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Join the ServerThe moment the call connected, a voice, laced with an unmasked tremor, resonated through the receiver.
“A’Mian?”
Just two words, yet Su Mian’s heart tightened, a bittersweet warmth spreading through her chest.
She quickly responded, “Zhixia, it’s me!”
“A’Mian!”
Shen Zhixia’s voice instantly rose, the tremor in it amplified by a surge of intense emotion.
“It’s really you! These past few days… where have you been?”
“Do you have any idea how frantic I’ve been looking for you? Your phone was unreachable, you didn’t reply to my messages, I… I was so worried about you…”
Her words tumbled out rapidly, as if she were desperate to unburden herself of days of fear and anxiety.
“I’m sorry, I made you worry.”
Su Mian softened her voice, her apology sincere. She could well imagine the turmoil Shen Zhixia had experienced these past few days.
“No, it’s me who should be apologizing…”
Shen Zhixia’s voice suddenly dropped, filled with an overwhelming sense of guilt and lingering fear.
“That night… I truly didn’t mean to leave you alone and run away.
“A’Mian, believe me… it was just that Xiao Moyuan at that moment… he, he looked too terrifying. His eyes… I’d never seen him like that before. It was as if he had completely transformed into a different person.”
“I… I was too scared. My legs turned to jelly, my mind went blank, I only knew I had to run… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”
Her voice began to choke.
Listening to her childhood friend’s self-reproachful and frightened sobs on the other end of the line, Su Mian’s heart softened, and her nose tingled with emotion.
‘See,’ she thought. ‘Even if Shen Zhixia truly became a bloodkin, she’s still the kind, gentle girl I remember.’
“I’m fine, truly fine, Zhixia. Please don’t cry, don’t blame yourself.”
Su Mian quickly reassured her, trying to keep her tone light.
“Look, aren’t I perfectly alright?”
“Besides, this is a society governed by law now. What could Xiao Moyuan possibly do to me?”
“He only *looked* scary. After you ran, he seemed even angrier and didn’t bother with me. He just rushed off somewhere himself, and I quickly went home after that.”
She carefully remembered Xiao Moyuan’s instructions, not revealing anything else.
She continued to play the role of ‘love rival’ as before.
“That night… something urgent suddenly happened at my house.”
“I went back to my hometown.”
Su Mian fabricated a reason, trying to make her voice sound natural.
“The signal in my hometown isn’t great, so I couldn’t contact you.”
On the other end of the phone, Shen Zhixia sniffled, her crying gradually subsiding.
She seemed to accept the explanation, or perhaps her mind was too preoccupied at the moment for deeper thought.
She let out a long, trembling breath, murmuring repeatedly, “It’s good that you’re alright… A’Mian, it’s good that you’re alright… that’s wonderful.”
The genuine concern in her voice filled Su Mian’s heart with warmth.
“Oh, by the way, Zhixia,”
Su Mian remembered Lu Yang’s words and changed the subject, her tone filled with concern.
“I heard you haven’t been coming to school these past few days either?”
Shen Zhixia was silent for a moment, only her faint breathing audible through the receiver.
When she finally spoke, her voice was much calmer, yet it held a deliberately maintained gentleness and steadiness, beneath which seemed to hide a deep weariness.
“Yes… I was indeed very frightened that night. I haven’t felt well since I came back. The doctor said it was due to excessive shock and advised me to rest quietly for a while.”
“So I took leave to rest at home. I’ll go back to school once my body and mind feel better.”
Su Mian worried, “Are you home alone? Is anyone taking care of you?”
“How about… I come visit you after class today? I can bring you some delicious food and keep you company. I’m quite worried about you.”
“No! Don’t come!”
Shen Zhixia’s reaction was unusually intense and abrupt, almost a shriek that cut Su Mian off.
That deliberately maintained calm shattered instantly, revealing the deep-seated tension beneath, and even… a hint of terror?
Su Mian was stunned. “Zhixia? I’m just coming to see you, to keep you company… it’s nothing big…”
She was somewhat confused, not understanding why Shen Zhixia was so resistant.
Given their past relationship, visiting each other when sick was perfectly normal.
“I… I look terrible right now, really terrible…”
Shen Zhixia’s voice dropped, her words coming out quickly.
“My complexion is awful, my dark circles are heavy, my hair isn’t done, I’m a complete mess.”
“A’Mian, you know how girls are about their appearance, especially… especially in front of people they care about. They don’t want to be seen in such a bad, ugly state…”
Upon hearing this, Su Mian was first startled, then enlightened.
If it were her, she wouldn’t want people she cared about to see her looking awful either…
‘Especially Xiao Moyuan…’
“Alright then,”
Su Mian said considerately, her tone even softer.
“I understand. You must rest well and don’t overthink things.”
“If anything happens, message or call me anytime, anywhere!”
“Mm, thank you, A’Mian.”
Shen Zhixia’s voice finally regained some peace as she softly thanked her.
