Xie Xishu stood in place for a short while before turning to leave—he wasn’t foolish enough to go back and ask Qi Wu if he had seen his school uniform jacket.
After that, until Xie Xishu’s new jacket was issued, Qi Wu and his group of small followers never bothered him again.
So, at the time, Xie Xishu truly believed that the incident had passed.
It wasn’t until nearly a month later, while Xie Xishu was intently studying several practice papers he had managed to get from another school, that he suddenly felt Cheng An give him a light nudge with his elbow.
“Uh, Xie Xishu…”
Xie Xishu furrowed his brows slightly.
“Hmm?”
He paused his pen and turned his head to look at Cheng An.
Cheng An didn’t speak immediately; instead, he stared at Xie Xishu for a few seconds. The inquisitive nature of his gaze made Xie Xishu feel a bit irritated.
“What is it?”
Xie Xishu asked, his tone slightly stiff.
“Ah, nothing, I just wanted to ask you… have you accidentally offended Qi Wu at some point?” Cheng An asked, as if joking. He paused, then added with a grin, “Seriously, only you could be this focused on studying, right? Haven’t you noticed our resident ‘King of Hell’ has been looking over here these past few days? It’s making me not even want to come to school. Some people in class have even started betting pools on when he’s going to make a move on you, hahahaha.”
Cheng An chuckled a few times, but his laughter was light, hollow, and thin.
Though he called it a joke, Xie Xishu acutely smelled a trace of unease on him.
Hearing the name “Qi Wu,” the hairs on the back of Xie Xishu’s neck suddenly stood up… as if an invisible finger had traced a line directly down his spine.
Before Cheng An could speak again, Xie Xishu subconsciously turned his head.
And then, he saw Qi Wu.
And Qi Wu was, indeed, looking at him.
The center of attention at Nanming No. 3, the uncrowned king, was currently leaning diagonally against the back of the classroom.
The standard chair, which was more than enough for a normal person, looked somewhat small under Qi Wu—like a kindergarten chair—entirely unable to accommodate his overly tall and robust body. Perhaps because of this, Qi Wu’s posture was a bit crooked, his legs stretched out into the aisle between the desks.
He rested his arm on the shoulder of a fawning follower. His posture was relaxed, but there was no expression on his face.
The group of yes-men surrounding him didn’t notice Qi Wu’s cold face and continued to gather together, desperately cracking jokes to please him, which only made the back of the classroom increasingly chaotic and noisy.
Qi Wu’s face was turned forward, his pitch-black pupils locked directly in Xie Xishu’s direction.
And in that very moment of eye contact, Qi Wu’s gaze seemed to flicker slightly.
Then, the boy with the irritable face turned his gaze away as if nothing had happened, lazily chatting away with his group of friends.
…
It was as if his stare at Xie Xishu had been nothing more than a hallucination of Cheng An’s.
A few seconds later, Xie Xishu retracted his gaze and spoke to Cheng An without a fluctuation in his tone: “You’re overthinking it.”
Then, he began to solve his problems again.
But Cheng An was clearly still anxious, murmuring constantly in Xie Xishu’s ear.
“…I’m not just saying this, you really turned around like that? Aren’t you afraid of actually provoking Qi Wu??”
“…But I really feel like Qi Wu has been looking over here; everyone else has noticed it too.”
“…Sigh, is it possible our spot is good, and Qi Wu has taken a liking to it??”
“…I’m telling you, Top Scholar, you really didn’t offend that master, did you? I’ll be honest, the pressure of sitting with you right now is really a bit much.”
…
Cheng An’s nagging was annoying.
“If I had truly provoked that Qi Wu, he wouldn’t need to look at me for this long—if he were unhappy, he would just make a move, wouldn’t he?”
Xie Xishu suddenly interrupted Cheng An, his voice kept very low.
Cheng An was stunned for a moment, then, as if he finally realized it, he let out a long sigh of relief.
“Oh, that’s true, too.”
Xie Xishu didn’t respond.
Cheng An glanced at him and found that Xie Xishu had returned to his studies as usual, buried in his work, entirely focused. Only his profile looked a bit pale, and he appeared even more fragile and thin than before.
But that wasn’t something Cheng An would care about. Once the alarm was cleared, he yawned, slumped over his drawer, and fell asleep again.
Naturally, Cheng An didn’t notice that while Xie Xishu appeared to be earnestly reading, the hand holding his pen hadn’t moved for a long time.
It was the gaze.
The gaze coming from behind made it impossible for Xie Xishu to concentrate.
In truth, Xie Xishu had occasionally felt something was off before, but since he hadn’t been warned, he naturally wouldn’t put too much attention on that faint sense of being watched.
Until he was warned by Cheng An…
Once he realized someone was watching his back, Xie Xishu could no longer stop caring.
