Ya She

Chapter 3 The Silent Shop: Fragrant Concubine Chain

Heavy to torrential rain on Friday, May 7, 2010
Su Wanluo hugged her schoolbag to her chest and sat on the steps of the square, not caring at all that she was soaked to the bone by the rain. Pedestrians hurried past with umbrellas, and occasionally someone would cast a strange look at her.

She didn't care, just stared blankly as the raindrops hit the smooth blue bricks, splashing up crown-shaped water droplets.

The rain lashed against her, cold and painful, but she made no attempt to seek shelter. The icy rain streamed down her hair, across her cheeks, mingling with her tears, and trickling down her neck.

Su Wanluo was staring blankly as the water splashed up and disappeared when suddenly someone held up an umbrella for her, shielding her from the falling rain.

"It's so late, why aren't you home yet?" a gentle, pleasant male voice said.

She looked up and saw a man in a black Tang suit, carrying an eco-friendly bag in his left hand and holding a large black umbrella in his right, looking at her with concern.

The man was young, probably only in his early twenties. He was the kind of ordinary person you'd forget after a quick glance on the street, yet he wore a Tang suit that was impossible to look away from—a deep black satin, as dark as night, with several deep red buttons on the front. On the right sleeve was embroidered a dark red dragon, its body winding and spiraling up the sleeve, its mouth facing the collar. At first glance, it looked like a living creature, as if it would bite off his neck at any moment. This eerie yet lifelike embroidery gave him an indescribable air of mystery.

Su Wanluo wanted to tell him not to meddle, but she couldn't control her emotions and said dejectedly, "I've lost something very important..."

"How pitiful," the young man sighed regretfully.

Su Wanlu pouted and couldn't help but cry again—she had lost the umbrella he had lent her.

It was raining heavily when school ended. Seeing her predicament, her deskmate kindly handed her an umbrella. She was stunned for a moment, and was about to happily chase after him to thank him, when she saw him sharing an umbrella with another girl, chatting and laughing as they walked out of the school.

Her world seemed to collapse at that moment.

So she simply walked home without even using an umbrella, only to discover halfway there that the umbrella he had lent her was missing sometime during the day.

Losing the umbrella was a minor matter; what hurt her most was realizing that she had lost her heart.

The young man didn't leave immediately. Instead, he hesitated for a moment and asked, "Do you really want to find it?"

Su Wanlu nodded vigorously.

"Would you like to come in and sit for a while?" the young man suggested softly.

Su Wanluo was taken aback and raised her head again.

The man was of ordinary appearance, but when he smiled, a ray of sunlight shone through the thick dark clouds behind him, instantly dispelling the long-standing gloom in the sky and making people feel better without even realizing it.

As if hypnotized, Su Wanluo nodded gently.

The raindrops gradually subsided, pattering softly on the umbrella, creating a crisp and pleasant sound.

Su Wanluo suddenly regretted it. How could she have been so bewitched and agreed to go with a stranger? No, she had to quickly make up an excuse to slip away!

At that moment, the young man said softly, "We've arrived."

Su Wanluo looked up and saw that it was a small shop with a very rustic decor. The doors and windows were exquisitely classical in style, which seemed somewhat out of place sandwiched between two modern fast food restaurants. The signboard above the door had two beautiful small seal characters, and the words "Ya She" could be vaguely made out.

"The Silent House?" Su Wanluo was full of questions.

"This is my antique shop. Every antique here carries many stories, but they cannot speak, so no one can hear their secrets."

The young owner pushed open the old, carved wooden door. To Su Wanluo's surprise, there was no one in the shop, but he hadn't locked the door.

"Don't worry, I never lock the door, no thief will dare to come here to steal anything." As if knowing her inner question, the young owner stood in the slightly dark shop, slowly turned his head, and smiled.

Welcome to 'Dumb House'.

The young man's smile, blending into the pitch-black background, seemed incredibly eerie to Su Wanluo.

A strange antique shop, a mysterious owner.

Su Wanlu swallowed hard, but instead of backing away, she instinctively hugged her schoolbag and stepped inside.

The Silent Shop wasn't as small as it appeared from the outside; instead, it resembled a long, narrow, dark passageway, its exact length unknown. The owner lit two palace lanterns at the entrance, and Su Wanluo glanced at them, nearly jumping up in fright—these two lanterns looked so much like the Changxin Palace Lantern from the history books!
It's a fake, right... It's definitely a fake...

