Chapter 4

Jump Scare

Jin Zhenliang was two years younger than Ha Yue. He didn’t have much talent for academics and, after graduating high school, started working early. He was a warm-hearted person with a good reputation outside, and had many close friends in Sui City, who all affectionately called him “Jinzi.”

Ha Yue was no exception.

After getting married, Jinzi used his father-in-law’s connections to secure a temporary job at the city’s Cultural Bureau. His job mainly involved driving the leaders around. The work wasn’t too busy, and the hours were flexible. On days when he had free time, he considered the public car almost like his own personal vehicle.

As long as he paid for any extra fuel, the Cultural Bureau’s leadership didn’t concern themselves too much.

Indeed, Ha Yue hadn’t made a mistake. As she walked the two pigs toward the car and pressed the brakes, she saw her neighbor Jinzi, nodding and bowing, explaining something to the few people getting out of the car, looking very deferential.

The group of men were of various heights and builds, their faces flushed from alcohol. The tallest one, wearing a dark-colored overcoat that reached past his knees, had pale fingers and stood with his back to Ha Yue, so his face was hidden. However, judging by the matching trousers and shoes, it was likely he was wearing a full suit underneath.

Such fashionable dressing was rare in Sui City. The bus schedule was infrequent, and most people traveled by electric bikes. The wind and sun made practical clothing a necessity.

In late autumn and early winter, a thin cotton jacket was the best choice, preferably with a smooth, waterproof material, paired with dark jeans that could hide any stains, much like Ha Yue’s outfit today.

Having spent the past two years in Sui City, Ha Yue had developed what the internet called “fashion fear.” After just a glance at the man in the overcoat, she shrugged and looked away without giving it much thought. She immediately greeted Jinzi and asked if he needed help.

Actually, Jinzi had already called a towing service about ten minutes earlier. The Cultural Bureau had long been operating on a tight budget, and the Toyota Coaster, which looked decent, didn’t have commercial insurance. No commercial insurance meant no free roadside assistance. The person on the phone had said they would have to come from forty kilometers away, so the service would cost at least 400 yuan.

Jinzi tried to negotiate the price a little, but that didn’t sit well with Director Zhao, who was standing nearby.

Peering over his blue-tinted glasses, Zhao’s eyes narrowed as he leaned toward Jinzi and sternly told him not to let himself be taken advantage of. He emphasized that the people in the car were important figures in Sui City, not just anyone a tow truck driver could mess with.

“Two hundred yuan. Not a penny more. The Cultural Bureau won’t cover any more than that,” Zhao said, putting on a proud air. “If they don’t want to come, then fine.”

The real intention behind Zhao’s words was to assert his authority in front of Xue Jing. Although he had been addressing Xue as “teacher” at the dinner table, Xue was still young, and Zhao had already noticed that the overly polite behavior from earlier was starting to fade. By the time they got back into the car, Xue had closed his eyes to rest. He had drunk too much and wasn’t feeling well, but to outsiders, it looked like he was pretending to sleep, as if too lazy to engage with these rural folk.

Director Zhao had graduated from Jida with a master’s degree many years ago, but unlike Xue Jing, who came from a prestigious background, Zhao had completed his undergraduate studies at a lesser-known university near Sui City, one that wasn’t even part of the top tier. After failing the college entrance exam, the young Zhao had hoped that by getting into a 985 university for his graduate studies, he could turn his academic career around. However, the elitist employers in Jicheng didn’t care about his master’s degree at all. As soon as they saw his undergraduate background, they frowned and shook their heads in disdain.

At that time, Zhao wasn’t young anymore, and he couldn’t accept this treatment. He decided to focus on preparing for the civil service exam, which took him two years. After entering the system, he faced the usual office politics and struggles, and it took a lot of hard work and setbacks before he became the department head at the Sui City Cultural Bureau.

As someone who had come up through the ranks at Jida, Director Zhao was highly sensitive about academic credentials. A few years older than Xue Jing, he felt that Xue should show him some respect.

