Friday, May 7, 2010 – Heavy Rainstorm

Su Wanluo clutched her school bag tightly against her chest as she sat on the steps of the square, completely indifferent by the rain drenching her from head to toe. Pedestrians hurried by with umbrellas, occasionally casting curious glances at her.

She paid them no mind. Her gaze remained fixed on the raindrops striking the smooth blue-gray bricks, each impact forming a tiny crown-like splash before vanishing.

The rain pelting her body was cold and painful, but she had no intention of seeking shelter. The icy water ran down her hair, across her cheeks, mingled with her tears before flowing down her neck.

As Su Wanluo dazedly watched the water droplets splash and disappear. Someone suddenly held an umbrella over her, shielding her from the downpour.

“It’s already late. Why aren’t you going home?” a gentle, pleasant male voice asked.

She looked up to see a man in a black traditional Chinese garment, holding a reusable bag in his left hand and a large black umbrella in his right, looking at her with concern.

The man was quite young, probably in his early 20s. Though he seemed like the kind of person one would forget after a fleeting glance on the street, he wore a traditional outfit that was impossible to ignore. 

The dark satin of his clothes was as black as the night, with blood-red frog buttons on the front. His right sleeve was embroidered with a dark red dragon, its body twisting up the sleeve, the dragon’s mouth aligned with the collar, creating the eerie illusion of a living creature poised to bite his neck. This vivid and almost haunting embroidery lent him an inexplicable air of mystery.

Su Wanluo wanted to tell him to mind his own business, but instead, she failed to control her emotions and said dejectedly, “I lost something very important…”

“How unfortunate,” the young man sighed sympathetically.

Su Wanluo’s lips quivered, and she could no longer hold back her tears—she had lost the umbrella he had lent her.

When school ended, the rain had already grown heavy. Her deskmate kindly offered her an umbrella after seeing her in a difficult situation. She froze for a moment, about to rush out with joy to thank him, but then she saw him sharing an umbrella with another girl, chatting and laughing as they walked out of the campus.

It felt as though her world had collapsed in that instant.

So, she walked home without an umbrella, realizing halfway that the umbrella he had lent her was lost at some point.

To be fair, losing the umbrella was a small matter. What truly saddened her was the realization that she had lost her heart.

The young man did not leave immediately but pondered for a while and asked, “Do you want to get it back?”

Su Wanluo nodded vigorously.

“Then why not come and sit in my shop for a while?” the young man gently suggested.

Su Wanluo was taken aback and looked up at him again.

The man had an unremarkable features, but the moment he smiled, a ray of sunlight broke through the heavy clouds behind him, sweeping away the long-standing gloom in the sky. It unintentionally lifted her spirits.

Like she had been hypnotized, Su Wanluo gave a small nod.

The rain gradually softened, its gentle patter on the umbrella crisp and soothing.

At that moment, Su Wanluo began to regret her decision. 

Why had she suddenly agreed to follow a random stranger on a whim? She needed to come up with an excuse to get away quickly!

But before she could, the young man softly said, “We’re here.”

Su Wanluo looked up and saw a small shop. The decor was very quaint, with intricately designed traditional windows and doors, standing incongruously between two modern fast-food restaurants. The signboard above the entrance bore two delicate seal-script characters—Ya She.

“Ya She?” Su Wanluo’s mind was full of questions.

“This is my antique shop. Every item here has its own story, one that has been carried through the years. It is impossible for them to talk, nor can they share the secrets they have witnessed.”

The young owner pushed open the old, intricately carved wooden door. What struck Su Wanluo as odd was that, despite the store being empty, he had left the door unlocked.

“Don’t worry, I never lock the door. No thief would dare steal anything from here.” As if sensing the question in her mind, the young owner stood in the dim interior, slowly turning his head toward her with a faint smile.

“Welcome to Ya She.”

The young man’s smile had merged into the pitch-black background, filling Su Wanluo with an uncanny sense of unease no matter how she looked at it.

A strange antique shop and a mysterious owner.

Su Wanluo swallowed hard. Yet instead of stepping back, she clutched her school bag tighter and stepped inside as if guided by an unseen force.

Ya She was not as small as it appeared from the outside. Instead, it stretched into a long, narrow passage, shrouded in darkness with no clear end in sight. The owner lit two palace lanterns near the entrance, and as Su Wanluo glanced at them, she almost jumped in fright—they bore an uncanny resemblance to the famous Changxin Palace Lantern from her history books.

