Friday afternoon —

The school bell rang. The once silent and abandoned hall was immediately filled with boys and girls walking out their classrooms carrying their bags, books, cellphones and other things you would normally see a student should at least have. In pairs, in groups, there were also lone wolves scattered among them.

Ah, highschool...

The busiest and scariest years in the life of a student as some, if not most, would say. But they said it was also the most memorable years; hence, they must cherish them well... especially Friday during this time...

... as it signified the end of the hell week they went through. Students can finally relax and unwind. Going back home and seeing their families, going to malls, partying, gaming and many other activities that can give one freedom and pleasure for more than 48 hours.

48 hours.

It seemed like a long time for some, but it was definitely short for others. Some did not even have the luxury to have it.

Like Li Yao —

— a third year student of Class 3, one of the lone wolves 'scattered' among the students.

Standing at the height of 164 cm, her slim figure in her HS uniform silently traversed the hall. Walking down the stairs in light steps, her presence quickly blended with the environment like air making her... non-existent... invisible...

That was what she wanted though ...

Her long, silky black hair cascading behind and dancing to the rhythm of her steps should have been a beautiful sight. Her big deep eyes that were as calm as still waters should have drawn one's soul. Her long eyelashes that were normally down hid this tranquility though. Her thin eyebrows, exquisite nose and pink lips were remarkable features in her small face.

Li Yao was beautiful. Though her skin complexion is not as white as jade, she was still beautiful. In fact, her skin complexion sat between fair and medium. Not that it matters to her though.

But in a small society called school, standards of beauty remained, let alone competitions of it like it was some exams students, especially girls, liked to take seriously to be the top scorer.

The top beauty.

That was a twisted logic.

A twisted idea people of that ages had in their minds. And this was only one aspect, like one subject one needed to study to pass.

There were also wealth, power and social influences that students seemed to like competing for. Not that you can blame them for treating every little thing as a competition when they were in school when such idea had already begun existing in their own family. Heck, even before their births.

So who (what) is to blame?

Ancestors? Grandparents? Parents? Servants?

Or the children themselves?

The enviroment? The internet? The laws?

Or the whole world itself?

W... Wait...

Why was the notion of 'blame' even exist in the first place? Was it wrong for such a competitive behavior to exist? Wasn't it a good thing to boost growth and development of a child to prepare him or her once they stepped into the society as adults and work?

Sigh... One's mind was going too far once more...

Li Yao thought to herself, pursing her already straight lips more.

She prolly only had herself to 'blame' in the end.

Maybe she was right. Maybe she was wrong. She did not know but one thing was for sure.

She was tired... She just wanted to...

... lie down and sleep!

It was already 5:12 pm when she reached the gate of the school. She stopped at one side, leaning on the brick wall. She placed her black backpack in front, opening it to get a black cap. As she looked down, her eyelashes covered her what now indifferent eyes.

Putting on the cap, she walked to the bus stop 100 meters away from the school's gate and waited.

Li Yao was beautiful...

... but because of her almost non-existent presence, she looked 'normal' or 'average' for outsiders. Her aura was simply like how most people were.

And that was heaven. At least for her who valued solitude and... laziness...

She could have been a gem. Unfortunately, she did not want to.

Heck! That would mean more work and less time to idle around!

After 18 minutes of waiting, a bus arrived. She hopped on, sitting wherever vacant. It took 20 minutes to reach the Town Library. She got out and walked to the entrance where two guards on blue uniform stand. She removed her cap, putting it back inside her backpack. Greeting the guards with a slight bow, she entered the building.

She was a regular here every Friday for more than 2 years and counting. Hence, the guards and employees were already familiar with her and noticed her despite her 'extraish' presence.

She walked to one of the counters where a middle-age woman in black glasses sat behind.

"Aunt Mian." She softly called.

Aunt Mian looked up. Her warm eyes getting gentler, her straight lips slowly smiling, revealing slight wrinkles on her white face.