Su Wanluo's lips twitched, and she said warily, "Um... I don't have any money. If you're trying to sell me something, I can't afford it!"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper chuckled and said, "I'm not selling you anything, but I have something here that would suit you perfectly. If you like it, I'll give it to you."

A gift? What a great deal! Su Wanluo's eyes darted around, thinking, let's see what he can come up with first, there's no harm in it... She sat down on the mahogany chair next to her, and after a while, the shopkeeper came out with a box.

Bathed in a dim, yellowish light, he slowly opened the box in his hand, which was carved with dragon patterns. On the bright yellow silk cloth lay a bracelet studded with gemstones.

"This, this is too valuable!" Su Wanluo stood up abruptly, her eyes wide.

"The first owner of this bracelet was a favorite concubine of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, namely the Fragrant Concubine, whose beauty was so captivating that even before one approached her, her fragrance was irresistible."

Su Wanluo's eyes widened even more, but the boss wasn't in a hurry. He said leisurely, "It is said that she was originally the wife of Huo Jizhan, the chieftain of the Hui tribe in Xinjiang. When the Hui tribe rebelled, Huo Jizhan was executed by the Qing court. General Zhao Hui captured Xiang Fei alive and sent her to Emperor Qianlong. However, Xiang Fei was determined to die rather than accept the loss of her country and family, and she never submitted to Qianlong. Legend has it that in order to please the beauty, Qianlong collected seven gemstones of different colors that contained spiritual energy and carefully crafted this bracelet for her."

The young owner spoke slowly, his voice gentle and pleasant, “These seven gemstones are opal, lapis lazuli, topaz, moonstone, peridot, garnet, and obsidian. Legend has it that the person who wears this bracelet can find what they have lost.”

"Seven? There are two empty spaces where there used to be gems." Su Wanluo was somewhat doubtful.

“For every item found, one of the gems disappears. The first thing Xiang Fei wanted to find was the remains of her husband, Huo Jizhan. And the second thing she wanted to find…” The shopkeeper paused, “was her hometown. So she was given death by the Empress Dowager and finally returned to her hometown. Her wishes were fulfilled one after another, so the corresponding opals and lapis lazuli have disappeared. Now only five gems remain.”

The young shopkeeper picked up the bracelet, placed it in his palm, and handed it to Su Wanluo, saying, "Didn't you lose something? Try it on."

Su Wanluo knew that antique sellers were usually good at telling stories, but she never expected such an outrageous one.

Wearing a bracelet can help you find your lost items? That might work on a young child, but she's past the age of believing in myths.

But... even if it's a lie, even if the bracelet is missing two gemstones, you can't deny how beautiful it is. Each gemstone is about the size of a thumb, and tiny gemstone fragments are inlaid around the edges as embellishments, still gleaming brilliantly in the dim light, as if it possesses a natural magic.

It should be fine for her to take care of it for a few days, right?
"Is it really for me?" Su Wanluo asked one last time to confirm.

"Yes." The young owner smiled. "There's one thing you must remember: once you put this bracelet on, you can't take it off, otherwise you'll lose what you found again."

Su Wanluo nodded and extended her left hand. The shopkeeper lowered his head, put the bracelet on the girl's slender, snow-white wrist, and carefully fastened the clasp.

A refreshing coolness washed over my wrist.

The rain outside has completely stopped, and the sky is ablaze with a fiery red sunset.

Saturday, May 8, 2010: Cloudy turning to light rain.

Su Wanluo was awakened by the loud chiseling sounds of someone chiseling away upstairs. Looking at the snow-white ceiling, she felt as if a little person was also chiseling away in her head.

The renovations are disturbing the neighbors! She sighed and pressed her throbbing temples. A clinking sound came from her wrist; she then remembered that someone had inexplicably given her a bracelet yesterday.

She held her left hand up to her eyes, admiring the various gemstones on her bracelet in the morning light streaming into the room—a topaz in the color of orange-yellow pear, a garnet in the color of wine-red, a peridot as green as an emerald, a moonstone with a silvery-blue halo… Wait, why are there only four gemstones left?
Su Wanluo immediately tidied the room with unprecedented speed, but couldn't find any of the fallen gems. She clearly remembered that when she went to sleep last night, there were indeed five gems on the bracelet.

