Burn

The long, murky night slipped quietly by, and as always, the sun rose again.

Ji Ning opened his eyes. Not an arm’s length away, someone was breathing steadily. Qin Mo lay quietly turned toward him, cocooned in her quilt like a little hedgehog, wary and defensive, with only a small opening left—just enough to let her see Ji Ning’s face.

Ji Ning got up without a sound. He felt he ought to do something, yet lifting his head, he was at a loss, an overwhelming sense of helplessness enveloping him once more. Such is the world—no one knows whether tomorrow or an accident will come first.

He poked Qin Mo. The moment his fingertip touched her shoulder, she opened her eyes, startled like a gardenia roused from sleep. Her blank gaze, upon falling on the boy before her, seemed to be suddenly infused with life.

“Good morning,” Qin Mo’s voice was soft as a cat, and she reached out instinctively, brushing her hand against Ji Ning’s cheek.

The gesture was so unexpected—one still caught between dream and waking, the other forgetting to evade.

In that instant, Ji Ning suddenly understood what he meant to the girl. That small, closed, lonely world had opened a door just for him—a quiet little cabin waiting for him amidst a torrential downpour.

“Scoundrel!” Ji Ning cried out, feigning outrage to hide his pounding heart. Once the daze passed, he tumbled to the other side of the bed.

Qin Mo’s cheeks flushed crimson. She wrapped herself up in the quilt once more, this time without even a tiny gap left.

“Miss Qin Mo, would you care to comment on what just happened? I require an explanation, or I shall have to hold you solely responsible for this incident.” When her hand had lightly brushed his face, Ji Ning had already made his choice. He felt light enough to tease.

Qin Mo shifted, her timid voice emerging like dew drops falling onto the heart in the early morning, clear and sweet. “It was an accident.”

“I’d be happy to hear you admit you were enamored by my good looks.” Ji Ning turned on the tap and began his morning ablutions. Compared to his earlier indecision, he seemed much less troubled now that his mind was made up.

Qin Mo crawled carefully out of the quilt. Sunlight, shining through the newly opened window, spilled onto the wooden floor. Barefoot, she hopped lightly from the bed, her small white feet flashing at the corner of Ji Ning’s vision. He glanced at the mirror and splashed his face with more water.

Brushing his teeth, Ji Ning watched the still-blushing girl in the reflection and couldn’t help but smile. He felt an unexpected peace—how could a beauty like her ever be truly troubled? Without doubt, she was the protagonist of this world; even God would follow behind, gently lifting her hem.

He knew he was no messenger sent from above, but he wanted to try.

Turning, he found Qin Mo waiting quietly for him to finish. When he caught her gaze, she looked a little shy, yet smiled.

A fleeting glow flickered deep in her eyes; her lips subtly shifted with her expression; her knees were drawn together, and her ink-dark hair fanned out around her. An unbidden smile hung on her face. For the first time, Ji Ning faced this soul-stirring beauty in the sunlight, unable to find words—such absolute beauty, pure as the Milky Way, was a visual shock that rendered even Shakespeare’s sonnets dull by comparison.

When Qin Mo, flustered, interrupted his reverie, he had already in his heart lived a lifetime with her.

“You’ve got foam on your chin. Why are you staring at me?”

True beauty is heart-stopping, yet she seemed unaware of her own.

Ji Ning coughed and quickly turned away. Every boy grows awkward before his crush. Unwilling for her to catch on, he changed the subject. “What should we have for breakfast?”

“I want soup dumplings, but we have no money.” Qin Mo shook her head, pressing her stomach nervously, as if afraid it would rumble like a cuckoo bird.

“We can just go back to the hotel,” Ji Ning raised an eyebrow, thinking how lovely she was—though a bit naive, which was just as well. Clever girls were harder to fool! A strange heat rose within him, one he dared not examine too closely.

“But last night, weren’t there people looking for this ring at the hotel?” Qin Mo held out her hand; sunlight glinted off the unknown metal of the signet.

Ji Ning took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind of daydreams—now was not the time for romance! One shouldn’t be distracted during an exam.

Sylvia’s teachings finally bore fruit; he managed to calm himself and hide that bright trace of sorrow in his heart. “You’ve got a point. Still, I’m hungry. Let’s find somewhere to eat first.”

“Don’t spies in movies always carry several unlimited credit cards?” Qin Mo suddenly asked, gazing at him with hope.

“No matter how you look at me, I can’t magically produce a card that spits out cash from the ATM—wait, I might actually have something like that.” Ji Ning shrugged off his dinosaur-print pajamas, rummaged in an inner pocket, and finally fished out a black card. He wasn’t sure if it would work locally, but it was worth a try.

“What’s this?” Qin Mo was curious.

“Money,” Ji Ning replied, succinct and pleased.

Ten minutes later—“Damn it, why can’t we find a single breakfast joint that takes cards?”

While Ji Ning drooped in defeat from hunger, Qin Mo, trailing behind in pajamas, was beet-red with embarrassment.

It was, after all, a robe, but still pajamas. Many a peculiar look had been cast their way.

“Could you buy me some clothes?” Qin Mo finally summoned her courage, then added, “My mother will pay you back when I get home.”