"Yaoyao." She greeted back. She then eyed the well-placed binders on her desk and got the first two atop.

Li Yao placed her backpack atop the counter before getting the binders from the lady.

"Can you finish these two before we close? Unexpectedly, these are urgent files that I just received after lunch. Someone will arrive at 8:30 pm to pick them." Aunt Mian informed guiltily.

Had she have the capability to do it, let alone decline, she would have done it already... but she was merely a regular employee with not much ability or authority...

"I understand. Don't worry, Aunt Mian. I'll finish them on time." Li Yao responded.

Aunt Mian softly sighed as she looked at the 18 year old girl with pity. "Be mindful of the time. When it's 8pm, return here to have your dinner. Don't skip, okay?"

"Hm." Li Yao slightly bowed at her before walking to her left where she would plunge herself once more to the sea of books. Tall shelves welcomed her like waves crashing her eyes and mind.

The Town Library was the oldest building in SH city. While it was a public library, its value was as important as a national one for some information one could never find in a National Library... yet. And this knowledge is only known to select important figures of the city.

Not counted as 'important', Li Yao did not have the choice but to be part of this group. And she sure bore great responsibility and pressure on her small shoulders for knowing things she shouldn't have known and cannot afford to disclose even after her death.

Not that it mattered to her though.

She directly headed to the Special Archives section situated at the second floor. It was almost 6 pm and the employees in the second floor can be counted with a hand. She occupied the farthest long table from the stairs, sitting down as she placed the binders atop the table.

Without delaying any further, Li Yao began reading the contents of the first binder.

[Case 073]

This was written on the first page.

When Li Yao began doing this job, she was shocked at first for she knew well that these 'cases' were information she should not know. These cases were goddamn classified as confidential and can pose as threat to the existence of the country should they fall to the hands of enemies.

Signing an NDA was a given but it did not loosen the rope wrapped around her neck at all. Heck, it tightened it even more suffocating her existence. She could die anytime should they deem her a threat or a 'spy'.

Luckily, 'they' still need her 'help'... Now she was not sure anymore. Not that she bothered to care to know. Her life had always been full of uncertainties for this past 18 years anyway...

Security being one of them. Then there was safety.

There were her education and job.

Her self-control was also getting out of hand lately.

Ah... How she missed her siblings...

8:30pm —

A black Porsche stopped in front of the gate.

"Young Master, we have arrived." The driver said.

The 'Young Master' sitting in the back seat, slowly opened his eyes. He turned his head to his left and the sight of the profound building welcomed him. As it did, the streetlights reflected his own wise and cold eyes along with his perfect facial features.

God.

That maybe the first description anyone can give once they saw his face... But his eyes screamed of a Sage.

Zheng Minzhe quickly got out of the car. Closing the door behind, he leaned back as he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket.

Wearing a black windbreaker, blue jeans and black rubber shoes, one would never think he was in the right place. But with his handsome built and stature, he will always stand out even if he was in a wrong one.

Devil.

His aura was that of a devil. Cold, domineering, suffocating.

He checked on the time. The documents should be in his hands by now. He quickly made a phone call.

"You said 8:30 pm." Without waiting for the other to speak, he said the words coldly.

The other man shuddered as if he was facing the man in front of him. He swallowed. "Boss, the files were sent to the library an hour late so there maybe delay but the Director assured that you will get them before midnight."

Minzhe furrowed his brows slightly. "Why were the files sent late?"

The other man swallowed once more. "There was a problem with the second case that we needed to review it again but don't worry. We have been sending the files to this library for more than 2 years and they always finished the tasks on time. Since we sent the files late, the workers may have needed more time on completing them."

Minzhe pursed his lips. The delay indeed started from their side resulting to a domino effect but the cases today were of utmost importance.

"Hm." Minzhe barely responded before hanging up the call. He walked to the entrance with large strides as he kept his phone and taking out an insignia. The guards, upon seeing it, bowed respectfully to him before opening the gate.

