Summer is an ambiguous season.
Between burying his head in books, he would sometimes let his mind wander, especially when he saw the girls in his class switching to short-sleeved uniforms—their bare, jade-white arms glimmering under the sunlight.
Occasionally, a fleeting glimpse of the soft skin revealed between the sleeves would send his imagination running wild.
Young girls weren’t very careful with their clothes.
Often, the less precocious ones wore white shirts with black camisole bras underneath.
The boys found it both awkward and intriguing, but no one would ever mention it when talking in private.
Compared to the girls who could only wear bulky school uniforms, Qiao Yunxue was a little different.
She wore a pair of cropped pants that Shen Yao had never seen before, her feet in black-and-white canvas sneakers, exposing a stretch of dazzlingly fair calves.
Her long hair was tied up, coiled into a high ponytail behind her head—like a solidified yet leaping flame, making this already scorching summer feel even more stifling and parched.
Somehow, she had found her little electric scooter again. Just like yesterday, she gave Shen Yao a ride, the bike beeping as they headed toward the Shopping Mall.
She still cursed at unruly pedestrians along the way, showing none of the elegance one might expect from a beautiful young lady.
Yet, Shen Yao felt this was exactly how Qiao Yunxue ought to be.
He had never shopped at the Shopping Mall before. The décor always made him feel as if everything inside was outrageously expensive.
He much preferred the familiarity of the Batch Clothing Supermarket near his home, and instead of those incomprehensible foreign pop songs, he liked the beat of Ant Tooth Black.
On the roadside, a Flash Mob suddenly appeared, dancing in perfect unison and drawing crowds of onlookers snapping photos.
Not far off, the Chenguan Brigade chased after a group of street vendors pushing carts, causing quite a commotion.
On the billboard atop a CBD District building, an ad for “Ultimate Girl Voice” flashed. Every thirty seconds, the advertisement panels would flip, turning into a Beibeijia ad.
This was the summer of the new millennium—chaotic, yet harmonious.
Aunt had once said that if he studied hard, he could become a white-collar worker sitting in an office, enjoying air-conditioning and various White-collar Allowances, with his job being nothing more than assigning tasks.
If he hadn’t met Qiao Yunxue, perhaps his life would have turned out just as Aunt described.
On weekends, the Shopping Mall was packed, but few people actually bought anything; most were elderly folks bringing their grandchildren to enjoy the air-conditioning for free.
Qiao Yunxue walked through two floors before cursing aloud: “Why are they all Fake Brands… Adididike, Naike, Anima? What kind of messed-up names are these…”
Shen Yao asked curiously, “Are these not genuine brands?”
“Of course not!” Qiao Yunxue complained, “Yaoguang City really is such a backward little city!” She simply picked a store with a brand she didn’t recognize—at least that way, she wouldn’t feel like she was being played for a fool.
Staring at the dazzling array of shoes, Shen Yao was momentarily overwhelmed.
He picked up a flashy pair of Basketball Shoes, checked the price tag, and quickly put them back down.
Qiao Yunxue waved her hand generously, “Pick whatever you like, I’ll pay for all of it~”
How extravagant, Shen Yao thought. Even if he did well in school, he doubted he’d ever earn as much as Qiao Yunxue’s family in his entire life. Was this what it meant to take a shortcut of decades?
Some people deserve to be taken advantage of, Shen Yao mused.
Maybe Aunt should get a new pair of High Heels? What about Cheng Orange? Lately, she’d been playing badminton—did she need a pair of Badminton Shoes?
While Shen Yao was picking, Qiao Yunxue’s phone suddenly rang. She walked out of the store to take the call.
Not long after, Shen Yao heard her furious voice from outside.
“What I do is none of your business!”
“There was a body hidden in your own Comprehensive Logistics Park, and you blame me??”
“My relationship with Shen Yao is none of your concern! If you dare to contact him privately, we’re done—don’t ever talk to me again!”
“I hate you!”
She hung up and turned around abruptly. Seeing Shen Yao standing behind her, her anger faded a little. “Did you pick out your shoes?”
Shen Yao asked, “Was that your dad?”
“Mind your own business!” she snapped.
