Chapter 2, Chapter 2: A Face Filled with Tears
Fire, an endless sea of fire.
The air was thick with the smell of burning wood and plastic, and everywhere you looked, things were collapsing, machines were blaring their warnings, men were cursing, and screams of terror were rising and falling.
"Grab him!"
"Don't let him get away! Catch him!"
Ying Shixue felt waves of heat hitting his face, his lungs felt like they were about to explode and he could no longer bear it. He ran desperately, the scorching smoke choking his vision.
"He's there!" "Grab him!"
The collapse here is getting worse and worse. Brick and wood debris are falling down all at once, and people below are racing against time to save themselves. In a place that no one is paying attention to, the load-bearing beams of the roof are teetering on the verge of collapse.
The footsteps behind him were getting closer and closer. No matter how hard he ran, how could a seven or eight-year-old child possibly outrun a well-trained adult? He could feel the large hand almost touching his shoulder several times. The thick smoke made his eyes water. He was about to be dragged back. Every cell in his body was screaming silently.
Help! Someone please help me!
Clang—the man behind her seemed to be tripped by the bricks and mortar that suddenly fell. Ying Shixue didn't dare to turn around and continued running forward. Her feet were scratched. Finally, she reached a relatively hidden spot and slipped inside.
Had he dodged it? He gasped for breath and cautiously peered out to make sure no one was chasing him. His body was truly at its limit; every wound was throbbing with pain. He needed to check the most serious injuries first. As Ying Shixue turned around, a beam supporting his head could no longer bear the weight and crashed down, engulfed in flames.
!ah---
Ying Shixue suddenly woke up and sat up straight in bed, her forehead and neck covered in cold sweat, but she didn't relax at all. Her hands kept groping around the bed until she accidentally touched the tattered little bear cloth. She grabbed it tightly and hugged it to her chest. Only then did she finally breathe heavily as if she had been saved.
The night-vision clock beside the bed emitted a faint glow, showing that it was 3:46 a.m.
As the minute hand moved across another large division, Ying Shixue finally calmed down, her slightly long black hair falling down her neck, revealing a face with eyes and brows as white as if washed clean.
Summer nights are cold, especially in the latter half of the night. When the air conditioner blows cold air, the thin blanket feels surprisingly cold.
He tucked his black hair behind his ear, his back already soaked with sweat from just a dream. His clothes were damp and clung to his body, making him feel uncomfortable.
Ying Shixue hesitated for a few seconds before finally lifting the covers and getting out of bed. She moved quietly and silently, reminiscent of a nimble and agile nocturnal cat.
The Song family truly lived up to its reputation as the number one family in the Federation. Even a second young master of unknown origin like him had such a large, two-story wardrobe, filled with all sorts of dazzling items. Ying Shixue ignored the colorful and gaudy clothes and took a set of black and white clothes into the bathroom.
Steam rose in the air, water dripped from her hair, dampening her hair and sliding down her forehead. Ying Shixue stood straight, gazing at the person in the mirror.
The figure reflected in the mirror was somewhere between a child and a teenager, having shed all the fragility, shyness, and timidity of the day. At this moment, the expressionless face revealed the icy whiteness of the skin and the strikingly beautiful eyebrows and eyes. If anyone could see it now, they would be astonished to find such a cold and emotionless expression on that seemingly harmless face.
Ying Shixue slowly exhaled, turned off the water, grabbed a towel, dried her hair, and walked out barefoot.
When he left the orphanage, he carried very little luggage, just a rag doll and a small bag. When the Song family's servants packed it up, they placed it in the far corner of the cabinet in the room. Its dark exterior clashed with the other decorations in the room.
Ying Shixue sat down at the table with it and her little bear porcelain pendant, turned on the desk lamp, and through the odds and ends in her bag, finally took out a notebook and a pen.
The notebook was old and plain black, only the color of pencil. Apart from the date, the contents would probably just look like a child's scribbles to an outsider.
Ying Shixue turned the pages one by one. The first page began with the date May 17, 1067, a year ago when he first had memories in the orphanage, and the past was a blank.
Although the director said he grew up in an orphanage and only forgot because he had a fever when he was young, those intermittent and elusive dreams that popped up from time to time were like the fangs of a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, making it impossible for him to be completely at peace.
He turned to the latest page and wrote down today's date: June 21, 1068.
Ying Shixue bit his pen and thought for a while, then solemnly drew a long tooth. Song Qi... danger level... Ying Shixue added four dots after it. A rectangular book... It seems that today's message is for him to catch up on his knowledge in the next two months so he can go back to school after the summer vacation. This is very important. He drew a small moon on the book cover with a pencil.
