He Junting: ???What's going on???
Xu Wanwan lifted her head, pretending not to notice the confusion in He Junting's eyes, and asked with a smile:
"Senior, do you have class tonight?"
He Junting: "...No."
"Senior year must have very few courses left."
He Junting: "...Yes."
"Will you be doing an internship in the second half of the year?"
He Junting: "...Yes."
The two chatted back and forth like this for a while. He Junting realized that Xu Wanwan was being much more talkative than usual today.
Thinking this, He Junting asked: "You seem to be speaking a lot more today."
Xu Wanwan: ...
"Does Senior find me annoying?"
Seeing the hint of dejection on Xu Wanwan's face, He Junting felt oddly restless in his heart, and his mouth seemed to speak without his brain's consent: "No, I just feel you're different from usual, more lively."
After saying that, he was stunned by his own words.
But Xu Wanwan smiled, a sweet smile: "Because this is the real me."
"Before, there were too many things to consider, but now, those considerations aren't important. Just being alive is the greatest blessing."
Hearing this, He Junting thought she must have been deeply affected by Ye Jinmeng's injury, so he didn't ask too many more questions.
After Xu Wanwan finished her last bite of food, she checked the time and said to He Junting: "Senior, I have class soon, so I'll go ahead. We'll see each other again later."
He Junting also stood up, his voice low and deep: "I'll go with you. I happen to need to go to the library to look up some information, so it's on the way."
Xu Wanwan was naturally happy to nod in agreement.
Walking along the long stone path, the two exceptionally good-looking people drew frequent sidelong glances from students on their way to class.
In fact, He Junting had no plans to go to the library. He didn't know why he had the urge to spend a little more time with her, so his mouth moved faster than his brain and said it was on the way to the library.
It seemed that in this short twenty-some minutes, his emotions were being controlled by Xu Wanwan. He Junting couldn't help but look at Xu Wanwan.
It was like ever since she appeared, he had done many things that didn't align with his own thoughts.
At first, he thought it was because she was Meng's friend, but now he realized that wasn't the case.
This inevitably made him think back to that inexplicable dream again.
"Before...I had a dream..."
Xu Wanwan, who had been immersed in the joy of her "campus stroll" with He Junting, was suddenly brought back to her senses by this low voice.
"Hmm? What dream?" Xu Wanwan asked, puzzled that He Junting would take the initiative to discuss such a topic with her.
He Junting glanced at Xu Wanwan. Her eyes were full of liveliness and curiosity.
"I dreamed of an endless vast prairie. I stood under an old locust tree, and then...I met you..."
"In the dream, we seemed to be lovers who loved each other deeply but were forced apart.
You said you went to another time and space, and I said I would go to another time and space to find you."
When He Junting mentioned the prairie and old locust tree, Xu Wanwan stopped in her tracks, staring at He Junting with widened eyes. Only the tinge of redness in her eyes and her slightly trembling lips betrayed her emotions.
He Junting noticed her emotional state, but he didn't seem surprised. His gaze was fixed intently on Xu Wanwan's face, his voice low and hoarse.
"Did we...meet somewhere before?"
He really wanted to know Xu Wanwan's secret about him.
A teardrop rolled uncontrollably down Xu Wanwan's cheek. She never expected that He Junting would also dream of that same dream.
Did this mean that He Junting and the Junting from that other time and space were actually connected?
"Yes, we...knew each other before."
Hearing this affirmative answer from Xu Wanwan, He Junting's heart skipped a beat.
Xu Wanwan wiped away her tears, having made a firm decision in her heart.
She lifted her head, put on a smile, and looked seriously into He Junting's eyes: "Senior, let's set a time. I'll tell you the secret between us."
She lit up her phone screen and pointed at the time, showing He Junting. "Right now, I need to go to class. I only have two minutes left before I'm late."
He Junting: "Okay."
At the Xiao Family Villa.
In the study, two men in suits sat facing each other across a desk.
"Mr. Xiao, Young Master Jian Nan just contacted me, asking when you can get him out."
The one speaking was the lawyer that Xiao Wenyao had hired for the Xiao Group, the lawyer specifically handling Xiao Jiannan's case.
Xiao Wenyao lowered his brows, reached for the coffee on the desk, took a light sip, and said indifferently with a slight raise of his brows: "Lawyer Liu, it's not that I don't want to get him out, it's that there really is no way."
He let out a light sigh. "You know, the Xiao family's current status in Haicheng, aside from some small circles that are still wary of us, the rest of the more reputable ones would not give us any face."
"Moreover, Xiao Nan did make a mistake, with solid evidence against him. If we really found connections to get him released, wouldn't we be openly defying the law? Who would dare take that risk?"
Lawyer Liu nodded. "I understand what you mean, but Young Master Jian Nan still wants me to remind you..."
"Liu, you don't need to say it. I know what he's saying," Xiao Wenyao waved his hand to interrupt Lawyer Liu.
"He's saying that as the Xiao family's only son, if he's in prison, there will be no one to inherit the company, right? And he's threatening to expose all my deeds."
Lawyer Liu nodded.
The corner of Xiao Wenyao's lips curved up slightly. He refilled Lawyer Liu's teacup with the teapot, his voice indifferent yet carrying a hint of threat:
"Lawyer Liu, you're an intelligent man. The Haiyue Club was opened by Xiao Jiannan. It has nothing to do with me. I haven't done anything, have I? Lawyer Liu, you know all about it, don't you?"
Lawyer Liu's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, causing some of the scalding hot tea to spill out and land on his hand, reddening his skin, but he seemed not to notice.
At this moment, Lawyer Liu felt a sense of panic in his heart. He understood that Xiao Wenyao was warning him - Xiao Wenyao's misdeeds were inextricably linked to him.
After all, for that exorbitant fee, he had used his legal knowledge to cover up many of Xiao Wenyao's criminal acts.
Now, he and Xiao Wenyao were like conjoined beings. If anything happened to Xiao Wenyao, he couldn't escape either.
Xiao Wenyao noticed Lawyer Liu's anxiety, and a glint of cunning flashed in his eyes.
"Lawyer Liu, you should trust your abilities. You should know what needs to be done."
Looking into Xiao Wenyao's hawk-like eyes, Lawyer Liu's heart pounded fiercely. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said: "I understand. Mr. Xiao, rest assured. As Xiao Jiannan's defense lawyer, I will do my utmost to defend him and try my best to reduce his sentence."