Could it be... just as the antique shop owner said? For every lost item recovered, a gem disappears?
What disappeared was the obsidian with its double rainbow eyes.

But her lost umbrella was still missing from the schoolbag drying on the balcony.

As expected, it was a lie. The glimmer of hope that had just risen in Su Wanluo's heart was extinguished once again.

She actually pinned her hopes on a bracelet... She's hopeless. It would be more practical for her to go out and buy him an umbrella instead...

Su Wanlu scratched her messy hair, which looked like a bird's nest, and walked through the living room, intending to find something to eat in the kitchen, when she heard faint barking from outside the door.

What's going on? She remembers that dogs are not allowed in this apartment building!
Su Wanluo opened the door in confusion, immediately froze on the spot, and then exclaimed in surprise, "Mom! Mom! Cola is back!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could Cola have found this place? Didn't it get lost?" Mrs. Su wiped her hands and came out of the kitchen.

"No! It's Coke! This must be Coke!" Su Wanluo hugged the dog that pounced on her. The puppy was pure white with a tuft of black fur around its mouth, looking as mischievous as if it hadn't wiped its mouth clean after stealing food—such a unique look, who else could it be but her Coke?
"Cola, you're so dirty! Come on, I'll take you to take a bath!" Su Wanluo liked to carry the barking Cola towards the bathroom, unaware of her mother's strange expression behind her, which was not as usual.

After giving Cola a fragrant bath, Su Wanluo was drying its fur with a hairdryer when she suddenly remembered that Cola was also one of the things she had "threw away"!

Cola went missing two years ago, before her family moved to a new apartment. How did she find her way here?
Could it be... the power of the bracelet?

She looked down at the bracelet with three empty gemstones, her heart pounding.

This bracelet probably does have magic, but it won't accurately find her lost items; instead, it will find all the things she's lost one by one.

There are still four gemstones on the bracelet, which means she still has a chance to find the four lost items.

Four items! She's lost so many things! What should she try to find back?
Su Wanluo thought excitedly as Cola rolled around happily on her bed, occasionally coming over to lick her cheek, being incredibly affectionate.

"Stop fooling around, Cola! Are you starving? I'll go find some food. Stay here and sit down!" Su Wanluo commanded, and as always, the little dog obediently sat down, sticking out its tongue and looking at her ingratiatingly.

In an instant, Su Wanluo vaguely returned to a few years ago, when her father had not yet been promoted, and the three of them, along with Cola, squeezed into a very small room. Life was hard, and although only Cola kept her company, Su Wanluo still felt very happy.

Cola would happily obey all her commands. Every evening, she would take it for a walk, and the two of them would often sit on a bench, watching the sunset disappear on the horizon.

When she was lonely, it would snuggle up to her with its warm little body. When she was sad, it would lick her palm with its warm tongue, trying its best to bring her even the slightest comfort.

It always stayed by her side silently, whether she was happy or sad. To her, it was a pet, but more like a younger brother who had grown up with her.

The fond memories stirred up made Su Wanluo's lips curl into a slight smile. She patted Kele's head, turned around and walked towards the kitchen, only to find that her mother was not inside.

As Su Wanluo walked through the living room, she noticed that the door was ajar. Curious, she went back inside and overheard an unexpected conversation.

“Honey, Cola’s back! What do we do? Yes! I’m not mistaken, it really is Cola! Didn’t you take her to the countryside? How come she’s back? Honestly! We can’t keep dogs in this apartment building! Maybe you should just abandon her again… and tell Wanwan that Cola got lost again! She’s a good girl, she’ll believe whatever we say…”

What? Su Wanluo, standing in the shadows by the door, was shocked as if she had been struck by lightning.

The person speaking in a low voice, that's her mother, right? Then why...why is she saying such strange things? Didn't the cola just wander off on its own? Did her seemingly kind and gentle father abandon it?
Su Wanluo could almost picture little Kele chasing after her father's car, running desperately, until she could only lie on the roadside, whimpering weakly and desperately...

Tears welled up without warning. She reached out to wipe them away, but somehow, her bracelet snagged on a thread on her clothes, and the clasp suddenly came undone.

The bracelet fell to the ground with a "thud," and the words of the young antique shop owner unexpectedly echoed in his ears—"There is one thing that you must remember, customers: once you put on this bracelet, you cannot take it off, otherwise you will lose what you have found again."

