I quickly washed up. It was the second day of the school anniversary. Yan Lin had asked me to watch the evening performance with her and repeatedly told me not to be late.
I rushed through my wash, then hopped on my electric bike and headed for school.
The wind this afternoon was a bit chilly. I was dressed rather lightly, and as I rode, the cold wind kept blowing into my collar. I couldn't help but pull my clothes tighter. I wondered where Gu Yuan had gone. Would it be cold there? He shouldn't be afraid of the cold, right? After all, he was a celestial being. How could he be afraid of the cold?
All the way there, I didn't know what was going on in my head. Every minute or two, Gu Yuan would pop into my mind. His image filled my thoughts, and I was completely lost in it.
Before I knew it, I had arrived at the school gate.
"Lanlan, Lanlan, you're finally here!"
What wind had blown Yan Lin here? She was actually waiting for me at the main entrance.
"Has the sun risen in the west? You came to greet me on your own initiative."
"There are so many people at the school anniversary today. I begged the senior for ages to get two good seats. We mustn't let them be taken away. And my male god is the first to perform."
"Hehe, you mean that four - eyed senior from the computer department?" I said teasingly.
"Can you talk? He's really handsome, okay."
"Right, it's just that his handsomeness is 'sealed' by his glasses..."
It was a good thing Gu Yuan wasn't here today. I could enjoy looking at handsome guys to my heart's content. I felt really happy, haha.
As soon as I parked my electric bike, I grabbed Yan Lin's hand and headed towards the big playground.
By now, the playground was already packed with people, all vying for the best positions in the front.
Yan Lin and I struggled to squeeze our way to the front row and found the seats we had reserved earlier.
The playground was now filled with waving glow sticks. Various lights and music intertwined, making it feel like a concert.
At 8 p.m., the moon was high in the sky. The performance officially began. The colorful lights and the powerful music exploded on the stage, and the dancers shone brightly as they took the stage.
Just when the dance was halfway through, the stage rack suddenly collapsed. The light bulbs shattered, the wires were torn, and sparks flew everywhere with a crackling sound. Some of the sparks even flew towards the audience seats.
The audience below began to scream and turned to run out. In an instant, the crowd surged. Yan Lin and I were caught in the flow of people.
I grabbed Yan Lin's hand and tried to squeeze out with the crowd.
But Yan Lin accidentally tripped over a bench on the ground, and we both fell.
The scene was in complete chaos. The students were fleeing in all directions. There was a risk of a stampede at any moment.
I used one hand to protect Yan Lin's head. I saw a foot in the crowd about to step on my head...
I instinctively dodged to the side, but there were people everywhere. We couldn't get up at all. If this continued, Yan Lin and I would either be trampled to death or be on the verge of it.
Just as I was trying to figure out what to do, suddenly, a powerful wave of energy spread out from beside me. Then, everyone stopped moving. The light bulbs, wires, and even the sparks that were falling in mid - air floated there and didn't fall anymore. It was as if time had stood still.
I looked up in the direction of the energy wave. Above my head, a white fox appeared, sitting in mid - air. A flowing blue galaxy surrounded its body. It gracefully swayed its long tail. It was so beautiful that it took my breath away.
Its blue eyes, like the starry sea, looked in my direction.
I was completely stunned. Then I suddenly remembered that I was still in danger. I couldn't just stare at it. I quickly grabbed Yan Lin's body and dragged her out of the crowd. We found an empty space and sat down.
When I turned back to look for the white fox, it had disappeared.
The frozen space instantly returned to normal. The stage lights and the high - rack crashed down as usual. The playground was filled with all kinds of chaotic noises.
Yan Lin and I were covered in dust from head to toe.
"Lanlan, how did you pull me out?" Yan Lin said, grabbing my arm.
"I saw a white fox. It saved us," I said.
"A white fox?"
"Yes, a white fox. It was floating right there," I said, pointing to the star - filled sky.
"Lanlan, I'm so envious that you have the ability to see spirits. You can see so many things that I can't."
"Don't be envious. You'll see a lot of things you shouldn't. It's okay if they're beautiful, but if you see something really scary, I'm afraid your heart won't be able to take it."
