Lin Gaoshan was caught off guard, his mind buzzing as his body swayed and collapsed to the ground. The oil lamp in his hand fell, shattering its glass shade, and the spilled fuel quickly ignited the nearby gym mat.
"You bitch, how dare you hit me!"
Regaining his senses, Lin Gaoshan lunged forward and grabbed Xia Miao's leg as she tried to flee, dragging her down with him. His face was smeared with blood, and the cracked seal of his gas mask allowed the paralyzing toxins in the air to seep into his nostrils.
Dazed but desperate, Lin Gaoshan refused to let go of Xia Miao. "You... won’t escape!"
The flames spread rapidly, the combustion devouring the oxygen in the air.
Xia Miao tried to push herself up with her hands, but her weakened body gave out again. She coughed violently.
It was the height of summer, and sparrows nested in the trees, having laid several eggs.
A boy perched on a branch, stealthily pocketing two of the eggs. He was determined to make Xia Miao like him more, so he collected anything he thought was good to give her.
The day before, it had been a large pinecone. Yesterday, a beautiful pebble. Today, it was delicious bird eggs.
He giggled to himself, already picturing Xia Miao kissing him and rewarding him with praise.
The conjoined twins walked back from a distance.
"Ah, the humans reek of delicious malice again."
"Must be another case of them killing each other."
"I wonder who’ll survive the slaughter this time?"
"Who cares? They’ll all end up as our food anyway!"
Lu Yan overheard the twins' muttering but paid no mind—human infighting was nothing new. But then his nose twitched, and his expression shifted.
Xia Miao’s sweet scent had vanished. No, not vanished—it was overwhelmed by something stronger, something he knew all too well: the acrid smell of burning flames.
As the twins passed by chatting, a figure suddenly dropped from above, landing squarely on them. The twins toppled to the ground, and before they could react, the figure leaped away like a wild beast, disappearing into the twilight.
The twins glared after him. "What the hell?!"
Xia Miao was paralyzed by the toxic fumes, the thick smoke choking her breath. The unbearable heat pressed in from all sides. Her consciousness wavered, but she knew she was fading—she was going to die.
If only... if only she had slept with Lu Yan sooner. The thought of another girl taking his first time filled her with bitter resentment.
"Lu Yan... Lu Yan..." she whimpered in a trembling, tearful voice, calling his name in her delirium.
Then, as if in a dream, she heard a loud bang—the sound of a door being kicked open—before strong arms lifted her. The familiar, comforting scent enveloped her.
"Miao Miao!"
Xia Miao’s eyelids fluttered open slightly, but her pupils remained unfocused, her gaze blank.
"Help... save me..." Lin Gaoshan reached out, his survival instinct overriding his fear of the monstrous boy before him. He clutched at his only hope.
The boy in the fire narrowed his eyes and stomped down hard. A sickening squish followed as Lin Gaoshan’s skull shattered.
Lu Yan carried Xia Miao out of the inferno. The cool night air revived her slightly, and she struggled to keep her eyes open.
Bending down, Lu Yan nuzzled his face against hers. "It’s okay now, Miao Miao. Don’t be afraid."
A faint drip-drip sound reached her ears. His flesh, losing its solid form, had turned into a viscous liquid, seeping through the gaps in his bandages. The tightly wrapped bindings sagged as the body beneath them dissolved.
His figure grew gaunter, the bones of one arm now visible where flesh had melted away.
"Lu Yan... I think I’m hallucinating. You’re all wet... like you’re melting..."
She barely managed to speak before darkness swallowed her consciousness again.
Xia Miao slept straight through until the following night. When she finally woke, her head still felt foggy. She sat up slowly, staring at the empty space beside her, momentarily disoriented.
Ever since Lu Yan had first slept in her bed, he had sneaked in almost every night to cuddle and touch her. But now, he was nowhere to be seen.
She looked down at herself—her clothes had been changed, but Lu Yan wasn’t in her room.
After a long moment, she reached for her phone on the nightstand and sent him a message:
[Where are you?]
[Miao Miao, you’re awake! That’s great! I’m working right now!]
He still couldn’t type, so he sent a voice message, his tone as cheerful as ever.
Xia Miao glanced out the window at the dark sky and sent another message: [When will you be done?]
[Um... probably very late.]
[Lu Yan, I miss you.] This time, she sent a voice message too, her voice unconsciously laced with a hint of a whine.
His reply trembled slightly. [Miao Miao, I miss you too. But... but I’m working. I can’t come back.]
[Oh, okay. I’ll wait for you.]
She waited all night, but Lu Yan never appeared.
At noon, she texted again: [It’s almost lunchtime. Lu Yan, let’s eat at the cafeteria together!]
[Sorry, Miao Miao. I already ate. You go ahead.]
That evening, she tried once more: [It’s going to get cold tonight. Lu Yan, I want you to hold me while I sleep.]
His voice was quieter this time. [I’m sorry, Miao Miao. I have work tonight too. I can’t be with you.]
Since he had started pursuing her, they had never gone this long without seeing each other.
She used to find him annoying, but now that he was gone, she felt an unbearable ache. Something was wrong—very wrong.
As night deepened, another game began.
In the darkness, beautiful flowers bloomed, their fragrance sweet and alluring. But when someone drew near, the seemingly harmless blossoms suddenly gaped wide, swallowing their heads whole.
Yet a human body was too large to devour entirely.
So the old gardener would step forward, his shears snipping the "fertilizer’s" neck to help the flowers digest their prey.
The old man patted the petals affectionately before finally turning around. "You’ve been following me. What do you want?"
A girl in a school uniform stepped out from behind a tree, biting her lip. "I want to see Lu Yan."
The old gardener was taken aback. In fact, when all the other escapees ran at the sight of him, this girl was the only one chasing after him—giving him a sense of the world turned upside down.
He had initially thought Xia Miao was a fool, but now it seemed... she was undoubtedly a fool.
