“Wow, the ground is completely covered in fallen leaves,” Bingying complained, carefully kicking aside the withered yellow foliage to clear a narrow path. “Just how many years has it been since anyone came here?”
“Judging by the accumulation of leaves, it must be at least four or five years,” Luo Tianchen mused. “It seems calling this place a ‘warehouse’ was just a euphemism for abandoning it entirely.”
Maohua Primary School was situated in the outer reaches of Xingjiang City’s southern district, nestled within a small grove. Surrounded on all sides by ginkgo trees, its beauty was particularly striking.
As autumn waned, the leaves would begin to yellow at the edges. By winter, fierce north winds would sweep through, sending vast numbers of ginkgo leaves dancing through the air.
These leaves would eventually settle, forming a dazzling “golden road” on the ground. Under the sun’s illumination, this path shimmered with brilliant splendor, becoming one of Xingjiang City’s most famous scenic spots at the time.
Countless children enrolled in the school each year. Beyond the fact that Maohua Primary School was a key municipal institution, many parents harbored a superstitious hope: that by treading this “golden road,” their children would reach the pinnacle of their lives.
To Luo Tianchen, however, it was nothing more than superstition. The most compelling proof lay in the fact that the school itself had been abandoned.
The two of them walked side-by-side, each clearing a path on their respective side. They paused and continued, taking nearly half an hour to cover a mere eight hundred meters.
However, their journey abruptly halted there.
The path ahead was blocked.
“Huh, why would a warehouse be blocked by barbed wire?” Bingying questioned, her voice laced with confusion. “Are they worried someone might sneak in to steal things?”
“No, who would even come here to steal anything?” Luo Tianchen sighed, a hint of weariness in his tone. “It seems we’ve really hit the jackpot. This isn’t just ordinary barbed wire; it’s the kind of isolation barrier typically found in heavily irradiated zones.”
“Seriously? But wasn’t this place supposed to be used as a warehouse? Are they storing biological weapons inside?” Bingying’s voice rose with sudden excitement.
Luo Tianchen rolled his eyes at her, speaking with exasperation. “Ginkgo leaves usually fall in November, and it’s currently May. Yet, there isn’t a single trace of foot traffic on the path we’ve walked, meaning no one has been here for at least six months.”
He continued, “Do you honestly think there’s a warehouse anywhere that goes six months without anyone storing or retrieving items, or a warehouse manager who hasn’t left the premises in half a year?”
“Which means…” Bingying’s eyes widened as she processed his words, the realization dawning on her.
“This isn’t a warehouse at all,” Luo Tianchen articulated, his voice deliberate and heavy. “It’s merely a ruin, masquerading as a ‘school’.”
“In that case, it’s unlikely we’ll find any clues, is it?” Bingying said, a note of despondency in her voice. “So many years have passed, after all.”
“Regardless, let’s get inside first,” Luo Tianchen replied noncommittally.
Following the barbed wire fence, they eventually reached the entrance. A massive iron lock, encrusted with rust from years of neglect, secured the door handles.
“So… are we just going to climb over?” Bingying suggested.
Luo Tianchen gazed up at the three-meter-high mesh, topped with sharp coils, and shook his head. The previous day, he could have effortlessly scaled such a height, or even climbed a ginkgo tree and leaped over.
Now, however, he was merely a high school boy still recovering from severe injuries. If it came to a fight, he might not even be able to contend with an average girl.
“Step back a bit,” Luo Tianchen instructed. Though puzzled, Bingying obediently moved aside. He then casually picked up a small twig from the ground and stood before the door.
“Tianchen, you know how to pick locks?” she asked, a look of relief spreading across her face.
“No, I don’t.”
“Eh?!”
‘Was such astonishment really necessary? What kind of person did she imagine him to be?’
“I thought there was nothing you couldn’t do, Tianchen…”
‘He truly was sorry to disappoint her. Perhaps his former self could have managed it, but the person standing before her now was truly just an ordinary individual.’
Luo Tianchen relied on a different method.
He paused, then used his hand to remove the contact lens from his right eye, revealing the deep crimson orb beneath.
As anticipated, his brain began to throb once more.
“Tianchen…” Bingying’s face was etched with worry.
“It’s alright, I’m fine,” he reassured her, waving a hand to dismiss her concern.
He carefully recalled how the silver-haired loli had accomplished it then.
It was akin to a car speeding at full throttle, suddenly having a speed limiter forcibly installed.
To dominate, to manipulate, to master its very existence.
