El hibisco como pintura

Capítulo 9

Gao Xiaoyuan gently opened the door a crack and looked outside.

There was no one at the door, only... a black piano key lying quietly on the ground.

Gao Xiaoyuan bent down to pick up the piano keys from the ground, turned around and walked to the bedside, where she embedded the black piano keys into the wall.

The two piano keys and the interwoven lines looked like something. Gao Xiaoyuan tilted her head to the left, then to the right; it seemed to be…

Suddenly, all the lights went out.

Gao Xiaoyuan stood nervously in the darkness, still gripping the knife tightly in her hand, cold sweat beading on her forehead.

Footsteps sounded in the darkness, seemingly coming from the stairs.

"Xu An, is that you?" Gao Xiaoyuan asked.

The footsteps were still ringing out, and they were getting closer and closer.

"Why aren't you saying anything!" Gao Xiaoyuan's voice had changed, and she backed away until she reached the bedside.

The footsteps disappeared, and the person seemed to be standing at the door.

Time ticked by, and Gao Xiaoyuan felt her breathing growing heavier. Just then, the lights suddenly came back on, and Gao Xiaoyuan immediately recognized the person standing in the doorway.

It's Xu An!

Gao Xiaoyuan raised the knife in her hand: "I shouldn't have trusted you!"

"Xiaoyuan!" Xu An suddenly cried out in surprise, and then rushed towards Gao Xiaoyuan.

Gao Xiaoyuan bit her lip tightly, closed her eyes reluctantly, and faced the blade.

The knife plunged deep into Xu An's abdomen, but he didn't care. He pushed Gao Xiaoyuan down onto the bed and shielded her with his own body.

Another sharp fruit knife was forcefully plunged into Xu An's back, and he collapsed helplessly onto Gao Xiaoyuan.

Only then did Gao Xiaoyuan realize that there was someone standing behind her, and that person was about to stab her with a fruit knife. If Xu An hadn't stopped her, she would be the one injured now. And that person was... Li Wenbin!

The smile on his face was gone, replaced by a fierce look. He was staring intently at Gao Xiaoyuan, the blood-stained knife in his hand raised once more.

"Xiaoyuan, run!" Before Gao Xiaoyuan could react, Xu An had already struggled to his feet and was wrestling with Li Wenbin.

"Xu An!" Seeing Xu An covered in blood, Gao Xiaoyuan felt extremely heartbroken.

While wrestling with Li Wenbin, Xu An shouted urgently, "Xiaoyuan, get out of here! Get out of here right now!"

Gao Xiaoyuan covered her mouth sadly and ran towards the bedroom door, but then stopped and turned around to look at Xu An.

Xu An's back was covered in blood, and his pale face was covered in cold sweat, but he was still fighting desperately against Li Wenbin.

Tears streamed down Gao Xiaoyuan's face; she couldn't abandon Xu An and run away alone. Gao Xiaoyuan grabbed a stool from beside the desk and smashed it forcefully against Li Wenbin.

Li Wenbin let out a wail, suddenly pushed Xu An down with force, stood up, and glared at Gao Xiaoyuan with the blood-stained knife in his hand.

"If you want to kill me, then kill me!" Gao Xiaoyuan shouted.

"No...don't hurt...her..." Xu An cried out with his last bit of strength, but his body collapsed limply into a pool of blood.

Gao Xiaoyuan rushed to Xu An's side, lifted his head, and cried out, "Xu An! Xu An! Don't scare me!"

Li Wenbin glanced at Gao Xiaoyuan, then at Xu An, and suddenly turned and ran away.

Gao Xiaoyuan hugged Xu An, crying and calling out, "Don't leave me! Don't leave me! Xu An! Xu An!"

Xu An forced his eyes open, managing a weak smile: "You...are alright...I'm relieved..." He barely managed to say the last word before closing his eyes tightly.

"Xu An! Xu An!" Gao Xiaoyuan cried out in anguish, "You can't die! You still have so many things you haven't told me! You can't die!" Gao Xiaoyuan couldn't forgive herself. She had actually told him she shouldn't have trusted him, yet he had given up his life for her. Why did this happen? Why wasn't it her who died!

Xu An, you can't die, you can't leave me!

When Gao Xiaoyuan looked up at the wall above her bed again, she noticed that three black piano keys were embedded in the wall, and she finally saw the pattern clearly.

It was a word upside down: Death.

4. Fear of classmates

One day, you suddenly find that the familiar classmate next to you has become a different person. What would you do?

An arrogant and unruly male student

In the night sky, a crescent moon hung high, and countless stars twinkled faintly, as if guiding a lost person. But Gao Xiaoyuan didn't know which way to go. When her gaze fell on Xu An on the hospital bed, a warm smile appeared on her pale face.

Xu An is alive, though injured.

Gao Xiaoyuan couldn't help but grasp Xu An's hand and gently leaned down beside the bed: "Xu An, I like you." Gao Xiaoyuan closed her eyes contentedly and drifted off to sleep with a sweet smile.

Xu An slowly opened his eyes and looked at Gao Xiaoyuan beside him.

Gao Xiaoyuan was too tired and had already fallen asleep.

Xu An gently removed Gao Xiaoyuan's hand, then quietly got off the bed and took off his coat to put it on Xiaoyuan.

