What appeared before them was a psychiatric hospital!

Xue Jiao froze, staring blankly upward, then turned to look at Lin Zhihua, her voice somewhat shocked.

“Yu Cheng… is here?”

Lin Zhihua nodded, saying softly, “Yes, Yu Cheng… went insane.”

This was something that had surprised even him. After what happened with Shu Lan, he knew Xue Jiao would look for Yu Cheng, so he paid extra attention.

But Yu Cheng had indeed gone insane, truly insane, with very little chance of recovery.

“How… could this happen?” Xue Jiao stood stunned, her voice stiff.

“Shall I take you inside to see?” Lin Zhihua looked at them.

Mai Jiajia and Ding Qi were also frightened, instinctively looking toward Xue Jiao.

Xue Jiao stared ahead for a moment, then said softly, “Let’s go see. Let’s see what happened to the person Shu Lan exchanged her life for. Let’s see if Yu’s parents have realized their mistake.”

They resented Yu Cheng, finding him hateful, but in essence, he hadn’t wronged Shu Lan.

His problem was his weak character. After being pressured by his parents, he could only resort to suicide, the most wrong decision, to get back at them.

Lin Zhihua led the way, guiding the three of them into the hospital.

“Yu Cheng was sent to the hospital the night Shu Lan fell. His mental state was already somewhat unstable. After the shock, he fainted. When he woke up that night, he had already gone insane…”

Xue Jiao walked beside Lin Zhihua, slightly dazed.

Come to think of it, Yu Cheng and Shu Lan were only the same age as Xue Jiao, just barely adults, with rather impulsive personalities. While they might not say they would sacrifice everything for love, they would impulsively forget everything else for love.

Shu Lan loved Yu Cheng deeply, and Yu Cheng truly loved Shu Lan too. His feelings for Shu Lan weren’t just love but also his determination to defy his parents.

But in reality… he had failed.

So he impulsively decided to leave this world. At that time, Yu Cheng’s mental state was already somewhat off, and with the added pressure from his parents, he wanted to commit suicide without considering the consequences.

Seeing Shu Lan one last time before dying was probably his final wish, and then he impulsively planned to use his death to rebel against his parents’ wrongful oppression.

Unfortunately, in the end, he ended up harming Shu Lan.

The moment Shu Lan fell, Yu Cheng’s pain was probably greater than all of theirs combined, coupled with overwhelming regret.

He wanted to jump after her, but he was held tightly by his parents.

Pain, torment, and the inability to immediately follow Shu Lan—his already unstable mental state completely collapsed.

Xue Jiao sighed. Her initial fury had nowhere to go, and she could only follow Lin Zhihua upstairs with a heavy heart.

As the elevator opened, Lin Zhihua said softly, “Yu Cheng is…”

Before he could finish, a boy in hospital clothes was being forcibly dragged by several medical staff up ahead.

He was struggling violently, both crying and laughing, “Shu Lan! Where’s my Shu Lan? Shu Lan! Lan Lan—”

Nearby, a woman who had once been meticulously made-up and elegantly dressed was now collapsed against a man who looked haggard, seemingly aged decades, crying out—

“Son… Yu Cheng, look at your mother!”

The boy in hospital clothes seemed not to hear, only clutching the nurse, “Shu Lan! My Shu Lan!”

Then, upon seeing the nurse’s face, the boy pushed her away in disappointment and looked around in confusion, shouting—

“Shu Lan? Shu Lan, where are you? Shu Lan!”

His gaze caught sight of Xue Jiao and the others at the elevator, and he suddenly struggled, “Shu Lan! Shu Lan has come to see me!”

The medical staff held him tightly, preventing him from running off. The doctor reassured him, “Shu Lan is in the ward. I’ll take you to her, I’ll take you there, just be good.”

“No—” The boy struggled desperately, “Shu Lan is over there! Shu Lan—”

Seeing these people blocking him, he lowered his head and began biting and scratching wildly.

