“It’s all because of you…”
“I saved your life,” he interjected. “Instead of thanking me, you’re blaming me?”
“Thank you, my foot! If it weren’t for you, would I have been tormented by October like this?”
Chang Sheng curled his lip slightly, his gaze shifting to the necklace in the corner. He gestured toward it and said, “I advise you to put that thing away.”
“I don’t want that kind of thing.”
“You now represent the Grim Reaper. That item belongs to you.”
“I said I don’t want it. If you like it, you can take it.”
“Stubborn as ever.” Chang Sheng’s expression darkened. He pressed his fingers to his temples, then crouched down as if to pick up the necklace.
However, I saw with absolute clarity that the moment his hand touched the small scythe on the necklace, he recoiled as if electrocuted.
Then, I noticed the finger that had touched the scythe had turned red, with crimson blood seeping out.
It seemed he couldn’t touch the Grim Reaper’s belongings.
Seeing him frown, his expression growing increasingly somber, I suddenly grew curious about his identity.
He wasn’t an ordinary person—I was one hundred percent certain of that—but whether he was human or ghost, I couldn’t say for sure.
I remembered his body was cold, lacking the warmth of a normal person.
He probably… wasn’t human.
“What are you?”
“That’s none of your concern.” Perhaps because he had been injured by the scythe, he didn’t attempt to touch the necklace again. Instead, he looked up at me, his expression serious, and said, “You’d better keep the necklace yourself. As you can see, I can’t touch it.”
“Why can’t you touch it?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“What exactly are you?” I pressed.
But he showed no intention of answering. Standing up, he brought his bleeding finger to his lips and lightly licked it. Miraculously, the bleeding stopped instantly, and the barely noticeable cut healed quickly.
“Hey, what are you?”
He turned and walked away. I followed him. “Are you running errands for the Grim Reaper?”
Hearing this, he froze, standing still for a few seconds before turning back to look at me.
After staring at me for a moment, a mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips. “Which eye of yours saw me running errands for the Grim Reaper?”
“Both eyes.”
Clearly, he had saved me for October’s sake. He had brought me here to meet October because October had been looking for me.
“Isn’t that right?”
“Heh…”
Chang Sheng chuckled coldly. “You have quite the imagination.”
“If you’re not running errands for the Grim Reaper, then what are you?”
“No comment.”
“Hey…”
Before I could finish speaking, Chang Sheng vanished without a trace right before my eyes, like a ghost.
I had only blinked, and he was gone.
I was stunned. Looking around, there was no one else but me.
Chang Sheng had truly disappeared.
A chill ran down my spine. Thinking about it carefully, he seemed more like a ghost than a human.
Glancing back at the scythe necklace discarded in the corner, I hesitated for a long time. But in the end, I didn’t pick it up.
Hurrying to the roadside, I intended to hail a taxi and rush back to school as quickly as possible. But this stretch of road had very few passing vehicles and even fewer pedestrians. Coupled with the ancient buildings everywhere, it gave off an inexplicably desolate and eerie feeling.
Seeing a bus stop not far ahead, I walked over.
The direct bus to school was number 74.
Seeing the number “74,” I couldn’t help but associate it with “go die,” and immediately felt a chill run down my spine.
There was no one else waiting at the stop, only me. I steadied myself and waited patiently. Soon, bus number 74 arrived.
From a distance, I noticed the bus was quite empty and quiet.
As soon as the bus stopped, I got on.
After paying the fare, I found a seat by the window and sat down.
When the bus started moving, I breathed a sigh of relief.
I hoped I wouldn’t see Chang Sheng and October again. Although Chang Sheng had saved my life, I didn’t want to work for October. I couldn’t handle the work of a Grim Reaper, and I didn’t have the free time to be ordered around by him all day.
Freshman year classes were relatively light, but by sophomore and junior year, specialized courses would pile up. I didn’t have time to mess around with them.
To hell with Grim Reapers and cats that could talk!
I’d just treat it all as a nightmare.
Thinking this way, I felt a bit more at ease.
Taking a deep breath, I looked out the window contentedly.
It was only a little past one in the afternoon, but the sky was already growing dark.
Looking up, thick clouds had gathered in the sky at some point, and it was about to rain.
It was lunch break now.
I took out my phone and dialed Jian Ran’s number.
The phone rang once before she answered.
“Where the hell have you been?” Jian Ran’s tone was annoyed.
“I’m on my way back to school.”
“Yuan Jiayi and I are at the MOMO fast food restaurant across from the school. Hurry up and get here.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Obviously.”
“I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”
“…That long…”
“I’ll hurry.”
“Fine.”
After hanging up, I thought about Yuan Jiayi. In my memory, she had long, flowing hair, a very slender figure, and a pretty face.
She wasn’t in our department, but she was Jian Ran’s high school classmate. She would often drop by our dorm, though I hadn’t seen her in the past few days.
…
Twenty minutes later, I arrived at my stop.
After getting off the bus, I headed straight for the MOMO fast food restaurant across from the school.
As soon as I entered, before I could even spot Jian Ran and Yuan Jiayi, someone jogged straight toward me. Recognizing her as Yuan Jiayi, I smiled at her.
She ran up to me and gave me a big hug.
Her gesture caught me off guard.
“You’re finally here.”
She always seemed so enthusiastic toward me.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No worries, no worries. I’m just glad you’re here.” As she spoke, Yuan Jiayi pulled me toward a corner.
Only then did I notice Jian Ran sitting alone in a corner seat, sipping juice. When she saw me, she rolled her eyes and complained, “You’re so slow.”
“The bus can only go so fast. What can I do?”
After sitting down, Yuan Jiayi grinned at me. “Is juice okay?”
I nodded, and she ran to the counter to get me a cup of juice.
While she was ordering at the counter, I quietly asked Jian Ran, “Did you need something, or did Yuan Jiayi?”
“It’s definitely Yuan Jiayi. Why would I need anything?”
“What does she want from me?”
“She joined the Photography Club. They’re doing an activity recently and need to take portraits. She wants you to be her model.”
“Me?”
I immediately shook my head like a rattle drum. “No, no, I really can’t do it.”
I’ve never liked having my picture taken since I was little, and I’m not very photogenic to begin with. How could I possibly handle something like modeling?