Who left their last words here?

Chapter 114 The Boy Who Jumped from the Fifth Floor; He Was About to Make His Debut (Part 2)

"I think there's some kind of misunderstanding between us. You must have misunderstood something, but don't worry, I'll keep it a secret... Suddenly I remembered I left the gas stove on. I'll go back and check!"

Fang Xiaoxia originally intended to deliver the speech fluently in one breath... but no matter how long the 800-word essay swirled in her mind, she couldn't utter a single word.

Shut up! Speak up, you shut-up!
Oh no! To make matters worse, her social anxiety kicked in at this crucial moment, and combined with her fear of strange, bad people, her vocal cords were completely unable to function!
At this moment, Fang Xiaoxia wanted to find a trash can to crawl into.

"I, I, I..."

Under Bai Zhou's gaze, Fang Xiaoxia's brain completely shut down, and her face turned bright red.

Fortunately, in the end, she finally managed to speak, albeit with difficulty:

"I... um, I accidentally put the coal stove in the guard post... check it out!"

Bai Zhou "?"

Fang Xiaoxia herself: "?"

What am I even talking about?!

At this moment, Fang Xiaoxia had become, in her mind, the image of "The Scream" standing on the bridge, covering her cheeks. She wished she could knock out her rambling self on the spot, but she was afraid of the pain and dared not do it.

Surprisingly, the boy's expression gradually changed to one of sudden realization.

Is this for real? Could this person have understood it...?

Even Fang Xiaoxia herself couldn't believe that anyone could understand her "dialect".

Then, she heard Bai Zhou say:
"A good poem, a good poem."

"—So, you're a rapper!"

"rua...huh?" Fang Xiaoxia blinked in confusion.

But Bai Zhou already understood completely.

This matter is also recorded in "8,000 Questions about Black Cat".

This should be a specialty of Blue Star. I've never seen it in Wancheng. I think it's called... freestyle, impromptu rap!
Although he couldn't understand what the other person was trying to say at all, Bai Zhou chose to respect cultural diversity and the other person's interests and hobbies.

Even considering Fang Xiaoyan's request, Bai Zhou decided to encourage her:
"A very wide range of interests."

"But... do you mean you don't intend to accept these?"

Bai Zhou then pointed to the gold wristwatch on the ground and asked a question.

Fang Xiaoxia nodded hurriedly, her single ponytail swaying up and down like a hopping kangaroo.

"Is it not enough, or..."

Fang Xiaoxia shook her head even faster this time, faster than a whirlwind.

"Very principled! Turns out she's completely stubborn..." Bai Zhou sighed.

He suddenly remembered the old man's portrait on the living room table, his gaze shifted, and he seemed to realize something:
"Does this house have special meaning for you?"

Fang Xiaoxia's eyes lit up, and she quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, yes!"

This ruthless bandit seems to have a bit of a kind heart?
"I see... I apologize for disturbing you."

Bai Zhou understood immediately, then sighed, reluctantly collecting the gold watches from the ground and stuffing them into his arms in large wads:

"Since things have come to this, I have no choice but to find another way."

As he spoke in a low voice, the boy took off his apron and slowly took a step, closing the distance between himself and Fang Xiaoxia.

"?"

But this action clearly touched a nerve with the girl:

"You, you, you... don't come any closer!"

Pulling out her phone, mustering all her courage, the girl cowered in a corner, trembling.
"If you...I...I...I...I will call the police!"

The girl issued a terrible warning.

Fang Xiaoxia suddenly felt a strong hatred for apartments with only one unit per floor. If she had a neighbor, she wouldn't feel so helpless.

But Bai Zhou walked further and further away, turned a corner, and headed straight for a window.

"What do you mean, yours or mine... I don't understand, but don't worry."

"I can walk by myself."

"Squeak!"

The window was opened, and the wind outside, carrying a light drizzle, blew in, dispelling the tranquility and warmth of the room.

Bai Zhou's figure climbed onto the windowsill.

"?!"

This sudden, inexplicable action made Fang Xiaoxia's heart clench, and she instinctively cried out in a crisp voice:
"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Could it be that he wasn't going to do anything to himself, but rather jump...?
But why? Is there any reason? Just because we won't charge you?

When I say "let you go," I don't really mean "let you go"...

Most people instinctively don't want to meddle in other people's business, but there is a deeper human instinct: not wanting to see life disappear before their eyes.

A nameless panic gripped Fang Xiaoxia. She stood up and couldn't help but cautiously take two steps closer to Bai Zhou, wanting to say something but still stammering and unable to speak.

"I?"

The boy standing on the windowsill turned around and blinked twice.

Faced with Fang Xiaoxia's question, he also found it strange, and replied in a matter-of-fact tone:
"I'll go downstairs, what else can I do?"

