Chapter Thirty-Seven: Happy New Year

The small incident yesterday hadn’t affected Ji Ning’s mood in the slightest. He followed his original plan and submitted a leave request. There were no statutory holidays at Deer Academy, but they respected each student’s customs, so his application was approved without difficulty.

Ji Ning rose early today. To make it clear he was on holiday, he deliberately forwent his school uniform and changed into a simple, casual outfit: a pure cotton, white, long-sleeved T-shirt as a base layer, topped with a deep black trench coat. He straightened the slightly delicate collar, pinned on his badge of identity, and slipped on a pair of dark blue jeans. Ji Ning only had one method for choosing his clothes: whatever he grabbed first from his wardrobe, he wore. Since he only bought dark-colored clothing, his combinations always appeared more or less the same, but at least he never made any fashion blunders.

He could never understand why anyone would spend half an hour picking out what to wear. He didn’t believe anyone in the world could be bored enough to care about the cut of a stranger’s undershirt. As long as one’s outfit didn’t leave half their backside exposed, it was fit to wear outside. Ji Ning studied his own rear in the mirror for a moment, then gave a satisfied smile.

It seemed a bit cold; his breath gathered as tiny fog on the mirror. Ji Ning wiped the mirror and spoke. “Six-Fifty-Five, are you there?”

“I’m here.”

“Happy New Year.”

After waiting a while, Ji Ning suddenly remembered that SCP-CN-655 had never heard this phrase before. Naturally, it wouldn’t know the meaning behind it, nor how to respond.

“This is a blessing for the Chinese traditional festival, the Spring Festival. In China, whenever anyone hears this phrase, they’re supposed to respond with a blessing as well.”

“Happy New Year.” SCP-CN-655’s voice was a bit bewildered. It didn’t celebrate the Spring Festival; it didn’t even know the concept of a holiday. But it still did as told—perhaps this was important knowledge for its research on humans.

Outside, the weather was bright and clear. On the benches along the flower-lined paths, cats had curled up, basking in the lazy beauty of the winter sun. Ji Ning glanced at the time—there was still half an hour until he was due to meet Qin Mo. If he left now, he could spend fifteen minutes waiting, a perfect display of gentlemanly patience.

Fifteen minutes later, Ji Ning arrived at the bottom of Qin Mo’s dormitory building and made a call. “Good morning. I’m downstairs now. Mm, it’s fine—I can wait a bit longer.”

Qin Mo clearly hadn’t expected Ji Ning to be up so early today. She had always assumed that on days without classes, the concept of “before nine in the morning” simply didn’t exist in Ji Ning’s world.

She looked up at the clock, then let out a wail as if the world had collapsed. How could it already be this late? Flustered, she rushed to wash up. The commotion woke Afra, who yawned from the neighboring bed. “What’s the hurry? Being late is a girl’s prerogative.”

Qin Mo’s cheeks were still tinged with red. She glanced back at Afra. “It’s your fault! You said that fruit wine was so weak it was practically juice, and now I’ve overslept. My head’s still spinning.”

Afra flashed a sly smile. “I was just helping you celebrate. Besides, you look gorgeous right now. Qin Mo, why not be my girlfriend? Then we could just keep sleeping together.”

“No way.” Even in her rush, Qin Mo found time to reach a cold hand into Afra’s warm quilt and pressed it against her calf, making Afra shiver. Dodging deeper into the bed, Qin Mo ignored her, set her phone on the vanity, and began fixing her hair.

Though Ji Ning was growing a bit impatient, he didn’t call again. Who would be foolish enough to rush their date out the door?

Just as Ji Ning was about to start the nineteenth round of his ant gladiator matches, a pair of white women’s sneakers interrupted the bout.

Ji Ning looked up in confusion, then discreetly nudged the ant away. “You look wonderful today.” Sunlight filtered through the trees, shining into his heart. The girl before him seemed hauntingly familiar, like an old friend he’d waited for far too long.

