Beep beep beep!
Beep beep beep!
When the alarm went off, White Li felt like she had only closed her eyes for three seconds.
She hadn’t slept nearly enough.
The sound drilled into her brain, like it was trying to drag her to her grave.
Half-asleep, she fumbled for her phone.
Her hand groped around for ages without finding it, until she realized it was wedged under her pillow.
She picked up the phone and lit up the screen.
7:30 AM.
She stared at the numbers for a moment, her brain chugging to life like a rusted machine, kacha kacha kacha.
7:30 AM.
She usually left the house at 7:10.
That meant she had overslept by a full twenty minutes!
“Oh no!”
White Li shot up in bed, her tail standing straight up.
She scrambled to throw off the covers, jammed her foot into her slipper the wrong way, and shuffled into the bathroom.
She squeezed toothpaste onto her hand, then splashed water all over the mirror while washing her face.
She grabbed a comb and ran it through her hair haphazardly.
The teeth snagged on the tangles, tugging at her scalp.
She winced, then remembered she could use her wristband to hide everything anyway.
It didn’t matter if she brushed it or not.
She tossed the comb aside.
Once she was ready, White Li slipped the wristband onto her wrist and glanced at herself in the mirror.
Just an ordinary high school student.
Hair a little messy, uniform a little wrinkled, dark circles under her eyes.
She looked like she had been dragged straight out of bed.
“Whatever. I don’t care.”
White Li grabbed her bag, pushed open the door, and clattered down the stairs.
Her footsteps were fast and urgent, pounding thump thump thump through the stairwell like a runaway train.
At the third-floor landing, she almost collided with an auntie carrying groceries.
She sidestepped, said “Sorry,” and kept running.
When she burst out of the entrance, sunlight hit her full in the face.
She saw Lin Du.
He was standing in his usual spot, holding a white plastic bag.
The sunlight fell on him, making his profile glow, the collar of his uniform catching a faint white gleam.
Even White Li didn’t realize it, but her mouth had already curled up into a big smile.
She raised her hand and opened her mouth.
“Good——morning——!”
She ran toward him as she shouted, but accidentally kicked a rock.
“!”
White Li’s body pitched forward, her bag slipping off her shoulder.
Her mind went completely blank.
There was only one thought.
‘I’m done for. I’m about to embarrass myself again.’
She closed her eyes and put her hands in front of her, bracing for a close encounter with the ground.
But the expected pain never came.
Lin Du caught her, and White Li tumbled into his arms.
Her face pressed against his chest.
Through his uniform, she could feel his body heat and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
“Huh?”
She opened her eyes.
Lin Du’s face was right in front of hers, close enough that she could see the curve of his eyelashes.
Those brown eyes were looking at her, with a hint of surprise.
“You, you…”
White Li stammered, trying to say something, but her tongue felt tied in knots.
Her brain had completely shut down at that moment.
All language functions were offline, leaving only the most basic senses running.
Lin Du was astonished by the lightness in his arms.
He looked down at the “boy” in his embrace, who was as light as a leaf, as if she could be blown away by the wind at any moment.
And soft, like cotton candy.
Soft and warm, making him want to tighten his arms.
The previous few times he had touched her, he thought it was just his imagination, but this time he was sure.
She really was too small and thin.
‘I’ll have to make her eat more later. This won’t do.’
The two of them stayed in that strange position—White Li leaning against his chest, his arm around her waist, the top of her head reaching just below his chin.
For a moment, White Li’s mind was completely empty.
She didn’t want to think about anything, didn’t want to do anything.
Just leaning against him like this felt good.
A feeling of security, like crawling into a warm blanket in winter.
They say hugs produce dopamine, making people feel happy.
White Li believed it now.
That warmth spreading from her chest to her limbs, that relaxing sensation—that was dopamine.
She even wanted to stay in that position a little longer.
Just a little longer.
But the problem was, right now she was being held by a guy.
White Li’s awareness snapped back from the daze.
She was “White Li,” the male high school student “White Li.”
To an outsider, the current situation definitely looked wrong, right?
But the more she resisted, the more she wanted to keep hugging.
She wanted to be hugged.
Wanted to be cherished.
Not as a strange person.
Not as anyone’s pawn.
Just as herself.
Someone from another world, who could only find a little warmth in this unfamiliar city.
If her tail were visible right now, it would probably be spinning like a propeller.
White Li was startled by her own subconscious.
‘What am I thinking?’
In her past life, she was a guy.
Even though she was in a girl’s body now, her soul, her memories, everything she had known for over twenty years told her she was a boy.
She shouldn’t have a racing heartbeat from being hugged.
She shouldn’t find his chest so warm.
She shouldn’t want to hug for a little longer.
But her body wasn’t listening to her.
Those rational thoughts were being crushed by a more primitive force.
In White Li’s head, two voices were fighting.
One said:
‘Push him away. What are you doing? What kind of sight is this?’
The other said:
‘But it feels so good… Just one more second…’
“Let go!”
“But…”
“Ah!”
White Li regained her senses.
She reached out and gently pushed Lin Du.
Lin Du also noticed the awkwardness of their current position.
He let go and took a half step back, giving her space.
“Are… are you okay?”
White Li steadied herself, looked down at her feet, then at the rock on the ground.
“I’m fine!”
she said, her voice rising an octave.
“I just… I didn’t sleep well! My legs feel weak!”
“Didn’t sleep well?”
“Yeah! I had insomnia!”
White Li picked up her bag from the ground and brushed off the dust.
“I watched a movie last night. Too exciting. Couldn’t sleep.”
“Uh…”
She scratched the back of her head and looked away, unable to meet his eyes.
“Long time no see…”
“Yeah. Long time no see.”
Lin Du held out the plastic bag.
“Beef buns. Three. Careful, they’re hot.”
“Thanks…”
White Li took the bag and held it to her chest.
The paper bag was still warm.
The smell of meat drifted out from the opening and into her nose.
She took a deep breath, and her heartbeat gradually calmed down.
“Come on, we’re going to be late.”
Lin Du turned and walked toward the school.
White Li followed behind him, opened the bag, pulled out a bun, and took a bite.
Juice exploded in her mouth, piping hot.
She hadn’t eaten anything good in days, and this bite almost made her cry.
As she chewed, she sneaked a look at the person in front of her.
No matter how she looked at him, he didn’t seem like someone who could punch a monster into the air.
White Li swallowed the bun and shook her head.
‘I definitely didn’t sleep well last night. My head’s not clear.’
‘How could Lin Du possibly be the Blazing Knight?’
Good read