Against the backlight, I saw a man dressed in crimson robes standing before me.
At this moment, Song Lin’s head was pinned beneath the man’s foot. Only then did I notice that the man in red was barefoot, his pale ankles adorned with a pair of golden anklets that emitted a faint, eerie jingle with every movement, creating a strangely beautiful sight.
Song Lin was still struggling, but against the man in red, his resistance was as futile as a mayfly trying to shake a tree, utterly ineffective.
Though his head was pinned under the man’s foot, Song Lin’s gaze was fixed in my direction, his eyes filled with madness. The sight sent a chill through me, and I quietly retreated a few steps.
Though I couldn’t clearly see the face of the man in red, I could sense the sinister expression on his face.
“How dare you covet Benjun’s person?”
As he spoke, the man in red suddenly exerted force with his bare foot, and Song Lin’s head burst like a watermelon with a sickening splat…
Bright red blood splattered onto the man’s feet, forming a stark contrast against his pale skin.
I had never witnessed such a scene before. Seeing a human head crushed right before my eyes, my vision was overwhelmed by the shock, and my legs gave way, threatening to collapse.
Just then, the crimson figure suddenly moved, appearing instantly by my side and catching me in his arms, preventing me from falling to the ground.
Compared to Song Lin, I feared this man in red even more. If he could crush Song Lin’s head with a single step, it proved he was far more formidable.
“Who are you?” I asked hoarsely, my body trembling in his embrace.
My vision blurred with tears of fear, making it impossible to clearly see the face of the man in red before me.
“Hah, who am I?” the man let out a scornful laugh.
His icy fingers pinched my cheeks, pulling my face closer as his cold voice echoed, “Open your dog eyes wide and see clearly who I am.”
Before I could react, his other hand pried open my eyelids, forcing me to look at him.
His features gradually came into focus before my eyes—what an astonishingly beautiful face it was.
I had never seen anyone so handsome. His exquisitely handsome features carried a dangerous sense of aggression, his deep eyes cold, proud, and aloof yet domineering, tinged with a hint of anger as he looked at me.
Though terrified, I searched my memory but found no recollection of this man. Moreover, a man this handsome would be impossible to forget even after just one glance.
My voice was as faint as a mosquito’s hum, “I… I really haven’t seen you before. Even if you gouge out my eyes, I still wouldn’t recognize you…”
The hand pinching my cheek paused, and the man’s lips curled into a strange smile. “Good, very good.”
“Xue Jingyao, you wait for Benjun.”
I was stunned. How did he know my name?
He released me angrily, and I immediately collapsed to the ground, right beside Song Lin’s crushed head.
I couldn’t hold back any longer and vomited violently. By the time I finished and looked up again, the man in red had vanished.
Only I and the dead Song Lin remained. I dared not stay any longer. Unable to drive, I ran frantically along the road. I didn’t know how long I ran until the traffic gradually increased, and a kind-hearted taxi driver finally took me back to school.
I spent the entire morning hiding in the dorm, wrapped in my blanket, my mind filled with images of Song Lin’s shattered skull and the gloomy smile of the man in red.
Most of the time, I doubted whether what happened last night was just an illusion.
At noon, Su Weiwei returned. Seeing me hiding under the blanket, she leaned in with a mischievous grin.
“Hey, where did you go after leaving with Senior Song Lin last night? You didn’t come back all night—did something indescribable happen?”
She kept chattering away. “I just saw Senior Song Lin, and he had a triumphant smile on his face. It’s obvious something happened between you two last night.”
I hadn’t planned on paying attention to Su Weiwei, but her last sentence sent chills down my spine.
“What did you say? You saw Song Lin?” I immediately looked up at her.
My intense gaze startled her. “Why are you so shocked? Didn’t you come back with Senior Song Lin this morning?”
“That’s not the point. The point is, where did you see Song Lin? Did he say anything to you?” I pressed urgently.
Su Weiwei glared at me but still answered, “Where else would I see him? Of course, I saw him on campus! We just chatted for a bit. What, are you jealous?”
After hearing Su Weiwei’s words, I froze under the covers. The events of last night were still vivid in my mind—Song Lin’s head had been crushed. He must have been dead beyond doubt!
But Su Weiwei claimed to have seen Song Lin on campus. How was that possible?
Before I could make sense of it, my phone rang like a death knell. The caller ID showed it was my mother.
I answered the call but didn’t even have time to speak before my mother’s furious and panicked voice came through the phone.
“Xue Jingyao! Have you forgotten all the things I’ve warned you about over the years? Get home right now! Something’s happened at home!”
“Mom! What happened?” I asked anxiously.
My mother’s voice was laced with suppressed anger. “I can’t explain it over the phone. Come home immediately, or something worse will happen.”
“If you don’t want your father and me to die, leave now.”
With that, she hung up. The dial tone echoed in my ears as I stared at the phone, bewildered.
Aside from the incident in high school, my mother had never been this angry. It seemed something serious had indeed happened at home.
I had to go home immediately. As for what happened last night, I pushed it to the back of my mind for now. Family matters came first.
I took the Yupai from under my pillow and put it back around my neck. My mother had always warned me since I was young that this Yupai must never leave my body—she reminded me as often as she forbade me from getting a boyfriend.
I didn’t dare imagine how furious she would be if she found out I had taken it off for a while.
“Weiwei, I have something urgent at home. Can you help me ask for leave?”
With that, I quickly packed a small backpack and left.
It was broad daylight. I refused to believe anything as terrifying as last night could happen again.
My hometown was in a small, picturesque city far from the spotlight. It took five or six hours by bus to get there from school. I didn’t dare linger along the way, my mind preoccupied with what could have happened at home.
When I returned home utterly exhausted, I saw my mother carefully wiping a dark red wooden memorial tablet.
Seeing me back, though anxious, she carefully placed the tablet on the table and urgently shouted at me, "Jing Yao! Come here and kneel down!"