Chapter 7: Ye Gong’s Love of Dragons

The next morning.

Cheng Cheng walked out the door carrying the Gift Box.

Her mom saw her and teased, “Are you giving another gift to Shen Yao? You two are so close, why not just have Shen Yao marry into our family? Your dad and I both like that kid anyway.”

Cheng Cheng’s cheeks turned slightly red.

“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you! I’m not in that kind of relationship with Shen Yao!”

She said impatiently.

“Alright, alright, whatever you say~”

She stomped out of the house with a face full of indignation.

As she approached Shen Yao’s house, her steps slowed, and the anger on her face vanished without a trace.

She had left early today, so she should catch Shen Yao before he left.

She checked the Gift Box in her hand, making sure the corners weren’t squished, and then knocked on the door:

“Shen Yao, stop being lazy!”

“Shen Yao, get up! It’s time for school!”

She called several times, but there was no response from inside.

Cheng Cheng’s face grew more suspicious.

Had Shen Yao already left?

Or… did he not come home last night?

Then where did he go?

Internet café?

Lately, high school boys loved sneaking off to shady net bars.

Could it be that Shen Yao got dragged to one by his gang of troublesome classmates?

The Gift Box in her hand felt too conspicuous.

She instinctively didn’t want others to see what she prepared for Shen Yao, so she hurriedly stuffed it into her backpack before reaching the main road.

As she exited the alley, she immediately spotted her Best Friends and ran toward them with a bright smile, pushing the matter of the gift to the back of her mind for now.

The summer of 2003 was hotter than usual.

Only thirty-three days remained until summer vacation.

Near the one-yuan shop, a group of scruffy kids gathered to play card games.

From the street came the sound of old bicycle bells and cheap speakers playing music:

“No scent of flowers, no tall trees,

I am a blade of unknown grass,

Never lonely, never troubled,

…”

The girls chatted and laughed, and suddenly the topic shifted to Shen Yao.

“Eh, Cheng Cheng, did you already give your gift? What did Shen Yao say?”

Cheng Cheng smiled.

“Of course I did. He was so moved he almost cried and said at crucial moments, brothers can be relied on.”

“As expected, Qiao Yunxue is still a bad woman.”

“Hope Shen Yao isn’t too sad… By the way, where is Shen Yao?”

“He… he went to school first.”

Cheng Cheng blinked and subconsciously pinched her nose.

“Shen Yao is really studious. He might get into college.”

“A top student… So envious… I also want to get a good job after graduation…”

“My mom told me to go work in the South after graduation…”

The conversation grew more and more scattered, and Cheng Cheng’s thoughts drifted further away.

Where did Shen Yao go?

They arrived at school, and just after passing the Gatekeeper, the sound of a car horn came from behind.

A Maybach pulled up in front of the school.

Qiao Yunxue, wearing headphones and carrying a crossbody bag, stepped out neatly.

The Gatekeeper, who had looked stern just moments ago, changed expressions and greeted Qiao Yunxue warmly, but not even the tiniest hint of friendliness appeared on Miss Qiao’s face.

“The Gatekeeper is so snobbish… Usually if we forget our student IDs, he sends us home, but Qiao Yunxue not only doesn’t bring a student ID, she doesn’t even wear her uniform, and he still greets her with a smile… Gross!”

Cheng Cheng didn’t quite catch her friend’s complaint.

Her attention was drawn to the luxury car—or more precisely, to the boy who got out on the other side.

Shen Yao, carrying his backpack, got out with a serious face, deliberately avoiding Qiao Yunxue and walking around the edge so others wouldn’t notice.

But every move he made still caught Cheng Cheng’s attention alone.

She stared at Shen Yao’s back in a daze.

Why… did he get out of Qiao Yunxue’s car?

Did they run into each other on the road… or did he stay at the Qiao house last night?

How could someone as difficult as Qiao Yunxue…

In that instant, a strange feeling shot through her chest, like someone had fired an arrow from a distant cloud, striking her heart and making it pound wildly.

She didn’t know where this sense of weightlessness came from.

She didn’t understand.

She didn’t know.

And she was lost.

—

Shen Yao deliberately avoided Qiao Yunxue, his mind filled with thoughts, and didn’t realize he had bumped into the homeroom teacher.

The homeroom teacher asked with concern, “Shen Yao, your dark circles look terrible. Didn’t sleep well last night?”

Shen Yao grunted twice, then suddenly remembered something and pulled a thick stack of lecture notes from his bag.

“Teacher Xie, this is for you… I’ll go back to my seat for morning reading.”

He hurried back to his seat.

He could clearly feel Qiao Yunxue’s gaze—who had already arrived in the classroom—falling on him, as if reminding him of something.

Everything that happened yesterday was far beyond the daily life of a high school boy—a phone call that shouldn’t have gone through, a strange and mysterious forum, a passionate girl obsessed with seeing monsters.

Either he had gone crazy, or the world had.

This morning, he had woken up in a panic because Qiao Yunxue was standing right next to his bed, as if waiting for him to wake up.

“You!… What do you want?”

Shen Yao felt cold sweat down his back.

Qiao Yunxue stared at him with a complicated expression and murmured,

“Why is it only you can…”

“I’m going to change clothes. Could you please step outside? Thank you.”

Shen Yao didn’t want to talk to her.

He deluded himself into thinking that as long as he distanced himself, that mysterious and ominous world would leave him alone.

“Shen Yao… Can you stay and help me?”

Shen Yao shook his head.

But Qiao Yunxue continued.

“I’ve been trying for seven years to see monsters, but until you arrived yesterday, I got nothing. Shen Yao, you’re different from others, from me, from everyone. I need your help.”

Shen Yao shook his head harder.

“I’m not different from anyone. I’m just a poor, ordinary kid.”

“No… you have a higher sensitivity than normal people. You can more easily encounter and witness Strange Events.”

“I’m just an ordinary high schooler. How could I possibly…”

His words stuck in his throat, as if he remembered something, and he finally fell silent.

“I can pay you. I have money. I can give you ten thousand yuan a month. Your parents might not save that much in a year, right?”

Qiao Yunxue pressed closer.

“Shen Yao, and you like me, right?”

She was willing to say anything to make him stay.

Or maybe she was just that reckless by nature.

Shen Yao lowered his head.

“My head hurts. I want to go to school.”

Qiao Yunxue nodded.

“Okay, take my family’s car.”

Shen Yao checked the time.

At this hour, only taking the car would get him to morning reading in time.

He nodded reluctantly.

Qiao Yunxue seemed like she wanted to say more but finally left the room.

Shen Yao pressed his forehead, feeling as if his head was about to split.

In just one night, his relationship with Qiao Yunxue had undergone a complete upheaval.

A mess of emotions brewed inside him, impossible to describe.

Was it joy at being closer to Qiao Yunxue?

Or a nameless fear of her obsession?

Was it disgust at her reckless disregard?

Or unease at the unknown?

He couldn’t explain it.

The more he tried, the messier it became.

“Mom… Dad… Is it because of you two?”

He held his head.