How do you convey a heart lost in sorrow?

I’d already seen that future, yet couldn’t change it—powerless to alter anything. I could only wait silently as tragedy replayed again and again.

Like this, with a heart full of anxiety, I searched for my place to belong.

“Are you okay?”

Covered in blood, I carried Huang Yingdie down from the fourth floor. Everyone in the hotel lobby noticed us, but no one dared stop me.

“I’m fine… Your house is close from here, right?”

Stepping outside, the sun blinded me. My strength seeped away with every drop of blood. For a moment, I wanted to drop the girl on my back and leave alone. But thinking of Xiaodie’s state, I held back.

“Your wound is bleeding.”

Huang Yingdie’s voice trembled with tears. “Put me down and call an ambulance first?”

“No need.”

Neither Xiaodie nor I had enough cash. We were minors. Going to the hospital like this would alert our parents—my dad was caring for Mom at the hospital, and Xiaodie’s father was the mayor. No need to bother them over this. Besides, the stab wasn’t serious. It missed organs and bones. Just deep enough to look scary.

“Why didn’t you call your father?”

As we walked toward Huang Yingdie’s apartment complex, I chatted idly with the girl on my back. “In an emergency like this, you didn’t call your Jiangnan Gang brothers or your dad—but me?”

“I…” Huang Yingdie rested her head on my shoulder. “You were the only one who answered.”

“I see.”

“What about you, Yi Yao? Didn’t you have an exam today?”

“Can’t I just write fast?” I shifted Xiaodie up slightly and snapped, “So, what’ll you do with that little boyfriend next time?”

Silence.

“Asleep?”

“I’m sorry…”

“Hm?”

“I’m sorry… Yi Yao… I’m sorry…”

Huang Yingdie suddenly wrapped her arms around my neck. A warm tear trickled down my back.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know it’d turn out like this… He promised not to hurt me. Promised a lifetime of happiness. Why…”

“Because you’re naive. A kid barely in his teens dares promise a lifetime? Most adults wouldn’t.”

“I’m sorry… It’s all my fault…”

Xiaodie’s guilty tone softened me. “I don’t need apologies. If this happens again, what’ll you do?”

Scams like sweet-talking girls with money and power happen daily nationwide. Afterward, it’s up to the girl. If those Jiangnan Gang thugs hadn’t warned me, if I’d turned off my phone before the exam, if Xiaodie hadn’t called due to our fight—the whole thing would’ve spiraled unpredictably.

“Next time?”

The girl on my back paused. “Next time, I’ll call you again.”

“Out of the question.”

“Don’t be like that… Hey, Yi Yao, be my boyfriend. Then there won’t be a next time.”

“Huh?”

“Seriously, you looked so cool saving me. As my boyfriend, you’d be more reliable than Huang Qinghao.”

Great, another one hooked. Setting aside personality, Huang Yingdie was the most beautiful girl I’d seen. With nearly thirty years of male memories, I felt something—but I couldn’t take advantage now.

“You’re just love-starved.”

“I am love-starved.”

Just then, my phone rang.

“Hello, was it you who called emergency services earlier?”

The formal voice reminded me of my 120 call. “Yeah, it was me.”

“Your relationship to the patient?”

“Bystander.”

“Oh, sorry to bother you.”

Hanging up, I reached Xiaodie’s luxury complex gate with her on my back.

“Liao! It’s me!” Huang Yingdie waved anxiously at the guard. “My friend’s hurt. We’re going up to treat the wound.”

“Oh…” The guard looked confused—why carry Xiaodie when my friend was injured?—but he knew us. He opened the gate without questions.

“Huang Qinghao isn’t dead.” The hospital said “patient,” not “deceased.” My kick hadn’t been fatal. Maybe pain weakened my strength.

“His life or death doesn’t matter now. I don’t have brothers like him.”

“Which floor?”

In the elevator, Huang Yingdie struggled down from my back and helped me press “8.”

I joked, “What did Huang Qinghao feed you? Something to keep you conscious but frozen?” Perfect timing to recover now.

Huang Yingdie glared. “How should I know? And I didn’t finish it!”

My warning had worked.

The elevator stopped at the top floor.

“Usually, no one’s home. Dad works late.”

Barefoot, she pressed her fingerprint on the high-tech security door, then scanned her iris on a hidden panel. With a click, the heavy door swung open in seconds.

“Lie here. I’ll get bandages.”

Wobbling, she pulled me onto the living room sofa. Still drugged, Huang Yingdie stumbled into her room and returned with a small first-aid kit.

“I learned basic bandaging from my grandma.” She opened the kit, took out iodine, and frowned at my blood-soaked back. “Let’s shower and change first?”

“Is that necessary?” I smiled awkwardly. “Just disinfect it.”

“No. It could infect. And you’ll go home like that?”

She yanked me up, dragged me upstairs, and into a girlish room. “At least change clothes?”

I’d picked up this young lady daily, but this was my first time in her home. Unlike a lavish mansion, Xiaodie’s room was ordinary—just larger, with an en-suite bathroom and plain furniture. Notably, anime merch filled the space: pillows, posters, mouse pads—even the quilt and curtains had popular character prints.

While I stared, Huang Yingdie entered the bathroom with two dresses and the kit. She’d shed her sleepwear, standing in just underwear. Snow-white skin, waist-length hair, budding breasts, a flat stomach, slender legs—even as a girl now, I lost focus.

“Stop staring! Come in.” A blush rose on her face.

I stepped inside. “You like anime?”

“A little.” Xiaodie gestured for me to lift my shirt. “Take off your clothes.”

Our blood-stained clothes hit the floor. In the steamy bathroom, we stood in just underwear.

“The wound isn’t deep.” Unaware of my gaze, Huang Yingdie blushed, carefully wiping my back with a wet towel. Her scent mingled with the steam. Every brush of skin sent a strange thrill through me.

“Don’t shower today or tomorrow. Keep the wound dry.” After cleaning, she poured antiseptic on it and bandaged it skillfully.

Holding a short-sleeved, light green dress, she said shyly, “I bought this half a month ago. Worn once… Sorry. It’s just Dad and me at home—no extra clothes.”

“It’s fine.” To ease her guilt, I took the dress and put it on right there. Dresses were easiest to wear, but Xiaodie’s was small on me, covering only part of my thighs.

“Mm, you look cute.” Xiaodie beamed. “I thought you were a tomboy, Yi Yao. In a dress, you’d bring me two teams of rivals.”

“Give me a break. I don’t fall for that.”

The chilly skirt embarrassed me. Stepping out, I stretched and glanced at the wall clock.

School’s out…