NOVEL NEXT Chapter 970-979
Chapter 970: Wanted Person
Xia Wa, of course, knew that. He Lan Yuan saw himself as way above everyone else. A normal life? That was a punishment worse than death, or else he would not have found himself in his situation.
“I was wrong then, perhaps death is your best choice.” Xia Wa nodded calmly. She was not being sarcastic or threatening; she was respecting his choice.
He Lan Yuan gripped his dried hands, and there was an eerie glow in his eyes. “So, you would rather I die than help me change my fate?”
“It cannot be changed.” Xia Wa stood up and said, “I guess there is nothing worth discussing between us. He Lan Yuan, you have to learn to accept the truth. I cannot help you change your life; there is no do-over in life; no one can give you that.”
He Lan Yuan’s eyes shuddered and his whole person seemed to fall into endless despair. Xia Wa took one last look at him before turning to leave. However, as she opened the door, a middle-aged man with perfect mannerism was already waiting for her. He was the Head Secretary for the United Nations…
His eyes though were cold and sharp. Even though he was smiling, the smile did not reach his eyes. Xia Wa knew he was the Head Secretary, but still she asked, “Who are you?”
“I am the person you are looking for,” he said with a smirk, the iciness in his eyes grew.
Xia Wa’s gaze scanned the full length of his body and immediately realized the truth, “You have used the memory cells?”
The man put his hands together to clap. He praised, “Madam Xia is definitely the most brilliant woman there is; I am very impressed.”
Xia Wa was not surprised, nor did she give any visible reaction to his easy admission. She merely asked in a mild tone, “Do you need anything from me?”
“Of course, I heard everything just now. If you don’t mind, I believe we can have an interesting conversation,” the man said in a friendly tone.
“Okay.” Xia Wa nodded. The man smiled and extended his hand. “Please.”
Xia Wa followed him without hesitation. They went into another room, and the difference to He Lan Yuan’s room was that this room was bigger and more luxurious. It was the Head Secretary’s office. On the table, there was a picture of the Head Secretary. However, compared to the man standing before Xia Wa, the man in the picture was refined and a emanated a kindness that was cultivated by age.
The man before her though had a dangerous sharpness to his soul that was more suitable for a young man.
“Who exactly are you?” Xia Wa raised her gaze to question this man.
The man sat down on the coach slowly and smiled thinly. “Who I am is not important. You only need to know that everything is under my control.”
“What kind of contract have you made with He Lan Yuan?” Xia Wa asked. She was not referring to the contracts Xinghe had released to the public.
The man clapped again. “Madam Xia has impressed me again; no wonder Miss Xia can be so outstanding. She has already given me plenty of surprises, but you are something else completely.”
Xia Wa sat down across from him and asked directly, “Do you want to destroy the world?”
Her every question was to the point, as if she had seen through everything. However, her questions were not pointed. The impression she gave off was very serene and graceful, like she was discussing the weather with him.
Chapter 971: Your Heart Is Sin
However, the man could feel the immense presence coming off her. He had never been cautious around anyone before, but he knew he couldn’t treat her as he did everyone else. She required more of his focus than when he was with He Lan Yuan.
However, he did not answer her. He, instead, asked a question of his own. “I have studied Madam Xia’s personal information closely. You are indeed an incredible woman; I am shocked you managed to find the fifth dimension. Numerous scientists through time have attempted that, and you have succeeded where they failed.”
“In contrast, I know nothing about you,” Xia Wa commented softly.
The man smiled and replied with a shrug, “Alright then, what do you want to know? I will answer every question you have, and you’re not wrong, I do want to destroy the world.”
It was a serious claim, but it sounded eerily non-consequential from his mouth. It was like he was talking about breaking an egg, not the whole world.
Xia Wa looked into his eyes and saw within them a soul darker than He Lan Yuan’s. He Lan Yuan wanted to rule the world, but this man did not have that ambition; there was only darkness; he wanted to destroy the world.
“This is your contract with He Lan Yuan? He is going to help you destroy the world?” Xia Wa asked.
