Hearing this, Sun Lingyun’s face lit up with joy. He patted Nie Mingyuan on the shoulder and said approvingly, “Mingyuan, it’s rare that you can stay so calm in a crisis and come up with such a brilliant plan that kills two birds with one stone!”
Nie Changhai, meanwhile, had regained his old ruthless composure. The pain of losing his son had completely transformed into overwhelming killing intent. He said in a low, deep voice:
“Hmph, no matter how powerful Jiang Tian is, he’s just an expert in the mundane world. How could he possibly compare to the lofty masters of Wudang?”
Thinking of how his son had died so horribly, the muscles in Nie Changhai’s cheeks twitched and contorted. He gritted his teeth and said icily:
“Once Senior Li and my sister return, I will definitely tear that bastard Jiang Tian limb from limb and grind him into meat paste!”
…
Huang Ling’er kept her eyes closed the whole time. If she had opened them, the bloody, brutal scene probably would have scared her into fainting.
But she heard the intense gunfire. She heard the sounds of fighting and screaming. She smelled the stinging, nauseating smell of blood. She couldn’t see anything, but she knew that Jiang Tian had faced down the guns for her, fought off seven or eight thugs all by himself, and struggled through a bloody battle.
“Gods and Buddhas, please protect Jiang Tian. Don’t let him get hurt. Don’t let him be killed…”
“I’d rather die in his place. Please, heaven, don’t let anything happen to Jiang Tian…”
She trembled nonstop, praying devoutly in her heart. Her beautiful face was completely covered in tears, and they never seemed to dry.
When Jiang Tian finally picked her up, she felt the warmth of his embrace and his clean, pleasant scent. Only then did she finally relax.
She knew then that Jiang Tian was okay, and that she was safe too.
But at that moment, exhausted from not eating or drinking all day, and after being beaten and terrified multiple times, her mind finally let go, and she passed out.
…
When Huang Ling’er woke up again, she felt moisture in her mouth and a warmth spreading through her body, as if Jiang Tian had fed her something.
She focused her eyes and saw Jiang Tian’s face right in front of her, incredibly close.
She was lying on a bench in the garden behind the medical university library, her head resting on Jiang Tian’s lap, with his jacket draped over her.
In that instant, it felt like the whole world had frozen still.
The sky was full of stars, the deep blue vast and infinite. The rustling leaves were motionless. Even the breeze that passed between them, even the warm yellow glow from the streetlights, seemed to have solidified.
Jiang Tian had his eyes closed, resting, as if he were asleep.
“Freeze… stay like this… I wish time would stop forever at this moment…”
Huang Ling’er murmured softly. Her cheeks slowly turned red, and she gazed at Jiang Tian’s handsome, clean-featured face with dreamy, intoxicated eyes.
This was… back in those days, that face she could never kiss enough or look at enough.
“You’re awake?”
But Jiang Tian woke up anyway. He smiled slightly, and in Huang Ling’er’s eyes, his eyes turned into beautiful crescent moons.
“Yeah. Jiang Tian, are you… okay?” she asked reluctantly, sitting up and straightening herself.
“I’m fine.”
“Did you… kill someone?”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve already contacted the police. And since Nie Feng committed premeditated murder and kidnapping, this counts as self-defense.”
Jiang Tian’s expression was very calm.
He had already called Yu Qiang, who immediately and eagerly assured him that he would report it to his father and that they would handle everything.
Yu Qiang also let slip that the provincial department and the authorities were extremely unhappy with the Xu, Nie, Chen, and Sun families for disrupting market order and engaging in criminal activities.
The authorities and Secretary Yu wanted to cooperate with Jiang Tian and use this as an opportunity to eliminate these rotten apples together.
Huang Ling’er remembered how Jiang Tian could walk through walls, and how today he had withstood gunfire to fight his way out and rescue her. She knew he wasn’t an ordinary person and probably had ways to protect himself, so she finally felt at ease.
“Jiang Tian, what exactly happened to you all these years?” After hesitating for a moment, she asked softly.
“Nothing much. It’s all in the past. Anyway, the important thing is that you’re safe. It’s already two in the morning. Your dad must be worried sick. I’ll take you home…”
Jiang Tian sent a text message to Huang Zhihui, then stood up and started walking toward the family housing complex.
“Jiang Tian, don’t go!”
Suddenly, Huang Ling’er stood up, ran up behind him, and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly.
She held on with all her strength, as if trying to embed herself into his body. She pressed her cheek against his back and breathed in his familiar scent greedily, almost drunkenly.
Feeling the soft warmth against his back, Jiang Tian’s body stiffened. After a moment’s hesitation, he said softly, “Ling’er, let’s go back…”
Huang Ling’er’s heart was so full of tenderness and love that her emotions burst like a broken dam. She couldn’t hold back anymore.
With a tearful voice, she said, “Jiang Tian, let’s start over. All these years, I’ve never forgotten you! I never thought you’d come back, but the moment I saw you again, I knew—in this life, my heart and my soul can only belong to you. Forever.”
As she spoke, Huang Ling’er started crying. Her voice trembling, she said, “I know I wasn’t good enough back then. I wasn’t mature enough. But now I’ve grown up. I’m willing to take care of you, to be with you. Even if it’s just as your contract lover like before, I’d do it willingly!”
