In that instant, it was as if Death itself had locked its gaze on her. A bone-chilling cold swept through her body, and her legs went so weak they felt like noodles—she couldn’t even stand steady. Her foot slipped, and she went tumbling down the entire flight of stairs, crashing and banging her way to the bottom, her head bloodied and her screams echoing through the air.
Jiang Tian didn’t spare her a second glance. Instead, he took Huang Ling’er by the hand and led her out of the club, making their way to the parking lot.
“Zhenming, I’m really sorry. I meant to see you off, but I didn’t expect all that to go down,” Jiang Tian said, shaking Chen Zhenming’s hand with an apologetic look.
“Come on, we’re brothers. No need for that.”
Chen Zhenming smiled, then turned serious as he looked Jiang Tian in the eye. “Jiang Tian, thank you. You’ve taken me to heights I never even dared to dream of.”
“Don’t tell me not to be polite, and then turn around and be polite yourself! That’s all your own ability,” Jiang Tian said, clapping him on the shoulder. “But I’m sorry—I won’t be able to see you off at the airport.”
“Take care of your friend first! She looks pretty shaken up.”
Chen Zhenming glanced at Huang Ling’er, then suddenly broke into a smug grin. “And besides, don’t flatter yourself—I don’t want you to see me off anyway! Jiang Lin said yes to me, so she’s taking me. Don’t you dare crash our quality time!”
“What are you talking about! There’s no ‘quality time’!”
Behind him, Jiang Lin’s face flushed a deep crimson as she gave Chen Zhenming a sharp pinch, but there was no mistaking the tender affection shimmering in her eyes—she looked absolutely content.
“When it comes to ditching your bros for a girl, I gotta hand it to you,” Jiang Tian said, giving him a thumbs up.
“Take care, brother.”
“We’ll work together again when we get the chance! And hey, wish you two a baby soon!”
“You’ve got a real smart mouth, you know that?”
Chen Zhenming gave Jiang Tian one last firm hug before taking Jiang Lin’s hand, the two of them walking off in their own little world, whispering and laughing together.
Watching them chatter away, a wave of contentment washed over Jiang Tian.
This… this is really nice.
“Don’t work here anymore,” Jiang Tian said flatly, turning to Huang Ling’er as she opened the car door.
“Huh…” Huang Ling’er blinked in confusion.
“I’m Ye Ziwei, president of the Medicine King Group. Report to HR tomorrow,” Ye Ziwei said, handing over a business card with a warm smile.
“I’m starting at the Medicine King Group tomorrow…”
Huang Ling’er was stunned for a moment, then broke into a joyful cheer. “Wow, so you’re Ye Ziwei! My dad’s told me about you—I’ve always admired you! No wonder you looked so familiar! I’ve watched that product launch of yours so many times!”
“Get in, I’ll take you home,” Jiang Tian said with a slight smile.
“I came to your city, walked the road you once walked, imagining how lonely you must have been without me…”
From the campus speakers drifted Eason Chan’s “Long Time No See.” The soft, melancholic melody and heartfelt vocals seemed especially moving under the night sky.
In front of the library of Jinling Pharmaceutical University, two elegant figures appeared, drawing the attention of many male students.
…
Thump.
Another guy walked straight into a tree.
“So this is the school Jiang Tian went to?”
One of them, around twenty-five or twenty-six, was slim and graceful. She wore a white trench coat, black silk casual pants, and black high heels. Her jet-black hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall. Her skin was fair, her features delicate, and her bright, clear eyes were fixed on the library building. Her aura was serene and otherworldly.
“Sis, you came all the way to Jinling without telling your husband, and without anyone to pick you up. My legs are killing me from all this walking!”
The other girl had similar features but looked two or three years younger. She wore a red hoodie with a cartoon monkey print, low-rise jeans, and canvas sneakers—like a fresh college graduate. Her figure was curvaceous, and her lively eyes sparkled with energy as she glanced around.
“I wanted to surprise him. Besides, I wanted to see the school your brother-in-law went to…”
Zhao Xueqing smiled sweetly.
“What’s there to see? Not a single handsome guy around!”
Zhao Qianru pouted, then said with a hint of dismay, “And compared to all these young college students, I feel so old!”
Zhao Xueqing couldn’t be bothered with her little complaints. She stopped a passing male student and asked, “Excuse me, could you tell me where the Sunshine Lab is?”
“Oh, it’s, uh, in the administration building of the Traditional Chinese Medicine College…”
Being asked for directions by such a stunning beauty, the student was flustered and even stammered a little. He quickly added, “I’m free right now—I can take you there.”
“That would be very kind of you.”
Zhao Xueqing gave a polite nod, and the student was completely smitten.
“No trouble at all! No trouble!”
“Are you here for a job interview, or for an academic exchange…”
The young man eagerly led the way, chattering enthusiastically. “This lab is really something special. It produced a Nobel Prize winner in Medicine. Basically, all of China’s top talents in pharmacology, biochemistry, and physics have been recruited here…”
“Is that so?”
Zhao Xueqing smiled with quiet satisfaction, even feeling a hint of pride.
It seems Jiang Tian has really been doing well over these past six months.
“Of course,” the student said proudly. “With just this one lab, our school’s pharmacology program is now ranked number one among all medical schools in China. Even schools like Tsinghua and Peking are far behind!”
Soon, they arrived at the administration building of the Traditional Chinese Medicine College—the home of the Sunshine Lab.