Gao Xiaoyuan shifted her head, tilting it to the side, and a few strands of hair got into her mouth. Xu An smiled faintly, bent down, leaned closer to Xiaoyuan, and reached out to remove the hair from her mouth. However, he didn't stand up immediately, but stared blankly at Gao Xiaoyuan's face.

It was a face brimming with innocence: fair skin, delicate eyebrows, a not-so-high nose, and a small, rosy mouth. Yet, this innocent face revealed an indescribable loneliness and helplessness, instantly evoking pity in those who saw it.

Xu An quietly looked at that face.

Suddenly, thunder rumbled outside the window.

Xu An turned to look out the window, then back at Gao Xiaoyuan, before jumping out of the window.

Gao Xiaoyuan woke up with a start and found that Xu An was no longer on the hospital bed. Had he left again?

Gao Xiaoyuan walked sadly to the window and looked up at the night sky.

He truly is an enigma...

For several days there were no clues, and everything seemed to have returned to calm.

At night, Gao Xiaoyuan silently weaved through the bustling streets with her schoolbag on her back. Watching the hurried passersby, she hoped to spot Xu An among them. Was he alright? Had his injuries fully healed?

Gao Xiaoyuan slowly walked into the underground passage. The dim light reflected on her pale face, and her lifeless eyes revealed a sense of helplessness and longing. Only the echoes of her footsteps could be heard in the empty passage, as if accompanying her wounded heart. But then, strange music suddenly filled the passage.

Gao Xiaoyuan suddenly stopped.

The music sounded simple, just repeating the same few notes, yet it sent chills down your spine.

Gao Xiaoyuan's heart leaped into her throat. She gripped the hem of her clothes tightly and looked to the ground on her right, following the sound.

A brand-new red cell phone lay quietly on the ground, as if it had been lost by some careless owner.

Gao Xiaoyuan breathed a sigh of relief, walked over and picked up her phone. She glanced around, not seeing anyone passing by in the passageway. Gao Xiaoyuan looked at her phone screen.

A message.

Gao Xiaoyuan looked around again, but still no one was there. It seemed the only way to find the phone's owner was to check the contact information on the phone. Gao Xiaoyuan randomly pressed a key on the phone's keypad, and the message opened, immediately displaying a miniature photo on the screen.

What's this?

Gao Xiaoyuan tried pressing the zoom button, and the photo immediately became exceptionally clear.

In the photo, under the pale moonlight, there is a tall white building. On one side of the building, there seems to be a sign, and Gao Xiaoyuan can only vaguely make out the words: "Love for Orphans..."

The lettering on the sign seemed to be covered by dirt and was completely illegible.

Gao Xiaoyuan glanced at the sender; it was an unfamiliar number.

Who could have lost it?

Suddenly, someone bumped into Gao Xiaoyuan. Before she could react, she fell forward to the ground, and the phone she was holding flew out of her hand. Before she could even cry out, she heard a commotion and noise beside her.

"You stubborn brat!"

"Kill him!"

"You've got some skills, come at me all at once!"

Gao Xiaoyuan had just looked up when she saw a group of male students in school uniforms fighting in the corridor. She was terrified.

I had to quickly crawl to the side of the passage, curl up, and cover my head with my hands.

"ah--"

"oops--"

"It hurts so much—"

...

Gao Xiaoyuan turned her head, pressed her face tightly against the cold wall of the corridor, closed her eyes, and felt her heart almost jump out of her throat.

"Hello—hello—"

Gao Xiaoyuan suddenly felt someone tapping her shoulder. Startled, she quickly turned her head to the other side and cried out in a trembling voice, "I was just... just passing by... I didn't see anything..."

"Hey, I'm talking to you, don't pretend you don't understand!"

The voice sounded very impolite, as if it were talking to her. Gao Xiaoyuan slowly opened her eyes a crack and looked at the other person.

The other person was a male student with a head of messy, yellow-black hair, a straight nose, handsome eyebrows, and bright, piercing eyes, making him quite handsome. However, his school uniform collar was ripped open, there was blood at the corner of his mouth, and he had an arrogant, unruly, and wild look on his face.

This boy looks like the kind of student who causes trouble at school all day and drags down the whole class in exams. "You...you..." Whether it was from fear or from being too nervous, Gao Xiaoyuan didn't know what to say to the boy in front of her.

The male student suddenly pulled up the school badge on Gao Xiaoyuan's chest with his finger: "Beiqing High School".

Gao Xiaoyuan quickly covered her school badge with her hand and cried out in panic, "What are you doing!"

The male student remained silent, only giving Gao Xiaoyuan a smug look. Gao Xiaoyuan felt a pang of panic and turned to walk to the left, but the boy blocked her way by placing his hand against the wall. Gao Xiaoyuan then turned to walk to the right, but the boy then placed his other arm against the wall, effectively trapping her in his arms.

"I don't have any money!"

The boy suddenly laughed and said, "Do I look like a beggar?"

"You... I'm sorry... I have to go home... Please let me through." Gao Xiaoyuan tried to leave, but the boy didn't let her go.

Are you afraid of me?

Gao Xiaoyuan rolled her eyes at the boy, then suddenly pushed him away forcefully with both hands: "I hate people like you the most! You're so boring!" Gao Xiaoyuan stood up and walked away without looking back.