Emulating her actions, he drew a mental boundary for himself, a self-imposed restriction.
After this mental exertion, he slowly opened his eyes. The iron lock before him revealed its intricate internal mechanism with startling clarity, while everything else remained unchanged.
‘Excellent. No headache. It seems to have worked.’
A sharp throb of pain suddenly returned.
‘It appears he couldn’t afford even a moment of relaxation.’
Luo Tianchen spent a long moment gesturing with the small twig, performing various calculations in his mind. Finally, he found the perfect angle, inserted it, and twisted.
*Click.*
The lock sprang open and fell to the ground.
‘Ah, success.’
“Alright, let’s go in,” he announced, pushing the iron door.
It remained stubbornly unmoving.
‘…’ Unwilling to admit defeat, he increased the force of his push, yet it was still futile. ‘It seemed the rust, after years of disuse, had sealed the cracks. This was utterly embarrassing.’
“Let me try,” Bingying offered, sensing his predicament. She stepped forward, grasped the door frame, took a deep breath, and exerted a sudden, powerful pull.
The entire door was ripped from its hinges.
‘Ripped it off…’ Luo Tianchen’s mouth twitched, a chill running through him.
“Ah, I accidentally used too much force. It should be fine, right?” Bingying mumbled, casually tossing the iron door into a nearby bush. “Well, shall we go in… Tianchen?”
“Your strength…” Luo Tianchen asked hesitantly. He knew Bingying possessed impressive arm strength, but it had always been within the realm of an average high school girl. This level of power was simply terrifying.
“Oh, that,” she replied with a smile, “Xia Luohua gave me a little guidance last night.”
“Xia Luohua? What did she do?” Luo Tianchen pressed.
“Nothing much, really. She just taught me how to harness my own strength. According to her, I’m also one of the ‘players,’ and I should be capable of wielding much greater power, like Li Qiqiao, but I’ve been holding myself back.”
“But…”
“No ‘buts.’ I asked her for help myself. I know you don’t want me getting involved, Tianchen, but have you forgotten? I’m the one who’s truly a participant in all this. You, Tianchen, are the innocent one who got dragged in because of me.”
She continued, her voice firm, “Even if it’s just a little, I don’t want to be the person who hides behind you anymore, watching helplessly as you step forward. I want to stand beside you, openly and proudly.”
“Is that so… Do as you please, then.” Luo Tianchen found himself utterly without a reason to refute her.
“But right now, I’m stronger, aren’t I? It looks like it’s my turn to protect you, Tianchen, hehe,” she teased, sticking out her tongue playfully.
“Give you an inch, and you’ll take a mile, won’t you?” Luo Tianchen said, lightly tapping her head. “Since the door’s open, let’s go in—”
*Ugh!*
‘This feeling…’
“Eh? Tianchen, are you… again?”
“No, I’m fine. Don’t mind me. You go on ahead and take a look,” Luo Tianchen managed to say through gritted teeth.
“But…”
“Relax, I just need a short rest. You go on in first. Don’t waste any more time,” he said, forcing a smile.
“…I understand.”
Once Bingying’s retreating figure vanished from his sight, Luo Tianchen could no longer resist. He collapsed to the ground.
‘Was it coming again… that dream?’
****
“Um, thank you for helping me earlier…” After school, the girl from before stood in front of Luo Tianchen, blocking his path, just as he was eager to go home.
“It was nothing,” he said indifferently, though his mind was already devising a plan to quickly shake her off and return home. ‘He understood her unease after suddenly being declared someone’s girlfriend by another boy, but he had no intention of taking advantage of her.’
“Don’t misunderstand,” he continued aloud. “I have no interest in you at all. I simply couldn’t stand those guys making so much noise that I couldn’t sleep. You really don’t need to think anything of it. Is there anything else? If not, I need to go home.”
“Um… when they dragged you out later, were you alright?” the girl asked, sounding quite worried.
“Hm? Perfectly fine. If your eyes aren’t just for show, you should be able to tell the difference between their state and mine, right?” After his declaration, he had naturally incited the anger of the crowd. To avoid the teachers’ eyes, they had all gone to the small grove.
He had resolved the fight in just about ten minutes. Because he controlled his strength, and thanks to the cushioning effect of the fallen leaves on the ground, not a single one of the dozens of boys was injured.
However, their gazes were filled with fear… and adoration? ‘It seemed they wouldn’t report him to the teachers; after all, dozens against one, and they still lost—no rational person would believe that.’
