Chapter 7

At the entrance of Jiangzhou University, Ning Xiaocheng held a silver flower-shaped bead in his hand, feeling a surge of excitement. He hadn't seen Mu Wan for a long time. After giving the money and another bead to his sister, he didn't even have time to eat with her and immediately came to Jiangzhou University.

Ning Xiaocheng didn't have to wait long before he saw Tian Muwan walk out. Tian Muwan was still beautiful, and she seemed to carry an otherworldly aura as she approached. A sense of pride welled up in Ning Xiaocheng's heart; this beautiful woman would become his wife. At that moment, he even felt a bit grateful for the disaster. If it weren't for the flash flood, he wouldn't even have the chance to meet Tian Muwan.

"Are you looking for me?" Tian Muwan's flat tone made Ning Xiaocheng swallow the words "Wan'er" that were on the tip of his tongue. He felt that something was off with Muwan today.

"I'm giving this bead to you..." Ning Xiaocheng originally wanted to say, "I'm giving this bead to you, and then we can go out for a meal." But as the words reached his lips, he only said half of it, sensing the change in Muwan.

Tian Muwan calmly took the bead from Ning Xiaocheng, not even looking at it, and asked, "Is there anything else?"

"I want to invite you to have a meal together..."

Before Ning Xiaocheng could finish his sentence, a blue sports car pulled up next to him and Tian Muwan.

"Wan'er." A young man with a strange perfume scent opened the car door and called out enthusiastically.

Ning Xiaocheng frowned; he hated that scent. A man who made himself smell so strongly was unbearable. Moreover, he recognized this young man; he was the boyfriend introduced to Muwan by her family, named Zha Zhiyi.

"Zhiyi..."

Tian Muwan's response made Ning Xiaocheng frown even more. Previously, whenever Zha Zhiyi called her "Wan'er," Muwan would coldly reply, "Wan'er is not for you to call. Please respect yourself."

But today, Muwan seemed different.

Zha Zhiyi, seemingly surprised by Muwan's gentle demeanor and the lack of her usual rebuke, was overjoyed and quickly said, "Wan'er, are you free today? I want to invite you to dinner."

To Zha Zhiyi's surprise, Muwan didn't refuse this time. Instead, she nodded and said, "I happen to be free today, let's go."

Overjoyed, Zha Zhiyi almost forgot his own name. Just as he was about to speak, Muwan said again, "Zhiyi, can you help me with this?"

With that, Muwan placed the bead that Ning Xiaocheng had given her into Zha Zhiyi's hand.

"What is this?" Zha Zhiyi asked, taking the bead subconsciously.

"Oh, this is what Ning Xiaocheng just gave me. I don't have a place to put it," Muwan said casually, as if she didn't care about the bead at all.

"Ah..." Zha Zhiyi's hand trembled at Muwan's words, and the bead fell, rolling into the gap of the sewer cover.

Zha Zhiyi, who hadn't expected the bead to fall into the sewer, said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Wan'er, I was too careless. I'll buy you a better one later."

To Zha Zhiyi's surprise again, Muwan nodded, "It's fine if it's lost. You can buy one for me when you have time. Let's go."

Ning Xiaocheng's face turned pale. He knew Zha Zhiyi had done it on purpose. What troubled him more was Muwan's attitude. He hadn't seen her for only half a month, yet she had changed so much. In his memory, Muwan was not like this.

"Wan'er, I want to talk to you for a moment." Seeing Tian Muwan about to leave, Ning Xiaocheng said again.

Tian Muwan, as if knowing what Ning Xiaocheng wanted to say, turned around and said softly, "Ning Xiaocheng, I know what you want to say. I'm about to graduate and can't play anymore. You should know the gap between us is too large, and we can never be together. I was naive before, but now I understand. I hope you won't come to find me in the future; it's better for both of us."

With that, Tian Muwan didn't even look at Ning Xiaocheng and walked directly to the blue sports car, opened the door, and got in.

Watching the blue sports car disappear, Ning Xiaocheng felt his heart bleeding. He couldn't understand why Muwan had changed so much, and it was completely different from his memory of her.

Are women all so fickle? Despite his humble background, he never thought he was unworthy of Muwan, and Muwan had never treated him with such disregard.

"Xiaocheng, what are you doing here?" A clear voice interrupted Ning Xiaocheng, who was still in a daze.

Ning Xiaocheng's face turned pale. He looked up and saw a short-haired, delicate girl, and subconsciously said, "Zeng Jiyun..."

"I saw what happened, Xiaocheng. Sometimes, it's better to let things be. Muwan's family is not ordinary. Try to be more open-minded, or maybe there's someone more suitable for you right by your side." Zeng Jiyun's tone was gentle, like a cloud floating in the sky, soothing Ning Xiaocheng.

Ning Xiaocheng seemed not to hear Zeng Jiyun's words. He just stared blankly at the sewer where the bead had fallen, and after a while, he reacted and said to Zeng Jiyun, "Thank you, I'm leaving."

"Wait, Xiaocheng, let me walk with you." Zeng Jiyun stepped forward, her eyes burning with a passionate gaze.

Ning Xiaocheng shook his head, said nothing more, and quickly merged into the street, disappearing into the crowd.

