Chapter 20: Bewitched?!

Chapter 20: Bewitched?!

The flooding didn’t subside even by dismissal time.

On rainy nights, darkness fell much earlier. The drizzle hadn’t stopped, and ankle-deep water covered the school grounds. The black water mirrored the faint orange glow of streetlights, rippling with every drop.

Students crowded into the first-floor lobby. It was packed, the air damp with chatter, while some braver kids trudged through the water to leave or head for the dorms.

“Why hasn’t the water gone down yet…”

Leaning against the wall, Chen Shiyu scrolled on her phone, expression utterly lifeless. A cool wind blew, carrying misty dampness that tangled her hair into a mess.

She hated water. Hated the squishy, cold feeling of shoes soaking through. Maybe it was the original body’s mild obsession with cleanliness, but the thought of wading into filthy floodwater made her scalp crawl.

Beside her, Shen Yan stood with arms crossed. “C’mon, let’s go. You’re not planning to spend the night here, are you?”

“…Maybe we can wait a bit longer?”

Half an hour passed, but the rain showed no signs of stopping. Dorm kids were already back upstairs, others holed up in classrooms. Parents trickled in to collect their children, thinning the crowd until only a few dozen students remained.

“Shiyu, I’m heading out first.”

Chen Jing’s parents had come for her. She waved goodbye before hopping on the back of her dad’s scooter.

“Bye-bye~”

Shiyu gave a half-hearted wave. Then she checked her phone again. Her own mom, apparently without a care in the world, had messaged for her to just go home with Shen Yan.

Seriously? I’m your daughter! Are you maybe trusting Shen Yan a little too much?

Grumbling inwardly, she turned to him. “Is your mom coming to get you?”

“Me? What am I, five?” Shen Yan didn’t even look up from his phone. “We just grab a tricycle outside the gate and go. Won’t even be a few hundred meters.”

In this little town, private motor-tricycles had long replaced taxis and ride-hailing. They were everywhere—you could wave down two or three in seconds.

“Let’s move. My phone’s about to die.”

Shiyu sighed. There was no way around it. Like it or not, she had to step into that filthy water.

She crouched down, carefully rolling her pants up to her knees, pale calves gleaming like porcelain lotus roots.

That was when Shen Yan squatted in front of her with a mischievous grin, patting his shoulder. “Hop on.”

“Eh?!”

Shiyu froze. One glance at the students around them had her panicking. She tugged his sleeve, hissing under her breath: “No way, no way, I can walk!”

Hello? I’m still a man on the inside, okay?! I’m not that delicate!

“Hurry up. Quit dawdling.”

“No, seriously—”

Flustered, Shiyu tried to back away, but her balance betrayed her. Plop! She landed squarely on the damp floor.

Dozens of eyes turned instantly. Whispering spread like wildfire.

Her cheeks burned crimson. Scrambling back to her feet, she ducked her head, mortified.

He’s doing this on purpose! He wants me to socially die out here!

Shiyu lowered her face so no one could see, her only thought to run away as quickly as possible. She rushed down the steps, not even caring she didn’t have an umbrella.

Behind her, Shen Yan chuckled, opening his umbrella to catch up. “Slow down, or you’ll catch a cold.”

She didn’t answer, just marched on with her head down. He jogged until he was beside her, shifting the umbrella to cover her and sneaking a sidelong glance at her stormy expression.

“…You mad?”

Shiyu’s eyes narrowed. Without warning, she lashed out with a sharp kick—splash! A wave of water sprayed high.

Shen Yan yelped, stumbling backward. His umbrella flew from his hands as he flopped into the water with a graceless splash.

Seeing him sit there, utterly soaked, Shiyu burst into laughter.

“Haha! Scared you, didn’t I?!”

She’d been bottling this up for two whole days—every time she was with Shen Yan, she came out humiliated, embarrassed, socially dead.

Didn’t matter if it was intentional or not. She was finally taking her revenge!

Shen Yan hadn’t even gotten back on his feet before Chen Shiyu stomped down again, splashing water at him in little bursts.

“You’re asking for it!”

Now her true nature burst out in full. Hands on hips, she stood over him with smug superiority. “Well? Come hit me then~”

Snatching up the umbrella floating nearby, she bolted, laughter trailing behind her.

“Hey—!” Shen Yan roared, chasing after her, but ankle-deep water slowed his strides. Normally, catching her would’ve taken seconds. Now, she was nearly at the school gates before he even closed half the distance.

The flood wasn’t deep, but the dim lighting and rippling water made it impossible to see the ground.

Then—

“Ahh!” Shiyu cried out sharply and suddenly crouched down, clutching at her leg.

Shen Yan hurried over, anger on the tip of his tongue—only to stop short.

The girl raised her head. Her lips were pressed tight, trembling with the effort not to cry, yet her eyes shimmered with tears under the streetlight.

Even drenched by rain, she was still breathtaking. Strands of wet hair clung to her cheeks, softening her round face. The hazy glow of the lamplight blurred her features into something dreamlike, painting her in a fragile, delicate beauty.

That teary gaze, that disheveled, pitiful look, the glow wrapping her figure—it gave her a strange, irresistible charm.

“...”

Shen Yan’s heart stumbled. His ears burned. An unfamiliar urge welled up—an urge to shield her from everything, but tangled with a darker impulse: to see that fragile fox spirit cry harder, break down beneath his teasing.

He quickly tore his eyes away, unnerved.

“My foot… I must’ve kicked something… It really hurts,” Shiyu muttered hoarsely. She didn’t know if she should break into sobs, like the role demanded, or grit her teeth like the man she still was inside. A helpless complaint slipped out before she could stop herself.

Shen Yan sighed. “Get on my back. If you’d just let me carry you earlier, none of this would’ve happened.”

“…There’s no need, right?”

“What if it gets infected? Then you’ll end up losing the leg. Pretty tragic.”

“Don’t scare me. It’s not that serious.”

Her lips said no, but her hesitation betrayed her. Shame coloring her cheeks, she turned her head away, finally lifting her arms around his shoulders.

His broad, warm hands caught the backs of her thighs, and with one smooth motion he hoisted her onto his back. Shiyu gasped, instinctively tightening her hold around his neck.

She ducked her head, silent, her heartbeat in chaos.

“…Hold the umbrella for me.”

“Oh.”

They both fell quiet.

Shiyu fought to control the rush of feelings bubbling up in her body, forcing her thoughts onto the sting in her toes. Anything to distract herself from the heat rising under her skin.

Even through three layers of drenched clothing, his warmth seeped into her. Her chest pressed against his back, strangely sore, strangely hot.

Her cheeks glowed scarlet, and though some secret joy flickered in her heart, she refused to let herself enjoy it.

For Shen Yan, the storm inside his heart was far messier.

Guilt. Unease. A restless, gnawing desire.

He had realized something terrifying—he liked being with this fox spirit.

Had he been bewitched?!

Because even if he never truly loved his childhood friend, there was still years of companionship, brother-sister closeness, trust.

Catching feelings for the fox spirit felt like betrayal—like trampling on that bond.

And it weighed on his conscience like a curse.