Go downstairs? Go downstairs like this?
Fang Xiaoxia was bewildered.

Bro, this is the fifth floor!

Are you out of your mind...?

The rain grew more rapid in the early morning. Although the raindrops were small, the fine drizzle was more easily blown into the living room by the wind.

The curtains billowed, and raindrops splashed onto Fang Xiaoxia's face. The clear tactile sensation reminded her that this was not a dream, yet some unexpected and subtle details seemed to be speeding towards a direction even more absurd than a dream.

"Oh, by the way, someone asked me to pass on a message to you." Bai Zhou suddenly had something to say.

"What?" Fang Xiaoxia was naturally confused.

Do I know you? Who would ask you to pass on a message to me?

Don't underestimate me. I'm the "Summer of Solitude," someone who has no friends and is completely ignored by everyone!

"Although it may seem strange for me to say this all of a sudden."

Bai Zhou scratched his head, as if remembering something, and lowered his eyes:

"But someone wants to tell you... that 'all-powerful class monitor' you made up seven years ago while hiding under the covers and wiping away tears has already won all the battles you were too afraid to fight back then."

The more Bai Zhou spoke, the lower his voice became.

"So she wants you to be more confident. She also said that you can do anything if you want to!"

My collar fluttered in the wind; it was slightly chilly.

Bai Zhou looked at Xiao Fang and, sure enough, saw the other's blank and dazed expression.

Again.

This mysterious man always liked to say things that were completely incomprehensible to people, yet sounded very cool.

But this time, Fang Xiaoxia was completely stunned, blinking her eyes repeatedly.

"Squad leader?"

"Can do anything..."

Long-forgotten memories finally awakened from the depths of Fang Xiaoxia's mind.

It seems there is such a thing... but how did this person know?!

So he really knows me? Or is the person who asked me to pass on the message someone I know well?

What do these ambiguous words mean?
A thousand questions arose in Fang Xiaoxia's mind at the same time, and for some reason, her heart suddenly ached inexplicably.

The last time she was in class, she was like this. Suddenly, she felt like she had lost someone important, and without realizing it, she burst into tears during class, which frightened the teacher...

"Who are you, and who is she?"

Fang Xiaoxia asked urgently, but all she saw was the man standing on the windowsill putting a finger to his lips:
"Shh-"

The "boo" sound subsided.

In the darkness, Fang Xiaoxia felt as if something inexplicable was looming over her.

But she just blinked twice, groped her whole body, and still couldn't figure out where this feeling came from.

Was she being too sensitive...? "See you next time."

Bai Zhou narrowed his eyes and gave her a deep look:
"This isn't the first time we've met, but I have a feeling this won't be the last."

After saying that, Bai Zhou turned around.

The boy's figure seemed to blend into the dark, swaying rain outside the window. The blurry outline of his profile was eroded by the raindrops. He stood there quietly, looking down at the deserted, quiet street.

Through his silhouette, one could still vaguely see a few blurry neon lights in the distance. From Fang Xiaoxia's perspective, those flickering lights looked as if they were carried on the boy's shoulders.

His handsome figure was shrouded in mystery, inexplicably evoking images of the tranquil moonlight of a late night...

—If you don't look at the bare back and thighs.

To be honest, the large hole in his clothes on the back, revealing a lifelike giant wolf tattoo, actually made Fang Xiaoxia more respectful of the boy's background and more imaginative.

Just moments ago, Fang Xiaoxia was filled with fear of the boy.

But now, looking at the boy's back as he stood on the windowsill in the rainy night, she felt that he was shrouded in mystery, and that mystery seemed to have some unknown and mysterious connection with her.

So, a strong sense of curiosity and a desire to explore naturally arose in Xiao Fang's heart, even though she herself knew very well that this exploration and curiosity might be dangerous and untouchable...

This is indeed a very strange and contradictory feeling.

But when these feelings finally materialized into her gaze and landed on the other person's figure, which seemed to be about to drift away with the wind, Fang Xiaoxia suddenly sensed something on that person that was both familiar and subtly different.

...It is loneliness.

For some reason, the boy standing alone on the windowsill in the rainy night, his figure seemingly about to jump off at any moment, appeared... particularly lonely and particularly sad.

That feeling was hidden very carefully, but Xiao Fang often experienced it, and perhaps those of the same kind are even more sensitive to it.

Like a child abandoned by the whole world, with a weary soul weathered by storms, homeless and nowhere to hide, unable to even find a safe haven to lick its wounds.

Recalling how diligently Bai Zhou had cleaned the room while wearing an apron, Fang Xiaoxia suddenly had a feeling...

She felt like she had done something wrong.

