Peninsula: I'm being supported by a top idol.

Bai Ma Chuan...

Isn't that another name for Jinjiang during the Tang Dynasty? Cui Shi'an sat in a Chinese restaurant near the campus, gazing out the window, lost in thought.

The famous Baekgang Estuary is located downstream of the Baekma River.

In 663 AD, the allied forces of the Tang Dynasty and Silla defeated the allied forces of Wa (Japan) and Baekje here, thus destroying Baekje in one fell swoop...

Could that dream have taken place in the Tang Dynasty?

Yes, upon closer inspection, the skirt the woman was wearing was indeed a typical Tang Dynasty style.

But who is chasing them?

Cui Shi'an couldn't recall the specific appearances of the pursuers.

In that fleeting moment of the dream, all I could see were blurry, swaying outlines in the distant forest.

Otherwise, one could at least make a rough judgment about the other person's identity based on their clothing...

And who was responsible for that arrow?

Cui Shi'an subconsciously reached into his pocket, where the cold, triangular arrowhead lay quietly.

An absurd yet persistent thought arose in his mind: Could the arrow in his dream and the arrowhead in his hand... be the same one?

The thought startled him, and he immediately picked up the arrowhead and examined it carefully in the light streaming in from the window.

The arrowhead is a dark lead gray, bearing mottled oxidation marks left by the erosion of time.

He carefully ran his fingertips along the surface, and apart from the rust, he seemed to feel something... a more subtle touch.

On the flat surface near the bottom of the arrowhead, there appear to be some very shallow, unnatural scratches.

These scratches are so subtle that they almost blend into the oxidation patches, and are virtually undetectable unless you look closely under specific lighting conditions.

Just as Cui Shi'an was about to examine it more closely, the waiter's enthusiastic voice interrupted his thoughts, and a plate of golden-yellow dish was brought to the table:

"Sir, here's your sweet and sour pork, please enjoy."

Cui Shi'an paused, then had no choice but to put the arrow down.

"Thanks."

My thoughts returned to reality. I had been broadcasting all afternoon and hadn't even had lunch. Now that I smelled the delicious aroma of sweet and sour pork, I couldn't care less about anything else.

Let's fill our stomachs first.

During this time, he also took a moment to chat with his classmates and friends back home about his recent situation.

As a result, a bunch of idiots were just talking nonsense, only concerned about when he would return to China.

When he said it would be next month, I quickly asked if he could bring me a few autographed albums of my idol, preferably the kind with a signature for a specific person.

"I'm speechless. If I had those connections, I could do so many things. Why would I give them to you guys to do reselling? You should be grateful for even a normal autographed album," Cui Shi'an said with a laugh.

That being said, he really hadn't been back for a long time.

Previously, it was due to the pandemic.

But recently, during the holidays, the professor often took him to various places for field research. Spending time outdoors and sleeping in the open was almost a daily routine, so he couldn't find the time to go back to China. That's why some people jokingly call ecology an outdoor major.

Fortunately, the peninsula is small, and in less than two years, Choi Si-an has already traveled all over the peninsula.

After finishing their meal and leaving the restaurant, Cui Shi'an remembered that there seemed to be a cultural merchandise store selling music albums nearby, so he decided to try his luck there.

However, signed albums are rare under normal circumstances, let alone signed albums from popular groups like ive and aespa.

Choi Si-an scanned the shelves and found that the secondhand consignment section had quite a few autographed albums from outdated groups.

Groups like ZE:A, 4MINUTE, Kara, and Tara are all from over a decade ago.

He asked the boss again, and sure enough, there wasn't one. But the boss was still very enthusiastic and told him the time and place of IZI's next autograph session, and suggested that he go early to queue up, otherwise they wouldn't sign autographs.

Of course, you can also pre-order at the store; any combination is fine, but you'll have to wait.

"Or you can check out the Carrot Secondhand App, but be careful to avoid counterfeit goods."

"Could you please reserve it for me? I need to take it back to Tokyo University next month."

Cui Shi'an took out his phone and read aloud:

"Five autographed albums from IVE, four autographed albums from Jang Won-young, one from Lee Seo, two from Liz, three from Ahn Yu-jin, no, four..."

On a whim, Cui Shi'an wanted to get one for himself too, since he quite liked An Xiaogou from the variety show theater.

The boss's eyes lit up. This was a big client! He quickly grabbed some notes.