The man shook his head and smiled. “No, he only gave me the power to do that. He thought I wanted to rule the world, when in reality, I just want to destroy it. Regardless, it makes no difference to him, and in return, I was to help him kill all of you.”
Xia Wa was still unmoved when she heard that. She already knew He Lan Yuan wanted to kill them.
“If you think about it, destroying the world means killing all of you, so everything is going to be over soon.” The man smiled slightly, and it was the first time Xia Wa had picked up any joy in his gaze. The thought of destroying the world brought him happiness.
“What have you done?” Xia Wa asked. She still did not show any volatile emotion even though she did not think he was bluffing.
The man steeple his fingers and said through a smile, “I have prepared some atomic bombs. How powerful are they? I believe one of them can blow up a small country and I have confidence that if all of them blow up, it will not only be a small country that will be devastated.”
“So, the same method as He Lan Yuan.”
“Not really, because I have already prepared bio-weapons, which I am sure Madam Xia knows the damage of. Actually, I have been having trouble deciding which method I should employ to destroy the world.”
“Why do you want to destroy this world?” Xia Wa asked. Her eyes were like a pane of dark, shiny glass that could unveil everything.
The man, under her cold scrutiny, proffered his reason, “Because this world is sinful, it should not exist, wouldn’t you agree?”
“That is because your heart is sinful.”
“You’re right, my heart is indeed full of sins.” The man smiled gloatingly. “I have been preparing to destroy this world, and He Lan Yuan has given me the perfect opportunity. The purpose of his birth and existence was to facilitate my plan.”
Xia Wa agreed with this. It was He Lan Yuan who had helped him complete his plan. Now this man had set up everything, and he could destroy the world with the push of a button.
“You wish to perish with the world?” Xia Wa asked.
The man started laughing like he had heard a funny joke.
Chapter 972: Ritual Sacrifice
“I do belong in hell, but I will stay until the last moment to see this world crumble before returning to the place where I belong.”
“There is no need for you to drag the whole world with you.” In other words, if you want to go to hell, you could go alone.
“This is a ritual sacrifice,” the man said with sudden vehemence as his gaze turned icier. “Ruining everything is part of the ritual; this is the fate of this world! No one can change it.”
“Ritual sacrifice?” Xia Wa sharpened her gaze. “For whom?”
“For myself—” The man answered.
Xia Wa was startled. She looked at him and nodded. “I understand now. You hate this world because you have been treated unfairly by it.”
“Wrong.” The man smiled thinly, and his tone reverted to normal. “There is no fairness. Furthermore, I don’t hate this world. As I’ve said, I came from hell. I enjoy the rush of destruction, that feeling will bring me the only joy in the world. And it is only through the ushering of the apocalypse that the gates of hell will open to welcome me.”
Xia Wa had never seen someone who wished to go to hell so badly. She knew then she could no longer use normal negotiation tactics with this man. The man might be calm and collected on the surface, but he was rotten to the core. He could destroy the world at any moment, and he had not done it because he was waiting for the mood to strike. It was impossible to negotiate with such an individual.
His IQ was so high; morality and truth were social constructs that did not concern him. His only truth was himself. Xia Wa could kill him now, but the man sitting before her was only a puppet.
His real identity, probably other than He Lan Yuan, no one would know. Alas He Lan Yuan was similar to him in the sense that they were both antihuman. Killing him might even amount to nothing; the most dangerous aspect about this man was his ideal and not his person. If he lost his host, he would only return with another puppet and the world would still be in danger.
Xia Wa looked out the window and asked softly, “When are you going to destroy the world?”
The man thought about it and shook his head. “I have not decided on a time yet, but I believe this is the best time.”
“What will make you stop?”
“I do not need anything.” The man smiled indulgently.
“You have to have something you desire.” Xia Wa turned to look at him. “Tell me what it is; I can satisfy your wish.”
The man raised his brow slightly. “I am honored to hear that from you. I have glad to have had this conversation with you today, and thank you for allowing me to be in the presence of the most brilliant individual in the world.”
Xia Wa understood what he meant. He did not need anything; he merely enjoyed talking to her. He was ending the conservation; no one was going to stop his plan, not even her.