“Sedative! Quick! Get a sedative!” the doctor shouted.

Nearby, the woman knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, “Son—”

The man also looked defeated, slumping down powerlessly, “If only we had known… if only we had known…”

If only they had agreed to him being with Shu Lan!

But this world has no “if only” or “if we had known.”

Yu Cheng was forcibly sedated and taken back to his ward. Yu Zhenguo and Su Qing stumbled after him, completely unaware of Xue Jiao and the others in the elevator throughout.

Their world now consisted only of their insane son; they could barely notice anything else.

“He…” Ding Qi opened her mouth, then stopped, not knowing what to say.

Mai Jiajia was also stunned, her expression bewildered, “Yu Cheng has become like this?”

Xue Jiao leaned slightly against Lin Zhihua, who embraced her and patted her gently.

She felt confused. Before knowing Yu Cheng’s condition, she had wished he had died instead, not letting Shu Lan die in his place.

But after seeing that Yu Cheng had gone insane, she felt an indescribable pain.

The boy for whom Shu Lan had exchanged her life was now living in this world, suffering.

In the end, no one was happy.

Xue Jiao closed her eyes slightly, putting away all her emotions.

Lin Zhihua patted her and turned his head, saying softly, “If Yu Cheng had died, the Yu couple would be very upset, desperate, in pain. Such pain might become an eternal wound in their hearts. But after ten, twenty years, as time passes, it would eventually fade.”

“But with Yu Cheng alive, living in such pain and torment, constantly reminding his parents of what mistakes they made before. What caused their child to become like this was their own doing. With Yu Cheng always like this, it will remind them.”

After Lin Zhihua finished speaking, Ding Qi gritted her teeth, “They deserve it!”

Xue Jiao let out a heavy breath, then said softly, “Let’s go. There’s nothing more to see here.”

Mai Jiajia and the others nodded. Lin Zhihua drove the three of them away.

“Jiajia, Qiqi, what are your plans next? When are you returning to school?” Sitting in the car, Xue Jiao looked at the two.

“Tomorrow, I suppose. We need to continue studying. I still need to take the TOEFL. I want to secure a spot to study abroad for graduate school by junior year,” Ding Qi said softly, her gaze drifting out the window.

Mai Jiajia replied, “Me too, tomorrow. Study hard, and after university graduation, go back to my hometown to start a school.”

Xue Jiao looked at the two, her face gradually showing a slight smile.

The once proudly chin-up Ding Qi and the playful, cute Mai Jiajia with her lollipop had now become haggard and melancholy.

But they hadn’t forgotten their wishes and dreams and hadn’t been devastatingly affected by what happened to Shu Lan.

Xue Jiao held both their hands, nodding firmly, “Let’s all work hard. We’ll continue to strive.”

“Alright.”

Mai Jiajia and Ding Qi also managed a smile.

Life continues. Unhappy things should be forgotten as much as possible, while those who should be remembered will forever remain in their hearts.

On the long yet brief train journey of life, Shu Lan had disembarked, but they still had to move forward and continue toward their dreams.

The three simultaneously let out a breath, trying not to mention Shu Lan again.

The car continued toward its destination.

As they were about to reach Ding Qi’s home, Mai Jiajia suddenly raised her eyebrows, looking at the man driving in front, “Jiaojiao… don’t you need to formally introduce us? Is this our brother-in-law?”

Ding Qi’s heart skipped a beat as she tugged at Mai Jiajia, her expression becoming rigid.

Lin Zhihua also tensed up, realizing that after establishing a relationship with Xue Jiao, his status had been repeatedly demoted.

First, nineteen-year-old Cheng Mingze called him brother-in-law, and now Xue Jiao’s eighteen-year-old roommates were also calling him brother-in-law.

Lin Zhihua: “…”

Xue Jiao couldn’t help but smile, also looking at him, giving him no way out.

