The footsteps drew closer and closer.
A silhouette appeared in the darkness at the cave entrance. Humanoid. Two legs, walking upright, standing...
About five feet nine inches tall.
The figure stepped out of the darkness.
Sunlight fell across him.
Every expression on Chen Siyao's face froze.
Yang Wanqing's mouth hung open, a half-formed "Ah" catching in her throat.
The one who emerged...
Was a young man.
Around twenty years old. His hair was a tangled mess, grown long enough to reach his shoulders.
His face was filthy, his skin tanned dark, and a scrape on his cheekbone had already scabbed over.
He wore a dark blue casual jacket.
It was torn in several places... the cuffs were worn through, the hem had a rip in it, and half the zipper was broken.
But Chen Siyao recognized the style. It had come out that spring. She had seen the same jacket at the mall.
The T-shirt underneath bore an English logo from a sportswear brand. His pants were khaki cargo pants, with two pale patches worn into the knees.
On his feet were sneakers, their uppers coming unglued and their soles nearly worn smooth.
He was from Blue Star.
And...
Chen Siyao knew him.
That tanned, filthy face... wipe away the dirt and cut his hair short...
"Classmate Fu Zhaojie?"
Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing cried out almost simultaneously.
Fu Zhaojie stood at the cave entrance, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight. When he saw the two people standing before him, his entire body jolted.
His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.
"Goddess of the Jade Pool? Yang... Yang Wanqing?"
His lips were trembling.
Chen Siyao stared at him for three seconds, making sure she had the right person.
Fu Zhaojie. A fellow student at her and Yang