Chapter 1
A fierce wind swept through, carrying sand and gravel, as if a hole had been torn in the sky. Dark clouds pressed down at a visible speed, and distant trees were bent into bow shapes by the wind, their branches making a 'crunching' sound as they snapped.
"Hey bro, what are you filming?"
"Someone's about to jump off the roof! And she's a beautiful woman!"
"Hey, you two are blocking the camera. I'm doing a live stream here, move aside a bit."
"Kids these days jump off buildings so easily; they're too fragile."
"That's right, threatening suicide at the slightest setback. I think it's just that they're too full of themselves. Back when we were sent to the countryside..."
"Oh no! Look! This girl is going to jump! Someone hurry and save her!"
"It's alright, the firefighters went this morning, don't worry about it."
The hushed whispers were carried by the wind to the rooftop.
Bai Nan stared at the dark clouds in the sky, his legs trembling uncontrollably. Fear gripped his throat; with each breath, the entire earth seemed to shake and turn upside down.
The wind billowed my shirt, the part that clung to my body felt icy cold, like I'd been doused with cold water; the parts that weren't exposed to the wind, however, were sweaty, sticky, and incredibly uncomfortable.
Her body's instincts made her want to escape immediately, but reason screamed in a sharp, hoarse voice:
A life for a life! A life for a life! A life for a life!
Perhaps it was the merciless executioner of the storm, or perhaps the shackles of morality were too heavy. In any case, before anyone could save her, Bai Nan fell into the abyss first.
She felt her body lighten at first, then suddenly accelerate downwards.
"don't want--!!!"
Suddenly, an unusually mournful roar came from the rooftop, startling passersby who all looked up to see something falling rapidly, leaving only a dark shadow on their irises.
"Thump—!"
The violent collision shook the earth.
After a moment of silence, screams suddenly erupted.
......
hot…...
It's so hot...
Bai Nan felt as if all the sweat on his head had turned into glue, and his sticky, thick hair clung tightly to his scalp, making it hard to breathe. He looked like he had just been pulled out of a murky river.
"…sister?"
A muffled voice sounded in my ear. Who was speaking?
"sister?"
"Wake up... Sis!"
It sounds like Bai Di's voice, but... isn't he already dead?
"Why don't you lie down and rest? I'll go help Mom with the chores."
She finally managed to pry open her eyelids, which had been stuck together, and the next second a familiar angry face rushed into her view.
"Smack—"
A slapping sound came from my left cheek, followed by a burning pain.
"You've really grown up! I called you for ages and you didn't come; you were just slacking off!"
The woman was dressed in white mourning clothes, her light-colored eyes filled with rage, as if she had committed a terrible crime.
"Sis, why don't you apologize to Mom first..."
"Xiao Di, don't take her side. I think she's just asking for trouble!"
After speaking, the woman suddenly lowered her voice, her tone full of warning: "Bai Nan, you better behave yourself. If you dare to cause trouble on Master Zong's turf..."
Bai Nan looked at the woman's face, which was very close to his own. The furrows between her brows had not yet formed, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes had not yet appeared, and even her light-colored pupils were not covered with white film...
She glanced back at Bai Di; he was less than 1.7 meters tall, with slightly chubby cheeks, and looked only fourteen or fifteen years old...
"Bai Nan! Did you hear what I said?!"
The woman was provoked by his lack of reaction and raised her hand again in the blink of an eye.
"Smack!"
This time, Bai Nan raised his hand to block it, and slapped back even harder.
"You! How dare you hit your mother! I think you want to die!" Huang Ying was incredulous, covering one side of her face as she raised her hand to retaliate.
"Aunt Ying, my grandfather was just looking for you."
A clear male voice rang out, and Bai Nan glanced at it.
"Oh, Xiao Lu, why did you come in this blazing sun? It's so hot today, you could have just sent a message to your aunt." Huang Ying's expression changed quickly.
Where is Master Zong?
"backyard."
Huang Ying turned to leave, but Bai Lu quickly stopped her.
"Aunt Ying, my grandfather wants you to bring Bai Di along too, saying he wants to teach him how to play chess."
"Okay, okay, Auntie will go right away."
The mother and son went to the backyard, leaving only the two of them in the open space for a moment.
The boy reached out and touched Bai Nan's forehead, checking her temperature before asking, "Nan-jie, are you alright? Do you have a fever?"
"It's a bit hot, why don't you go upstairs and rest for a while? I'll call you for lunch."
He was very cute, with a gentle voice, and his round face flushed red when he spoke.
Bai Nan hesitated for a few moments before finally asking, "Bai Lu...?"
"Hmm? What's wrong, Sister Nan?" He poured her a glass of water and handed it to her. "Have some water first."
She turned around in disbelief and looked around.
