Chapter 40: He Died—Three Days Ago
Gurgle, gurgle…
Nan Xun struggled a few times, but that strange force dragged her completely under the water, until even her head was fully submerged.
Her breathing grew labored, bubbles continuously spilling from her mouth.
She vaguely heard someone on the shore shouting—calling Bai Mo’s name.
Just as her consciousness was gradually slipping into chaos, she seemed to feel someone wrap an arm around her waist. A cold touch pressed against her lips, followed by life-saving air.
Instinctively, Nan Xun clung to the other person, greedily drawing in the oxygen he gave her.
She seemed to hear a helpless, gentle sigh—filled with boundless tolerance and indulgence—occupying the last shred of her awareness.
When Nan Xun woke up, she found herself lying in the arms of a strange man.
“She’s awake, she’s awake! Bai Mo, are you okay?” someone nearby asked anxiously.
Nan Xun shook her head and looked dazedly at the man holding her. “You… you saved me?”
He was very handsome. Hearing her question, he gave a slight nod and said with concern, “How do you feel now? I’m Bai Xiye, Bai Juyuan’s older brother. You fell into the water just now—you really gave everyone a fright.”
Nan Xun immediately looked toward the distant pond. “What about the little boy who fell into the water just now?”
Jiang Wenwen’s expression turned strange. “Boss Bai, what are you talking about? There wasn’t any little boy in that pond. I only saw you dash over like you were possessed and—splash—jump straight in.”
Nan Xun said blankly, “But I really did see a little boy fall in. I jumped in to save him.”
The surroundings fell silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Bai Xiye directly placed the back of his hand against her forehead and said worriedly, “Could it be heatstroke? Maybe you were seeing things.”
Nan Xun was escorted to a farmhouse room to rest. Everyone said she must have imagined it. Thinking it over herself, she wondered—had she really… just seen things?
The more she thought about it, the more frightened she felt. Her cheat, Little Eight, was still asleep right now. If something really happened to her during this time, it would be game over.
After sitting for a while, Nan Xun went to the kitchen to help.
Suddenly remembering something, she quickly asked Jiang Wenwen beside her, “It’s already this late—has Fu Yu still not arrived?”
Jiang Wenwen thought for a moment, then looked somewhat surprised. “You mean that weirdo?”
As soon as she said it, she covered her mouth and chuckled awkwardly. “My bad, I shouldn’t casually give people nicknames. But I really haven’t heard any news about that invisible man these past few years, so I don’t know how he’s been. And someone like him—even if the class monitor swallowed his pride and called him, he might not come.”
Nan Xun frowned slightly. She asked a few more people, only to find that none of them knew whether Fu Yu would be coming. Even the class monitor was surprised, saying that he hadn’t contacted Fu Yu at all. What’s more, he was also surprised that Nan Xun had come today.
“I thought another classmate had notified you,” the class monitor said. “I’ve tried asking around for a long time but couldn’t find any news about you. As for Fu Yu—”
He paused, a trace of envy flashing in his eyes. “You might not believe it, but Fu Yu, who used to be such a wimp back then, is now the big boss of Simo Group. I heard he started his business in his sophomore year. After graduation, he’s been running the company brilliantly.”
Everyone present couldn’t help clicking their tongues in amazement.
In their memories, Fu Yu had been like a freak—never talking to anyone, sitting alone in a corner, as if isolating himself from the entire world.
In fact, many people had privately suspected that Fu Yu might have severe autism. They said people like that were the most frightening and should never be provoked.
“Class monitor, since Fu Yu’s doing so well now, why didn’t you invite him to the reunion?” Jiang Wenwen asked hurriedly.
The class monitor laughed awkwardly. “Back in high school, I never gave him the time of day. Wouldn’t it be a bit strange to suddenly call him now?”
Someone beside them teased him, “Look at how timid you are now—there’s not a trace left of the class monitor’s old swagger.”
Everyone laughed and joked around. Nan Xun tugged at the corner of her lips, but she couldn’t bring herself to smile.
From that phone call earlier, she had gotten one thing for sure: Fu Yu would definitely come to the reunion. Yet so much time had passed, and there was still no sign of him.
What Nan Xun didn’t expect was that, instead of Fu Yu, the one who arrived was Qin Jia.
She came in a BMW, wearing a long black dress. Her makeup was light but exquisitely done.
Nan Xun felt grateful toward Qin Jia.
Back in high school, Nan Xun’s life had been difficult, so she often went to look for odd jobs nearby. But because she was underage, no one dared to hire her. In the end, it was this very girl who helped her, getting her work at places like cafés and Western restaurants, carrying trays.
Even just carrying trays, her “status” felt much higher.
She had heard that Qin Jia’s family was on good terms with Fu Yu’s family, and that the two households often interacted.
Qin Jia took off her sunglasses and swept her gaze around. When it finally landed on Nan Xun, her face filled with surprise.
“Bai Mo—you actually came too?” Qin Jia stared at her for a long time.
Nan Xun felt a bit unsettled under her gaze and explained, “I got a call from Fu Yu. He told me the address, so I came.”
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Qin Jia’s eyes widened sharply, a flash of fear passing through them.
But she didn’t say anything at that moment, because everyone else had already gathered around.
Counting Qin Jia, aside from Fu Yu, almost all of their high school classmates were present.
The farmhouse owner served up a table full of dishes, and everyone began eating, drinking, laughing, and chatting.
Qin Jia remained silent the whole time. It wasn’t until the meal ended that she suddenly pulled Nan Xun aside to chat.
“Bai Mo, we searched for you for a long time.”
She said we.
Before Qin Jia arrived, Nan Xun had already learned more or less about everyone’s current situation.
She had heard that Qin Jia and Fu Yu attended the same university in the city. The difference was that Fu Yu had been admitted as the top scorer in the entire province, while Qin Jia had been sent in after her family spent a lot of money.
“You left without a word back then—didn’t leave us any way to contact you at all. In a sea of people like this, where could we even look for you?” Qin Jia said flatly.
Nan Xun wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Qin Jia’s attitude toward her was strange—tinged with resentment.
But they had had no contact all these years. Where could that resentment have come from?
Qin Jia suddenly stared at her, her gaze carrying a chill. “Bai Mo, do you know?” she asked, then, without any warning, dropped a depth charge of a statement. “Fu Yu is dead.”
“He died in a car accident—three days ago,” she added coldly.
Nan Xun’s eyes flew wide open, feeling as if she had just heard some kind of joke.
Just the day before yesterday, Fu Yu had called her. They had chatted and laughed for a long time.
Could it be… someone was playing a prank?