Lin Zhihua’s scalp tingled, but he only looked at Xue Jiao indulgently through the rearview mirror, saying resignedly, “Fine, you can call me brother-in-law if you wish.”

Mai Jiajia looked strangely at Ding Qi, who was frantically tugging at her, then leaned forward and continued probing, “You’re very handsome. Are you a celebrity?”

“No, I’m in business,” Lin Zhihua replied, his smile stiff.

For a moment, Ding Qi wished she could just faint. The CEO of Lin Group had two well-known habits, everyone knew.

One was that he never avoided women, and the other was… he hated being told he was handsome!

When she heard about this at last year’s annual meeting, she was surprised and thought he was just eccentric.

But now… this eccentric had become her roommate’s boyfriend.

Ding Qi tugged at Mai Jiajia, smiling stiffly, “Jiajia, stay with me tonight. I’m afraid to be alone at night.”

“Sure,” Mai Jiajia readily agreed.

Ding Qi had just let out a sigh of relief when she heard Mai Jiajia continue asking Lin Zhihua, “Brother-in-law, what kind of business do you do? You don’t look like a student.”

“I’m in business,” Lin Zhihua explained.

Mai Jiajia’s face showed sudden understanding, “Oh… alright.”

Ding Qi continued tugging at Mai Jiajia, who turned around, “What’s wrong?”

Ding Qi: “…Nothing, just that this is Jiaojiao’s personal affair, we shouldn’t ask too much.”

“That won’t do. You two are my only good friends now. Finding a boyfriend is a big deal; I must properly vet him,” she said, looking at Xue Jiao. “Jiaojiao, do you mind if I examine your boyfriend a bit?”

Xue Jiao raised her hand, with an expression of enjoying the show, “I don’t mind.”

Lin Zhihua’s smile became increasingly helpless as he shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road and driving steadily.

“Brother-in-law, how long did you pursue Jiaojiao?”

“Two years.”

Mai Jiajia stroked her chin, “Persisting for two years before success is not bad. Does your family support you and Jiaojiao?”

After what happened with Shu Lan, she clearly understood that sometimes love isn’t just between two people.

“Very supportive. They can hardly wait for us to get married,” Lin Zhihua said meaningfully, looking at Xue Jiao through the mirror.

Xue Jiao’s face reddened slightly as she avoided his gaze.

“Is your family easy to get along with?” Mai Jiajia continued, not reassured.

Lin Zhihua raised an eyebrow, “It doesn’t matter whether they’re easy to get along with or not. I won’t let them have much contact. After marriage, it’s our own life, nothing to do with others.”

After marriage…

Xue Jiao glared at Lin Zhihua. He was dreaming of beautiful things! They’d just gotten together, and he was already thinking about marriage!

She would at least… need to evaluate for several more years before considering it!

Mai Jiajia was also surprised for a moment, then gave a thumbs up, “Impressive! But I hope you can do what you say.”

“I don’t speak falsely,” Lin Zhihua seemed to be speaking to Mai Jiajia, but also to Xue Jiao. “Since she’s with me, I won’t let her worry about anything or anyone else because of me. No one can interfere with me except Jiaojiao.”

Mai Jiajia was taken aback for a moment, and then finally felt reassured. If he dared to say such things, he must have some capability.

Although Jiaojiao seemed a bit naive, she wasn’t foolish. She wouldn’t be ruled by emotion on this; Mai Jiajia was confident of that.

The car reached its destination, and Mai Jiajia raised her eyebrows, “So, brother-in-law, as our youngest’s boyfriend, don’t you think you should formally treat us to a meal?”

“No need—” Before Lin Zhihua could speak, Ding Qi had already cried out in panic.

Her voice carried urgency and terror as if she was afraid Lin Zhihua would agree.

“Hmm?” Mai Jiajia turned in confusion.