However, no matter how dark he was, he was a man. If he was a man, then he was prone to regrets and ideals, and Xia Wa believed he as an individual was more than the rush for world destruction.
Xia Wa’s calm eyes looked into his eyes, and her voice was lowered, but it sounded right beside his ears like music from heaven itself. “Think about it carefully, what is still buried at the bottom of your heart? World destruction is easy, but can you honestly say you have no regrets? Do you have anything you want to rectify in the past? Any regrets that haunt you in the darkest corner of your heart? Tell me what it is, what is it that you want to change? I can help you fulfil that dream; I can help that you in the past.”
Chapter 973: The Reunion
Xia Wa stayed at the headquarters for a long time. The moment she exited the headquarters, a black limo stopped in front of her. Two gentlemen in black suits came out of it and greeted her respectfully, “Good afternoon, Madam. Our president has been waiting for you for a long time, please do get into the car.”
Xia Wa knew who they were talking about. She did not react in any particular way and entered the car. Xinghe had thought she would not agree to meet her, but to her surprise, her mother complied with her demand so easily. The pair of mother and daughter had not seen each other for at least ten years.
However, Xia Wa was practically unchanged. She was the same as the day she left. She and Xinghe looked more like sisters than mother and daughter.
On the other hand, Xinghe had changed. Before, he had been a girl in her teens, but now, she was a woman in her twenties.
Xia Wa looked at her and commented with a sigh, “You have grown so big all of a sudden.”
Xinghe suppressed the excitement in her heart and smiled. “Mother is the same, as young as always.”
Xia Wa smiled and shook her head. She walked to stop before Xinghe, she tousled her hair and smiled. “I did not change because I only lay down for a sleep?”
Xinghe was shocked. “A sleep?”
“Yes. I have hibernated for many years, and I only woke up recently.”
“Hibernated?” Xinghe was stunned. “You have been hibernating.”
Xia Wa put down her hand and nodded. “Yes, I was afraid I would be too exhausted to stop it when the time came, so I chose hibernation. I did not expect that you would be so big when I awoke and that you would have become such an incredible young woman. You did not disappoint the expectations that I have for you; I am so proud of you.”
“So, you were purposely raising me the way you did?”
“That’s right. I could not bring myself to personally end He Lan Yuan, that is my last kindness for him, so that responsibility had to fall into your hands. Furthermore, this world is too weak, and it will only grow from facing crisis. There are too many people who want to ruin this world, and if the world doesn’t grow stronger, it will be destroyed very easily.”
Xinghe realized she did not understand many things that her mother was talking about.
As if reading her thought, Xia Wa smiled and said, “Do you know why I have decided to show myself now?”
“I have no idea. What did He Lan Yuan tell you?”
“What he told me is not important, the important is the timing… because that day is coming.”
“What day?” Xinghe was more confused the more she listened to her mother.
Xia Wa held her gaze and said, “The day of the apocalypse.”
Xinghe widened her eyes. Xia Wa did not explain much but continued, “Bring me to see your man and your child. We, at most, only have two more days.”
“Mother, what are you talking about?” Xinghe could not help but ask.
Xia Wa smiled a faded smile. “You will know soon enough.”
Even though she did not elaborate, Xinghe could attempt a guess, the world was ending… but why?
Xinghe did not feel pessimistic. After all, her mother had reappeared to deal with this; this showed that she had a solution. She did not waste time and introduced her mother to Mubai.
When facing Xia Wa, Mubai was respectful and sincere.
After a short conversation, Xia Wa nodded satisfactorily. “You are a good child. It is thanks to you that Xinghe has accomplished what she has today. You have completed her.”
Chapter 974: God’s Arrangement
The world might think Xinghe was a very capable woman and she got where she was on her own, some went so far as thinking Mubai was not good enough for her. However, it only took Xia Wa one glance to know it was Mubai who completed Xinghe.
He was not a common man, he was one with great wisdom. If he did not understand Xinghe, he would not have supported her so quietly and so unconditionally. It was because of his silent sacrifice that Xinghe could achieve what she had.