Before she could figure out what those words meant, she saw a small white figure pass through the hall, across the corridor, and through the crack in the ajar door in her blurry vision.

"Cola!" Su Wanluo hurriedly chased after it.

"Wanwan! Change your slippers before you go out!" her mother exclaimed from behind, sounding utterly disgusting.

Su Wanluo wiped away the tears streaming down her face and hurried down the stairs to chase after it. She had to find Cola! She absolutely couldn't lose it again!
In the evening, two middle-aged women were chatting after returning from grocery shopping.

Why is that little girl still looking for her lost dog?

"Last night, I heard that a dog was run over and killed by a car on the street ahead! I happened to be passing by and saw it; it was a truly horrific sight! It was a white dog with a tuft of black fur around its mouth; it was quite cute!"

Su Wanluo passed by them, lost and disoriented. She could no longer distinguish which was an illusion and which was reality...

The weather outside was bad; the wind was very strong, strong enough to dry the tear stains on her face.

But soon after, raindrops began to fall again, replacing tears as they streamed down her face.

Obsidian: Also known as Apache Tears. In Native American legend, a group of soldiers were ambushed and wiped out. Upon hearing the devastating news, the tears of their families fell to the ground and transformed into small black stones. It is also called the gemstone that stops crying; whoever possesses this black obsidian will never have to cry again, because the Apache maidens have shed all their tears for them. Giving obsidian to someone you love symbolizes ending tears and finding happiness.

Sunday, May 9, 2010: Cloudy with occasional showers.
Su Wan woke up the moment dawn broke. To be more precise, she barely slept at all last night. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Cola's silly face.

She wandered outside in the rain until dark yesterday, and even after her father dragged her home by the wrist, she still hadn't found the Coke. Faced with her parents' worry, she said nothing, asked nothing. She was terrified; what would asking change? She feared that the perfect image she held of her parents would vanish completely.

She preferred to pretend she hadn't seen or heard anything. The renovation noise upstairs started right on time, this time replaced by an even louder drilling sound. Su Wan sat up, her head throbbing, and glanced at the bracelet on her wrist.

Last night, after much struggle, she put the bracelet back on, thinking, "This way... Cola will come back, right?" She counted, and sure enough, another gemstone was missing. This time, it was an orange-yellow pear-colored topaz. Su Wanluo quickly got out of bed and ran to the front door, repeatedly checking and closing it, but she didn't see Cola anywhere.

After waiting dejectedly at the gate for an hour, Su Wanluo was finally persuaded to return home by her mother. Upon opening the door to her room, she was surprised to find a small videotape on her desk.

Su Wanluo picked up the videotape and saw that the box was labeled "Wanwan's 15th Birthday Party".

Oh right, on her 15th birthday, she went to a karaoke bar with her friends for the first time. This videotape was recorded at that time, but unfortunately, she couldn't find it after moving. Could it be... this is the lost item she got in exchange for the topaz?
Since the videotape couldn't be played on a computer, Su Wanluo had to rummage through drawers and cabinets to find an old-fashioned VCR, plug it in, and put the videotape in.

Qiqi, Meizi, Youer... one familiar yet childlike face after another appeared on the small screen of the camera. Laughter and singing rang out from time to time, and the girls' faces, which had been blurred before, gradually became clear again.

The laughter and cheerful voices coming from the videotape made Su Wanluo temporarily forget the sadness of losing Coke. A smile spread across her lips, and details about her three good friends slowly surfaced in her mind—Qiqi was always very likable, and her smile was so sweet it could drip honey; Meizi was carefree and easygoing, and was the girl in the class who could get along best with the boys; and You'er was the girl in the class who loved to dress up the most, and would wear the most fashionable clothes and shoes every now and then, and even her bag would only be used for one season before being replaced.

Standing next to her three outstanding friends, she had bangs and a silly ponytail. It was her birthday party, but she was still wearing a wrinkled old school uniform. She was clumsy and shy, and had no merits other than excellent grades.

The shy, smiling girl in the videotape seemed so out of place among the three girls, each with their own distinct personality. She hadn't even sung a single song; she just sat in the corner clapping enthusiastically.

Why did she feel so reserved even when she was having fun with friends? Why didn't any of these so-called good friends even look at her properly? Why did her happy birthday party, which she remembered so well, seem so awkward and uncomfortable when she looked back on it years later?

