The dreaded Monday came, and Liu Xiaodan had to wear a face mask to school. Feigning his coughing, he tried to clear the intrigue forming in the heads of the concerned students he pa.s.sed. In fact, Liu Xiaodan was not sick; it was his mouth. The skin around his lips swelled and reddened upon contact with Liu Guangru"s hair soaked in blood. He even forced the child to a bath that afternoon, before his bros come back from their little sight-seeing. Then again, the taste did not vanish, as it was part of the ghost.Of course, his bros knew he was not sick. He lied about getting bitten by a bug when it flew to his mouth. Even though he was met with laughter, Xu Disung still went out to fetch cream to reduce the swelling. He was given the same prescription Liu Xiaodan used to get his ointments, lying again about how the preservatives mixed in the fake blood triggered his skin allergy. They even agreed to telling the same to anyone who asked who would not believe the "he is sick" excuse.
Upon arriving in the cla.s.sroom, the four hors.e.m.e.n were greeted by their cla.s.smates with congratulatory remarks and teasing about what happened last Friday. Then again, they noticed how Chuan Nayi kept quiet in her seat. Ruan Jin nudged the magic one, as if asking him to attend to his "girl" later. Cheng Fei and the other guys who liked the bright girl also noticed her behavior, but only Cheng Fei had an understanding of what triggered her silence.
Cla.s.ses were nothing out of ordinary, and so they reached lunch time without ha.s.sle. Liu Xiaodan had the initiative to ask since he was worried about Chuan Nayi the most, but his movements were stopped when another man from outside the cla.s.sroom came to see Chuan Nayi.
Li Feng, one of the top students from the Film and TV Prod, walked up to the girl who was organizing her books. "Hey, Nayi, I heard what happened yesterday. How are you holding up?"
"I"m okay." Chuan Nayi tried to smile, but she kept on avoiding his gaze. Then again, she was held by the man by the arm as she chose to leave the table through the opposite end. She glared at him. "I"m not in the mood to play games with you, Li Feng. Go away."
"Are you sure? Don"t you want to hear what I am abut to say?" Li Feng kept his smile, raising a brow a little as if unamused of her actions. He kept his grip steady, even though she was trying to get away. "Nayi, come on. Have lunch with me. Let"s talk."
"I don"t need to talk-"
"You"re being followed by a malicious spirit. If you want, I can give you some protection." Li Feng then lifted his gaze towards Liu Xiaodan"s direction. "It"s not like someone else could."
Liu Xiaodan glared at the man, not because he was offering protection, but because his grip was hurting Chuan Nayi. The magic one continued descending the shallow steps of their auditorium-styled cla.s.sroom, standing up against Li Feng"s stance. "You don"t have to hold her like that. You"re hurting her."
Li Feng stared at the horseman, examining him quickly from head to toe, his impression already tarnished by that face mask and some hives peeking out of his turtleneck. However, he let go of Chuan Nayi"s arm, still eying at the other man. "And you are supposed to be who? Her boyfriend?"
"Father." Liu Xiaodan responded with a glare and a growl, making Li Feng back off, either from its absurdity or his stand on protecting the woman.
"Okay, okay, Baba!" Li Feng only laughed out as he raised his hands as if Liu Xiaodan was holding a knife against him and asking for his money. He walked backwards, one of his hands covering his mouth as he laughed out more. He then retreated outside the cla.s.sroom.
Liu Xiaodan"s pounding heart was able to relax by then. He was not someone who starts fights, and yet he was willing to stand up for Chuan Nayi. He turned to the girl who only gave her a small smile. He scratched his head. "Uhm, Nayi, does it hurt? Your arm?"
"Thank you, Xiaodan. But I think you shouldn"t go near me."
"W-What?"
"It"ll be better if we don"t see each other for now." Chuan Nayi brought her books to her chest and hurriedly left her seat, pa.s.sing by Liu Xiaodan who was rather frozen. She left the cla.s.sroom, aware of the judging eyes around her.
Wen Taio walked up to Liu Xiaodan and tapped his shoulder. "What was that?"
The magic one could only shrug, oblivious of her true intentions.