‘His patience was slowly reaching its limit. Although she was quite cute and would undoubtedly grow into a beauty, that was at least six or seven years away. He certainly didn’t have the leisure to chat idly with her now.’
“Um, I’m really sorry if I’ve wasted your time,” the girl said, seemingly noticing his impatience, and apologized softly. “I just wanted to thank you.”
“Alright, alright, I get it. So, you can leave now, can’t you?”
“…Mm.” Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes, but she held them back, silently gathering her backpack and walking out of the classroom door.
‘Had he been a little too harsh? Seeing her expression, an inexplicable discomfort stirred within him. No, no, this was for her own good. Otherwise, if she misunderstood and truly believed he wanted to force her to be his girlfriend, that would be troublesome.’
After confirming the girl had walked far away, he picked up his already prepared schoolbag and left as well. ‘He didn’t want to stay in this wretched school for another minute. From now on, he would only come on important days and for exams.’ He resolved this in his mind.
“Ah.” Just as he stepped out the door, he saw the girl shrinking against the wall, hesitant to move. She saw him too, letting out a small gasp.
“So, what is it this time?” he asked with a sigh.
“Those guys, they’re really scary…” she stammered, pointing towards several boys standing by the school gate. Their physiques far exceeded that of elementary schoolers; some might even mistake them for high school students.
By memory, he recognized the three of them as those who had stood closest to the girl earlier, and also the ones he had beaten the most severely. It was not unreasonable for the girl to be afraid of them.
‘Fine, he’d see this through to the end. He’d be a good person, just this once.’
“Come here, stand behind me.”
The girl paused, then understood his intention. She obediently followed him towards the school gate.
Upon seeing him approach, the trio of delinquents walked towards them in unison. The girl, frightened, clung to his shoulder. Just as he assumed they wanted another fight, the one in the lead, followed by the other two, bowed in perfect synchrony.
“Greetings, Boss!”
‘…Huh?’
They then turned to the girl behind him, bowing again. “Greetings, Boss’s Wife!”
This time, not only Luo Tianchen but also the girl froze, her hand still resting on his shoulder, utterly bewildered.
“What do you mean by calling me ‘Boss’?” Luo Tianchen asked, his brow furrowed.
“A boss is a boss!” Delinquent A declared loudly.
“Actually, we’ve been searching for a powerful and awe-inspiring person like you to be our leader and guide us!” Delinquent B added.
“Please allow us to follow you!” Delinquent C chimed in.
“That’s right!” all three chorused together.
‘These guys… they weren’t delinquents at all. They were just plain idiots. Had they watched too many Hong Kong films or anime to be looking for a gang leader in real life?’
A wave of weakness washed over him. ‘He really shouldn’t have listened to his father and come to elementary school.’
“Whatever…” At this point, he couldn’t be bothered to argue with them. He wasn’t planning on coming to school anymore anyway, so they could think what they liked. With their protection, the girl should be able to avoid harassment and gradually adjust to school life.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s go,” he whispered, prompting the still-stunned girl. As if waking from a dream, she hastily followed him.
From a distance behind them, the three idiots’ shouts echoed: “Boss and Boss’s Wife, have a safe journey!”
‘A safe journey my ass! Am I dead?’ Forcing down the urge to turn back and beat them again, he told the girl, “The problem’s solved. You should go on your own now.”
“Eh?” The girl looked startled.
‘What do you mean, ‘eh’? Just because they called you a few names, you actually think you’re the Boss’s Wife?’
Perhaps she finally realized something was amiss, because her face instantly flushed crimson. “I-I’m sorry!”
“If there’s nothing else, hurry up and go,” he urged impatiently.
The girl nodded and scurried a few steps ahead of him. ‘This was for the best. Don’t look, don’t come, don’t need to know, don’t come close. Before she realized he was a ‘monster,’ the further away, the better.’
‘Yes, this was enough.’
‘He didn’t need anyone to get close to him.’
“Um…” At the end of the path, where sunlight spilled, the girl suddenly turned back. The gentle breeze stirred the fallen leaves around her, speckling her with flecks of gold. “Will I… see you tomorrow?”
‘Had she sensed something? What a perceptive girl. But perhaps it was this very perceptiveness that would lead to her own demise.’
“…Perhaps,” he mumbled vaguely.
He should have clearly stated that they wouldn’t meet again, yet in the end, he had unconsciously changed his words.
“Then, see you tomorrow!” The girl smiled, and in that instant, a riot of colors seemed to bloom.