The sight of the boy collapsed on the floor, his nose still gushing blood like a relentless cascade, sends shivers down our spines.
"Is he dead?" Lan's voice trembles with uncertainty as she gazes upon the motionless form before us, beads of cold sweat forming on her brow.
"OF COURSE HE IS! THERE'S NO WAY A HUMAN COULD SURVIVE WITH THAT MUCH BLOOD LO—" I begin to retort, my own panic fueling my words.
But before I can finish, the boy stirs, his left hand slowly rising like a mummy emerging from its tomb, startling us both.
"I-...I'm alive..." His voice is weak, barely audible over the steady flow of blood from his nose.
Yet despite his declaration, the sight of him bleeding profusely leaves me with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Attempting to rise, the boy struggles to his feet, his movements labored and unsteady as he grapples with the overwhelming weakness coursing through his veins.
I offer my hand to help the boy up, but he waves it off with a gesture, managing to rise to his feet despite his evident weakness. From his pocket, he retrieves a handkerchief and presses it against his nose to stem the flow of blood before shuffling away, his gait unsteady and reminiscent of a zombie.
Lan and I exchange bewildered glances as we watch him depart, his figure disappearing into the distance like a specter fading into the night.
"What was that just now?" Lan's voice breaks the silence, her tone laced with confusion.
"I don't know," I admit, shaking my head in disbelief. "It all happened so suddenly, I couldn't even begin to guess if he's a vampire or a zombie."
At my words, Lan flinches, clearly unnerved by the implications.
"He's a human, an odd one."
The voice comes from behind us, and we turn to find a familiar face approaching. It's a girl with black hair tied back in a short ponytail, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement as she saunters toward us, a can of juice held casually in one hand while the other remains tucked in her pocket.
"Huan Liu!" Lan's voice rings out in recognition as our friend approaches.
"What do you mean?" I inquire, eager to unravel the mystery behind the strange encounter.
"That blonde boy just now is Yan Xia," Huan explains, her tone tinged with amusement. "He's allergic to women and fears them."
I feel a pang of embarrassment at my ignorance. Despite sharing a classroom with him, I've never paid much attention to my classmates beyond Jinghe and Lan.
"Fears women?" Lan echoes, her disbelief evident in her tone.
"Yes, he fears women," Huan confirms with a nod. "Though I don't know the reason why, whenever he's in contact with one, he starts to nosebleed."
Before we can delve further into the conversation, the shrill sound of the school bell interrupts us, signaling the beginning of the final period.
"Let's head back to class," Huan suggests, and we follow her lead, leaving behind the enigma of Yan Xia and his peculiar aversion to women as we return to the familiar routine of our school day.
As Lan and Huan Liu head back to class, I linger for a moment, my gaze drawn to the brown book lying forgotten on the floor. It rests in the exact spot where Yan Xia had collapsed moments earlier.
"Is it Yan Xia's?" I wonder aloud, bending down to retrieve the abandoned item. "I should return it to him later."
"Susu! What are you standing there for?" Lan's voice carries across the hallway, snapping me out of my reverie as she gestures for me to join them.
"Coming!" I call back, tucking the book securely under my arm as I hasten to catch up with my friends.
I've picked up the diary out of a sense of responsibility; after all, if it were to fall into the wrong hands, it could potentially cause trouble. My intention is to return it to Yan Xia when he returns to class, but as the dismissal bell rings and he fails to appear, I can't help but wonder where he's gone.
"Perhaps he might've gone home," I muse to myself as I make my way home, resolving to return the diary to him on Monday when school resumes after the weekend.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
As I step through the door of our apartment, the familiar creak of the hinges greets me, followed by the cheerful voice of my younger "sister" Xuan.
"Oh? Welcome back, big sis!"
"I'm back, Xuan..." I reply, my eyes scanning the living room where he lounges on the couch, engrossed in the television and absently reaching into a bag of hot potato chips.
Now, you might be wondering why I refer to Xuan as "he." Well, that's because my brother enjoys cross-dressing. With his short, girlish hair, blue eyes, and youthful visage, he effortlessly embodies the appearance of a young woman. He often wears his school uniform, claiming it attracts a certain type [ ] of attention.
As for the blank spaces, let's just say my brother's preferences are a private matter that I'd rather not discuss in detail.
"So, how was your day at school?" Xuan asks between crunchy bites of potato chips, his tone surprisingly kind.
"Tiring," I respond with a sigh, feeling the weight of the day's events settling upon my shoulders.
"Oh," he murmurs sympathetically, setting aside the snack bag. "Lunch is ready."
"I'll eat it later. I'm not hungry right now," I decline, already retreating towards my room.
As I mentioned earlier, our household consists of my brother, father, and me. Our father, a manager at a growing company, is often away due to work commitments. And as for our mother, she passed away when I was too young to remember, leaving a void that still echoes within our home.
Entering my bedroom, I find it as tidy as ever. Dropping my school bag and glasses on the floor, I make a beeline for my bed.
"Flop!"
Exhausted from the day's events, I collapse onto the mattress, still clad in my school uniform.
Today had been a rollercoaster of emotions, from the heartbreak of rejection to the sting of ridicule at school, and finally encountering the enigmatic Yan Xia, whose peculiar allergy to women left me baffled.
Covering my eyes with my arm, I try to relax and push the events of the day from my mind.
After a few moments, curiosity gets the better of me, and I retrieve the brown book from my school bag. Opening it, I see it's a diary, with the name "Yan Xia" written on the first page.
"Sorry, Yan Xia! I hope you don't mind," I murmur as I begin to leaf through the pages.
Page after page reveals nothing of interest until I stumble upon one entry that catches my eye.
"Wait a minute... what's this?" Li Su exclaims, her eyes widening in surprise as she comes across something unexpected.
What could it be that Li Su found? To uncover the mystery, stay tuned for the next chapter~