“He didn’t kill his grandfather,” Rui said fiercely.
“How can you be sure?”
It didn’t surprise her that Zizi would be skeptical. He’d seemed troubled at the shophouse whenever she mentioned Yiran. Was it because of what transpired between Burning Flame and Lei Ying? Surely Zizi understood things were different now. Her journey in the underworld had taught her to live fully in the present. The past was the past, and she’d let it go. Moreover, like her, Yiran was a different person in this lifetime. She wasn’t going to hold old grudges over his head.
She jutted out her chin. “I just know.”
Zizi gave her a look. “Good thing I was talking about the blast of spiritual energy and not the murder, then.”
She had misunderstood him. “Wait, are you saying Yiran caused the explosion? That’s impossible.”
“Is it?” Zizi picked up one of her pens, twirling it between his fingers as he said thoughtfully, “I keep going back to thefirstseparation spell, when your spiritual energy was transferred to him. It’s always been a mystery to me how his supposedly ordinary spirit core could absorb and hold so much excess energy. All signs keep pointing to the possibility that it’snotordinary.”
“But he said he’s been a normie all his life. Wouldn’t he know if he wasn’t?”
“I’m not so sure about that.” Zizi put the pen down with a sigh. “Anyway, I came to tell you that I’ve found a tool to destroy the spell the Hybrids have. All I need now is to get the talisman itself. But don’t worry, I’ll get it done.”
“What kind of tool? How does it work?”
Zizi waved away her questions. “It’s too complicated to explain. You’ll know when the spell is destroyed.” He stood up. “Well, I’m off.”
“You came all the way here just to tell me this?”
“Seemed appropriate that you’re the one I speak to.” His tone was too light, and his nonchalant attitude felt like a show. The black mark in his left eye had spread like ink across water. For some reason, it worried her.
Rui was confused by her own feelings. Why had she wanted him tosay more? Why had her heart pounded when she opened the door earlier, knowing whose face she would see? She remembered nothing about the mysterious boy-god lounging in her chair. Yet she could read him like her favorite book, and she knew he was hiding something. The tool he spoke about had to come from the underworld. Did it require some kind of sacrifice? Her dealings with the realm of the dead proved that everything from it came with strings attached.
“I should go,” Zizi said in a conclusive manner, as if they’d had a discussion and agreed on something she didn’t know about.
“Okay,” Rui said, halting.
He glanced around her dorm room with a peculiar expression. “There was a time when you would have stopped me from leaving.”
“I don’t remem—”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said hastily. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
Zizi stepped backward, then hesitated, staring at her as though memorizing her face, observing every detail, taking in her whole being. Hewasstrange. But this was a different kind of strange. It felt like he knew he wouldn’t have the chance to look at her this way again.
He came to say goodbye.Rui tried to speak, but he was already by the door. Her heart cried out,Stay.
But the word never left her lips.
As the door was closing behind him, Zizi turned back. He looked like he was about to say something momentous.
Beep.
A text message from an unknown number flashed on Rui’s phone.
Mint chocolate tastes like toothpaste.
57
Yiran
Night had fallen. Despite being in a daze, Yiran made it to Xingshan Academy without incident. He didn’t know why the campus was his first thought after he’d run from the teahouse. Maybe he’d come here because it was one of the few places he had ever felt safe. Where he’d felt like himself.
One thing was certain: he couldn’t go back to Song Mansion. He’d seen the look on Ash’s face in the teahouse. His brother thought him a murderer. But he couldn’t return to his father and the Hybrids either.