They must be replicas… they had to be replicas…

The corner of her mouth twitched as she warily said, “Um… I don’t have any money. If you’re trying to sell me something, I can’t afford it!”

The shop owner chuckled gently, “I’m not selling you anything. I have something that might suit you well. If you like it, I’ll give it to you.”

Give? Could there really be such a good deal? 

Su Wanluo’s eyes darted around as she thought to herself; there was no harm in seeing what he would bring out. She sat down on a nearby red wooden chair, and soon, the owner came out with a box.

Under the dim, amber glow of the lanterns, the owner slowly opened the dragon-patterned box, revealing a bracelet adorned with shimmering gemstones, resting on a bed of bright yellow silk.

“This… this is too valuable!” Su Wanluo eyes widened as she quickly stood up.

“The first owner of this bracelet,” the man said calmly, “was a favored consort of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty—the one known in legend as Xiang Fei, the Fragrant Concubine.”

Su Wanluo’s eyes widened even more, but the shop owner remained calm as he continued, “It is said that she was originally the wife of Khoja Jihan, the leader of Hui Division of the Dzungar Khanate, or in short, Hui Tribe.

“When the Hui tribe rebelled, Khoja Jihan was executed by the Qing court, and General Zhao Hui captured Xiang Fei alive and presented her to Emperor Qianlong. However, with her homeland in ruins and her husband slain, she vowed to die rather than submit. Legend has it that in an attempt to win her favor, Qianlong gathered seven gemstones of different colors, each imbued with spiritual energy, and crafted this bracelet for her.

His voice was smooth and captivating as he continued, “These seven gemstones are opal, lapis lazuli, topaz, moonstone, peridot, garnet, and obsidian. It is said that whoever wears this bracelet will be able to retrieve what they have lost.”

“Seven? But two spots are empty,” Su Wanluo doubted.

“Each time something is found, one gemstone disappears. The first thing Xiang Fei wished to find was her husband Khoja Jihan’s remains. The second…” The owner paused, “was her homeland. Thus, she was granted death by the Empress Dowager, allowing her soul to return home at last. Her wishes were fulfilled, and accordingly, the opal and lapis lazuli disappeared. Now only five gemstones remain.”

The young shop owner picked up the bracelet, placed it in his palm, and extended it to Su Wanluo, “You’d lost something, didn’t you? Try it on.”

Su Wanluo knew that antique dealers often spun good stories, but she had never heard one quite this outrageous.

Wearing a bracelet to retrieve lost things? That might work for gullible children, but she had outgrown believing in myths.

But… even if it was all a fabrication, and even if two gemstones were missing, she could not deny how beautiful the bracelet was. Each gemstone was the size of a thumb, with small fragments set around it. Even under the dim light, it gleamed brilliantly, as if naturally imbued with magic.

She wondered if it would be alright to wear it for a couple days.

“Are you really giving this to me?” Su Wanluo asked for confirmation.

“Yes.” The young shop owner smiled, “But there’s one thing you must remember, once you put on this bracelet, you must never take it off, or the things you find will be lost again.”

Su Wanluo nodded, extending her left hand. The owner lowered his head, carefully placed the bracelet onto her slender, fair wrist and fastened the clasp with great attention.

A chill spread through her wrist.

The rain outside had completely stopped, and the sky was ablaze with the fiery red of the sunset.

Saturday, May 8, 2010 – Cloudy turning to light rain

Su Wanluo was awakened by the sound of drilling from the floor above. Staring at the white ceiling, it felt like a little person was drilling away in her head as well.

Renovation noise! She helplessly pressed her fingers against her aching temples. As the bracelet clinked on her wrist, she suddenly remembered that someone had mysteriously given her a bracelet the day before.

She raised her left hand to admire the bracelet’s gemstones in the morning light; the orange-yellow topaz, the vivid wine-red garnet, the emerald-green peridot, the silvery-blue moonstone… Wait, why were there only four gemstones left?

Su Wanluo quickly cleaned her room at an unprecedented speed, but found no trace of the missing gemstone. She distinctly remembered that when she went to bed the previous night, the bracelet still had five gemstones.

Could it be… was the antique shop owner telling the truth? Does each gemstone disappear when a lost item was found?

The missing stone was the double-rainbow obsidian.

Yet, the bag drying on the balcony still had no trace of her lost umbrella.

