Chapter 4: Do You Like Me?

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Xia Yubing helped me up, gently wiping the shoe prints off my face with a handkerchief.
Her tender demeanor was nothing like the girl who had just shouted “Get lost!” at those thugs.

“I’m fine. Thank you for saving me. Otherwise, they’d have beaten me to death.”
I spoke with gratitude.
Without Xia Yubing’s intervention, I’d have been in serious trouble.

“No need to thank me. Can you still stand? I’ll help you to the rooftop.”
Xia Yubing supported me as we headed toward the stairs.

I was a bit confused.
I’d taken quite a beating, with bruises and swelling all over, and blood still trickling from my mouth.
Shouldn’t she be taking me to the infirmary first?

Yet Xia Yubing guided me up the stairs, as if what she had to say was so urgent it couldn’t wait a moment longer.
I could only follow her lead—after all, she was practically my savior.

But as she drew closer, that strange scent, like rusted iron, wafted toward me again.
This time, it felt familiar, much like the taste in my mouth after biting one of the thugs’ hands or when my gums bled from their punches.
It was the smell of blood.

But there was something else mixed in with it, a blend of fragrances that made it hard to pinpoint.
Maybe I was mistaken.
How could a high school girl like her carry the scent of blood?

The door to the rooftop opened, revealing a wide platform.
There were benches, a small pavilion, swings, and a fence encircling the edge.

Jianlong High School’s rooftop was open to students.
Perhaps because the school’s buildings were so cold and gloomy, the administration allowed students to come up here during breaks or lunch to soak in some sunlight and relax.

I’d once come up here at noon with Ou Zhiqing to eat bento.
She’d made it herself after learning I didn’t have much money for food and was going hungry.

Xia Yubing helped me to a chair and sat me down.
Then she studied me intently.
Feeling uneasy under her gaze, I asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just think you have such a fine face.”
Xia Yubing’s words were strange, and her tone was even stranger.

“Huh?”
I looked at her, puzzled.
Then I noticed something odd.
It was after school, yet the rooftop was empty—not a single classmate in sight, nor could I hear any students’ voices.

The surroundings were eerily quiet.
The light of dusk cast a shadow behind Xia Yubing, making her face appear somewhat dark.
Just as I was about to speak, she suddenly said, “Luo Xiao, I like you.”

“What?! What did you say?”
I was stunned by Xia Yubing’s sudden confession.
Never in my life had I imagined someone would confess to me, let alone the school’s beautiful flower.

“I said, I like you. I’ve been quietly watching you for a long time. Will you go out with me?”
Xia Yubing looked at me like a lovesick girl, her eyes full of expectation.

“Tch—this, this is too fast. We—we haven’t known each other long. Maybe we could, uh, get to know each other first, start as friends, and let feelings grow slowly?”
I stammered, my words disjointed.

Xia Yubing’s sudden confession sent me into a frenzy of joy.
I’d guessed she might have some interest in me, maybe wanting to get to know me better.
But I never expected her to confess so directly.

The unease I’d felt earlier was now completely forgotten.
The overwhelming thrill and achievement of being confessed to by the school flower filled my heart, leaving no room for other thoughts.

“Then answer me first—do you like me?”
Xia Yubing gently cupped my face, her smile radiant and teasing.

“Of—of course I like you! I really like you, Xia Yubing!”
I answered immediately, afraid that any hesitation might make her think I was unsure.

“Then it’s settled. From now on, we’re boyfriend and girlfriend. Let’s be together.”
Xia Yubing smiled.
I never imagined the school flower would be so decisive.

“Okay, okay.”
I could only manage a foolish grin, overwhelmed by a happiness I’d never felt before.

Xia Yubing kept her beautiful smile, but her tone turned playful.
“Then, let’s become one, and you can become a part of me.”

The moment she spoke, her face split open, as if it had been stitched together and was now tearing apart from the center.

“Ah!! Xia Yubing, what’s wrong with your face?!”
I was terrified, my soul nearly leaving my body.
How could a person’s face split like that?

“I’m fine, Luo Xiao. Do you like me?”
Xia Yubing was still smiling, but her skin had completely peeled apart, revealing a skull laced with countless bloody threads.

It wasn’t a human skull at all—green-faced, with jagged fangs that moved as she laughed.
“Luo Xiao, why are you backing away? Don’t you like me?”

“Y-you, stay back!”
I turned and ran, shouting, “Help! There’s a ghost!”

I reached the rooftop door, but it was locked tight.
I yanked at the handle with all my strength, but it wouldn’t budge, as if fused to the very space itself.

Looking closely, I saw blood seeping through the cracks of the door.
Even my hands, pushing against it, were now covered in blood.

“Luo Xiao, where are you going?”
A chilling laugh echoed behind me.
“I’ve sealed the rooftop. No one will disturb us.”

Trembling, I turned back.
Xia Yubing’s skin had fully split open.
That human skin lunged at me, swallowing me whole like a giant mouth.

“Mm! Mmph!!”
I tried to scream, but my mouth felt blocked by flesh, letting out only muffled groans.

Everything was blood-red.
My entire body was enveloped in a layer of skin.
The human hide tightened around me, suffocating me.
I could feel my life force being drained from my body.

I was going to die—I had that premonition.
Images and memories flashed before my eyes like a carousel.
Ou Zhiqing’s worried expression as she looked at me came to mind.
If only I’d listened to her and avoided meeting Xia Yubing.

Then I saw Cao Bao, who’d beaten me earlier, my classmates whispering about me, my drunken father arguing with my mother at home, and my grandmother’s kind face.

“This jade pendant will protect you from harm.”
My grandmother’s voice echoed in my ears.
I could only smile bitterly in silence.
Now, on the brink of death, the pendant couldn’t save me.

Fine.
This life was miserable enough anyway.
Might as well die quickly and go see Grandma.

Just as I gave up struggling, a searing light suddenly erupted from my chest.