Watching Ning Xiaocheng's disappearing back, Zeng Jiyun bit her lip and said in a voice so low that even she couldn't hear it, "Ning Xiaocheng, I like you more than Tian Muwan."

She was Tian Muwan's best friend and felt she understood Ning Xiaocheng better than Tian Muwan. He was the most outstanding man she had ever met, with no exception. Ning Xiaocheng was resilient and optimistic, and he seemed to take any difficulty in stride.

Because of her interest in Ning Xiaocheng, she tried to learn more about him. She found out that after high school, Ning Xiaocheng had never seriously studied textbooks, yet he still got into university. In university, he never read textbooks or attended classes but never failed any exams. According to her investigation, Ning Xiaocheng never cheated on exams; he would just skim through the books a couple of hours before the exam, as if reading a novel.

Even so, Ning Xiaocheng never failed any courses, including some science and engineering courses that required more than just memorization. He saved his time for working. The money for his and his sister's education came entirely from his work.

Zeng Jiyun concluded that Ning Xiaocheng not only had a photographic memory but also an extraordinary understanding ability, which could be considered a superpower.

The only regret was that Ning Xiaocheng didn't know how to make money. With his abilities, he didn't need to work on construction sites. However, Zeng Jiyun later realized that Ning Xiaocheng wasn't incapable of making money; he seemed to intentionally keep his abilities hidden from others.

The deeper she understood Ning Xiaocheng, the more his image filled her heart. Even though Tian Muwan was her best friend, she was determined to win Ning Xiaocheng for herself. The reason Tian Muwan investigated Ning Xiaocheng's family was her idea.

...

"Let's stop here." Tian Muwan's words made Zha Zhiyi, who was still in a state of excitement, momentarily stunned.

"We haven't reached the restaurant yet..." Zha Zhiyi said subconsciously but stopped the car. He didn't dare to offend Tian Muwan.

Tian Muwan opened the car door and said, "My family called and asked me to go home immediately."

Watching Tian Muwan drive away, Zha Zhiyi suddenly felt like he had been toyed with. He hadn't even heard her answer a call. Knowing he had been toyed with, he still didn't dare to be dissatisfied with Tian Muwan.

...

Ning Xiaocheng stopped. He realized he had subconsciously driven onto an elevated road, which was for cars. He shook his head, deciding to find Muwan again the next day to ask why she was acting this way. If Muwan was as heartless as she said, he had no reason to stay in this city.

His sister was about to graduate and no longer needed his care. If it weren't for Muwan and his sister Ning Ruolan, he would have left long ago.

Just as Ning Xiaocheng turned around, a thick, blinding yellow light shot towards him. With Ning Xiaocheng's quick reflexes, he couldn't even determine what the yellow light was before it hit him. In the moment he lost consciousness, he felt a sense of ancient沧桑 (沧桑 means "ancient沧桑" or "ancient沧桑" in this context, but it's a bit hard to translate directly. I'll use "ancient沧桑" for now).

...

Tian Muwan sat in her dormitory, lost in thought. She picked up the phone and put it down, repeating this several times. Ning Xiaocheng had disappointed her, but now that he was out of her sight, she realized she couldn't forget this often dusty boy.

After several attempts, Tian Muwan sighed and decided not to contact Ning Xiaocheng again, even planning to delete his dormitory phone number.

Just then, her phone rang.

Tian Muwan answered, and a clear but cautious voice came through, "Are you Sister Muwan? I'm Ning Xiaocheng's sister, Ning Ruolan. I want to ask about my brother..."

...

Ten minutes later, Tian Muwan arrived at a coffee shop outside the campus and saw the anxious Ning Ruolan.

"Is it you?" Tian Muwan recognized Ning Ruolan; wasn't she the girl who was with Ning Xiaocheng last time?

Ning Ruolan had never met Tian Muwan, but as soon as she saw her, she knew this woman must be Tian Muwan. Only such a woman could match her brother.

"I'm Ning Xiaocheng's sister, Ning Ruolan. Sister Muwan, I haven't heard from my brother, and he hasn't returned to the dormitory. Do you know where he is?" Ning Ruolan, without any other words, immediately asked about her brother's whereabouts.

Tian Muwan, not yet understanding the meaning of Ning Ruolan's words, asked subconsciously, "Isn't Ning Xiaocheng's sister at home farming? How can it be you..."

Ning Ruolan frowned and said, "My brother and I are both in Jiangzhou. I'm studying, so how can I go back to farm?"

Tian Muwan's face changed, and she immediately understood. She was extremely intelligent and, connecting Zeng Jiyun's words and actions, had a vague understanding.

"Oh no..." Tian Muwan immediately thought of the elevated road that was destroyed by a meteorite the night she and Ning Xiaocheng parted. This had nothing to do with Ning Xiaocheng, but at that moment, the image of Ning Xiaocheng standing alone on the elevated road flashed in her mind.

Seeing Tian Muwan running out frantically, Ning Ruolan's face also changed, clearly guessing that something had happened to her brother.

(The new week has started, and I, the author, request your support with recommendations and collections. Without recommendations, we will push ourselves to the top of the list and win a recommendation spot! The first scene of the story will be posted on my WeChat eslw26 in 20 minutes. Please follow.)

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