A Strange Smell

People loved a spectacle. The crowd packed the spacious cinema lobby three layers deep inside and out, and the staff had to make a considerable effort just to squeeze their way in.

Seeing the cinema security guard arrive, the onlookers knew the show was over and left reluctantly.

Xiao Xiao watched the girl's retreating figure, unable to shake that cold, peculiar smile from his mind.

"Third Brother, don't tell me you've taken a fancy to that woman? Don't! Sure, she's pretty enough, but..." The moment Zhuge Yun saw who Xiao Xiao's "reluctant" gaze was fixed on, his heart skipped a beat, and he immediately began to "educate" him in an earnest tone.

Sigh, none of his roommates gave him any peace of mind. What was he supposed to do?

Zhuge Yun wore the expression of an overly concerned mother.

Uh... Xiao Xiao froze for a moment, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "I haven't taken a fancy to her."

"Really? Then why were you staring at her?"

"...It was a coincidence. I was spacing out just now." Xiao Xiao could not come up with a good excuse, and after much effort, managed to force out one. But seeing Zhuge Yun's expression of Don't try to fool me, he knew it was a pretty terrible excuse.

Xiao Xiao was helpless. Fortunately, Zhuge Yun did not press the matter further, but the look on his face that said I understand, I'm considerate made it clear that whatever he had in mind was definitely not something Xiao Xiao would like—and was probably a hundred thousand miles from the truth.

Forget it. Xiao Xiao decided to ignore him.

Time revealed a person's true heart anyway. More importantly, there was no way he could explain it.

It had only been a bit of excitement they happened upon, though they had run into the main characters of that excitement more than once.

Other than Xiao Xiao, everyone else quickly put the matter out of their minds and happily continued shopping.

As for Xiao Xiao, even if he cared about it, it was ultimately just curiosity at work. He had always been good at letting things go. Since he could not solve the mystery for now, he simply stopped thinking about it.

The mall was brightly lit and spotless, with a sweet fragrance wafting through the air.

People came and went, bright and carefree smiles on their faces. Before long, the strange smile lingering in Xiao Xiao's mind had been wiped away.

Since they had eaten too much for dinner, Zhang Jiajia suggested walking back to school to help digest their food.

Naturally, no one objected. Even on foot, it was only half an hour to campus.

The moon was already high in the sky, its gentle radiance flowing through the ink-dark heavens.

There was a faint chill in the air. Winter was gradually approaching.

As they chatted, the topic somehow turned to the girl at the center of the earlier cinema incident.

"I think," Luo Xiaoluan said solemnly, sounding utterly serious, "that girl dumped the poor male lead and threw herself into the arms of the rich second male lead. Then she hooked up with the second male lead's rival—the third male lead. After triggering a war between the male lead and the second male lead, she deepened the conflict between the second and third male leads. Maybe she'll even set off a 'world war' someday."

As she spoke, a trace of regret entered Luo Xiaoluan's voice. Too bad she would not get to see it.

"Mm, that makes sense. Why do I feel like that's exactly what happened?" Xu Ying turned it over in her head and actually found her friend's nonsense rather plausible.

"Pfft." Wu Ya laughed. "But if that's the case, she'd better be careful not to get burned playing with fire." Wasn't what happened at the cinema today exactly that?

Fortunately, only an arm had been injured this time. If there was a next time, who knew what might happen?

"Actually, this girl is pretty impressive." There was a hint of admiration on Zhang Jiajia's face.

"Really? Thank you."

The soft, seductive female voice that suddenly came from behind them made everyone's hair stand on end. They instinctively turned around. Even Xiao Xiao and the others, who had not said anything, looked startled and embarrassed, let alone the girls who had been talking so enthusiastically.

Talking "badly" about someone behind their back, only to get caught by the person herself... that was way too much of a test.

The girls' minds went blank, their bodies stiffening as they stood there dumbly.

Xiao Xiao was the first to recover. He gave the girl an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. They didn't mean any harm."

