First lunch

Throughout the class, Lei Nuwa tried her best to avoid turning around. She could feel his gaze on her back many times, but acted unbothered. By the time the bell had rung, Lei Nuwa was already packed up; she ran out of the classroom at an astonishing speed.

Xu Zihao tried to concentrate during class. However, his eyes kept drifting over to the hunched over girl in the row below him. As she ran out of the room like there was a fire, he sighed. Xu Zihao was a man used to knowing everything about everything around him– having a predictable life and making smart decisions. Now, it seemed he had lost all of that, all because of what? A girl? He felt the urge to beat someone up.

***

Lei Nuwa was looking for Zhou Lan in the dining hall, when she saw her sitting at a table full of girls. She was laughing and talking with those at the table, and Lei Nuwa smiled. She decided to sit at an emptier table towards the edge of the dining hall, content to sit by herself.

Fate had other plans. As she was eating and scrolling through her phone, a tray slammed in the spot across from her. She jumped, ready to throw her phone at whoever had ambushed her. Lin Cheng looked embarrassed and surprised at the noise his tray made, and scratched the back of his neck.

"Sorry… I meant to set it down quietly." He sat down, which led to Lei Nuwa getting up and searching for a new table.

"Hey- hey! I won't bother you, I promise. I won't even talk." Lin Cheng made the motion of zipping up his mouth, and Lei Nuwa squinted her eyes at him.

"I find that hard to believe." She was still ready to move, until she saw his sad and wounded face.

'Damn you, Lei Nuwa. You are too soft.' The old soul inside of her had too much pity to spare. She sat back down and continued to eat, avoiding his puppy dog eyes.

After a few beats of silence, Lin Cheng could not stand it.

"How has your first day been so far?" He said, hope lacing his voice. Lei Nuwa rolled her eyes, but finally looked up at him.

"Lovely."

"If you need help finding your way around school, you can ask me." Lei Nuwa gave him a small smile, but was laughing on the inside. She probably knew this school better than him, considering she had lived multiple lives here.

"Thanks, but I don't need help."

"Did that dude finally leave you alone?" Lin Cheng could not stop himself from saying. At Lei Nuwa's confused look, he gestured to the side of his face, where her bruise used to be.

"Oh. I think so." Lei Nuwa lied convincingly. She knew that Liu Yichen would never leave her alone, in life or in death. He would always be there to hurt her, to push her down, to steal her hope.

Upon seeing Lei Nuwa's dark expression, Lin Cheng knew she was lying. He decided not to push, and instead took the cookie off of his tray and set it on Lei Nuwa's plate.

"I already had one, so please take it." Lei Nuwa looked at him strangely, but still ate it with hidden glee.

'Now our lies are even.' Lin Cheng thought smugly.

***

Zhang Fengge was sitting next to Lan Fei, gazing at her with entrancement in his eyes. Her beauty managed to blow him away every second he kept his eyes on her. After she had walked up to him, they had quickly become friends. Zhang Fengge felt overwhelmed when he walked beside her, when he heard her voice.

"Fengge, did your girlfriend give that to you?" Lan Fei pointed to his bracelet, as she saw it light up. He looked down and suddenly felt a punch to his stomach.

Lei Nuwa. He had almost completely forgotten her after getting caught up with his emotions towards Lan Fei. He felt panicked; he needed to know if she was okay, if she was safe, happy, alone, scared…. His thoughts trailed off as Lan Fei pulled his head to look at hers. His mind began to fight with himself: Lei Nuwa, Fan Lei, Lei Nuwa, Fan Lei. Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore. He slipped the bracelet off of his wrist, and threw it into his school bag.

"No… it was something from a friend a while ago. It's nothing." He said, finally able to breathe. He felt powerless in the girl's presence, but he never wanted to leave her side.

Inside of Zhang Fengge's bag, his bracelet once again lit up a certain shade of purple.