Leaving the academic affairs office, He Yan quickly said goodbye before Fu Shenxing could speak again. She didn’t offer to shake his hand and didn’t look back to see his reaction. She turned and walked straight to her car. Only when she opened the door did she notice—the front left tire was flat.

Completely deflated. It would have to be replaced. And it was strange—it had been fine just moments ago. She had driven here without issue. How could it suddenly go flat? Frustrated, she kicked the tire rim.

Fu Shenxing’s car rolled up quietly behind her and stopped. The window lowered. “What happened, Professor He?”

She startled and turned, then quickly masked her expression. “It’s nothing.”

He leaned slightly, peering past her at the flat tire. Then he looked back at her. “Where are you headed? Let me have my driver take you.”

“No need,” she refused instantly.

He raised an eyebrow. She realized her rejection had been too blunt. She added, “I have things to take care of with my students. I’ll walk. Thank you.”

It was a lie. She had just said earlier that she had an urgent errand to run. But he didn’t expose her. He simply smiled faintly and replied courteously, “Very well. Goodbye, Professor He.”

He gestured to the driver to leave. The car pulled away and vanished into the campus.

He Yan remained standing by the curb, watching until the vehicle was completely gone. Only then did she roll up her sleeves and begin changing the tire herself.

The university, being a former engineering college, had no shortage of enthusiastic male students. Two of them quickly came over to help. She didn’t refuse. She calmly instructed them, and together they installed the spare.

She didn’t go to her alma mater as originally planned, nor did she return home. Instead, she drove directly to the Nanzhao City Public Security Bureau.

Officer Chen was surprised to get her call but didn’t turn her down. They met at a teahouse near the police station.

“What’s the matter?” he asked. “Why so sudden?”

He Yan wasn’t sure how to explain. They weren’t close, and asking to meet him had been a spontaneous decision. “Do you remember me?” she asked.

Chen smiled. “Of course I remember.”

He did. She was the victim from a case he handled four years ago. During that horrifying encounter with three violent criminals, she had killed one with a fruit knife after being assaulted, then run over another with a car to escape. The moment she fled, she called her boyfriend and told him to report it to the police.

Beautiful women were common. Intelligent, beautiful women were not rare either. But a woman who was calm, rational, and vicious enough to survive such trauma? Those were exceedingly rare. Even after all these years, he still remembered her.

He Yan was still trying to figure out how to explain. The truth was incredible—hard to believe. One could easily think she was mentally unstable.

She looked him in the eyes and asked, “In that case from four years ago, the man you caught in the end—the one called Shen Zhijie—are you certain he was executed?”

Chen was momentarily startled. “Pardon?”

“Shen Zhijie,” she repeated. “I recently saw someone who looks very much like him. Voice, appearance—everything. No—not just similar. It was him.”

Her anxiety drew a flash of sympathy from the middle-aged officer. “He Yan, right? That’s your name, isn’t it?” he asked gently. “Calm down. I can assure you—Shen Zhijie is dead. He was executed two years ago.”

“You’re certain?”

“I’m certain,” Chen replied solemnly. “I remember him vividly—not just because of the crimes he committed, but because of what he did before his execution.”

“What did he do?” she asked.

“He volunteered to donate his corneas.”

He Yan was taken aback. That a vicious criminal would suddenly become noble at the end was… unexpected. She fell silent for a moment, then said, “But the man I saw really looked like him.”

“There are people in the world who resemble each other closely,” Chen said. “Some even look like identical twins, but are completely unrelated. Maybe somewhere out there, there’s a girl who looks exactly like you too.”

“But the way he looked at me… He tried to approach me. Asked for my number. Initiated conversation. Then invited me into his car. Please don’t misunderstand—I’m not being narcissistic. I could feel it.”

Chen laughed. “You’re very attractive. I bet strangers approach you on the street all the time.”

His meaning was clear. Even if such a man existed and was interested in her—it was likely just a normal case of flirtation.

She had no rebuttal. She was beautiful, and had always drawn attention from men, even as a child. Even after marriage, even with her wedding ring on, she still attracted suitors.

Chen’s smile deepened at her silence. “Don’t overthink it. Let the past stay in the past.”

Everything pointed to her fears being nothing more than trauma-induced paranoia. Even she began to doubt herself.

After a moment, she pulled a slip of paper from her purse and handed it to him. “Could you help me with something?”