Shen Yao pointed at the counter. The shop assistant had already packed up everything he’d chosen.
When Qiao Yunxue finished paying, Shen Yao picked up the bags and said casually, “Too bad my parents are gone. I don’t even have anyone to argue with anymore.”
Qiao Yunxue said discontentedly, “What, are you going to start lecturing me about empathy? I don’t owe him anything! When I come of age and can freely access the Campbell Family fortune, I’ll never have anything to do with him again!”
Shen Yao opened his mouth, then closed it. “Mm.” He had no right to lecture her, nor to sympathize with her pain.
In some sense, both of them were battered, drowning souls—the only thing they could do was drag each other deeper under.
The phone call seemed to have agitated Qiao Yunxue. “Shen Yao, in the future we still have to go find more Strangeness, discover more Strange Tales, and collect more clues about the Zero Dimension!”
“Still?” Shen Yao had thought this was the end.
“Of course! This time, we may have solved a Strange Tale, but we still know far too little. We need more, many more Strange Tales. Only by solving them one by one can we get closer to the truth of the world!” she said excitedly.
“My follower, I need you to keep helping me. I’ll pay you—a lot!”
Shen Yao said, “That’s too dangerous… For both of us.”
Qiao Yunxue fixed him with a steady gaze. “Follower, honestly, I have no way out anymore. What about you? After seeing the other side of the world, can you really go back to that false daily life?”
“I…” But in that so-called false daily life, Aunt and Cheng Orange were still waiting for him.
Qiao Yunxue said nothing, just stared at him. Last time, she had begged Shen Yao to stay because she only wanted to use him—she’d never imagined they would stay together for long.
But this time, she didn’t beg or plead; she just waited for Shen Yao to make his own decision.
That was because she genuinely hoped he would walk with her into the abyss.
After spending time together, after two brushes with death, she was certain Shen Yao was different from the rest—he was just like her, a moth to the flame, only hiding his true self beneath the world’s expectations.
They were both “Martyrs”.
So the answer was clear.
“…Alright.” Shen Yao nodded.
The false Shen Yao would refuse her—honest, proper, carrying the hopes of his elders.
But the real Shen Yao would agree, because that Shen Yao had long been tortured and broken by painful memories, yearning for a divine fire to burn him away.
Qiao Yunxue broke into a bright smile. She stepped forward and did something he never expected.
She hugged him.
A simple embrace, yet filled with rare emotion from Qiao Yunxue.
“Thank you.”
The hug was fleeting yet beautiful, as brief as a blooming flower.
She waved and skipped forward joyfully. “Come on, Shen Yao!” The road ahead held no sunlight, only the shifting neon of the Shopping Mall.
Just as Shen Yao was about to catch up, a voice called out from behind.
“Shen Yao!” The trembling voice revealed the owner’s complicated emotions.
He turned and saw an unexpected figure.
Cheng Orange stood frozen in place, staring at him as if he were a stranger.
This was the Shen Yao who’d said he couldn’t accompany her to the city center, the Shen Yao who claimed he was exhausted, the Shen Yao who’d never kept secrets from her—now appearing before her with Qiao Yunxue.
Shen Yao started to speak, but a surge of fear welled up in Cheng Orange’s heart. She was afraid to hear his explanations, even more afraid he wouldn’t try to explain.
So she spoke first. “I have something to do. I’m leaving.” She hurried off, as if she couldn’t hear Shen Yao calling after her.
Her friends chased after her. “Cheng Orange… Are we still buying the gift? Cheng Orange, Cheng Orange!”
Shen Yao watched her back, speechless. A butterfly appeared from nowhere, fluttered past his eyes, and soared high until it vanished into the sky.
“Hehe~”
A familiar woman’s laughter rang out, ethereal as if from another world.
So-called Inspiration is a sacrifice that only the pitiable possess. They cannot love, nor do they wish to be loved.
Always keeping up an unassailable façade—because as long as the heart stays locked, it will never be hurt.
Xu Jia and Zhong Wen were nothing but another projection of him and Qiao Yunxue.
Two self-destructive people, clinging together through thorns, seeking that brief, fragile light.
After all… If one hadn’t despaired of life, how could one ever encounter Strangeness?