Meanwhile, the man on the other line wiped off invisible beads of sweat on his forehead as he heard the disconnected tone.

"Pffttt." The other man in his office who had witnessed the film strip laughed. "You better prepare a detailed explanation for the cause of delay." He teased as he watched the man with amusement.

The victim, Shen Yanlin, glared at him. "Don't drop all the responsibility to me. You were a part of this too!" He gloated before finally lighting up the cigarette stuck in between his fingers for a while now.

As soon as he entered the building, he scanned the area quickly to only find a single counter still lit up. He walked over and stopped in front of it.

Aunt Mian looked up as soon as she felt a presence thinking it was Li Yao... but she was not. She was stunned though to see a very handsome man but as she looked at his eyes, she quickly averted her gaze.

Scary.

No matter how she found him handsome, she felt that the man was scary.

"Where are the files?" Minzhe asked, not bothered with her reaction nor her lack of greetings.

"S... She must be finished n... now, S... Sir." Aunt Mian answered nervously. "I... I will check up on her." She then stood up and took the cold food atop the counter.

Minzhe narrowed his eyes as he looked at the food. "No need." With his eyes fixed on the food, he followed. "Is this food for that employee?" He then looked at her.

Aunt Mian's mouth trembled a bit. "Y... Yes.. She..."

Before Aunt Mian could finish, Minzhe took the food from her and walked towards the stairs.

'Slow.' He thought.

Aunt Mian plopped on her chair, dropping her rigid shoulders. The man was really scary she thought she would still wet her pants despite her age. She quickly uncapped the bottle and drank mouthfuls of water to calm her tumultuous mind and raising heart.

When Minzhe reached the second floor, he stopped and scanned the area once more. There was also a single source of light remaining. He headed towards its direction in silence, in quick paces.

While the cases were important, he was not the type to ignore one's health. The employee had to skip dinner to finish the task but once done, cold food was the only consolation. He indeed slightly felt guilty.

When he reached one end of the long table, his eyes quickly darted at the petite figure 4 meters away from him.

'Employee? This young?' He began to doubt but she was the only person here. He slowly walked to the other side of the table, never leaving his eyes on her.

The girl was so focused she did not even notice his presence. If he was a bad guy or a criminal, this girl would have a bad ending already. With her hair down, her face was covered. Hence, he never had a glance even of her side profile.

He arrived in front of her, sitting opposite of her. And she still failed to notice his presence...

He stared at her then. With her head and hair down, he still could not see her face... But thin... She's thin and she still afforded to miss a meal. Her complexion was also not fair. He narrowed his eyes and looked at her clothes.

'High... school?' They allowed a highschool student to work on these cases? Wha... She was working on these cases even after attending her classes?

Minzhe rubbed his temples. He thought everything did not make sense. Everything felt wrong. He doubted this employee was the same one doing these things for the past three years. It was even unbelievable to think a highschool student can work on these cases!

So she must be new? Even he wasn't sure.

His gaze landed on the black binder she wasn't working on. He slowly reached out his hand to get it when a small slender hand pulled it away from him at a beat.

He was startled a little, creating ripples in his eyes. He then looked up and was more startled now before he was even stunned.

This girl in front of him had very exquisite features in her small face. Despite her complexion not being fair, it did not diminish her beauty at all. Her thin eyebrows slightly raised, her big deep eyes focused on him, coldly seeping through his being, her nose tall, her pink lips pursed. He can tell her face was smooth and soft.

"Who are you?" She asked coldly, treating the man as her enemy as she closed the other binder, hugging both near her chest with her two slender arms.

The man was handsome, no doubt, and Li Yao believed he was the most handsome man she had ever seen but if he was an enemy, she would destroy that face first before killing him.

That woke Minzhe up from his daze. He calmed his thoughts as he observed her once more, raising his eyebrow slightly at the sight of the binders being protected by her.

"Are you done?" He asked back instead of answering her question, not leaving his sight on the files.

