Wutong Complex (1)

It has been over a month since Mu Zi arrived in Wutong City. He found a job as a waiter in a restaurant. The work was easy and the pay wasn't much, but he felt his life was peaceful and happy. No nightmares, no fears, no anxiety, just simple happiness.

He never felt guilty about the four people he had schemed to kill.

If heaven had lost its ability to judge good and evil, then everything had to be solved by oneself.

His revenge was complete, his hatred avenged, and those deserving death had paid with their lives. He was satisfied with this outcome. He decided to forget Phoenix City, forget the hatred, forget everything, and start a new life he liked and could control. As a child, he dreamed of traveling the world. Now, he felt he finally had the opportunity to realize this dream. Though he couldn't travel the entire world, he at least wanted to visit the places he desired most, to enjoy a life where he could see his dreams gradually becoming closer and attainable.

Wutong City was his starting point. After saving enough money here, he would move to the next city, then work and save again for the next destination... This was his new plan – simple, feasible, and full of allure.

Wutong City First High School.

It was a leisurely afternoon, and there was nothing to do at the restaurant. Mu Zi strolled on the streets and found himself here, at the school. Over the past month, he had thought many times about visiting this place but always restrained himself. Yet today, he somehow ended up here.

Mu Zi stood at the school gate, squinting up at the massive sign.

This was the high school he never finished. A year ago, he stood in this same spot, carrying all his belongings, saying goodbye to his classmates under a drizzle. Now, with college entrance exams approaching, his classmates must be in their final sprint.

Everything seemed unchanged, yet everything felt different.

I am still me, they are still them, but the paths we chose are so different.

I am now someone who carries the burden of four lives.

No, more accurately, one scoundrel and three thieving rats...

Forget it, why think about these things again? Mu Zi shook his head vigorously, casting away these dark shadows.

He clearly remembered that Yezi, his classmate, wasn't among those who saw him off.

Yezi.....

It was a season of continuous rain. The bell for the end of the last class had long rung, and students were leaving the classroom in twos and threes.

Mu Zi sat blankly at his desk, his mind filled with just one thought: dropping out.

The man had sold everything valuable at home, and relations with relatives and friends were almost entirely severed. Now, not only school, but even eating was a problem.

So, today was his last day here.

Mu Zi looked at his familiar desk, the bustling classmates gradually leaving, and the classroom that held two years of happy memories. From tomorrow, this place would no longer belong to him. There was a 99% chance he would never return...

Was this the end? My student life, my high school days? And my... He involuntarily glanced at the seat across the aisle, now empty. The owner of the seat had left, leaving neatly arranged books and a cheerful Gray Wolf poster on the desk. But Mu Zi's heart sank deeper.

And my... could it be love? The image of the girl named Yezi flashed in his mind – those captivating large eyes, those long eyelashes... Mu Zi didn't know if it was love, but he wanted to see her every moment, to be with her all the time. That naive and sweet feeling had started long ago, at the beginning of the second year of high school, and had grown uncontrollably since. He had always kept these wonderful feelings hidden in his heart, just like his family background, never mentioned to anyone.

At this moment of parting, he felt a pang of regret that he couldn't see her one last time...

Forget it, why think about it? Even if I saw her, what could change? From tomorrow, I will leave this place forever...

"Aren't you Mu Zi? Not a wooden block head, right? So why are you always staring of into space like a block of wood?" Someone gently nudged his arm, startling him and pulling him back to reality. He looked up to see a beautiful girl standing in front of him, his heart racing – it was her!

She had come back, standing right before him!

"Why are you back?" Mu Zi asked awkwardly. Those bright, sparkling eyes stared at him... In fact, Mu Zi had never really looked into those beautiful eyes, for he felt they were like the unfathomably deep Peach Blossom Spring, and he, like a fish longing for water, would be tempted to dive in and then... disappear without a trace.

"I thought you really turned into a blank of wood!"

 The girl sat back in her seat, flipping through a book on the desk, speaking in a coquettish tone.

"Did I?" Mu Zi twirled the hair on his forehead, curiously turning to the girl.

"No." The girl rested her chin on her delicate hand, looking at Mu Zi with a hint of helplessness, "I called you ten times, and you didn't respond."

"Oh... did you?" Mu Zi turned back, pretending to look at the book on the desk, avoiding her eyes, and asked awkwardly.

"Fainting..." The girl dramatically laid her head on the desk, expressing her exasperation. "I came back for my book. I saw you here, so I wanted to ask if you're coming to the class gathering this Sunday."

"A gathering? Where?" Mu Zi asked.

"At my house," the girl said with a smile. "Because..." She found her book, walked to Mu Zi, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Because it's my birthday!"

"Oh..." Mu Zi watched her fluttering long eyelashes, responding clumsily.

"Make sure you come! It won't be nice if you don't! Hehe, I have to go now!" The girl rattled off, waving the book in her hand, and floated out of the classroom like a butterfly.

Venice... Grandiose yet melancholic, Venice. In the moment the girl turned around, Mu Zi saw her smiling eyes and long lashes, and an inexplicable word flashed in his mind.

Back then, he never imagined that this would become a habit in his life, thinking of seemingly unrelated words at certain moments...

He didn't attend her birthday gathering, as he left the school early the next morning, packing his belongings.

That day, the early morning sky was overcast with rain, enveloping the earth, and only three dormitory brothers came to see him off...