Chapter Title: I Had a Long Talk with Mom

Liyu attached a photo of her and her mom sharing a meal.

Though mother and daughter hadn’t fully reconciled, the tension had eased. Her mom stopped pressing further. Yumo breathed a sigh of relief.

But the next message tightened his chest.

[Anyway, I’m leaving Haiking tomorrow. That’s actually why she came today.]

Leaving Haiking???

[Ah, don’t worry! I go back to my hometown every winter break to stay with my grandparents.]

[Dad will meet us at the high-speed rail station tomorrow.]

[It’s sudden, but… we probably won’t see each other until after break.]

[Don’t fret—Auntie Chen already made my second-month diet plan. There’s a gym back home too.]

[I won’t slack off!]

“I see…”

Yumo exhaled, then felt an unexpected hollowness.

Someone he’d spent every day with for a whole month was suddenly gone. She’d return after semester started, but… it still stung.

“Hmm? Fallen for her?”

Yusuozaai draped herself over his lap like a cat. This time, Yumo didn’t argue. He just shrugged, then expertly kicked her off to shower and sleep.

***

The next day—also the first day of winter break—

“Huh? Liyu-gege’s going home for break?”

Yuxin frowned when Yumo broke the news.

“Yeah. But she’ll be back when school resumes.”

“What a shame. I wanted to swim with her.”

“So what happened between you two? How’d you get so close?”

“Not telling!”

Yuxin stuck out her tongue and dashed out. She had plans with friends today. Youth really was beautiful.

On the surface, his relationship with his sister seemed unchanged. But Yuxin no longer stiffened when talking to him. Sometimes, she even showed expressions beyond cold stares.

As for Liyu… shamefully, he didn’t even know where she lived. They’d agreed he shouldn’t see her off at the station—any more enthusiasm, and her mom would definitely suspect dating.

Alone in the silent apartment, Yumo felt adrift.

…Right. No more gym sessions.

He’d never been into fitness. He’d only gone for Liyu. Still, the month of sweat hadn’t been wasted—he’d actually built some muscle, no longer skin-and-bones. His bond with Yuxin had softened too. They still rarely sought each other out, but her icy distance had thawed. That wasn’t his imagination.

Yuxin…

Thinking of family made his heart sink again.

They’d made progress. But if he failed his wish—if his whole family died in a month—everything would vanish like smoke.

“Hey, stinky Demon.”

“I’m here~”

“So… my wish—‘get a gentle, cute girlfriend’—is it fulfilled?”

“………… (chuckle)”

“Don’t just laugh. Answer me.”

“That depends. Do *you* consider her your girlfriend now?”

“Well…”

“You’re unsure too, right? You’re still halfway there. Fulfillment depends on the outcome.”

“…So we wait until break ends?”

“Naturally~”

“What about ‘saving the beauty’?”

“Defending your girlfriend in front of her mom counts as ‘saving the beauty’? Your standards are *that* low?”

“…Guess not.”

After a whole month of effort, even the first wish hung in limbo. The other three felt impossibly distant. Panic clawed at Yumo. Winter break had begun—he *had* to take action.

Chunxiao Qianhui came to mind first.

*Can we go running again?* he texted.

[Sorry! My grandparents came from Fusang to visit. I’ll be busy with them!]

Tch. Rough start.

Next.

His contacts list held a number no boy in school could refuse—the campus flower’s.

Jing Yiqiu had called him three times these past weeks. All about class committee duties. He’d happily flaunted his chemistry skills to the prettiest girl in school—but sadly, every call ended strictly business. Not even small talk.

*This time. This time, I’ll get results!* He couldn’t wait for her to call. *He’d* make the first move.

He took a deep breath, rehearsed his script mentally, and hit dial—*connected!*

In his most confident voice, he asked—

“Hello? Is this Jing Yiqiu?”

“This is her mother. Who’s calling?”

“!?”

*What the hell???*

***

“Oh, I see… school chemistry reminders? Alright. Yes, I’ll tell her.”

Jing Yiqiu’s mom hung up. Her daughter was at a cram school. She’d pass on the message later.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t chatted with a young boy in years. It was… rather pleasant.

***

“Th-this damn…”

Yumo froze.

He’d bluffed his way through with a school excuse, hung up before slipping up, and now stared wide-eyed at the number that once thrilled him.

Not Jing Yiqiu.

Her *mom*.

She’d been using her parents’ phone every time.

*Typical perfect campus flower. So cautious with guys?* Half his wish list involved her! How could he ever win over a woman like this?

*Do I have to win over her mom first!?*

If even the campus flower was off-limits… who else? Who could he even target?

He scrolled through contacts. Elementary school friends? Useless—he didn’t have a phone back then. Middle school? Nope, no contacts, and he’d already died of embarrassment there. High school? Besides Liyu and Qianhui, he had no one. Not even close guy friends! His social circle was barren. Zero potential love interests.

He checked the clock. 9 PM. Zero progress.

“Inky~ I know you’re desperate, but chill,” Yusuozaai mumbled through a mouthful of canned pork. “You need to get out. Broaden your horizons. Hunt.”

“Hunt?”

“Yeah. Hunt.”

“You mean dressing in designer brands, flashing a Rolex, puffing cigars from a sports car, drifting up to girls on the street while blowing smoke rings saying ‘Hey b@tch suck my d@ck’ then racing to a hotel?”

“…How do you say such cringe stuff with a straight face?”

“??”

“Just go out. G-E-T O-U-T! Embrace the world! See its beauty! I have standards—I won’t dump impossible tasks on you early!”

“Even if you say that… ugh, fine.”

Better to ride his rusty bike around than stew here. Even without luck, it’d clear his head.

He threw on his ancient Hengyuanxiang senior-style cotton-padded jacket, slipped past the empty living room while his parents and sister were out, and pedaled out of the compound.

Ride. Ride. Ride. Aimless.

No destination. No person in mind. Even the Demon hadn’t followed.

The metropolis held no true night quiet. The cold steel-and-concrete beast merely rested. Its rumbling breath became the roar of traffic and chatter, racing down streets glittering with artificial light.

Yumo had always preferred stillness.

If covering his ears couldn’t block the noise… he’d distance himself.

He cycled east, veering off the elevated highway. Pedestrians thinned.

Chilled night wind on his face. This past month felt like a dream.

What now?

How to find a new target?

Watching donghua with Liyu, he’d seen classic tropes: the male lead bumps into a bread-chomping heroine at a street corner on his way to school… and romance sparks.

*(If only real life were that simple…)*

Lost in thought, he rounded a deserted alley’s bend—

“GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!!!!”

A speeding motorcycle came crashing toward him.

“What the FUCK!?!?!”