Li Yao furrowed her brows as confusion flashed across her eyes, suffocating the binders even more.

"Who are you?" She questioned once more as her malicious aura directed at him intensified, ready to grab the pen in front of her.

Minzhe did not fail to notice that, his lips curving upward as amusement filled his eyes. She sure was not afraid, he thought.

He placed the cold food atop the table. He also took out the same insignia from his pocket, tucked in between his fingers showing it to her before placing it on the surface.

Li Yao glanced at the insignia. A light flashed across her eyes. She sighed softly, withdrawing the killing intent boiling inside her. She placed the binders atop the desk, opening the one she was working on.

Looking at the man before her once more, she replied "5 minutes" pushing the other binder towards him before returning to her work.

Amused, Minzhe chuckled softly before opening the binder and reading the contents. As he continued reading on, he pursed his lips not because of its contents, but because of what she had written.

He closed his eyes just as he closed the binders. Opening them once more, he leaned back watching her write. He still found it hard to believe that she was the same person they had been working with for almost 2 years.

Working with these cases was the same as dancing within the flames of death.

To think that she was still young... smart and... beautiful too.

And that killing intent... interesting.

If one was to work with them, they should definitely have the means to protect themselves at all times. Her enemies are not only their enemies. They can also be at odds with her... Ultimately resulting to death.

Minzhe glanced at the time. 8:53 pm. She stopped writing then, capping the pen and keeping it in the binder's compartment before closing it.

She took a deep breath and then looked at him. "Done."

She pushed the remaining binder towards him before pulling the cold food towards her. However, before she can touch it, Minzhe pulled it towards him.

Eyeing the stolen food, Li Yao frowned and she looked at him. Minzhe could not help but smile at her adorable expression.

"It's cold." He said.

Li Yao's frown deepened, she was almost pouting. "I'm hungry." She confessed honestly.

Indeed, she was very hungry. The last time she ate was when she was still in school. Since the files were urgent, she needed to finish them... Ultimately ignoring one of her favourite things to do...

Even if the food is cold, it was still food! Just how many children out there were in famished?

Minzhe chuckled. "Come with me." He said as he stood up with both the binders and cold food on each hand.

"I don't need to come with you. You already have the binders. Give me back my food." She said in frustration as she looked up.

The corner of Minzhe's lips twitched. "You can't eat this food anymore. I will treat you instead. Follow me." Without waiting for her response, he started walking away.

Li Yao furrowed her brows upon hearing his words. She took a deep breath once more. Still frowning, she stood up and quickly followed the man.

Deep inside though... hot and delicious food!

After a short while, Minzhe was still not hearing any sounds of footsteps behind him nor was he feeling any presence. He quickly turned around. If needed, he will drag this girl with him.

Before he can step forward, something bumped into him. His eyes widened as he looked down. He quickly wrapped his arms around her waist to avoid her fall, pulling her closer to him.

Li Yao winced in pain as she quickly backed away from him, rubbing her nose. Sensing warm under it, she quickly took out the hanky from her pocket, wiping the blood.

Even though it was dark, her actions were caught by his keen eyes and sharp smell. Furrowing his brows, he grabbed her wrist dragging her with him after placing the food atop the binders on the other.

When they reached downstairs, they headed to Aunt Mian. Aunt Mian had been waiting for them so they can close the library. When she saw the two figures approaching her, one small and one big, she felt relieved. However, when she got a clearer view and saw her, worry dawned on her.

"Y... Yaoyao, nosebleed again?" She cried out as she approached her. Worries written all over her face.

When Minzhe heard her, his gaze focused on the hanky. He knew it was nosebleed and he thought the bump was the cause of it... but 'again'?

Aunt Mian took out the hanky from her. Seeing the blood, she went pale and weak on her knees. "H... Hospital.. Let's go now!" She said in trembling voice, crumpling the hanky in her hand.

