On the cobblestone path leading to the water sightseeing ride at the Dinosaur Amusement Park, Xu Mo walked silently between Tang Guo and Lin Yijing, absentmindedly staring at the tips of his shoes. He bit his lip several times as if he wanted to speak but didn't know how to start.
"When I first started junior high, my deskmate was a girl named Ning Ning. She was very beautiful and had a great personality." Xu Mo let out a long sigh, his eyes clouded as he sank into his memories. "Back then, I was very introverted, barely noticeable in class, spoke little, and was short in stature. I was often bullied by some of the boys. Whenever that happened, Ning Ning, as the class monitor, would always step up first to drive them away. If I got hurt, she would take me to the infirmary to get treated."
"The boys in the class called me a coward who hid under a girl's skirt. Their bullying and mockery escalated. While they didn't dare do much to me in class because of Ning Ning's presence, they often ambushed me on my way home, demanding money or simply beating me up for fun."
"They could avoid Ning Ning, but the wounds on my body were impossible to hide. Eventually, she found out. She knew I didn't dare resist those boys, so she started walking me home every day before taking a bus for half an hour to get back to her own place."
"I knew this wasn't right, but back then, I really enjoyed being taken care of like that. So, I never thought about refusing her help for her sake."
"From then on, Ning Ning and I attended class together during the day and went home together at night. Our bond grew deeper—we could talk about anything. Under her influence, my grades started improving, and my personality became more outgoing. My relationships with classmates also got better."
"Maybe because she cared too much about me, rumors soon spread in the class that we were dating. The school even called our parents in. To defend me, Ning Ning talked back to our teacher and ended up getting slapped by her father. I still remember that."
"The incident caused a huge stir. At the time, I thought Ning Ning wouldn't walk me home anymore. But to my surprise, just a week later, she appeared again on my way home. However, to avoid further rumors, she changed our meeting place from the school gate to a street corner about five hundred meters away."
Tang Guo listened with wide eyes, completely absorbed. She couldn't help but interject, "That girl, Ning Ning, was really nice to you! So, what happened next? Did you confess to her? You were so close—what a waste if you didn't make a move!"
Lin Yijing seemed deep in thought. She tugged at Tang Guo's sleeve and shook her head, signaling her to let Xu Mo continue.
"Our delicate relationship lasted for over two years. I wasn't sure how she felt about me, but I truly liked her. I planned to confess to her once we got into the same high school. But before that could happen… she was gone forever." Xu Mo suddenly paused, dropping his head in despair. A deep, gut-wrenching sorrow shone in his eyes.
"She… died? How?" Tang Guo asked anxiously. "Was it an illness? An accident?"
Lin Yijing didn't speak, but the concern on her face showed she was just as eager to know the story's ending.
"One evening in our first semester of ninth grade, I left school ten minutes later than Ning Ning as usual. But when I reached our meeting place, she wasn't there. I thought she might have been delayed talking to a friend or buying something, so I decided to wait. But then, I vaguely heard a cry for help coming from the stairwell of a nearby residential building…"
As he recalled that moment, Xu Mo felt like his heart was being ripped apart. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get another word out. His whole body trembled uncontrollably.
Tang Guo panicked and quickly pulled him to sit on the grass by the roadside. She opened a bottle of water and gently brought it to his lips, helping him take a few sips.
"If it's too painful, you don't have to say it… Let the past stay in the past," Lin Yijing softly comforted, sensing the weight of his grief.
Xu Mo's pale face gradually regained some color after drinking the water. He waved his hand, signaling that he was fine, and continued, "At the time, I didn't clearly hear who was calling for help, but out of curiosity, I went to check. Just as I reached the entrance of the building, a man standing guard threatened me with a knife, scaring me off. I barely caught a glimpse of a van speeding away."
"That night, I waited until it was completely dark, but Ning Ning never showed up. She didn't come to school the next day either… Later, I found out that on the night I failed to meet her, she was… she was raped."
Tang Guo's heart clenched. She hesitated, then asked carefully, "What happened after that? How did she… die? Did they catch the culprits?"
"Ning Ning jumped off a building that very night. Her body was cremated and buried soon after—I never even got to see her one last time." Xu Mo buried his face in his hands, trying to hold back tears. He took a deep breath and continued, "The two criminals were caught a month later. But because Ning Ning died by suicide, they were only sentenced to fifteen years in prison…"
"That's too light! Scum like that deserve to be torn apart!" Tang Guo slammed her fist into the ground in anger.
Lin Yijing silently handed Xu Mo a tissue and gently patted his hand in comfort.
Xu Mo nodded in gratitude, gazing into the distant sky. Slowly, he said, "If I had been braver and stood up for her, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe she'd still be alive and happy in this world… So, on the day of her burial, I slit my wrist and swore an oath: No matter my ability, as long as someone needs my help, even if it costs me my life, I will never allow such evil to happen before my eyes again!"
Perhaps the story was too heavy. Even Tang Guo, who was usually the best at lightening the mood, didn't know what to say. She just held onto Xu Mo's arm in silence.
"…Sorry." Xu Mo realized that sharing this in such a lively place was ruining the mood. He forced a small smile and pointed ahead. "Let's not talk about this anymore. We should hurry over before the line for the water ride gets too long."
"Yeah! And then we're going on the roller coaster! I love the thrill!" Tang Guo instantly perked up, cheering excitedly.
Xu Mo quickened his pace, but suddenly, he noticed that Lin Yijing was trailing behind, her brows slightly furrowed, muttering something under her breath.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing… It's just that the name 'Ning Ning' sounds familiar. I feel like I've heard it somewhere before…" Lin Yijing murmured, repeating the name a few times. Suddenly, she gasped, "I remember now! Xu Bilin! One time, when I was flipping through her family album, I saw a picture of a girl who looked very similar to her. She told me that was her cousin—her name was Ning Ning!"
"What?!" Xu Mo felt like he had been struck by lightning. The water bottle in his hand slipped to the ground.
Why? Lin Yijing wouldn't lie, but if that was true, why had Xu Bilin never admitted to knowing Ning Ning despite all his probing? Was she hiding something from him?
If Xu Bilin was really Ning Ning's cousin, then given how close he and Ning Ning were back then, she had likely known about him for a long time. Could it be that her transfer to this school was because of him?
But… what was her goal?