There was another person who understood this: Xinghe. If the one person who understood her perfectly was Mubai, then she was, in the return, the one person who understood him perfectly.
“It is she who completed me,” Mubai replied with a smile. “Without her, I would not have known so many facets of myself and discovered myself.”
It was Xinghe who had made him see what he needed.
Xia Wa nodded approvingly. “You two completed each other and that is only possible because you two understand each other perfect. This goes to show the unparalleled relationship between the two of you. This is a good thing, perhaps it is part of God’s arrangement.”
Xinghe and Mubai shared a look with each other; they felt her conclusion was a bit weird, but they could not pinpoint why.
After their little meeting, they departed to return to Hwa Xia. Along the way, Xia Wa filled them in on everything that had happened in the past. Initially, it was really because she could not stand for He Lan Yuan’s ideals and actions that she chose to escape.
She left with a few people who was loyal to her, and eventually, they landed in a mountain near City T. They decided to split up and settle in City T, finally living a normal life.
At the time, Xia Wa was overflowing the talent and brilliance, but she had never experienced a normal life. Therefore, she also chose to live a family life. However, she knew deep down that this was only a test run, this was not the life for her.
Therefore, when Xinghe was three years old, she left with her in tow. They travelled the world, to experience the goodness the world had to offer. Not long after that, when they arrived in Country W, she chose to settle there.
“At the time, I have predicted something and so chose to settle there. I did at least ten years of research, and it reached a bottleneck. Similarly, I was afraid He Lan Yuan would catch on to our scent, so I brought them with me when I left,” Xia Wa recounted with a distant tone.
Xinghe and Mubai still had a hard time understanding her, but they knew she was talking about Ee Chen’s parents. Unfortunately, all of them had passed away during various experiments, a piece news that caused Ee Chen to retreat into himself for quite a period of time.
Only Xia Wa survived. Xinghe understood that her mother was not a cowardly woman. She too was part of those dangerous experiments; she survived most likely due to her luck and capability.
However, they still did not get one thing, what had she predicted? Could it be the apocalypse?
Xinghe posed the question and Xia Wa nodded. “Yes, I have predicted the apocalypse, and it is coming soon. But don’t worry, we still have the opportunity to change the future.”
Ali and the rest were stupefied. Sam could not help but ask, “Madam, He Lan Yuan’s plan has been ruined, so where does the apocalyptic threat come from?”
Chapter 975: She Is Not Our Child
“He Lan Yuan’s scheme wouldn’t have caused the apocalypse—he was never the real threat—the real threat comes from someone else.”
“Who?” Sam’s group asked in shock.
Xia Wa shook her head. “I have no idea who he is, but he is a manifestation of human darkness. He wants for nothing but the world’s destruction.”
“F*ck!” Sam cursed. “How can there be such a demented person in the world? I also don’t ask for anything except his spontaneous combustion.”
“Madam, how are you going to stop him?” Ali asked in a worry.
“I cannot tell that you, but you will find out in the future.”
Even though she did not go into detail, they were glad she had a solution. With that, Sam’s group had a new person to admire: Xia Wa. The more time they spent with her, the more attracted they were to her presence. They had to admit that she was indeed Xinghe’s mother because she was the embodiment of wisdom. Her wisdom was not forced; she radiated it naturally, just like the sea, land, and sky. She did not have to prove herself, but by simply standing there, one would be impressed by her.
That was probably the highest stage of wisdom, the ability to elicit admiration from others without an ounce of envy. In this world, probably no one would doubt her wisdom.
Similarly, Xinghe adored her mother. Therefore, she had no thoughts regarding what she wanted to do.
After returning to Hwa Xia, Xia Wa finally reunited with the Shen family. Elder Shen and the rest of the family had been waiting for them for a long time. They were excited to finally reunite with Xia Wa, but they had difficulties treating her as their daughter.
They could not help to talk to her in a respectful tone. This was not something Xia Wa demanded, but it was something she naturally commanded. The way Elder Shen and Old Madam Shen conversed with her was like conversing with a learned person, and it was not the conversation between parents and their long lost daughter.
