(1)
In the afternoon, slightly slanted sunlight poured into the classroom.
The towering stacks of test papers and homework on the desks looked like small mountains.
This had originally been an English class.
But when the Class Advisor saw the students’ pale and swollen faces, he drove them all out to the Playground to get some sunlight.
Zhu Ying had come upstairs to get some money.
After playing badminton for half the class period, she was so thirsty that she felt like she could finish an entire can of soda in one gulp.
There was nobody in the classroom.
An Jing lifted the hem of her shirt and let the breeze, which still lacked the heat of summer, flow inside her clothes.
She let out a long sigh of relief.
“Haah… Playing badminton in long sleeves on a day this hot is seriously killing me.”
“I’m covered in sweat…”
“Xiao Jing~ Your shirt’s lifted so high I can almost see your fried eggs.”
“I-Is it really that obvious?!”
“I can already see a little outline.”
“Ah… I hate summer.”
An Jing looked miserable.
“Why haven’t we graduated yet?”
“If it gets any hotter, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep wearing this jacket.”
“If the other students find out, do you think they’ll guess you’re a girl, or…”
“They’d definitely think I’m a freak!”
An Jing looked pained.
“A guy growing breasts!”
“Maybe some people would even think I’m like those people from Thailand or something…”
“If you get exposed, it really would be over.”
“Yeah.”
An Jing lowered her voice awkwardly.
“I’ve actually used the restroom with other guys before.”
“And everyone even compared sizes…”
“Right now, all I want is to close my eyes and open them again after Graduation.”
“Just skip all the painful parts in between.”
“There aren’t that many good things in the world.”
Zhu Ying smiled.
“It’s okay~ I can reward you with a few more photos.”
“Oh right, about the ones I sent yesterday, ahem~”
A faint blush appeared on Zhu Ying’s face.
She turned her back toward An Jing and pretended to casually look out the window.
“So… how did you feel?”
“Huh? Ah… um…”
An Jing quickly turned her head away.
At the same time, she instinctively stuffed the phone on the desk back into her pocket.
“It was… okay, I guess…”
“Reeeally?”
Zhu Ying dragged out the word.
“You didn’t secretly look at them over and over before bed?”
“Or do anything naughty?”
“H-How could I?!”
An Jing protested.
“Xiao Ying’s photos aren’t… aren’t that attractive!”
“Xiao Jing really dislikes my figure!”
“Huh? No, I don’t…”
“But you said you didn’t feel anything at all!”
Zhu Ying half-joked and half-seriously complained while placing both hands on An Jing’s shoulders.
“If it had been Xiao Ru’s photos, would you have been completely unable to resist?”
“How could I be that kind of person…”
“Really?”
Zhu Ying moved in front of An Jing and stared directly into her eyes.
“Then what did you do after seeing my photos yesterday?”
An Jing guiltily looked away.
“I just looked at them once and closed them…”
“It wasn’t anything special…”
“You had just gotten out of the shower.”
“Your wet hair and stuff…”
“You didn’t keep looking at them?”
“D-Definitely not!”
“Hmph…”
Zhu Ying ground her teeth and lightly bit An Jing’s shoulder.
“I spent so long posing in front of a mirror before taking those pictures for you!”
“I…”
An Jing stumbled over her words.
“Then was there a part you remembered especially well?”
“Or a photo you liked the most?”
An Jing couldn’t possibly say:
‘I liked every photo and every part of your body.’
She stammered for a long time.
In the end, she only managed to squeeze out three words.
“They were all okay.”
“Hmph.”
“Then I won’t send any more photos to Xiao Jing next time!”
“I never said I absolutely wanted to see them…”
An Jing muttered stubbornly.
Inside, however, she regretted it so much she wanted to beat her chest.
But she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
That she really liked them.
That she really wanted to see them.
That she was very interested in Zhu Ying.
How could she possibly say something like that?
Wouldn’t it be misunderstood?
Would Zhu Ying think she only cared about her body rather than sincerely liking her as a person?
Would liking someone’s body too much make Love seem less pure?
An Jing didn’t know.
But after growing up as a boy and listening to what people around her said, she had developed a set of habits that were hard to change.
‘Never express those desires too openly.’
Otherwise people would think she was disgusting.
Like Sun Wei.
Or even creepy.
The distracted An Jing never noticed the brief flash of disappointment in Zhu Ying’s eyes.
“Okay, found my wallet.”
Acting as if nothing had happened, Zhu Ying hugged An Jing’s arm tightly.
Her soft body pressed against Yi.
“Let’s go downstairs and buy soda!”
“What does Xiao Jing want to drink today?”
“…Snow Sprite?”
“Okay~ Then I’ll drink Snow Sprite too!”
“Uh, you can drink whatever you want.”
“You don’t need to drink the same thing as me.”
“I want to drink the same thing!”
Zhu Ying blinked her bright eyes and pouted pitifully.
“That’s what couples do.”
“Is Xiao Jing tired of me?”
“H-How could that be?!”
