Chapter 5: A Face from the Past
1681 Words
Chapter 5: A Face from the Past
Wendy Jiang.
The moment Lily Su saw that face, everything clicked.
She resisted the urge to break through the dream and give a well-deserved beating to those ungrateful jerks, instead choosing to watch patiently.
The scene unfolded in a sleek, high-end office. A woman sat on the couch, lazily flipping through a magazine on the coffee table.
Soon, the door swung open, and a man strode in urgently—it was Maxwell Wu.
The woman lifted her gaze and greeted him with a smile. "Long time no see, Maxwell."
There was no sound in dreams, but Lily could still understand every word exchanged since it was hers.
Maxwell stood frozen, staring at the woman for a long moment before suddenly pulling her into his arms.
The scene shifted.
Wendy was gone. Maxwell sat alone at his desk, staring blankly at his computer screen. Then, as if snapping out of a trance, he grabbed his phone and dialled a number.
"Wendy's back. No matter what it takes, make sure Lily Su never crosses paths with her."
The dream abruptly ended.
Lily opened her eyes. The sky outside was just beginning to brighten, a dull grey casting over the world.
Her roommate, Caitlin Zeng, was already up. Seeing Lily awake, she smiled apologetically. "Did I wake you?"
Lily smiled back and shook her head. "No, I just happened to wake up."
Caitlin, holding a stack of books, was heading out. "Alright, I'll get going then."
Lily nodded. The graduate school entrance exams were just around the corner, and everyone was swamped with their thesis work. Her roommates were up early and stayed out late, spending most of their time at the library or study halls. Soon, the dorm was empty, leaving Lily alone.
After washing up and grabbing breakfast at the cafeteria, she headed to the library. No matter what, she had to take the civil service exam—whether she passed or not, that was a problem for later.
Especially since the more those arrogant jerks feared something, the more determined she was to do it well. Even if she couldn't become Gordon Yu's graduate student, she'd find a way into his lab and make sure he knew her face.
At least, she was lucky she hadn't told Maxwell Wu about her civil service plans yet. She had only mentioned job hunting.
But as she thought about the truth behind her father's accident, an involuntary chill ran through her. Realizing that she could do nothing about it now made her even more frustrated. She needed air.
Walking to the campus lake, she let the cold wind snap her out of her tangled thoughts.
Barely two minutes later, a voice called out to her.
"Lily Su! Lily, over here!"
She turned her head, puzzled. "That's me. May I ask who—?"
She hadn't even seen who was calling her; her gaze was unfocused.
At that moment, a figure approached and stood beside her by the lake. "What are you looking at? The ice hasn't even melted yet. You won't see much."
Lily finally realized—it wasn't a student calling her. It was Professor Gordon Yu, the dean of the Materials Science department.
"Good morning, Professor Yu," she greeted quickly.
He waved it off, giving her a glance before casually asking, "Something on your mind?"
Not sure where this was going, Lily replied vaguely, "Just worried about job hunting."
"Why didn't you apply for grad school?"
Lily forced a smile. "I did, but something happened at home on exam day, so I missed it."
Professor Yu didn't press further. Instead, he said, "If you're struggling to find something suitable, why not work in my lab for now? It pays decently—twelve hundred a month as part of the student work-study program. After graduation, if you want to stay on, we can sign a contract—forty-five hundred a month, meals at the cafeteria, and campus housing. What do you think?"
Lily blinked. The offer came so fast she almost couldn't process it.
"Your lab?" she asked, incredulous.
"Yeah, we've got a lot of projects going on and need an assistant to help with organizing materials and data. I'd prefer a student from our department—you'd pick things up faster. If you're interested…"
Lily nodded immediately. "I'd love to!"
In her dream, those jerks had been terrified of her getting close to Professor Yu—she had heard them loud and clear. Just moments ago, she had been contemplating ways to weasel her way into his lab—maybe by asking him about her thesis topic—but she never expected it to be this easy!
She was on the verge of tears—was her luck finally turning around?
Professor Yu chatted with her for a bit longer, then checked his watch and prepared to leave. After a few steps, he turned back and said, "Lily, you should stand on the walkway, not so close to the edge. If you slip, falling into a frozen lake is no joke."