Elder Shen had privately led Xinghe away to lament this. He said, “There is a saying in the world that our children are never ours. They are merely using our body to come into this world. I didn’t understand this saying, but now I do. She is not our daughter; she is merely using us as an in-between to come into this world.”
Xinghe felt the same way. She did not feel like this was her mummy; she was more like her creator.
However, these feelings did not take away from the trust and love they had for her. If anything, Xia Wa’s presence attracted their attention like a sun; they subconsciously wanted to get close to her. However, the sun’s rays were blinding, and not anyone could get close to it. Therefore, they could only admire her from afar.
Xinghe was like her warmest ray of light and was approachable, and that was probably the biggest difference between the mother and daughter. Xia Wa was like a superhuman presence while Xinghe was still part of reality.
Even Lin Lin, who personally met Xia Wa in private, came to the same conclusion. The little fella told Xinghe in confidence, “Mummy, Grandma is someone incredible, but I still do not want you to become like her or else I will feel compelled to kneel before you every time we meet.”
Chapter 976: Change Your Life
Xinghe could not help but laugh. “You want to kneel for your grandma?”
“Yes.” Lin Lin nodded, his face suffused with religious piety. “It was like meeting a saint; I felt like giving her a few kowtows.”
“You should kowtow to her,” Mubai suddenly added.
The little fella was shocked. “So, I should have kowtowed? I was wrong to have suppressed the urge?”
“You can do it next time, perhaps she will teach you a thing or two in return, and you can kowtow to her then.”
“Okay!” Lin Lin nodded and remembered that for the future. Xinghe laughed at their back and forth banter, but internally, she was worried. Could they still have a next time? How was her mother going to stop the apocalypse?
After returning to Hwa Xia, Xia Wa stopped bringing it up. She went about meeting the families. She told Xinghe and Mubai not to reveal anything. They agreed because there was no reason to cause panic unnecessarily.
After meeting everyone, Xia Wa was finally ready to deal with this. She told Xinghe and Mubai in private, “Follow me, the fate of the world depends on this trial.”
“Okay.” Xinghe and Mubai did not ask any questions and nodded in agreement. Xinghe had arranged everything before she left, and naturally, no one knew where they went. Neither Xinghe nor Mubai expected it would fall on their shoulders to save the world.
“He has a wish, if you are able to fulfil it for him, he is willing to give the world another 25 years of peace. Success or failure is all dependent on this one move. If you can fulfil his wish, we will be able to avoid this catastrophe, otherwise everything will end very soon,” Xia Wa informed them.
Then, they realized they were going to stop the world in this manner. Xia Wa continued to explain, “When I was researching the fifth dimension, I accidentally tapped into the future. This might be destiny. Therefore, I have been researching this for many years, trying to change this ending. However, the results of these few years have barely been discernible. However, there is still hope because not everything cannot be changed. For example, I have changed your life and death,” Xia Wa addressed Xinghe.
Xinghe was startled. “Mine?”
Mubai was shocked as well. Xia Wa nodded. “Yes, in the fifth dimension, I saw your death in an accident. I tried to caution you and thankfully you noticed it and avoided certain death.”
Xinghe was stunned beyond words. Then she realized, during her first car accident, things were indeed curious. If there was not the sound of a newspaper that flickered behind her, she would not have subconsciously turned around and realized the car that was coming her way. She would not have been able to dodge out of its way. She would have died if the car had run into her head on.
Xinghe had not realized it was her mother who had saved her.
“You were responsible for that newspaper?”
Xia Wa nodded. “Yes, I can only do so much. After changing your fate, I had to enter hibernation to restore and preserve my energy. Thankfully, you have survived until now.”
“You started your hibernation then?” Xinghe asked.
“Yes, my research into the fifth dimension took a lot out of me. To prepare for this moment, I could only choose hibernation. However, when I woke up, I realized things were not as bad as I’d expected. Thankfully, the two of you made the right moves every step of the way.”
Chapter 977: When You’re Fifteen
Or else, even after she woke up, with her power alone, she would not have been able to change anything. Therefore, Xia Wa felt it was destiny that Mubai and Xinghe ended up together. Perhaps God was silently helping them through this crisis.