A plain long-sleeved shirt, a thin, open-front cardigan, and a black down jacket; only when Ji Ning looked up was the delicate hood lowered, revealing an exquisite face. She wore ordinary indigo jeans—an outfit that looked warm and cozy, but on Qin Mo, it had a unique, fresh beauty, like the gentle older sister next door from first love.

Qin Mo smiled shyly, then spoke with a hint of embarrassment as she looked at Ji Ning. “Sorry, it took me a while to change this morning.” Of course, she wouldn’t admit she’d overslept because of a hangover, nor that she’d been in such a hurry she couldn’t find the top or skirt she’d planned to wear and had thrown on whatever she could find. It was warm, at least, though if given a choice between beauty and warmth, most women would have no hesitation.

“It’s fine. Waiting in hope is its own kind of happiness. Of course, if you feel bad, you could comfort me with a hug,” Ji Ning said, waving a hand.

Qin Mo walked beside him as if she hadn’t heard, but the corners of her mouth curled upward.

Today, Qin Mo was radiant with happiness, especially as Ji Ning really had invited only her.

Ji Ning didn’t take her outside Deer Academy; instead, he led her through the vast campus, weaving along winding paths toward some unknown destination.

“Where are you taking me?” Qin Mo suddenly remembered something important. She knew Ji Ning sometimes looked at her in a certain way—not that she disliked it, in fact, it made her a little happy. But if this rascal was planning something strange, the charming and reserved Miss Qin Mo wouldn’t just firmly refuse him—she’d also call Sister Sylvia to step up his training.

“Just follow me,” Ji Ning said, flashing a dazzling smile. In a certain sense, Qin Mo was now the person closest to him, so he’d decided to share his secret hideaway.

After navigating narrow, forest-like paths, Ji Ning led Qin Mo behind Building G, a place no normal route could reach. He skillfully climbed into an air duct just wide enough for a person, then reached back to offer Qin Mo his hand. “You can get into the building from here without a keycard. I searched for ages before finding this secret passage. Impressive, right?”

Seeing Ji Ning’s excitement, Qin Mo didn’t hesitate to take his hand and let him pull her inside. Only when she saw the dust lining the inside of the galvanized duct did she pause, but after a few seconds, she made up her mind and followed Ji Ning through, crawling carefully.

About five minutes later, Ji Ning opened a vent designed for cleaning. Once Qin Mo was out, he replaced the cover.

“It’s impossible to clean out all the dust in there. I brought a cloth yesterday, but for some reason it wouldn’t come off.” Ji Ning noticed her clothes were now dusty and sheepishly brushed them for her.

Qin Mo gently shook her head, took a small box of tissues from her pocket, wiped her hands, then, relieved she hadn’t worn a skirt, handed the rest to Ji Ning—he was even dirtier from crawling in front.

“Alright, from here it’s simple—just follow me, and try not to get caught on camera.” The adventure continued.

Ji Ning led Qin Mo, both of them dodging surveillance. Qin Mo, not understanding his aim, nevertheless caught his tension and held her breath, her heart racing with the thrill of breaking the rules.

She remembered that buildings past Sequence F required special permissions. She’d never even been inside Building G.

“What kind of punishment would we get if we’re caught?” Qin Mo’s breathing quickened. The feeling was new—a model student, now roped together with Ji Ning, and even if punishment awaited them, she found herself strangely willing.

“Who knows? I’ve never been caught before.” Ji Ning grinned like a little fox caught stealing chickens. He looked so charming that Qin Mo blushed, turned away, and dared only glance at him from the corner of her eye.

“So where are we going?” Qin Mo, seeing his smile, suddenly felt reassured. Never mind—if there was only one person to guide her through this world, it had to be this sly fox. She started to let her imagination run wild. Was he planning a theft? What could be in a biology lab—magical herbs? Fantastical animals?

Ji Ning nimbly slipped into a blind spot and began fiddling with the corner of a wall. He pried off a panel, revealing a mass of wiring, and silently summoned SCP-CN-655 in his mind.

A droplet, nearly invisible, slid from his fingertip, snaked along the wires, and entered the conductor through an insulation cut made long ago.

When 655 responded, Ji Ning carefully replaced the metal panel, wiping it down to remove any traces.

