The gears of fate begin to turn.

“So many important things were all in your wallet?”

Sun Tao asked in surprise.

“Yeah.”

Xia Muzhu nodded with a troubled expression and said, “If I lose my wallet, it’s going to be a real headache. The cash is one thing, but the ID card and bank cards all need to be reported lost and replaced. And tomorrow’s Saturday, so I’ll have to wait until Monday to handle the reports.”

“Do you have mobile banking?”

“If you do, transfer the money out first through your mobile banking app, then call the bank to report your cards lost. The 24-hour customer service should be able to help you block the cards.”

Sun Tao reminded her.

Xia Muzhu quickly nodded and, following Sun Tao’s advice, began transferring the money from her lost bank card to another account.

After transferring all the money and calling the 24-hour customer service to block the lost cards, the two of them sitting on the bed finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Luckily, the money in the bank card didn’t get lost.”

Xia Muzhu said with relief.

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“But as for your ID card, you’ll just have to wait until Monday to go to the police station to report it lost and get a new one.”

Sun Tao shrugged.

Xia Muzhu nodded.

“There’s no other way.”

After settling the issue with the bank cards, it was getting late. The two washed up and planned to go back to their own rooms to sleep.

Xia Muzhu was the first to return to her bedroom. Sun Tao glanced at her own room, then turned to look at the bedroom door that Xia Muzhu had just closed. Without much hesitation, she walked toward Xia Muzhu’s room.

She pushed open the door and smoothly slipped under Xia Muzhu’s blanket, only her head peeking out. Facing Xia Muzhu’s puzzled look, she pouted slightly, her dark eyes shimmering with moisture.

“I’m leaving for another city to work tomorrow. After we part ways, I don’t know when we’ll meet again. Let’s sleep together tonight!”

“Okay.”

Xia Muzhu softly replied, looking at her dear friend who was about to leave for another city. She too felt reluctant, her eyes reddening as she nodded.

“Together.”

The two lay in bed, chatting endlessly, from some local gossip to each other’s past embarrassing and silly moments.

“Do you still remember Deng Song from high school?”

“He had a crush on Zhou Tingting for three whole years in high school!”

“When we took the graduation photos, his eyes were almost completely squinted just so he could sneak a glance at Zhou Tingting. The photos turned out hilarious!”

Sun Tao said enthusiastically.

“Really?”

Xia Muzhu’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

She knew roughly about Deng Song’s crush on Zhou Tingting, but she had never really looked closely at the graduation photos Sun Tao mentioned.

“Of course!”

“Wait, I’ll find it for you!”

Sun Tao took out her phone, opened the photo album, and started scrolling through the pictures.

Xia Muzhu leaned close to Sun Tao, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes sparkling with a gentle smile, full of anticipation as she waited for Sun Tao to find that graduation photo and see what kind of funny expression Deng Song had back then.

Photos flashed by one after another. When a selfie of Sun Tao and her boyfriend, full of affection, swiftly appeared, Xia Muzhu’s smile suddenly froze.

What was that just now?

Sensing something unusual, Xia Muzhu quickly stopped Sun Tao’s rapid scrolling and said,

“Wait, scroll back a bit.”

“What’s wrong?”

Sun Tao turned her head toward Xia Muzhu, curious.

“I think I just saw someone very familiar. Scroll back, let me take a closer look.”

Patting Sun Tao’s hand anxiously, Xia Muzhu urged.

“Oh.”

Sun Tao obeyed and began scrolling back through the photos.

After a few pictures, the screen displayed that selfie of Sun Tao and her boyfriend showing their affection.

“This one!”

Stopping Sun Tao’s finger from swiping further, Xia Muzhu stared seriously at the photo.

Judging by the background, it was clearly taken at a barbecue stall.

In the photo, Sun Tao and her boyfriend pressed their faces close together, pouting cutely as they looked at the camera.

But Xia Muzhu’s concern wasn’t with the two who nearly filled the entire photo—it was the white-haired man sitting by the grill in the upper right corner.

With just one glance, Xia Muzhu recognized him as the white-haired man who had been following her that night.

Her beautiful eyes widened. She took a deep breath and raised her hand to point at the white-haired man in the corner of the photo, about to speak, but her voice suddenly caught in her throat.

Opposite the white-haired man sat a strange figure, only half visible, with a side profile so obscured that even his own mother wouldn’t recognize him.

Xia Muzhu’s sea-blue pupils visibly trembled.

How...

How could it be him?

Looking at that strange person’s side profile, almost completely hidden by yellow hair, the Zhong School uniform he wore, and the conspicuous blue tattoo on his neck—

A chill ran through Xia Muzhu’s entire body. Her mind couldn’t find a single excuse to justify him.

In that instant, a terrifying yet undeniable suspicion took root deep in her heart.

“Zhuzi.”

“Zhuzi?”

“Zhuzi!”

Sun Tao called Xia Muzhu’s nickname three times in a row before finally pulling her out of her stunned daze.

“Hm?”

“What’s wrong?”

Xia Muzhu instinctively turned her head.

“What were you about to say just now...”

Frowning, Sun Tao was about to complain that Xia Muzhu had stopped speaking mid-sentence, but then she suddenly noticed the obvious glistening tears at the corner of Xia Muzhu’s eyes. She reached out, surprised, and asked,

“Why... why are you crying?”

“Ah?”

Hearing Sun Tao’s words, Xia Muzhu instinctively raised her hand to touch her face. Her fingers came away wet and cool. Only then did she realize she had been crying.

“I-I’m fine.”

“It’s just that the phone screen was too bright; it hurt my eyes.”

Xia Muzhu wiped her face clumsily and spoke softly.

“Okay, okay, let’s not look at it anymore. I’ll find it for you tomorrow during the day.”

“Mm.”

Xia Muzhu responded quietly.

The phone screen went dark, and the room was plunged back into silence.

“Zhuzi, are you really okay?”

After a moment of quiet, Sun Tao still couldn’t help but ask worriedly.

“I’m fine.”

Xia Muzhu answered sullenly. After a moment, she spoke again, her voice trembling slightly but not too obvious:

“Could you send me that photo later?”

Sun Tao nodded gently. Although she didn’t know why Xia Muzhu wanted the photo, she readily agreed.

“Of course, no problem.”

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