Chapter Twenty-Seven: Black Dragon and **

...The sound was somewhat familiar. Dong Yanyan, still shaken, came to a halt. The person behind her caught up, and when she recognized who it was, she let out a long sigh of relief: it was only her homeroom teacher, Mr. Chen.

Mr. Chen recognized her as well and asked, “Dong Yanyan, the lights are about to go out. Why are you running?”

“I’m sorry, teacher. It was so dark just now, I got scared. I hope I didn’t bump into you?” Dong Yanyan apologized with an embarrassed smile.

“Not at all. Hurry back to your dorm and get some sleep. The doors will be locked soon,” Mr. Chen replied flatly. No wonder he got along with Song Mingcheng—they were both men of few words, birds of a feather, really.

“Understood!” Dong Yanyan waved at him and was about to dash back to the dorm when she suddenly remembered something. She pulled her share of bread and sausage out of her plastic bag and pressed it into his hand. “Teacher, here’s a snack for you! Night shifts are the worst—you’ll be starving by the middle of the night!”

Mr. Chen tried to refuse but accepted in the end. After a pause, he said, “About last time—it’s not that I didn’t want to help you...”

“I understand. Director Tang is your superior, so you have to listen to him. That’s normal. I’m your student, so if something happens, of course I should let you know first. You might not be able to decide, but it’s my duty to respect you. That’s normal too. Please don’t take it to heart.” Dong Yanyan chose her words carefully. From what she knew of him, this taciturn teacher was actually quite sensitive, and he did care about his students. It was only that sometimes circumstances forced one to bow their head.

Mr. Chen managed a wry smile. “You’re so thoughtful—it’s no wonder all the teachers like you.”

“Thank you, teacher! This is the first time you’ve ever praised me,” Dong Yanyan replied with a bright smile, though her heart was tinged with sadness. In those four years, her teachers’ attitudes had shifted from hopeful to indifferent, all because of her relationship with Xu Cheng. She and Xu Cheng were the kind of unlucky kids who would always get caught the moment they did anything. Others could date as recklessly as they wanted and never be noticed, but if she and Xu Cheng so much as showed a hint of closeness, they’d be found out. The teacher must have thought she was the type of girl who didn’t respect herself, which was why he’d been disappointed in her and hadn’t even given her a recommendation after graduation. Yet he never knew that she and Xu Cheng had always kept a careful distance, and it wasn’t until after they secretly pledged themselves to each other that they truly got together—by then, they’d been out of school for three years.

The past was a bitter thing to recall.

*

Saturday morning dawned white and shrouded in thick fog, visibility barely two meters. Dong Yanyan, wary every step of the way, slipped twice as she delivered the newspapers but finally finished her route. Limping, she dragged her aching legs back to the classroom to review her English vocabulary. Just as she was about to sit down, she noticed a new line scrawled across the blackboard: “To the classmate who returned after fifteen years, meet at the south gate of the sports field at 8 a.m. tomorrow.”

Her mind went blank with shock: she’d been back for so long and had never considered—could someone else have traveled back with her? The handwriting was messy; she couldn’t tell who wrote it. She was certain it hadn’t been there when she returned to the dorm the previous night, so if someone had snuck in to write it in the dead of night, it had to have been today! She glanced at her watch—it was already 7:50. Her thoughts racing, she turned and ran toward the sports field.

She reached the south gate just as the clock struck eight. The morning mist had lifted, and not far away, a group of people were laughing together.

“Extra! Extra! Sixteen people have already fallen for it!” Yang Xiaohai shouted gleefully. The others looked her way, then burst out laughing and gathered around her.

Dong Yanyan froze on the spot. Half the class had shown up! What was going on?

Lu Tian bounced over and threw an arm around her shoulders, grinning. “You’re here, too, Fifth Sister! We were just deciding where to go hang out.”

“Who wrote that message on the blackboard?” Dong Yanyan asked, puzzled.

