I save a pathological girl with a twisted love story.

"Are you interested?" Xia Wuzhao asked casually.

“Not interested,” she said. “I’m just curious what could be so captivating that you didn’t even notice me coming over.”

Xia Wuzhao did not answer Asahi Aoi's question; what was there to answer?

—It's just that Aoi Asahi is spouting irrelevant nonsense to cover something up.

After standing on the Zhuhong Bridge for a while, Asahi said, "Let's find a place to sit for a while, the sun is so hot."

"Ah."

The two walked across the vermilion bridge to the other side of the river, which was not as spacious as it was here. Because there was no connecting road, even though there were some paving stones, it was still covered by thick, lush weeds.

After walking inside for a while, we finally found the stone bench.

Sitting in a chair and looking across the river, you can clearly see the flow of people coming and going.

However, you can't see Asahi Aoi and Natsugiri Kai from the other side.

Aoi likes this place very much; although it's dark, it allows her to avoid everyone's gaze.

Although it was dim, it was cool.

Wearing a sailor uniform, Aoi asked listlessly, "When does the festival start?"

"It'll probably be tonight."

"It really took a long time," the girl sighed, rubbing her chin.

She glanced at the sky and wondered why today seemed to last so long.

The days that used to be so short they would disappear in the blink of an eye, but today the days seemed to have frozen in time.

Only those who occasionally wander here make one feel that time is still flowing.

The girl didn't hear Xia Wuzhao's reply, but she was already used to it.

"After all, Xia Wuzhao is cold-hearted. Even the occasional glimpse of kindness he shows vanishes without a trace, like a thin mist, making one wonder if it was just an illusion."

"Perhaps this is for the best."

She said, "Xia Wuzhao, what is it that can usually remain calm in a dark and damp place, but turns to ashes under the warm sun?"

“Vampire,” Xia Wuzhao replied calmly.

"It's a vampire," Aoi said in a strange tone. "I feel like I'm a vampire."

"Really?" Xia Wuzhao said, "Then, when you stand in the sun, do you feel pain?"

"It feels like being pricked with needles," Aoi said, seemingly jokingly.

“Pain means you still have hope for the warm sun,” Xia Wuzhao replied casually to Asahi Aoi’s question.

"You always say strange things, Natsugiri Kai."

Asahi sneered as she looked at the vermilion wooden bridge.

Many girls dressed in beautiful yukatas and with blooming flowers in their hair were already standing on the bridge.

They smiled brightly, like flowers adorning their hair.

He exudes a powerful aura that makes others feel ashamed and inferior.

The girl watched, a look of envy flashing in her eyes.

She asked, "Why do you think we should wear yukatas?"

"Because commemorating myself today is so extraordinary, like carving a mark on wood."

"Is wearing that yukata the only way to commemorate this moment?"

"Who knows?" Xia Wuzhao replied indifferently.

"I think the school uniform is pretty." Asahi looked at her own clothes, then at Xia Wukai's clothes, and couldn't help but laugh.

"So you're wearing a school uniform too."

“Isn’t this normal?” Xia Wuzhao said.

“I think something’s not right.” Asahi Aoi looked at Natsugiri Kai, her chestnut eyes appearing somewhat deep.

"When everyone else isn't wearing their school uniforms, it's just the two of us. Don't you think it looks like we're a perfect match?"

After a moment's hesitation, she said, "It's like a couple wearing the same clothes."

“It’s also possible that they’re two poor bastards who have no other clothes to wear,” Xia Wuzhao replied casually.

This made Asahina both angry and amused.

She finally mustered up the courage to pat Xia Wuzhao on the shoulder, her fingers trembling.

What you're saying is really boring.

The girl's voice trembled slightly.

As night approaches, there are more and more people on the roadside.

A girl in a kimono, adorned with a hairpin. A boy in handsome clothes; when their eyes occasionally meet, the girl shyly covers her face with her fan.

The boy would shyly scratch his head.

They only reluctantly walk together when their friends jokingly push them out.

Even so, I was still terrified, as if it were some earth-shattering event.

But when they get together, they often fall silent.

Even though we have so much to say, when we're actually facing each other, we can't say a single word.

Asahi Aoi watched this scene and mocked, "How cowardly."

Although she was smiling, her lowered eyes held an unspoken silence.

—Perhaps she wasn't referring to those girls.

It was self-deprecation.

Xia Wuzhao looked at her but didn't say anything.

Until night falls, and the Milky Way, formed by the convergence of stars in the sky, hangs low on the ground.

