Chapter 33

From the room to the front door—a short distance—Meng Bai waged an intense internal battle.

Should she tell them?

Should she introduce this one-of-a-kind friend to them? And how on earth should she go about it?

Zhou An was Meng Bai’s best friend, so she could be trusted, at least for now. Xu Zhou, though? Meng Bai didn’t know her nearly as well.

She had no assurance in her heart, and all she could do was try her best to lay everything out clearly, difficult as that was.

Reaching the door, Meng Bai paused and drew in a deep breath.

Timidity gripped her. Even facing Zhou An, she felt like she was on the verge of plunging into a bewildering abyss…

Outside, the moonlight hung faint and sparse, spilling silver across the ground.

Zhou An and Xu Zhou stood side by side, concern etched on their faces. Zhou An’s expression made it clear her emotions were still churning.

Meng Bai crossed the threshold and approached them.

“You’re sure you really want to hear this?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then first, I have to tell you—this world is way, way bigger than any of us imagined.” Meng Bai let out a sigh. “And you have to believe me.”

Moonlight gleamed like molten silver, stars twinkling overhead.

The three of them stood beneath a locust tree, a soft breeze whispering through the branches.

Meng Bai’s gentle voice drifted into Zhou An and Xu Zhou’s ears.

Talking about Miao Bai was like a razor-sharp blade slicing through the veil of the unknown, spilling mysterious fruits across the ground and unveiling things they’d never dreamed of.

Zhou An and Xu Zhou’s faces shifted in fascinating ways—from furrowed brows and headshakes to tentative belief, and finally to solemn gravity.

“So now you’re friends?”

“Yes.”

“So she can still pull off that Wall-Passing Technique?”

Meng Bai hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Yes.”

Zhou An spun in place, glancing from Meng Bai to Xu Zhou. “Whoa… that’s a ton to take in. I need a minute to wrap my head around it.”

Of course, there was no wrapping her head around it. It was a total enigma.

“You two have to keep this secret for me. No one else in the world can know about Miao Bai.”

“You know, her name’s kinda nice,” Zhou An said, pursing her lips. “She wouldn’t hurt us or anything, right?”

“Of course not.” Meng Bai exhaled in relief, then turned to Xu Zhou. “I’m saying it again: this stays between us. I’m dead serious.”

Xu Zhou nodded. “Don’t worry, my lips are sealed.” She paused, then added, “Though it does feel pretty fantastical. I’m kinda reeling here.”

At that point, Zhou An piped up, asking if they could go inside and see Miao Bai for themselves.

She just couldn’t shake her unease. “She’s not some con artist pulling mystic tricks to dupe girls, is she? I mean, I only caught a glimpse of a shadow earlier—didn’t even see her face.”

“She’s not, I swear.” Meng Bai shot Zhou An a sidelong glance. “She’s my friend—not a ghost, not a scammer.”

Zhou An blinked, then quickly caught on to how important Miao Bai was to Meng Bai. She nodded vigorously. “Okay, okay, I won’t badmouth her. Your friend is my friend!”

Meng Bai stressed it over and over. “Nothing else matters—the key is keeping it secret!” She looked pointedly at Xu Zhou. “Secret!”

Xu Zhou held up two fingers. “Secret, secret. I swear on my life—if I blab, may lightning strike me down—”

The night had deepened into true darkness.

Zhou An and Xu Zhou pressed hard once more to meet the mysterious figure.

But Meng Bai turned them down.

“Next time. We’ve covered enough ground tonight.”

Zhou An looked a little lost. “So… what now?”

“Tonight caught us all off guard. I think you should head home for now.” Meng Bai had no better option. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Sigh, you…” Zhou An trailed off, unable to come up with anything better herself, and let it drop. “But we’ll meet her someday, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll ask her about it.”

“You have to check everything with her.” Zhou An wrinkled her nose, her voice pitching up. “So who’s your best friend, anyway?”

Under normal circumstances, Zhou An wouldn’t dream of asking something so odd, and Meng Bai wouldn’t humor her.

But with everything so urgent now, Meng Bai gave her the answer she craved. “You, of course. No one’s ever been like you.”

She knew it would bring that satisfied smile—and sure enough, Zhou An’s lips curved upward the next instant. “Fine, tomorrow it is.” She nudged Xu Zhou. “Come on, now I’ve gotta get you home.”

Xu Zhou, naturally, stuck with Zhou An.

Meng Bai watched them go, then let out a slow breath.

Finally…

The issue wasn’t settled, but at least the night would pass without further drama.

Meng Bai turned back toward the house, her thoughts zeroed in on one thing: finding Miao Bai.

In that frame of mind, she assumed Miao Bai was still waiting for her. But the room was silent when she checked.

“Miao Bai?” Meng Bai turned in a circle. “Miao Bai??”

She’d actually left?

The empty room offered no reply. Still unsure, Meng Bai lingered for a few minutes, calling out again. Nothing.

Miao Bai was really gone.

Loss crashed over her in an instant. Hadn’t they agreed to spend the night together? She’d even been plotting how to spin that story.

“Sigh—”

Meng Bai flopped onto the bed, figuring she must have disturbed Miao Bai somehow.

A secret meant for just the two of them, now shared with two more. Miao Bai clearly wouldn’t want that.

Meng Bai regretted pushing her to come over tonight…

If she hadn’t, Zhou An and the others never would have found out.

