"Come on?" Gao Yang panicked. "Come on what?"
Qing Ling bent her legs, pressing her body down onto his. Moonlight gilded the curve of her collarbones, making them glisten—intoxicatingly beautiful.
She let out a cold, mocking laugh. "What else? Don't play innocent."
Gao Yang was dumbfounded.
Qing Ling wasted no more words. She swept a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned in, her face inches from his.
"Wait a second!"
Gao Yang yelled. He wasn't some prude—he'd watched his fair share of adult films. But this was moving way too fast. Way too fast to be anything but a trap.
"What?"
"If I'm guilty of something, the law will punish me. Don't torture me like this…"
"Sharp instincts." Qing Ling said flatly.
Gao Yang thought, Isn't this the normal reaction?
Three hours ago, he'd almost had his skull crushed by the girl he trusted most in the world. Now a virtual stranger—a stunningly beautiful one—was throwing herself at him. He had every reason to suspect she was about to torture him to death.
"Relax." Qing Ling's voice softened, warm and honeyed.
"…"
"If you really can't stand looking at me, you can pretend I'm someone else." Her hand rested on his chest, sliding slowly downward.
"Uh… maybe we should start with being friends first…"
Suddenly, Qing Ling froze.
Gao Yang's forehead was covered in cold sweat. He didn't dare breathe.
Qing Ling climbed off the bed, pulling her shirt back on. "Fine."
Gao Yang stared at her, confused, as he sat up. Then his fingers brushed against something hard and sharp under his pillow—a small, deadly-looking dagger.
Qing Ling flicked her wrist. The dagger flew from under the pillow, straight into her hand. She twirled it between her fingers, and it vanished without a trace.
"Were you… going to kill me just now?" Gao Yang asked, his voice trembling with lingering fear.
"That depends on you." Qing Ling said.
"What do you mean?" Gao Yang's mind raced. "If I'd given in to temptation, if I'd tried to touch you, you would've killed me? So this was a test. I passed, so I gained your trust?"
"Wrong. On all counts." Qing Ling turned her back to him, retying her ponytail with quick, precise movements. "If you'd shown no reaction at all, that's when I would've killed you."
"Why?"
"Beasts don't have real reproductive systems."
Gao Yang's eyes widened. It clicked. "So this whole time… you were checking if I'm human?"
"What you ran into tonight was a Wrath Beast."
"A Wrath Beast?"
"There are many types of beasts. Wrath Beasts are just one kind. But all of them are cunning. Masters of disguise. They blend in so perfectly, you can't tell them apart from humans." Qing Ling's voice was icy. "If you want to survive in this world, don't trust anyone. Not a single soul."
"Then how do I know you're human?" Gao Yang shot back.
"Good. You learn fast." Qing Ling's expression didn't change. "Verifying if a woman is a beast is a lot more… complicated. It requires going all the way."
"Uh…"
Qing Ling tossed him a small vial. "This is a special medicine. Use it, then destroy it. Don't let anyone see it."
Gao Yang caught the vial, turning it over in his hands. It looked like nothing more than a bottle of blue liquid—ordinary, unremarkable.
He hid the vial under his blanket, his mind overflowing with questions for Qing Ling.
What exactly are these beasts?Why do they kill humans?What kind of mess have I gotten myself into?What is Qing Ling's talent? She seems way stronger than me.How can I get stronger?
Bang!
The bedroom door was kicked open. His little sister burst in.
Gao Yang jumped, yanking his shirt over his head as he stood up. "It's not what it looks like! I swear—"
"What looks like what?" His sister blinked, confused.
Gao Yang turned around. Qing Ling was gone. Only the curtains swayed gently in the breeze, and a sliver of bright moonlight spilled into the room.
No way. She's faster than the wind.
"You're acting super suspicious." His sister circled him, her eyes narrowing into a mischievous grin. "Bro… were you doing it?"
"I wasn't! I'm not! Stop making stuff up!" Gao Yang wanted to cry. "And for the love of god, knock next time you come in!"
"Fine, fine!" His sister's tone suddenly turned sweet as sugar. She latched onto his arm, batting her big eyes at him. "Hey bro, can we talk about something?"
"Depends."
She pulled out her phone, shoving it in his face. "Look! Isn't this Lolita dress gorgeous?"
"It's… nice." Gao Yang frowned, sensing a trap. "What do you want?"
"It's only 498 yuan! Super cheap! And if I buy it now, I save 198 yuan instantly!"
"If you don't buy it, you save 498 yuan."
"My birthday is in 11 months!" She pouted, clinging tighter to his arm. "Can't you just buy it for me as an early birthday present?"
"I'll be dead in 70 years. Can't you just pretend I'm already dead now?"
"You don't care about me! You don't love me! You're the worst brother ever!" She wailed at the top of her lungs. "I'm telling Mom and Dad you snuck out last night and came home covered in blood!"
"Okay! Okay!" Gao Yang panicked. He grabbed his phone and transferred a few hundred yuan from his next month's allowance. Losing money hurt, but right now, keeping his sister quiet was the only thing that mattered.
"You're the best brother ever! Muah! I love you!"
She skipped out of the room, humming happily.
Gao Yang watched her close the door, then let out a long, relieved sigh.
The special medicine Qing Ling had given him worked like a miracle. When Gao Yang woke up the next morning, his wounds were almost completely healed—only faint red marks remained, like scratches from mosquito bites.
He ate breakfast and headed to school.
In the classroom, Li Weiwei's seat was empty.
A hollow ache settled in Gao Yang's chest, like a piece of him had been torn out.
