"Haoran…" I whispered, my voice trembling. "Did you notice that?"
He stayed silent, his expression unreadable, but his hand found mine, gripping it firmly. "Aria… we have to run," he murmured.
A wave of panic surged through me, my chest tightening. My mind raced—nervous, confused, but instinctively alert.
Before we could move, a dark figure stepped into our path. I tried to pull Haoran the other way, but shadows seemed to close in from every direction. The rustle of fabric, the snap of a branch, the faint metallic glint of something sharp—it all made my stomach twist with dread.
We were trapped.
"What do you want from us?" Haoran demanded.
Then suddenly, a man appeared, wearing a black suit. "We want you," he said calmly.
"Us?" we both asked in shock.
The man commanded the shadows, which lunged toward us. Haoran held my hands tightly, and I closed my eyes, bracing for impact. But before they could reach us, a figure slammed into one of the shadows from behind, sending it sprawling to the ground.
Haoran's eyes softened into a smile. The man who had intervened bowed to him. Confusion churned in my mind as the man called more figures—bodyguards, it seemed—and a fierce battle broke out between them and the shadows.
The man in the suit shouted as the chaos erupted, "This time you are saved, but mind it—we are watching you every moment!" Then, he vanished into the mist.
Once the shadows were defeated, the man approached us. "Master Haoran, we did as you said."
Haoran nodded. "Good job. I'll tell Mr. Sheng about your promotion," he replied. The figure bowed again and left with the others.
I was frozen in place, trying to process everything. Then Haoran spoke teasingly, "Are you going to sleep on the road today?"
I looked at him, my frustration mixing with curiosity. "Who was the man who helped us? And why did he bow to you?"
Haoran smiled faintly, sighing. "After the man in the black cloak we met in the park, I realized we were being watched. We could have been trapped at any moment, so I quickly informed Mr. Sheng, my father's secretary, to watch over us."
I listened carefully and replied, smiling with disappointment, "You planned everything and I had no idea… I was completely confused."
Haoran tried to explain, but I cut him off. "You said we are partners, yet I didn't know anything. I'm useless."
"No, I didn't tell you because I didn't want to see you tense," he said, panic flickering in his eyes.
I closed my eyes. "Just leave me alone."
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"If you really want to be sorry, then just leave me alone," I said firmly.
He became silent, then finally said, "Okay… but at least let me go with you until you reach home safely."
I didn't reply and started walking. Haoran followed quietly, saying nothing.
Finally, we reached my house. I hoped he would stop me, thinking, If you stop me and try to explain, I'll forgive you. But he said nothing.
As I reached the gate, Haoran was about to leave. I called him in frustration, "Haoran!"
He turned. "Yes?"
"Never show your face again to me," I said firmly, then went inside without looking back.
Lying in bed, I replayed the day's events in my mind. Suddenly, a notification popped up—it was Haoran.
"I am sorry for everything. I'm not asking for forgiveness, but… I am sorry."
I smiled, whispering to myself, "Hmm… Haoran finally. As I said, if you ask again, I'll forgive you. I'm not angry anymore."
I replied, "Ok, ok Master Haoran, now sleep or are you going to study?"
"Thank you for forgiving me. Yes, I will study, but I'll take care of my health," he replied.
I teased, "I didn't ask for your health."
"Hmm, you didn't ask, but once someone told me to take care of it," he replied.
I blushed and sent, Goodnight, ending the chat.
Moments later, another notification popped up. I thought it was Haoran, but it was an unknown number.
"Hey, I'm Feng. Sorry for disturbing you at night, but today we couldn't talk because of Haoran. Can we meet tomorrow, just the two of us?"
My heart skipped a beat. Why did he want to meet alone? I replied, "Ok… sure," feeling a strange mix of curiosity and unease.
The next morning, I arrived at the location Feng had told me about. He was sitting on a bench, looking casual. I walked over and sat beside him.
"Good morning," he greeted.
"Good morning," I replied.
He hesitated, then sighed. "Yesterday, Haoran started everything—"
I cut him off, annoyed. "Stop talking about Haoran! I know you started the argument first."
"But—"
"Can we talk about anything else?" I snapped. He went silent.
Then I looked ahead—and froze.
It was Haoran, talking to someone near the entrance.
Oh no…
If they saw each other now, they'd start arguing again. Panicking, I grabbed Feng's hand and ran.
Haoran noticed. "Is that Aria?" he whispered, and immediately started following.
We ran, zig-zagging through the streets, until we reached a shopping mall.
Feng panted. "Why did you bring me here?"
I stammered. "Hao—" then froze.
"Hao?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Ahaha… Ha—Hollow! Yes, Hollow!" I lied, blinking rapidly.
He blinked, confused. "Hollow? Where did you see a hollow in the middle of the city?"
Before I could answer, I saw Haoran enter the mall. My eyes widened. Oh no!
Without a second thought, I pushed Feng inside a dressing room. "Go inside!"
"Why?" he asked, bewildered.
"Just don't come out!" I hissed.
I looked around, trying to find a hiding spot for myself—but before I could move, Haoran's voice echoed through the store.
"Aria!"
I froze, closing my eyes in realization. Caught.
He walked closer. "Is it you, Aria? Turn around."
I turned slowly, looking down.
"Oh, so it was you," he said. "Were you running from me?"
Before I could answer, a voice came from behind the curtain.
"Aria, can i come out now?"
I whispered under my breath, "Not now, please…"
Haoran frowned. "Who's inside?"
I tried to stop him, but Haoran went straight to the dressing room and pulled the curtain open—
And the world froze for a second.
Feng stood there, half-hidden behind the curtain, eyes wide open in pure shock.
Haoran's expression shifted instantly—from confusion to disbelief, then to complete shock.
Feng froze, eyes wide. Haoran's jaw dropped.
"You—?!" both shouted at the same time, pointing at each other.