Chapter 1: The Chiming Bell

In April in Qingcheng, the wind and rain were imminent. Outside the window, the greenery was withering, and a thin layer of mist floated in the air.

In the elective class, the old professor who lectured on the history of French literature had a hoarse voice, and the atmosphere of the Monday evening class was dull and depressed. Ji Zhen Tang was nodding off, supporting her cheek with her hand.

Whenever it was rainy and gloomy, she would dream of her childhood.

At that time, she hadn’t started studying yet, accompanying her mother Qin Meilan as a maid in the Chen Mansion, which was wealthy and influential in Singapore.

The climate in the Nanyang region was hot and humid all year round. She would be awakened from her nap by the chirping of crickets, seeing the slender palm trees through the delicate curtains, with tropical plants emitting heat rustling in the breeze, and the lush banana leaves beside her ears.

Her mother was wiping the table and washing dishes on the side, while Ji Zhen Tang lay in front of the oval transparent tank, boredly watching the colorful tropical fish swimming around inside. One male and one female, with their beautiful red tails stretched out, chasing, entwining, mating, and dispersing.

Qin Meilan came over and carried away her fish tank.

“Don’t play around, Ah Zhen. Today, you have to accompany madam to Qingcheng to pack your school bag.”

She exclaimed with surprise, “Are we going back to the country? Will I see dad?”

Qin Meilan patted her on the head, “See what dad? You’re accompanying madam.”

She dared not complain and picked up her grass-green backpack dejectedly.

In the first-class cabin, it was magnificent. She swung her legs leisurely, casually watching the exquisite light bulbs above her head. The mixed sounds of Cantonese and Hakka from the deck outside created a somewhat chaotic atmosphere, and in front of her, a graceful beauty emerged.

Ji Zhen Tang liked to secretly watch her.

The delicate and elegant Madam Chen, dressed in a dignified apricot white attire, her black hair pinned up, adorned with shiny pearls, holding a handkerchief against her lips lightly, even her coughs were graceful, while a group of servants busied themselves around her.

She liked to call her Jane.

“Jane, such a special little backpack.”

She was praised! She happily touched her little backpack.

“Jane, this hairpin suits you very well.”

She touched her own fluffy head, with a happy and shy smile on her face.

“Jane, you’re so adorable, could you get me a glass of water? Thank you.”

She nodded obediently, “Sure.”

With the wind blowing and rain falling diagonally over the sea, the harbor lights were dim. Ji Zhen Tang carried the glass, looking at the gently swaying water surface, and approached the woman who was smiling gently at her. As Mrs. Chen reached out to take her water glass, in the moment of approaching, the chandelier above suddenly “bang!” burst.

A gunshot, chaos ensued.

The water glass fell heavily to the ground, rolling far away with a rumbling sound.

The cabin plunged into darkness, screams echoing. The deck began to shake violently.

Ji Zhen Tang slipped underfoot and in an instant tumbled into the waves.

“Madam! Mom!” she struggled to shout.

Her mother’s voice came from beside her—

“Ah Zhen! Quickly swim to shore!”

“Bang!”

Another gunshot behind her.

She floated on the water’s surface, struggling to breathe, and when she glanced down, she saw thick blood floating in the ocean. Sobbing, she had to continue swimming with all her might.

“Ah Zhen, swim back! Don’t look back!”

Huffing, puffing.

Rumble, rumble.

In the throes of death, she tried to grab onto a lifesaving piece of driftwood, but in the briny water, all she could tightly grasp was a hairpin.

The hairpin was adorned with two pieces of moon-white begonia, her final memory.

…

With a muffled “thud,” after her toe bumped against the leg of the table in front of her, Ji Zhen Tang suddenly woke up.

“Are you okay?”

A French foreign teacher with a head of gray hair was bowing worriedly, looking at her situation, patting her shoulder, and asking again in rough Chinese, “Are you okay?”

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Ji Zhen Tang looked around. She pursed her dry lips and said, “Sorry, I had a nightmare.”

The professor said, “Relax.”

She forced a smile, “Thank you.”

The crimson sea and the faint lighthouse gradually disappeared from her retina, replaced by the erotic scenes from the movie “Lover.” One of the girls in the back row exclaimed, “The actor’s butt looks so elastic!”

Someone stifled a laugh.

It couldn’t be contained and burst out with a snicker.

From the back to the front, laughter spread layer by layer.

The tense atmosphere in the classroom gradually eased.

Phew—

Rubbing her cold face, Ji Zhen Tang slowly woke up.

In just a short minute, she completely forgot about the turbulent dream she had just had, only lightly pressing her throbbing temples, feeling a bit weak in her limbs.

The headache was unbearable; what kind of dream did she have?

She couldn’t remember.

The movie continued, with the voice of a French girl reciting lines in her ears. At the same time, someone behind her poked her.

“Xiao Tang, look at your phone.”

Ji Zhen Tang turned back in confusion to see Lin Guixue’s serious expression. Lin Guixue pointed to the phone screen and signaled to her. Ji Zhen Tang opened the message and saw the link sent by the other party.