Thinking of this, Su Wanluo's smile gradually froze. It seemed that she had lost contact with her friends since that birthday party. Although she had called them a few times, none of them agreed to go shopping or hang out with her... Perhaps they had all gone to different high schools and had no time to get together, she comforted herself.

Su Wanlu watched the video carefully, and even when the screen showed static, she didn't turn it off immediately, but instead fell into deep thought.

"Snap!" The bracelet's clasp suddenly came loose and fell onto the table.

Su Wanluo's heart skipped a beat at the crisp sound. The antique shop owner's words still echoed in her ears, but she felt she was overreacting. At least, the videotape couldn't have just run away on its own, could it?
Just as she was making self-deprecating jokes, the static on the screen disappeared, and a clear image appeared again. In front of the camera was Qi Qi. Her face no longer wore a sweet expression, but instead, disdain: "Wanwan, you may never see this video, but we still have to say it. Actually, we really hate being friends with you!"

"Yeah! You're the class monitor, the teacher's darling. If we don't flatter you, where will we find homework to copy?" The one who spoke was Meizi, who seemed innocent and loved to laugh. Her smile, which Su Wanluo always thought was as bright as the sun, was now so glaring.

"Actually, we all hate you. Your clothes are so tacky, and you talk so seriously. It's embarrassing to be around you! Luckily, we're graduating soon, so we won't have to associate with you anymore!" You'er, with her exquisite makeup, said to the camera with disgust.

"Oh dear! You're so blunt, Wanwan won't be able to stand it! Hehehe!"

"How could that be? Wasn't this your idea?"

"Hurry, hurry! She'll be back soon after paying the bill!"

The screen shook for a moment, then returned to its static-like display. The room was deathly silent, as if the commotion had come from another world.

Su Wanluo sat there blankly until the videotape reached its final end and the machine stopped running.

What were they saying? Why couldn't she understand a single word? Weren't they the ones who insisted on being her friends in the first place?
The sound of the electric drill upstairs started again without warning, waking Su Wanluo from her nightmare. She clutched her head, feeling a sharp pain in her brain and chest...

Su's mother and father were watching TV in the living room.

Su's father said worriedly, "Wanwan has been acting strangely these past two days. Will she go out to find Kele again?"

"Probably not. I was just cleaning the house and found the videotape from her 15th birthday party. I put it on her desk," Su's mother said happily. "Maybe she'll go play with Qiqi and the others soon. This child has never had any friends growing up, which is why she treats a little dog so preciously."

"Oh? That videotape that's been lost for so long was actually found?"

"Yes, but if it's been kept with a box of magnetic chess pieces all this time, the videotape might get demagnetized and never play again..."

Topaz: Known as the "stone of friendship," it represents sincere and unwavering love, and signifies beauty and intelligence. It symbolizes prosperity and vitality, can relieve fatigue, control emotions, and help rebuild confidence and goals.

Monday, May 10, 2010, Sunny

Su Wanluo sat in the classroom in a daze. She had arrived at school very early today, so early that there was no one else in the classroom except her.

However, to be precise, someone had arrived earlier than her. Su Wanluo looked at the desk next to her; her deskmate's backpack lay quietly inside. He was always the first one to arrive in class in the mornings to practice basketball, so the key to the classroom door was always with him.

Su Wanluo withdrew her gaze and looked at the videotape she had brought and placed on the desk. For some reason, she had kept this recovered lost item with her. Although the bracelet had clearly been lost once, the videotape was still there.

But what can this possibly preserve? The precious friendship she thought she had regained had actually been lost long, long ago.

They knew they were weak and lonely, and longed for friendship more than anyone else. So they seized on this weakness and became her friends, almost forcibly.

Years have passed, and she hasn't changed. She doesn't even have the courage to confront him. Just like how she knew Cola was abandoned by her father, yet chose to run away... She really hates this version of herself.

Su Wanluo unconsciously fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist. When she woke up this morning, the moonstone on the bracelet was gone. But unlike the previous two times, this time, she didn't find anything missing had reappeared. At least, not yet.

Su Wanlu was lost in thought when her deskmate suddenly pushed open the door and walked in, carrying a basketball.

"Why are you here so early today?" Su Wanluo asked awkwardly. He usually practiced until just before class every day before coming back.

He grinned and said, "I saw you were already here on the playground. What about you? Why are you here so early too? You used to arrive right on time every day!"