Ding Qi forced an awkward smile and managed to say, “Um… at least not today. My mom just messaged me that dinner was ready. Let’s hurry back to eat.”

Mai Jiajia paused, then said, “Oh, okay, let’s hurry back then. Don’t keep your mom waiting. We can talk about the meal another time.”

“Alright, goodbye,” Lin Zhihua smiled.

Mai Jiajia thought for a moment, then threatened, “Don’t you dare hurt Jiaojiao, or we definitely won’t let you off!”

“I won’t,” Lin Zhihua’s voice was firm.

“Goodbye.” Ding Qi’s face paled as she quickly said goodbye, and then pulled Mai Jiajia out of the car.

After getting out, she still seemed unsatisfied and pulled Mai Jiajia forward a good distance, walking hurriedly. Looking back to see that Lin Zhihua and the others had left, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

Mai Jiajia asked curiously, “Why are you acting so strange today?”

Ding Qi looked up at the bewildered Mai Jiajia and said, “Do you know who that man is?”

“Hmm?” Mai Jiajia was puzzled. “Is he famous?”

Ding Qi laughed in exasperation, “Aren’t you nicknamed ‘Know-It-All’? You don’t even know him?”

“Is he very famous? A celebrity?” Mai Jiajia frowned.

Ding Qi was completely amused by her frustration, “Do you know about Lin Group?”

“Yes…” Mai Jiajia was confused.

Because of Lin Yinyin, they had researched the Lin Group. Mai Jiajia, though from out of town, had a good memory and remembered the information about Lin Group.

“You were asking all sorts of questions just now, but you forgot to ask his name?” Ding Qi was like a bristling cat.

“Well, true. Does he have anything to do with Lin Group?” Mai Jiajia asked.

Ding Qi smiled, “His name is Lin Zhihua.”

“Lin Zhihua…” Mai Jiajia murmured blankly, and then her eyes widened.

Mai Jiajia’s voice was terrified, “He-he-he-he-he-he-he is the boss of Lin Group?!”

“Yes, I kept nudging you just now, but did you pay any attention to me?” Ding Qi was fuming.

But Mai Jiajia frowned slightly, saying seriously, “Regardless of his identity, he’s now Jiaojiao’s boyfriend. Some questions I can’t ask just because of his status. Whether he can treat Jiaojiao well, whether he’ll cause her harm—that’s what matters.”

Ding Qi was stunned, but then realized she was right.

However, for someone of Lin Zhihua’s status to treat Jiaojiao the way he did, his feelings must be very deep. As for the rest, only time will tell.

Mai Jiajia, who had just been acting tough, suddenly collapsed, “Um… I said all those things just now… even threatened him. Will he… deal with me?”

Ding Qi: “…”

She glared at her, “Now you’re scared? Where were you earlier?!”

Mai Jiajia’s expression drooped, and Ding Qi said, “Don’t worry. Would Jiaojiao let her boyfriend deal with you?”

Mai Jiajia’s expression immediately brightened, “That’s true! Let’s go, let’s hurry back to eat the meal your mom prepared.”

“She hasn’t made it yet. It’s still early.”

“Then why did you earlier…”

“Should I call Jiaojiao back now, and you can go have dinner with them?”

Mai Jiajia: “…Never mind, let’s wait a bit. I’m quite timid too.”

Ding Qi: “…”

“This Jiaojiao is something—she keeps quiet until she makes a bang! So impressive!”

The previously uninterested-in-dating Xue Jiao, when she finally found someone, it turned out to be… Lin Zhihua.

——

While Mai Jiajia and Ding Qi were quite amazed, Lin Zhihua and Xue Jiao weren’t going to dinner either.

“Don’t want to go to Wu Liu Lane for dinner?” Lin Zhihua tempted her while driving toward the Cheng residence.

Xue Jiao shook her head, smiling firmly, “I’m going back to school tomorrow. Tonight, I want to have a good dinner with my parents and brother, to let them know I’m fine so they can focus on their work.”

