"Bang! Bang! Bang..." The sound of six gunshots echoed as the shooting range's human target bore six clear holes in its head.
Yet Zhen Ai seemed dissatisfied, reloading her magazine and opting for a moving target.
Owen stood silently by her side, watching.
Zhen Ai was his first witness protection subject, and he wondered if all witnesses were as strong-willed and determined as she was. When he first met her, her shooting skills were mediocre, but in just a year, she had made remarkable progress.
Now, wearing light yellow protective goggles, she held her gun steadily, arms straight, her gaze unwavering as she hit her targets.
She had once said, if her marksmanship were just a bit better, her third bodyguard wouldn't have died.
That was the only thing she had shared about her past, and he couldn't ask more.
An hour of shooting training flew by, and Zhen Ai was already sweating lightly on her forehead. Stepping out of the shooting range, the sun shone brightly; the temperature had risen in recent days.
Owen drove to pick up Yan Su.
A few days ago, Zhen Ai had hesitated about changing her identity again, but then Yan Su called, asking, "Want to go to Hampton?"
"But the engagement ceremony is still over a week away!"
"Before that, Columbia University is hosting a cultural festival, and they've invited me to give a public lecture."
He wanted her to hear his speech?
Zhen Ai fell silent, caught off guard.
After a pause, he awkwardly added, "Uh, after the engagement, there's also the Spring Music Festival in New York. It's a chance to cultivate your poor artistic sensibility."
In that moment, her wavering emotions solidified.
Zhen Ai gazed out at the vibrant spring scenery and asked Owen, "Doesn't he dislike giving lectures?"
"But he believes that scholars have a responsibility to share knowledge with the public," Owen replied seriously. "This time, he'll be talking about semiotics; it's quite basic, more of a popular science talk, not academic."
Soon they arrived to pick up Yan Su, but a small issue arose when he got in.
Zhen Ai assumed he would sit in the passenger seat, so she took a seat behind Owen.
Yan Su approached the driver's side, pulling the door open and seeing Zhen Ai comfortably seated. He shot her a look, expressionless, then closed the door and walked around to the other side.
Owen gestured beside him, "Why don't you come over here?"
Yan Su looked out the window. "The most accident-prone seat? No thanks!"
Owen replied, "So that spot is safe now?"
"The passenger seat and the rear passenger side are equally unsafe." He turned his head to give Zhen Ai a pointed look. "Good safety awareness."
Zhen Ai felt a shiver under his piercing gaze. "If you don't like it, we can switch seats..."
"No need." He interrupted, eyes fixed forward.
It was all quite awkward.
Zhen Ai chuckled lightly, "Are you afraid of dying?"
He leaned back in his seat, adjusting to a more comfortable position before lazily saying, "Dying doesn't matter; how I die does. If my name appears in the obituary column with the cause being a car accident... that seems just as absurd and meaningless as being struck by lightning."
He turned to look at her, his light brown eyes calm yet serious. "In that case, I wouldn't die in peace."
Zhen Ai was speechless. "But hundreds of thousands die in car accidents every year."
Yan Su closed his eyes solemnly. "May God bless them!"
Owen, hearing this, muttered, "Fraud; he doesn't believe in God!"
Zhen Ai let out a soft laugh.
But after laughing, she remembered the recent pressure and turned her gaze outside, calmly asking, "So, what's your attitude towards death?"
Yan Su slowly opened his eyes.
He gazed into the void, his tone gentle:
"If my journey in life were to end here, I could face death without regret. I believe I've never misused my strength."
Zhen Ai was taken aback, turning to look at him.
At that moment, the early spring landscape rushed by, a blend of gray and green fields flowing like rivers outside the window, fresh colors swirling and vibrant;
while Yan Su's fair and noble profile appeared tranquil yet aloof, like ancient time, always distinct and proud.
In that instant, she felt as if someone had struck her awake.
Indeed, Zhen Ai, if your journey were to end here, you could face death without regret because you've never misused your strength.
So, what's there to fear?
Even if misfortune pursued her enemies, she could still find clarity and face it calmly. Her life would be without regret; even if it were to stop abruptly, there would be nothing to fear.
Thinking this, a smile of happiness unconsciously spread across her lips; Yan Su seemed to sense her unabashed gaze and turned to find her eyes filled with emotion.
His expression froze slightly. "What are you looking at? That wasn't my line."
