Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: A Startling Look Back

No matter how Wen Huiming tried to persuade Xu Fuyan, and no matter how much of a stir this incident caused in the Qingzhou government, Wen Liang knew that these were just minor issues. Once the 5th Plenary Session of the 9th Central Committee convened in September and the macro strategy of "grasping the big and letting go of the small" was implemented, the clamor in the city would immediately die down. As long as they could withstand two months of pressure, they would gain immense political capital. Not doing such a deal would be foolish!

In the following two or three days, the municipal party committee and government were bustling with activity. The sign for the "Qinghua Factory Bankruptcy Liquidation Office" was hung at the municipal government, while the party committee organized a study session on Wen Huiming's article. Zhou Yuanting was furious and visited Xu Fuyan's office three times to discuss the matter, which was unprecedented. No one knew what was said, but according to sources from the municipal government, after the last visit, Mayor Zhou smashed his favorite jade lion paperweight.

Since Xu Fuyan refused to cooperate, Zhou Yuanting completely bypassed the party committee and, with his absolute majority in the standing committee, forcefully pushed forward the bankruptcy of the Qinghua Factory. When everyone was waiting for Xu Fuyan's counterattack, Secretary Xu took Wen Huiming to the provincial capital instead. Everyone understood and waited for the provincial countermove. However, to everyone's surprise, after a whole half-month, with the Qinghua Factory's bankruptcy seemingly a foregone conclusion, there was no follow-up from Secretary Xu's supposedly rock-solid connections in the province.

But everyone with clear eyes knew that this was the calm before the storm. Qingzhou was already brimming with tension!

Meanwhile, the instigator of all this, Wen Liang, resumed his daily routine as if nothing had happened. His morning running time gradually shortened, and the time he spent practicing boxing and taekwondo became more balanced. Perhaps due to the right methods or the changes in his physical condition after being reborn, in just a few dozen days, Wen Liang seemed to have gained a preliminary understanding of internal martial arts. His agility and control of strength had noticeably improved.

One afternoon, after finishing his boxing practice, Wen Liang flipped through the calendar and realized that there were only a few more days left in the summer vacation. Since being reborn, he had rarely gone out to explore this city, which seemed like a newborn, to see how it differed from his memories. The feeling of revisiting old places, a mix of novelty and unfamiliarity, welled up in his heart, and he couldn't suppress it. Wen Liang went home, took a cold shower, changed into a white T-shirt and black shorts, put on his sneakers, and went out.

Qingzhou in the summer was always bustling and restless. The 101 bus, which seemed to never stop, slowly appeared on Qinghe Road and Xinchuan Road, and people got on and off, walking or standing. Countless people crowded in this city, brushing past each other countless times, a scene that was both happy and melancholic.

Wen Liang sat by the window, his right hand resting on the window sill, tapping his fingers rhythmically. The wind from the moving bus whistled, carrying the coolness of the leaves and the richness of the soil, mixed with the evening sunlight, gently blowing on his face.

Suddenly, his shoulder was tapped, and Wen Liang was startled awake. Turning around, he saw Xu Yao. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a white top tied at the waist, occasionally revealing a glimpse of her fair skin. Her feet were in a pair of light pink crystal sandals, her even, fair toes exposed. She looked simple and elegant, full of the freshness and beauty of a young girl.

"Ha," Wen Liang laughed exaggeratedly, "A debtor who doesn't run when they see their creditor must have the intention to pay. Classmate, I thought you had fled to avoid punishment after not seeing you for over ten days."

Xu Yao pouted, and a few cute wrinkles appeared between her eyebrows. She looked disdainful, "Just ten ice creams. I didn't know you, a male classmate, could be so petty. If you have the guts, let's have another competition tomorrow!"

When it came to bantering with Xu Yao, Wen Liang had never lost in his previous life, giving him a psychological advantage. He immediately responded, "You clearly don't know the value of things. Ten ice creams aren't cheap. Classmate, your bourgeois thinking is quite serious!"