He dared to call Xue “teacher,” and yet Xue actually had the nerve to agree? Zhao was furious, feeling deeply insulted.

Furthermore, dealing with an unfortunate situation like this flat tire just made things worse. Zhao forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, his facial muscles twitching as if all his misfortunes in life had been caused by someone like Xue Jing, a young elite, fueling his frustration with a sense of class struggle.

However, the tow truck driver didn’t care about Zhao’s threats. Before Jinzi could say anything more, the driver hung up the phone.

So, the deal fell through, and Jinzi ended up getting an earful. Zhao, feeling frustrated and with no one else to vent at, decided to take it out on the young driver. He asked how the car was usually maintained, questioning whether the maintenance receipts from before were fake. In a fit of anger, Zhao put his hands on his hips and asked the driver if he still wanted to keep his job.

It was clear to everyone around that this wasn’t just about a few hundred yuan. Zhao was angry about more than that. Only Xue Jing, who was trying to hail a taxi on his phone nearby, tried to mediate and calm Zhao down.

Given Xue Jing’s personality, he should’ve been able to intervene. However, with the alcohol still affecting him and the wind making his temples throb with pain, he feared that if he didn’t rest in the hotel soon, he might catch a cold.

A healthy body was the foundation of his work, and he needed to protect it first.

Ha Yue’s call, however, caught Xue Jing’s attention. It felt like a jump scare in a horror film—he didn’t turn around, but instinctively shoved his phone into the pocket of his coat.

His heart skipped a beat in nervousness. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Zhao’s right hand, pulling him close. He said, in a serious tone: “Director, senior, please calm down. It’s just a small setback, let’s get the tow truck first. The weather’s cold, right? If necessary, I can cover the cost…”

Unfortunately, before he could finish, the woman’s voice didn’t retreat like he had hoped. Instead, it drew closer.

Jinzi was straightforward. He knew that Sui City had little passenger traffic, and there were no drivers making a living from ride-hailing services. Moreover, the place where they had broken down was remote, and taxis didn’t come by for months. When he heard Xue Jing mention that the weather was cold, he immediately turned to Ha Yue and said, “Sister, you see, our car is broken, and the tow truck will take half an hour to arrive. I can wait, but our distinguished guest can’t. Could you please take a few people back to the city first?”

Ha Yue turned to look at her electric bike. The two small pigs were huddled together in the back, grunting softly, but there was still room on the long seat beside her. She immediately agreed, “Of course, but since I’m carrying pigs, I can only take one person. Also, the bike’s battery is low after running all afternoon. If you want to leave, we should go quickly.”

“Okay, okay, that’s fine. Just take us to the corner where we can catch a taxi. There are no cars here,” Jinzi said, quickly wrapping up the arrangement.

As their conversation continued, the air around them seemed to grow thinner, which meant that Xue Jing, who had his back to them, was hearing their exchange more and more clearly. A couple of minutes ago, he had instinctively recoiled from the sound of Ha Yue’s voice, but now, he was certain: this wasn’t a horror movie warning, this was a real-life, terrifying moment— the woman talking to the driver behind him was none other than his ex-girlfriend, Ha Yue.

The ex-girlfriend he could recognize even if she turned to dust—Ha Yue.

The alcohol that had been clouding Xue Jing’s mind quickly dissipated. It should have been a moment of intense anger, but fortunately, over the years, he had perfected his poker face through countless interviews, and he managed to calm himself, changing his expressions several times while staring out of the car window.

Meanwhile, the others were still discussing their next steps.

Finally, it was decided that the precious spot in the vehicle, alongside the pigs, would be given to Xue Jing.

“Director Zhao, how about letting Professor Xue go first? He’s dressed so lightly, he might not be able to handle the cold.”

“Mm.” Director Zhao sighed, and after Xue Jing had shaken his hand earlier and called him “senior,” Zhao felt a certain satisfaction. He agreed with everything the driver said. Turning around, he patted Xue Jing on the shoulder familiarly, switching from formal titles to calling him by his first name, as if taking care of him like a younger colleague.

