THE BELL

"A DAY OF PASSION AND CONFUSION,"

Green Forest Village

Chu Yan exited the taxi and opened the door after paying the driver. Because the village was located within the forest, the taxi simply pulled over beside an empty road. She walked to the narrow road to enter the forest after the taxi vanished from her sight. She was having difficulty walking on a muddy path because she was wearing heels. Chu Yan had a thought, so she took off her heels and walked barefoot, holding the heels.

The wind blows on her, causing her to shiver slightly. Because she was inside the forest, it was difficult for sunlight to penetrate the densely forested area. Because the road is a little muddy, she simply walks forward at a slow pace. When it rains, the water becomes trapped inside. If there is no sunlight, it will take at least a few weeks for the water to dissolve on the ground.

Chu Yan didn't notice the small shard of broken glass on the mud-covered ground. The thin and pointy shard pricked her left foot, causing her to groan quietly. She lost her balance and nearly fell into the mud as a result of the sudden pain.

Fortunately, she hugged herself tightly and rebalanced her body. She exhaled a sigh of relief.

Chu Yan began walking again, but with her left foot injured, she was having difficulty. Her foot hurts because the road is muddy. What a fucking shame. After a brief moment, she arrives in the middle of the forest.

There were oak-wooden houses. Everyone adored the Green Forest Village. She walked through the kids playing rock, paper, and scissors, carrying her black heels. Some were having a game of hide and seek. The trees encircled the houses, with an open area in the center where the hot sunlight sipped through.

The green trees, the wind, the dogs and cats running around, the flowers, fresh green veggies, and various fruits planted, the little noises people made, as well as their bright smiles and laughter, made the village appear lively. Chu Yan entered one of the houses, which happened to be Hao Mingyu's. And knock three times on the door.

The house was quite large and constructed of wood. It was two-story, and the white paint reflected the sun's rays, causing her eyes to sting a little. The door to the house opened, revealing Hao Mingyu, who was wearing an apron and holding a spatula. When she saw Chu Yan's condition, his eyes widened.

"What the? You! Look at yourself!" screamed Hao Mingyu, concerned.

Did you go barefoot once more? You damn brat, not listening to your gege! " Hao Mingyu continued screaming at the door, causing other people to look at them, which Hao Mingyu noticed and looked at, then Chu Yan.

The brows of Hao Mingyu furrowed. Chu Yan simply smiled at him. Hao Mingyu ushered her in and directed her to the bathroom to wash her feet. He climbed upstairs to get the medicine in his room after telling her. Chu Yan sat on the couch in the large living room after she finished washing her feet. She simply remained silent and waited for Hao Mingyu to return.

Chu Yan heard footsteps upstairs and looked up to see Hao Mingyu carrying a medicine kit. Hao Mingyu approached the couch and knelt to her feet, gently lifting and inspecting it. Chu Yan locked her gaze on him, her eyes glinting with something gentle but unidentified. Hao Mingyu had noticed something wrong with Chu Yan's feet after noticing how she walked earlier.

Hao Mingyu continued to mumble and say something, but Chu Yan was so focused on him that she didn't hear anything. When Chu Yan's phone abruptly rang, both were startled. Chu Yan quickly picked up the phone and pressed the accept button when the caller's name flashed on the screen.

"Hello? Have you arrived—ahh!" groaned Chu Yan as Hao Mingyu pressed and applied medicine to her injured feet. She set the phone down next to her on the couch, completely forgetting about the call.

"Why did you keep pressing?! It hurts so much! Just hurry up!" she yelled at Hao Mingyu.

"I'm not pressing it! Something is still inside and it needs to come out!" Hao Mingyu screamed back, pulling her leg back again. Hao Mingyu then continued on with his work.

"Ow! Gege! Gege! Please, it hurts so much! " Chu Yan screamed, pained tears escaping from her eyes as she kept on pulling at her wounded feet. Sweat and tears rolled down her cheeks; her nose was a bit red from crying.

"Just stay still! It's not done yet! " Hao Mingyu screamed back again and forcefully pulled Chu Yan's leg on him. His grip got tighter the more Chu Yan pulled.