Yan Lin and I sat on the grass for a while, waiting for the crowd to disperse. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
"The performance is ruined. Let's go back to the dormitory and have a good sleep. I'll have time tomorrow to go shopping with you," I said.
"Aren't you going home to be with your Third Master?" Yan Lin said, linking her arm with mine.
"He's not at home these two days. I've already told him that I won't go home for these two days and will spend more time with you."
"You're really a friend - neglecting lover. If he were here, you wouldn't go shopping with me."
The two of us supported each other and went back to the dormitory to rest.
The next day, I was still deep in my dreams when I was woken up by the voices of my roommates.
I shook my stiff neck, leaned on the railing of the upper bunk, and asked lazily, "Isn't it Sunday today? Why are you getting up so early?"
"Didn't we agree to go shopping? Hurry up," Yan Lin urged.
I looked up at the clock on the wall. It was already 9 a.m. It was time to get up.
I climbed down from the bed, brushed my teeth while getting dressed, and then picked up my backpack and put a few things in it.
Unexpectedly, I found a white plush toy hanging on my backpack.
I picked up the plush toy and rubbed it. It felt like the fur of some animal, and it had a smell of grass and trees. It looked quite nice hanging on my backpack.
"Your Third Master gave it to you. It's really beautiful," Yan Lin said teasingly while brushing her teeth.
I smiled at her and didn't deny it.
To get from the dormitory to the south gate of the school, we had to pass by the school's artificial lake.
When Yan Lin and I walked hand in hand past the artificial lake, there were a lot of people gathered there for some reason.
"Let's go and take a look," Yan Lin said, pulling my hand and squeezing into the crowd.
As soon as we squeezed in, we were shocked by what we saw.
There was a female corpse lying on the riverbank. All her clothes had been washed away by the water, and her body was swollen from being soaked. Her face had been gnawed by the fish in the lake and was beyond recognition. It was hard to tell how long she had been dead.
"Someone saw a person in white near the school's artificial lake a few days ago. Do you think it was him who did this?"
"I've heard about that too. But that person in white was looking for a girl. Do you think he was here to claim this girl's life?"
"Hey, stop talking. It's getting scarier and scarier."
The students around looked at the corpse lying on the ground and discussed it animatedly.
At this moment, the police hadn't arrived yet. The full view of the corpse was exposed under the sky, and people were pointing and talking about it. It was really disrespectful to the deceased.
I let out a deep sigh and took off my coat.
"What are you doing, Lanlan?" Yan Lin tried to stop me.
I patted her hand and said, "It's okay."
Then I walked forward and covered the female corpse with my coat.
Just as I was about to turn around and leave, I saw that the girl was holding a tuft of white fur in her hand. I didn't know what animal it was from, but it looked so similar to the white fur on my schoolbag.
Seeing that I wasn't moving, Yan Lin quickly pulled me back.
"Don't touch it. Be careful of germs."
"I don't want to look anymore. It's too scary. I'll have nightmares tonight," Yan Lin said, pulling me away.
We ran into Han Mengyao standing in the crowd. She still looked at me with contempt and didn't take me seriously at all.
I ignored her and squeezed out of the crowd.
"Mengyao, is it really the white fox looking for a substitute?" one of the students asked Han Mengyao.
As soon as I heard the white fox, I paused and decided to listen to what she had to say.
"Definitely. Look at the tuft of white fox fur in her hand. That's the best evidence. Before the white fox claims a life, it will always leave something behind. It will strike up a conversation with anyone. As long as someone replies, it will give them what's in its hand, and then that person will die a tragic death."
"So you all have to be careful. Don't just accept things from strangers, especially plush toys. You might get yourself into trouble."
"Also, if you see the white fox, inform me immediately. I'll figure out a way to deal with it."
Her words scared the people around her, and they gasped in disbelief.
I didn't know if what she said was true or not, but the plush toy on my backpack was really strange.
I quickly picked up my backpack and looked at the furry toy.
"Lanlan, have you... have you gotten involved with something unclean?" A look of worry appeared on Yan Lin's face.
"Could you be the white fox's next target?"