It was the golden month of September, and it was the start of the new school year. Qiao Chu walked into Haishi No. 1 Middle School carrying his schoolbag. Looking at the classmates coming and going around him, he felt dazed.
The flowers are the same year after year, but the people are different year after year. Now, everything has really changed.
"Look, it's Qiao Chu!"
"Senior Qiao is here!"
"Senior Qiao is getting more and more beautiful..."
"Yes, really. Senior Yu Siying has graduated. Fortunately, we still have Senior Qiao."
"Yeah, our school hunk Fu and school belle Yu have both graduated..."
"Senior Qiao is not bad either. Not only is she good at studying, she also knows how to dress up. Look at her hairstyle, it's so unique..."
"Yeah, I've never seen a girl with the same hairstyle, I really want to go over and ask for advice!"
Qiao Chu walked while greeting everyone with a smile, and soon arrived at his class.
——Class 1, Senior 3.
Qiao Chu took a deep breath and walked into the classroom. She arrived quite early and there was no one in the classroom yet, so she walked straight to the middle seat near the window. The classroom must have been cleaned not long ago. The windows were spotless, and the bright but not scorching morning sunlight shone into the room, making it bright and shining.
Qiao Chu reached out and gently stroked the desk in front of him. The desk was wiped very clean and still had a shiny paint finish. The surface was as smooth as new without any scratches. It was obvious that its original owner was a person who loved cleanliness and was particular about it.
"Jingzhi..."
She couldn't help but murmur softly, feeling a sense of emptiness in her heart.
Qiao Chu still doesn't understand what happened to him. After she angered Chen Ziyan that day, Chen Ziyan let the killer disguised as a driver attack her. She was shot in the heart and lost consciousness after suffering severe pain.
When she woke up, she found herself back in the winter vacation after her mother left in her previous life. It seemed that everything had returned to the starting point, except that the God of Study System did not appear this time, and no matter how she called Ling Lingyi, there was no response. It was as if Ling Ling Yi and the God of Learning System had never existed. They disappeared without a trace. Sometimes, she even felt that it was an absurd dream she had...
Zhuangzi was fascinated by a butterfly in his dream at dawn. Did Zhuangzi turn into a butterfly, or did the butterfly turn into Zhuangzi? For a long time, Qiao Chu couldn't distinguish what was real and what was illusion?
However, she never forgot the affectionate words she had said in her dreams at midnight. The loss she felt every time she woke up and the dull pain in her heart reminded her that she had once loved deeply, loved that brilliant young man, loved that reserved and cold boy who was full of tenderness towards her.
"Jinzhi, I love you... I love you so much..."
When she first came back, she couldn't wait to find him, but she broke down and burst into tears under his cold and distant gaze.
That was not her Jinzhi. Her Jinzhi would not look at her that way. Once his gaze met hers, it was always filled with tenderness and warmth. They did not know each other and fall in love, nor did they experience those sweet days. He was still the aloof and cold school hunk, and she was just an ordinary girl.
She couldn't accept this realization. She had tried every possible way to prove that Ling Ling Yi had existed and that she and Fu Zhen had really loved each other. She had worshipped Bodhisattvas, visited Taoist temples, and even looked for a psychic, but all failed.
Everything that once existed disappeared so reasonably, as if they had never really existed.
Over time, she learned to accept reality and treat it as a dream. After waking up, life must go on.
This dream at least made her see a lot of things clearly, and saw another bright and glorious future, so she decided to change her way of life, just as a memorial for her dream, and to fulfill the promise she made with Zero Zero One, although it might not exist...
From that day on, Qiao Chu began her crazy study mode again. Without the God of Learning system, her beginning was very difficult. She was used to having photographic memory and high IQ thinking, and she was unable to make the switch. Both theoretical knowledge and practical questions were extremely difficult for her. Fortunately, diligence can make up for lack of talent. She worked day and night, treating herself as a learning machine.
Finally, her hard work paid off, and her grades improved little by little, from the middle level in the grade, to the upper-middle level, and then to the top level in the grade. Now, it has been a year and a half since she came back. Today, she has become a senior high school student. She was admitted to the key class of senior high school, and at the end of last semester she even won the first place in the grade. She proved with her own efforts that "diligence can make up for lack of talent" is an eternal truth, which stunned all the teachers, students and Qiao Weimin. Everyone called her "Qiao Xueba" in private.