Su Wanluo quickly lowered her head, opened her schoolbag helplessly, and took out the umbrella she had specially bought. But to her surprise, he took out an umbrella from his own desk.

"You! I even lent you my umbrella, and you forgot to take it!" he said irritably. "Luckily, I ran into a girl who lives in the same neighborhood, otherwise not only would I have failed in my attempt to have a good time, but I would have also gotten soaked in the rain!"

Faced with his accusation, Su Wanluo was speechless. She clearly remembered taking an umbrella downstairs; heaven knows how it ended up in his desk again?
Could it be that the bracelet helped her find it?

"I...I thought I had lost it..." Su Wanluo said embarrassedly, "This new umbrella...is what I was planning to give you as compensation."

The look of confusion on his face vanished instantly, and he shook his head and laughed heartily, "I'm truly impressed! How could you be so confused! How did you get back then?"

Amidst his laughter, Su Wanluo's face grew increasingly red. She didn't know who the girl who walked home with him that day was. Just as she didn't know whether what she ultimately lost was his umbrella or him?

Su Wanluo was too timid to ask, and even double-checked to make sure the bracelet on her wrist was secure. What if, this time too, regardless of whether the bracelet had fallen off or not, she would lose what she had regained?

She wondered absently when she had started to notice him.

Was it when he dribbled a basketball and ran towards her on the sun-drenched playground, his face beaming with a bright smile? Was it when he sang his heart out in an auditorium filled with thousands of people, completely unfazed by the stage presence? Or was it when their eyes met accidentally, so close that she could see her reflection in his eyes, that she never dared to look into his eyes again?
She was certain of her own feelings, but unsure of his. Like Coke or her old friends, she was too naive, never truly understanding the world she was in.

Perhaps, not getting an answer is the best outcome for her?

"What's wrong? You seem unhappy today?" He seemed to notice her unusual silence.

She looked at his slightly upturned hair and quietly asked, "Is there anything you'd rather lose than find again?"

"Hmm?" He hadn't expected her to ask such a question.

"Let's... let's just forget what we just said." Su Wanluo knew she had said something strange, and she pursed her lips, unsure of what to do.

He was silent for a moment, then sighed softly, “When I was little, I saw a neighbor’s kid with a really cool remote control car. I was so envious, so I used all my New Year’s money to buy it. I played with it outside for a whole afternoon, and I’ll never forget that feeling of satisfaction. But when I got home, my older cousins ​​found out that I had spent all my New Year’s money on that car, and they laughed at me, saying I was a fool. They said that money was enough for me to buy three identical remote control cars. I was so ashamed and regretful that I burst into tears.”

He scratched his head sheepishly. "I buried this remote-controlled car under a box and never played with it again. Every time I think about it, the shame and regret I feel far outweigh the joy this remote-controlled car brought me. So sometimes I can't help but think, how much better it would have been if I hadn't accidentally lost this remote-controlled car back then. So all that's left in my heart is a faint regret."

Su Wanluo looked at him as if she understood something, until he felt uncomfortable under her gaze.

"Excuse me, I need to go out for a bit." Su Wanluo suddenly stood up and rushed out of the classroom.

"Hey!" he said worriedly, then sighed helplessly.

He looked at the empty classroom and suppressed the urge to win her back.

He put the basketball aside. He didn't return to the classroom after seeing her on the playground; rather, a long, long time ago, he had shortened his morning basketball practice by an hour.

He took out his books from his schoolbag and began to study very seriously.

He knew his grades were far inferior to hers, his deskmate. But in order to attend the same university as her, he had to study incredibly hard. Because then, he would tell her what he had always been too afraid to say…

Moonstone, also known as the "lover's stone," gets its name from its "moonlight effect"—a subtle blue or bright white iridescence appearing in the center of the gemstone, resembling moonlight. For centuries, moonstone has been a beloved gemstone, believed to awaken tender passion in a loved one and attract a romantic love as beautiful as moonlight.

Su Wanluo rushed out of the school and ran all the way to the entrance of the Silent House before stopping, panting heavily. She glanced at the bracelet in her hand, now only containing two gemstones, took a deep breath, and pushed open the old wooden door.

"Welcome." The antique shop owner's elegant voice rang out. When he saw that it was Su Wanluo who had entered, his face did not show any surprise, but instead added a few more smiles.

