Night had deepened.
Moonlight filtered through the glass balcony doors, spilling across the bed like a thin veil of silver gauze. But the bed was empty right now, the sheets folded neatly just as they had been, the suitcase resting quietly in the corner against the wall, and the room completely devoid of life.
In the next room over, Ning Shuang put away his game console and stood up, intending to take Ning Dundun downstairs to the living room for the night.
Lu Yuyang lounged in his chair, engrossed in his phone. Hearing the door creak open, he said without looking up, “Don’t forget to bring me a glass of water.”
Ning Shuang herded Ning Dundun out of the room and called back over his shoulder, “Got it.”
He stepped out and shut the door behind him—but in that instant, as he turned, he spotted a tall figure standing right next to him in the shadows.
The hallway light was dim and flickering. Ning Shuang couldn’t make out the man’s face at first, only catching the eerie, ghostly glow in a pair of deep, fathomless eyes. The figure seemed to have crawled straight out of some lightless abyss, his whole body radiating a chilling, oppressive aura.
Ning Shuang’s heart jolted as a vague sense of familiarity hit him. He stumbled back a few steps on instinct, thoroughly spooked.
Once he steadied himself, he finally recognized the man: Ji Huaizhi.
Ji was still dressed in the clothes he’d arrived in, carrying the night’s chill on him like he’d just come in from the balcony after breathing in the cold breeze.
Ning Shuang had no idea how long he’d been standing there, but relief washed over him now that he knew it was someone familiar. Patting his chest, he said, “Oh, it’s you. What are you doing out here? Looking for me?”
They’d only known each other for a few hours, but Ning Shuang had already pegged Ji Huaizhi as painfully reserved. He fired off three questions in quick succession, taking the initiative to fill the silence.
Ji Huaizhi’s gaze flicked casually toward Ning Shuang’s room. In the corner stood a guitar; the walls were covered in photos; and the desk held two gaming chairs, one occupied by Lu Yuyang, who was deep in a game.
The dim light didn’t let Ning Shuang catch the subtle shift in Ji’s expression, but he could vaguely sense the air around him growing heavier.
A half-minute passed before Ji’s lips parted. “I came out for a drink of water.”
His voice was icy cold.
“Couldn’t find the kitchen?” Ning Shuang guessed. He turned toward the stairs. “Come with me. I’ll get you some water and show you around the house while I’m at it.”
The words had barely left his mouth when Ji Huaizhi’s eyelids lifted sharply behind him, as if he’d latched onto some key phrase. His gaze settled on the nape of Ning Shuang’s neck.
Ning Shuang hadn’t changed clothes yet. Beneath his collar, his wheat-toned skin bore a faint, butterfly-shaped mark nestled innocently there.
Downstairs, Ning Shuang noticed that Ning Dundun—the one who’d scampered ahead—had voluntarily hunkered down in its cage again. He frowned, puzzled by its unusually well-behaved mood tonight.
“The water dispenser’s right there on the wall. Paper cups are in this hanging basket,” Ning Shuang said once they reached the kitchen. He grabbed a cup and poured Ji a glass of warm water.
“Thanks.” Ji Huaizhi took the cup, and their fingertips brushed. Ning Shuang shivered—Ji Huaizhi’s hand was even colder than the night breeze outside.
Ji took a sip.
He was strikingly handsome, his features perfectly proportioned: sharp brow bones, upturned eye corners, and eyes the color of distant frost, aloof and indifferent. His lashes cast a fan-shaped shadow beneath them, his thin lips glistened with water, and his long hair draped over one shoulder, lending him an air of ethereal detachment.
It was the exact same face as the one from his illusion—the same temperament, too. If that night hadn’t been a hallucination, then why had Ji Huaizhi denied going there? But if it had been one, how could a face so clear, one he’d never seen before, appear in it?
“Ahem.” Ning Shuang realized he’d been staring too long. He coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment. “This is the cabinet—all the kitchen stuff’s in here. Do you cook?”
Ji Huaizhi nodded. “Yes.”
“Then feel free to use anything you like.” Ning Shuang planted his hands on his hips, his tone generously welcoming.
After that, he gave Ji a quick tour of the rest of the house—even pointing out the most convenient route to school.
“And that’s about it! Any other questions?”
Ji thought for a moment. “Could I have a spare house key?”
“Oh, right!” Ning Shuang had nearly forgotten. He hurried to the entryway cabinet, rummaged in a drawer, fished out a key, and handed it over. “Here’s the house key. Hang onto it.”
Ji Huaizhi pocketed the key, his gaze lingering on Ning Shuang’s face for two long seconds as he lifted his eyes. A faint curve tugged at his lips. “Thanks.”
They headed upstairs together. Ning Shuang walked Ji to his room and even double-checked the doors, windows, and bathroom water heater for him.
Finally, at the doorway, he said his goodbyes. “Night, Ji Huaizhi. See you tomorrow!”
