Translator: Yuzu
A heavy rain fell without warning.
The intensity of the rain was great, and the strength of the wind was even more astonishing.
When the wind blew, the windows and doors rattled. Even tree branches the size of a man’s arm swayed from side to side like flowers and plants being ravaged, while the thinner ones directly snapped into two parts under the double blow of the wind and rain.
What was even stranger was that, even though it was summer, it was extremely cold.
Zhou Ming was lying on his bed, facing the window of the room.
There was no change in his expression. He was even a little numb; his eyes were dull.
The sound of the wind outside was very loud, so loud that it was hard to ignore, especially the sound of the doors and windows being rattled over and over again, which sounded annoying.
It was the second day since the school had suspended classes, and students were ordered to stay in their dormitories.
Zhou Ming was staring out the window. The fingers of his right hand kept rubbing his left thumb, looking a bit grave.
It was not clear whether he was staring out of the window at a flower or not. He withdrew his gaze, and his eyes fell on Xiao Chen, who was beside him.
Xiao Chen sat on the chair distracted, like a puppet with a broken string, a fragile piece of art, giving people an indescribable feeling.
The corner of Zhou Ming’s mouth slightly turned upward, and he crossed his arms and clasped them in front of his chest. Before Zhou Ming opened his mouth, Xiao Chen turned around unexpectedly and met Zhou Ming’s eyes with a heavy expression.
The air seemed to freeze, and the two of them looked at each other for three whole seconds.
At last, Xiao Chen broke the silence.
He withdrew his gaze, and his bangs half covered his eyes. It was rare that he didn’t wear glasses today. Xiao Chen paused and said, “Do you know the answer to the question you asked me last time?”
—— “Do you know what the nature of the world is?”
—— “I don’t know.”
—— “I also don’t know.”
Zhou Ming’s expression faltered, and his lips moved. He supported his temples with his hands, and the veins on his neck popped up as if he had grasped a thread and it had suddenly snapped.
Had he forgotten something?
“I don’t remember ever asking you a question!” Zhou Ming paused and answered truthfully.
Xiao Chen frowned and seemed like he wanted to say something.
“Shh, don’t speak.” A man’s voice appeared directly in his head.
Xiao Chen was shocked, and his body stirred.
This voice……
He couldn’t have heard it wrong.
It was Su Yan.
Because of this sentence, Xiao Chen managed to stop all his actions.
The man’s voice didn’t just disappear like what Xiao Chen thought. It was like an illusion.
“Don’t be afraid, wait a little longer, and I’ll come to you!” The man’s voice was inexpressibly compelling. A few words calmed Xiao Chen’s heart, which was full of doubts. Even the anxiety that had been floating in his heart disappeared without a trace.
The man laughed softly, with unspoken affection, “Wait for me.”
Mmm, I’ll wait for you.
–
“He’s dead.” A gust of wind blew and tossed the treetops, and the hollow voice reached the ears of the boy wearing a hospital gown.
The boy sat dumbly in his chair. His eyes were dull as if he had no interest in anything, and his whole body felt somewhat numb.
His eye sockets were sunken inward and had dark bruises under his glasses as if he hadn’t closed his eyes for several nights.
“He’s dead.”
The boy’s ears moved slightly at the words. His teeth clenched, his face looked ashen, and his entire mental state was very gloomy.
“He’s dead!” The voice repeated.
The boy looked horrible. He finally lifted his head; his face was pale, and his features were twisted together. He looked around and roared out, “Shut up!”
The voice obviously didn’t stop because of his words, but instead, as if it had discovered a new world, it continued to make an unpleasant laughing sound, which was horrible, a bit like a baby’s cry.
“He’s dead!!!” Hehe.
“He’s dead!!!” Aren’t you happy?
“Kekekekeke.” Are you about to fall apart?
His gray eyes were bloodshot. He suddenly stood up, grabbed the chair he had just been sitting on, and smashed it against the window. Like a deranged patient, he took two steps to rush to the window and hit his fists against the glass, ignoring his injuries.
Both of his fists were still bandaged, and as soon as he smashed them, the red color seeped out, and the blood began to pour again.
“He had a fifty percent chance of being cured, you know?” The voice had enough laughing and continued.
The boy’s frantic movements stopped at this sentence. He swallowed and moved his Adam’s apple with a dull expression as if he was deceiving himself.
——What is your wish?
——I, I hope he gets better! And never be locked up in that little room again.
——Well, what would you trade for it?
——I… I don’t know what I could trade.
——Your life!
There was an image inserted into his mind without warning.
The boy’s already skinny back bent down without warning. His legs also bent slowly, and he directly fell to his knees on the floor, making a ‘duang‘ sound. His body also began to curl up into a ball, and his fingernails dug hard into the floor as if he had been greatly stimulated.
