Chapter 10, The Grave of the Naive

As he watched the thin boy enter the school gate, Chen Fengshi couldn't help but recall a saying that the thin boy often mentioned: failure is not terrifying; what is terrifying is not even having the opportunity to fail. Even if it is all failure, at least the failure of confessing and being rejected is the result of mustering the courage to actively pursue, making it easier to accept.

The willow tree suddenly opened its eyes, its emotionless gaze looking down from a height upon Chen Fengshi's face

As he made his way forward, a red mist enveloped the area above him. Chen Fengshi was uncertain whether his whereabouts had already been exposed. With the destination in sight, he took a deep breath, made his final preparations for battle, and then cautiously moved forward.

Chen Fengshi heard this and instantly remembered, then looked at the girl in surprise and said: "You are Sister Yao's younger sister, Xiao Yao? It can't be! You clearly have a round face and chocolate-colored skin; even with the changes that come with growing up, it shouldn't be this exaggerated!"

As time passed slowly, Chen Fengshi saw his eyes in the mirror filled with bloodshot veins, and his jaw trembled from excessive clenching.

At first, when Chen Fengshi saw the face in the mirror without the golden mist, he felt quite happy. Looking again at the hands in the mirror, there were no signs that the golden mist had become more intense, and its thickness was far from that of the red mist.

Chen Fengshi stared intently at the top of his head in the mirror. He both hoped that nothing would ever extend from the top of his head and wished that if it were to appear, it would do so quickly. Whether it was life or death, there had to be a conclusion!

Even so, the car arrived at the destination quickly, as the distance was limited and there were few traffic lights along the way, leaving hardly enough time to chat a few more sentences

Chen Fengshi thought about whether Sister Yao would be infected by the red mist again. Although he felt that the significance of the reminder might be minimal, he couldn't help but ask Xiaoyao, "Do you meet with Sister Yao often?"

The anger of the thin man instantly transformed into a bittersweet sadness, as he painfully clutched his hair and exclaimed, "How could she be like this! Did Xiaobaiqiu say anything when she bumped into me? Today she actually—" At this point, the thin man could not continue, and tears of rage streamed down his face, for he actually knew the answer.

Chen Fengshi was taken aback for a moment and turned his head to see a girl in sportswear standing beside him

How much longer do we have to wait for it to come out

Xiao Yao responded with a sound of understanding. She drove slowly, and with her adorably small Smart car, which has a low displacement, she navigated the roads at a leisurely pace, neither cutting in nor overtaking, frequently yielding to others. Her mindset was as calm as that of a novice driver just starting out, yet her handling of the vehicle clearly demonstrated the skill of an experienced driver

Yes, it is very similar to the red mist, the only difference being the color.

This distance is not significant in itself, but Chen Fengshi learned one thing in university: do not casually reject the goodwill of others, as it is often perceived as a rejection of the possibility of friendship

As for the issue of branches and leaves ruining his clothes and pants... well, he did go out prepared to meet Shen Ai, and thinking about the fact that half a month's living expenses were gone, it was certainly painful. However, upon realizing that it was not enough for him to have three meals, he felt less distressed.

However, the thin man no longer wants to break bottles, as they cost 0.5 yuan each. He is not foolish and holds no grudge against money

It just happened to be there, making a U-turn and walking an extra 300 meters. The girl happily got into the car, settled down, and quickly started driving

Sister Yao has been associated with the nickname "Public Bus" from middle school to university, characterized by a strong and abrasive personality, and is considered a veteran in the underworld; Xiao Yao, on the other hand, is a well-behaved student, an obedient child. Although there have been no updates about her for several years, it seems that her thematic style has remained unchanged, and she and Sister Yao are still on completely different paths.

Chen Fengshi took a deep breath, realizing that he was not afraid of the encroaching red mist, which greatly boosted his confidence, enough to suppress his fear of the unknown

The flattery and deceit between him and the red mist were determined from the very beginning; the naive will find themselves in the grave in no time

From the summit, looking down from a high vantage point, the location at the waist of the opposite mountain is where many red mist beams ultimately converge

Chen Fengshi cautiously approached, drew closer, and continued to close in...! ... Then he discovered that within the red mist above, there were actually people wrapped inside!

Moreover, he knows both of the people inside

Xiao Yao is very happy and does not mind having her scars revealed at all. Before university, she was considered unattractive, with dark skin and a slightly plump figure, making her look nothing like her sister. She has lived in the shadow of comparison with her sister since childhood. She herself does not know why she has changed so much in the past two years, perfectly embodying the transformation from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan

"Don't say I've seen you before, I absolutely do not believe I could forget a beauty!" Chen Fengshi's tone was very certain, as he truly had no recollection.

Xiao Yao had other matters to attend to, so Chen Fengshi did not delay by the roadside. He merely mentioned that he would invite her to dinner another day, and then watched as she drove her Smart car away.

Well, regarding this awkward question, Chen Fengshi has secretly devised several strategies for responses, and at this moment, he chooses the simplest one. "I got distracted and started thinking about other things, and then I was just bewildered."

Chen Fengshi was momentarily taken aback, and then he remembered that he needed to find the true form of the red mist. In fact, it was not far; he just had to go around to the other side of the school and climb the mountain. However, the road outside the school, according to planning, had historical legacies of irrationality. To put it simply, what should have been a straight line of at most 1,000 meters actually required a detour of 3,000 meters.

The thin man also did not want to get drunk. He patted Chen Fengshi's shoulder and said, "Brother, thank you! I am heading back to the dormitory! Please let me be quiet for the next few days, and just treat me as if I am invisible!"

