"Come on?" Gao Yang panicked slightly. "Come on with what?"
Qing Ling bent her legs, pressing down on Gao Yang. Moonlight highlighted her collarbones, making them glimmer faintly—an ethereal kind of beauty.
She let out a scornful laugh. "What else? Stop playing innocent."
Gao Yang was stunned.
Without another word, Qing Ling swept her hair aside and leaned in toward his face.
"Wait!"
Gao Yang shouted. He wasn't exactly a traditionalist—he'd seen his fair share of adult films. But this was moving way too fast. So fast that it could only be a setup.
"What?"
"If I've committed a crime, let the law punish me. Don't torture me like this..."
"Quite the cautious one," Qing Ling remarked.
Gao Yang thought, Isn't this just a normal human reaction?
Three hours ago, he'd nearly had his head crushed by his most trusted childhood friend. Now, a girl he barely knew was suddenly throwing herself at him. He had every reason to suspect she was trying to lure him into some kind of gruesome death.
"Relax," Qing Ling's voice softened.
"..."
"If you really can't stand me, imagine someone else's face." Her hand slid down from his chest, moving lower.
"Let's... not. Maybe we should start as friends first..."
Suddenly, Qing Ling stopped.
Gao Yang was drenched in sweat, barely daring to breathe.
Qing Ling got off the bed and calmly put her clothes back on. "Done."
Gao Yang was utterly confused. As he sat up, he suddenly noticed something—a sharp, compact dagger had been hidden under his pillow.
With a flick of her wrist, the dagger flew back into Qing Ling's hand. She twirled it between her slender fingers, and in the blink of an eye, it vanished.
"Were you... trying to kill me just now?" Gao Yang asked, a chill running down his spine.
"That depended on you," Qing Ling said.
"What does that mean? If I'd given in to temptation and tried something, you would've killed me?" Gao Yang reasoned. "So this was a test. I passed, and now you trust me?"
"Completely wrong." Qing Ling turned her back to him, tying her ponytail back up. "If you hadn't reacted, I would've killed you."
"Why?"
"Beasts don't have real reproductive systems."
Gao Yang's eyes widened in realization. "So this whole time, you were verifying my identity!"
"The one you met today was a Rage Beast."
"Rage Beast?"
"There are many kinds of Beasts. Rage Beasts are one of them. They're cunning, masters of disguise." Qing Ling said coldly. "If you want to survive in this world, don't trust anyone."
"Then how do I know you're human?" Gao Yang shot back.
"Good. You're learning fast." Qing Ling's expression didn't change. "Confirming if a woman is a Beast is... more complicated. You'd have to go all the way."
"Uh..."
Qing Ling tossed him a small vial. "Special medicine. Use it, then dispose of it. Don't let anyone see it."
Gao Yang examined the vial—just an ordinary-looking blue liquid, nothing special.
He hid it under his blanket. Right now, he had too many questions for Qing Ling.
What exactly are the Beasts?
Why do they kill humans?
What's my current situation?
What's Qing Ling's ability? She seems way stronger than me.
How can I get stronger?
BANG!
The door burst open. His little sister rushed in.
Gao Yang jumped, scrambling to cover his bare torso. "No! It's not what you think—"
"Huh?" His sister blinked in confusion.
Gao Yang turned around—Qing Ling was gone. Only the swaying curtains and a sliver of moonlight remained.
What the hell? She disappeared that fast?!
"Super suspicious..." His sister eyed him up and down before grinning mischievously. "Bro, were you... you know?"
"No! Absolutely not! Don't even say it!" Gao Yang wanted to cry. "And next time, knock!"
"Fine!" His sister suddenly clung to his arm, beaming. "Hey, bro, let's talk about something~"
"Say it first."
She immediately whipped out her phone. "Look... this Lolita dress. Isn't it cute?"
"Yeah..." Gao Yang narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"
"It's only 498! A total steal! And right now, you save 198!"
"Not buying it saves you 498."
"My birthday's in 11 months!" She pouted. "Can't you just treat it as an early gift?"
"I'll die in about 70 years. Can't you just treat me as already dead?"
"You don't care about me! You're the worst brother ever!" She wailed. "I'm telling Mom and Dad you came home covered in blood last night!"
"Fine, fine!" Gao Yang immediately caved, transferring a few hundred from next month's allowance. Right now, damage control was more important than money.
"Bro, you're the best! Mwah~ I love you!"
His sister skipped out of the room, victorious.
Gao Yang watched her leave, exhaling in relief.
