carefully, his eyes twinkling with starlight as he looked up at her and said, “Keep it safe, you’ll need it for university.”
Zhang Guangyu invited everyone to his place for a barbecue to celebrate together. Pan Kai informed his aunt who had come to pick him up, then joined them.
Today, many areas in Tonggang are under tight security, filled with students and their supporting family members. They hadn’t driven, so the group walked along the street toward Zhang Guangyu’s home. Along the way, they encountered groups of people laughing joyfully and students stopping to take commemorative photos. The entire street was filled with an atmosphere of celebration.
Even Pan Kai and Zhang Fan linked arms and started singing:
“I’m still that same youth from before, without the slightest change
Time is nothing but a test, the belief planted in my heart hasn’t diminished at all
The youth before me still has that same face
No matter how many difficulties lie ahead, I won’t retreat, say never give up
Like a fire, Wuohoh…”
Not a single note was in tune, creating a majorly awkward scene, but their wolf-howling “Wu” showed they couldn’t care less about their image.
San Lai, walking behind Jiang Mu, stuck the tiny flag into her collar. At first, Jiang Mu didn’t notice and walked quite a distance with the flag bobbing behind her head until she met Yan Xiaoyi and others who pointed at her laughing. Only then did she catch her reflection in a shop window, looking like she was about to perform a Sichuan opera. She immediately pulled it out and chased after San Lai, waving the flag.
Jin Chao and Zhang Guangyu walked at the back, discussing parts while watching their playful antics. When Jiang Mu caught up to San Lai and started playfully punching him, trying to jump up and stick the flag in his collar, Jin Chao’s expression softened.
He would never return to that age, nor could he go back to his college entrance exam day, but watching the joy radiating from Jiang Mu’s face, it was as if he had walked that path again with her. The void in his heart had finally been filled in another way.
Zhang Guangyu’s home was in an urban village, originally a self-built house that had later been extended to include a small third floor. The top floor had a terrace, divided into sections, with tables and a barbecue grill set up properly. It was even decorated with star-shaped string lights around the perimeter, causing Jiang Mu to let out a “wow” when she first went up.
Girls naturally have no resistance to such atmospheric places. Zhang Guangyu explained that his girlfriend had bought the solar-powered decorations from an online shop last year – they automatically light up at night. His girlfriend, who had been his high school deskmate, came over later. Jin Chao and San Lai knew her, and Jin Fengzi also arrived later.
To celebrate these kids successfully escaping their suffering, Jin Fengzi even lugged up two cases of beer, drenched in sweat. When he offered a drink to Jiang Mu, she looked toward Jin Chao, who didn’t stop her this time but reminded her: “Know your limits.”
To Jin Fengzi, “know your limits” translated to drinking freely, so he launched into a series of flowery speeches, using practically every idiom he knew, speaking with great passion and fervor before encouraging everyone to drink.
Jin Chao and San Lai were used to this, knowing he always rambled before drinking and completely ignored him. However, the youngsters were caught up in his enthusiasm and started drinking heavily, as if they needed to prove their transition from high school students to adults through aggressive drinking.
Later, when Zhang Guangyu’s girlfriend asked about their exams and which schools they planned to attend, Zhang Fan mentioned a technical college with an auto repair program but said he might not get in and would go operate excavators at some company if things didn’t work out – though it wasn’t clear if he was serious or joking.
Pan Kai said he planned to study philosophy, which caused the entire table to fall silent, everyone assuming he must be drunk.
When it came to Jiang Mu’s turn, she looked up at Jin Chao, who was absently turning a bottle cap in his hands, appearing casual. She lowered her eyes and said, “I haven’t decided yet.”
Pan Kai exclaimed excitedly, “You still haven’t decided? You said the same thing two months ago when I asked! Better decide quickly, you’ll need to fill out your preferences as soon as the scores are out.”
Jiang Mu remained silent, lifting her drink and taking small sips.
Not long after Jin Fengzi arrived, everyone busied themselves with the barbecue. Zhang Fan and Pan Kai fumbled around for ages trying to light the charcoal, frustrating San Lai so much that he finally took over.
Zhang Guangyu’s girlfriend put on some music, and Jin Fengzi got so into dancing that he asked, “Why didn’t Iron Rooster come?”
Jin Chao replied, “He had something at home and left.”
As the barbecue smoke drifted their way, Jin Chao stood up and walked around to the other side of the terrace to smoke. Jiang Mu helped with the grilling for a while but was driven away by San Lai after coughing from the smoke. When she came back and couldn’t find Jin Chao, she walked around the partition to the other side of the terrace.
This half was cluttered with miscellaneous items – pickle jars, toolboxes, and surprisingly, an old bathtub full of stuff, creating quite an interesting storage solution.