Li Yao patted her shoulder. "Aunt Mian, I am okay. I bumped to this man because it was dark resulting to this." She explained with a straight face.

"A... Are you sure? I still think you should go to the hospital, Yaoyao..." She tried persuading.

Li Yao shook her head. "I'm totally okay now. Besides, there is a doctor in the school so I can have them check me up."

She then looked at Minzhe. "I will change clothes first." She then grabbed her bag from the counter and walked towards the restroom.

When she was no longer in sight, Minzhe looked at the middle aged lady. "When did she have her first nosebleed?" He directly asked.

Aunt Mian glanced at the man before going back to her station. "Last Friday. When she returned the binders to me, that's when I noticed her nose bleeding."

"Does her parents know this?" Minzhe questioned.

"She said her parents are prolly already dead..." Her eyes reddened thinking of what she had been going through. "...she's an orphan..."

"What's her full name?" He further probed.

"Li Yao. I do not know any Li Family here in SH city so I think she came from another city. I think she is getting more stressed with her studies and her work here. She is already in her third year so she needs to focus on her studies but then again, she needs to earn money for her college tuition." Aunt Mian sighed.

"Whenever I gave her money, she refused them everytime. Sometimes, I just don't know what to do with this child..."

Just as she did not respect her privacy after telling Minzhe about her, she saw Li Yao walking towards them, pursing her lips.

Minzhe turned around. Loose black shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers. When she stopped in front of them, her hair in a messy bun highlighted the facial features on her small face, accentuating her long neck too.

Minzhe glanced up and down at her and a slight frown cannot help but form on his thin lips.

Thin arms, thin waist, thin wrist... Thin... Too thin!

"Aunt Mian, let's go now." Li Yao said smilingly.

Aunt Mian smiled helplessly. She grabbed her bag and car keys, nodding at her.

Aunt Mian and Li Yao walked side by side while Minzhe was behind following what looked like a Mother and child. Before reaching the door, Li Yao took out her black cap, putting it on at once. "Aunt Miao, you go first. I'll see you next Friday."

Aunt Mian held her hand, tapping them softly. "Yaoyao, let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Hm." She nodded before waving her hand at her.

When she was nowhere in sight, she turned to look at him. Given the height differences, she was looking up while he was looking down staring at each other eyes... reflecting each other...

"Let's go." He then said, breaking away from the eye contact, walking towards his car. Pulling down her cap, she followed behind like an obedient student in front of her teacher.

Reaching the car, he opened the backseat door and let her get in before closing it gently. He walked to the other side, knocking the shotgun window which the driver rolled down. Minzhe placed the binders and food on the seat before opening the backseat door and getting in.

"Jade Restaurant." He instructed the driver, who in turn, started the engine and began to drive. He then got his phone and made a phone call telling the same.

He looked at Li Yao who had removed her cap already, staring outside the window leaning back lazily. He changed into a comfortable position as he continued staring at her.

If anyone from his colleagues saw him like this, they would be shocked. If the driver can still act like this despite his Master's sudden action, he would surely be worshipped by them!

After 20 minutes of driving, they arrived at the restaurant. He got out of the car, opening the door for Li Yao who had already put her cap on. The driver then handed the binders to him.

They entered the restaurant and the Manager led them to a private room. As they sat down, Minzhe handed a menu to her. "Just order what you want."

Li Yao stared at him for a minute before looking down the menu. She told him a dish before putting the menu aside.

"Only one?" Minzhe furrowed his brows as Li Yao nodded in response.

"Do you have allergies?" Li Yao shook her head.

After another run through the menu, Minzhe called for the waiter and ordered 4 four dishes. He then poured a glass of water for her. "Drink first."

Li Yao propped her chin up with a hand, an elbow on the armrest as she turned her head to watch the skyscrapers showing through the floor to ceiling window.

Minzhe leaned back on the chair staring at the girl in front of him, a hand on the armrest, his fingers strumming on it.

For some reason, he cannot help but think this girl will disappear...