After returning home, Jiang Mu indeed received a report about Jin Chao’s physical condition. It was many pages long and left her bewildered. She had to spend several days researching online and calling old classmates to fully understand it.

She had thought the accident only cost Jin Chao a leg, but after comprehending the report, she realized that was merely the damage visible to the naked eye. The accident initially caused systemic injuries throughout his body. The pressure on his brain tissue had led to a period of unconsciousness, which was why they couldn’t contact him after the accident.

Furthermore, he had suffered multiple bone fractures. During the lengthy rehabilitation process, he frequently experienced local swelling and joint pain that limited his movement. His muscle strength began to decline, and he endured phantom limb pain for an extended period.

“Based on his medical history, this man crawled back from death’s door. It would be difficult for him to be like a normal person. Given what you’ve described, the fact that he’s recovered to his current state must have taken tremendous effort,” her classmate had said.

These were all things Jiang Mu hadn’t imagined. More severe than losing a leg were his irreparable after-effects.

Since reconnecting with Jin Chao, he has always presented himself as normal in front of her. She could hardly tell he was different. But that day after climbing the mountain and catching wind, he fell ill. He hadn’t told her, clearly not wanting her to know his true condition so soon.

The more Jiang Mu learned, the more overwhelmed she felt. She suddenly understood why Jin Chao had said he wanted to wait until she was ready before slowly telling her everything. Indeed, as each piece of information weighed down on her, it became suffocating, giving her a new perspective on what she would need to bear on the path ahead.

After urgently completing her first driver’s license exam that week, Jiang Mu immediately threw herself into practicing for the second exam. Combined with her department’s heavy workload, several days of overtime, and driving practice, her schedule became packed solid.

She received a call from her classmate on Wednesday, and on Thursday, she researched more of what her classmate had told her online. She planned to wait until the weekend to have a proper conversation with Jin Chao about all this.

However, on Friday, Gu Zhijie needed to host some visitors from other provinces at the observatory. The leadership wanted two presentable staff members to represent the institute’s image, and Gu Zhijie immediately thought of Jiang Mu. He went to borrow her from their department, and though the researcher was reluctant, Gu Zhijie promised to treat everyone to dinner.

After leaving the institute and getting into Gu Zhijie’s car, he said with a smile, “I’m being considerate, right? Knowing how busy you’ve all been lately, I’m giving you a chance to get some fresh air.”

Thinking about the work she’d still have to do when she got back, Jiang Mu replied with obvious resentment, “Thank you so much.”

Gu Zhijie laughed heartily, “You’re welcome.”

Unexpectedly, she received a call from Jin Chao while on the mountain. He asked, “When do you get off work?”

Looking at the visitors in the distance conversing with the tour guide, Jiang Mu told him, “We’re showing some visitors around the observatory. They’ll be leaving soon.”

Jin Chao simply said, “Then carry on with your work,” and hung up.

Standing in the open space before the meteorite exhibition hall, Jiang Mu lifted her head to gaze at the distant sky. She suddenly became lost in thought until Gu Zhijie came out and told her, “They have other arrangements later. Once we see them off to their car, we can leave. Want hot pot tonight?”

Seeing Jiang Mu still looking up, he also raised his head to look at the sky, asking puzzledly, “What are you looking at?”

A brilliant smile flashed across Jiang Mu’s face, her eyes suddenly bright, but it quickly faded as she turned to Gu Zhijie and said, “Anything is fine.”

Gu Zhijie stared at the sky again. The visibility was good today, with clear autumn weather, but he couldn’t see anything special, so he went back inside.

A while later, as the visitors wanted to take some photos inside, Gu Zhijie and Jiang Mu walked out, planning to wait for them at the main gate.

Gu Zhijie joked with Jiang Mu, “Don’t spend all your time studying for your driver’s license. You’re not getting any younger; you should think about finding a boyfriend.”

Jiang Mu retorted, “You’re several years older than me, and you’re not rushing. How can you lecture me?”

As they were bantering, they noticed a figure standing under the distant red maple trees. His dark coat made him appear elegant and composed. He seemed to have been standing there for a while, his gaze fixed on them.

Jiang Mu’s steps faltered, her smile freezing as her face turned pale. She hurried toward him, anxiously asking, “Why did you come here?”

Jin Chao looked at the man following behind her and replied in a deep voice, “I came to see you.”

Jiang Mu was somewhat agitated, “Couldn’t you have waited at the bottom of the mountain? How did you get up here?”

Jin Chao had his hands in his coat pockets, his tone casual: “Cable car.”

Hearing Jiang Mu’s flustered reaction, Gu Zhijie laughed, “Why are you so worried about someone climbing a mountain?”

Jiang Mu glanced at Gu Zhijie but didn’t continue the topic. Jin Chao turned and asked, “And this is?”

Gu Zhijie introduced himself: “Gu Zhijie.”

Then he nudged Jiang Mu and whispered, “Who is he?”

Jiang Mu turned her head and quickly mouthed, “Ex-boyfriend from a week ago.”

Gu Zhijie immediately showed a look of enlightenment. Looking at Jin Chao again, he sized him up from head to toe and sighed, “I’ve heard so much about you.”

Jin Chao seemed unfamiliar with him and only asked, “Half-colleague means…”

Gu Zhijie explained, “I’m Jiang Mu’s senior. Though we don’t work together, I sort of tricked her into coming to Nanjing. We’re all in the same broad field, so we’re only half-colleagues.”