Jin Chao sat at the edge of the terrace with a cigarette between his lips, talking on the phone, his long legs casually propped on the bathtub, completely at ease. His muscular arms supported his weight, showing off his well-defined muscles, that handsome tough-guy image radiating an attractive sense of security, embodying the purest essence of masculinity.
Jiang Mu found herself unconsciously walking toward him, stopping quietly beside him to lean on the balcony. Jin Chao glanced at her while speaking into the phone: “No rush on the airbags, we’ll discuss it when I get back tomorrow. Yeah, I’m not coming over today, you get some rest too.”
Zhang Guangyu’s terrace had a great location, offering a view of the village’s lights at night, full of life’s warmth. The summer breeze was cool and comfortable, though Jiang Mu always felt her eyelids getting heavy after drinking – not exactly sleepy, just unable to keep them fully open.
Jin Chao hung up and asked, “Had too much to drink?”
Jiang Mu immediately straightened up and said, “Not at all, I’m perfectly clear-headed.”
Jin Chao’s gaze was deep, containing a hint of a smile as he looked at her flushed face and heard her call out softly, “Brother.”
“Mm,” he responded.
Jiang Mu swayed slightly and asked, “Which school do you think I should go to?”
Jin Chao put out his cigarette and lowered his head: “You should discuss that with your mom.”
“She wants me to go to Australia.”
Jin Chao’s eyelashes flickered slightly as Jiang Mu moved closer and looked up at him, asking, “If I go to Australia, I won’t be able to come back for a long time. Will you miss me?”
Jin Chao raised his eyes to look at her, saying nothing, but his eyes danced with dazzling light, as deep as an endless galaxy, yet at this moment, his universe reflected only her small figure.
The lights sparkled around them, with star-shaped bulbs encircling them. Jiang Mu stared at him intensely, her gaze sliding from his deep eyes to his clearly defined lips. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but his lips seemed enticingly alluring, and in that moment, Jiang Mu’s brain lost control as she rose on her tiptoes to kiss him.
When their lips met, Jiang Mu’s heartbeat drowned out everything else in the world. Her pure, inexperienced, soft touch covered Jin Chao’s lips, gone in an instant, yet like a spark igniting a prairie fire.
He stared at her with wide eyes, his gaze burning with triggered heat, watching as Jiang Mu lowered her head to avoid his gaze. His breathing heavy, he admonished, “You’re not thinking straight.”
Jiang Mu’s chest heaved dramatically. She did feel lightheaded, her entire brain floating, her body as if walking on cotton, yet she refused to accept his words. Boldly raising her head again, she kissed him once more. This time, as she pulled away, she felt a sudden tightening around her waist as Jin Chao pulled her into his embrace. He lowered his head to capture her lips, and the moment he parted them, Jiang Mu felt her heart stop. Although she had often slept beside Jin Chao as a child, this unprecedented intimacy made her weak in the knees.
The entanglement was brief before Jin Chao pressed his forehead against hers, his breath hot as he said, “I’m not thinking straight either.”
Looking at her dreamy eyes and jade-like face, he lost control again and claimed her soft, delicate lips. Just steps away, on the other side, lazy music played while Pan Kai and the others shouted and joked, and Jin Fengzi sang at the top of his lungs – everything continuing as normal, separated only by a partition.
That thrilling tension made Jiang Mu curl up in Jin Chao’s arms, her heart feeling as if he had placed it in the clouds while her body sank. Jin Chao supported her waist, taking on all her weight as his tongue continued to tangle with hers. Jiang Mu felt dizzy from lack of oxygen, consumed by intense heat.
His intoxicating presence, gentle invasion, and escalating intimacy made Jiang Mu’s body tremble. The long-held melancholy finally erupted in the most primal way, bringing tears to her eyes as he kissed her.
Until San Lai shouted, “Mu Mu, the chicken wings are ready! Where did you go?”
Only then did Jiang Mu startledly escape from Jin Chao’s embrace, stumbling back a step before throwing him a panicked look and running back.
Jin Chao stared at her retreating figure, pressing his lips where her softness lingered, before stepping around the partition. San Lai handed Jiang Mu a skewer of chicken wings, but when he looked up and saw her red-rimmed eyes, he paused before turning to Jin Chao who had just walked up: “What’s wrong with you? She just finished her exams, couldn’t you let her relax a bit instead of making her cry again?”
He then pushed the chicken wings into Jiang Mu’s hands and told her, “Forget about this brother of yours, he only knows how to bully you.”
Jiang Mu kept her head down as she took the chicken wings, not daring to make a sound.
Jin Chao also remained silent, unable to argue. Speaking of bullying, it did seem that way.