"Oh~" The deliberately drawn-out tone gave nothing away.

Xu Ying and the others, who snapped back to their senses the instant Xiao Xiao spoke, flushed bright red.

"I'm sorry, we..." Xu Ying and the others fell silent again. Thinking about it now, they had not really said anything bad about the girl. But talking about someone behind her back and being overheard by the person herself was still their fault. Yet aside from apologizing, they did not know what else to say.

"I'm sorry. They didn't do it on purpose."

"We're very sorry."

"I'm sorry."

Zhang Bo and the others all apologized on Xu Ying's behalf.

It had been like seeing an interesting incident online and casually commenting on it. They had merely been talking; it was harmless enough.

Who would have thought that just after the girls had begun their animated discussion, the person herself would suddenly appear? Even if they had not said anything truly malicious, their earlier teasing remarks still carried a hint of disrespect. Facing the girl directly now, the girls were mortified.

"All right, I understand." The girl's stiff expression suddenly relaxed, revealing a faint smile.

"Huh?" Everyone looked bewildered.

"I forgive you." The girl smiled sweetly. "Besides, you were complimenting me, weren't you?"

"Uh, y-yes." Did that count as a compliment? Whatever. As long as she was not going to pursue the matter.

"Thank you. We're really sorry. We didn't mean any harm." After thanking the girl for her magnanimity, Xu Ying and the other girls once again expressed their apologies.

"All right, all right. It's best if everyone laughs it off and lets bygones be bygones." Zhang Bo offered his concluding remarks.

"What grudge or favor? It was just a small matter to begin with," Zhuge Yun muttered off to the side.

Amid a round of laughter, the atmosphere finally eased.

"Why are you here? And all by yourself?" Xu Ying was straightforward by nature. Seeing that the matter had been resolved, she immediately blurted out her question.

"Um, sorry, Xu Ying didn't mean anything by it." Wu Ya tugged at Xu Ying. This silly girl—what was their relationship with her? Why pry so much?

"It's fine. Your name is Xu Ying, right? I'm Ruan Rou. I'm heading back to school." The girl—Ruan Rou—pointed behind her.

Everyone turned around and realized that, without noticing, they had already reached the school gates.

Hehe, Xu Ying and the others felt like they had done a lot of stupid things tonight.

"Oh, you go to our school too?" Wu Ya asked with a somewhat stiff smile.

"Yes." Ruan Rou tilted her head slightly, her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled sweetly.

Xiao Xiao could barely bear to look. He had a feeling Xu Ying and the others were falling apart inside.

But now that they were closer, the night breeze carried wisps of Ruan Rou's scent toward him. Xiao Xiao caught that unforgettable smell again, as though it seeped from her very marrow—sweetly fragrant, yet also carrying the fishy, stale odor of decay.

"Smells so good." Zhuge Yun looked perfectly serious on the surface, but secretly nudged Xiao Xiao's arm and gestured toward Ruan Rou with his eyes, letting out a low, slightly intoxicated sigh.

"Yeah, that perfume smells really nice," Zhao Luzheng quietly agreed.

"Idiot. Maybe it's her natural body scent."

"Huh? Really?"

Listening to the two whispering beside him, Xiao Xiao frowned in confusion. Smelled good?

It did smell fragrant, true enough, but like overripe fruit on the verge of rotting, beneath that excessively rich sweetness lurked a dark, gloomy stench of death that made him feel... sick.

He quietly moved a few steps away and turned aside to take several breaths of fresh air. When he turned back, however, he met the girl's rather meaningful gaze.

A sudden palpitation seized his heart, only to vanish in an instant. When he looked again, the girl was already saying goodbye to Xu Ying and the others.

He watched as she naturally turned to bid Eldest Brother, the others, and him farewell as well.

Watching the girl smile and chat so pleasantly, he ultimately curved his lips into a polite smile and said goodbye.

As the girl turned and walked through the school gates, the curve of his lips slowly faded, his gaze turning thoughtful.