And that grumpy guy... Ying Shixue thought for a moment, her brows furrowing. Was she going to go to the same school as him? He seemed hard to get along with. She could just talk about it during the day; he didn't really like her anyway. Ying Shixue pursed her lips, drew a period with her pen, and put a cross after it.
After thinking about it for a while, I realized it wasn't right, so I crossed out the cross, chewed on the pen tip and pondered for a long time before finally drawing a question mark.
His body, still developing, was mostly tired. After finishing his work, Ying Shixue closed the notebook, put the pen and all back in his little schoolbag, crawled back into bed, and carefully held the teddy bear in his hand, pressing it to his heart. His eyelids grew heavy again, and he turned over, the world plunging into darkness once more.
"Ring ring ring—"
A snow-white, smooth arm reached out from under the covers and turned off the alarm clock. Ying Shixue rolled over and struggled to get out of bed.
"This place isn't frequented by the young master. Previously, we provided three meals a day according to his schedule; he doesn't have the habit of having snacks in between. But if you need anything..."
Ying Shixue shook her head, her fair and delicate face looking incredibly obedient: "No need, Uncle Feng, I'll just eat with my brother."
That's why he has to get up at seven o'clock now.
He jumped out of bed, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and changed his clothes in one go. When he finally went downstairs, it was only 7:15.
"Great," he thought to himself. The table was laden with all sorts of dishes. When he came down from the kitchen, Aunt He greeted him, "Young Master, I didn't know what you liked to eat, so I made a little of everything. Please try it and see if it suits your taste."
Ying Shixue thanked her quietly, then sat down and picked up a small crystal shrimp dumpling. The outer skin was thin and smooth, and the shrimp meat inside was fresh, sweet, and bouncy. It was plump and tasted great.
With just one bite, Ying Shixue's eyes curved into happy smiles, and her little leg, which couldn't reach the ground, swayed slightly: "So delicious, Auntie."
He was already good-looking, with a fair and tender face. He was so well-behaved, thanking and praising her. Aunt He's heart was melting as she watched him. Just as she was about to tell him to eat slowly so he wouldn't burn himself, there was still food in the pot, the front door suddenly opened and another figure walked in.
Huh? Everyone in the restaurant was taken aback. Aunt He, who was standing by the table, took a step back awkwardly, and Song Mingli walked in while drying his hair with a towel.
He had probably just come back from a morning run, still carrying the scent of the roadside trees and a slight warmth. His arms, revealed by his light black sports top, exuded a youthful strength, and he wore a matching headband.
He seemed somewhat surprised to see someone in the restaurant. After a moment, he remembered something and frowned imperceptibly. Although he was still growing, his height of 1.84 meters was enough to make him stand out from everyone in the restaurant. He coldly swept his gaze around.
Ying Shixue hesitated for a moment, perhaps he should maintain his politeness and greet him. Just as he was about to raise his hand, the other person had already turned and gone upstairs.
Ying Shixue withdrew her gaze expressionlessly, then took a bite of the shrimp dumpling in her bowl.
What are you pretending for?
After breakfast, he would go to class. The daily routine was the same: knowledge class in the morning, skills class in the afternoon, and review and prepare for the next day's lessons in the evening. The tutors worked diligently and did their best to cram knowledge into his head, fearing that the young master's knowledge level would not meet the requirements after the holiday and that they would be fired by the Song family.
However, to their great relief, the young master was like a sponge that could never be saturated with water; his learning ability and progress were astonishing, and he had already completed almost a quarter of the task in just a few days.
"Young Master," Meng Xunbin said with some ease as he put away his textbooks, "Today's tasks have been completed ahead of schedule. It's only eleven o'clock now. Would you like to go down and stretch your legs?"
Ying Shixue rubbed her slightly sore wrists and looked at the various books laid out on the table in front of her.
After that morning, he rarely saw Song Mingli again. Although they lived in the same house, their schedules were almost completely different. They only met occasionally when eating, but those meals were usually silent and quick before they went their separate ways.
"It should be the same today," he thought to himself, but on the surface he still maintained the appearance of a well-behaved student: "Okay."
I've been working too long these past few days, maybe I should exercise more. Speaking of which, is there a gym in the villa...? Ying Shixue went to the room to get the plush toy, and as she was thinking this, she went down the stairs. At the corner, she unexpectedly bumped into someone.
The other person was much taller than him. Although they didn't collide directly, Ying Shixue was caught off guard and stumbled back a few steps. Her right foot got stuck on the edge of the stairs, and she barely managed to hold onto the handrail to avoid falling.
Dan Yan was also taken aback. After a moment, he steadied himself and saw who it was. He raised an eyebrow, and then a smile appeared in his eyes as if he had suddenly thought of something. He squatted down and said, "You must be Xiao Xue?"