“Madam, does the fifth dimension really exist?” Mubai asked with uncertainty.
Xia Wa nodded. “Yes.”
“So, you wish for us to enter the fifth dimension to fulfil that person’s wish?” Xinghe asked.
“Yes, that is my contract with him. If we succeed, he will give the world another 25 years.”
In other words, even if they succeeded, the danger was not truly neutralized. However, they would have more time to salvage the situation; 25 years was more than enough time for them to do many things.
“Mother, you don’t even know his actual identity, is he trustworthy?”
Xia Wa nodded confidently, “I believe him, then again, what other choice do we have?”
She was right; they were on the passive side, so they could only do everything they could.
“How do we go about this technically?” Mubai asked directly. He had taken on this mission fully, and there was no hesitation in his question.
Xia Wa looked at him gratefully and praised, “I am glad that you two have such courage. Don’t worry, I will ensure your safety, but you only have one chance. If you cannot fulfil this man’s wish, everything will be over.”
Xinghe promised, “Don’t worry, we will definitely succeed.”
“I believe you. I chose the two of you for this mission because you two complement each other perfectly. You might not know each other after you return to the past, but you will still work well together. Therefore, doing this as a pair is going to greatly increase the success probability of this mission.”
“What past are we returning to?” Xinghe asked.
Xia Wa answered, “To when you were fifteen years old.”
Xinghe was startled. When she was 15? Wouldn’t that be too young?
Xia Wa continued, “The man did not ask for anything hard, he only wished that we preserve the full body of a woman after she died. Therefore, what you need to do is to remind yourselves in the past to go look for this woman and take care of her funeral affairs, then the mission will be considered accomplished.”
“Who is this woman?” Xinghe asked.
“This is her,” Xia Wa handed them a picture and introduced. “Her name is Lylian. She lived in Country W’s Darlin Town. She was killed in a murder case ten years ago, and the murderer cruelly dismembered her body and tossed the body parts into the ocean. What you need to do is to prevent the murderer from desecrating her body. I have also compiled all the information I can find on her, so you can take a look at it now.”
Xia Wa then opened her laptop to show them the information on Lylian. Xinghe and Mubai thought Lylian was going to have a complicated background, but to their surprise, she was a simple and normal woman.
The only thing of note was she was raped and gave birth to a son. However, her son was stolen away from her, and she descended into depression, barely surviving on the streets. However, misfortune did not vacate her life. When she was 30, she was brutally murdered. The case until now was still not closed. No one knew who the murderer was, nor what the motive was.
Chapter 978: Entering the Fifth Dimension
The police determined she was murdered from the parts of her corpse they managed to salvage from the ocean. However, both Xinghe and Mubai agreed the murderer was dead, or else why would the man’s wish be to help preserve Lylian’s full body and not find the killer?
The killer must have been taken care of by the man and this Lylian was probably related to the man…
“The child she gave birth to was a boy?” Xinghe asked.
“Yes, and it should be him,” Xia Wa answered. So, it was him. No wonder he wanted to destroy the world, the things that happened to his mother were enough to make anyone hate the world.
“Why didn’t he have us protect Lylian’s safety?” Xinghe asked subconsciously, but the answer came to her as she received an answer. “Because Lylian has to die?”
Xia Wa nodded. “I think so, too. Lylian’s death is probably related to that person. Perhaps someone must kill Lylian, and you might not be able to stop it. After all, changing things in the fourth dimension from the fifth dimension is not easy.”
“We understand.” Xinghe nodded. “Let us start now.”
Mubai nodded in agreement. Xia Wa did not waste time and brought them to a dimension station she had built. This station was the combined effort of her and Ee Chen’s parents and the rest.
However, human beings could not stay too long within it, so Xinghe and Mubai only had one or two days to change the past. However, when they were in fifth dimension, time in the fourth dimension was malleable, therefore, they technically had limitless amount of time.