A pretty girl sitting behind Wen Liang couldn't help but laugh. Xu Yao was furious, staring at Wen Liang with a very unfriendly look. Wen Liang calmly turned his head and looked at the girl behind him. She had shoulder-length hair, her skin was not as fair as Xu Yao's but had a healthy pink hue. She wore a black and blue uniform, and a light golden nameplate on her left chest read "Phoenix Diamond." Wen Liang's dark face showed a strange expression, making her feel uncomfortable, and she timidly said, "Sorry!"

"No need to apologize. Sister, you have a good sense of humor, much smarter than those dull people. Where do you work? How old are you? Is your boyfriend darker than me?"

The pretty girl looked at Wen Liang in surprise, seemingly never having encountered such a young boy flirting with her. Her face turned red, and she didn't say a word. Wen Liang stared at her for a while and suddenly asked, "Are you surnamed Tan?"

"Pervert!" Xu Yao's look of disdain finally included something else—contempt! This guy was flirting with other girls right in front of her, using such an old trick, truly despicable.

The pretty girl opened her mouth slightly, her fine teeth gleaming. She asked in surprise, "Who are you? How do you know I'm surnamed Tan?"

Tan Xue, it was indeed her.

The water seems to be covered with frost and snow, and the forest is filled with the sound of birds. These were the two lines of poetry that Tan Yu often quoted after they met, "Yu" referring to himself, and "Xue" to his sister, Tan Xue.

They met in their second year of high school and spent six years together through high school and college. Those days of laughter and tears, those years of chasing the wind and snow, two equally lonely people, supporting and relying on each other, enduring the darkest years of their youth. After graduation, they moved north together, worked together, and grew together. Wen Liang was incredibly grateful to have Tan Yu's friendship in this life.

In that timeline, Tan Yu often talked about his sister. The photo taken just before the incident was always with him. Wen Liang had heard many stories about Tan Xue and seen that photo countless times. The feeling he had for Tan Xue was like that of an old friend.

Tan Xue worked at the well-known "Phoenix Jewelry Store" in Qingzhou. One day during the summer after Wen Liang's junior high school graduation, she returned to the branch store after completing her work at the main store and was stabbed over a dozen times by a knife-wielding robber. She died in the hospital after seven days of emergency treatment. Tan Yu's father had died early, and his mother raised him and his sister alone. Tan Xue, who excelled academically, dropped out of school after junior high to work and support her family, allowing her brother to continue his education. To Tan Yu, his sister was not just a sibling but also someone he respected and admired. After her death, the young Tan Yu almost drowned in endless pain. If not for meeting Wen Liang in their second year of high school, he might have suffered a mental breakdown.

So, everyone is needed, and everyone needs someone. Don't undervalue yourself. Endure, and hardship will be the shortcut to your success.

Wen Liang looked at the girl who had always lived in the memories of her loved ones. She was not stunningly beautiful, just pretty. She was not outgoing, and after being questioned by Wen Liang for so long, she only blushed and said little. She was more like the ordinary girls in ordinary lives, quiet, gentle, struggling silently, and living with effort.

Perhaps it was the sudden encounter with the original owner of the story and the photo, sitting right in front of him, that made Wen Liang momentarily dazed. Tan Xue, seeing no response to her question, stopped asking and got off the bus with the crowd.

Xu Yao instinctively sensed something strange but couldn't stand Wen Liang's dazed look at the beauty. She stomped on his foot fiercely and said sarcastically, "She's gone, still daydreaming?"

"What?" Wen Liang felt a sharp pain in his foot and realized Tan Xue had gotten off the bus. He had been deeply self-reproaching, having focused only on his physical training since being reborn and forgetting this major event. The main reason was that he had never met Tan Xue in his previous life. Although he had seen Tan Yu's pain, he couldn't empathize fully, and many details had been forgotten over the years. If not for seeing Tan Xue today, her appearance and uniform startlingly similar to the photo, he wouldn't have remembered that a young girl had lost her life during this summer.

Wen Liang stood up abruptly, pushed Xu Yao aside, and without a glance at her, quickly jumped off the bus, chasing after Tan Xue's figure. He didn't know when the incident would happen or what to say when he caught up, but a voice in his head kept warning him: Protect her!

Not just for her, but for Tan Yu!