Zhao Xueqing looked up at the brightly lit laboratory, a sweet smile curving at the corners of her mouth.
The student continued, “The Medicine King Group made a huge comeback thanks to a few new drugs developed in this lab. Their market value has soared to a hundred billion now. It’s incredible…”
“Do you know anything about the founder of this lab?” Zhao Xueqing asked with a charming smile.
“If I didn’t know that, I wouldn’t even deserve to be at this school!”
The student chuckled. “Professor Jiang Tian! He’s actually my senior alumnus. He used to teach here for half a year too—his academic level was off the charts. All the professors and academic leaders respected him completely.”
He shook his head with a hint of regret. “Too bad he’s no longer teaching. Otherwise, I’d definitely apply to be his PhD student!”
With a look of admiration, he added, “I heard Professor Jiang used to be a total slacker back in the day. He studied at the Rende College—a second-tier school—and skipped class all the time, failing exams left and right. But then he taught himself and became our visiting professor. I was so inspired by his story that I worked my butt off and got into Professor Huang Zhihui’s graduate program!”
“I don’t have the qualifications to join the lab yet—they only take PhD students… but I’ll make it in someday!”
With that, he pumped his fist in determination. “Once I’m in the lab, I might even get to meet Professor Jiang Tian!”
“Look there, look there—that’s the dorm building where Professor Jiang Tian used to live…”
The student pointed to a building on the left. “Fourth floor, third room from the left. The school has preserved it as a historical site now—lots of people visit every day.”
“So that’s where he lived… Could you take me up to see it?”
A faint, gentle smile played on Zhao Xueqing’s lips.
“No problem! The room’s still open right now…”
Taking the two women for devoted fans of Professor Jiang Tian, the student eagerly led them upstairs.
A plaque hung at the door: “Professor Jiang Tian’s Former Residence.”
“This is the bed Professor Jiang Tian used to sleep in!”
They entered, and the student pointed to one of the bunks. “Take your time looking around—I need to head back to my dorm now!”
The room had a few symbolic everyday items on display, but not much of a lived-in feel. On the display stand, several framed photos showed enlarged pictures from Jiang Tian’s college days—some from club activities, some from the basketball court, some casual shots. Most were group photos, likely collected from alumni who had been in the same year as him.
“Your husband looked so gloomy back then! And that intense look in his eyes… plus that afro—I can hardly believe it…”
Zhao Qianru covered her mouth and giggled.
Back then, Jiang Tian had grown up without much parental presence or guidance. He was rebellious and defiant, not exactly likable, and of course, he was the family’s black sheep. Even at school, he wasn’t popular—no one thought much of him. In those photos, he was often pushed to the margins, lost in the crowd. He seemed aware of that distance between himself and others, staring at the camera with a stubborn, lonely gaze, like a wary little animal bracing for attack.
“Back then, he must have been constantly suppressed within the family too… It’s a shame I didn’t meet him earlier, didn’t get to be there for him…”
Zhao Xueqing smiled softly, her gentle gaze sweeping across the photos.
“Hey, but this one girl shows up a lot…”
Zhao Qianru suddenly pointed at a photo of a cute girl with her hair in a bun. “She wouldn’t have been your husband’s girlfriend back then, would she?”
In the photo, Huang Ling’er looked young and innocent, her arm linked through Jiang Tian’s, her head resting on his shoulder, smiling sweetly at the camera with a touch of shyness.
“Could be.”
Zhao Xueqing reached out a slender finger, gently tracing the image of Huang Ling’er in the photo. “Your husband was quite popular with the girls when he was young. Hello there, little sister—long time no see…”
Under the light, her fair, flawless hand seemed almost translucent—except for her fingertips, which were raw and bloody, marked with scars.
“Sis, aren’t you at all worried…”
Zhao Qianru rolled her eyes at her sister and frowned. “For all we know, that little vixen might have slept with my brother-in-law…”
“You silly girl, talking like that—what kind of lady are you? Careful, or no one will marry you…”
Zhao Xueqing shot her a glare, then gently touched Huang Ling’er’s face in the photo, smiling. “I should be thanking her. She was there for Jiang Tian when he was lonely and had no one. I’m the one who came later, aren’t I…”
“Sis, you’re way too laid-back about this!” Zhao Qianru was at a loss for words.
“Ouch! That hurts!” Suddenly, Zhao Xueqing winced in pain.
“Sis, are your fingers hurting again?”
Zhao Qianru quickly pulled out some ointment and started applying it to her sister’s fingers, her voice filled with concern. “You’re always fiddling with that White Ape Bone Zither back in Linzhou, and your fingers are all worn raw. When my brother-in-law sees this, he’s going to be heartbroken!”
“Your brother-in-law said that if I could play the White Ape Bone Zither, it would mean I could finally use my cultivation again,” Zhao Xueqing said gently. “He went through so much trouble to build that Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array. I can’t let him down. I have to become a woman who can stand beside him as an equal—not some fragile flower sheltered in a greenhouse under his protection.”
“Alright, let’s go check out the classrooms now—see where your brother-in-law used to have classes…”
Zhao Qianru thought to herself that her sister was truly, hopelessly in love with her husband. She took her sister’s hand and led her out the door.
Little did the two women know that Jiang Tian and Huang Ling’er had also just returned to the Pharmaceutical University.
Would they greet each other with a simple “long time no see”? Or would it be like two worlds colliding?