“Why are you pretending that you’re not healed already? Why do you deceive yourself?” The voice was still sarcastic.
The boy’s gray eyes slowly changed from self-loathing to becoming increasingly dark. He stared at the tree outside the window, and his eyes reflected the shadow of the tree’s body.
“Kekekeke.” That voice was still making an inaudible harsh laugh.
The boy’s expression changed slightly.
Go to hell! Go to hell! All of you die!
None of you will live!
Another gust of wind was blowing.
A spark came out of nowhere and was blown by the breeze and landed on the green tree outside the window.
First, it hit a leaf, and the sparks slowly ignited and spread, wrapping the whole tree in a raging fire.
The original sound of laughter in the room began to change its tune, turning into ear-piercing screams…the sound was loud and even more miserable.
“Aaaaahhhhh!!!”
“What have you done?!!!”
The man’s voice was frantic like someone dying a gruesome death, his screams tragic and horrifying.
The boy’s gray eyes became dark, like a whirlpool that could devour the soul.
—— It’s okay. You exchanged your soul with the Devil for me, so it is up to me to be the new Devil.
–
Luo Xiaoxiao looked to the left and right twice; her movements were a bit restrained. Her two hands gripped the corner of the wall and poked half her head out.
The rain was still falling like crazy, and drops of rain continued to hit the ground.
When the wind blew, it casually blew her hair, which was casually braided.
She took her cell phone out of her pocket and then clicked on something. She pressed the phone screen a few times as if she was sending a message.
Luo Xiaoxiao: I’m here. When are you coming over?
Luo Xiaoxiao’s cheeks flushed a little.
Her eyes looked around and back to the phone screen.
Recipient: Zhou Ming.
It was like a girl in a lady’s chamber waiting for the arrival of her beloved, filled with endless anticipation of what would happen when she met him.
–
After an unknown time, Xiao Chen almost forgot to breathe.
The whistling wind outside the window was still blowing wildly, making loud noises.
In such a noisy environment, Xiao Chen could still clearly hear his heart pounding and a strange sound……coming from somewhere.
The sound of breathing.
The sound of a male breathing.
But Xiao Chen’s heart was still at ease.
Although he was suspicious, he still didn’t ask the reason. He trusted Su Yan 100%.
However, the other party laughed lightly, not letting these questions haunt Xiao Chen’s mind for too long, and said, “Shh, don’t be afraid, the people above are patrolling here now.”
Xiao Chen’s expression stiffened.
Above?
Su Yan seemed to see through the question in his heart and replied directly, “This is the mystery of this world.”
He paused and said, “The world is like a clock set to time, with a set trajectory. No matter how the hour, minute, or second hand turns, it just goes round and round in a circle.”
“The fate of a clock is nothing more than to be sent to be repaired when it is out of balance, to set right what is wrong and bring it back to normal. When it cannot be restored and becomes a broken clock, it will be abandoned or even dismantled.”
Xiao Chen’s expression was somewhat dumbfounded. He seemed to understand, but at the same time, he did not understand.
Su Yan smiled, and with a change of words, he suddenly asked, “Do you know why Wang Jingyi died?”
Xiao Chen shook his head truthfully.
But he would not forget the series of strange actions that Wang Jingyi did before her death.
Thinking of this, Xiao Chen subconsciously covered his lips with his hand.
All of Wang Jingyi’s abnormal actions were done near the Wishing Tree, and even the place of her death was very close to the tree.
Xiao Chen raised his eyes, and a light flashed in his eyes.
And he knew that the tree was related to Su Yan.
“Have you heard the story of the Wishing Tree?” Su Yan’s voice was filled with unconcealed affection.
Xiao Chen had some concerns and could only nod his head slightly.
Su Yan’s voice was uneventful, as if he was stating a fact without emotion, “Wang Jingyi was unwilling to be abandoned by Li Da and chose to use her youth to exchange for Li Da’s death. After his death, she became old overnight, so she foolishly used her knowledge to exchange for her beautiful face.”
Xiao Chen’s expression moved slightly, somewhat complicated.
Su Yan chuckled again, “But, exchanging with the Devil has a price. Anyone who chooses to exchange with the Devil will be targeted by those above and will die.”
Xiao Chen’s eyebrows furrowed together.
What exactly was up there?
Su Yan paused as if thinking about something, “Up there is a world that we can’t touch, and our experiences are just the talk of those people up there.”
Su Yan sneered, “Zhou Ming also exchanged with the Devil, did you know?”
Xiao Chen was horrified, and his eyes immediately went to Zhou Ming.
The latter was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling in a somewhat stunned state that was very different from his usual appearance.
“So, he’ll be the next one to die.”