Shen An walked alone down a dim corridor.
Pitch-black and eerily quiet, it reminded him of the wooded hill behind his family’s courtyard from his childhood.
He had often imagined what secrets that hill might hold, but he had never dared to venture in and find out for himself.
The place was just too damn dark, and he was genuinely scared of it.
That unique memory had left a deep scar on him, one that made him a little afraid of the dark even now.
With every step he took, a faint splashing sound echoed, as if he were treading on the surface of water.
He stomped down hard. The strange texture and solid rebound told him otherwise: this wasn’t water. It was fragrant, moist earth.
So what the hell was this place?
And why was he here?
Shen An pressed on cautiously, questions swirling in his mind.
Ahead stretched endless darkness—pure black, without a single glimmer of light.
He had no idea how long he walked before a sudden cry pierced the silence.
It sounded like a birdcall.
In the blackness, Shen An relied on his hearing to pinpoint the bird’s location.
If he could catch it, all the better. He was starting to feel hungry.
The fear of the unknown was gradually giving way to hunger. If it got any worse, he felt like he could tear apart even a ghost with his bare hands.
The bird’s appearance felt abrupt, almost eerie, heightening the tension like something out of a horror story.
Too bad this wasn’t a horror novel.
Shen An could sense the bird drawing closer and closer.
Hm?
Pinpointing its general direction, he instinctively cupped a hand over his crotch.
It seemed this was a female bird.
In the moment he froze, a sliver of light pierced the surrounding gloom.
Light meant hope.
Shen An’s expression brightened. That faint glow grew dazzling in his eyes.
The bird came into focus as well.
It was just an ordinary little thing, about the size of a sparrow.
It flapped its wings laboriously. Shen An watched it, rubbing his stomach as he tried to recall the steps for starting a fire by rubbing sticks together.
But soon enough, he realized that anything appearing in a bizarre place like this was bound to be bizarre itself.
This bird had no feet.
It was a footless bird.
The footless bird circled around Shen An, flapping its wings as if guiding him somewhere.
Shen An watched it, then followed, heading toward the light.
At last, the world of darkness vanished completely.
There, right in front of him, stood a door, slightly ajar.
He hesitated.
The footless bird had already flown inside ahead of him, abandoning him to his solitary thoughts.
Was this heaven?
Or hell?
Shen An pursed his lips and took a step forward, pushing the door open.
The moment he did, a thick stench of blood assaulted him, forcing him to cover his nose.
Beyond the door stood a tree, and beneath it lay the corpses of countless birds—footless birds, from what he could dimly make out.
The footless bird that had guided him was now circling the tree.
Wasn’t this exactly the setup for a horror novel?
Shen An stared at the tree, the pile of eerie corpses, and the circling footless bird.
He hesitated, his face grave as he stood in the doorway, never quite crossing the threshold.
In the harsh light, it was clear that Shen An was a strikingly handsome young man, around twenty-four or twenty-five years old.
His face was somewhat pale, but at least he had a nose and two eyes.
He was dressed in a white suit, though it was torn open at the abdomen and chest—ragged wounds that looked like the work of some sharp blade, still stained with bright red blood.
Under the light, the thick bloodstains dried rapidly. In just a few seconds, they had hardened into what looked like an old, printed pattern on the fabric.
Sure enough, everything in a bizarre place like this was bizarre—including Shen An himself.
The footless bird continued to circle tirelessly around the tree.
Shen An stood motionless in the doorway.
Soon, the light grew even more blinding, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut.
The world spun dizzily, and everything around him seemed to shift.
The wind howled noisily, yet it carried a gentle touch.
Gentle like a mother’s caress, brushing softly across his face.
He savored it, reluctant even to open his eyes.
Even though he had no idea who his mother was.
A dream?
He murmured the word, opening his eyes with reluctance.
Familiar modern high-rises came into view one by one, as if nothing had changed.
But these weren’t office buildings.
Upon closer inspection, they looked more like school buildings.
As his eyes adjusted to the light, everything sharpened into perfect clarity.
He was certain now: this was a school building.
Was he at school?
Before he could puzzle that out, the scene before him left Shen An stunned.
A figure stood with its back to him.
From the silhouette, Shen An could tell it was a girl.
The skirt fluttering in the wind made it obvious.
Her long hair and skirt hem swayed together in the boisterous breeze, like leaves rustling on a branch.
And leaves, after all, were destined to fall.
She was about to fall, too.