However, being a top student is still a long way from being a genius student, and she still needs to work harder.
Perhaps studying has become her habit, her only pleasure now, and her safe haven. Only by devoting herself to studying can she forget the pain of losing Fu Zhen. Only by achieving good results in studying can she feel that she has lived up to Ling Lingyi's expectations.
She felt that the only connection between her and that beautiful dream was studying.
A school day is long for students, but it goes by quickly for Qiao Chu. Every day for her is the same, with only endless study.
When the school bell rang, everyone rushed out of the school gate, as if they had regained their energy only at this moment. Qiao Chu walked slowly behind, followed the crowd out of the school gate and set out on the way home, but met an unexpected person halfway.
"Hello, Qiao Chu." A figure stopped Qiao Chu, "I have something to talk to you about. Can we talk?"
She looked at the cold and handsome face in front of her and said in surprise: "It's you!"
On the bustling streets, with tall buildings standing in rows, an interview is being played on the largest and tallest advertising screen in the city center of Hai City.
On the screen, the country's most famous current affairs news anchor is interviewing a mature and beautiful woman.
"Master Qiao, I am honored to have you here today. You are the most popular person in the world right now. It is really an honor for us to have you here. To be honest, I am your fan."
The woman smiled brightly, "Thank you for the compliment."
"Mr. Qiao, as the first scientist in China to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, you have made great contributions to all mankind. May I ask, what was your original intention in inventing the living cell fluid? Or, where did you get the inspiration from?"
A trace of sadness flashed across the woman's eyes, as if she was lost in memories. "My original intention was to save lives. I hope that through my research and inventions, there will be fewer separations in the world, so that people will no longer lose their relatives, friends, and lovers."
The host smiled and praised: "Mr. Qiao, you are such a kind person. I believe that your living cell fluid will definitely save many people, and those who are reborn will definitely thank you!"
Then, the host started the next topic, "I heard that when you were in high school, Mr. Qiao, your grades were not particularly outstanding, and you only caught up later. Then you were admitted to the National Research Institute, joined the National Academy of Sciences, and finally established your own research team. You also developed a living cell fluid that shocked the world. You can imagine the hardships involved. I would like to ask, what changed you? What made you go from an ordinary student with mediocre grades to a scientist admired by the whole world?"
The woman smiled brightly, her eyes firm as she answered, "It's all for love. No matter how many generations pass, it's all for - to find our lover."
Today, Hai City's most high-end club welcomed two distinguished guests.
When Qiao Chu walked into the box, he saw the man who had been sitting inside. His face is still angular, cold and handsome, but the years have added a touch of mature and stable charm to him.
"I'm sorry, I'm late."
"It's okay. I just got here not long ago." Ye Kuan said indifferently. His brows were tightly knitted together, and it was obvious that he was used to keeping a stern face. He was wearing a straight handmade suit and a neat tie. In recent years, he looked more and more like a business elite.
"How have you been lately?" Ye Kuan asked impatiently.
Qiao Chu showed a look of joy on his face and said with a smile: "I think it will be soon."
"Really?" Ye Kuan clenched his fists upon hearing this, his eyes full of hope. He stared at Qiao Chu closely, wanting to confirm whether he had heard it wrong.
Qiao Chu smiled and nodded, "Absolutely right."
“That’s great!” Ye Kuan couldn’t hide the joy on his face. He was known as the “cold-faced devil” in the business world, but now he looked so happy, which showed how excited and happy he was inside.
“I hope it will be successful this time…”
Ye Kuan prayed deeply, his eyes looking into the distance, deep and melancholy. He didn't know what he was thinking about, but tears welled up in his eyes...
Qiao Chu also looked disappointed and sighed, "Yes, it's been fifteen years. We have waited too long..."
The meeting was pleasant. The two chatted for a long time like old friends, and then left Yunshangyue with happy faces.
"Sister Yu, who are these two? Why does the manager attach so much importance to them? He even specially opened the most luxurious box. You know, even the mayor doesn't have this treatment."
The new employee, Xiao Cainiao, looked at the two men's backs and asked the experienced Sister Yu next to them.
Sister Yu rolled her eyes and said disdainfully, "How can you be so ignorant? They are both well-known figures. One is a world-class scientist, and the other is a super-rich man who monopolizes half of the country's economic lifeline. Don't you even watch the news?"
