Chapter 76 Trapped

Chapter 76: Trapped

"Study comes first" — these four words were a constant in Shen Ci's life from the second year of junior high all the way through his high school entrance exam.

Although he worked hard and diligently throughout his third year of junior high, his math score on the entrance exam still fell short of his expectations. He lost a lot of points on the last two parts of the final big problem.

Shen Ci once wondered if he really had any talent for STEM.

Luckily, when fall came and school started, Shen Ci and Song Qiuchi met up again at Yunxi and were deskmates again.

"I'm planning to get eyelash extensions." Song Qiuchi leaned close to a small mirror and blinked. "If you're free this weekend, come with me."

Shen Ci was putting away his new textbooks. He glanced over at her, a little confused. "Eyelash extensions?"

"Yeah, kind of like hair plugs?" Song Qiuchi tossed the mirror onto the desk. "I feel like mine are a little short. I want to add a few fox-eye lashes at the corners and some long, straight ones."

Shen Ci wrote his name on the inside cover of his English book and nodded, getting it. "Is it far? If it is, I'll have my d-ddy drive me this weekend."

Song Qiuchi thought about it. "Not too far. It's near Jinting."

Shen Ci opened his math textbook, the subject that always gave him a headache, and wrote Shen Shiyan's name in it. "Actually, your lashes are already pretty long."

"I'm just getting a few clusters to add some flair." Song Qiuchi leaned in. "Why aren't you writing your own name on the math book?"

Shen Ci looked determined. He pressed his hands together and bowed to the math book, saying with total seriousness. "I hope my d-ddy can bless my math grades to be as good as his, so I can ace it."

"..." Song Qiuchi leaned back. "Your d-ddy's math textbooks from back then are totally outdated. Writing his name won't help as much as writing mine would."

Shen Ci thought she had a point, but he still felt he should write Shen Shiyan's name.

After thinking it over, he picked up his pen and added Song Qiuchi's name as well, then kept bowing seriously.

"..."

On Sunday morning, Shen Shiyan still made time to drive Shen Ci over, picking up Chen Bufan on the way.

"Call me if you need to come home." Shen Shiyan's eyes lingered on the three of them in front of the Yasong Beauty Center before saying briefly.

Shen Ci nodded.

"You're going into art next year?" Shen Ci watched the car drive away and patted Chen Bufan on the shoulder. "So we won't be in the same class anymore?"

"Not really. Yunxi's main campus takes in sports recruits. We can still eat lunch together, and it's pretty close." Chen Bufan followed the two inside.

"That's true." Shen Ci smiled.

Chen Bufan no longer paid special attention to Song Qiuchi. Since they became friends, their relationship had become like an iron triangle. Over time, Chen Bufan realized that being an impossible crush wasn't better than being best friends. Gradually, he let go of those feelings.

As soon as they walked in, Song Qiuchi used Song Xianghan's VIP card. The service at Yasong was great. While waiting for Song Qiuchi to talk to the beautician, Shen Ci and Chen Bufan sat in massage chairs, drinking coffee and eating snacks.

He snapped a photo and sent it to Shen Shiyan.

"Shen Ci: So cozy."

"Shen Ci: Enjoying.JPG"

Shen Shiyan didn't reply until Song Qiuchi's eyelash appointment was almost over.

"Shen Shiyan: Mm."

"Shen Shiyan: Head home on your own later. There's something urgent at the company."

"How does it look?" Song Qiuchi looked in the mirror, in a great mood, and came over to them. "Is it nice?"

Chen Bufan had almost dozed off in the massage chair. At the sound of her voice, he sat up abruptly, took a second to wake up, and asked, "Which ones are fake?"

Song Qiuchi: "..."

Shen Ci typed fast on his phone.

"Shen Ci: Okay."

"Shen Ci: If you're going out on the water, d-ddy, be careful."

After sending it, he looked up and studied her carefully. "The outer corners really stand out. It does look better than before."