(2)
Doors.
Countless doors.
One after another.
Hallways.
Repeating hallways.
One after another.
Her body felt tireless.
But the tightly stretched string in her heart was about to snap.
In this world where there was never an exit, Zhu Ying felt she had no one she could trust.
Whether the figure before her was familiar or unfamiliar, she always chose to run.
The farther away, the better.
Until the silent world contained nothing but the sound of her own breathing.
It seemed the monsters were no longer chasing her.
Yet she still couldn’t stop.
She only slowed her pace slightly.
Behind the next door she opened was a vast hall.
In the center stood a deity statue.
Without an offering table or tributes, the hall looked strangely empty.
“Anhai Deity…”
Zhu Ying finally stopped.
She looked at the beautifully dressed statue.
At the exquisitely carved face.
At those golden eyes.
“Are you Anhai Deity…”
“Or An Jing…?”
“Can you… take me out of here?”
The statue gave no response.
It simply watched her in silence.
She took a deep breath.
“Anhai Deity above…”
“Please take me out of here.”
“Please protect me.”
“When I open the next door…”
“Let me leave this place.”
“Please…”
Her voice trembled with tears.
“Please…”
“You’re the only one I can trust here.”
“Lord Deity…”
“If you can hear me…”
“If you… can hear me…”
She vaguely heard a heavy sigh.
When she opened her tear-filled eyes again, she found herself standing before the bustling Dapeng Shopping Street.
The crowd moving back and forth brought warmth back into her cold body.
(3)
Wang Xinru stood blankly at the entrance of Dapeng Shopping Street.
She looked around.
As if she had lost a piece of her memory.
She couldn’t remember why she had come here.
Nor what she had intended to do.
“…Shopping?”
“Hmm…”
“I was supposed to buy some… daily necessities?”
She looked down at her empty hands.
It felt as though she had remembered something.
That was indeed why she had come.
Yet the memory felt strangely hollow and fake.
Then she spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.
The confusion and helplessness instantly disappeared.
A smile appeared on her face.
She quickly stepped forward.
“An’an!!”
“Huh?”
“Oh… Wangwang.”
“You’re shopping too?”
“Mm.”
Wang Xinru smiled gently.
She instinctively wanted to hug An Jing’s arm.
But forced her hands behind her back.
“I’m buying some daily necessities.”
“What about you?”
“Buying something too?”
“No…”
An Jing shook her head.
“I’m looking for someone.”
“Have you seen Xiao Ying?”
“Ying Ying?”
“No.”
Wang Xinru shook her head.
“Are you waiting for her here?”
“Why not send a text or call her?”
“That won’t work here…”
An Jing paused.
“Never mind.”
“Let’s just say she forgot her phone.”
“Then why not go directly to her home?”
“It’s not far.”
“Mm…”
An Jing frowned deeply.
“Her house…”
“Forget it.”
“I’ll go check again.”
“Maybe Ying Ying is preparing a surprise for you.”
“I hope it’s a surprise…”
An Jing sighed tiredly.
She turned toward the alley leading to Zhu Ying’s residential complex.
Her steps were unsteady.
She looked like she hadn’t rested in days.
Just as Wang Xinru was about to say something, she saw An Jing trip over her own feet.
Her body pitched forward.
Fortunately, Wang Xinru had already sensed something was wrong.
She rushed forward and caught her.
“An’an!”
“Are you okay?”
“You look really weak.”
“I’m fine…”
An Jing waved her hand weakly.
At that moment, a familiar voice suddenly came from the corner of the alley.
Zhu Ying’s eyes widened in disbelief.
She stared at Wang Xinru holding An Jing.
Then at An Jing’s hand resting on Wang Xinru’s shoulder.
“Xiao Jing…”
“Xiao Ru…”
“Y-You…?!”
“Xiao Ying!”
An Jing’s face lit up with joy.
“I finally found you!”
“Listen to me—”
But Zhu Ying interrupted her.
“You don’t need to explain.”
“I know.”
“I know…”
“Actually…”
“The person you like more is Xiao Ru, right?”
“I’m just…”
“I’m just someone who suddenly barged into your world…”
Her head lowered.
Her shoulders trembled with sobs.
“Maybe…”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have appeared at all.”
“I shouldn’t have…”
“I shouldn’t have shown how much I liked you…”
“Huh…?”
An Jing stood there dumbfounded.
Zhu Ying bit her lip.
Several times she tried to speak.
Each time she swallowed the words back.
She tried to force a smile.
But when her voice finally came out, it was nothing but tears.
“I hate Xiao Jing the most!!”
An Jing watched as Zhu Ying threw down those words and ran toward the end of the street.
She stood there helplessly.
“An’an!”
Wang Xinru forcefully shoved her from behind.
“What are you standing there for?”
“Go after her!”
“Huh?”
“Oh!”
“Sorry, next time—”
“Stop talking and go!”
Wang Xinru’s face was filled with worry.
“You have to…”
“You absolutely have to bring Ying Ying back…”