The thought deflated her completely. She sprawled limp on the bed, hand draped over her eyes…

~~~

Without Miao Bai, the night dragged on endlessly.

Meng Bai lay there a while longer, then rose slowly and shuffled to the kitchen to boil water. She was sweaty all over and craved a bath.

The bathing area adjoined the kitchen—a cramped space like a primitive toilet stall, hemmed in by a rough stone wall.

In the darkness, Meng Bai stripped off her T-shirt and tossed it onto the stool for clothes.

She was slender, her shoulder blades sharp and prominent, her whole frame tender and youthful. Even in the gloom, the skin at her shoulder gleamed snow-white, like a pale flower unfurling in the night, touched with the faintest hint of unripe freshness.

It was right around that age when the body starts developing, and while bathing, she noticed some changes—altogether quite different from before.

But Meng Bai stayed calm about it. She didn’t feel ashamed of her body’s growth.

Lin Li had said it was normal. Every girl went through this phase during puberty.

There wasn’t much hot water, so she had to wash quickly. She rinsed off without letting any water touch her wound.

The night had turned chilly, especially in the evening air. As she washed, a cold seeped in.

Meng Bai gave herself a quick wipe and hurried out of the kitchen toward her room. The moment she stepped inside, she dove straight under the covers.

She lifted the quilt, slipped in, and bundled herself up tight. Meng Bai let out a sigh of relief. Nothing beat the warmth of her little bed.

Everything was perfect, except Miao Bai wasn’t there tonight.

Still, sleep was sleep.

Click. The light went out.

The night was utterly still. Meng Bai closed her eyes, trying to drift off, only to find her mind filled with thoughts of Miao Bai.

Miao Bai carrying her on her back. Miao Bai applying medicine. Miao Bai speaking just earlier…

Meng Bai opened her eyes and rubbed them, rolling over to try again. She shut her eyes once more.

“Meeting you was the best thing, Miao Bai.”

“Same here.”

Their earlier conversation echoed in her ears.

“I’m your friend, right?”

“Yeah, I suppose so.”

Meng Bai tutted and opened her eyes.

What was wrong with tonight? It was like she’d been cursed—one peek of shut eyes, and it was all Miao Bai.

She propped herself up, her messy bangs tousled. In the silent little room, her breathing grew uneven. Maybe it was the thick night air stirring her restlessness.

The feeling was so unfamiliar. After racking her brain, Meng Bai settled on an explanation: Miao Bai leaving without a word had left her a bit upset.

She wasn’t sure why Miao Bai had gone…

Whatever. Time to sleep.

~~~

Sleep came only from sheer exhaustion, but it was far from restful.

A light rain started pattering outside in the middle of the night, tapping against the old window glass and jolting Meng Bai awake now and then.

Tap-tap—

The rain lashed the window, a steady rush of sound. Autumn’s chill forced its way in, and Meng Bai woke from her dream, blinking groggily in the dark.

The little room was pitch black.

Yet she heard a noise from the small cabinet beside her.

Instantly alert, her heart leaped into her throat.

“Who’s there?!”

“It’s me.”

Miao Bai’s voice.

Meng Bai’s heart settled. “Uh, how did you—?” She started to ask how Miao Bai had gotten in but suddenly couldn’t bear to phrase it that way. Instead: “Why’d it take you so long?”

“It’s late. I just came to drop off some medicine.” Miao Bai’s small medicine bottle clinked in her hand. “That snake bite needs time to heal. Tomorrow morning, apply the blue bottle first, then the white one.”

In the darkness, Meng Bai lunged and grabbed Miao Bai’s wrist. “You’re here now—why leave?”

Inviting her to stay the night felt as simple as a casual word, her tone even and calm, nothing embarrassing about it.

But only Meng Bai knew her true feelings.

She was nervous.

She didn’t know when it had started—this craving for Miao Bai’s company. Her heart balked at saying it aloud, but her actions were honest.

Miao Bai didn’t seem inclined to linger. “I just brought the medicine. I should head back.”

“It’s raining outside.” Meng Bai tugged her gently again. “Your hand’s freezing. Come warm up under the covers.”

The rain outside seemed to plead too, drumming against the window.

Meng Bai gazed at Miao Bai. She couldn’t make out much, but the outline of her face was clear. She could picture Miao Bai’s features perfectly, etched deep into her mind.

“Well?” Meng Bai pressed. “Stay.”

“Why didn’t you have Zhou An sleep over?” Miao Bai finally murmured. “Didn’t she and that other girl plan to stay the night with you?”

“No way.” Meng Bai snapped a bit more awake. “That wasn’t why you left, was it…?”

“Not really.” Miao Bai slipped her hand free but didn’t refuse after all. She began untying her belt. “I figured they’d keep you company, so I left. I can’t stay long anyway—it’s two or three in the morning now.”

Miao Bai favored black, but Meng Bai had no idea what she wore underneath. This was the first time Miao Bai had ever taken off her outer layer in front of her.

Light.

Suddenly, she craved light. If the room were brighter, she could see Miao Bai properly.

Even if it was just removing a coat.

In the dark, Meng Bai squinted, straining to see.

Rustle, rustle—fabric whispered against itself. A dark shape, indistinct.

“This is the first time you’ve taken off your outer clothes to sleep with me, huh.”

“It’s raining outside. The clothes are damp and dirty.”

The black cloak came off quickly, revealing a white inner layer underneath. It hugged her body, cinching at a slender waist with a tied sash. Miao Bai’s figure was stunning.

Her shoulders had a graceful line, making her seem tall and poised. Even with straight, angular shoulders that looked bony, she exuded no frailty.

The garment was intriguing too—an inverted triangle neckline. Meng Bai vaguely glimpsed her collarbone.

Her throat bobbed unconsciously. A strange sensation welled up inside.

Meng Bai’s chest felt hot and full, like something burning, flames licking upward, nearly bursting from her throat…

Her feet fidgeted restlessly under the covers.

Gathering her courage, Meng Bai spoke. “Miao Bai—”

“Yeah?”

“Hurry up and get in.”