As expected, it was a scam. The glimmer of hope in Su Wanluo’s heart was quickly extinguished.

To think she had placed her hopes in a bracelet… She really had no way out. It might be better to just go out and buy a new umbrella to return to him.

She ran her fingers through her messy hair, which looked like a bird’s nest, and crossed the living room to the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat. Just then, she heard the faint sound of a dog barking outside the door.

What was going on?

She remembered that dogs were not allowed in this apartment complex!

Su Wanluo opened the door in hesitation and immediately froze. The next second, she let out a delighted cry, “Mom! Mom! Cola came back!”

“What nonsense are you talking about? How could Cola find its way here? Didn’t it go missing?” Her mother wiped her hands as she walked out from the kitchen.

“No! This is Cola! It has to be Cola!” Su Wanluo hugged the dog that had rushed towards her. The little dog was covered in fluffy white fur with a tuft of black fur around its mouth, as if it had sneakily eaten something without cleaning its face. Such a unique look could only belong to Cola.

“Cola, you’re so dirty! Come on, let’s get you cleaned up!” Su Wanluo delightedly carried the barking dog to the bathroom, completely oblivious to the uncharacteristically strange look on her mother’s face.

After giving Cola a fragrant bath, she picked up a hairdryer and started drying its fur. That was when a thought suddenly struck her—Cola was one of the things she had lost!

It had been two years since Cola had gone missing before her family moved to the new apartment. How did it find its way here?

Could it really be the power of the bracelet?

Her heart pounded as she looked down at the bracelet, now missing three gemstones.

It seemed the bracelet truly had some kind of magic, but instead of returning the exact item she intended, it was bringing back everything she had ever lost.

With four gemstones remaining, it meant she still had four more chances left.

Four chances… She had lost many things. What should she try to retrieve next?

Su Wanluo was overwhelmed with excitement as she watched Cola happily roll around on her bed, while occasionally licking her cheeks with affectionate enthusiasm.

“Stop that, Cola! You must be hungry. I’ll find something for you to eat. Stay here and sit!” Su Wanluo commanded, and just like before, the little dog obediently sat down, sticking out its tongue in an endearing manner.

For a moment, Su Wanluo felt like she had been transported a few years back in time. Back when her father had not yet been promoted, when their family of three and Cola squeezed into a tiny apartment. 

Life had been tough, but with Cola by her side, Su Wanluo had still been very happy.

Cola always eagerly obeyed all her commands. Every evening, she would take Cola for a walk, and they would often sit on a bench together, watching the sunset disappear over the horizon.

When she felt lonely, Cola would snuggle close with its warm little body. When she was sad, Cola would lick her palm with its warm little tongue, doing everything it could to offer even a sliver of comfort.

Cola had always silently accompanied her through joy and sorrow. To her, Cola was more than just a pet; he was like a little brother who grew up with her.

The fond memories brought a smile to Su Wanluo’s face as she patted Cola’s head before walking toward the kitchen, only to find that her mother was not there.

As she passed through the living room, she noticed the door slightly ajar. Curious, she stepped back and overheard an unexpected conversation.

“Honey, Cola is back! What do we do? Yes, I’m sure it’s him! Didn’t you take him to the countryside? How did he find his way back? We can’t keep a dog in this apartment! It’s part of the rules! Maybe you should get rid of him again… Just tell Wanluo that Cola ran away again! She’ll believe whatever we say…”

What? 

Standing in the shadows by the door, Su Wanluo felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

The person who spoke in a lowered voice was undoubtedly her mother. But why… why was she saying such things? 

Cole did not run away on his own? 

Her seemingly kind and gentle father had abandoned Cola?

Su Wanluo could almost picture the little Cola chasing after her father’s car, running desperately until his tiny legs could no longer keep up. Until he collapsed by the roadside, weakly whimpering in despair…

Tears welled up without warning. Su Wanluo reached to wipe them away, but somehow, her bracelet snagged on a thread of her sleeve. The clasp suddenly came undone.

The bracelet fell to the floor with a soft clatter. 

The words of the young antique shop owner echoed in her mind—But there’s one thing you must remember, once you put on this bracelet, you must never take it off, or the things you find will be lost again.

Before she could even process the meaning behind those words, her blurred vision caught a glimpse of a small white figure darting across the living room, slipping out through the ajar door.

“Cola!” Su Wanluo bolted after him.