They were now standing in a large courtyard, where more than a dozen large round tables were arranged. In the center stood a makeshift wooden hut with a plaque above it clearly displaying two large characters:
[Funeral Hall]
This is the funeral of Li Laokou, Bai Zong's father-in-law...
She actually traveled back ten years?!
Bai Nan looked incredulous. First, she raised her hand and pinched her face hard, then she touched her whole body.
A flat chest just beginning to develop, shoulder-length short hair with ends that looked like a dog had chewed it, and perfectly smooth skin at the temples...
These are all versions of myself from ten years ago.
Because of malnutrition, she didn't start menstruating until after the college entrance exam, and her secondary sexual characteristics didn't develop properly. Her breasts also gradually grew larger during her university years.
Because she didn't have money, she had been cutting her own hair since elementary school. After entering university, her roommates often helped her cut her hair, and her hair ends were never this messy again.
Because of a lack of money, three years ago, while delivering documents to a client on an electric scooter during a heavy rain, he was left with a deep scar on his forehead.
After confirming the news, she was overjoyed.
She really did go back to ten years ago. Does that mean that man is still alive? Then she wouldn't have to jump off the building to commit suicide!
After seeing off the concerned Bai Lu, she tried hard to recall everything that was about to happen at this point in time.
She hadn't become a Bai Di yet, which meant it was before that beast Li Laokou's burial. There weren't too many people in the courtyard; she hadn't seen any members of the Li family's main branch, indicating that today was the first day of the funeral.
That day, her parents called her to help out at the last minute, which suited her wishes, so she didn't refuse to keep vigil that night.
what else?
She always felt there was something very, very important, so important that for a whole decade she buried it deep in her memory, not even allowing herself to easily revisit it.
She squinted and looked up at the sun. The dazzling light twisted and turned, forming patches of light that gave her an eerie sense of security.
Even if time were to rewind, the sun would always be there, like the only stable anchor in the sea of memories, radiating dazzling light no matter how relentlessly the waves crash against it.
...light?
Bai Nan turned around abruptly, her gaze fixed on the second floor.
—She remembered this very, very, very important thing.
She took off running, heading straight for the main building.
After Bai Nan climbed up to the second floor, panting, a "click" came from the end of the corridor—the sound of a door lock turning.
She suppressed her excitement and slowly looked in that direction.
During the day, the main building's corridors were unlit, with all the lighting coming from the natural light streaming in through the window of the balcony at the far end. Dust particles swirled and drifted in the air, creating a hazy atmosphere.
The door opened, and even half of the hazy atmosphere disappeared.
Bai Nan heard her own strong heartbeat, "thump-thump-thump-thump--"
As the door closed again, the dust particles began to dance freely, joyfully, and excitedly once more.
In the hazy sunlight, a figure emerged from the darkness. As the figure slowly drew closer, she felt as if the sunlight had stung her eyes, causing them to sting and ache.
Her heart began to pound more violently, and she clutched her chest, too afraid to look up.
However, when the figure actually brushed past him, his violent heartbeat suddenly stopped, and a strong feeling of suffocation overwhelmed him.
Time seemed to have been paused, and dust particles floating in the air drifted back and forth between the two, conveying a subtle, almost imperceptible scent.
She took a deep breath; it was the coolness of mint...
In a flash, the flow of time returned to normal.
The wind that swept past her made her uneven hair dance, and the minty scent lingering in her nose became even clearer.
How could she forget?
This scent is clearly etched deep within my brain, carrying warm memories buried deep within...
"...Xu Xin?"
As she murmured to herself, she subconsciously grabbed his wrist. Beneath his cool skin were warm, pulsating veins, and the crisp mint scent was mixed with the smell of her own soap.
"let go."
Nearly ten years later, upon hearing that voice again, she couldn't help but tremble all over, and she used up all her strength trying to control the tears from falling.
Seeing that she was frozen in place, Xu Xin frowned and used a little force to break free from her grasp.
He had intended to turn and leave immediately, but for some reason, he suddenly felt compassion and added, "If you're not feeling well, go to the backyard; there's a doctor there."
Bai Nan suddenly raised her head, and tears finally burst forth, instantly covering her face.
Her lips trembled, and it took her a long time to utter a sound: "...Xu...Xu Xin...is it really...you...?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Xin's already furrowed brows furrowed even more, and a hint of impatience flashed deep in his eyes, as if he was annoyed that a stranger was calling out his name.
"The mental hospital is in the city."
He left after uttering this rather impolite remark, quickly going downstairs and departing.
Bai Nan turned around and stared intently at his back until the tall figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs before she lowered her head.
Yes, at this point in time, they have not yet met.
To him, she was nothing more than a stranger talking nonsense, a strange woman who would be labeled mentally ill if he touched her wrist.
After a while, she suddenly burst out laughing involuntarily.
"The mental hospital is in the city... Hahaha... Xu Xin, as expected of you..."
Time is the most powerful knife, severing the connections between us with each stroke.
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