Chapter 15

Miao Bai said she was being a bit silly.

Meng Bai bowed her head, the blush creeping from her ears down to her neck. Far from just her expression, she thought—her whole body felt clumsy.

“Ah, Miao Bai—” Meng Bai’s throat bobbed as she struggled to conceal her shyness. “Would you like to see some of my other books?”

In the soft glow of the candlelight, Meng Bai sensed her heartbeat quickening.

Such a strange sensation.

She didn’t even dare lift her eyes to Miao Bai’s face, yet that image had already burned itself into her mind, vivid and indelible.

A single glance had eclipsed every beautiful memory from her past, with Miao Bai taking its place.

Miao Bai responded softly, “What else do you have?”

Meng Bai handed her the book she’d been reading lately. “This one’s good for passing the time.”

The Alchemist, published in 1988—a foreign book that had made its way into the secondhand market.

Miao Bai took it. “Mm, I haven’t read this one.”

“Then it’s yours to borrow!”

She wasn’t sure if Miao Bai would enjoy it, but she longed to share the wonders she cherished. She wanted Miao Bai to find even a scrap of comfort in those long, lonely hours, to dispel the monotony of endless, identical days. A little would suffice—a very little.

Miao Bai seemed to grasp her intent and accepted the book.

“Why do you keep your head down?”

“Ah, no reason—I’m just looking for more.” Meng Bai’s fingers rummaged through the book box, her movements painfully deliberate.

Miao Bai fell silent, simply watching her.

Meng Bai’s fair ears remained flushed with pink, unchanged since earlier. Her slender fingers traced back and forth over the same few books, her nervousness plain as day.

“Are you afraid to look at me?” Miao Bai asked bluntly. “If it makes you uncomfortable, I can put my veil back on.”

“No, no, no!” Meng Bai’s head snapped up, panic shimmering in her eyes. “I’m just… nervous.”

Their gazes locked, and once more she tumbled into Miao Bai’s eyes. That breathtaking allure washed over her again.

She really is beautiful, Meng Bai thought—that ethereal beauty so close yet feeling distant and unreal. No collection of words could ever capture Miao Bai’s appearance.

Meng Bai tamped down her feelings. “Of course, I probably shouldn’t be nervous, but you know the sort of people I’m around every day.”

The small town was full of boastful old men and harried housewives fretting over domestic squabbles. The atmosphere was rough, the people even rougher.

She’d never met anyone like Miao Bai.

“No need to be nervous,” Miao Bai said, her voice gentle and soothing. “That’s enough for tonight. I’ll take the book—we can talk more next time.”

Meng Bai watched as she rose to leave.

“You’re going already?”

She didn’t even realize how reluctant she sounded.

Miao Bai turned, a flicker of puzzlement in her eyes. “Want to check the time?”

No need—it had to be late.

Meng Bai drew a steadying breath and nodded.

“Tomorrow, then.”

“Not tomorrow. The day after.”

“Oh.”

Miao Bai stepped forward, and Meng Bai stared at her retreating back. She expected her to open the door, but Miao Bai simply… vanished mid-stride.

?

The door hadn’t moved.

But Miao Bai was gone.

How many secrets did she still have?

“Are you gone?”

Meng Bai nudged the book box aside with her foot and scanned the room. Empty silence answered her.

She flopped back onto the narrow bed, yanking the quilt over her face with a muffled whine.

Embarrassment, agitation, an odd stiffness, and shy awkwardness—all of it enveloped her…

She had no idea what had come over her. Everything had felt so off.

Miao Bai must have thought her even stranger, hurrying away like that. She’d specifically said no tomorrow—the day after at earliest.

Had she offended her?

Meng Bai stewed in her worry until—thunk, thunk. Two sharp raps echoed from the iron-barred window.

A green walnut traced a perfect arc through the air, landing neatly on her bed.

Meng Bai sat up, delight breaking across her face.

The walnuts had come from outside the window. Miao Bai’s voice drifted over the wall: “A gift in return.”

“Eh?”

“You lent me a book. Fair’s fair.”

Suddenly, those plain little walnuts seemed utterly endearing.

Meng Bai burst out laughing. “The ones from last time are still in the box.”

“You can eat them.”

“Nope. I’m keeping them.”

Silence fell outside. Meng Bai pressed her ear to the wall. Nothing.

Miao Bai was truly gone this time.

Autumn night’s melancholy rolled in like the tide. Meng Bai leaned against her pillow, the green walnuts cradled in her hand.

She pictured the walnut tree in Miao Bai’s courtyard—always so vibrant in her memory, forever stretching toward the sun, bursting with blossoms and fruit by day.

Yet Miao Bai only emerged under cover of night.

Meng Bai clenched the walnuts and tugged the light cord.

Click.

The room plunged into darkness.

Sleep didn’t come easy.

Meng Bai seldom suffered insomnia, but tonight it gripped her without mercy.

Every time she closed her eyes, there was Miao Bai.

Miao Bai’s eyes. The gentle curve of her lips as she spoke. The graceful way her hands held the book.

The little gifts from Miao Bai.

In the dark, Meng Bai rolled the walnuts between her fingers, wondering what Miao Bai truly was.

So confusing. She wasn’t even sure if Miao Bai was real.