Song Qiuchi's features had matured, and her monolids made her look aloof. But now, with the lashes extending at the outer corners and her inner eyeliner thick, she looked even more lively, like a cool, innocent, and tempting little fox.

A staff member brought Song Qiuchi's coat and swiped the remaining balance on her card. Shen Ci glanced over, a little shocked.

Once they were outside, Shen Ci said, "Eight thousand!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Bufan was even more shocked than Shen Ci. "Eight thousand!"

Song Qiuchi winked. "That's how it is with high-end beauty clinics."

The three chatted and laughed as they went to eat. Shen Ci pulled out his phone several times to check his chat with Shen Shiyan, but there was still no reply.

By the time they parted ways, it was already dusk. Shen Ci took a taxi home and flipped the light switch at the entrance. He stared at Shen Shiyan's slippers for a while, feeling that the house without him was empty and cold.

Letting out a very soft sigh, Shen Ci sent another message to Shen Shiyan before collapsing onto Shen Shiyan's bed, feeling a bit exhausted.

The scent of laundry detergent on the blanket mixed with Shen Shiyan's cool, faint fragrance, calming Shen Ci's restless heart, which had been uneasy because Shen Shiyan hadn't replied. He buried his face in the pillow, idly opened a match-three game, and fell asleep after a couple of rounds.

"Cough, cough..."

Shen Ci was jolted awake by a scorching heat and acrid smoke. His throat was as dry as sand scorched in a desert. Every breath triggered violent coughing.

His vision was blurry, the air filled with the smell of burning. Waves of heat surged from the living room into the bedroom. The wooden door was charred, and rolling black smoke nearly engulfed the entire room. Rubbing his eyes, Shen Ci's survival instinct told him this wasn't a dream.

His legs felt weak. Covering his mouth and nose, he grabbed his phone, dialed Shen Shiyan's number, and rushed out of the bedroom.

What made him more desperate than the beeping sound on the phone was that all the exits and windows in the room were tightly locked. Even the bathroom door wouldn't open. Flames danced wildly around him, the heat searing his skin.

Shen Ci forced himself to calm down. He went to the cabinet under the kitchen counter, pulled out a hammer left behind from fixing a water pipe, and ran toward the floor-to-ceiling window leading to the small courtyard.

The reinforced tempered glass was hard. Shen Ci struck it several times, but it didn't budge.

The nearby floor-to-ceiling curtains, which hadn't yet caught fire, suddenly burst into flames. Shen Ci's consciousness wavered slightly. He bit his tongue hard, snapping back to clarity. Remembering something important, he dropped the hammer and ran into the study.

The draft papers and decorations on his desk, where he practiced calligraphy and drew, were already burning. Shen Ci frantically pulled open the bottom drawer and breathed a sigh of relief.

He took the contents and put them in his pocket. The phone finally connected on the last second before it would have hung up.

"Hello?"

Wind rustled through the line, and Shen Shiyan's voice was slightly hoarse.

"D-ddy!!" Shen Ci's voice was even hoarser. He coughed as he ran out. "There's a fire! I can't get out!!"

His voice was hoarse, choked with tears.

Shen Shiyan didn't have time to wonder why the house was on fire or how Shen Ci got trapped.

"Don't hang up!"

Shen Shiyan had just stepped off the yacht. The deep-sea oil and gas project's third-phase survey had hit another snag. After fixing the issue, he got a call from Shen Ci.

The sea wind howled. Shen Shiyan dared not waste a moment, using another work phone to call the police.

He sprinted to the car, but it still didn't feel fast enough. His hands trembled, his lips pale. A feeling of fear was eating away at his reason. Shen Shiyan had never been this scared—not even when he was pushed off a cliff.

He floored it. The traffic lights blurred into darkness, melting into the night.

"Shen Ci!!" Shen Shiyan heard a heavy thud through the phone, and his heart clenched.

No response.

"Shen Ci!!"

"Shen Ci!!!" he screamed.

...

The tires screeched on the asphalt, throwing sparks. Shen Shiyan called out Shen Ci's name over and over, the taste of blood in his throat.