“Wanwan! Change your shoes before going out!” her mother’s called out to her, her voice grating and repulsive.

Su Wanluo wiped away the tears streaming down her face and quickened her pace down the stairs. 

She had to find Cola! 

She could not bear to lose him again! 

In the evening, two middle-aged women returning from grocery shopping chatted idly.

“Why is that little girl still looking for her lost dog?”

“I heard a dog got run over on the street up ahead last night. I happened to pass by and saw everything. It was heartbreaking! A white dog with a tuft of black fur around its mouth. Quite adorable!”

Su Wanluo walked past them in a daze, unable to distinguish what was real and what was an illusion anymore.

The weather outside was fierce, with strong winds that dried the tear streaks on her face.

But soon, the rain began to fall again, replacing her tears as it streamed down her cheeks.

[Obsidian: Also known as Apache Tears. According to Native American legend, an entire band of warriors was ambushed by enemies, outnumbered, and completely defeated. When the grieving families wept, their sorrow turned into small black stones scattered across the earth. They are also known as the Stone of No More Tears. It is said that those who possess an Apache Tear will never have to cry, for the tears have already been wept in their place. Giving obsidian to someone you cherished symbolizes a promise of no more tears and everlasting happiness.]

Sunday, May 9, 2010 – Overcast with occasional showers

Su Wanluo was already awake the moment daylight broke. To be more precise, she had barely slept the night before. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Cola’s goofy little face.

She had wandered outside, searching for Cola in the rain until nightfall. It was only when her father dragged her back home by her wrist. 

She never said or asked anything despite her parents’ concern. 

What good could asking do?

What if the truth shattered the perfect image of her parents she had always held in her heart?

She would rather pretend she had never seen or heard anything.

The renovation noise from upstairs started on schedule. This time, it was an even more unbearable sound of a power drill. Su Wanluo sat up with a splitting headache and glanced at the bracelet on her wrist.

Last night, after much hesitation, she had decided to put the bracelet back on. She hoped that maybe this would bring Cola back again.

She counted the gemstones—sure enough, another one was missing. This time, it was the orange-yellow topaz.

Su Wanluo hurried out of bed and rushed to the front door, repeatedly opening and closing it, hoping to see Cola outside. But no matter how long she waited, he never appeared.

She stood there in daze for nearly an hour before her mother finally persuaded her to come back inside. As she pushed open her bedroom door, she spotted a small videotape sitting on her desk.

Su Wanluo picked it up and saw the words written on the case—Wanwan’s 15th Birthday Party.

That’s right, her 15th birthday… It was the first time she had celebrated with her friends at a KTV. This tape had recorded that moment, but after they moved, it had gone missing.

Could it be that this was what the topaz had brought back?

Since she could not play the videotape on her computer, Su Wanluo rummaged through her things and managed to find an old-fashioned VCR. After plugging it in, she carefully inserted the tape.

Familiar yet youthful faces of Qiqi, Meizi, and You’er appeared on the small screen of the camcorder, accompanied by laughter and singing. The once-faded images of these girls gradually became vivid again.

The joyous sounds from the videotape momentarily made Su Wanluo forget her sadness over losing Cola. A smile spread across her face as memories of her three friends resurfaced.

Qiqi, the one who’s smile was so sweet it seemed like honey could drip from it.

Meizi, carefree and easygoing, the kind of girl who blended effortlessly with the boys in class.

You’er, the class’s fashionista, always donning the latest styles and frequently changing her bags with every season.

Standing beside these vibrant friends, she sported a girl with straight bangs and a dorky ponytail. Despite it being her own birthday party, she wore a wrinkled old school uniform, appearing both clumsy and shy, with nothing to offer except excellent grades.

The timid girl on the screen, smiling bashfully, seemed out of place among the three distinctive girls. She had not even sung a single song, merely clapping vigorously from a corner.

Why did she seem so restrained, even while having fun with friends? 

Why had none of her so-called good friends ever really looked at her?

Why did her once-happy memory of the birthday party now seem so awkward and uncomfortable?

As these thoughts crossed her mind, Su Wanluo’s smile faded. 

It seemed that after this birthday party, she had lost contact with her friends. Although she had called them a few times, none agreed to hang out again. Maybe they had all gone to different high schools and were too busy to meet. At least, that was how she had consoled herself.

Su Wanluo watched the entire video intently. Even when the screen filled with static snow, she did not turn it off right away. Instead, she sat there in deep thought.