The thing Xinghe and Mubai needed to do was to guide themselves from the past to complete this mission. This was a tough mission, and if they were unable to do this, the plan would fail. Xinghe and Mubai were not normal humans, even when they were in their teens, they were already very clever, so a little hint here and there should be more than enough to guide them.
Plus, if they cooperated, it would definitely be resolved. Then again, ten years ago, Xinghe was still living in Country W, and she would not have crossed paths with Mubai, so how were they going to cooperate to solve this mission?
Xinghe and Mubai came to the same solution; they would guide themselves in the past to go look for Lylian at Darlin Town. In other words, from the both of them, if one of them was successfully guided to Darlin Town, the mission would have been half-successful. Of course, it would be best if both of them could be guided to Darlin Town.
However, even if both of them were there, they would not know each other. This was because things in the past could not be changed too drastically. If they knew each other when they were young, their fate in the future might change.
There were too many difficulties awaiting them, but Mubai was still excited to meet the young Xinghe. Xinghe, curiously, was thinking the same thing…
“We will focus on completing the mission; whether we end up meeting each other or not, that we will leave to fate,” Xinghe told Mubai.
Mubai smirked. “I understand, but I have a feeling I will cross paths with you.”
“Perhaps.” Xinghe smiled thinly, but there was anticipation in her eyes. Then, two of them held hands as they stepped into the fifth dimension.
Chapter 979: Leaves of a Chinese Parasol
Time seemed to have rolled back ten years.
Xi Mubai at the time was only a young man, barely a day over eighteen. Even though he was young, his stature was huge, but he had not filled out yet, so he appeared rather thin. His features had deepened even though they still carried traces of youth. It did not detract from his charm because he looked just like every woman’s dream first crush.
Every day, many girls would trail behind him. Even if they just saw his back, they would die happy. Mubai, on the other hand, was only interested in computers. He registered to study computer science at the best school in City T when he was barely 16. He continued to leave a glorious legacy over the two years he was there. Those two years were the best time for the school’s girls, but it was only a stepping stone for Mubai.
In two years, he had finished all the courses available, and the teachers there had nothing left to teach him. Therefore, Mubai decided to study overseas.
After the last lesson of the day, Mubai, like usual, walked out of the classroom without registering the commotion he had caused. When he passed a Chinese parasol tree, a leaf fell down blocking his sight.
Mubai stopped in his tracks and picked the leaf that had stuck to his shirt. The leaf had yellowed. Mubai raised his head and saw the crown of yellow leaves on the tree. Without him realizing it, it was already autumn.
A Chinese Parasol would lose its trees to prepare for winter come every fall. The school had many Chinese parasol trees, so during every fall, the whole campus would be littered with tree leaves.
Mubai had not once stopped to appreciate the scenery of this school. At the moment, he realized how beautiful the school was. Perhaps it was because that was his last day at school, he uncharacteristically stopped to appreciate the scenery and did not leave in a hurry like usual.
Suddenly, another leaf fell before him. Then two more fell, following that was one more leaf, two more leaves…
Two leaves, one leaf…
The pattern was weird; the leaves either fell in two pieces or singular one, and they all fell before his sight. He studied the falling leaves quietly, and a thought cropped up in his mind, but he could not exactly explain why that would be the case.
The group of girls behind him were screaming from pure excitement and awe.
“Isn’t he handsome? Even the tree leaves are attracted by his looks; they are all falling for him.”
“No wonder they say there are beauties that would make wild geese alight and fish dive down for shame!”
“These leaves are all mine because they all fell for him.”
“No way, those are mine!”
“Mine…”
While the girls were fighting among themselves, the leaves stopped falling, and Mubai picked up his pace and left. After he left, he no longer returned to the school.
The girls at the school collectively lost their crush, and their spring of love officially ended.
However, a legend about Mubai started to circulate around the school. It was said that on the day he left, even the Chinese parasols at the school wept their leaves, begging him to stay. However, eventually, he left, taking the school’s spring with him…
The Chinese parasol that he’d stood under became kind of a romantic spot for the girls at this school. There were even rumors that before the group of girls from his batch graduated, they all came to take a final picture with this particularly sentimental Chinese parasol tree.