“Alright…” Lin Zhihua looked quite disappointed.

Soon, they arrived at the Cheng family home. Lin Zhihua opened the car door for Xue Jiao, and she held his hand as she got out.

“You’re going to school tomorrow and won’t have time for me…” Lin Zhihua sounded extremely disappointed.

Seeing such a usually cold-faced man suddenly showing such a dejected expression was quite impactful, making Xue Jiao’s heart skip a beat.

“There’s no choice. Let’s have dinner together on Friday night. Oh, I just remembered something!” Xue Jiao beckoned, looking like she had something to say.

Lin Zhihua was puzzled; he bent down and lowered his head.

Xue Jiao stood slightly on her toes and lightly pressed her lips to his forehead.

It was very light and quick. After the kiss, she immediately turned to run away.

Lin Zhihua still stared wide-eyed ahead, almost instinctively reaching out to pull her back, holding her and bending down.

“Mmm—”

Xue Jiao stared with wide eyes as if shocked, at the eyes so close to hers.

The two inexperienced people simply pressed their lips together. After a while, Lin Zhihua finally released Xue Jiao.

His eyes were smiling, filled with deep affection, “Well… I’ll learn better next time…”

“Boom—”

Xue Jiao’s face turned bright red. Learn better next time?!

She violently pushed Lin Zhihua away and ran off quickly.

Lin Zhihua turned around, watching her figure, then touched his lips, his smile obvious, eyes narrowed to slits.

Much later, after Xue Jiao’s figure was no longer visible, Lin Zhihua finally got into the car.

After thinking for a moment, he made a phone call—

“Chen Yan, do I have any arrangements for Friday afternoon?”

Chen Yan on the other end of the phone was startled, then honestly replied, “You’re supposed to inspect the branch company…”

“Move it earlier or later.”

“Oh, alright.”

The phone grew silent. Chen Yan looked at his phone—not hung up?

Then, after thinking for a moment, he hesitantly asked, “Boss, do you have some other arrangement for that afternoon?”

Suddenly, the low pressure lifted, and Lin Zhihua’s voice came through with a hint of joy, “Yes, I’m going on a date with Jiaojiao.”

After saying this, Lin Zhihua hung up the phone, feeling quite satisfied.

On the other end, Chen Yan stared at the phone, somewhat dumbfounded.

After a long while, he suddenly came to his senses…

A date?

They’re together?

So… was the boss bragging to him about his relationship?

Chen Yan: “…”

He had some choice words that he wasn’t sure whether to express!

——

The next day, Xue Jiao carried her backpack and once again stepped into the school.

The morning was full of classes, so Xue Jiao had no time to find Chu Sheng. After lunch, she was diligently studying her textbooks in the library.

Projects and extracurricular activities were indeed important for the university, but textbooks were the foundation and could never be neglected.

Xue Jiao spent the entire afternoon carefully reviewing the PPT slides for the classes she had missed that week.

Only after her first-afternoon class finished did she have time to go to Chu Sheng.

The laboratory Chu Sheng used was specially approved for him by the Physics Department, a very small lab that his teacher, Professor Jin, had specifically helped him apply for.

With the rising star Gu Xuejiao participating in this project, along with Zheng Jiakun, Yang Zhan from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Zhang Han from Peking University, the project was established quite easily, though they hadn’t achieved any results yet and hadn’t received much funding.

Fortunately, they didn’t need much funding at present.

When Xue Jiao arrived at the lab, Chu Sheng was just there.

Seeing Xue Jiao arrive, his eyes lit up, and he pulled her outside.

Xue Jiao was surprised, “Huh? What’s wrong?”

Chu Sheng let out a breath, “You’ve finally come to help me!”

“What’s the arrangement now? What’s the specific situation?” Xue Jiao asked. She only knew that Chu Sheng had created a small group with a total of nine people.