"I know; it was Sherlock Holmes who said that." Zhen Ai beamed, turning her head away to roll down the window, laughing as she gazed at the vast fields outside.
She understood he thought this way; that was why he always remained so calm, unaffected by glory or shame, unfazed by change, and fearless of danger.
This openness was also her lifelong pursuit.
Yan Su quietly observed her as she leaned out the window, the wind rushing past, her dark hair flying wildly, spirited and unrestrained, unlike her usual calm demeanor.
Actually, isn't this nice?
He calmly averted his gaze, concealing the faint smile in his eyes, and fell silent.
Outside the car window lay an endless expanse of fields, with Zhen Ai leaning into the wind, the long road disappearing into the distant horizon. In this vast world, they sped along like the wind.
The car radio played a lively American country song, the melody soothing and refreshing, filled with nostalgic summer beach vibes, instantly bringing a taste of summer to the spring breeze.
She closed her eyes, breathing in the crisp air of early spring, and couldn't help but hum a song.
After a short while, she heard Yan Su casually comment, "How rare."
Zhen Ai blushed, thinking he was going to praise her, but the next sentence was, "You manage to sing off-key in every line."
Owen couldn't hold back his laughter.
Zhen Ai felt a little annoyed and kicked her shoe at Yan Su's leg; he was taken aback, staring at her in disbelief. While she didn't hurt him, his surprise at her sudden action was obvious.
After kicking him, Zhen Ai felt it was inappropriate and immediately turned red, looking out the window to avoid his gaze.
She thought she was really affected by the vast sky and cheerful music. But if it's an influence, then so be it. ^__^
The one-hour drive ended in this relaxed atmosphere.
Zhen Ai sat in the dimly lit lecture hall, fixated on the only light in the darkness—the man at the podium, handsome yet cold, exuding an imposing presence.
He stood in a sharp suit, speaking quickly yet smoothly, while the slides flickered with images.
On the screen were two pentagrams, one upright and one inverted. At that moment, he was discussing the worship of female reproductive organs.
"When the pentagram is upright, it symbolizes desire and spirit; the inverted pentagram represents the devil. Serial killer Richard Ramirez, after killing men and assaulting women and children, would dismember bodies and leave an inverted pentagram at the scene."
"But from the perspective of nature worship, the pentagram originally represented femininity, the mysterious source of all things."
Zhen Ai was originally engrossed, but upon hearing this, she was slightly surprised that someone as arrogant and proud as him would place women on such a high pedestal.
Isn't it said that most men are somewhat chauvinistic?
The surrounding female students and young professionals whispered, "He is so manly!"
Zhen Ai felt a bit strange hearing this. There was a hint of jealousy and a bit of pride, but then she thought, given her position, both feelings shouldn't arise.
"Next symbol."
The hexagram appeared on the slide.
"Composed of an upright triangle and an inverted triangle, the upright triangle symbolizes the male reproductive organ, while the inverted triangle symbolizes the female reproductive organ. This represents the unity of male and female, suggesting that women possess a greater capacity to endure and store than men. The hexagram initially symbolized female worship in Hinduism, later becoming a symbol for Jews, representing King David in Judaism, also known as the Star of David."
At that moment, a girl beside Zhen Ai eagerly spoke up: "Professor Yan, some say the hexagram can be viewed as a man and woman tightly embracing, achieving spiritual unity in endless sexual acts. Do you agree with this statement?"
The classroom erupted in laughter.
Although the lecture was brilliant, Professor Yan... clearly didn't enjoy interacting, so everyone was amused by the interruption. Zhen Ai was among them. She was curious about Yan Su's response and whether he would feel awkward facing such a question.
But Yan Su showed no signs of embarrassment; he simply pursed his lips lightly and said, "I don't agree."
The girl pressed on, "Why?"
Yan Su's gaze turned towards her, and Zhen Ai stiffened. It wasn't me who asked!
Yan Su continued calmly, "When men and women are mutually attracted, the desire for the body is natural, but spiritual unity is more about mutual recognition of oneself, each other, and the world.
This recognition is less about persuading one another and more about discovering another version of oneself. A person's spirit is independent and does not need to conform. True unity exists between similar souls, drawn together naturally."
The lecture hall fell silent.
Zhen Ai was stunned.
She should have realized that someone with such a proud and lonely soul would never bow down or conform to others. In his view of love, he wouldn't change himself, nor would he expect the other person to change for him.