"I...I want to return this bracelet to you." Su Wanluo placed the bracelet on the counter, then quickly took a step back as if avoiding a snake. Although it was early morning, the shop was still pitch black, with only the candlelight from the two Changxin Palace Lanterns at the entrance flickering faintly in the sleeves of the palace maids.

"Oh? Have you found what you were looking for?" The shopkeeper looked at the bracelet with only two gemstones left, a hint of disappointment flashing in his slender phoenix eyes.

"No, we didn't find it." Su Wanlu shook her head like a rattle drum. "But I don't want to look for it anymore."

"Oh?" The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow, asking with interest, "Could you tell me why?"

Su Wanluo stared at the sparkling bracelet on the counter, the images of Kele and her friends flashing through her mind. She said with heartache, "Because I understand that what I lost never truly belonged to me. I will not regret it, nor do I need to feel sorry for it."

She stopped even thinking about him, her deskmate. She had never had him, so how could she have lost him?

He was right. His remote-controlled car model represented his immature childhood, just like her cola and her friends. She could have realized the problem sooner. If she had talked to her parents about the cola and opened up to her friends back then, she wouldn't have suffered the pain of discovering the truth.

But she discovered nothing, simply burying her head in the sand like an ostrich. The bracelet did nothing; it merely guided her to see the path she had walked in the past.

She has already seen it very clearly.

Therefore, the bracelet had no effect on her.

"I understand." The boss smiled slightly. "Then, I wish you never lose anything again."

"I will." Su Wanluo quietly clenched her fists and walked out resolutely. This time, she would use her own strength to cherish what she had now and strive for a future she wouldn't regret.

The shopkeeper watched her resilient figure from behind, lost in thought, until her figure disappeared from the window frame. Only then did he turn his gaze away, pick up the bracelet from the counter, and examine it closely.

"Hey, you're just going to let her go like that?" A tall, slender figure slowly emerged from the depths of the antique shop. It was a handsome man with a stylish hairstyle, wearing a white lab coat. He was dressed fashionably, but around his neck was a rustic red rope, at the end of which hung a snow-white jade ornament, its luster warm and smooth, engraved with the four characters "Longevity" in exquisite craftsmanship.

The man was holding a white dog in his arms. The dog had a tuft of black fur around its mouth and looked very cute.

The boss chuckled and said, "You heard it yourself. She said that she wouldn't regret what she lost, and there's no need to feel sorry for it."

"What about this dog? Aren't we going to give it to her? You rushed me out yesterday just to save this dog. I'm a surgeon, not a veterinarian!" the handsome man grumbled. The dog in his arms licked his palm affectionately.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper smiled faintly and said, "Her family doesn't allow it to be kept. Even if you give it back to her, it's still like giving it away. But it seems to like you quite a bit, so you can keep it."

The handsome man looked down at the dog in his arms: "I can keep you, but the name Cola is too corny. Let's call you 'Apache'!" The boss didn't care about the dog's name; he was more concerned about the bracelet that was back in his hand.

"Huh? I saw you yesterday, wasn't the dragon on your clothes coiled around your right arm? How did it get to your back?" The doctor had assumed the boss was just wearing a plain black Zhongshan suit today, until he turned around and was shocked to find a deep red dragon coiled behind the boss, occupying his entire back and staring menacingly at the back of his fair neck. Due to the exquisite embroidery, in the dim light, the dragon almost looked alive at first glance.

"You've mistaken me," the boss said calmly without turning around.

"No, how could I be mistaken?" the doctor insisted. He's a doctor! How could he possibly misread a piece of clothing? Especially since the dragon on this Zhongshan suit is so lifelike, it's hard to forget.

The shop owner paused for a moment, then said, "This is a different outfit. I wore it yesterday and today; it's not the same one."

A suspicious pause... The doctor furrowed his handsome long eyebrows, slowly approached the boss, and began to carefully examine the dragon on his body.

The shopkeeper subtly distanced himself and changed the subject, saying, "It's a pity that this Fragrant Concubine bracelet can only be repaired to perfection if all the gemstones are completely gone. If we miss this opportunity, it will probably be 125 years before it sees the sunlight again."

The doctor's lips twitched twice, and he chuckled awkwardly, "You, all you do is spout these intimidating things. You make it sound so convincing!"

The shop owner solemnly put the bracelet back into the box, turned around and smiled slightly, saying, "I never lie, really."

As he spoke, the red dragon behind him quietly bared its sharp teeth...

(End of this chapter)