Jin Chao remained silent, his gaze shifting to Jiang Mu’s face with an inscrutable pressure. Suddenly, Jiang Mu remembered the day Jin Chao returned her pen at the coffee shop when she had made up a story about “coming to work in Nanjing for him.”

Although that “him” had been fictional, combined with Gu Zhijie’s words, it became quite interesting.

Jiang Mu suddenly understood his look and lowered her head, smiling.

Gu Zhijie, seeing they had both fallen silent and feeling somewhat out of place, turned to Jiang Mu and said, “You don’t need to come back later, Xiao Qin and I can handle seeing them off. Want to join us for dinner tonight?”

Jiang Mu replied, “Let’s keep in touch by phone later.”

“Alright.” Gu Zhijie agreed, then turned to Jin Chao to say goodbye: “We still have guests, I’ll head back now.”

Jin Chao nodded slightly.

After Gu Zhijie left, Jiang Mu walked to Jin Chao’s side and asked, “Have you been up here before? I mean, by cable car?”

“No.”

Jin Chao looked down at her. She was wearing high-waisted beige pants and a light blue shirt, her long hair falling over her shoulders, looking graceful and enchanting.

The wind lifted her long hair, and waves of subtle fragrance made him unconsciously reach out to fix the strands that had blown behind her.

When Jiang Mu turned around, he had already put his hand back in his coat pocket. She asked him, “Since you’ve never been here before, would you like a tour?”

“If it’s convenient for you,” Jin Chao said.

“If it wasn’t convenient and I was still working, wouldn’t your trip up here have been wasted?”

Jin Chao repeated, “I told you, I just came to see you.”

“Just to see me? Why?”

Jin Chao fixed his gaze on the distant blue glazed tiles, his eyes deep: “To see if you’d been scared away by me.”

Jiang Mu paused, then asked, “So what did you see?”

Jin Chao smiled faintly without answering, stopping in front of the bronze armillary sphere and reading its introduction, seeming quite interested.

Although Jiang Mu hadn’t been in Nanjing long, this wasn’t her first time at the observatory, and she could serve as a semi-guide. She told him how the 1,449 bronze studs represented stars visible to the human eye, explained the instrument’s operating principles, and the method for calculating relative coordinates between stars.

To her surprise, Jin Chao understood immediately and even asked if the framework was composed of meridian and horizon circles, which caught her off guard.

She had only casually asked if he wanted a tour, but he took it quite seriously.

As they came down the steps, Jin Chao asked her, “What’s your current field of work?”

Jiang Mu told him, “My department mainly researches the dynamics of various celestial systems.”

Then she glanced at him: “Actually, you were my enlightening teacher.”

Jin Chao thought of how she had struggled with physics in her senior year of high school and smiled, then looked at her sideways, his gaze deep as if containing countless twists and turns, and asked, “Have you been very busy lately?”

Jiang Mu’s heart tightened. She had indeed been very busy these past few days, and she had only just fully understood that report yesterday. She hadn’t expected that such a short time would make Jin Chao feel insecure.

She answered indirectly: “Let me ask you something. If I had a fiancé who played games and chased women, like I said before, what would you do?”

Jin Chao looked into her eyes with a faint smile: “Do you want to hear the truth?”

“Of course.”

“I would make you willingly dump that man before your wedding.”

“And then? Make me willingly be with you?”

Jin Chao didn’t speak, but the smile in his eyes grew stronger.

Jiang Mu asked again, “What if I was scared by that report and wanted to back out?”

Jin Chao tensed his jaw, a self-mocking curve appearing at the corner of his mouth: “I should still be able to catch the last cable car down the mountain.”

Jiang Mu glared at him fiercely, then stepped down the stairs first. Thinking that he would worry if he couldn’t keep up with her, she stopped after two steps at the backdrop made by the steps, which outlined his tall, straight figure. He walked toward her against the light and asked, “So have you made up your mind?”

A barely noticeable smile flashed in Jiang Mu’s eyes: “I’ll take you somewhere.”

Following the thick stone-built wall, they walked onto the boardwalk. Jiang Mu led Jin Chao to the innermost part, stopping in front of a staircase. Dusk was falling and visitors were gradually leaving. She told him, “My answer is up there.”

Jin Chao gazed into her brilliant eyes and slowly began climbing the steps.

When the last step disappeared, they emerged onto a vast viewing platform. The entire view of Jinling city spread out before them, with its majestic mountains and rivers, the heritage of six dynasties.

Jiang Mu walked to Jin Chao’s side and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him. The sunset spilled across thousands of miles, dyeing the entire city red. She lifted her head to look at the horizon, a smile appearing in her eyes: “Do you see it?”

Jin Chao followed her gaze. On the other side of the setting sun, a faint moon hung in the sky like a bright mirror.

She told him: “At this time every year, as the Earth’s orbit around the sun and the Moon’s orbit around Earth change, the Sun and Moon appear simultaneously on the horizon, creating this natural phenomenon of the sun and moon shining together.

The alternation of sun and moon, even the laws of nature aren’t absolute, let alone people.

Do you know what this is called?”

Jin Chao turned to look at her.

Her gentle face shone with unwavering light as she told him: “Chao is the sun, Mu is the moon. Sun and moon shining together – Chao Chao Mu Mu.”

The light of both the sun and moon fell into Jin Chao’s eyes, radiating the most moving brilliance in this world.

He reached out and firmly held the hand of the person beside him.