On the second day after her awakening, she went to Wang Mingming’s home.
She had not called ahead. When she knocked on the door, Wang Mingming was eating takeout with a French fry hanging from her mouth. She froze when she saw Lin Xi.
“Why are you here?”
Lin Xi stood at the doorway, clutching the strap of her backpack with her fingers as she glanced nervously inside. “I was passing by,” she said softly, her voice gentle as though she were afraid of disturbing someone.
Wang Mingming stepped aside to let her in. The living room looked the same as always, with several magazines spread across the coffee table and the television playing. Wang Mingming pushed her takeout container aside and wiped her hands.
“Did you have another nightmare?”
“No.” Lin Xi shook her head, pulled an envelope from her backpack, and placed it on the coffee table. The envelope was stuffed full.
Wang Mingming picked it up and opened it. A thick stack of cash was inside. Her mouth fell open, and the French fry dropped to the floor.
“What are you doing?”
Lin Xi lowered her head, twisting her fingers together over her knees like a child who had been caught doing something wrong.
“Could you… could you buy several cases of water, several cases of compressed biscuits, and some canned food?” Her voice grew softer and softer. “Buy as much as you can and keep it at home.”
Wang Mingming stared at her as though she were looking at a stranger.
“Lin Xi, what happened to you?”
Lin Xi raised her head, her eyes shimmering with tears. She blinked, her eyelashes fluttering twice, and moved her lips as though she wanted to explain but did not know how.
“I had a dream.” Her voice trembled slightly. “A very, very frightening dream. I dreamed that… the world had gone bad, that there were monsters everywhere and so many people had died.”
Her voice turned hoarse as she spoke. She quickly bit her lip to suppress the tears in her voice.
“I couldn’t find you.” She lowered her head, her voice becoming almost inaudible. “No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find you.”
She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders trembling lightly.
Wang Mingming sat beside her, stunned for several seconds before reaching out and putting an arm around her shoulders.
“All right, all right.” Wang Mingming patted her back. “Dreams are the opposite of reality, so don’t be scared.”
“It isn’t the opposite.” Lin Xi’s muffled voice came through her fingers. “It’s real.”
“Fine, fine, it’s real.” Wang Mingming picked up the envelope and waved it in front of her. “I’ll take it, then. Water, biscuits, and canned food, right? I’ll buy them tomorrow.”
Lin Xi lifted her face from her palms. Her eyes and the tip of her nose were both red.
“There’s one more thing.” She sniffed, her voice still carrying a hint of tears. “Remember an address. No. 17 Qingxi Road, the western outskirts of Guangcheng. If… if one day things outside become very strange, go there and find me. Don’t bring anyone else. Come alone.”
Wang Mingming looked at her with a frown but did not ask anything.
“No. 17 Qingxi Road.” She repeated it once, then took out her phone and entered the address. “Got it.”
Lin Xi nodded and rose from the sofa.
“You’re leaving?” Wang Mingming stood up as well.
“Mm.” Lin Xi pulled her backpack strap higher onto her shoulder. “You… remember what I told you.”
“Got it, got it.” Wang Mingming walked her to the door, then suddenly reached out and caught her by the sleeve. “Hey, you take good care of yourself too.”
Lin Xi froze for a moment before smiling. The curve of her lips was just right, and her eyes curved into crescents, making her look obedient, sweet, and completely reassuring.
“Okay.”
She walked downstairs and turned around the corner of the staircase. The sweet smile disappeared from her face.
She raised her hand and looked at the water droplet in her palm. It was larger than yesterday.
That was enough.
Wang Mingming would do as she said. If she did not, Lin Xi would come again and make the warning sound more serious. In any case, she would not let Wang Mingming disappear again.
Over the following days, she repeated the same three things every day: drinking spiritual spring water, practicing her supernatural ability, and stockpiling supplies.
Her supernatural ability was improving. She could keep a water droplet suspended for longer now, and she could make a small stream of water draw circles in the air. She had tried turning water into ice, but she had failed.
There was no rush. There was still plenty of time.
There were more and more news reports about the meteorite. Scientists said that the meteorite would pass by Earth and would not collide with it.
Lin Xi saved screenshots of those reports in her phone’s photo album.
When the apocalypse came, she would show those screenshots to her biological father and make him understand that the safety he believed in was nothing but a lie.
July 15th.
There were still five days before Brother Chengzhe arrived in Guangcheng.
Lin Xi sat on the steps of the villa and looked through the flight information she had saved on her phone once again. She had asked Aunt Chen to find out the flight number and arrival time, claiming that she wanted to pick him up at the airport.
Aunt Chen had laughed on the other end of the phone.
“Chengzhe is a grown man already. Why would you need to pick him up?”
At the time, Lin Xi had replied in a soft, obedient voice, “I’m afraid he’ll get lost.”
Aunt Chen had laughed and sent her the flight number. Lin Xi had pinned the message to the top of her chat.
During the final five days, she shut herself inside the villa, counting supplies, practicing her supernatural ability, and making a list of possible emergencies.
The water droplet fell three more times. She slapped herself twice each time, leaving a small swelling on her cheek that she covered with foundation.
She walked around the storage space several times, making sure she knew exactly where everything was so she could take whatever she needed immediately if something happened.
The fifth day arrived, July 20th.
Lin Xi got up very early. She changed into a white dress and stood in front of the mirror. She let her hair fall loose, then dabbed a little lipstick onto her lips with her fingertip and gently pressed them together. The color was so light that it was almost impossible to notice.
She stared at herself in the mirror for a long time.
Eighteen years old, pale and slender, with prominent collarbones and wrists so thin they looked as though they could snap with a single bend. Her face was delicate and weak, like a harmless little animal.
Anyone who saw her would feel that she needed to be protected.
Good!
She tucked the jade pendant securely against her body, slung a small backpack over her shoulders, and left the house.
This time, she was not going to hide inside the villa and wait for him to come and save her.
She was going to stand in front of him and make sure she was the first thing he saw.
That timid, fragile Lin Xi whom he had once saved, the one who made people ache for her.
She would play this lifetime perfectly.
She walked out through the gates of the villa, sunlight falling over her and making her entire figure look almost translucent.
Lin Xi took a gentle breath and stepped toward the airport.
It was the first step.