Lu Zhengrong?
Was there really a student by that name in their class? She had absolutely no memory of him.
Shen Kui stared blankly at the crowd. Their matter-of-fact expressions made her doubt herself. Had she really forgotten? But even so, how could she have no impression at all?
After a moment of hesitation, Shen Kui could only tactfully say, “We lost touch a long time ago.”
“What a shame. I was hoping to bask in your glory and meet this great scientist,” someone lamented.
“Forget it. Even if you met, what could you talk about? Relativity? Or quantum entanglement?”
“What… what and what?” The class monitor looked utterly confused. “Are you even speaking human? I don’t understand a word. What exactly is Lu Zhengrong doing now? Something so high-level?”
“I heard he works at the National Academy of Sciences, researching physics. Anyway, it’s not a field us ordinary folks can understand.”
“Even back then, I could tell Academic God Lu had an extraordinary aura. He really is different from us slackers!”
As Shen Kui listened to them chattering about someone who didn’t exist in her memory, the sense of dissonance grew stronger and stronger.
She remembered many details from her school days and could recall most of her classmates’ names. Even if she couldn’t remember clearly, she had a general impression. Yet, for this “star figure” they claimed she was close to, she had no memory at all.
Why was there no memory of him?
What was so special about this person?
Could he be the extra one in the class group chat?
Instinctively, she glanced at Tian Ke, hoping to find some clue on her face. But Tian Ke was currently typing rapidly on her phone, her furrowed brows betraying her inner agitation.
Shen Kui remembered the discussion she and Tian Ke had a few days ago about the extra classmate. Tian Ke had mentioned two classmates they couldn’t get in touch with. Now, it seemed one of them must be Lu Zhengrong.
According to the others, Lu Zhengrong had been close to her in the past. Even if she had forgotten for some reason, why had she never heard his name from Tian Ke all these years?
Thinking of Tian Ke’s strange behavior recently, Shen Kui couldn’t help but wonder. Had Tian Ke deliberately hidden this person’s existence?
No, Shen Kui quickly dismissed the thought.
The Lu Zhengrong described by her classmates was a star figure. Even if he wasn’t present, someone like that would often become a topic of conversation at class reunions. Since Shen Kui would eventually learn about him, it seemed unnecessary for Tian Ke to deliberately hide it.
Besides, wasn’t this class reunion organized and planned by Tian Ke herself?
Shen Kui felt restless and puzzled. This sudden, unfamiliar name was like a thorn stuck in her throat, making her uneasy.
She wanted to ask Tian Ke right then and there what she was hiding, but she was afraid the truth might be too much to bear.
Just then, she saw Tian Ke put down her phone and walk out the door.
An idea struck her. If she couldn’t start with Tian Ke, why not try her luck with the other classmates?
The conversation had already moved past Lu Zhengrong, shifting to the changes in City A over the years. She listened quietly for a while before pretending to sigh with emotion. “It’s been over a decade since we graduated from elementary school. Even the places we lived have changed so much, let alone us. Some classmates we rarely see might be unrecognizable if we passed them on the street now.”
As soon as she said this, someone immediately chimed in agreement. “Exactly! Only a few familiar faces would stand out. If the whole class stood together now, I bet many of us wouldn’t even remember each other’s names!”
Another added, “Even if we dug out old photos, I doubt many of us could recognize everyone.”
The class monitor jumped in to refute. “You’re wrong about that. I remember every single person in our class. I go through their faces in my mind every night!”
“Come on, monitor, stop bragging! Do you think you’re some kind of living class roster?”
The classmates burst into laughter, and the atmosphere instantly heated up. Someone egged them on. “Who has our class graduation photo? Bring it out and let the monitor see if he can name everyone without missing a single one!”
“I do! I do! I just scanned one a few days ago while cleaning out my photo album. Come on, everyone, take a look!” With that, they posted the photo in the class group chat.
Everyone pulled out their phones to check. Someone said, “Let’s make a deal, monitor. If you get one wrong, you drink a penalty shot. Miss a few, drink a few. Deal?”
The monitor thumped his chest confidently. “Deal! But let me remind you all. If I get every single one right, every one of you here has to drink three penalty shots!”
Another chorus of “Deal!” and “Fine, fine!” erupted as everyone urged him to start.
Squinting, the monitor began naming the classmates from left to right in the photo. With each name, the classmates let out an impressed “Wow!” playing along enthusiastically.
As Shen Kui listened to their cheers, her eyes quickly scanned back and forth across the photo.
She recognized most of the classmates in the picture. Even the few slightly unfamiliar faces came back to her after a brief moment of recollection. Though she couldn’t perfectly match every name to every face, at least they held a place in her memory.
Except… for that one person.
Her gaze lingered on a tall boy standing in the center of the back row.
He had neat, short hair. Even in the grainy, scanned old photo, his well-defined features were visible. His eyes were deep-set, making his gaze in the photo appear particularly intense.
Just one glance at him sent an inexplicable shudder through Shen Kui. For some reason, this person gave her a strange feeling.