***
‘I’ve uncovered an earth-shattering secret!’
His eyes were wide and round, gleaming with the blazing light of gossip. He leaned forward, looking as if he wished he could press his ear against Su Mian’s phone.
“Mianzi—”
Lu Yang drew out his tone.
“Tell me honestly, are you and our campus heartthrob, Xiao, having problems? Or did something… hmm, something unspeakable happen, something entangled with love, hate, and grudges, worthy of being recorded in the annals of campus legends?”
“You, what nonsense are you spouting!” Su Mian’s face flushed, and she instinctively retorted.
Her gaze, however, was a little evasive.
‘That content!’
‘Shouldn’t have left you… Moyuan was too terrifying, afraid he’d hurt you…’
‘My goodness! The amount of information!’
Lu Yang began to let his imagination run wild:
‘Did Xiao Moyuan finally succumb to his deep and twisted love for Su Mian, and thus targeted Shen Zhixia? As a result, Su Mian confronted the corrupted campus heartthrob to protect Campus Belle Shen, and ultimately… *oof!* Was she forcefully loved?’
He said Su Mian was thin-skinned. “Alright, alright, I spoke out of turn.”
“But Mianzi, are you still going to your classes today? You look completely distracted.”
“Of course I am.”
Su Mian began to tidy her books.
“Perfect then.”
Lu Yang changed the subject.
“After class, head straight to the ‘Supernatural Phenomena Research Club’ activity room! If we get there early, we can hear President Qin assign the tasks… I wonder if we’ll run into *those things* tonight!”
He rubbed his hands, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
Seeing Lu Yang like this, Su Mian temporarily cast aside her tumultuous thoughts.
‘It would be quite interesting to uncover the truth behind the school’s supernatural incidents.’
‘Aside from her own supernatural phenomenon, she hadn’t truly encountered any other *yaoguai*.’
Thinking this, a hint of curiosity also stirred within her.
Su Mian listened to her afternoon classes somewhat distractedly.
She sat by the window.
Around her, the familiar whispers of classmates, the rustle of turning pages, and the teacher’s steady lecture filled the air. Everything seemed as it always had.
However, her gaze involuntarily drifted forward.
There, two seats, side by side, stood empty.
An odd sense of unfamiliarity quietly permeated the air.
‘It’s only been a few days…’
She suddenly realized that the past routine, where she saw them every day, caught in that subtle love triangle, might be gone forever.
This realization left her feeling empty.
On a whim, she lowered her head, unlocked her phone, and opened her chat with Xiao Moyuan.
Her fingers tapped lightly on the screen, two lines of text flowing out almost without thought:
[Sweet Marshmallow: Gege, what are you doing?!]
[Sweet Marshmallow: I miss you!]
The moment she hit send, Su Mian snapped back to reality, her eyes instantly blazing red.
‘Oh god! What was she doing?!’ ‘The “Sweet Marshmallow” alias had already been completely exposed!’
‘She and Xiao Moyuan now had that “contractual” relationship; there was no “Gege” anymore!’
‘Muscle memory… it’s definitely cursed muscle memory!’
She wailed inwardly, frantically retracting the messages, her heart pounding. She just hoped Xiao Moyuan hadn’t seen them.
However, almost simultaneously with her pressing the retract option, his reply flashed onto the screen with lightning speed:
[Yuan: ???]
Two simple question marks, yet they made Su Mian’s scalp tingle, so embarrassed she wished she could dig a hole and crawl into it.
She swiftly completed the retraction and quickly added a message, attempting to salvage the situation:
[Sweet Marshmallow: I sent it to the wrong person…]
[Yuan: Haven’t recovered your senses yet?]
[Yuan: I’m not your Gege now. You should call me Master.]
Su Mian stared at the line of text on the screen, especially the word “Master.” The heat in her cheeks intensified rather than subsided.
‘He saw it! He definitely saw it!’
‘And that tone… it was clearly deliberate!’
It carried a hint of teasing, yet also an undeniable assertiveness.
[Yuan: But if you wish, I can play the “role-playing” game with you, just like before.]
Su Mian’s face flushed even deeper, her fingers flying across the keyboard, almost with indignant shame:
[Sweet Marshmallow: No, no need…]
[Yuan: How was class today?]
She looked at the question, hesitating for a moment.
The sunlight in the classroom was a bit dazzling, and the empty seats in front remained conspicuous in her peripheral vision.
She pursed her lips, then honestly replied:
[Sweet Marshmallow: Hmm… but it feels a bit awkward…]
[Yuan: Awkward because I’m not there?]
Su Mian puffed out her cheeks at the screen.
‘This man… why is he so narcissistic!’
‘Though… it seemed, perhaps, maybe… there was a little truth to it?’
‘But how could she admit something like that!’
[Sweet Marshmallow: Not chatting with you anymore, I’m in class.]
You’ve got to see this next! I Want To Bite You will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : I Want To Bite You
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