Title: Let’s bet, guess how long this one will last?

Clicking into the page, the first post’s image slowly loaded, showing a photo taken yesterday of her and Zhong Heng in the bookstore.

In the photo, Ji Zhen Tang was selecting academic books among the bookshelves, while Zhong Heng leaned against the bookstore door, watching her listlessly. His eyes, as if capable of speaking sweet words, were drooping with weariness, patiently waiting for her even though she had been flipping through books for a long time. He followed her everywhere.

It was rumored that this young master was arrogant and charming, but he showed unusually patience only with this girlfriend.

Comment 1: The indulgent look in the young master’s eyes, could he really be falling in love?

2: It’s just the honeymoon phase, I bet three months.

3: Maybe the time they spend not dating isn’t as long as the time he spent pursuing her? I heard it took him almost half a year to win her over.

4: With the looks of the campus belle, even if it took half a year to pursue her, it’s still worth it for him.

5: Handsome is fake, and so are the flowers. My friend was treated so badly by him that she almost died:)

6: It’s just that his relationship turnover rate is a bit short, what’s wrong with that if he didn’t cheat?

…

Good-looking men and women always attract attention, and the post quickly became popular. Ji Zhen Tang didn’t scroll down to read further; she forwarded the post to Zhong Heng without saying anything.

In less than three minutes.

Zhong Heng sent a message: Deleted.

Ji Zhen Tang checked it, and the page displayed: 404 not found.

Zhong Heng asked again, “What time does class end?”

Ji Zhen Tang replied, “Just a few more minutes.”

Zhong Heng said, “I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

Ji Zhen Tang asked, “You’re here?”

Zhong Heng replied, “Open the curtains.”

Ji Zhen Tang reached out and pulled the curtains slightly, and sure enough, she saw a black SUV parked downstairs.

A handsome young man leaned back lazily in the seat, holding the back of his head, wearing a dark green patched jacket with the sleeves pushed up, revealing a dazzling limited edition brand-name watch. His eyes were faint, with a natural air of insolence, and he was gazing slightly upwards towards her window.

Ji Zhen Tang glanced down for a moment, and Zhong Heng raised an eyebrow.

His greeting was so simple that a face capable of making scoundrels tremble was sufficient; too much technique would diminish his charm.

Soon the bell rang for the end of class, and the crowd poured out of the classroom. When Ji Zhen Tang walked out, Zhong Heng’s car had already pulled up to the square outside Teaching Building Five. She was afraid of attracting too much attention, so she quickly got into the car and closed the door, saying, “Let’s go.”

Although there were many people around, Zhong Heng didn’t rush to drive off. He asked her, “What class did you have?”

Ji Zhen Tang replied, “French.”

“Why are you learning French?” he asked, looking at her sideways.

She frowned slightly, looking at him with a reproachful gaze, a hint of annoyance adorning her face.

“I’ve told you hundreds of times, it’s an elective,” she said.

Only then did Zhong Heng recall the reason she chose French was because her grandfather was French.

In fact, she had never met her deceased grandfather or been to France.

He smiled at the thought, feeling that French suited her temperament quite well.

Ji Zhen Tang always dressed casually, loosely tying her black hair behind her head with a hair tie, the natural bun accentuating her round and pretty face. She probably didn’t wear much makeup, but her lips were vibrant. Her eyes were like leaves, with the corners tilted upwards, like a fox, both charming and bright.

The French heritage bestowed upon her gave her already exquisite face a sense of modern retro elegance, like a lady from old magazine covers. High cheekbones, deep eye sockets, when she was angry, two folds would appear between her eyebrows, but they would smooth out after a while.

Seeing this face, Zhong Heng couldn’t help but feel better: “What day is it today?”

“It’s your birthday,” she said.

“Did you wish me a happy birthday?” he asked.

“I did on WeChat,” Ji Zhen Tang replied, thinking it wasn’t a big deal. Seeing Zhong Heng’s expectant face, she added, “Alright, happy birthday.”

He chuckled and teased her, “That was so perfunctory.”

Ji Zhen Tang remained silent as if nothing had happened, too lazy to coddle such a pretentious man.

Zhong Heng studied medicine and was a master’s student.

Qingcheng Medical College was located in the affiliated hospital, somewhat remote, so every time he came to the main campus, he had to drive his eye-catching car.

As the car drove out of the school, it got stuck by the lakeside outside, moving slowly with intermittent stops.

Ji Zhen Tang asked him, “Are your family coming for dinner today?”

“Just a part of it.” Hearing her question, Zhong Heng glanced over, “Nervous?”

“Not really,” she replied.

Zhong Heng said, “My family is generally easygoing, except for my stepmother. She’s quite harsh, but you don’t need to be afraid. If she scolds you, just scold her back.”

Ji Zhen Tang chuckled incredulously, “Scold her? I still have some manners left.”

“Don’t give her face,” Zhong Heng said lightly, unable to hide his displeasure. “She’s just a mistress.”

She fell silent, watching his cold smile, sensing a sharp resentment on his face, and beneath his indifferent demeanor, she perceived disdain.