It turns out that when Chu Yan stepped on the glass earlier, there was a small shard of it left inside the wound. It is so small that even Hao Mingyu is having a hard time pulling it using a puller. Chu Yan kept on groaning, crying, and moaning in a sorry state. Her feet hurt so much that she can't help but cry loudly.

When her parents died, she lost her ability to feel no pain. They told her about the pact and how she and her parents were among those who signed it. They told her not to tell anyone, not even her own friends. So, now that she is an adult, she feels pain every time she is careless, as she did with her feet.

Hao Mingyu finally finished pulling the small shard and resumed putting the medicine after a long time of suffering. He wrapped her feet in a bondage after putting on the medicine and told her to sit down and rest. She sniffled and nodded her head until she remembered the call. She quickly flipped over her phone to see that the call had ended.

Cheung Qi on the other end of the line, after hearing the agonizing groans and moans on the other line. He finally couldn't take it any longer and hung up the phone. He was in the car with Hei Bao and was embarrassed and awkward because the phone was on loud speaker. That means, has Hei Bao heard anything?

Cheung Qi remained motionless in the driver's seat. They had arrived at the location quite some time before, but they couldn't find the entrance. They only saw a muddy and narrow path.

The car will not be able to enter and fit on such a path. That's why Cheung Qi called Chu Yan to see if the address she sent was correct, only to hear the noises she was making. Cheung Qi was furious.

He had no idea what was going on inside, and he had no idea where Hao Mingyu's house was. He was trembling with rage. He was like a haughty beast. His thoughts become increasingly bizarre.

'Hao Mingyu won't do anything to her.'

'They're friends, right?'

'They treat each other like siblings, so there's nothing wrong with them being alone.'

'right'

'But, Hao Mingyu is still a guy!'

"F*ck this damn shitty location! "

Hei Bao, who had been sitting in the back and had been kept silent for a while, noticed the changes in Cheung Qi's face. When he looked down, he noticed that Cheung Qi's palm was formed into a fist, as if he was dying to beat someone up.

His right hand was gripping the phone so tightly that it could fall apart in an instant. Hei Bao noticed Cheung Qi's eyes were fixed on the screen, as if he was a cat ready to scratch anyone who touched it. Hei Bao noticed Cheung Qi's brows were knitted as well. Hei Bao looked at his watch for the hundredth time.

"What time can we eat?" Hei Bao inquired, his deep voice startling Cheung Qi.

"I'm sorry, My Lord; I should have simply declined the invitation; it's my fault," Cheung Qi admitted.

"I still have a meeting to attend; let's just eat somewhere," Hei Bao said, because he was starving and couldn't muster the strength to scold Cheung Qi.

Cheung Qi looked at his watch and noticed that it was already 1 p.m. Cheung Qi's phone rang once more. When he saw the caller, he answered it right away. Chu Yan's hoarse voice rang in his ears, and it irritated him for unknown reasons.

"I apologize for not responding sooner. Something occurred—-"

"Did you send me the right address?"

Cheung Qi interrupted Chu Yan's explanation because he didn't know if what Chu Yan was saying was true or not, so he chose to ignore it without caring about the other person's feelings.

"... Y-yes. Where are you doing now? " Chu Yan responded after a long pause.

"It's a derelict road. There is no entry. We can only see a narrow, muddy road ahead of us. The car would not be able to fit. " Cheung Qi responded solemnly.

"That was the entry point. Simply park the car on the side of the road. You won't take that long anyway, so it's fine," Chu Yan said on the other end of the phone.

"Do you mean we have to walk around barefoot?"

Cheung Qi inquired, just to be sure.

"Y-yeah? I guess," Chu Yan replied shyly.

Cheung Qi examined Hei Bao in the mirror and noticed that he was still staring out the window.

"Then we'll be on our way," Cheung Qi replied. On the other end of the line, he heard a sigh, which made him smile a little. They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone.

Cheung Qi explained, "She said that was the entrance."

"Then let's just go," Hei Bao replied, his face blank.

"Barefoot?" Cheung Qi inquired, unsure.

"Mn. We're already here," Hei Bao replied, opening the car door and walking out first. Cheung Qi trailed him after he locked the car. They paused in front of the small road for a moment before removing their shoes and socks.

'I swear to God, this was the most stupid and embarrassing thing I've ever done in my entire life,' Hei Bao.

To be continued.