Ying Shixue remained silent, pursing her lips as she warily observed the person before her.
With red hair and dressed in black, wearing a uniform jacket draped over his shoulders, a silver bone stud was prominently displayed on his brow, and a flashy red earring on his left ear swayed slightly back and forth as he spoke. Although he wore a smile, he clearly gave off the impression of a bad person.
Seemingly sensing the other's wary gaze, Shan Yan exaggeratedly clutched his chest, looking somewhat hurt: "Hey, hey, I'm at least..." A slender, strong hand landed on his shoulder, and a gentle male voice spoke:
"Alright, Ah Yan, don't scare him."
Ying Shixue looked at him, and Si Chengjun smiled slightly: "We are your brother's friends, and we are here to do group work together."
“That’s right,” Shan Yan muttered softly, “My brother isn’t a bad person…”
Ying Shixue hugged the doll in her arms and leaned back a little more.
Dan Yan stood up abruptly, about to argue, when a cold voice suddenly came from above: "What are you doing?"
Song Mingli stood on the second-floor escalator, looking down from above.
Even at home, he is impeccably dressed, his shirt crisp and his trousers straight, walking down with one hand in his pocket, his brows cold and stern.
Finally, he stopped on a step behind Ying Shixue and looked at the three people in front of him: "Aren't you going to do the experiment?"
"Oh," Shan Yan seemed to realize something, and pointed to the living room next door: "I was just about to look for you... Oh right, Shan Qi is here too, playing Gomez over there."
Song Mingli hummed in agreement: "Let's go." He ignored Ying Shixue and walked straight outside.
"Hey..." You haven't even said hello to your brother yet... He touched his nose and looked at the child who hadn't said a word from the beginning: "We're going to do an experiment. There's a little boy in the living room who's about your age. Have fun with him."
"Let's go, Ah Yan," Si Chengjun nudged him on the shoulder, his face bearing his usual unchanging smile: "Goodbye, little friend..."
The two figures gradually disappeared into the distance. Cheng Jun asked, "Why did you bring Xiao Qi along?"
"It's all because of my mom. When she heard I was coming, she insisted that I bring him along... Put me aside, your dark circles look like you've been beaten by a dog."
When he spoke again, Si Chengjun's voice was clearly tinged with resentment: "It's all because of the recent elections, the old man's been making a fuss... You're the one who got beaten by a dog."
St. Francis School has extremely high requirements for students' overall qualities and emphasizes the cultivation of diverse talents. In addition to the fixed written assignments, there are also a considerable number of group science projects that require spontaneous cooperation and an annual four-week military-style summer camp. This is also related to the history and education system of the Federation. Two hundred years ago, the Federation and the Empire were separated, and the highest levels of both sides were eyeing each other covetously. Although the famous Treaty of Hesselan was signed after a great war one hundred and fifty years ago, making it impossible for war to break out again, the importance of military and highly skilled talents has long been self-evident.
Although traditional academically focused high schools still dominate, a significant number of schools have established regular partnerships with top federal universities, integrating academic and military theory instruction from elementary school onwards. In contrast to these high standards, students who pass the assessments in advance can skip the graduation exams and directly enter university.
The three of them had been preparing for this graduation for almost half a month, basically spending all their time in the lab. As Shan Yan was fiddling with the solutions in his hands, Si Chengjun casually asked while adjusting the machine parameters, "Ali, is that really your brother?"
Song Mingli had changed into a white lab coat. He looked at the numbers on the screen with a slightly indifferent expression and said casually, "He brought it back. How would I know if it's real?"
Si Chengjun knew, of course, who Song Mingli was referring to as "him". The relationship between the father and son had been delicate since childhood, or perhaps it was because there was a lack of a woman in the family to mediate. As Song Mingli grew older, the relationship became more and more tense and deadlocked.
Si Chengjun shook the extract in his hand, "President Song brought him back with such fanfare, and the news spread secretly throughout Pingcheng the next day. All the uncles and elders in the family inquired about him openly and secretly, and when they saw him today, they found out that he was such a small child... You just scared him."
The machine beeped, indicating it was ready. Song Mingli's mind flashed back to the moment he brushed past the other person on the stairs, their body stiffening for a split second. He stared at the words on the screen for a while, then finally spoke:
"I hate weak creatures."
On the other side, in the living room
Ying Shixue, holding the doll in her arms, looked out at the lush trees outside the living room, the wind blowing the leaves mottled and swaying from side to side.
This was a rare moment of peace for him, a time to clear his mind and enjoy the tranquility of solitude.