Ji Zhen Tang shifted her gaze to the fir tree outside the window.

Sometimes she felt that Zhong Heng’s situation was somewhat similar to hers. They both experienced and identified with the negativity and darkness within their families.

Ji Zhen Tang was born in Xingzhou. Her mother, Qin Meilan, got pregnant out of wedlock, and her deadbeat father, Ji Huan, vanished without a trace.

She lived abroad with her mother for several years. When Ji Zhen Tang was about to start school, Qin Meilan encountered some trouble while working as a maid for a wealthy family. She changed jobs and remarried a poor man, struggling to make ends meet. Consequently, she had to send her daughter back to China, entrusting her to her father Ji Huan, who was doing business in Qingcheng.

Ji Huan was in the tea business in Qingcheng, where he had prospered early on and had already married and had a son, living happily.

When Ji Zhen Tang met her father for the first time, she learned that she had a half-brother from the same father but a different mother. She could only live in this family with the awkward status of an illegitimate daughter.

The first time she heard the “Zhong” surname was when she was very young, at a relative’s wedding banquet, where Ji Zhen Tang was just a child focused on eating.

Someone mentioned an old story: the bride on stage almost married into the Zhong family.

Someone asked: Which Zhong family? The answer: The wealthy and influential one. Others joked: Ah, it’s difficult to climb up to the powerful.

Regret, wealth and power.

Each word carried profound meaning. When she returned home, she looked up the meaning of “wealth and power” in the dictionary.

Later, when she met Zhong Heng and heard people mentioning and discussing this surname again, she suddenly realized that the young master was indeed a real young master.

A steampunk rock song was playing in the car, with dark clouds looming outside. Ji Zhen Tang listened idly to the song for a while, then her gaze slowly fixed on the storage compartment in front of the car.

Driven by curiosity, she picked up a small transparent sealed bag inside.

Inside the bag was a piece of black-red rotten flesh.

“What’s this?” she asked Zhong Heng as she lifted it up.

“Don’t touch it,” Zhong Heng said, reaching out to take it, “It’s cancer.”

Before his hand could touch it, Ji Zhen Tang, with a pale face, flung the thing away.

Still shaken, she asked, “Why was it in the car?!”

Zhong Heng held the steering wheel with one hand, while the other casually tucked the bag from the compartment into a small folder. He replied, “I’m going to the lab tonight.”

“Tonight?” Qin Meilan asked in surprise.

“No choice, the boss is coming,” he replied.

“Are you sure you’ll make it back in time?” she questioned.

“I’m not sure, but don’t I have you?” he said.

She hesitated slightly before saying, “What do you mean? Did I agree to help you with something?”

Zhong Heng’s tone softened, “Please, if I drink too much tonight and can’t make it back, could you please pass it on to my senior brother for me? I don’t want my advisor to think I’m slacking off, okay?”

The booklet was handed over.

Ji Zhen Tang subconsciously took it, but did not agree to his request. She said, “But I’m going to my aunt’s house tonight.”

As the car approached Zhong Mansion, it entered the mountain path.

Ji Zhen Tang sat in the car, gazing at the magnificent garden and noble pavilions in the distance. A European-style castle surrounded by a dark and elaborate carved fence came into view, with the black iron gate half open.

Zhong Heng didn’t slow down and continued driving inside.

He pondered Ji Zhen Tang’s temper with a hint of malice and said, “Then why don’t you stay tonight and accompany me to send it tomorrow?”

Before Ji Zhen Tang could hear clearly what he said, a piercing sound of tires locking up came from beside her.

Squeak—

Emergency brake.

It wasn’t until they reached the gate that they saw a car coming from the side road, not driving fast, but it almost collided with them in Zhong Heng’s blind spot when it appeared in his line of sight.

Zhong Heng rolled down the window and made eye contact with the driver.

Recognizing the approaching car, he wisely swallowed back the words he was about to utter.

With a slight frown and a bewildered look in his eyes, Zhong Heng muttered, “Why is he here?”

Ji Zhen Tang was curious about who it was. She looked up but her view was obstructed, and all she could see was a young man sitting in the car opposite her.

Although she didn’t know who was inside, Ji Zhen Tang had some knowledge of car brands, and the double R emblem was the most powerful symbol of identity, enough to make Zhong Heng shut up promptly.

Seeing the other car yield, Zhong Heng hesitated slightly before continuing to drive inside.

Ji Zhen Tang glanced at the rearview mirror of Zhong Heng’s car and vaguely saw the silhouette of an adult male through the half-open window.

At the same time, Zhong Heng’s voice carried by the autumn wind reached her ears, steady and indifferent, with a flat tone, “Follow me.”

The sky was gray with light clouds and thin mist. The famous Zhong Mansion was right in front of them, with lush trees swaying in the courtyard.

She looked up at the top floor clock tower. The white round clock was solemn and dignified, the hands moving regularly and silently, but she seemed to hear the thud thud of impact again.

For no reason, Ji Zhen Tang remembered the four words that a relative had once said: “Difficult to climb up the social ladder.”

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