A woman who cannot maintain her own spirit would never catch his eye.
The person he liked must be like him—strong in spirit and independent in soul. They would attract each other without needing to conform to one another. How breathtaking such a free and independent love would be!
At that moment, he stood in the light, looking in her direction. She didn't know if he was looking at her, but she felt an unbearable weight in her heart and ultimately lowered her head.
She should have realized that their situations were like this moment—he would always be in the light while she remained in darkness. When hesitating about whether to change her identity, that inexplicable hope and reluctance in her heart were, in fact, unwarranted.
Yan Su continued, "The male reproductive organ is a ubiquitous symbol. A small bull horn and wolf tooth on a black necklace, the staff in Greek mythology, rocket guns, sports cars..."
...
After the lecture ended, the audience stood and applauded, but Yan Su swiftly left the stage.
He didn't like being questioned.
When Zhen Ai entered the lounge, she saw him packed and ready to go. Upon seeing her, he frowned slightly, "Why are you so slow? Did you take a detour to Mars?"
"There were hundreds of people in the classroom, and the door is so small. Am I supposed to crawl out the window?"
Yan Su fell silent, staring at her intently.
Zhen Ai's heart trembled, "What are you looking at?" She touched her face, "Is there something on my face?"
"I'm certainly not looking at you," he replied, a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.
Zhen Ai waved her hand in front of him: "If you're not looking at me, what are you looking at, a ghost?"
Yan Su's expression darkened as he shot her a glance, and without saying a word, he brushed past her and left the room.
As he hurried down the corridor out of the building, Zhen Ai jogged after him, "Hey, what's wrong with you?"
Yan Su quickly descended the stairs without looking at her, squinting at the bustling cultural festival on campus, he asked lightly, "Did you applaud just now?"
Zhen Ai was stunned for three seconds before realizing he meant the lecture.
And the truth was, she indeed hadn't clapped...
How did he see that from so far away?
Yan Su continued, dissatisfied, "You didn't praise me when we got back to the lounge."
Zhen Ai opened her mouth, seeing his genuinely hurt expression, she quickly replied in a small voice, "I was too shocked. I haven't fully processed what you said."
Now, his pace noticeably slowed, and he muttered to himself with a hint of regret, as if regretting his earlier pettiness: "Oh, I forgot to consider your reaction speed."
Zhen Ai: ...
Why was she being so nice to praise him? She should have just irritated him!
But he never cared about others' opinions; why was he...
Zhen Ai felt secretly pleased as students and audience members gathered around him, continuing to ask questions. He was cooperative; although not particularly attentive, he certainly wasn't dismissive.
Some even gave him small gifts. He frowned but accepted them politely.
Zhen Ai looked around at the scenery. There were various cultural booths lining the school roads. She wished she could drag Yan Su to see them together; she wondered if he would have that leisure.
The crowd was chaotic, with some people leaving and others arriving. Zhen Ai almost got knocked over and felt someone tug at her hair.
At the same time, Yan Su was staring behind Zhen Ai: "Wait a moment!"
Zhen Ai turned to see a man in a hat hurrying away, and before she knew it, Yan Su was chasing after him.
Zhen Ai rubbed her head, feeling an ominous premonition; that man had tugged a few strands of her hair.
Moments earlier, when Yan Su received the gift in the crowd, he felt something was off.
It was a pair of white gloves being handed to him.
He looked up and saw a man standing behind Zhen Ai, deeply bowed, wearing a baseball cap with a loose hood over it, looking like the black cloak of death at first glance.
The man turned to leave, but Yan Su was caught in the crowd. It took him a while to break free, and the moment he stepped onto the campus street bustling with people, that man vanished into the crowd, leaving no trace behind.
Yan Su eventually stopped, his gaze dark as he looked down.
In his palm lay the small wooden sculpture the man had pressed into his hand—a pipa, intricately detailed with fine grooves and strings. On the wood was carved a symbol resembling a plus sign (+).
What did that mysterious man intend to convey?
Before Yan Su could think further, the ground suddenly shook! Everything around him trembled!
At the same time, a deafening explosion echoed throughout the campus.
He turned in shock, and on the steps where he had stood moments ago was a sea of flames and thick smoke. Blood and dismembered limbs flew everywhere.
Yan Su's heart sank heavily; he had left Zhen Ai behind.