He glanced at it, surprised. “You know all this?”

“He showed me his ID. I only glanced at it—didn’t memorize the number.”

Chen chuckled. “Just one glance and you remembered this much? You’ve got an excellent memory.”

She really did. That’s why she remembered every detail of that night—the man’s face, his voice, the look in his eyes. They replayed in her nightmares again and again.

“Please,” she said softly. “Can you check it for me?”

Beautiful women were hard to refuse. Chen smiled, folded the note into his notebook, and said, “Alright. I’ll look into it when I get the chance.”

He was a helpful man. A few days later, he called her back.

“He Yan, I checked. Fu Shenxing is real. His identity is legitimate. I’ll admit—he startled me too. I even looked up photos. They do look alike, but when you compare them, the differences are clear. They’re not the same man.”

She was deeply relieved. “Thank you so much.”

Chen asked, “Has he contacted you again?”

“No.”

“He probably just wanted to chase a beautiful woman. Can you blame him? A guy that good-looking might be confused why a woman’s treating him like a criminal,” Chen teased. Then, more seriously, “He Yan, move on. Live your life.”

“I really appreciate your help,” she replied earnestly.

“If anything else happens, don’t hesitate to call me.”

“Thank you.”

“And if he does keep bothering you, I’ll take care of him myself!”

Honestly, those two earlier encounters couldn’t even be called harassment. Now that she knew Fu Shenxing wasn’t Shen Zhijie, she viewed things more rationally. This was all her trauma projecting onto someone innocent.

Fu Shenxing didn’t contact her again.

Once, she ran into the female staffer from the academic office—the one who’d been infatuated with him. The woman looked disappointed. “He never came. I called him, and he picked up—but he didn’t come. Some other guy came to get the form. Big and scary-looking.”

From her description, He Yan knew it was the same driver from before—likely a bodyguard.

She said a few comforting words, but felt lighter in her heart. Her life felt like it was finally returning to normal. After shocking her so badly, Fu Shenxing had vanished again.

She focused on her PhD application, going back to her old university and seeking out her former mentor. The professor was stern and principled, and despite being fond of He Yan, refused to give her special treatment. “You’ll need to earn your place on your own merits. I won’t open any back doors.”

He Yan sent her professor a meme—a crying face—to express her feelings.

Her parents weren’t very supportive of her pursuit of a doctorate. Though they weren’t wealthy, they lived comfortably and didn’t understand why she had to put herself through more hardship. Fortunately, Liang Yuanze was fully supportive. He helped gather materials, run errands—everything. She only regretted they weren’t in the same field; he couldn’t help her study.

While she was buried in books, her family was on a lucky streak. Her parents won a free trip and went off to explore the country together. Then, Liang Yuanze was selected for a prestigious training program abroad.

He Yan was a bit envious. She sulked while helping him pack. “I’m going to be a lonely wife now. Forget being a model wife—I quit.”

He laughed and pinned her to the bed. “If you really hate it, I won’t go. Your parents aren’t home either—I’m worried about leaving you alone.”

Of course, he couldn’t stay. She wasn’t a child who needed supervision. And this opportunity was too valuable to pass up.

She tugged at his collar and teased, half-joking, “Go on, my lord. Learn the skills of the West. I shall return to my books and wait for our glorious future.”

He laughed, kissing her deeply. Play turned into passion. Most of the time, he dominated. But sometimes, she pinned him down, straddling him and declaring, “Surrender?”

“How could I not?” he said, breathless, eyes full of love. “I love you, Yanyan.”

She leaned down and kissed him. “I love you too, Yuanze. So much.”

After seeing him off, she went straight to school to study. Every day she joined students in staking out spots in the library. People often mistook her for a student. One day, a guy she didn’t know even offered to save her a seat.

She called Liang Yuanze, proud as could be. “You hit the jackpot, marrying me! When you’re pushing fifty, I’ll still look thirty! People will assume you’re some rich boss who bagged a young babe.”

He laughed and played along, reminding her to take care of herself. “If it’s too hard, just quit your job. If you don’t get in this year, try again next year. I can afford to support you.”

“Hey! Don’t jinx me! I’m getting in this year!” she retorted. “I was a genius girl, remember?”

He laughed again, and she added reassuringly, “It’s actually not that busy at school. Students are mature these days. They don’t cause much trouble.”

Famous last words.

The very next day, one of her students got into serious trouble.