The video began from the moment Tian Ke entered the door.
Two nights earlier, just after Shen Kui had set up the camera, Tian Ke hurriedly knocked on her door. The two had a heartfelt conversation at the time. Even now, watching the footage, Shen Kui still felt a warmth in her heart.
She didn’t have many friends. Due to work, some friends lived far away, and over time, their contact dwindled. The only one she still saw regularly was Tian Ke.
Perhaps because of her childhood experiences, Shen Kui’s personality was colder than that of most of her peers. As she grew older, she found it increasingly difficult to develop deep, meaningful friendships. That was why she cherished her bond with Tian Ke and didn’t want her to get caught up in her troubles.
After a brief moment of reflection, Shen Kui pressed the fast-forward button, skipping that part of the video.
Soon, as they closed the door and left, the screen plunged into prolonged darkness.
The time displayed in the upper right corner of the screen gradually approached 3 a.m. Shen Kui unconsciously held her breath, her eyes fixed intently on the screen.
The moment the time jumped from 2:59 to 3:00, she clearly saw the image on the screen inexplicably distort for an instant.
That brief flicker felt like an illusion. Her breathing quickened as she rewound the footage and watched it repeatedly.
But no matter how many times she replayed it, every time the clock struck exactly 3 a.m., that fleeting distortion remained.
She kept pressing fast-forward, wanting to see if the same thing happened at 3 a.m. the following night.
However, a figure that suddenly appeared on the screen made Shen Kui stop.
…Was that her?
Why would Tian Ke be here at this time?
The timestamp in the upper right corner showed it was 9 a.m. on July 17th. Shen Kui had fainted at 3 a.m. on July 17th, so logically, Tian Ke should still have been at the hospital at this time. Why was she here? Had she come to fetch something for her?
Soon, Tian Ke’s actions in the footage explained her purpose.
The room was small, with the living room, bedroom, and rest area all combined into one space. Except for the entrance and the bathroom, which were out of the camera’s view, the lens captured almost the entire room. Shen Kui could clearly see Tian Ke’s every move.
First, Tian Ke walked around the room as if searching for something. Then, she took out her phone, checking something on it while looking for corresponding items in the room.
At first, Shen Kui thought Tian Ke was gathering things she might need for the hospital stay, but gradually, she realized something was off.
A thought surfaced in her mind, only to be forcibly pushed away. She instinctively refused to accept that possibility.
But soon, Tian Ke’s actions confirmed her worst fears.
Tian Ke walked over to the dining table, unconsciously tapping twice on its empty surface as if deep in thought. Then, she took out a small, delicate vase from her bag and carefully placed it on the table.
This scene struck Shen Kui like a bolt of lightning. Her body stiffened, and she could hardly believe her eyes.
Why was it Tian Ke?!
How could it be Tian Ke?!
She set down the camera and stood up, pacing back and forth in the room.
Her mind was in chaos. Shock, confusion, bewilderment… all these emotions clashed within her. She desperately needed an outlet to vent the turbulent feelings surging inside her.
She walked to the window, wanting to open it for some fresh air. Ever since Lu Ting’s death, she hadn’t approached this window again until now. But at this moment, she couldn’t care less. She pushed the window open, and the rush of fresh air made her breathing feel smoother.
The gentle breeze against her face helped soothe her restless emotions. Shen Kui gradually calmed down, recalling how Tian Ke had tried so hard to comfort her at the hospital. She consoled herself with the thought: Tian Ke must have had some unavoidable reason. Perhaps things weren’t as they seemed.
Maybe she should talk to Tian Ke another day? Tian Ke would never harm her. If there really was some hidden truth, they should clear it up and face it together.
Lost in these thoughts, she reached out to close the window.
Just then, she accidentally knocked over a small succulent pot on the windowsill. With a thud, the pot fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.
Still absorbed in her thoughts, Shen Kui paid little attention to this minor accident. She casually picked up a few broken pieces, intending to toss them into the trash.
However, the moment her fingertips touched the shards, it felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck her. She suddenly realized a blind spot she had overlooked!
This succulent… why was it here?
Shen Kui had never been fond of gardening. She had a knack for killing whatever she tried to grow. The only succulent she had was one she’d won in a company raffle not long ago. A colleague had told her it would thrive as long as it had sunlight, so she’d kept it on the windowsill, occasionally watering it. It had grown quite well.
She clearly remembered that on the night she first saw the forum post, a heavy storm had blown the small plant off the windowsill, startling her awake from her sleep.
Because her attention had been immediately captured by the post after waking up, Shen Kui, who usually would have complained to her best friend whenever she woke up in the middle of the night, had forgotten to mention it that time.
In other words, Tian Ke didn’t know that the succulent had been shattered and discarded that night.
So why was there an identical plant sitting here now?