Jiang Tian remained silent for a long time, not moving a muscle. His face was filled with bitterness, and a mournful sigh echoed in his heart.
Fate really played tricks on people.
Only after loving someone do you understand how deep the feelings go. Back then, he had been young and clueless, letting this lovely girl slip away, cruelly abandoning her.
But now that he had finally woken up, he already had Qing’er. How could he have a foot in two boats?
When he met her again, he had only wanted to help her repair her emotional wounds and get rid of the demon in her heart.
He had known all along that it would be hard to keep the right distance. A small misstep could easily awaken her suppressed feelings. Jiang Tian had been careful, keeping his distance, but the silly girl still couldn’t control herself.
“Your dad must have told you. I actually have someone I love. Her name is Zhao Xueqing. She’s very good to me, and our relationship is also very good…”
Jiang Tian started to speak, then realized how dry and rough his voice sounded.
“Don’t say it! Please, don’t say it anymore…”
Huang Ling’er’s face instantly turned as pale as paper. She tried to hide her pain, but she couldn’t.
Her body trembled, but she still wouldn’t let go of Jiang Tian’s waist. Her tears had already soaked his shoulder.
Then, suddenly, two blushes appeared on her cheeks. With infinite tenderness, she whispered, “Jiang Tian, I was your lover before. Like I just said, I can be your secret lover. I don’t need any title. I won’t get jealous. I won’t bother your girlfriend. I just want a tiny corner in your heart. When you’re bored or tired, come see me. Let me keep you company, take care of you. That would be enough for me.”
“Ling’er, forget about me. I’ve already caused you so much pain.”
Jiang Tian gently pulled her hands away and slowly turned around.
The starlight fell on her stunningly beautiful face, making it look even more ethereal. Her face, glistening with tears, was full of pleading and resentment. Her clear, bright eyes were veiled in a mist of sorrow, heartbreakingly beautiful.
“No! I don’t want to forget!”
Huang Ling’er looked at Jiang Tian with unwavering determination. Stubbornly, she said, “Those pains were like grains of sand in an oyster’s flesh. Over time, they’ve turned into shining pearls. They are my most precious treasures in this life!”
“But I can’t betray my girlfriend. I really can’t do it…” Jiang Tian shook his head and sighed.
“Then we just won’t tell her! We won’t bother her!”
Huang Ling’er couldn’t hold on any longer. She started crying helplessly again. “She won’t know I exist. It won’t hurt her!”
She looked at Jiang Tian with pleading eyes. “I just want to share a tiny bit of your feelings. Just a little! Please, Jiang Tian, don’t abandon me!”
“Ling’er, even if she doesn’t know, I can’t get past that hurdle in my own heart.” Jiang Tian let out a long, deep sigh.
“If you don’t want me, I’ll be so miserable I might die…”
Huang Ling’er’s heart felt like it was being cut with a knife. Her body went weak, her eyes filled with despair. She could barely stand.
“Ling’er, actually, there is one way.”
Jiang Tian’s eyes grew moist. He smiled a stiff, bitter smile. “You know I’m not an ordinary person. I can ‘delete’ all your memories of me. Forgetting me would be a blessing for you.”
“Jiang Tian, don’t do this!”
Huang Ling’er’s face suddenly turned deathly pale with terror. She stumbled backward, shaking her head desperately as tears streamed down her face. She begged pitifully:
“I can accept not being with you. I won’t bother you. But please, don’t delete my memories. Loving you is my life’s treasure! Why are you so cruel? Won’t you even leave me a single memory? You’re so heartless—”
“Ling’er, I’m doing this for your own good. The wounds in your heart have already healed. You will have a new life.”
Jiang Tian stepped forward and gently took her wrist. His eyes were full of tenderness and pity, soft and affectionate as he said:
“Forget about me. Then, be brave. Fall in love. Start a family. Have a few kids. Live happily…”
“No!”
“Please! Don’t do this!”
“I love you! Please don’t make me forget you!”
“You don’t belong to me, but at least these memories belong to me! What right do you have to delete them!”
Huang Ling’er screamed and cried and begged, struggling weakly, her little fists pounding helplessly against Jiang Tian’s chest.
“You’re so cruel…”
“Don’t! You bastard! I hate you!”
Her tears fell like rain, scattering onto the grass like morning dew—crystal clear, flawless.
“Ling’er, I’m sorry. Forgive me…”
Jiang Tian pulled her into his arms.
Across ten thousand years, across hundreds of millions of light-years, this was the first—and would be the last—embrace he shared with her.
Then, Jiang Tian’s fingers moved.
Right by her ear, snap! He snapped his fingers.
Snap!
In an instant, the unwillingness, the grievance, the quiet resentment in Huang Ling’er’s eyes all dimmed and went blank. In her pupils, countless images rewound and dissolved into nothing…
Finally, her body went stiff, and she stopped struggling. Like a well-behaved little kitten, she curled up in his arms and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
On the campus in the early morning hours, it was completely quiet.
The warm yellow streetlight enveloped the young man and woman, making their hair shimmer with a faint white glow, as if they had both aged to white hair in an instant.
Suddenly, Jiang Tian felt something hot on his face. He raised his hand to touch it. Somehow, without even realizing it, his face was already covered in tears.
