Lin Mufan had never expected that on her very first day back in Dongchuan, she would run into Zhou Jiuxi.
At the time, she was wandering through the New Year’s market with little Rose.
Someone suddenly bumped into her from behind. As Lin Mufan turned around, sunlight seemed to flash across a certain spot like a spotlight.
They were standing in front of a stall selling New Year paintings and Spring Festival couplets. Zhou Jiuxi’s cousin, Zhou Xia, was enthusiastically picking out two large Chinese knot decorations. She was torn between a “Fu” character decoration and paper-cut window decals.
“Second Brother! Help me choose! The moment Sister Zhizhi isn’t around, you start sneaking off to play on your phone, huh?”
The man wore a long overcoat that reached his calves. Leaning lazily against the table, he was surrounded by bright red New Year decorations, his black cashmere coat standing out among them.
Hearing her, he cast a lazy glance her way.
“Just buy them all.”
His voice cut through the noisy crowd like clusters of icy shards.
The sound struck Lin Mufan’s ears.
And made her legs tremble.
That year, beneath a curtain of misty rain, it had been this same deep, magnetic voice that warned her with bloodshot eyes:
“Get out of Dongchuan. Don’t ever let me see you again for the rest of your life. Otherwise, I’ll really kill you.”
Lin Mufan had left.
And stayed away for three years.
Compared to the hardships and struggles she had endured during those years, Zhou Jiuxi remained as dazzling as ever. Time seemed especially kind to the sons of wealthy families, blessing him with an exceptional appearance and physique, a prestigious family background, and a proud, untamable temperament capable of shaking heaven and earth.
There truly was no reason for them to meet again.
That brief marriage had ended in an ugly, humiliating divorce.
Lin Mufan withdrew her gaze, bent down, and carefully adjusted Rose’s hat and mask. Then she picked the child up and disappeared into the crowd of shoppers preparing for the New Year.
Behind her, Zhou Xia’s cheerful voice drifted over.
“Sister Zhizhi, over here! Come keep my second brother in line he’s been playing on his phone the whole time!”
Yi Zhizhi and Zhou Jiuxi had been childhood sweethearts. Zhou Jiuxi’s mother had always regarded her as the ideal daughter-in-law.
Unfortunately, Lin Mufan had appeared halfway through and disrupted those plans.
Back then, the check Mrs. Zhou had handed Lin Mufan had certainly reflected the extravagance of a wealthy matriarch.
Zhou Xia handed Yi Zhizhi a pack of window decals and a pack of “Fu” decorations.
“Help me choose one.”
Smiling softly, Yi Zhizhi said affectionately,
“Why don’t you help Xiaxia choose? It’s rare to catch you at home.”
For some reason, Zhou Jiuxi’s gaze drifted elsewhere. He froze for two seconds, and then his eyes gradually darkened.
Following the direction of his gaze, Yi Zhizhi looked over as well.
The street was crowded and bustling. Ninety percent of the people wore black down jackets. The occasional bright color belonged mostly to young women and children.
Nothing remarkable at all.
“What are you looking at?” Yi Zhizhi laughed. “Craving hawthorn cake?”
Zhou Xia pouted.
“He doesn’t eat snacks.”
Zhou Jiuxi lowered his eyes, concealing the darkness within them. A mocking curve slowly appeared at the corner of his lips.
“Done shopping yet? If so, let’s go.”
“You didn’t even help me choose!”
“The one on the left.”
His patience was clearly running thin.
“I’ve got something to do. I’m leaving first.”
With that, he strode away.
Zhou Xia stared blankly at the empty space to her left.
After a moment of silence, Yi Zhizhi said,
“I don’t know if I was mistaken, but I think… I saw Lin Mufan.”
Zhou Xia’s eyes widened in shock.
“Where? Where?”
Yi Zhizhi paused before smiling and shaking her head.
“I didn’t see her clearly. It’s just that the down jacket she was wearing looked exactly like the one she had on when she left the Zhou family.”
But how could anyone identify someone based on a single coat?
Besides, it had already been three years.
She had a brighter future ahead of her now.