If the restoration of items like the mirror and vase could be explained by Shen Kui having previously described these anomalies to Tian Ke, allowing her to prepare in advance, the matter of the flowerpot was something Shen Kui had never mentioned. How could Tian Ke have known about it?!
Besides, there was another doubt that had been lingering in Shen Kui’s mind since earlier, but due to her emotional attachment to Tian Ke, she had been unwilling to dwell on it.
Even if Tian Ke’s actions were driven by some unknown hardship, the sequence of events couldn’t be faked.
The most incomprehensible part of this situation wasn’t Tian Ke’s motives. It was the timing!
Shen Kui had lost consciousness at the accident scene at three in the morning. Tian Ke had arrived at her home at nine in the morning.
In just six hours, Tian Ke would have had to take Shen Kui to the hospital, complete the necessary procedures, gather all the damaged items Shen Kui had mentioned, and rush over to restore them all to their original places…
Even if Tian Ke were incredibly efficient and capable of accomplishing all this in such a short time, the vase on the dining table was an old piece Shen Kui had picked up years ago at a flea market. It was no longer available on the market. How could Tian Ke have found an identical replacement in such a short time?
These doubts flooded Shen Kui’s mind one after another. The more she thought about it, the more full of holes the whole situation seemed.
She tried to come up with many reasons for Tian Ke, but none could fully explain her behavior.
Unless…
Unless Tian Ke had known everything from the very beginning.
Shen Kui slowly sat back down on the edge of the bed. She felt weak all over, her mind was foggy, and the impact of this revelation surpassed everything she had experienced before.
She couldn’t accept the fact that her closest friend had been able to foresee all of this in advance.
She even found herself wondering involuntarily. Was Tian Ke’s late-night visit to her home that evening truly motivated solely by concern for her safety?
And was the accident involving that taxi really just a coincidence?
At this thought, she couldn’t help but shiver.
*** ***
The class reunion was held at a well-known hotpot restaurant in the city center. By the time Shen Kui arrived, more than half of the attendees were already there.
Although many had enthusiastically responded to the call for the gathering in the group chat, after excluding those who were out of town, busy with work, or otherwise unavailable, only about seventeen or eighteen people actually showed up.
Despite being naturally introverted since childhood, Shen Kui had a cold exterior but a warm heart. Those who had known her for a long time understood her personality. She was quite popular among her classmates.
As soon as she stepped into the private room, she was surrounded by a lively crowd.
“Oh, Hua Hua is here!” The class monitor, who seemed already three parts drunk before even sitting down, slurred his words as he came over to greet her. Tian Ke hurried over and waved him away. “Go on, get over there. You reek of alcohol. You’ll overwhelm my Hua Hua with that smell.”
Tian Ke shielded Shen Kui like a mother hen. Seeing this familiar scene, Shen Kui felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.
She remembered it had always been like this back in their school days. Due to her introverted nature, Shen Kui hadn’t been readily accepted by her classmates at first, and there were inevitably a few mischievous boys who tried to bully her. Although Tian Ke was petite and delicate in appearance, whenever something like this happened, she would always stand firmly in front of Shen Kui, protecting her like a fierce mother hen.
After so many years of friendship, they had always understood each other without words. Shen Kui had thought they were perhaps the two people in the world who knew each other best. But she never expected to accidentally discover that Tian Ke was hiding such a huge secret.
She didn’t yet know how to face it. Driven by a subtle desire to avoid the issue, she forced a smile and said, “It’s fine. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen everyone. I’ll chat with the class monitor for a bit.”
“Ah, that’s more like it! Come, come, let’s sit down and have a proper chat. We were just talking about you earlier…” The class monitor led Shen Kui toward the table. Tian Ke watched her with concern, but Shen Kui waved her off, signaling that there was no need to worry.
The table was filled with familiar faces. Shen Kui greeted everyone one by one. After brief exchanges, the group was soon complete.
Everyone chatted animatedly about their recent lives and discussed trending topics. Shen Kui listened quietly without saying a word. At some point, someone suddenly blurted out, “By the way, I heard Lu Zhengrong is also in City A now? Why didn’t he come today?”
“He’s busy, you know. Haven’t you seen the news? Between lectures and award ceremonies, where would he find time for a gathering like ours?” someone remarked with a hint of envy.
“He’s really made it big now, a legendary figure from our school. How is his brain just that much better? We all came from the same class, yet he’s the one who’s achieved so much…”
“Well, everyone has their own fate. Besides, he transferred here after all, so he hasn’t spent much time with us. Plus, his personality is so cold. Have you ever seen him get close to anyone?”
“Ah, but you might not know this, I remember he seemed to get along pretty well with Hua Hua?” The class monitor suddenly turned and asked Shen Kui, “Hua Hua, are you still in touch with Lu Zhengrong? I noticed he wasn’t in the group chat last time. Why don’t you invite him in so we can catch up?”
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152