Therefore, although this girl does not know Chen Fengshi, she did not hastily refuse. Instead, she said: "I am preparing to go hiking; if it involves a detour, then forget it."

Chen Fengshi had nothing to say. Compared to meaningless words of comfort, Shouzi perhaps needed to vent or to get drunk instead

Regarding your sister's matter, Chen Fengshi felt it was still necessary to mention it, as he guessed that Xiaoyao might also be concerned about this issue

Chen Fengshi stared intently at himself in the car's rearview mirror, with only the top of his head remaining visible. If a beam of red mist were to extend from the top of his head, it would essentially be the same!

As soon as she started, she asked: "Senior Brother Chen probably doesn't remember me, does he?"

Chen Fengshi was taken aback, not expecting the relationship between the sisters to have deteriorated so much. Although he was uncertain about the quality of their past relationship, it could not have been this bad. However, this, in turn, was a good thing for the current situation, so he did not pursue the matter further. After thanking Xiaoyao for the ride, they exchanged phone numbers when getting out of the car

Chen Fengshi suddenly understood that he was pretending to consider stabilizing the red mist for a day, while in reality, the red mist had no intention of negotiating. Instead, it was preparing suitable combat forces to eliminate him, its natural enemy

"It's all right, just fifteen minutes." The young woman smiled, opened the car door, seemingly unaware of Chen Fengshi's awkward mood, and instead asked enthusiastically, "Where are you going, Senior Brother?"

He did not know how long had passed, but there was still no beam of golden mist extending from above his head

Chen Fengshi was in a bad mood and consecutively ate eighteen bowls at the noodle shop. The intake of sugar significantly eased his mood. He really had no desire to take a bus to the city for free food and then come back. Moreover, since he had decided to confront the true identity behind the red mist directly, he certainly needed to be well-fed to have the strength.

This is simply a terrifying development for Chen Fengshi. If his abnormality is merely a result of being controlled by another strange entity different from the red mist, would it not be a tragic irony

This left Chen Fengshi feeling a sense of panic. His own strange changes, along with certain characteristics similar to the red mist, had long caused him to harbor doubts. Now, seeing it with his own eyes, he hurriedly settled the bill, paying no mind to the expression of the noodle shop owner, who seemed to be in a dream. He then quickly found a parked car nearby and stared at his reflection in the side mirror to observe himself.

Then he certainly would not actively bring up such a topic that would disrupt the atmosphere, so he hurriedly said: "It's nothing, it's just that I haven't had much contact with your sister since university, and I haven't heard about your matters. I also haven't run into you at school these past few years"

At the moment when Chen Fengshi was feeling fortunate, he suddenly noticed a thin layer of golden mist slowly emerging from the skin on his face and neck, and soon its thickness was comparable to that on his hands

The girl looked at him in a daze, slightly raising the key ring on her finger, from which a car key was hanging.

I will talk to the man. Chen Fengshi nodded in agreement, watching the particularly lonely figure of the thin man. He felt sad inside, but he also knew that emotional experiences could not be shared by friends. The thin man had endured too much of a blow and only wanted to lock himself in the dormitory, forgetting the pain through games. At this moment, he could only show respect.

Like red mist

"I apologize for keeping you waiting for so long," Chen Fengshi almost sprang up, unable to maintain his usual composed demeanor, his face flushed with embarrassment. He foolishly stared at the mirror of someone else's car for an unknown length of time, causing the car owner to wait, possibly thinking he was crazy.

As one traverses through the dense woods, large patches of red light can be faintly seen in the pitch-black forest on the mountainside. As the distance continues to close, it becomes clear that these are all red mists

Xiao Yao's expression revealed an unmistakable sadness as she softly said, "We have never met at school."

One is Sister Yao; the other is Liu Shuzhi

Five years ago, Senior Chen met my sister at the gate of Xijing School, and my sister even introduced me to him. However, the girl's response was straightforward as she slapped Chen Fengshi, making his originally charming reply seem hypocritical

It is quite good that Senior Brother does not play with those friends of Sister. Xiao Yao's stance is very clear; she indeed rejects undesirable groups, and then curiously inquires: "Why did Senior Brother look in the mirror for so long just now?"

Where to go

Chen Fengshi turned to look at the mountain range, where the red mist beam extending from the direction of the school converged at a certain point in the mountains. He raised his thumb and alternately closed his left and right eyes to estimate the parallax and calculate the approximate distance, which was not far, roughly the equivalent of climbing two or three mountain peaks

After eating twenty-eight bowls, Chen Fengshi finally settled the bill. When he took out his money, he discovered that his hands were enveloped in a layer of golden mist!

What happened to her? Xiao Yao's rhetorical question made Chen Fengshi realize that Xiao Yao was in a lower grade, and there was inevitably a delay in the transmission of information. Moreover, if she did not interact with the friends around Yao Jie, it would be quite normal for her not to know at this time unless Yao Jie informed her.

"Senior brother, I am sorry, I am in a hurry, I am about to be late..." Suddenly, a weak voice sounded from the side.

Indeed, there have been significant changes over the past two years. However, Brother Chen has not changed much; he has just grown taller. Xiao Yao's voice is very gentle; although she and Sister Yao are biological sisters, they are completely different

Chen Fengshi advanced at a brisk pace, and with his current physical strength and jumping ability, whether climbing up or descending a mountain, he was simply swift. After crossing a mountain, he leaped directly over the trees and then landed back in the forest; that feeling was simply exhilarating

Liu Shu's transformation is quite bizarre; he was originally very thin, but now his muscles are so large that he resembles an elite in the bodybuilding world! The muscles on the back of his neck are so pronounced that his neck appears to have almost disappeared! In contrast, Sister Yao seems to have no noticeable change in her physique.