Click!

The clasp of the bracelet suddenly came undone and fell onto the desk.

Su Wanluo’s heart leaped at the crisp sound of the clasp coming undone. The antique shop owner’s warning once again echoed in her mind, but she told herself she was overreacting. At the very least, a videotape could not just run away on its own, could it?

As she was mocking herself, the static on the screen disappeared, and a clear image appeared.

In front of the camera was Qiqi. Instead of her usual sweet expression, she looked disdainful. “Wanwan, maybe you’ll never see this recording, but we still need to say it. The truth is… we really hate being friends with you!”

“Yeah! You’re the class monitor, the teacher’s pet.If we didn’t suck up to you, how else would we copy homework?” 

That voice belonged to Meizi, the one who always seemed so cheerful. Her cheerful smile, which Su Wanluo had once found as warm as the sun, now felt unbearably harsh.

“To be honest, we all hate you. You dress like a loser and talk so seriously. Walking next to you is embarrassing! Thank god, graduation is near, and we won’t have to deal with you anymore!” 

You’er, with her delicate makeup, spoke into the camera with disgust.

“My god, don’t be so blunt! Wanwan might not take it well! Hehehe!”

“Why not? Wasn’t this your idea?”

“Hurry up! She’s almost done paying!”

The screen shook and returned to static. The room fell into a ghostly silence, as if the voices from just moments ago had come from another world entirely.

Su Wanluo sat there in a daze until the tape reached its end and the VCR came to a halt.

What were they saying? 

Why did none of it make sense to her?

Were they not the ones who insisted on being friends with her?

The sudden sound of drilling from upstairs jolted her out of her nightmare. She clutched her head, feeling a throbbing pain in her brain and chest.

On the other side, her parents were watching TV in the living room.

Her father spoke with concern, “Wanwan has been acting strange these past two days. She’s not going out looking for Cola again, is she?”

“I don’t think so,” her mother replied cheerfully. “I was cleaning up earlier and found that old videotape from her 15th birthday party. I left it on her desk. Maybe she’ll go out and play with Qiqi and the others soon. That child never had many friends growing up, which is why she treats a dog like it’s so precious.”

“Oh? You mean the tape that was lost a long time ago was found?”

“Yeah, it was stored with a box of magnetic chess pieces. But the tape might be demagnetized and might not be playable anymore…”

[Topaz: Known as the Stone of Friendship, it symbolizes sincerity and unwavering love. It represents beauty and intelligence, embodies vitality and prosperity, helps relieve fatigue, controls emotions, and aids in rebuilding confidence and purpose.]

Monday, May 10, 2010 – Sunny

Su Wanluo sat in the classroom with an absent mind. She had arrived unusually early today, so early that she was the only one there.

Well, not entirely alone. Someone had arrived even earlier. 

Su Wanluo glanced at the desk next to hers; her desk mate’s bag was lying quietly inside. Her deskmate was always the first to arrive, showing up early every morning to practice basketball. That was why the classroom key was always kept with him.

Withdrawing her gaze, she looked down at the videotape she had brought with her and placed it on her desk. For some reason, she felt compelled to carry this recovered lost item with her. Even though the bracelet had fallen off once, the tape had not disappeared.

But what reason did it hold for not disappearing? 

The precious friendship she thought she had found again had actually been discarded long ago.

They knew she was weak and lonely, that she craved friendship more than anyone else. They took advantage of this weakness, half-forcing their way into her life as friends.

Years passed, and she remained unchanged, not even having the courage to confront them. Just like how she knew her father had abandoned Kele, yet chose to run from the truth. 

She truly hated herself for being like this.

Su Wanluo absentmindedly fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist. This morning, she woke up to find the moonstone on the bracelet had disappeared. However, unlike the previous two times, this time, nothing lost had reappeared. At least, not yet.

She was lost in thought when her deskmate suddenly pushed open the door with a basketball in his arms.

“Why are you here so early today?” Su Wanluo awkwardly asked. He usually practiced right up until class started.

He grinned and said, “I saw you on the court. And you? Why are you here so early? You usually arrive just on time!”

Su Wanluo quickly lowered her head, fumbling to open her bag and took out the umbrella she had specially bought. But to her surprise, he had already taken an umbrella out from his desk.