After a few minutes of walking and chatting, the four hors.e.m.e.n arrived in the university"s dining hall. They went to get their lunches and a table for eight that could be shared if someone wanted to eat next to the four hors.e.m.e.n of Cla.s.s Two. Then again, a woman did shove her way to Liu Xiaodan"s side and smiled at them.
"h.e.l.lo! Is this seat vacant?" Her mischievous smile was as bright as blinding LED lights on the ceiling. She was pretty, but her smile sure came in with intent. She watched the three men froze, only to have Xu Disung gesture to the seat. She then sat down and brought her tray and lunch down. "Wow, thanks. It"s really hard to find a good seat at this time."
"Uhm, I"m just curious, but aren"t you... Li Yunru?" Ruan Jin asked as he gestured at her with stifled pointing. "You"re from Journalism, right?"
"Ah yeah, I"m Li Yunru." The girl took a mouthful of her food before chewing elegantly and answering. She then turned to Liu Xiaodan. "You"re Chuan Nayi"s boyfriend, right? Did you hear what happened yesterday?"
"I"m not Chuan Nayi"s boyfriend." Liu Xiaodan ma.s.saged his forehead, feeling forced to strike a conversation with the girl, still conscious about his mouth. Liu Xiaodan"s mouth was still red, but his strategically-positioned dangling face mask covered it from the girl"s vision. Soon, Wen Taio nudged at him, only to receive a whisper. The magic one then frowned at the girl. "Uh, you"re not here to relay a message from Li Feng, are you?"
Li Yunru took a mouthful of her food again before freezing. She faced away and chewed rather fast and gulped down the rice and meat before pouting at them. "Yeah, I heard he walked in Chuan Nayi"s cla.s.sroom earlier. That goon is stupid so let"s not bother ourselves with him." She then smiled deviously at the magic one. "Let"s talk about you, Liu Xiaodan. Did you know what happened in the girls" dorm yesterday?"
"I do. I was there." Liu Xiaodan refused to make eye contact with the pretty girl anymore. Wen Taio just told him that she was Li Feng"s cousin. Getting involved with more people connected to him would make it less easy for Liu Xiaodan to end a fight with Li Feng.
Li Feng was a graduating student with high honors. He earned an internship in a high-cla.s.s television station, and would have been absorbed soon. Even though Liu Xiaodan did not care about that, he was not one who wanted to ruin someone"s future. A single dirt on Li Feng might cost him a lot, and he would have to turn against Liu Xiaodan for a person to blame.
"Then you know Chuan Nayi threatened Huang Kun?" Li Yunru gasped out of feigned shock. She then inched closer to him. "I bet you know their last interaction jived with his time of death, right?"
"She didn"t do it." Liu Xiaodan growled, getting mad at Li Yunru. He then glared at her. "Huang Kun killed himself. Go ask the police if you want to see more proof."
"Oh, my, are you really this easy to p.i.s.s?" Li Yunru chuckled, still musing at him warmly. "I pictured you"d be a little tamer."
Liu Xiaodan twitched, also noticing his reaction. He just shook his head and ignored the woman by eating more. His bites had become heavy and hard, scaring even Xu Disung who was sitting across him.
The woman glared at the treatment. She tried to speak again, but someone grabbed her head from behind, locking his arm under her jaw so she would not be able to speak. The four hors.e.m.e.n looked up at the man in question, seeing Li Feng holding her. He eyed at the four as he kept Li Yunru from talking.
"My cousin"s annoying. I get that. Can I take her now?" He chuckled, flexing more of his muscle next to Li Yunru"s face as she struggled from his hold. Aside from being a top student, he was also an athlete for their school and major.
"You"re really rough with women, aren"t you!?" Wen Taio got up, threatening Li Feng with his voice and swiping arm. "Let her go!"
Li Feng ended up doing what was asked before taking Li Yunru"s tray off the table with one hand and dragging her away with the other. Wen Taio started yelling at him as Li Feng continued to take the woman away. Xu Disung got up and reached for Wen Taio before the bigger man could teach the honor student a lesson. Liu Xiaodan watched Li Yunru recover from the hold and tried to talk to the cousin as they stop at a distant table. He frowned and stared at their mouths as if reading them.
"What were you thinking!? I was gathering information!" Her voice was not audible even to his supersensitive hearing so it meant she was not raising her voice, only her tone.
