Wearing a long, plain-colored down coat and cotton shoes, Ning Shao stepped out of her apartment complex and saw Li An’an standing in the bitter wind. She had no idea how long Li An’an had been waiting, but she hadn’t even found shelter beneath an eave. She simply let the wind blow over her until the tip of her nose turned red.
Ning Shao quickened her pace and went over.
“Li An’an,” she called softly.
Li An’an turned at the sound. When she saw how pale and ill Ning Shao looked, she drew in a sharp breath. “A Shao, you look awful.”
In fact, Ning Shao was already feeling much better than she had the day before.
Meeting her friend’s worried gaze, she reassured her, “I don’t have a fever anymore, and I took some medicine before I came. Don’t worry.”
Seeing that Li An’an was still concerned, Ning Shao changed the subject. “What time is the reunion?”
As expected, the word “reunion” distracted Li An’an. Perhaps because it had been so long since they’d seen each other, she seemed to have an endless number of things to tell Ning Shao.
They took a taxi to the hotel. The whole way there, Li An’an barely stopped talking. She did most of the talking while Ning Shao listened attentively beside her.
None of it was especially important. Mostly, Li An’an talked about what their familiar high-school classmates were up to these days.
“Oh, right, A Shao. Do you remember Gu Fengsheng?”
The moment she heard that name, Ning Shao’s face turned even paler. Her light-brown eyes darkened, and the hand resting on her knee slowly curled into a fist.
Immersed in her memories, Li An’an clearly didn’t notice anything amiss. She went on, “He’s coming too.
“I heard he inherited his father’s business two years ago. It’s a shame that, after that accident back then, he still hasn’t gotten married…”
What Li An’an was really thinking was that, before Gu Fengsheng’s accident, he had always clung to A Shao, using his rich-kid status to cause her no end of trouble.
Later, he’d run into assailants on his way home. He lost an eye and broke a leg, and dropped out of school not long afterward. It was hard not to feel sorry for him.
He never came to the class reunions over the years.
But when someone posted in the group chat that A Shao (Li An’an) would be attending, Gu Fengsheng—who never usually said a word in the chat—made an unprecedented announcement that he wanted to come.
If you asked Li An’an, Gu Fengsheng was obviously still hung up on A Shao.
Only then did Li An’an finally notice that something was wrong with the person beside her.
By now, all the color had drained from Ning Shao’s lips. Cold sweat had begun to bead visibly on her forehead, her shoulders were trembling uncontrollably, and even her pace had slowed.
“A Shao? What’s wrong?” Seeing this, Li An’an reached for her hand. It was icy to the touch. Her pupils contracted, and she could hardly hide her worry.
A horrifying memory played over and over in Ning Shao’s mind, like a film on repeat.
It was the first time she had ever bitterly regretted a choice she’d made.
She never should have said yes to Lin Yan’s confession just to satisfy her own selfish desire.
*
The second semester of her senior year of high school.
Ning Shao and Lin Yan had been dating for six months.
Over those six months, Lin Yan’s possessiveness had grown worse and worse, until Ning Shao felt suffocated.
Her childhood experiences had left her hating domestic violence and loathing every form of restriction and restraint imposed in the name of “love.” Her father favored sons over daughters. After her mother gave birth to her and could have no more children, her parents pinned their hopes on “raising a son to greatness” and made Ning Shao study all kinds of things, forbidding her from having any thoughts of her own.
She was like a sparrow locked in a gilded cage: with no freedom, and not even a moment to catch her breath.
Only after her parents divorced did she finally escape the cage.
But she had never imagined that she had merely jumped from one cage into another—and in this one, a dragon watched her with predatory eyes, monitoring her every move.
…
Gu Fengsheng.
To be honest, Ning Shao didn’t remember him very well.
The school posted the monthly exam results on the bulletin board. Ning Shao only remembered that his scores always came right after hers: she was first, and he was second.
Ning Shao assumed his pestering was an attempt to take first place by deliberately distracting her, so she ignored him.
One day, the fog was especially thick. Night had fallen, and a damp, chilly feeling hung in the air, yet Ning Shao felt at ease—Lin Yan wasn’t following her around.
Ning Shao wanted to get home early, but unfortunately, she’d left her umbrella in the classroom.
She had no choice but to turn back. After evening study, all the students had left the entire school building. It was deserted, and the silence around her was deathly.
Ning Shao went to her classroom, grabbed her umbrella, and headed out. But then a strange sound came from the far end of the corridor, where the restroom was. There was one on every floor.
She meant to keep going, but her legs carried her toward the restroom despite herself.
The corridor was dim. Only the restroom was lit, and light spilled through the doorway onto the floor—
Through the doorway, she saw something she would never forget for the rest of her life.
Someone was hanging from the ceiling light fixture by a rope, like a pig waiting to be slaughtered. His blue-and-white school uniform was soaked crimson with blood, which dripped steadily from its hem. A strip of cloth had been tied over his mouth; only the faintest sounds escaped his throat.
Beside him stood a tall figure. A few drops of blood spattered his peerlessly handsome face, staining his eyes red. His thin lips were stretched into an exaggerated grin, and his heaving chest was filled with the savage ferocity of a beast.
The person hanging from the rope was Gu Fengsheng. The person beside him, who looked like a demon, was Ning Shao’s boyfriend, Lin Yan.
One of Gu Fengsheng’s eyes had already been gouged out, leaving only a bloody hollow.
His other eye was full of pleading, terror, and despair.
Then Ning Shao heard Lin Yan’s hoarse voice.
“I warned you. It’s a shame you didn’t take my warning to heart.” A malicious glint surfaced in his pitch-black eyes. Like a venomous snake, his cold, lifeless gaze fixed on his prey.
Ning Shao had never seen him look at anyone like that.
Perhaps Lin Yan had hidden himself too well from Ning Shao. She had thought of him as honest and dull, simple and a little stubborn, with far too much possessiveness toward his girlfriend.
Clearly, the Lin Yan before her now was the real one.
As she watched the sharp little knife in his hand move toward Gu Fengsheng’s one remaining eye, Ning Shao could no longer hold back. A brief, choked whimper escaped her throat. She staggered backward, but after only two steps, she met Lin Yan’s gaze through the doorway.
The malice in those black eyes had not yet been concealed. It pierced Ning Shao’s heart like countless poisoned needles. A numbness spread through her, and her limbs gave way beneath her as she fell to the ground, all strength drained from her body.
Clang—
The metal dagger fell onto the tiled floor with a sharp ringing sound.
Then came Lin Yan’s voice, as gentle and hoarse as ever.
Only now, it trembled slightly.
“Ning Shao…”
Ning Shao didn’t dare look at Lin Yan’s expression again. Somehow, she found the strength to leap to her feet and stagger away. She wanted to shout for help, but it was as if a hand had clamped around her throat. She couldn’t call out at all. All she could do was keep running, keep running.