Chapter 1
Edward Quan ·
A class reunion after ten years ended in murder.
Everyone died.
I was the only survivor.
But I can swear I wasn't the killer.
A mountain estate in the middle of nowhere. Its only access route severed.
Those inside couldn't leave.
Those outside couldn't get in.
Who was the killer?
Why spare me?
And why kill even themselves?
It was our best-attended reunion since university.
There had been thirty-four people in our class. Twenty-nine came.
Two genuinely couldn't get away. Three had lost touch with everyone and couldn't be found.
I received the invitation two weeks beforehand.
It coincided with the launch of my new novel. I barely managed to find time to see everyone.
By the time I arrived, they had already spent two days there.
Most were leaving the next day.
At least I caught the final hours and joined them for dinner.
The organizer was Vạn Phong, now the CEO of a large company.
Apparently, business was thriving. No one knew exactly how much he was worth.
Perhaps he was the most successful of us all.
The venue was his private mountain estate.
Honestly, when I first entered the mountains, I was stunned.
Who would expect a resort amid such dense forest?
The moment I stepped from the car, he threw his arms around me.
“Class president! Long time no see!”
I felt a little embarrassed.
As the former class president, I should have organized the reunion myself.
“It has been. You haven't changed at all. Just like university.”
Exchanging pleasantries, we crossed a long suspension bridge, well over a hundred meters by my estimate.
Water rushed beneath it.
Building a retreat here showed a real sense of atmosphere.
Most of our classmates waited at the far end.
The greetings were inevitably noisy and warm.
I looked around.
One glance was enough to find her.
Vương Ngưng.
My university girlfriend.
She smiled faintly and waved without speaking.
I nodded awkwardly and smiled back.
“Your place is beautiful.”
“Oh, it's nothing. Just a summer retreat. Didn't cost much.”
Beyond the bridge was a spacious courtyard with a traditional feel.
In its center stood a three-story villa, Chinese in style without feeling ponderous.
Several thatched-looking cottages were scattered around it, also usable as guest rooms.
They only looked thatched. They weren't really.
Behind the villa rose a steep, rugged mountain.
There was no path up, but having it at our backs gave the place a reassuring solidity.
To the right, a safety railing ran along a sheer cliff.
Stone tables and seats stood there.
From them, you could watch the river wind into the distance.
The scenery was flawless.
“I'll show you around properly tomorrow. Tonight, let's drink until we can't stand.”
Following him inside, we took our seats.
He insisted on giving me the place of honor.
I wouldn't dream of taking it.
After a lengthy tussle over courtesy, he finally sat there himself.
“President Dương, you're late. We've been here two days. What are you going to do about it?”
“I'll drink a penalty.”
I raised a roughly hundred-milliliter cup of baijiu and emptied it in one go.
The drink immediately brought the room to life.
It felt like our university parties again.
“You aren't rushing back, are you?”
“Why?”
“Stay a couple more days. Tomorrow's Monday. Most people have work. You don't have an office to go to. Stay.”
I nodded.
“We'll see.”
“Come on. I've sent all the staff home on leave. It'll just be us old university friends.”
Instinctively, I glanced at Vương Ngưng.
Vạn Phong was observant.
He smiled at once.
“She's staying too.”
If I had known what would happen, Vương Ngưng wouldn't have been enough to keep me there.
Not even Xi Shi or Wang Zhaojun could have managed it.
The next day, most people left.
Including me, eleven remained.
We had been among the closest at university, so the conversation grew freer.
“Dương Dương, what do you do now?”
“Write novels.”
“Oh, a writer?”
“Yes. Mostly sit at home writing when there's nothing else to do.”
“What kind?”
“Mystery. Suspense.”
“Where can we read them?”
“When I get back, I'll send each of you a print copy.”
Writing was an unusual profession.
Everyone had questions.
Only Vương Ngưng kept eating with her head lowered, occasionally sipping her wine.
Then, as though remembering something, she opened her black backpack and took out a book.
“This one. If you want to read it, start with mine.”
I paused.
That book was hard to get now.
Unless she had kept following news about me, she could scarcely have bought it.
All these years, she had quietly been keeping up with me.
“Ooh!”
Everyone hooted.
Her face reddened, whether from embarrassment or wine, I couldn't tell.
After dinner, we split into small groups.
I went over to her.
“Walk?”
“All right.”
We left the villa.
Stars filled the sky.
Water murmured nearby.
A cool mountain breeze brushed past us.
Without thinking, I took her hand.
Just like university.
She started slightly, but didn't pull away.
We walked side by side in the moonlight.
Neither spoke.
The moon shone clear.
Then—
“Mm... gently... don't let anyone hear... no...”
We looked at each other.
Her face turned scarlet.
As a man, I handled it a little better, but could only scratch my head awkwardly.
In the northeastern cottage, right beside us, a couple were in the throes of passion.
“Sounds like Tôn Kiều.”
She was still in the mood to identify voices.
I touched my nose.
“The man's probably Lưu Thời Vũ.”
We both froze.
They weren't married to each other.
And his wife had come to the reunion too.
She was still dozing at the dining table inside the villa.
“Let's go,” Vương Ngưng said. “Pretend we know nothing.”
Before she finished, the cottage door opened.
Lưu Thời Vũ emerged, buttoning his shirt.
Two eyes met four.
His embarrassment was beyond description.
A moment later, Tôn Kiều appeared, smoothing her disheveled hair.
Seeing us, she cried out and ducked back inside.
He smiled stiffly.
“Um... well... ha... good morning.”
I looked up at the moon, brighter than a lightbulb.
“Yes. Good morning.”
“Anyway, enjoy your walk. I'm a little drunk. I'll get some rest.”
Vương Ngưng released my hand and hurried toward the villa.