"Saving your a.s.s. Listen to me, you woman, they"re dangerous people!" Li Feng seemed to be worried despite his aggressive stance. "What do you think I"ll do if something happens to you?"
"I"m sorry. For this and that." Li Yunru continued to glare.
Slap! The woman slapped Li Feng across his face, with the loud sound almost echoing in the entire dining hall. Red blotted on Li Feng"s face, with a hand trying to cover it. The woman took her tray and walked off and putting it on the finished counter so it would be disposed. Li Feng held against his sore face, before shooting a glare at the four hors.e.m.e.n.
Wen Taio could not help but to laugh, as well as Ruan Jin and Xu Disung. However, Liu Xiaodan could only frown in confusion. Those two seemed to be really good at acting, conveying messages to their audiences, which were opposite to the ones sent to each other. Then again, the magic one did not even know how he managed to read their lips that clear. He faced the table again, to see how the three celebrated the hit. His gaze flew to the seat next to Xu Disung, finding Liu Guangru seated there with Liu Heima against his chest.
The child"s glare was at the distance, probably following the man. He then heard his father clear his throat, catching him giving his son some glances. Liu Guangru only pressed his face against the horse and watched them eat.
Cla.s.ses proceeded, and Liu Xiaodan kept on looking at Chuan Nayi the entire time. It was nothing new as he kept on doing that before, but this time, he was filled with worry. He wanted to go and ask, but she asked him not to get near her anymore. For some reasons, she was also trying to ignore him. He had no idea what he did wrong; he could only retrace his steps back to that time when he held her so close.
Soon, the cla.s.ses were all over for the day. Liu Xiaodan just kept on watching Chuan Nayi from behind. Her silky hair still moved with the wind at every swing she made. She also started talking to her friends, smiling and chuckling with them. It was so satisfactory to watch, but it hurt when she managed to get Liu Xiaodan in her line of sight... only to look away abruptly.
"Man, what did you say yesterday?" Ruan Jin sighed as he felt so bad for his bro, being rejected by the girl that was so close to him. He only tapped against Liu Xiaodan"s shoulder. "Maybe she"ll start talking to you again soon-"
His words were cut as they both witnessed Li Feng entering the scene again. He beckoned Chuan Nayi to come with him with a smile and hand gestures. Unlike earlier, she only gave an apologetic smile to her friends and went with him.
Ruan Jin grabbed Liu Xiaodan"s shirt by the shoulder and back, as if making sure that person would not go anywhere. With his eyes still pinned far away, he shook Liu Xiaodan. "Did you see that? Like did you just see that!?"
"Why did she go with him?" The magic one felt something really heavy just fell from the sky to crush him.
The days had rolled by until Thursday night had come. Liu Xiaodan, who was in low spirits, only stared at the ceiling of his lower berth. His blanket was tucked under his arms and only pulled up to his chest. Liu Guangru was lying on his side, his beady eyes staring at his father"s soulless facade. Liu Xiaodan had not seen Chuan Nayi give the same smiles he received from her to someone else. He wanted to cry, but he had no right to get mad as well. It was plain tasteless jealousy, and he hated how bad it made his mind sound.
Then again, his phone chimed while on the nightstand where the four phones laid charging. He reached for the closest one which was his. It was a message... from Chuan Nayi. He pulled it off the charging cable and took the phone with him on his bed. He opened the message.
"Xiaodan! Can you see me tonight? I"ll be waiting by the pond." Her message looked innocent, as if she did not ignore him for the past few days. Then again, it was her message.
Liu Xiaodan left the dorm minutes after, going to meet Chuan Nayi. If it ended up being a trap set by Li Feng, he could easily run away from him, or that Liu Guangru could help him. The idea of asking the ghost to help was hard to accept, but he came out without investigating. Besides, if it was really Chuan Nayi, she would be standing alone in the dark.
He arrived by the pond, seeing Chuan Nayi fiddling with her phone. The dim light had illuminated her pretty face, as well as the contrast of her fair skin against her silky black hair. Her dark eyes reflected the light as well, making it easier for him to see if she was looking at his direction. Liu Xiaodan walked up to her, bending down to check up on her.
"Nayi?"
She lifted her face and smiled like a pretty moon after days of having nothing but the dark clouds of rain. "Xiaodan! You came!"