Perhaps it was because the rumors about Qi Wu were too terrifying. Perhaps it was because Qi Wu himself truly possessed a bone-chilling temperament, or perhaps it was because Xie Xishu himself was naturally a cautious person; regardless, the gaze coming from Qi Wu made him feel like he was on pins and needles.
Even though Xie Xishu had been stubborn in front of Cheng An, claiming it was all just a mistake and giving reasons, and even though Qi Wu had indeed looked away when he turned around, Xie Xishu was certain his feelings were correct.
Qi Wu was indeed staring at him.
Constantly…
Constantly.
From the start of class until the end.
Even after school that day, as Xie Xishu packed his things and headed home, along that short stretch of road from the classroom to the school gate, he could always feel that gaze—shadowing him like an appendage, sticking to his back like a physical force.
Realizing this, Xie Xishu’s pace quickened almost involuntarily. By the end, he was even breaking into a light jog—though he didn’t know what he was running from.
“Xie Xishu? Cough, cough, cough… what’s wrong with you? Is everything okay?”
When he reached the school gate, Xie Xishu was stopped by a young female teacher in a suit.
“Ms., Ms. Li.”
Only when he was grabbed did Xie Xishu suddenly break free from that nightmare-like tension. He raised his head, gasping for breath, looking at Ms. Li, whose face was full of concern.
Ms. Li was a new English teacher this year. She was very young and had been sent to Nanming No. 3 immediately after graduation. Perhaps because she was young and bringing up students for the first time, unlike the other old veterans who had long since given up and were just coasting, Ms. Li still held expectations for her students’ grades, even while suffering from the flu—coughing until she could barely speak—she still stuck to her post without ever missing a day.
Naturally, Xie Xishu, the only academic seed in the entire school, was cared for by Ms. Li like the apple of her eye, for fear that Xie Xishu might accidentally get stuck in the quagmire that was Nanming No. 3.
“I, I’m fine.”
Xie Xishu smoothed out his breathing and murmured, “I just wanted to get home early.”
Ms. Li looked him up and down, her expression solemn. “Then why were you in such a panic? The school rules state that students shouldn’t run around on campus, right?” As she recited the school rules that no one followed, she stretched her neck to look behind Xie Xishu. However, just as Xie Xishu said, other students at the third school were just walking to the gate on their own, and it certainly didn’t look like anyone was giving Xie Xishu trouble.
The young female teacher relaxed a little. She coughed a few more times, took a tissue from her pocket, and wiped her nose.
“As long as you’re okay, cough, cough… if you run into problems, remember to tell your teacher.” Recalling some of the gossip she had heard recently, Ms. Li couldn’t help but add a few more words, though her nasal tone was heavy due to the cold.
“By the way, Xie Xishu, I know it’s inconvenient since your parents are overseas, but I still need to confirm that early enrollment matter with them. I haven’t been able to get through to their contact number. How about this, have them take the initiative to contact me.”
“…Okay.”
It took Xie Xishu a few seconds to respond dully. “They… are quite busy; they might not have managed to check their phones.”
“Mm, but you must remember to have them contact me again. Cough, cough, cough… this concerns your future; you can’t be careless, no matter how busy you are at work.”
“I know.”
Xie Xishu managed to deal with Ms. Li and found a chance to leave as quickly as possible.
It had to be said, being distracted by his teacher made the sense of oppression and fear that had been lingering in Xie Xishu’s heart fade significantly. On the way home, Xie Xishu found it a bit funny to think about his panicked escape earlier; he didn’t understand why he had been so scared. After all, no matter how he looked at it, Qi Wu couldn’t really turn into a ghost and follow him forever… right?
Xie Xishu suddenly stopped in his tracks.
On a whim, he suddenly turned around and looked up, casting a glance at the location of Class 1, Senior Year.
Leaning against the railing of the school building corridor was a tall shadow.
It was Qi Wu.
From such a distance, Qi Wu’s shadow was nothing more than a dark silhouette in the twilight.
Xie Xishu couldn’t even see the person’s face.
However, eerily, he could truly feel that gaze.
Strange, focused, and greedy.
Xie Xishu’s feeling was not wrong at all.
From the classroom to the school gate, Qi Wu had indeed been watching him the entire time.
Qi Wu leaned against the corridor railing, lowering his gaze, staring as the figure he had already traced a thousand times in his mind scurried out of the school gate, deeply frightened.
After the person completely disappeared from his sight, Qi Wu couldn’t help but furrow his brows.
“Qi-ge?”
It wasn’t until one of his small followers gave a cautious, uncertain call from behind that Qi Wu slowly returned to his senses.
“Your cigarette…”
Met with Qi Wu’s pitch-black eyes, the follower couldn’t help but shiver. He gulped and carefully pointed at Qi Wu’s hand.