The special medicine worked wonders. By the next morning, his wounds had mostly healed, leaving only faint red marks that looked like mosquito bites.
After breakfast, Gao Yang headed to school.
Li Weiwei's seat was empty.
A dull ache spread through Gao Yang's chest, as if a piece had been carved out.
He thought of the past twelve years—walking to school together, sharing meals, doing homework, setting off fireworks on New Year's Eve. The first time he saw her smile, cry, get angry... All those familiar, beautiful memories had been torn apart by last night's Beast.
He wished he could separate them—the sweet, innocent girl and the monstrous predator. But they were one and the same.
Gao Yang couldn't accept it.
By the end of homeroom, Li Weiwei's seat was still empty. A few girls whispered among themselves—they must've already heard something happened.
Gao Yang hadn't slept much. He had too many questions for Qing Ling.
To his surprise, she approached him right after class, loudly demanding in front of everyone: "Gao Yang, where's Li Weiwei?"
Gao Yang froze. What's this? An act?
"No idea," he replied.
"No idea?! She was with you yesterday!"
"Yeah, but we went home separately at night..."
"What's going on? She's not answering calls or texts. She didn't even come to class." Qing Ling frowned, looking genuinely agitated. When she got no answers, she stormed off.
First period was math, taught by their homeroom teacher.
The teacher walked in with a grim expression, setting his textbook down and adjusting his thick glasses.
"Class, before we begin, I have some unfortunate news."
"Li Weiwei... was killed last night."
The room erupted.
"What?!" Qing Ling shot to her feet.
Gao Yang was impressed. Life's a stage, and she's a damn good actress.
Qing Ling and Li Weiwei had been inseparable. Her reaction was perfectly normal—which reminded Gao Yang that his reaction, as her childhood friend, was not normal enough.
He quickly stood up, forcing shock and disbelief onto his face. "That's impossible! I just saw her yesterday afternoon!"
"It happened late last night. Preliminary investigation suggests a robbery gone wrong. She was stabbed in the chest... died on the spot." The teacher sighed. "That's all I know."
"Oh my god! How could this happen?"
"This is so awful... I can't believe it."
"They'd better execute the killer!"
Some of Li Weiwei's admirers were furious, shouting angrily. A few of her close friends burst into tears.
"Class, I'm heartbroken too. But we must stay strong."
"The police are doing everything they can. Justice will be served."
"Those who want to pay their respects can join me at the funeral home tonight..."
"Now, let's try to focus on today's lesson."
The teacher opened his textbook, then paused. "Qing Ling, Gao Yang—my office, now."
Gao Yang tensed. "What for, sir?"
"The police are here. They just need to ask you a few questions."
Qing Ling, eyes red, rushed out first—as if desperate to talk to the officers. Gao Yang followed.
As they walked down the empty hallway, Gao Yang caught up to her. "We need to get our stories straight."
"About what?" Qing Ling turned, her gaze a mix of grief and fury.
"About Li Weiwei."
Qing Ling froze, then suddenly grabbed his collar. "You do know something! Did you kill her?"
"Huh?" Gao Yang was lost.
What's with this act? Is she really committed to selling me out?
"Cut the crap! What's the game here?" Gao Yang hissed.
"Who's playing games?!" Qing Ling's anger seemed genuine. "You're hiding something. Why didn't you walk Li Weiwei home? Why did she die? This is your fault!"
No, no, no—this wasn't the plan!
What the hell is she doing?
"Say something! You liked her, didn't you? She rejected you, so you killed her in a rage, didn't you?!" Qing Ling pressed.
Gao Yang's mind raced. Only two possibilities:
This wasn't the same Qing Ling from last night—unlikely.
She was acting, sacrificing him to save herself. "Don't trust anyone," she'd said.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Gao Yang muttered, stepping past her. Better to say nothing.
"Liar! I'll make sure the police investigate you thoroughly! If you killed her, I'll end you!" Qing Ling stormed into the office.
As Gao Yang moved to follow, a tall figure blocked his path.
He looked up—a policeman in his thirties, clean buzz cut, strong jawline, sharp eyes that missed nothing.
"You're... Officer Huang?"
"Heh. We meet again." Officer Huang smiled, but his eyes were cold.
This was the same officer who had "saved" Gao Yang three nights ago—Huang Qi, the man who'd shot the "mental patient" dead.
Huang clapped a hand on Gao Yang's shoulder. "You're with me. Different office."
Gao Yang's heart sank.
Prisoner's dilemma.