Chu Sheng smiled, “There are six people in our project: Senior Yang Zhan, Senior Zhang Han and her assistant, Senior Zheng Jiakun, and the two of us. The other three people in the group were assigned by Professor Jin to help; they’re not project members.”

“I see.”

Chu Sheng continued, “We’ve already had one general meeting. It’s not convenient for them to come every day, so they usually work at their schools, coming over on Saturdays and Sundays with a week’s worth of results. Senior Zhang Han is here today helping me with the magnetic field model, and Senior Zheng Jiakun is also inside helping.”

Xue Jiao nodded, then said, “Shall we go in and help?”

Chu Sheng immediately looked a bit awkward, scratching his head, “Well… Senior Zhang Han… has a somewhat… um… personality.”

“What’s wrong?” Xue Jiao was puzzled.

“Senior Zhang Han is rather stubborn, and she dislikes unprofessional people. You haven’t been here recently, so her attitude might not be very good… please bear with it…” Chu Sheng was quite embarrassed. He knew Xue Jiao must have had her reasons, but Senior Zhang Han wouldn’t listen to any of that.

Xue Jiao was a bit surprised, blinking, “That’s alright. It’s fine.”

Among the scientific researchers she had encountered, which one didn’t have some peculiarities?

Though she had indeed been in a bad mood recently, it was her issue. She had taken a whole week off to adjust her mindset, so it was normal for others to be upset.

Xue Jiao followed behind Chu Sheng as they entered, and she finally met the legendary Senior Zhang Han.

This person had always been a rising star in the physics world, now in her first year of graduate studies, having already won numerous awards, including the Chinese Physical Society Award, and participated in countless projects, with an assigned assistant.

When Xue Jiao walked in, she was bending down to set up a frame, her expression serious, hair tied in a ponytail.

Senior Zhang Han was very beautiful, with a bright and vivid beauty, but this senior… seemed to dislike smiling.

Xue Jiao didn’t disturb her, just quietly stood beside her, watching how she worked.

Chu Sheng had already lowered his head to study. The more he engaged with the project, the more he felt his knowledge was insufficient, desperately wanting to cram all the knowledge into his brain.

“You’re here?” Zheng Jiakun was also inside, setting up frames. Seeing Xue Jiao, he smiled.

“Hello, Senior.” She then looked toward Senior Zhang Han, “Hello, Senior.”

“Mm.” Zhang Han made a sound but said nothing more.

Xue Jiao carefully observed from the side, occasionally glancing at the materials next to them.

Chu Sheng was right; Zhang Han was clearly unhappy with Xue Jiao, but she didn’t say anything, just kept her head down working, completely ignoring Xue Jiao.

Xue Jiao raised an eyebrow. Being ignored?

Well, it wasn’t the first time she’d been ignored. Xue Jiao touched her nose and stood naturally at the side, observing.

She occasionally looked at the materials nearby, her mouth moving slightly. Zheng Jiakun looked up at Senior Zhang Han, then at Xue Jiao with her moving mouth, the corner of his lips turning up in a smile.

The entire afternoon, Zhang Han didn’t acknowledge Xue Jiao.

Around six o’clock, Zhang Han’s assistant reminded her, “Senior, it’s time for dinner.”

“Mm, in a moment,” Zhang Han was sparing with her words.

She took out several magnets, frowned slightly, reached behind her, and felt around, but found nothing.

She was about to turn around when Xue Jiao crouched down beside her and handed her a pen.

Zhang Han was startled, her brows furrowing slightly as she took it and marked one of the small magnets, then took the medium-sized one, but her pen stopped.

She reached out, casually picking up a paper that had been thrown on the ground, and even stepped on it, turning it over to start calculating.

Xue Jiao handed her a ruler, “5.67 and 9.33.”

Zhang Han froze, turned her head, and finally looked directly at Xue Jiao.