The moment she saw him, something in her mind seemed to loosen for an instant. Her thoughts grew momentarily hazy, and she remembered experiencing a similar sensation not long ago.
It was the day she received her mother’s leather jacket. A sudden dizziness had left her disoriented. Now, the same feeling had returned.
What had she forgotten?
Just then, the monitor happened to read out the boy’s name. “This one is obviously Lu Zhengrong. Ah, our God Lu was so handsome back then.”
“He’s still handsome now, okay? God Lu never went through an awkward phase.”
After a flurry of comments, the group quickly moved on to the next person.
Shen Kui pondered over and over, unable to let go of the matter concerning Lu Zhengrong. After much consideration, she felt that the key to the current problem still lay with Tian Ke.
Ultimately, Tian Ke was the one orchestrating this class reunion from behind the scenes. Shen Kui even ventured to guess that perhaps even the so-called “extra classmate” in the WeChat group was nothing more than an excuse for Tian Ke to guide her toward discovering something.
With this thought, she could no longer sit still. She walked to the restroom inside the private room and called Tian Ke.
Since leaving the table earlier, Tian Ke had not returned. Shen Kui wondered what might have happened.
The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered. Just as Shen Kui was about to hang up, she heard a female classmate in the private room suddenly call out to her, “Xiao Kui, are you making a call? Keke’s phone is right here!”
The female classmate waved Tian Ke’s phone, which was displaying Shen Kui’s incoming call.
“Do you know where she went?” Shen Kui felt an inexplicable unease, sensing that Tian Ke’s behavior tonight was particularly unusual.
“Maybe she went to the restroom? I saw her heading in that direction earlier,” the female classmate pointed toward the corridor on the right.
“Alright, I’ll go check.” Shen Kui turned to leave but paused after a few steps, looking back. “Give me her phone. I’ll take it to her.”
Shen Kui placed the phone in her bag, pushed open the door of the private room, and stepped out.
The clamor of voices was cut off as the door closed behind her. The empty, silent corridor made her feel as if she had stepped into another world.
This hotpot restaurant in City A was renowned for its elegant and tranquil environment. The establishment covered a large area, designed in the style of an ancient courtyard house, with covered walkways connecting the private rooms. Bamboo groves and trees lined both sides, and the central courtyard featured artificial hills and a pond.
Whenever Shen Kui came here to eat, she always enjoyed taking a breather in the corridor. The air was fresh, and the private rooms were spaced far apart, ensuring no disturbance from one another. For someone like her, who struggled with lively gatherings, it was a perfect escape from socializing.
But this time, as she stepped into the corridor, she keenly sensed something different.
It was too quiet…
She looked around but saw no staff or other guests. Even though the private rooms were relatively isolated, it was strange that there wasn’t a single person in sight.
What made Shen Kui even more uncomfortable was the faint scent of blood lingering in the air, its source unknown. This smell made the atmosphere even more peculiar.
She glanced toward the right side of the corridor, where an arrow on the wall at the corner indicated the direction to the restroom. Could Tian Ke be there?
As she hesitated, her phone rang. She picked it up and saw that the caller was none other than Tian Ke!
How was that possible?!
Shen Kui felt a chill run down her spine. She quickly rummaged through her bag and pulled out Tian Ke’s phone. It was still with her. How could this call be coming through?
The ringing continued, the ethereal melody echoing endlessly in the quiet corridor like a haunting note, pounding against Shen Kui’s heart with each ring.
She took a deep breath and answered the call.
“Zzz… Hua… zzz… Hua Hua…?”
The voice on the other end sounded as if it were coming from a great distance, accompanied by constant static interference. Shen Kui had to focus intently to barely make out the words.
She said anxiously, “It’s me. Keke, where are you?”
“Zzz… don’t… investigate… three o’clock…” Tian Ke’s voice on the other end of the line carried a faint sob, but the noise was too loud for Shen Kui to be certain: “Zzz… don’t pay attention…”
Shen Kui urgently said, “First, tell me where you are now?”
Tian Ke did not respond.
Suddenly, all sounds vanished.
Shen Kui picked up her phone to look: the call duration still flickering on the screen indicated the call hadn’t been disconnected, but the person on the other end had stopped responding, and even the crackling interference noise had disappeared.
An overwhelming sense of unease surged in Shen Kui’s heart. Frantically shouting into the phone, she hurried toward the direction of the bathroom.
At this moment, she could no longer afford to harbor suspicions about Tian Ke. Her only instinct was to protect the childhood friend she had grown up with.
However, just then, she heard a sound that chilled her to the bone—a heavy thud!
“Bang!”
The sound came from the phone.
The dull thud of something heavy hitting the ground was transmitted clearly through the receiver to her ears, freezing her entire body like a wooden statue.
She felt icy cold all over, her mind blank, not even daring to turn her head to confirm whether the call was still connected.
Suddenly, a familiar voice cheerfully rang in her ear:
“Life cycles endlessly. Hua Hua, we will meet again.”
Moonlit: Oh no, Tian Ke!
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152