Early morning, the school track.
A faint morning glow spilled across Liang Lu’s face. She wore a red tracksuit, and with every stride, her high ponytail swayed in rhythm.
Liang Lu was the campus belle of Handong, renowned for her sweetness, intellect, boldness, and a romanticism that felt ahead of its time. With countless halos surrounding her, she was the perfect goddess in the eyes of most.
That, of course, did not include Director Qi. He was accustomed to the "darkened" version of Liang Lu—disgusting, yet painfully familiar.
Qi Tongwei knew Liang Lu’s habit of morning jogging, and he had risen early specifically to cross paths with her, aiming to deepen an unconscious impression. You could question Director Qi’s moral character, but you could never question his professional capabilities. While studying criminal psychology, Qi Tongwei had read a book on "transference psychology," and he intended to apply it to Liang Lu.
Soon, the circular track brought them face-to-face.
"It’s him!"
Liang Lu recognized this young but handsome student at a glance. At the thought of those aggressive eyes from yesterday, her heart skipped a beat. Yet, unlike yesterday, his gaze was calm today.
"Does he like morning jogs, too?"
As they passed each other, Liang Lu instinctively took a deep breath—a self-defense mechanism when facing a stranger. But other than a faint scent of sulfur soap, nothing happened.
Liang Lu let out a sigh of relief. She soon completed another lap, but this time, she didn't see Qi Tongwei again. She turned her head subconsciously to look for him, but the track was empty. Looking into the distance, her line of sight was blocked by a hedge, and she only saw a back fading away.
Liang Lu was certain: that handsome, sharp-looking young man had only run a single lap.
What a weakling!
"University students these days really can't handle anything," she thought, silently looking down on him.
Liang Lu ran three more laps before heading toward the garden. Liang Lu had a beautiful voice; had it not been for her high-ranking father, she wouldn't have chosen to stay at the school as a teacher, but would have joined the Troup instead. However, singing and teaching both shared something in common: they both required a good set of pipes. There was an artificial lake in the garden, a perfect spot for warming up her voice in the early morning.
...
Just as she crossed the forest path and neared the artificial lake, Liang Lu heard a rich, professional, and melodious male tenor.
"Amen, a grape tree in front of the door; amen, amen, the sprouts are just emerging from the mud. The snail carries its heavy shell, climbing up step by step."
"????"
Liang Lu saw him again—that silhouette which was gradually becoming familiar.
Just as she hesitated about whether to approach, the man turned his head. His dark eyebrows knitted, and a flash of impatience crossed his eyes.
What was that supposed to mean?
He didn't want to see me?
Should I just leave?
A flicker of anger flashed in Liang Lu’s eyes, followed by a sense of bewilderment. Little did she know that the moment she arrived, Qi Tongwei had achieved his goal. He then gracefully ceded the lake to her and departed, clean and decisive.
After two inexplicable departures and connecting the dots, Liang Lu seemed to grasp something.
"He left after one lap—not because he couldn't run anymore, but because he didn't want to see me?"
"Is that it? Really? Is it?"
Liang Lu did not want to—and could not—accept such an absurd conclusion. But now that Qi Tongwei was gone, she didn't even have the chance to confront him. Finally, she stomped her foot hard against the ground and turned to leave.
What was the point of practicing now? Her blood was already boiling.
Back at the faculty dormitory, she changed into clean clothes and didn't forget to glance in the mirror before leaving. Hm, looking beautiful—very nice.
Strolling into the canteen, Liang Lu looked left and right. Confident that Qi Tongwei was not there, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Two cups of soy milk, one vegetable bun, one meat bun."
"Oh, Teacher Liang, bringing breakfast for Professor Chen again? Here you go."
Unbothered by the staff's teasing, Liang Lu smiled, took the breakfast, and left.
In the face of love, one must be brave enough to pursue it, even if it means discarding the modesty of a young woman to chase after someone. Whenever she thought of Teacher Chen Shan, she couldn't help but smile. A scholarly and refined man like Teacher Chen never lacked admirers.
"His perfection is a debt I will spend my entire life repaying with exclusive love."
"I am proud to be his lover."
With a light step, Liang Lu went to deliver the breakfast to Chen Shan. Chen Shan was an associate professor in the history department who held a senior title and had his own office. He took the breakfast from Liang Lu, his eyes glued to the books on his desk while he ate.
Liang Lu walked over and sat on his lap, cooing, "You don't even look at a beautiful woman like me, you only know how to look at your books."
Chen Shan pointed to an English text and laughed, "From Silicon Valley to Hollywood, you can taste technology and art—vitality, opportunity, freedom, democracy."
Chen Shan did not hide his longing; he sighed, "I really want to go see it."
"Yes, I really want to go see it too," Liang Lu replied.
Chen Shan had never hidden his desire for the Eagle Nation from Liang Lu, nor did he need to. From the 1930s to the late 90s, the Eagle Nation had always been the dream destination for elite students. There was a saying back then: you could criticize the Eagle Nation while in the Eagle Nation, but you couldn't do the same back home. The consensus at the time was that even the moon in the Eagle Nation was bigger than the one at home.
The two were not at all what outsiders imagined—that Chen Shan was a despicable villain who played with her feelings, swindled Liang Lu’s money, and then snuck off to the Eagle Nation. Chen Shan had always been open about needing money, and open about his intentions to leave. They had once dreamed of going to the Eagle Nation together, but Liang Qunfeng, wanting to advance his career, had refused.
Between love and dreams, Chen Shan chose the latter. Before leaving, he planted a mark of love on Liang Lu, and the next day, she saw him off at the airport with tear-filled eyes.
It had originally been a mutual arrangement. The reason Liang Lu later "darkened" was primarily because she was left pregnant, and Chen Shan had gone silent in the Eagle Nation for five months.
Liang Lu had been like a statue of a grieving wife, waiting for Chen Shan for five months with a bulging belly. Every day, she touched her stomach, thinking of how happy her dear Chen Shan would be when he found out. She was certain he would cross mountains and seas to be by her side, witness the birth of their beautiful child, hold a grand wedding, and they would live happily ever after.
Five months later, the call came. It was Christmas Day.
"Brother Chen Shan, I have good news for you—I'm pregnant. The child is yours."
"I'm sorry, let's break up."
He hung up the phone and completely vanished from Liang Lu’s world.
They say that when a woman turns ruthless, there's nothing left for a man to do. In '86, abortion technology was not yet mature, but Liang Lu risked her life to go through with it.
If everything had ended there, Liang Lu might not have turned dark. But when she learned from the doctor that she would never be able to conceive again, she lost her mind. The vows of love, the man she adored—they had all left her. She had wanted to start over, but Heaven had stripped her of the right to be a mother.
When Qi Tongwei heard the full story for the first time, his heart was struck hard. For a moment, he even felt a pang of pity for Liang Lu.
But it lasted only an instant, followed by a cold sneer.
*Right, you are pitiful, but that’s no reason for you to provoke me. I, Qi Tongwei, am no soft touch. Bring it on—let’s torment each other. Who’s afraid of whom?*
While the two were still lingering in the office, Qi Tongwei was already waiting for Liang Lu at the library. He understood all of Liang Lu’s preferences and habits. At the same time, he was quite single-minded: Chen Shan could abandon Liang Lu just by taking a trip to the Eagle Nation, yet even after being reborn, Qi Tongwei was unwilling to let her go.
Was this not a cycle across three lifetimes?