Chapter 48

The orphanage hadn't changed much. Standing at the entrance, I breathed a sigh of relief.

How could there be any changes in just a few days? I laughed at myself, knowing in my heart that I was just worried that it was one of the threatened ones. After all, people who know me say that my dreams will come true, and there is more than one place in the dream that is affected by disaster.

I pushed open the door. The children had all gone to school; only the staff and some volunteers remained. The director saw me and waved. I went over; she was playing chess with the gatekeeper.

"Have you played this? I heard it's quite popular among students."

Liubo. I've never played it, never even heard of it, but I know the name. I shook my head and stood by, watching them play like they were playing chess, each capturing the other. The afternoon sunlight was gentle, its warmth calming me, and I listened to the rustling of the leaves.

Not far away, a man stood there watching me. Out of the corner of my eye, his silhouette appeared restrained, and he remained motionless for a long time. I looked up and saw it was the classmate who had taken me to the hospital.

He noticed I had seen him and gave me a shy smile. I knew I couldn't remember what he looked like the last time I saw him, but he was probably the same as he looked now. I walked over to him and noticed that he was wearing a plaid shirt and white sneakers. He had single eyelids, some light acne scars on his face, and was relatively fair-skinned among people with yellow skin. He was tall and thin.

"Don't you have classes today?" I asked him casually.

"No, no." He stammered, "I didn't have any classes scheduled today... but tomorrow is full of classes, from 8:20 to 6:30."

I gave him a sympathetic look, because I'd never experienced anything like this that made my backside ache just thinking about it. Anthropology students really have it tough. He seemed bad at starting conversations, poking at the concrete with his broom a few times before asking me dryly, "How's your course going?"

"It's alright, but it feels a bit easier than yours." I looked up at the sky. "I teach two or three classes a day... at most three. But I have to teach from Monday to Friday, unlike you, who has a full day off."

He smiled, pursing his lips.

I couldn't think of anything else; I wasn't familiar with him. I said, "I'm going to check on the children's dorms. Are you coming too?"

"Is it okay?" He hesitated, putting the broom aside, and spoke quickly, "I'll stay next to you."

A rare sight indeed, a shy person to encounter in society. I hummed in agreement, speaking at the same rapid pace. The dormitory wasn't far from where we were; we arrived quickly.

I let out a puzzled "Huh?"

There were quite a few children in the dormitory. They weren't afraid when they saw us volunteers come in; some even booed.

I opened the door wider: "Why aren't you in class? What are you doing gathered around the bed?"

There was a small bag on the bed. I looked over, and the person inside heard my voice and immediately popped their head out.

"Yayoi?" I said in surprise, noticing that he was very pale. "What are you doing here? And you're still in bed, are you sick?"

I hurried to his bedside and reached out to check his forehead temperature; my hand was covered in cold sweat. He rested his head in my palm and then remained still.

Seeing that I wasn't there to scold them, the children immediately started chattering away.

"Yayoi is in a lot of pain!"

“It started yesterday! We’ve been taking turns watching him.”

"He won't let us call the doctor 'Auntie'!"

Resting his head in my palm would only make us both uncomfortable. I straightened him up, sat on the edge of the bed, let him lie on my lap, and covered his forehead with my palm: "Why don't you see a doctor, Yayoi?"

I have a good impression of this somewhat stubborn, taciturn, yet affectionate child. I can't understand why he's unwilling to help now, especially since he accepted the doctor's help last time.

“It’s not an illness.” Yayoi shook her head. “It’s not an illness.”

He pointed to his heart: "It hurts...it keeps hurting. I don't know why, I haven't taken a cold shower or eaten anything bad."

His grape-like eyes strained to open wider, looking at me with a mixture of nervous anticipation and pitiful pity. Anyone could tell what I liked. I winked at my classmate: separate the children, we'll take him to the infirmary.

Upon seeing an adult, the children were already about to scatter like birds and beasts. Their classmate looked rather quiet and trustworthy, and they didn't dare to make eye contact with him. I asked Yayoi, "Would you like to listen to the nurse in the infirmary talk to you?"

He seemed somewhat resigned, but still said, "I can listen."

I picked him up; he was just a bunch of bones, so light he felt like nothing.

The nurse at the infirmary said he was fine, and that it was normal for children to hallucinate. His complexion not only became rosy, but the cold sweat also disappeared completely, leaving him feeling refreshed. My classmate and I exchanged a surprised glance, seeing a look of bewildered doubt on his face.

"Are we making a mountain out of a molehill...?" he whispered to me.

This kid probably has some special abilities, though I don't know if he's using them to hide or create his illness. I was both angry and amused, but as long as he's healthy, that's all that matters. He stared at me without blinking, until I had to cover his eyes.

"Speaking of which, I forgot to apologize to you for what happened last time." I held Yayoi in my arms as we strolled around the yard to clear our heads. "Do you remember? You took me to the hospital."

"Really? I don't remember very well." He scratched his head sheepishly. "I hope I didn't cause you any harm? I was really worried something might happen to you..."

"You saved my life," I joked. His eyes shone even brighter, and he kept saying, "Ah, that's good... that's good."

He stood to one side, walking like a quail, and was quickly called away by others because his broom was carelessly left lying around. I was left wandering around alone.

"Please let me down," Yayoi said. "I can walk by myself."

"Are you sure you can walk?" I bounced him a couple of times and saw that he looked serious, as if he had made up his mind. "Then you have to hold my hand tightly and don't run around."

He gave a serious "hmm". I think he's even more fun than before, teasing him is like kneading a freshly steamed bun.

“I’m not sick,” he suddenly explained to me as we walked. “There’s a reason. You can’t listen to it.”

"If I can't listen, then I won't listen. There are many reasons for this, and I can't listen to every single one."

He interpreted it as me being angry, his brows furrowed for a moment, and then he resolutely stood on tiptoe: "Squat down a little."

I squatted down.

“Some people say that I must become the savior of the world in the present because of the responsibilities I have incurred in the past,” he said as quickly as possible. “So I train for this every day; the previous one was training.”

I was stunned.

That wasn't the original quote, was it? What do you, a little kid, need to save? Aren't you fed and clothed enough? Then find your biological parents, or your adoptive parents, or build yourself a home. What kind of weird nonsense are you spouting? Are you dreaming?

I glared at him.

He sighed in a mature tone, "I knew you wouldn't believe me. Okay, I was just kidding." He smiled at me, "But I really thank you for what happened last time. Just this once, because they said you might not come again."

He didn't wait for my reply. Yayoi left directly.

Watching him walk away, I felt a sense of my carefully constructed image crumbling. The warmth from before vanished completely, as if he were truly telling me I couldn't go anywhere. What if I hadn't come… Were these two people I knew like this before? Is this really the fate I've always known? Was it because I hadn't taken the initiative to promise and shoulder responsibility that he…?

"Taking responsibility is certainly important, but this isn't entirely your fault, Qinghe. Don't take it to heart; fate is something everyone experiences."

I didn't have time to think about why it was here: "Ward? You know something...?"

It downplayed the issue: "Because the world really needs someone. For every person who backs down, someone else steps up. But he probably won't be of much use."

"Why?"

"Qinghe, you clearly noticed it too." It laughed. "The persona is starting to crumble. A crumbling character can no longer be used because it's not stable enough. Unless we find proof that it was just a facade—Qinghe, don't look at me like that."

It seemed to be speaking with a hint of sadness, but I couldn't quite tell.

"That look in your eyes, as if you're treating me like an enemy. We've never been enemies; I've always wanted you to stand by my side."

I felt dizzy and irritated.