He thought about the past twelve years—the countless little moments he'd shared with Li Weiwei. Walking to and from school together. Eating lunch side by side. Doing homework late into the night. Setting off fireworks together on New Year's Eve. The first time he'd seen her laugh, the first time he'd seen her cry, the first time she'd gotten mad at him… All those warm, familiar memories had been shredded to pieces by the beast last night.
Gao Yang wished with all his heart that there were two separate beings: the sweet, innocent girl he'd known, and the evil, unknown monster that had killed her. But they were one and the same.
He couldn't accept it.
By the end of morning self-study, Li Weiwei's seat was still empty. A few girls in the class were whispering to each other—they must have already heard the news.
Gao Yang hadn't slept much all night. He still had so many questions for Qing Ling.
But as soon as morning self-study ended, Qing Ling marched over to his desk, slamming her hand down on it. Her voice was sharp with accusation. "Gao Yang. Where's Li Weiwei?"
Gao Yang froze. Is she putting on a show right now?
"I don't know." He replied, playing along.
"You don't know?!" She raised her voice, drawing the attention of the whole class. "Wasn't she with you yesterday?"
"Yeah… but we went our separate ways after dinner and went home…"
"This is ridiculous! She's not answering her phone, she's not replying to WeChat, and now she's not even coming to school!" Qing Ling frowned, looking visibly frustrated. She turned on her heel and stormed off, as if she couldn't stand to look at him another second.
First period was math, taught by their homeroom teacher.
The teacher walked into the classroom with a heavy expression. He set his textbook on the desk and pushed up his thick, coke-bottle glasses.
"Class, before we start today, I have some terrible news to share."
"Our classmate Li Weiwei… was killed last night."
The classroom erupted in gasps.
"What?!" Qing Ling shot to her feet, her face white with shock.
Gao Yang blinked, then felt a surge of admiration. Life is like a play—all depends on acting skills.
Qing Ling and Li Weiwei had been practically joined at the hip for years. Her reaction was perfect, totally believable. It also jolted Gao Yang into realizing his own reaction was way too calm for someone who'd been Li Weiwei's childhood friend.
Gao Yang jumped up too, mimicking Qing Ling's horrified expression. "That's impossible! I saw her yesterday afternoon! She was fine!"
"She was attacked on her way home late last night. The police are calling it a robbery gone wrong. She was stabbed in the chest and died instantly…" The teacher sighed, his voice heavy with sorrow. "That's all I know for now."
"Oh my god! How could this happen?""She was so nice… this is terrible…""If they catch the killer, he should get the death penalty!""Waaaah…"
The boys who'd had crushes on Li Weiwei were red-faced with rage, shouting their anger. The girls who'd been her friends had tears streaming down their faces, sniffling quietly.
"Class, I'm as heartbroken and angry as all of you about what happened to Li Weiwei." The teacher said, his voice gentle but firm.
"The police are doing everything they can to catch the killer. They will bring him to justice."
"Any students who want to pay their respects to Li Weiwei's body can come with me to the funeral home tonight…"
"Now, let's try to pull ourselves together and focus on the lesson."
The math teacher opened his textbook, then paused, as if remembering something. "Qing Ling, Gao Yang—could you two come to my office for a moment?"
Gao Yang tensed up. "Is something wrong, sir?"
"The police are here. They just need you two to answer a few questions."
Qing Ling's eyes were red and puffy as she rushed out of the classroom, looking like she couldn't wait to talk to the police. Gao Yang followed close behind.
They walked down the hallway, one in front of the other. Gao Yang glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then quickened his pace to catch up to Qing Ling. "We need to get our stories straight."
"Get our stories straight about what?" Qing Ling turned to him, her eyes blazing with grief and anger.
"About Li Weiwei."
Qing Ling froze for a split second, then grabbed him by the collar, yanking him close. Her voice was a low, furious snarl. "So you do know something! Did you kill her?!"
"Huh?" Gao Yang was stunned.
What kind of act is this now? Is she really this into the role-playing?
"Cut the crap! This isn't a game anymore!" Gao Yang hissed.
"Who's playing games?!" Qing Ling's expression was dead serious. "You're acting so guilty! Why didn't you walk her home last night? Why did she end up dead? I'd bet my life it has something to do with you!"
This isn't part of the plan at all!
Gao Yang's mind raced a mile a minute. There were only two possibilities here:
The girl in front of him wasn't the same Qing Ling who'd saved him last night. But that chance was practically zero.
Qing Ling was still acting—but this time, she was throwing him under the bus to save her own skin. Just like she'd said last night: don't trust anyone.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Gao Yang said flatly, pushing her hand away and walking past her. The less he said, the better. He decided to keep his mouth shut.
"Stop pretending! I'll make the police investigate you thoroughly! If you did kill her, I swear I'll never let you get away with it!" Qing Ling shouted, storming into the office.
Gao Yang was about to follow her in when a tall figure stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
He looked up. It was a man in a police uniform, probably in his mid-thirties. He had a clean buzzcut, a square jaw, and sharp, angular features. His eyes were cold and sharp—eyes that had seen too much.
"Officer Huang?" Gao Yang said, recognizing him instantly.
"Heh. Fancy seeing you again." Officer Huang smiled, but there was no warmth in his eyes.
It had been this man—Huang Qi—who'd shot and killed the "mentally ill" man three nights ago, the one who'd "saved" Gao Yang.
Officer Huang clapped him on the shoulder, his grip surprisingly strong. "You're coming with me to a different office."
Gao Yang's heart dropped like a stone.
Oh no.
The prisoner's dilemma.