“I did! So what? The weather’s so nice this morning—it’d be a shame not to get out for a stroll!” Yang Xiaohai replied, all mischief.

Nice weather? That lazybones clearly hadn’t noticed the thick fog earlier! Dong Yanyan snorted, disappointed.

Just then, four more people approached—her roommate Li Hui and her gang, even Song Mingcheng was there.

“Extra! Extra! We’ve got exactly twenty victims now!” Yang Xiaohai shouted again.

Dong Yanyan was so furious she wanted to cut out his tongue! She glanced around and saw Lin Feng had also arrived. Quickly, she put on a sweet, innocent face and waved to him.

“You’re all here!” Lin Feng smiled warmly. “The zoo and botanical gardens nearby aren’t charging admission today—shall we go in for a walk?”

“Wherever you go, I’ll go!” Dong Yanyan replied sweetly, grabbing his hand. Noticing his awkward expression, she suddenly remembered the others and let go, pretending it was nothing.

By the time the twenty-odd students reached the zoo gate, they’d split into smaller groups.

Dong Yanyan, lost in thought, walked at the back with Xinran and Leng Yue, watching the others laughing ahead. Her mind kept returning to the morning’s events. If someone really had traveled back with her, who could it be? Yang Xiaohai didn’t seem the type—unless he was just pretending to be clueless because there were so many people today. She’d have to keep a close eye on everyone—who knew, maybe she’d find a fellow traveler.

“Yanyan, what are you daydreaming about? Don’t you see someone up ahead waiting for you?” Leng Yue nudged her. She turned to see her friend’s eyes gleaming with mischief. Looking ahead, she saw Lin Feng waving at her.

“Goodbye, sisters. I can’t let the prize slip away now!” Dong Yanyan called out cheerfully, waving to them before jogging over to Lin Feng.

Leng Yue and Xinran exchanged bewildered glances.

“What’s going on? When did Number Five get so bold?” Leng Yue muttered in disbelief.

“Exactly, and running so fast, too!” Xinran added sourly.

*

Dong Yanyan didn’t know what impression her constant eagerness would leave, but she couldn’t help it—Lin Feng was so popular, if she let down her guard for a moment, someone else would snatch him away! Remembering the dazzling array of admirers who used to surround him, she inwardly mourned for herself.

She and Lin Feng walked along the tree-lined avenue, autumn leaves carpeting the ground, neglected and golden.

“I love the smell of autumn—it’s so nostalgic,” Dong Yanyan said, picking up a leaf and turning it over in her hand. He liked the artsy type, so she played along.

“I like autumn too—it’s a peacefulness after all the splendor fades. By the way, I heard from Xiaohai that you’ve been writing?” Lin Feng turned to her, smiling.

Dong Yanyan was momentarily stunned, then instantly fumed. That Yang Xiaohai must have peeked at her diary again! But this was too romantic a setting to lose her temper. She swallowed her anger and lowered her voice.

“Yes, I’ve just started. Barely a hundred thousand words,” she said with a slight smile.

“Where do you plan to submit it? I can give you some advice,” Lin Feng offered.

“I haven’t thought about that yet—it’s not finished. Honestly, I write for the same reason you write poetry—for the love of it. When will you let me read your poems? I’ve wanted to write poetry, but it never comes out well.” Dong Yanyan looked up at him, eyes full of yearning.

A glimmer of delight flashed in Lin Feng’s eyes. “You like poetry too?”

She nodded. “Yes, I love Xi Murong’s poems. I’ve been wanting to buy one of her collections, but I haven’t found any yet.”

“I love her poems as well. I have a collection at home—if you’d like, I can lend it to you,” Lin Feng replied with a smile.

Dong Yanyan felt her plan had succeeded and beamed sweetly. Of course she knew he liked Xi Murong and even owned her collection. If he lent it to her, she’d have an excuse to keep in touch, passing notes back and forth.

...