Ji Ning wanted to say something but left it unsaid. Was it so shameful to wear pajamas outside? He used to go out for soy sauce in shorts; pajamas, to him, counted as formal wear. Still, she was a girl—vanity is only natural.

Malls are strange places: food courts might not open early, but clothing stores always do.

“Can I help you?” The sales clerk, yawning until they entered, brightened immediately. Clearly, this guy needed clothes—who could stand wandering the streets in pajamas, especially ones with dinosaurs—unless you were Ji Ning.

Ji Ning stepped aside, letting Qin Mo emerge from behind him. “Pick out something for her.”

“Your girlfriend is stunning. With a figure like hers, any outfit will show off its best side. Would you like to see these first?” The saleswoman’s eyes sparkled—beautiful women love shopping for clothes; people prefer to adorn the lovely, not waste time on the ordinary.

Qin Mo took the clothes and went into the fitting room. Only then did Ji Ning sigh quietly—not because he couldn’t join her, of course.

“Why?” The voice of SCP-CN-655 sounded, as calm as an undisturbed lake.

“What do you mean, why?” Ji Ning took a suit jacket and tried it on, glancing at the mirror—something he hadn’t done in a long while. Mirrors are optional for men: if there’s one in the room, fine; if not, no one would go out of their way to buy one.

The boy in the mirror had star-bright eyes and gentle features. Though he never believed in the saying that looks mirror the heart, he’d suffered enough for his somewhat androgynous beauty. As a teen, he’d resolved to be a delinquent, to look fiercer or more masculine, yet even when he saw someone toss litter on the street, he’d stoop to pick it up. Though he’d scold himself for being foolish, he’d still pause at the trash can to ponder recyclables from non-recyclables, despite knowing all bins led to the same place. He believed himself a bad person—just not an obvious one, or perhaps he’d not yet found a reason to break the rules for real.

His already decent frame, honed further at Deer Academy, was now more defined—half the muscle, he suspected, was from being beaten up. All in all, he looked every bit the part—handsome, even. Yet despite this, his spirits remained low.

“I don’t believe you can change anything.”

Ji Ning paused a long while before replying slowly, “Neither do I, but...”

He stopped, unsure why he couldn’t finish the sentence.

SCP-CN-655 said no more, preferring to stay observant about things it did not comprehend.

Qin Mo emerged from the fitting room in a plain black t-shirt and high-waisted denim shorts. The shirt hugged her frame, accentuating a taut waist and full chest, making her blush with embarrassment. Her long, shapely legs stretched from beneath the shorts, ending in white sneakers.

Noticing Ji Ning’s wandering gaze, Qin Mo slipped on an indigo jacket, zipped it high, and smoothed her hair, but even so, her natural grace and flawless beauty still made her radiant.

“You look beautiful,” Ji Ning nodded, then quickly looked away. “Do you want anything else?”

A little pleased at first, Qin Mo felt a pang of disappointment when he turned away. “No, just this outfit.”

The saleswoman was about to speak when Ji Ning handed over his card. “No need to tell me the price—just ring it up.”

Qin Mo wanted to protest, but Ji Ning had already left the shop. “Consider it a gift.”

“Thank you, but...” Qin Mo swallowed the rest, sensing the boy’s spirits had dipped.

“Let’s go. There must be a bun shop around here that takes cards.” Ji Ning, noticing his own mood, adjusted his tone.

In a restaurant so elegantly decorated it was intimidating, they sat before two baskets of crab roe soup dumplings. Price aside, the taste was excellent.

Neither had much appetite. Though Qin Mo ate slowly, she finished before Ji Ning, who had barely touched his chopsticks.

“Want some more?” Ji Ning, as if just returning to himself, smiled and popped a dumpling in his mouth.

“I’m full.” Qin Mo shook her head, sipping her soy milk.

The nearly empty restaurant was silent around them.

“I want to go home,” Qin Mo’s voice was soft, but Ji Ning heard it clearly.

“All right.” Ji Ning replied without hesitation, “I’ll take you back soon.”

Qin Mo looked at him across the table. He was focused on his dumplings, as if trying to count how many crabs had gone into the filling.

“Thank you for everything, but I really want to go home.”

Ji Ning nodded. Qin Mo hesitated, then added, “If you find a way to remove this ring, please let me know.”

Ji Ning nodded again. When he bit into the dumpling, the hot broth burst into his mouth—though the wrapper had cooled, the soup inside still caught him off guard. He suddenly wondered: were all things in life like these dumplings?

Beautiful on the outside, but costly—and if you’re not careful, you’ll get burned.

Hearing the subway announcements, Qin Mo suddenly remembered something and hurriedly rummaged in her pocket, pulling out a small packet of snacks. She pressed it into Ji Ning’s hand. “I can’t thank you properly—this is my favorite snack. I hope you like it.”

Ji Ning looked down. It was a small packet of charcoal-roasted cashews, coated in amber sugar, the flavor marked as fire-roasted. He tore it open, popped one into his mouth, and chewed slowly. It tasted like sitting atop a volcano, gazing out at the distant sea.

“Thank you.” Those were the last words Qin Mo said to Ji Ning. After they stepped off the subway at their stop, neither spoke another word.