Chapter 1: The Foolish People by the River

  Under the night sky, along the Huangpu River, skyscrapers rise from the ground, crystal-like and dazzling, with a unique sense of luxury, romance, and grandeur. The beauty is so captivating that it leaves people enchanted and at a loss for words.

  Leaning against the stone railing of the pipe string station, the gentle evening breeze blows gently, those familiar memories, scattered and fragmented, slowly swaying in the depths of my heart.

  Lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, and gazed at the night view with a carefree mind. Unintentionally, his eyes swept across and were caught by a figure ten meters away. The long black hair, the hem of her skirt was blown up by the wind, her body bent forward, then retreated, shivering, repeating this several times, accompanied by faint sobs, clearly audible in the quiet night.

  He recalled a piece of news about a person jumping into the river to commit suicide that he saw in the morning, and with a sudden thought, he had already rushed forward with all his might.

  At this time, Ning Meng was sitting on the stone railing with her legs crossed, holding a small stick in her hand, poking and poking, almost there, just a little bit short. She was secretly delighted... Suddenly, a rapid footsteps came from behind, a forceful waist, the sky spun around, a slapping sound, a shouting voice, two bodies heavily fell to the ground, entwined together, rolling continuously for several rounds before finally stopping.

  The moment I hit the ground, a sharp pain shot through my back and legs. Ning Meng heard a blood-curdling scream, only to realize a few seconds later that it was coming from his own mouth... It scared him half to death.

  She opened her eyes, on the ground, a face within arm's reach, furrowed eyebrows, anxious eyes, deep and complex gaze, her mind buzzed with a loud noise, a vast expanse of whiteness.

  "How are you?" The man in front of him asked with a frown, his voice low and thick like the solo of a large cello.

  "Who are you? Let me go!"

  The arm strength on his waist was great, holding her tightly, and the two were stuck together. Ning Meng struggled with all her might, like a crab thrown into a pot, crawling and crawling, but unable to get out. With a sudden movement, they turned around, and Ning Meng wailed again.

  "Oh no, it hurts, don't touch there."

  An elderly couple walked by nearby, thinking they were playing a game of tag, and immediately turned their heads away, shaking them, and took a detour to avoid them as if escaping an epidemic.

  "You scoundrel, are you going to let go or not? If you don't let go, I...!" Ning Meng opened her mouth and bit down on his arm with all her might. As expected, the man groaned in pain and loosened his grip. She quickly took advantage of the opportunity to roll out, trying to get up, but her left foot couldn't exert any strength. Had it been crippled? ... Her face turned pale in an instant, and fine sweat seeped out, sticking to her forehead.

  Fortunately, her right foot was fine. She propped herself up with both hands and hopped on one foot, like a lame frog, moving a few steps back to the original position, looking down while holding onto the stone railing.

  He scrambled up, flew over and grasped her hand tightly, pleading, "Miss, don't jump again, the water is very cold, it's not fun at all. Besides, your foot seems to be injured, let's go to the hospital first..."

  Suddenly enlightened, her heart wailed, God, Buddha, how could such a ridiculous thing happen to her.

  Jump? She can't even swim clearly, how can she jump into the river? Ridiculous! Moreover, the river water is so dirty, with many dead pigs floating inside, if she jumps in, won't she get a stomach flip? Just thinking about it makes me shudder all over. Who would be stupid enough to do such a thing?

  She shot him an angry glance and shouted, "Who said I was going to jump into the river? I'm trying to pick up my wallet, okay? Big brother, please, when you're rescuing a beauty, can you at least get the situation straight?"

  His expression changed suddenly, looking extremely embarrassed, the hand grasping her waist finally loosened, "You're really not... then why? It's very dangerous and easy to be misunderstood."

  "Look, it fell just here," she said, pointing to the step below the stone railing, where a green potted plant sat. She poked at it with a small wooden stick, her tone unyielding. "How can you say it's dangerous? I had my foot hooked on the railing and the branch was long enough, I almost got it back then... but now it's all been ruined by you. My wallet fell into the river, and the photos are gone..."

  Lin Ziyue's only photo of her was always kept in her wallet, but now even this connection has been lost by her...

  "It's all gone, it's really all gone..." A wave of sorrow surged up, Ning Meng's nose bridge ached, the corners of her eyes stung, tears poured out like uncontrolled tap water, streaming down and filling her mouth with bitterness. In an instant, her face was wet and tear-stained.

  Guan Xian had never seen a girl like this before, silently sobbing, but with dull and dim eyes, without any luster or focus, as if sorrow was swirling around inside, feeling as if the world had already collapsed, completely leaving one at a loss...

  He could only comfort her with gentle words, "Sorry...... calm down first, we'll go to the hospital later..."

  Ning Meng slowly came to a stop, and after her tears had dried up, those painful yet sweet memories seemed to be gently scattered along the riverbank by the wind, never to return. Exhausted, her emotions gradually calmed down, she stretched out her arm to wipe her face, and her eyes sparkled brightly once again.

  Guan Xian looked at her clear and calm eyes, like a lost elf in the forest, lively and agile, that feeling was fleeting. He took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to her, "Here's my phone number, today's matter is indeed my consideration not thorough, I will be responsible to the end."

  A simple business card with only a name and phone number on it, Ning Meng stared at the two largest black characters on it, Guan Xian. For a moment, he was stunned.

  "Are you Gu Xiang?" Ning Meng seemed to want to confirm something, or perhaps didn't believe his good luck.

  She looked at Guan Xuan and nodded slightly, her heart skipped a beat, then furrowed her brow and said, "My name is Ning Meng."

  Guan Xian felt that the two words "Ning Meng" sounded sweet and soft when spoken from her mouth, like the taste of osmanthus cake, very strange.

  "Let's not go to the hospital, we can just find someone to bandage it up anytime."

  While Guan Xuan was still hesitating, Ning Meng had already stretched out his hand in front of him, "Anyway, I'm now a useless person, so trouble you to temporarily be my leg."

  In front of her, his hands were long and slender, but there were several obvious fine lines, not to mention delicate and white... Guan Xuan couldn't help but smile wryly, embracing her waist, and with a gentle effort, he stood up easily.