“Xue, you go ahead. Go rest at the hotel. Tomorrow we have a field trip in the mountains. You’ll need to save your energy. The day after, there’s a seminar at the Broadcast and Television Travel Bureau about art creation, with many important people attending. You can’t miss it. You must be there.”

Ha Yue, standing a meter away, raised an eyebrow when she heard “Professor Xue.” Her eyes narrowed, and she began to closely examine the figure of this “Professor Xue.” Suddenly, a gust of cold wind swept past her, causing the piglets to squeal in the chill. She realized that the figure in front of her seemed strangely familiar.

The half-exposed pale white fingers from the sleeves were familiar. The small-sized head with thick black hair was familiar. Even the person’s well-formed ears seemed familiar.

Familiar to the point that, if she hadn’t been able to keep her composure, she might have thought that her ex-boyfriend, the one who frequently appeared in viral internet videos, had unexpectedly appeared in front of her, as if by fate.

Once this thought popped into her mind, Ha Yue quickly dismissed any sense of familiarity.

Please, who exactly is Xue Jing?

Anyone who uses the internet has seen those viral marketing articles over the years.

“A bestselling author with millions of copies sold,” “The Hu Shi of Jicheng,” “A young male writer praised by People’s Daily,” “A pioneer breaking down the barriers between serious literature and youth literature.” These titles, both true and false, are dazzling and endless, all associated with Xue Jing.

The Xue Jing who once shared a bed with her, their heads together as they figured out how to combine discount coupons for Western restaurant group purchases, was now a completely different person. Not to mention how good-looking he had become, or how well-off his family was, he had graduated with his master’s last year and was of legal age to marry.

The People’s Republic of China abolished arranged marriages in 1949, and free love has inevitably led to market demand. A man like Xue Jing, who was educated, good-looking, and wealthy, had been a hot commodity in the marriage market for the past 73 years. Regardless of his gender, there was no reason why he wouldn’t be sought after by the opposite sex.

No need to think twice. Adding the filter of an artist, there would definitely be many girls who admired him, willing to be his lifelong partner.

Even if he really was like the reports said—devoted to literature, solitary, uninterested in personal emotions—by this point, he would have long since set off for distant foreign lands to pursue a doctorate in literature.

A project in the U.S. would be easy for him, but European countries would work too. In short, Xue Jing had too many choices, each one better than the last. A small, insignificant place like her hometown was definitely not on the list.

Sui City was not a place rich in literary atmosphere. Over the years, the local schools had merged into the city’s mainstream institutions, but with fewer schools, the two primary schools and one secondary school in the city center had seen a steady decline in enrollment.

High school teachers were severely lacking. Ha Yue had heard from Jinzi that the enrollment rate for new high school students this year was less than fifty percent.

Sui City’s only Xinhua Bookstore was only half a shop, mainly selling study guides and recommended reading materials.

The pattern was similar to how divine beings only descend in places with many followers.

Here, no one read novels. Classic literature barely accumulated dust on the shelves, and bestsellers were never put out for sale. Without readers to support them, naturally, there were no writers to be found.

Ha Yue, like a little stray dog with wet ears, shook her head, flinging away all the useless romantic notions from her thoughts.

This person was not Xue Jing, and he couldn’t possibly be Xue Jing.

When they broke up four years ago, Ha Yue had already fully realized this.

They were never meant to be. They came from different worlds, and their 768-day-long relationship before graduation was based on a moment of infatuation, and their breakup was destined.

Even now, when she occasionally thought back on Xue Jing, it was her own fault.

She really needed to stop romanticizing her first love as some kind of youthful secretion to be remembered.

Just as she was trying to force a harmless smile at the back of this distinguished guest’s head, Xue Jing turned his face.

Clearly, the heavens had decided to play an unfriendly joke on her today.

The “Professor Xue” in front of her was none other than her “Xue Classmate.”