Why would she still be wearing a three-year-old jacket?
Lin Mufan took little Rose to the bank.
The little girl was chubby and adorable, and carrying her all the way there had been exhausting. Lin Mufan set her down inside the ATM vestibule while she withdrew some cash to keep on hand.
Rose was at that age when curiosity was overflowing.
Clinging to Lin Mufan’s leg, she hummed and whined playfully, insisting on inserting the bank card herself and pressing the PIN buttons.
Lin Mufan had taken Rose to withdraw money before, and the little girl had remembered the process after just one try.
Holding her with one arm was already tiring. Lin Mufan had to use her other hand to guide Rose’s fingers on the keypad. The little girl suddenly wriggled, and one digit of the password was entered incorrectly.
The bank card was swallowed by the machine.
Lin Mufan called the customer service number posted beside the ATM. They told her to bring her ID card to the counter to retrieve it.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, the bank was packed with customers. Every row of seats in the waiting area was occupied.
Lin Mufan handed her ID card to the lobby manager, who told her to wait for a moment.
Children couldn’t sit still for long. She led Rose over to a potted plant nearby and pointed at it.
“That’s called a money tree.”
A hesitant voice filled with curiosity called out to her.
“Lin Mufan?”
She turned around.
The woman paused, then broke into a delighted smile after recognizing her.
“I knew I wasn’t mistaken it really is you!”
“Where have you been?” she exclaimed, lightly punching her shoulder. “Didn’t you say you’d invite us to your wedding? You invited everyone and then completely disappeared!”
Lin Mufan’s throat felt dry.
“Yan Yue…”
“Oh, enough, enough, I don’t want to hear it,” Yan Yue interrupted. She had always been impatient. “Are you done here? Come to my house… Wait, is this your daughter?”
Lin Mufan nodded and told Rose to greet her.
Yan Yue wiped away tears gathering in her eyes.
“Come to my house. My daughter is about the same age. Let them meet each other.”
Just then, the manager returned with Lin Mufan’s bank card.
Without waiting for an answer, Yan Yue scooped Rose into her arms, wearing an expression that clearly said she wouldn’t accept any objections.
Helpless, Lin Mufan said,
“Then let me withdraw some cash first.”
“Go ahead,” Yan Yue replied. “That white Volkswagen outside is mine. Baby must be bored, right? Auntie has toys in the car. Let’s go play.”
Lin Mufan didn’t even have time to refuse.
After watching them get into the white Volkswagen, Lin Mufan went to an ATM in the lobby and withdrew some cash.
After thinking for a moment, she withdrew another two thousand yuan as a gift for Yan Yue’s daughter.
There was very little money left in her account.
She comforted herself. Several payments for merchandise would arrive soon, and there were still a few orders waiting for her to complete.
Things hadn’t reached the point of desperation yet.
But just as she was about to step away, she abruptly stopped.
She moved behind the ATM, turning sideways to hide herself.
The lobby manager hurried forward to greet someone.
“Young Master Zhou, you’ve arrived.”
“Mhm.”
The man’s expression didn’t change. Taking the stairs three at a time, he carried himself with a relaxed, effortless ease.
“My grandfather asked me to pick something up…”
The manager quickly explained,
“We’ve exchanged one hundred thousand yuan into smaller bills. He said it’s for New Year’s red envelopes for the children in the family. Everything is ready. We thought the house steward would be coming.”
Zhou Jiuxi replied lazily,
“I was passing by anyway.”
Separated by the ATM and the gently swaying leaves of the money tree, Lin Mufan caught only a brief glimpse of his back through a gap before looking away.
Suddenly, a sentence from her memories surfaced without warning.
“Lin Mufan, do you see me bending down? It means I want to carry you on my back. Why aren’t you jumping on already?”
The memory struck her so hard that she froze.
Like a moth flying into a flame.
Seeking its own destruction.
But Zhou Jiuxi had been the moth.
And she had been the fire.
He had thrown himself into her flames. And ended up shattered beyond repair.
That was why Lin Mufan couldn’t see him.
Because she was afraid…
Afraid that Zhou Jiuxi might really kill her.