Chapter 97 - 90: Monster in the Mirror

Chapter 97: Chapter 90: Monster in the Mirror

For some reason, she felt like something was off about her reflection in the glass.

Her movements didn’t seem to quite match her own.

She had just used her middle finger to pull her eyelid open, but her reflection seemed to have used its index finger.

"Am I just seeing things?"

Xia Shuran stared at her reflection, feeling a bit puzzled.

Just as she was puzzling over it,

the "her" in the reflection suddenly shot out a pair of ice-cold hands, grabbed her arm, and yanked her toward the glass.

"Wh—"

Before she could even process what was happening, able only to let out a single, terrified syllable, she was pulled completely inside, vanishing from the street.

「A few seconds later.」

Xia Shuran stepped slowly out of the glass, curiously taking in her surroundings.

Just then, a passing Teddy dog locked eyes with her and began barking furiously:

"WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!"

"Xiao Ji, shut up! No barking at people!"

The dog’s owner yanked hard on the leash, scolding his pet before turning to Xia Shuran with an apologetic look.

"I’m so sorry about that. My Xiao Ji is usually so well-behaved. I have no idea what’s gotten into him, barking at you like that. Really, I’m sorry."

...

Xia Shuran didn’t say a word, merely giving the owner an indifferent glance.

The owner, thinking she was angry, quickly pulled his dog away and left.

Just then, Gu Qing walked over with two lemonades. He glanced at the wicked little Teddy being dragged away by its owner and said to Xia Shuran,

"That dog’s got issues, barking at you for no reason. It’s just asking for a good kick."

As he spoke, Gu Qing handed one of the lemonades to the silent Xia Shuran.

"Here, your lemonade with 30% sugar."

...

Xia Shuran stared at the offered lemonade.

After a moment of silence,

she smiled and reached out to take it.

"Thank you."

"No need to be so formal."

Gu Qing smiled faintly and said, "The school’s only a little over two kilometers from here. Why don’t we walk back? The stroll will be good for digestion."

"Okay."

Xia Shuran smiled sweetly.

And just like that, it was settled.

They started walking side by side in the direction of the school.

Along the way,

Xia Shuran barely said a word.

She just kept looking around, taking in her surroundings with curiosity.

Gu Qing was puzzled.

’My junior is usually so lively,’ he thought. ’When we’re together, she’s almost always the one starting conversations, chattering away nonstop.’

’So why is she acting so strange now?’

’We’ve walked several hundred meters, and she hasn’t said a single thing?’

’Just keeps looking all around?’

’This isn’t right.’

The more Gu Qing thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

He was just about to ask Xia Shuran if she was feeling unwell when,

Suddenly!

He realized something was terribly wrong.

’Wait!’

’Why has the [Martial Arts Grandmaster] tag above my junior’s head disappeared?!’

’And another thing!’

’Why has the sound of her breathing vanished?!’

Gu Qing froze. In an instant, every nerve in his body went taut, and the blood roiled in his veins. He activated Lightning Reflexes, his gaze fixed deadly on the utterly wrong Xia Shuran before him. In a grave voice, he demanded:

"You’re not Xia Shuran!"

"Who the hell are you?!"

"What did you do with Xia Shuran?!"

Hearing this, the "Xia Shuran" walking ahead of him stopped.

She turned back to look at Gu Qing, the corner of her mouth twisting into an eerie smile. Her voice was discordant, not sounding like it belonged to a living person.

"You’re only noticing something’s wrong now? You’re a little slow on the uptake, aren’t you?"

...

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