The opposite bank of the river was completely lit up, and the sounds of bustling activity, mixed with the aroma of cooking, filled the air.

Aoi finally stood up and said, "It looks lively over there?"

"Do you want to go?" Xia Wuzhao looked across at the other side. "Are you able to go?"

Asahi looked at the dense crowd.

Her teeth were chattering, but she managed to stand up.

The girl mocked Xia Wuzhao: "Xia Wuzhao, today is the May 5th Festival. It's a very beautiful place, why can't I go?"

She crossed her arms and said, "I look very beautiful today. If I went to that celebration, it would be the other girls who would be scared."

Xia Wuzhao looked at Asahi Aoi, the girl biting her lip.

Her face was tense, and her fingers were gripping her arm tightly.

“Okay.” Xia Wuzhao said this to Asahi Aoi.

As she stood up, Aoi reached out her hand.

"Want to hold hands?" she said with a teasing smile. "Everyone going to the celebration now is a couple. If you walk alone at the celebration, you'll definitely be laughed at. I can help you."

Xia Wuzhao said casually, "No need."

"Hmph, even if you agree, I will still refuse."

The girl smiled and lowered her eyes.

Chapter 54 A Spiral of Fortune and Misfortune

The two walked side by side across the vermilion wooden bridge, their swaying shadows reflected on the shimmering river.

Aoi raised her head, trying her best to remain calm.

There were mostly passersby around, so the girl often shrugged to the side.

The distance between the two people shortened and lengthened, their shoulders occasionally bumping together, only to quickly separate again.

The vendors at the festival sold the same old things. There was nothing new or interesting; in fact, every festival I'd attended since childhood had similar stalls.

Fried noodles, scooping goldfish, and then shooting with an air gun.

The most popular is apple candy, with round, red apples coated in orange-yellow maltose, which looks shiny.

One lick and it tastes sweet, making the whole night sweet as well.

On celebratory nights, couples often buy a candied apple. They don't need to eat it; just holding it in their hands brings them sweetness.

In the dim light, the maltose coating on the apple candy refracted a shimmering glow that seemed to symbolize happiness.

The two walked along the riverbank, amidst the lively shouts of vendors from the stalls nearby.

The shy, happy whispers around us flowed along the walkway.

The crowd flowed forward.

But Asahi Aoi and Natsugiri Kai remained like rocks in the crowd, not stopping in their tracks.

Rather, it was because the flow of people around them was so fast that they seemed to be standing still.

Asahi Aoi regretted it as soon as she walked in.

There was an urge to turn back.

It was as if fire had been falling from the sky, burning with sulfur.

But looking at Xia Wuzhao, she gritted her teeth.

Xia Wuzhao didn't stop, she just walked forward, breaking through the crowd.

As Xia Wuzhao grew further and further away, she finally gritted her teeth and followed.

She ran a few steps quickly, but it felt like her whole body was being pricked by needles.

He arrived at Xia Wuzhao's side, panting.

She feigned dissatisfaction and said, "Xia Wuzhao, you walked too fast. Don't you like the atmosphere here?"

The girl chuckled, "It's not because everyone around you is a couple, and you're all alone, that you can't stand it and want to leave quickly, is it?"

Xia Wuzhao didn't look at the girl, but simply said, "What do I care about the others?"

The girl said, "You're definitely lying."

"You're getting a bit too cocky, Aoi."

"Just say it like that." Aoi Asahi smoothed her hair. "I lost to you in the previous match, so you can say whatever you want."

As she spoke, she naturally walked closer to Xia Wuzhao.

The girl finally looked ahead, where a crowd was surging. She saw the backs of many people, but no faces, which made her feel at ease.

She finally saw the nighttime celebration.

—A lively and happy atmosphere that is so ordinary yet enviable.

Faced with these sights she had never seen before, she was momentarily captivated.

She kept walking forward, as if she were walking in a familiar jungle.

When the girl saw a boy scoop up three goldfish for the girl next to him while the people around them cheered, she felt a little contemptuous.

But she wanted to share it with Xia Wuzhao.

But when he turned his head, he found Xia Wuzhao behind him.

The girl was suddenly taken aback, and she turned her head to look ahead.

But he discovered that he had broken through the crowd and caught up with the flow of people.

When Xia Wuzhao walked over, the girl finally managed to calm her racing heart.

He complained to Xia Wuzhao, "Xia Wuzhao, you walk too slowly."

Xia Wuzhao did not answer the girl's question, but instead asked, "What are you looking at?"