An impulse completely contrary to reason almost made her think, "Why don't you stay here? We can talk about the rent later..."

But before she could finish her internal struggle, the other person waved to her without turning around.

"I'm leaving," he said.

Then, the boy slightly bent his knees and jumped from the fifth-floor window.

"Hey! Stop—"

The girl was shocked.

Without a second thought, Fang Xiaoxia's first reaction was to save people.

She scrambled over, stood by the window, and reached out her hand, the clumsy girl seemingly trying to grab onto something.

But it's like a monkey trying to catch the moon's reflection; the moment it reaches out, it grasps nothing.

When her vision cleared, the girl's pupils contracted sharply, and she even forgot to breathe.

"Crash..."

Outside, the rain pattered softly; inside, all was deathly silent.

The fine drizzle soaked Fang Xiaoxia's head as she leaned out the window, but the girl seemed oblivious.

At that moment, she felt her mind go blank, and she couldn't hear any sound.

She was gazing at the street below, where the dim yellow lights illuminated the empty street.

Night had fallen, and all was quiet. Dense drizzle filtered through the slanting light, creating ripples on the ground.

—The man who jumped from the fifth floor simply vanished without a trace.

"...Where are they?!"

Leaning against the window, gazing downstairs, letting the mud on the windowsill stain her school uniform chest, the wide-eyed girl murmured blankly.

"Plop! Plop!"

Her brain had stopped functioning, but her heart kept beating.

This man...

Who is it?

Turning around in a daze, the girl looked at the clean and tidy interior.

The floor, which had been covered in dust for years, was spotless, and everything was exactly as it was originally arranged.

Only the broom and neatly folded apron placed in the corner proved that the bizarre events that had just occurred were not a dream.

Could it be that he broke into this place just to wait for me and say some strange, seemingly profound words to me?
He seemed to have some kind of connection with her; the way he looked at her was like looking at an old friend, but at other times Fang Xiaoxia felt that he was looking at her...

However, she didn't even know the other person's name.

Thinking with doubt, Fang Xiaoxia couldn't help but recall the "all-around class monitor" the other party had mentioned.

That does indeed seem to be a childhood dream I once abandoned, and a kindergarten assignment I never had the chance to hand in to my teacher...

"!"

As I was thinking about it, the familiar throbbing pain in my heart returned.

In a daze, a warm feeling enveloped her, as if someone was gently embracing her from behind.

This warmth was so wonderful that Fang Xiaoxia, who had never experienced it before, longed for it, as if she never wanted to be apart from it.

But this feeling came suddenly and vanished in an instant, disappearing without a trace, leaving not even a lingering impression.

"what happened?"

"He seems to be a very important person... but why did I forget him?"

The girl clutched her chest, her expression showing even more confusion.

Could this boy, who always appears and disappears mysteriously, really be someone important that I've forgotten?
is it possible?
"……Why?"

With a soft exclamation, Fang Xiaoxia raised her hand and touched her cheek.

Glistening water droplets appeared on her fair fingertips, but they were not rainwater.

"how……"

Before anyone knew it, silently and inexplicably, the girl was already in tears.

……

An injured black cat walks alone on a desolate street.

"I need to find shelter from the rain quickly and make the most of my time to recover from my injuries."

Bai Zhou muttered to himself as his plan to rent a place fell through.

"I have a lot of things to do tomorrow, so I need to rest and recharge."

The major's nightly pursuit at 23 PM has become a minor matter.

In contrast, the Dream Realm, which will be attacked by a large number of extraordinary individuals at midnight tomorrow, is the real spectacle.

Bai Zhou, a wanted criminal who is both little known and infamous—

It's about to make its first public appearance.

At that moment, the black ribbon on the black cat's head quietly slipped off, swirling and flying into the rainy night sky.

Ripples spread through the air as his toes touched the ground, and a raven in a fluttering trench coat suddenly appeared above the white boat, its expression somewhat solemn:

"That girl you just touched... seems a bit off!"

"Although she is an ordinary person, I see the influence of the occult in her."

"Perhaps, some extraordinary being is watching her!"

However, faced with Ya's reminder, Bai Zhou nodded calmly, as if he had expected it:

"Yeah, just as I thought."

Bai Zhou had guessed this long ago, even earlier than Ya.

After all, both the last words in the graduation photo and Fang Xiaoyan's existence had already explained the situation to Bai Zhou.

"So I didn't perform a ritual on her?"

Transforming back into human form in the dark alley, the rain-soaked white boat crouches on the wall at the end of the alley, turning its head to look at the distant fifth-floor window of a residential building where the lights have not yet been turned off.

Then, he whispered, as if answering the crow's question:
"I have a hunch."

"Our next meeting with her won't be too far off."

(End of this chapter)