“Hello…”
Shen An stepped closer, intending to ask a question. But the words had barely left his mouth when the girl bowed her head, rose slightly onto her tiptoes, and leaped off without hesitation.
No lingering, no second thoughts—just gone.
It happened so fast that Shen An didn’t even have time to think.
“Shit!”
He went numb all over.
We could’ve talked it out! Worst case, I’d just ask someone else. No need for this—no need at all!
Only now did he realize they were on the rooftop of one of the school’s buildings. No wonder the wind was so fierce.
The girl hadn’t come up here for the breeze.
She had come to jump.
His body reacted faster than his brain.
The instant she launched herself, he bolted toward her and somehow managed to grab her hand with a surge of strength he didn’t know he had!
The freefall he had expected never came.
The girl’s tightly shut eyes fluttered open. She looked at Shen An, who was straining to hold on, and astonishment bloomed across her face.
“You wanna die too?”
The words burst from Shen An’s lips the moment her eyes opened.
Her astonishment deepened.
She stared at him, her gaze heavy with unspoken questions.
Too…?
“Pfft, I mean, dying’s the easy part—living’s what’s hard.”
Shen An’s tense expression melted into a grin. “You’ve gotta face life’s challenges head-on, right?”
“What’s got you so down? Let’s go somewhere else, grab some tea, and talk it out properly.”
“I’m starving, actually. My treat—afternoon tea. I know a spot with killer barbecued pork buns.”
Shen An had no idea what nonsense he was spouting anymore.
He had only one thought: I can’t let her jump.
It was a strange impulse, but it had seized him all the same.
The girl seemed not to register his babble at all.
Her lips moved faintly, repeating his opening line.
“You… wanna… die… too?”
Now Shen An felt like he was the one about to die.
His body was so weak, his strength so scant. He couldn’t hold out much longer.
To keep his grip on her, he had flung half his body over the edge, clutching the rooftop ledge for dear life.
He gritted his teeth. “Can you come up first? The wind’s too loud—I can’t hear you!”
The girl was strikingly beautiful, with delicate, refined features—the exact type Shen An went for.
Maybe it was her looks that made him hold on so desperately.
He mocked himself inwardly.
The old hero-saves-beauty trope might be clichéd, but it was a surefire way to break the ice.
The girl looked up. She smiled, revealing charming pear-shaped dimples that could make anyone lose themselves in an instant.
Shen An felt even less willing to let her go.
“You… need me?”
Her smile was tinged with bitterness. She was smiling, but Shen An felt no joy in it.
He narrowed his eyes. He knew that smile better than anyone.
He had to save her!
Without hesitation, he replied, “Yes. I need you.”
“You need me… for what?”
She asked again.
Suddenly, Shen An couldn’t come up with a solid reason.
“I… I need you to cover the bill—no, eating alone’s no fun, and I don’t have any cash on me right now. Can I owe you one?”
Her expression grew even more bewildered.
Shen An was at the end of his rope.
He gasped for breath, his face growing paler by the second. “Can we talk after you come up? This is exhausting for both of us.”
Suddenly, the girl yanked hard on his arm.
Shen An’s heart eased. Had he just saved a life?
As he tried to haul her up…
She showed no sign of climbing back over.
Her eyes fixed on the bloodstains and tears in his suit. She simply closed her eyes and sank downward with even greater force.
Shen An: ?????
Buy one get one free?
“Hey, let’s talk this out—calm down… I…”
Shen An couldn’t even finish the sentence. He had no strength left—not even to speak.
Under the girl’s relentless pull, he could have let go at any moment.
If he simply released his grip right then, he would have been safe and sound. He might even have watched the horrific spectacle unfold: her body shattering on impact, blood spraying in crimson blossoms.
He had already done everything he should have done—everything he could have done.
There was no reason to throw his own life away for it.
But he didn’t let go.
Or rather, the thought of giving up never even crossed his mind.
Shen An gripped even tighter. He let go of the hand that had been shielding himself, summoning his last reserves of strength to haul her up.
His body was far too frail, though—too frail to manage even one final push.
In the end, he tumbled down with her.
Two shadows streaked past the glass window, refracted in a kaleidoscope of colors. Amid the wind that had softened to a gentle whisper, they drifted slowly downward.
Look closely, and those shadows appeared locked in an embrace.
Had they not been living souls, it would have been a breathtakingly beautiful sight.
Boom!
A deafening crash drew every eye.