“Now the surveillance on this floor’s stairs and corridors is temporarily out. But we’ll only have about a minute before backup power kicks in, so we have to run.” Ji Ning took Qin Mo’s hand and rushed upstairs.

After repeating this process over a dozen times, Ji Ning brought the now-tired Qin Mo to a door secured with an electronic lock. He swiftly entered a code, and the door swung open.

Seeing what was inside, Qin Mo, who had been so nervous, froze in place. Ji Ning had brought her to the rooftop terrace of this building—not the empty space she expected, but a sea of flowers.

Rows upon rows of pots covered almost every inch of a terrace the size of a football field. Flowers of every kind soaked up the unfiltered sunlight, filling the air with a fragrant sweetness, as if someone had carved out a secret realm just for blossoms.

“Welcome to my secret base. Strictly speaking, the ownership belongs to a senior named Irina. But for now, I’m the one in charge.”

“How did you find out about this place?” Qin Mo crouched to examine an orchid at her feet, reaching out but noticing that all the flowers were covered by a transparent film.

“Senior Irina is my academic mentor. Once, she had to go on a mission but needed a few flowers grafted, so she asked me for help. That’s how this became my secret base. But I only get a keycard when she entrusts it to me, so the rest of the time I take the route we just did.” Ji Ning explained while heading into the heart of the flowers.

“Why are these flowers covered with that membrane?” Qin Mo, following close behind, looked around the secret garden like a little animal in new surroundings.

“That’s a failed product from the Deer Academy’s weapons manufacturing division. I don’t know its name. It was designed to insulate weapons from special corrosion—acidproof, heat-resistant, and very light. But after the first batch, they found it wasn’t waterproof. Adding waterproofing made it too expensive, so the project was shelved. Irina took all the samples for her garden, where they work just like greenhouse covers.” Ji Ning finally found the lounge chair in the garden and gestured for Qin Mo to lie down.

Since the probation incident, their relationship had grown much closer. Earlier, Qin Mo might have hesitated, but now she simply lay down, grateful she hadn’t worn a skirt.

Ji Ning, standing behind her, produced two bottles of cola like a magician. “Want one?”

Qin Mo was going to refuse, but then realized there were no vending machines here. He must have brought them in advance. There aren’t many things in this world worth cherishing, but this can of cola was one of them. It wasn’t the drink itself, but the sentiment behind it that truly mattered. She accepted it gladly.

Raised to believe that carbonated drinks were bad for teeth, Qin Mo rarely drank soda. This might have been her first taste of cola, and to her surprise, it was far better than she’d imagined. The refreshing bubbles rose from her heart after just one sip. She’d planned to have only a taste, but now reasoned that a single can couldn’t do much harm.

Moments later, the two of them lounged side by side under the sunshade, sipping cola and gazing at Irina’s secret garden. Though it was a rooftop, Qin Mo felt as if she were lying on a summer beach.

“Sometimes I come here alone, just as I brought you now—sneaking in. Irina always treats me as a handy helper, only giving me the key when she needs me to look after this place. Ever since I first saw this garden, I’ve loved it. I even bought this lounge chair for her, but she’s probably sat in it less than I have.” Ji Ning felt the breeze on his face, his gaze drifting into the distant sky.

“Actually, I stumbled into the strange world behind this one, just like you. I miss my old life sometimes, but I know I can’t go back. Legally, my identity has been erased, and even when I returned to China for finals, I used credentials provided by Deer Academy.” Ji Ning’s voice was calm and gentle.

“Why?” Qin Mo sat up and looked at him.

“It’s funny, really. I want to know why, too. I’d just finished my senior year of high school and hadn’t even been in college a week when those anti-human maniacs at the SCP Foundation knocked me out. When I woke, I was told I had to be contained.”

“Why did they capture you? And how did you escape?”

“That’s another story.”

“That’s alright, I have plenty of time.”

Qin Mo raised her head, her gaze following Ji Ning’s faraway look to the edge of the winter sunlight. Amid the fragrant sea of flowers, the story’s time slipped quietly back to a long-ago spring.