Lily quickly agreed, watching him walk away before realizing—Wait. Did he think I was about to jump?
Sure, it was a little embarrassing, but the fact that he remembered her was a huge win.
Three days later, Wendy Jiang returned.
At the time, Lily was out shopping with Maxwell Wu.
Since these so-called "elite men" had nothing but money to burn, and since she was just a stand-in meant to stay out of sight, shopping was the only activity they could really do together.
When they reached the third-floor women's section, Lily's hands overflowed with shopping bags, and the total bill had easily passed six figures.
And, of course, Maxwell Wu made no effort to help carry anything, hands tucked in his pockets as he casually walked ahead. "That brand has some nice dresses. Try one on."
Lily didn't bother refusing. She picked out two dresses and tried them on.
"Get both."
She nodded, then said, "That's enough for today. I'm tired."
Maxwell didn't argue. "Alright. Let's sit for a while, then grab something to eat."
Lily flashed him a smile before glancing over at the men's section nearby. "I'll be right back."
Maxwell raised an eyebrow. "Looking for something?"
Lily smirked playfully. "It's a surprise."
Maxwell chuckled. "Don't go too far."
She was back in five minutes, carrying a small package—clearly from a men's brand, though its contents were a mystery. Maxwell didn't particularly care. It was obviously for him, but the gift itself wasn't important.
Lily wasn't exactly well-off. She was still a student, barely scraping by. The gifts she had given Maxwell over the past year had all been practical and modest—razors, belts, wallets… He never used them, of course. But knowing she thought of him still felt strangely nice.
They sat down, and Lily handed him a drink. "Here, try this."
Maxwell eyed her small bag, amazed at how much she had stuffed there.
"It's black tea with just a little honey—not too sweet."
Like most fictional CEOs, Maxwell had a refined taste, preferring coffee over anything remotely sugary. But Lily loved sweet and sour flavours—so naturally, that's what she bought.
And Maxwell wasn't exactly a saint.
Lily's smile held a mischievous glint. Her face overlapped with an image from his past for a split second. A surge of nostalgia and longing hit him—an impulse to kiss her.
But he quickly pulled himself together.
Right. Lily was twenty-one now—the same age as Wendy when she left.
That explained why she looked so familiar.
Just like that, Maxwell zoned out, lost in thought.
Lily had no illusions about Maxwell Wu's offer to carry her shopping bags. So, she left the heavier items—skincare products and shoes—with the store clerks, arranging for them to be delivered to her campus. With only two dresses in hand, she was ready to grab some food.
It was the weekend, and the mall was packed with people—especially unruly kids running wild. In just two minutes, Lily had dodged three separate waves of them racing up and down the escalators.
She had been careful, but not careful enough.
Just as she stepped off the escalator onto the third floor—only four steps to go—a group of screaming kids barreled behind her. Before she could react, they slammed into her, sending her flying forward.
Lily hit the ground hard. One of her feet landed awkwardly on the escalator step, and as she tried to move, she realized—it was about to get caught in the gap between the steps.
Just as panic set in, a fast-moving hand grabbed her and yanked her away.
The good news? She narrowly avoided getting her leg mangled in the escalator.
The bad news? Her shoulder popped out of its socket in the process.
Even in the middle of the bustling mall, the sickening "c***k" of her dislocated joint was unmistakable.
A sharp pain shot through her body, and Lily couldn't stop the scream that tore from her throat.
Meanwhile, Maxwell Wu was on his phone a few feet away. Whatever he heard on the call made his expression turn dark and serious. Without glancing at Lily, he spun on his heel and bolted toward the exit.
"Your man just ran off."
A cool, detached voice cut through Lily's pain.
Shivering from the shock, Lily gritted her teeth, her frustration boiling. "Who hasn't made a few dumb choices when they were young? So what if I dated a scumbag?"
The stranger hesitated, then asked, "Want me to call you an ambulance?"
Reality hit Lily like a slap—she was in bad shape. Her phone and bag had been thrown somewhere in the fall. She clenched her jaw and nodded. "Thanks."
The mall manager arrived shortly after, efficiently dispersing the crowd and ensuring Lily was cared for. He escorted her to the ambulance, riding her straight to the emergency room.
- Writer