Ji Huaizhi nodded, his tone softening just a touch. “Good night.”
Ning Shuang shut the door and left. Ji Huaizhi stood there, listening to the entire process next door: the click of the handle, footsteps entering, and the door closing once more.
His heart gradually settled, becoming as still and unruffled as a tranquil pond.
~~~
Ning Shuang returned to his room and shut the door, tossing the bottled water in his hand to Lu Yuyang.
“What took you so long?”
Ning Shuang headed to the closet. “Ran into the new tenant getting water, so I showed him around the place.”
As he spoke, he pulled off his T-shirt. He’d played sports before college, so his build was evenly muscled—tight abs and waist, prominent spine along his back, defined lines on his forearms and calves. But it all stayed hidden under his clothes.
He slipped into his pajamas.
Lu Yuyang pulled his eyes away and flopped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling patterns. Then, out of nowhere: “Tonight wasn’t the first time you’ve met him, was it?”
“Cough cough cough!” Ning Shuang nearly choked on the sudden question.
He shot Lu Yuyang a look that screamed, “How did you know?”
Lu Yuyang sat up and crooked two fingers over his eyes. “My eyes don’t lie.”
Ning Shuang vaulted onto the bed in a flash, crossing his legs as he sat facing Lu Yuyang. Lowering his voice, he said, “If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone.”
Lu Yuyang frowned in speculation. “He’s an ex?”
“What the hell!” Ning Shuang punched his shoulder and spilled the whole story about that night and today.
“Things that coincidental really happen?” Lu Yuyang asked, intrigued.
Ning Shuang nodded emphatically. “That’s exactly how coincidental it was. Even if it was a hallucination, how do I see a crystal-clear face I’ve never laid eyes on before? And that’s not even the half of it—I ran into the guy in real life, and in just three days, we’ve crossed paths three times.”
He held up three fingers for emphasis.
Lu Yuyang drawled lazily, “Maybe it’s just a fluke. What’s his motive for lying? He said he just got here today—easy enough to verify. You’d have to be a real idiot to make up something like that. You’re overthinking it. And anyway, what does it matter to you?”
Ning Shuang fixed him with a stare. “It matters a ton!!”
Lu Yuyang perked up. “How so?”
Ning Shuang clamped his lips shut and just looked at him. Finally, Lu Yuyang got it. “No way. You can’t mean…?”
Ning Shuang shot a hand up in a frantic shushing gesture, whispering fiercely, “Shh! Walls have ears in this place!”
“You’re serious?” Lu Yuyang looked floored.
Truth be told, Lu Yuyang hadn’t even realized Ning Shuang was gay until their sophomore year.
It wasn’t like Ning Shuang had hidden it on purpose. His whole vibe—his personality, mindset, tastes—didn’t scream “gay” at all.
As Lu Yuyang put it, if Ning Shuang was bent, he was a “right-angle” bender: crooked, but straight as an arrow about it.
A right angle wasn’t bent? Please.
Ning Shuang puffed up righteously. “I’ve always been into guys, okay? You have no idea—in the middle of all that tension that night, I open my eyes and boom, there’s this gorgeous face staring back. How could that not throw me for a loop?”
“Fine, fine—you got blinded by a pretty face.” Lu Yuyang waved it off dismissively. “Explains why you were acting all coy and bashful downstairs earlier.”
Ning Shuang didn’t mind the ribbing from his best buddy—it was all in good fun.
Lu Yuyang pulled out his phone and started scrolling. Less than a minute later, he handed it over. “Found him.”
“Business School freshman—got in with top scores for his major. Guy like that is slumming it at our school.”
Ning Shuang swiped through the screen: Ji Huaizhi’s enrollment profile.
With Lu Yuyang’s family background and connections, digging up this info was child’s play.
“Oh, and those two posts from this afternoon.” Lu Yuyang tapped around some more and passed the phone back. “School forum’s got a couple threads trying to track him down.”
Candid shots from every angle imaginable, but all capturing that near-miraculous face of Ji Huaizhi’s.
Ning Shuang cradled the phone, his lashes fluttering faintly as the screen’s glow lit up his features. After a moment, he flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. “Doesn’t this mean I’ll have a ton of love rivals down the line?”
Lu Yuyang snorted. “What are you moping about? You’re the one living with him.”
“Yeah, I even added his WeChat. Compared to those other guys, I’ve already got the inside track.” Ning Shuang pulled up Ji Huaizhi’s profile and smugly waved his phone in front of Lu Yuyang. His mindset was impressively optimistic.
The glow from Ning Shuang’s screen made Lu Yuyang’s eyes ache. He stole a quick glance amid the flashing light and suddenly grabbed his wrist. “Hold on.”
Lu Yuyang’s expression turned serious.
“What’s up?” Ning Shuang froze, not daring to move his hand.