Qi Wu followed the man’s gaze and looked down, only then discovering that the cigarette at his fingertips had almost burned out, nearly reaching his fingers.
But Qi Wu found he hadn’t felt a thing.
“Th-that, Qi-ge, the time is about right; shall we go now?” The lackey tremblingly observed Qi Wu. Theoretically, during this time, Qi Wu shouldn’t be coming to such a godforsaken place as school to report in every day, yet Qi Wu was acting like he was possessed, inexplicably starting to clock in at the third school every single day.
Tonight, Qi Wu had a major business deal to discuss at home, yet the agreed-upon time was approaching, and Qi Wu had inexplicably stood on the corridor, saying he wanted to smoke a cigarette.
But the lackey saw clearly that after the cigarette was lit, Qi Wu did nothing but lower his head and stare in one direction… or rather, at one person; he hadn’t taken a single puff of that cigarette.
The lackey thought of all the unusual things about Qi Wu recently, and various speculations surged in his heart, but none of them made any sense.
Of course, those who could follow Qi Wu, no matter how many thoughts they had inside, could basically remain flawless on the surface. Doubts were doubts, but the lackey’s fawning toward Qi Wu remained as it had always been.
“I’ve packed everything for you; we can leave now.”
He gave Qi Wu a smile and gestured with his hand.
Qi Wu, of course, didn’t bring a schoolbag or anything to school; what was left in the classroom were nothing more than odds and ends… and a school uniform jacket from the third school.
Well, this school uniform could be counted as one of the unsolved mysteries that had happened to Qi Wu during this period.
It was very difficult to associate this school uniform with Qi Wu; however, at some point, it always ended up within reach of Qi Wu’s hands, and occasionally, the lackey would see Qi Wu using that school uniform as a pillow during his lunch break.
Could it be some kind of fetish play?
The lackey didn’t think too much about it (or rather, thinking a lot was useless), so when he packed things up, he naturally tucked the school uniform under his arm and brought it out. But he never expected that Qi Wu would only glance at the school uniform under his arm before his face changed instantly.
“Who told you to touch this piece of clothing?!”
For a moment, the lackey was rendered speechless by Qi Wu’s expression.
He had followed Qi Wu for so long, and only when they were truly brawling with others, blood and iron, had he ever seen such a furious, distorted face on Qi Wu.
“I-I’m sorry, Qi-ge…”
Before the lackey’s apology could be uttered, his hands were already empty.
Qi Wu snatched the school uniform, lowered his head, and sniffed hard at the cheap synthetic fabric. The next second, Qi Wu’s face looked even worse.
“Ugh… fuck!”
The tall boy cursed fiercely, tossing the uniform away as if he had touched trash. A-Zai was shocked and wanted to step forward to explain, but the next second, he was kicked away by Qi Wu.
“Get the fuck away—”
Qi Wu’s face was distorted as he roared at his lackey.
“Qi-ge, what’s wrong?”
“No, A-Zai, why are you messing with Qi-ge’s things?”
“Qi-ge, don’t be angry; this pig-headed idiot just doesn’t understand anything…”
The scene on the corridor not only terrified the lackey, but also gave Qi Wu’s other followers a big shock. They rushed over to try to smooth things over.
One of them, the one called Xiao Wu, had a good relationship with Qi Wu. Being quick-witted, he rushed forward to pick up the school uniform that Qi Wu had discarded. He was more observant; in fact, he had long noticed that Qi Wu had been carrying this uniform with him for some time. Although he didn’t know why, he could guess that this uniform likely had some special purpose for Qi Wu. He just didn’t know what A-Zai had done to violate a taboo, causing Qi Wu to flare up so suddenly.
“Qi-ge, this piece of clothing seems to have been dirtied, but it’s fine; I’m sure it can be washed clean.”
Xiao Wu held the school uniform, walked up with a fawning smile, and said to Qi Wu.
As a result, this time, he was also given a cold, sinister glare by Qi Wu. The restless, violent energy in the latter’s eyes, almost impossible to suppress, left Xiao Wu frozen in place, never daring to move again.
“Q-Qi-ge—”
“All of you, get the fuck away from me!”
Qi Wu’s gaze swept over the petrified, bewildered followers; his face was so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.
He seemed to want to take a deep breath, but the breath was abruptly stuck in his throat. He reached out to grab a cigarette from his pocket, but after lighting it, as the blue smoke rose, everyone clearly saw the muscles on his cheeks twitch slightly.
Qi Wu didn’t touch the cigarette.
“Sorry Qi-ge, but what exactly is going on? Are you, are you feeling unwell, or…”
Xiao Wu felt strange.
But Qi Wu didn’t give him a chance to speak at all.
“Do I have to repeat myself? Get—the—fuck—away—”
The followers eventually left the corridor, faces full of confusion.