“You!” He shot her a look of exasperation. “I went out of my way to lend you an umbrella, and you forgot to take it! Luckily, I met a girl from our neighborhood, or I’d have been drenched by the rain!”

Su Wanluo was at a complete loss for words on his complaints. She clearly remembered taking the umbrella when she left. So how on earth had it ended up back in his desk?

Could it be that the bracelet brought it back for her?

“I… I thought I had lost it…” Su Wanluo felt embarrassed. “This new umbrella… I was going to use it to repay you.”

The confusion on his face disappeared instantly, replaced by laughter as he shook his head. “I swear, you’re unbelievable! How can you be so absent-minded? Then how did you get home?”

Under the sound of his laughter, Su Wanluo’s face grew redder. 

She had no idea who the girl walking home with him that day was, just as she had no idea what she had lost was his umbrella or him.

Su Wanluo was too timid to ask, so she swallowed back the question lingering on the tip of her tongue. She even double-checked to make sure the bracelet was securely on her wrist. 

If the bracelet fell off again, would she lose what had been returned to her once more?

She drifted into thought, wondering when she had started to notice him.

Was it on the sunlit court, when he ran towards her with a basketball with his face beaming in a radiant smile? 

Was it when he stood before thousands in the auditorium, singing without the slightest trace of stage fright?

Or was it during an accidental glance they shared, close enough for her to see her reflection in his eyes, making her too afraid to look at him again?

She was certain of her feelings but unsure of his. Just like Cola or her former friends, she was too clumsy to understand the world she was in.

Perhaps, never knowing the answer was the best outcome for her.

“What’s wrong? You look sad today,” he noticed her unusual silence.

u Wanluo looked at the slightly upturned ends of his hair and quietly asked, “Have you ever had something that you would rather lose than try to find again?”

“Huh?” Hehad not expected that kind of question from her.

“Never mind, forget what I just said,” Su Wanluo muttered, pressing her lips together as she realised how odd she must have sounded.

He fell silent for a moment, then let out a soft sigh. “When I was young, I saw a neighbor kid with a very cool remote-controlled car. I wanted one so badly that I spent all my New Year’s money to buy it. I played outside for the whole afternoon, and that sense of satisfaction is something I’ll never forget.

“But when I got home, my cousins found out I spent all my money on the car and called me an idiot, and even told me that the same amount could have bought me three of them. I was so ashamed and regretful that I cried out loud.”

He chuckled as he scratched his head in embarrassment, “That car ended up at the bottom of a box, and I never played with it again. Every time I think about it, the shame and regret outweigh the happiness it brought me. So sometimes I think, if I had accidentally lost that car back then, it would have been much better. Then the only thing left in my heart would be a faint regret.”

Su Wanluo stared at him as if she had just figured something out, her gaze unwavering until he started shifting uncomfortably under her scrutiny.

“I’m sorry, I need to step out for a moment,” Su Wanluo suddenly stood up and rushed out of the classroom.

“Hey!” he called out in concern, but eventually all he could do was let out a helpless sigh.

He looked around the empty classroom, suppressing the urge to chase after her.

Setting the basketball aside, he knew the reason he returned to class early was not because he had seen her arrive on the field this morning, but because he had started shortening his morning basketball practice a long time ago.

As he took out his books from his bag and began studying with utmost focus.

He knew his academic performance was far behind hers. But to attend the same university as her, he had to study hard. Because when that time came, he would finally tell her the words he had always been afraid to say.

[Moonstone: Also known as the Lover’s Stone, it exhibits a “moonlight effect”—an adularescence that appears as a bluish or white glow across the surface like moonlight. For centuries, it has been one of the most cherished gemstones, believed to awaken the tender passion of one’s beloved and invite a love as luminous and enchanting as the moon itself.]

Su Wanluo rushed out of the school and ran all the way to the entrance of Ya She. She gasped for breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly. 

She looked down at the bracelet in her hand—now left with only two gemstones— she took a deep breath and pushed open the old carved wooden door.

“Welcome,” the antique shop owner’s elegant voice greeted her. When he saw it was Su Wanluo, there was no surprise on his face; instead, his smile deepened.

“I… want to return this bracelet to you.” Su Wanluo placed the bracelet on the counter, then quickly stepped back as if avoiding something dangerous.

Though it was early morning, the shop remained shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from the two Changxin Palace Lanterns by the entrance, their candle flames flickering strangely between the sleeves of painted palace maidens.