Only in the deep hours of night, when exhaustion finally won, did Meng Bai drift into heavy sleep…

~~~

Dawn hadn’t yet broken when Meng Bai jolted awake to a racket outside the window.

Thud-thud-thud. Thud-thud-thud. Scraaaape. Infuriatingly relentless.

She cracked her eyes open. The noise was coming from just beyond the glass.

“Who’s there?”

“Me! Zhou Chuxing!”

“Are you out of your mind?” Meng Bai snapped, irritation flaring. She was never at her best in the morning, and it was barely past seven.

“New! Discovery! Get out here!”

Meng Bai dragged herself up, hair a tangled mess, exhaustion etched into every line of her face. “If this isn’t a real new discovery, you’re dead meat, Zhou Chuxing.”

Dead meat.

Still, no matter her foul mood, she had to get up. Zhou Chuxing might have news of Zhou An.

By the time Lin Li was already in the kitchen making breakfast, she was somewhat surprised to see Meng Bai up so early.

“Aren’t you going to sleep a little longer?”

“I can’t sleep. I just want to step out for some fresh air.”

She opened the door and went out to meet Zhou Chuxing.

Zhou Chuxing still had that same dopey look on his face. He must have rushed out in a hurry too, because his yellow hair stuck up like a bird’s nest, making him look utterly disheveled.

“What is it?”

“My family’s chicken woke me up this morning, and the second I opened my eyes, I found this!” Zhou Chuxing shoved a scrap of paper into Meng Bai’s hand.

Meng Bai unfolded it and read the contents:

【Bai, it’s Zhou Qiang—he’s trying to sell me off. I’ve gone into hiding and don’t know if I should tell you where I am right now. Just wait a few more days. The only thing I can say for sure is that I’m safe at the moment.】

“Does the handwriting look like Zhou An’s?”

“It is.” Meng Bai’s heart thudded heavily. “But how did she slip you a note? That’s impossible.”

Zhou Chuxing spread his hands wide. “Beats me. And why does it have your name on it? Why’d it end up with me?”

“Where’d you find it?”

“Last night. I was in my room, and it came flying in through the window. I wanted to come find you right away, but it was too late, so I showed up first thing this morning.”

Meng Bai wondered if Zhou An had come looking for her last night, but with Miao Bai there, she hadn’t dared toss the note her way and had given it to Zhou Chuxing instead.

But that didn’t quite make sense.

If Zhou An had come to see her, she wouldn’t have just tossed a note and left.

“This note wasn’t from Zhou An.”

“But you said the handwriting is hers.”

Meng Bai tucked the note into her pocket. “We’ll talk about it later. You should go—my mom’ll get suspicious if she sees you.”

“School gate later?”

“Yeah.”

Sure enough, no sooner had Zhou Chuxing taken off than Lin Li poked her head out.

She eyed Meng Bai up and down. “You really just came out for some air? I could’ve sworn I heard a boy’s voice at the door just now.”

Meng Bai didn’t bother hiding it. “It was Zhou Chuxing. He was passing by, and we chatted for a minute.”

“That boy’s trouble.” Lin Li’s brows knitted together. “A total delinquent. You stay away from him from now on.”

“Okay.”

Lin Li still looked uneasy and gave Meng Bai another searching glance. “You’re not actually dating someone, are you? Remember what you told your dad.”

“Mom, come on. Relax.” Meng Bai headed back inside. “I really had a nightmare last night. Felt all stuffy, and I dreamed about Zhou An.”

Zhou An made for the perfect deflection.

That single line shut down every question Lin Li might have had.

“Fine, breakfast is ready. Come on and eat.”

~~~

This note had Meng Bai distracted the entire morning.

She knew Zhou An’s handwriting like the back of her hand—it was definitely hers.

But who had passed it along?

Not a single clue. Still, it was enough to put Meng Bai’s mind at ease; Zhou An had said she was safe right now. And to wait a few days—maybe she’d come back soon?

As usual, Zhou Chuxing was waiting at the school gate when she arrived.

Meng Bai hadn’t really wanted to say hi—his yellow hair and that red motorcycle were way too conspicuous—but they had agreed to meet up that morning.

“So, what’s the word?” Zhou Chuxing asked.

“No idea.” Even Meng Bai was stumped.

“So where is Zhou An? Why not come straight to us? Having someone pass a note is sketchy enough.” Zhou Chuxing blew a strand of hair off his forehead and went on, “And what if Carpenter Zhou comes looking for me today?”

After all, he’d brought it up last night.

Meng Bai had nearly forgotten.

“Avoid him.” She jabbed a finger at his hair for good measure. “And when you get a chance, dye this back to black. The yellow really stands out.”

Students filing into school kept sneaking glances at them, for instance.

To onlookers, it probably looked like the straight-A girl crossing paths with a punk, so their stares carried a hint of gossip.

“Alright, I’m out.” Zhou Chuxing couldn’t take the attention either and turned to go—but he halted mid-stride, spooked.

Less than fifty meters ahead, near the front of the school, a middle-aged man was swaggering their way, trailed by a few young toughs.

“Holy crap! It’s that boss!” Zhou Chuxing froze, at a total loss.

Meng Bai spotted Boss Zhang from the construction site and reacted fast, yanking Zhou Chuxing toward the school entrance.

“Inside, now!”

“My motorcycle…” Zhou Chuxing craned his neck back with every step.

“You want your life? Forget the bike.”

Meng Bai glanced over her shoulder; Zhang Gou and his crew hadn’t clocked them yet, so they made a break for it.

Zhou Chuxing on campus was a rare sight. Eyes followed them from every direction, leaving Meng Bai unsure whether to stick close or put some distance between them.

They didn’t stop until they reached a hidden corner.

“What’s that boss’s deal, out this early?” Zhou Chuxing scanned around and noticed the banners. “Haven’t been back in ages—place has changed. School got some event today?”

Meng Bai just blinked in confusion.

Then she looked up and saw the row of bright red banners behind the flagpole:

“Heartfelt Welcome to GM Engineering Leaders Attending Our Third Anniversary School Celebration!”

A school anniversary celebration.

She’d almost forgotten—the school had been built with funding from those big-shot investors.