Many guests around him cast curious glances at him because of his statement that he would take it back to Tokyo University.

One of the girls, wearing a mask and a baseball cap, standing in the corner, also looked at the tall Choi Si-an with great interest.

When he said he also wanted an Aespa album, the girl's eyes flickered slightly, and she seemed to smile.

But after a few seconds, she couldn't laugh anymore.

"Four photos of Jin Dongtian, six photos of Ningning, and two photos of Giselle."

The shop owner was still listening intently, but when he suddenly stopped talking, he put down his pen and asked curiously, "What about Karina's? Don't you want her?"

"No, thank you," Cui Shi'an replied decisively.

The girl in the corner's eyes flickered slightly, as if she too was somewhat puzzled.

"Why?" the boss asked, puzzled. "Isn't Karina the most popular? Why don't you want her?"

The girl nodded in agreement, looking at the cashier with a hint of resentment.

I personally don't like her character.

Cui Shi'an said calmly.

Actually, his friend gave him the list, but he simply didn't want to bring it.

He still remembers the My Hero Academia incident from last year. How could someone who argues with netizens on the Korean Peninsula about historical issues every day allow products from "tainted" celebrities to enter his social circle?

However, his words also made the girl in the corner clench her fists secretly.

For a moment, Cui Shi'an vaguely felt a surge of anger piercing the back of his head. He turned around to look, which startled the girl, who quickly buried her face and pretended to choose an album.

However, the frustration she felt was hard to control. She worried that if she stayed any longer, she wouldn't be able to resist confronting the other person: "Hey, you idiot, do you even know how to appreciate things? Even Gisele has..."

Finally, the girl stormed out of the store and went to the coffee shop next door.

Coincidentally, just a moment later, Choi Si-an also arrived at the store.

When he was paying, Cui Shi'an felt that burning gaze on the back of his head again.

This time, he noticed the source of his gaze—it was the girl in the gray hoodie from the album store earlier. A slight unease washed over him, and as he passed by her with his coffee, he deliberately muttered to himself:

"Are you crazy?"

Cui Shi'an's low, disdainful mutterings were like a needle, gently piercing the girl's bottom line of patience.

Her eyes widened, and she froze, seemingly unable to believe what she had just heard.

She only snapped back to reality when that tall, detestable figure pushed open the coffee shop door and disappeared from sight.

A mix of grievance, anger, and resentment instantly overwhelmed my senses.

"Ah C..."

The girl gasped, grabbed her unfinished coffee, and chased after him, intending to "accidentally" spill it all over him!

When they reached the street, the girl immediately spotted the tall figure.

She quickened her pace and deliberately bumped into Cui Shi'an's shoulder just as he was about to cross the road.

The arm holding the coffee had just been raised, but in that instant—

"boom--!!"

The violent roar of an engine suddenly filled their ears, and a small truck, like a wild beast, charged straight toward the two of them!

The girl's legs felt like they were filled with lead; in her terrified, dilated pupils, the whole world seemed to be slowed down.

Just then, a timely push came from her arm!

"Bang!"

A loud bang!

While flying in mid-air, Cui Shi'an kept wondering what he was doing.

Why would someone risk their life to save a girl they don't even know?

But the resigned look in her eyes just now, as if she were waiting to die, really resembled that of the woman in my dream…

So is it that feeling of powerlessness that has been bothering him since he woke up that's causing this?

Or is it that intense regret of wanting to save someone but being unable to?

Perhaps, it's both.

"Smack."

Cui Shi'an's body crashed heavily onto the cold pavement like a kite with a broken string.

At that moment, time seemed to stand still.

The world seemed to have lost all sound, leaving only the frantic pounding of the heart and the buzzing of blood rushing to the head.

The girl slumped to the ground, staring blankly at the motionless figure in the distance, her hand still tightly clutching the cup of coffee that hadn't spilled a drop.

She saw Choi Si-an lying on the ground in a twisted position, his head facing her.

Cui Shi'an still held the arrowhead in his hand, and with difficulty, he managed a bitter, absurd smile.

Those guys curse me every day, wishing I'll get hit by a car when I go out...

did not expect…

They actually managed to curse it...

Damn it!

This thought, like the final ripple, spread through his gradually darkening consciousness.

Immediately, boundless cold and darkness surged up like a tide, quickly swallowing up his last bit of consciousness.