However, halfway there, Qi Wu called out to stop Xiao Wu.
“Hey, leave that.”
“Leave what?”
Xiao Wu was stunned.
Qi Wu was still standing in place, his facial muscles tense, his entire body shrouded in a low-pressure field.
He was staring at Xiao Wu’s hands… strictly speaking, at the school uniform in Xiao Wu’s hands.
Xiao Wu was confused by Qi Wu, and after hesitating for a moment, he tested the waters by taking a step forward: “Qi-ge, you mean leave this school uniform, right—”
“Hang the school uniform on the railing, and the rest of you, get the fuck away.”
Qi Wu’s voice suddenly rose a bit.
“Huh? Oh, okay, all right.”
Xiao Wu, bearing Qi Wu’s stare, carefully hung the school uniform on the corridor’s side railing before leaving in the other direction with the others. Before going downstairs, Xiao Wu couldn’t help but look back at Qi Wu, seeing Qi Wu staring deathly at that piece of clothing without even blinking.
And Qi Wu’s kind of gaze…
Xiao Wu couldn’t describe what kind of gaze that was; he only felt an involuntary shiver, a vague, uncomfortable feeling shooting directly from his tailbone to the top of his head.
Although they had already vaguely sensed it, on this day, Xiao Wu and his companions reached a firm consensus.
Qi Wu… is really a bit off.
“Huff…”
Qi Wu gritted his teeth, forcing himself to take a breath of air.
As the followers drifted away, the “scent” they left lingering in the air finally faded a little.
And Qi Wu was finally able to force himself to breathe.
His followers were still bombarding him with messages on his phone. Clearly, everyone felt deeply uneasy and confused by his behavior just now, but Qi Wu had no mind and no energy to explain anything at this moment.
After all, just now, Qi Wu had been on the verge of suffocating.
The reason was simple… it was too smelly.
Qi Wu couldn’t quite remember when his sense of smell had become so sharp.
Perhaps it was a few months ago, or maybe even earlier, when he had come down with a bout of the flu, and his sense of smell had been impaired for a short while.
And when his sense of smell recovered, he found that things started to become a bit strange.
…At first, he could only detect the scent of different women on his father’s suit. Then, it was the old, lingering scent of leftover soup and food on the bowls and chopsticks. Even though the housekeeper had scrubbed the dishes until she was wailing and crying, he still felt that the thick scent made him want to retch.
Later, he found he was gradually able to smell the scent of the areas everyone around him had passed through, the people they had met, the food they had eaten, and the clothes they had worn and changed.
And, the sweat and dirt on their skin, and the different chemical odors they emitted when they were excited or fearful.
The things named “scents” that swirled around him became so intense, clear, and impossible to ignore.
To the point where every breath Qi Wu took was as painful as a torture.
Qi Wu had secretly gone to the hospital for an examination, but the doctors only told him that all his indicators were perfectly normal. Regarding his symptom of an overly developed sense of smell, it might be related to mental stress; they suggested he go to another department for a follow-up.
Qi Wu didn’t go.
And whether at home or at school, he never let a single clue slip.
It was well known that the Qi family’s genetics were bad. Qi Wu’s grandfather, three uncles, and two other cousins were all sent to mental hospitals because of mental illness.
The men of the Qi family will go mad sooner or later…
When he first began to remember things, Qi Wu had heard many such comments.
He also knew that those people in the A City underworld, who on the surface were hooked up with the Qi family and involved in evil deeds, used the word “mad dog” to refer to them in private.
Qi Wu was actually quite certain that his overly developed sense of smell had absolutely nothing to do with the bomb in his brain.
He wasn’t mad.
But if he told others that he could even smell the food in the crevices of their teeth from a month ago—he would still be considered a madman by everyone.
So Qi Wu forced himself to live as usual: fighting, brawling, handling some tricky matters for his family, and occasionally, just occasionally, making an appearance at school.
His mother’s final wish when she died was for him to study well, and Qi Wu had always thought that silly woman’s idea was laughable. But occasionally, when he thought of her, he would still patiently go to that so-called school and spend some time there.
And that was exactly where Qi Wu finally smelled the only scent that wasn’t disgusting in several months.
Qi Wu couldn’t describe the beauty of that scent—
It smelled very, very sweet, pure, and soul-stirring.
In fact, even before Qi Wu’s sense of smell had become so strange, he had never smelled such a pleasant scent before.
—At the time, he was enduring the muddy sweat and smoke-and-alcohol stench from the group of boys around him, along with the hot, earthy smell emanating from the soil in the garden, and then a breeze blew by.
Qi Wu saw a face so pale it was almost transparent amidst the swaying flowers.
At the same time, he also smelled the sweet fragrance emanating from that person.