Suddenly, a soft thud came from nearby, where a sofa collided with its plastic casing. Then someone sat down and said, "Excuse me."
Ying Shixue frowned slightly and looked toward the source of the sound.
Dan Qi stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, then casually waved the GOL accessory in his hand: "I accidentally dropped something over here."
Ying Shixue withdrew her gaze and continued looking out the window.
Seeing that he really stopped talking, Shan Qi felt inexplicably disappointed. He held the Gole puzzle piece in his hand and remained standing by the nearby sofa without leaving.
It was an accident; in fact, he had noticed the pretty child the moment he entered the living room, and in the past ten minutes, he had secretly glanced at the child countless times out of the corner of his eye. During this time, he deliberately amplified the sounds and movements of the child's movements while piecing things together, and deliberately muttered to himself and rummaged through other things without being quiet.
But the other person remained silent, sitting on the sofa furthest away from him, looking at the book in their hands, without glancing at him at all.
Dan Qi was seething with anger. Usually, people would have come up to him and fawn over him by now, but instead, he was putting on airs. His tone was harsh: "Are you just going to sit there like that?"
Ying Shixue looked over, somewhat bewildered. She had been glancing at him from the side and out of the corner of her eye, but now that she turned around, she realized how handsome he was. Shan Qi felt a tightness in his chest, but his expression remained unchanged. He looked down and laughed exaggeratedly, as if he had seen something extremely funny: "How old are you? You still carry around this little thing. I don't know how long you've had it and you still treat it like a treasure."
I picked up that little porcelain doll on a whim this morning and put it around my neck. It had just been exposed to the outside. It was shaped like a bear with a round and chubby body and little black bean eyes that smiled innocently. However, it was probably quite old, as its color was a bit dull and some parts showed signs of wear.
Ying Shixue frowned in disgust. This person had been making a racket ever since he sat down, and it was even more so now. He stood up and stared directly at the person in front of him.
In terms of height, Shan Qi was actually a little taller than him, but when he looked directly into the other's dark, ink-like eyes, Shan Qi felt a strange tremor in his heart.
"What is he glaring at?" Shan Qi wondered to himself. "What's a boy doing playing with a puppet? Is he really a boy? How come his face is so small and his eyelashes are so long?" He couldn't help but think, "If he really wants to play, it's not impossible, as long as he..." However, before he could think of anything, Ying Shixue turned and walked away after glaring at him for a while. Shan Qi panicked and subconsciously reached out to grab him, but before he could touch him, the other party seemed to sense something and dodged to the side, leaving him with empty air.
Ying Shixue was genuinely annoyed at this moment, and shoved his arm away forcefully: "What are you doing!"
Dan Qi was suddenly pushed and almost lost his balance. His right leg slammed into the hard corner of the coffee table, making him hiss in pain.
The impact was quite severe. The Song family's house was furnished with solid wood, and Shan Qi, who was used to being pampered and spoiled, became angry at the pain. He reached out to pull her again, but Ying Shixue refused. In the ensuing struggle, the two of them fell to the ground.
Ying Shixue kicked him with her leg and elbowed him with her knuckles, hitting him from one end to the other. With a bang, Gao Le, who was more than halfway through his fight, fell to the ground. Shan Qi was so enraged that his eyes turned red. He twisted Ying Shixue's wrist and pressed it to the ground. During the collision, Ying Shixue didn't know where he hit. He felt a thud and his vision went black.
At just ten years old, his size and strength gave him the upper hand. He stubbornly refused to admit defeat, and the little bear porcelain doll was sandwiched between the two and rolled several times on the ground.
Ying Shixue was panting heavily. The two of them were wrestling and neither was willing to give in. Suddenly, a cracking sound came from the thread. Ying Shixue was stunned, but due to inertia, neither of them could stop. The old necklace thread finally couldn't bear the weight and snapped with a crack. The little bear porcelain doll flew straight down, drawing a long parabola in the air, and then with a crisp sound, it shattered into several pieces on the ground.
Both of them were stunned. Shan Qi's heart skipped a beat and almost stopped. His reason belatedly returned. He opened his mouth and helplessly tried to look at Ying Shixue, but was pulled away by the servant who had arrived late after hearing the commotion.
The maid was clearly extremely nervous, as she couldn't bear the responsibility if either of them got hurt. Shan Qi was pulled up and looked around as the figure moved. He couldn't see Ying Shixue's face. He tried to pry open the maid's arm, but she mistook it for a fight and held him tightly. An unprecedented panic surged into his heart. Shan Qi felt that he had never experienced such a moment in the previous eleven years. He reached out in vain and finally saw Ying Shixue's tear-filled face through the adult's arm.
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