Chapter 33: Finding Friends 1

Chapter 33: Making Friends (Part 1)

One after another, classmates and teachers arriving at school noticed your right hand in a sling. They expressed concern and asked how you got injured. You simply replied that you accidentally bumped your hand.

During the last class before lunch, the teacher instructed all the students to take out the stuffed toys they had brought from home and place them on the trading table at the back of the classroom. If they found a toy they liked, they could ask its owner to swap for three days.

The rules were simple: don't damage or lose someone else’s toy, and everyone had to take good care of what belonged to others.

Perhaps the teacher thought this activity would be good for first-graders to learn.

The event went smoothly. Everyone placed their stuffed toys on the trading table—some big, some small, made of various materials and in different colors. There was even a clearly homemade cloth doll, likely sewn overnight by a parent. While it wasn't pretty, its unusual look made it stand out.

You also placed your rabbit plushie on the trading table.

The children began choosing their favorite toys and trading with each other. A boy with a small braid at the back of his head took a liking to your rabbit plushie and shyly asked to exchange, nervously playing with his fingers the whole time.

You remembered his name was Duan Yin. He had also attended Star Kindergarten, though in a different class, and only ended up in the same elementary school class as you.

"Sure. What’s your toy?" You agreed to the exchange, not really caring what Duan Yin’s toy was since you didn’t feel particularly attached to your plushie.

Duan Yin pointed to a golden-curled, red-dressed doll on the trading table. "This one’s mine. Do you like it?"

You hesitated.

Many girls in the class had wanted that doll, and now it was going to be yours.

Duan Yin looked at you eagerly, his dark eyes shining with hope. It was hard to refuse such an earnest request from a child—he just wanted your rabbit plushie.

"...Okay," you nodded reluctantly. Duan Yin grinned happily, picking up the doll and the rabbit. He handed the doll to you and hugged the rabbit tightly.

"I’ll take good care of it!" he said seriously.

By the end, the brown teddy bear sat alone, still untouched on the trading table.

It wasn’t that no one liked it—it was that no one knew whose it was.

"Whose teddy bear is this?" the teacher asked.

The students shook their heads. No one claimed it.

"Then let’s leave it here for now. The owner can take it back when they remember."

Seeing that every student had a toy except for the extra teddy bear, the teacher didn’t think much of it. After reminding everyone again to take care of each other’s toys, she left.

Lunch was served in the school cafeteria—affordable, delicious, and with meat and vegetables. But as you bit into a chicken leg, you noticed your front tooth felt loose.

Thinking about it, you were nearly six, the age when kids start losing teeth. Since you didn’t know your exact birthday, you weren’t sure if you’d already turned six.

During afternoon class, you sat in the back due to your height. As the teacher gave the lesson, you kept feeling as if someone was watching you from behind.

But whenever you turned around, none of your classmates were looking at you—they were all doing their own work.

Having dealt with strange occurrences before, your eyes kept going back to the brown teddy bear on the trading table.

Was it because of that?

"Baby, what are you doing?"

Turning around so much caught the teacher’s attention.

Not wanting trouble, you said, "Teacher, I need to use the restroom."

"You should raise your hand first next time. Go ahead."

After returning from the restroom, the watched feeling disappeared.

When class ended, you immediately looked at the trading table—the brown teddy bear had disappeared.

No one could have taken it during class.

This wasn't right.

But after looking around the room, you couldn’t find the bear. It was gone.

You didn’t see it again until dismissal.

It was held in the arms of a bigger boy sitting behind you, who was packing his bag while mumbling to the bear.

You glanced at the textbook on his desk—the name written on it was Zhao Cheng.

"Zhao Cheng," you called out. "Why do you have the teddy bear?"

Zhao Cheng looked up. "I didn’t take it. It was under my seat after class. I don’t know who put it there. Is it yours?"

"No."

"Oh."

You told him, "You should put it back. You can’t take it home."

You shouldn't mess with ghost stories.

Zhao Cheng refused. "It’s not yours, so don’t worry about it."

Just then, Chen Yuanyuan passed by with her backpack. Hearing this, she stopped, hands on her hips, and defended you. "Zhao Cheng, it’s not yours either! It belongs to someone else—you can’t take it home!"

"Then let the owner come ask for it," Zhao Cheng retorted defiantly before grabbing his bag and the bear and running off.

Chen Yuanyuan stamped her foot angrily. "Ugh, jerk!"

After packing your bag, you patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Yuan Yuan, wise people stay calm. Don’t get angry."

Chen Yuanyuan took a deep breath. "You’re right. I’ll become a monk in the future—I can’t act like them. Baby, aren’t you mad at all?"

"My heart is at peace."

"You’d be a good monk! Let’s become monks together later. Mom says my dad became a monk, so that’s why I never see him. When I grow up, I’ll visit him at the temple," Chen Yuanyuan said seriously.

You recalled back in kindergarten when Chen Yuanyuan had been haunted by a ghost story. At the time, you and Zhou Meng found her with only her mother present—her father was nowhere to be seen.

Uncertain about her family situation, you didn’t pry. "I don’t want to be a monk, but if you become one, I’ll visit you."

"Fine," Chen Yuanyuan said with a pout, disappointed. "I’m going home now. Bye!"

"Bye."

When you got home, you walked upstairs, still thinking about the brown teddy bear. Since the paper moon incident, this was the first time you’d encountered a supernatural thing outside. Combined with what happened with your mother last night… it seemed like things were finally normal after the paper moon incident.

New ghost stories keep appearing, and over time, they grow active again.

You have gained abilities, but you can't handle every ghost story. More ghost stories existing at all baffles you. Just protecting yourself is enough—don't even think about dispelling them.

As for Zhao Cheng, you’ve already warned him. You're not powerful enough to help.

You sigh deeply, telling yourself to respect others' destinies.

Walking downstairs, head down, you suddenly sense something amiss. There's someone standing right in front of you—from your angle, all you see are a pair of gray sneakers.

Looking up, you see dark red clothing, pallid skin, a sharp and well-defined jawline, bloodless lips… and the upper half of the face obscured by shadows due to the angle.

The sudden appearance startles you, but you recover quickly. "You Guang?"

"Hmm." He responds, taking a step down to get closer to you. The upper half of his face, previously hidden in shadow, is now illuminated by colored lights, revealing his full features.

You’re surprised. You Guang rarely waits for you in the stairwell—usually, you have to seek him out for him to appear.

Is something the matter?

Perhaps your confusion is written all over your face, because You Guang speaks first. "I'm taking you somewhere."

He extends his hand toward you.

You take his hand and ask, "Where?"

He doesn’t answer, tightening his grip and pulling you toward where he stands. Following his lead, you take a step forward, and in an instant, the surroundings transform into an entirely different world.

Your and You Guang's clothes flap wildly, the wind whipping your short hair in all directions. The sudden change from the stairwell to howling wind almost knocks you over, and you cling tightly to You Guang to avoid falling.

"Achoo—!" You let out a violent sneeze.

The wind is fierce, stealing the warmth from your body. You Guang gives off a chilling cold—just being near him chills you to the bone.

You Guang shifts slightly, and the wind battering you lessens significantly, as he blocks most of it with his body.

You look around, and for a fleeting moment, you feel like you're standing at heaven's edge. The vast sky around you is painted with crimson clouds, and in the distance, an orange-red sunset slowly sinks beside the mountains. The surrounding clouds reflect a rich spectrum of colors—blue, red, yellow, purple, green—soft yet vivid, breathtakingly radiant.

You’re mesmerized, only snapping out of it after a long while to look down at your feet.

At the mountain’s peak, a few stone steps lead upward, built by who knows who.