“Oh? Have you found what you’ve been looking for?” The owner examined the bracelet with only two gemstones left. A trace of disappointment flickered through his narrow phoenix eyes.

“No, I haven’t found it,” Su Wanluo shook her head vigorously, “but I don’t want to look for it anymore.”

“Oh?” The owner raised an eyebrow and asked with interest, “May I ask why?”

Su Wanluo gazed at the glittering bracelet on the counter. The memories of Cola and her former friends surfaced in her mind, bringing with them a dull ache in her heart. “Because I realize that what I lost never truly belonged to me. I won’t regret it, nor will I mourn for it.”

She did not even allow herself to think of her deskmate. She had never truly had him in the first place, so how could she have lost him?

Actually, what he said was right. That remote-controlled car was merely a symbol of his immature childhood, just like her Cola and her so-called friends. She should have realized it much earlier. If she had talked to her parents about Kele back then, if she had opened up to her friends instead of keeping everything bottled up, she would not have suffered so much upon learning the truth.

But she had noticed nothing, only hiding in her own world like an ostrich she was. The bracelet had never truly done anything; it merely guided her to see the path she had once walked.

Now, everything was clear to her.

So, the bracelet no longer held any meaning for her to keep.

“I see,” the owner smiled gently. “Then, I wish you never lose anything again.”

“I won’t,” Su Wanluo clenched her fists slightly, then walked out with newfound determination. This time, she would rely on her own strength to cherish what she had and strive for a future without regrets.

The owner watched her silhouette, now imbued with newfound strength. Only after she disappeared beyond the wooden lattice window did he finally withdraw his gaze. He picked up the bracelet from the counter and examined it carefully.

“Hey, you just let her leave like that?” 

A slender figure slowly walked out from the depths of the antique shop.It was a young man dressed in a white lab coat, his stylish haircut and strikingly handsome features giving him a fashionable aura. Despite his trendy attire, he wore an old-fashioned red string around his neck, at the end of which dangled a smooth, snow-white jade pendant. The intricate carving on its surface bore the words Longevity—a blessing for a long and prosperous life.

The man was holding a white dog in his arm, a small patch of black fur at its mouth giving it an adorable look.

The owner chuckled softly, “You heard her yourself. She said the lost things are not to be regretted or mourned.”

“So, what about this dog? Are you not giving it to her anymore? You rushed me out yesterday just to save this dog. I’m a surgeon, not a vet!” the handsome man complained as the dog in his arms licked his palm in an affectionate manner.

The owner gave a faint smile at the sight and said, “Her family won’t let her keep it. Even if we return it to her, it would be sent away anyway. Besides, it seems to like you a lot, so you might as well keep it.”

The handsome man looked down at the dog in his arms, “I suppose I can keep you, but the name ‘Cola’ is too cheesy. I’ll call you ‘Apache’ instead!”

The owner, however, was not concerned with the dog’s name. His attention was on the bracelet that had found its way back into his hands.

“Hm? Wasn’t there the dragon on your sleeve when I saw you yesterday? How did it get to your back?” 

The doctor had always thought the owner was wearing a simple black Sun Yat-sen suit. However, it was until the owner turned around that he noticed a deep red dragon coiling on his entire back, its eyes seemingly fixated on the pale nape of the owner’s neck. The intricate embroidery made it almost appear as though the dragon were alive.

“You’re mistaken,” the owner said calmly, without turning around.

“No, how could I be mistaken?” the doctor insisted. 

After all, he was a doctor! 

How could he possibly misidentify something as unique as the dragon embroidered on the Sun Yat-sen suit? The intricate design was too lifelike to overlook.

The owner was silent for a moment. “This is a different set of clothes. The one I wore yesterday and today are not the same.”

That suspicious pause… The doctor raised his finely arched brows, a thoughtful frown forming on his face. He leaned closer to the owner, studying the dragon on his back in greater detail.

The owner subtly increased the distance between them and changed the subject, “It’s a shame that the Fragrant Concubine’s bracelet can only be fully repaired once all the gemstones have disappeared. Missing this chance means it won’t see the sunlight again for another 125 years.”

The doctor twitched the corners of his mouth and chuckled awkwardly. “You always say these things to scare people. You make it sound so real!”

The owner carefully placed the bracelet back into its box, turning around with a faint smile. “I never lie. It’s the truth.”

As he spoke, the red dragon on his back quietly bared its fangs…