The rookie opened his mouth wide, "Oh my god, that's amazing!" Then he stuck out his tongue in embarrassment, "I don't like watching the news, I usually only pay attention to entertainment gossip."
"You have to be careful and serve them next time you see them, understand? However, the next time should be next year. The two of them come here every year on this day. It has been like this for fifteen years, and they have never missed a year."
"Why?" the rookie asked in confusion.
"How should I know? I've only been here for ten years! I heard it from my predecessors! Go to work, maybe one day we'll know..."
Qiao Chu and Ye Kuan walked out of Yunshangyue and headed towards the parking lot.
"Is this research going well? Contact me immediately if you need anything."
"Yes, I know. So far, everything has been going well. Don't worry, I won't be polite."
The two were walking and chatting, and just when they reached the entrance of the parking lot, a car rushed towards them at an extremely fast speed.
The rumbling sound of the engine was extremely loud in the empty parking lot, startling the two men and causing them to look back. They saw the car driving straight towards them with no intention of slowing down.
"Qiao Chu, be careful."
Ye Kuan's face changed drastically, and he quickly pushed Qiao Chu away. Qiao Chu was pushed far away by him and fell to the ground. When she raised her head, she saw Ye Kuan being knocked away like a rag doll, drawing an arc in the air, and then falling heavily to the ground.
"Ye Kuan!"
Qiao Chu ignored the pain in his body and quickly got up and ran to Ye Kuan, "Ye Kuan, Ye Kuan, how are you, how are you?"
Her whole body was shaking, her legs were weak, and she fell to her knees. She carefully lifted Ye Kuan's head and shouted anxiously.
“Ahem—”
Ye Kuan opened his eyes, coughed weakly twice, and then vomited a large mouthful of blood. Immediately afterwards, sticky blood gushed out of his eyes, nose, and ears, quickly soaking the ground beneath him.
"vomit--"
Blood continued to flow out, and Ye Kuan's face became paler and paler as the blood flowed out, and his eyes became more and more lifeless...
"Woo woo - Ye Kuan, Ye Kuan, cheer up, you will be fine, I will call a doctor right away, you must hold on..."
Qiao Chu's hands and legs were covered with Ye Kuan's blood. She cried and wiped the blood off his face, but the next second new blood appeared. She was so panicked that she didn't know where to cover her mouth to stop the blood from flowing out.
"Qiao Chu..."
Ye Kuan raised his hand and held Qiao Chu's hand tightly, staring at her intently, "Stop busying yourself, it's useless..."
"No, I won't!" Hot tears blurred Qiao Chu's vision and she choked.
“Qiao Chu…” Ye Kuan’s eyes were filled with persistence and pleading, “Promise me…promise me, you must do it…promise me!”
His blood flowed all over the ground, and his vitality gradually disappeared. His eyes began to look empty, but he refused to leave because of his persistence. He grabbed Qiao Chu with all his strength and said with difficulty: "You must...promise me..."
Qiao Chu grabbed his hand and nodded vigorously, "Okay, I promise you, don't worry, no matter how difficult it is, I will definitely do it, I promise you!"
Hearing the answer he wanted, Ye Kuan felt relieved. The next second, he weakly put down his hand and closed his eyes...
“Ye Kuan, Ye Kuan!”
Qiao Chu shouted excitedly, but Ye Kuan no longer responded.
“Hahahaha—he’s finally dead!” At this moment, a figure walked down from the car that had just hit someone. She looked at the unconscious Ye Kuan and laughed crazily, “Wasn’t he very powerful? But he still died in my hands!”
Qiao Chu looked at her smug smile, stood up and collapsed and shouted: "Qiao Li, are you crazy?"
"I'm not crazy! If I'm crazy, it's because you guys drove me crazy! You made me lose everything. I have nothing now, and I won't accept this!" Qiao Li said with hatred, "Qiao Chu, it's you! If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being ruthless. You're my family, but you're so cruel to me!"
Qiao Chu was distraught, "You are totally unreasonable! How could you be so cruel! I will call the police and make sure you get the punishment you deserve!"
"Really? Qiao Chu, it's a pity...you don't have a chance."
Qiao Li smiled and took out a gun, pointing it at Qiao Chu, "You will die too!"
After saying that, she pulled the trigger, and the bullet left the barrel and shot into Qiao Chu's heart.
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