Lu Yuyang snatched the phone and tapped on Ji Huaizhi’s avatar. He stared at the butterfly clipped from a leaf, furrowing his brow in thought for a long moment before it clicked. “This butterfly looks a lot like the birthmark on the back of your neck.”
The birthmark on Ning Shuang’s nape was quite striking. Lu Yuyang had seen it once before and remembered it vividly.
“Hm?” Ning Shuang craned his neck, trying to twist around to see.
Lu Yuyang told him to stay still and snapped a photo with his own phone. Now the two “butterflies” sat side by side for comparison.
Ning Shuang studied them for a bit. “Where’s the similarity?”
Lu Yuyang prompted him. “The outline! Can’t you see it?”
Ning Shuang leaned in closer, his eyes practically glued to the screen.
A moment later, he lifted his head and met Lu Yuyang’s expectant gaze. He shook his head woodenly. “Nope.”
“You…” Lu Yuyang didn’t know what to say. But Ning Shuang suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right. These past couple days, this spot’s been hurting out of nowhere—like an ant bite, kinda dull and a bit hot. Can you check if it’s an insect bite or something?”
Lu Yuyang sat up straight and peered closely.
Then he prodded it a couple times with his finger. “Does that hurt?”
Ning Shuang shook his head.
Lu Yuyang frowned. “Doesn’t look like anything’s wrong to me. The birthmark’s just a shade darker. Maybe see a doctor?”
“That can wait till I have time next.” Ning Shuang didn’t give it another thought. He flopped back onto the bed. “I need to sleep. Busy day tomorrow.”
Lu Yuyang lay back down too. “When are you not busy?”
“True enough.” Ning Shuang ran through his recent schedule in his mind and couldn’t help chuckling.
Ning Shuang switched off the room light. In an instant, the space plunged into pitch blackness where he couldn’t see his own hand in front of his face.
Beside him, Lu Yuyang suddenly spoke up. “So, you’re really gonna chase him?”
Ning Shuang nodded. “Yeah.”
Lu Yuyang started brainstorming. “You’re from the Miao Frontier anyway. I saw online that you guys can make those gu that make someone fall madly in love with the caster, right? Just use one on him. Saves you the hassle.”
Ning Shuang let out a yelp. “You mean the Love Gu? I’m not great at making those, honestly. Back when the clan made us all study Gu Technique, I did try to take it seriously.”
“You didn’t actually learn anything, did you?” Lu Yuyang teased.
Ning Shuang protested at once. “Of course I did! I can make a Love Gu, but I’d never use it on someone. That’s super unethical!”
“Besides, the Clan Leader’s already issued a ban—no more raising or using gu. If you get caught, you’re done for. Last night, Fu Yu and I were out catching someone who did. You want me getting busted too?”
“No way… I always thought that stuff was pure fantasy. Didn’t realize it was right under my nose.” Lu Yuyang marveled.
Ning Shuang grinned smugly. “Of course. Ever since the ban on gu, our village—no, the whole Miao Clan—has been free to go out into the world. So besides me, there might be others around you who know Gu Technique.”
Lu Yuyang’s curiosity persisted. “Is there a gu that can get you a perfect score on finals?”
Ning Shuang’s eyes, fixed on the ceiling, flickered as he pondered. “Theoretically, no. But there are ones that boost memory or sharpen the mind. Use those right, and your grades won’t suck.”
Lu Yuyang pressed. “Would you use one on yourself?”
Ning Shuang shook his head. “Nah, usually not. It’s a Miao Frontier rule—the caster can’t rely on gu. Gu are dangerous, you know? We’ve got Forbidden Gu too, the kind no one in the clan can touch except the Clan Leader and his heir. And even they just have access—they can’t actually learn them.”
If he hadn’t met Ning Shuang, Lu Yuyang never would have believed things straight out of novels actually existed in the real world.
“What happens if you sneak a peek?”
Ning Shuang flicked on his phone and propped it under his chin. The light cast eerie shadows upward across his face. He rolled over, dropped his voice to a spooky whisper, and stuck out his tongue to scare Lu Yuyang. “Something terrible.”
Of course, that just meant Ning Shuang didn’t know either.
Lu Yuyang rolled his eyes at the childish antics…
“My dream since I was a kid was to leave Qianning Village and see the outside world. If the policies hadn’t changed, I’d never have gotten out—let alone come here for college and make all these friends.” Ning Shuang laughed a couple times before adding that.
“That’s a good thing.” Lu Yuyang picked up on the relief in his words.
“Of course.” To Ning Shuang, it was. He had no love for that rigid, archaic, lifeless village. “Anyway, I’m really hitting the hay this time.”
“Fine.” Lu Yuyang closed his eyes.
A moment later, Ning Shuang spoke up from beside him. “Oh, yeah—that guy who gave you the love letter the other day. How’s that going?”
Lu Yuyang shot him another eye-roll. “Weren’t you sleeping?”
“Can’t sleep.” Ning Shuang propped himself up and shoved him.
…
