I heard a heartbeat. It wasn't mine, but Ruan Yuxia's.
Her heart was beating fast, filled with excitement and anticipation.
I heard a distant, indistinct voice. It sounded like Ruan Yuxia's female classmate.
"...He'll come to register when the next semester starts, right...?"
The voice seemed to come from Ruan Yuxia's memories. Her heartbeat didn't drown it out. In Ruan Yuxia's field of vision were the campus and that notebook.
But I saw flames.
This wasn't an illusion.
Flames and black smoke swept across my vision.
I instinctively coughed twice, trying to wave away the thick smoke blocking my sight.
I saw Ruan Yuxia lying on the ground. Tears streaked her face, her body trembled, and her eyes were slowly losing focus.
Without time to think, I instinctively reached out to her.
My hand grasped at empty air.
The black smoke vanished.
I saw the ground covered in ashes and sensed a trace of sinister energy.
I abruptly turned around and saw Ruan Yuxia standing behind me, her eyes lowered toward the ground.
Someone opened the door.
A middle-aged couple came in. They both looked haggard. The man slumped into a chair, paying no mind to the dust on it. The woman went into another room. A few noises came from inside.
After a while, she came out and said softly, "Let's sort through the things first. We'll set aside whatever can still be used."
The man got to his feet and helped her sort through the ruins.
Ruan Yuxia wiped her face and turned to look at the middle-aged couple.
The scene around us changed again.
I followed behind Ruan Yuxia, drifting along the street.
Ruan Yuxia followed the middle-aged couple.
They entered a building with a sign that read Civil Affairs Bureau.
The divorce process was quick. The