thin line; daoming si

Chapter 18

"Don't forget that your assignment must be submitted online by tonight. This class is dismissed."

You sigh in relief when your last class of the day ends. You pack up your stuff, getting ready to leave when Qinghe approaches you. "Hey, I feel like me, you and Li Zhen haven't hung out in a while. Why don't the three of us go to the arcade or something tonight?"

You think to yourself. You've been so busy with life that you can't remember the last time you had fun with your best friends. The only thing is that you have an assignment due tonight, but you got most of it done in class anyway. As long as you submit it before midnight, you should be fine.

"Yeah, sure." Then an idea comes to your head and you smile. "Can I bring Shancai along? She's an old friend from high school who is here to visit, you might remember her."

"Shancai?" He tilts his head, thinking. "Ah, I know who you're talking about. Wow, I haven't seen her in years! You should definitely ask her to join us."

"Okay cool, just text me the details later." He nods and you wave to him before walking off.

You walk to the bus stop, shivering slightly because of the cold. Si has been helping Huaze Lei look for his soulmate all day, which is why he isn't here to pick you up. He said he could make his way back over here, but you didn't want him to drive back and forth. You know that Huaze Lei is running out of time and could use all the help he can get.

You send Si a quick text to let him know you're on your way home and to ask him how things are going on his end. Soon enough, the bus arrives and you get on, settling in a window seat. You hold your things in your lap, leaning your head on the window as you prepare for the long ride home.

______

When you arrive home, you have a nice meal with your parents before texting Shancai to see if she's free tonight. She answers back fairly quickly and you send her the address of the arcade place as a small yawn escapes your lips.

You haven't healed all day, so you're feeling a little lethargic. But as long as Si feels okay, you don't want to bother him. Hopefully a nap will make you feel better. You set an alarm, snuggle under your covers and close your eyes. It's not long before you fall asleep.

When you wake up, you don't feel much better than you did before. In fact, you feel a little worse. You check your phone to see that you have a missed call from Si, as well as two texts.

Si
are you okay?
i'm coming over

That was ten minutes ago. He's probably almost here so you can't exactly tell him to turn back. You sigh. You guess you can heal for a bit before you get ready. The two of you need it anyway.

You open up your laptop, deciding you might as well work on your assignment while you wait. You're completely immersed in your thoughts when you hear your front door open. There are a few soft voices, murmurs of conversation before you hear footsteps coming towards your room.

"Hey." Si says gently, pressing a kiss to your forehead before settling down next to you. The whole left side of his body presses against your right side, instantly making you feel a bit better.

"Hey." You say absentmindedly, finishing typing out your sentence before turning to him. "How are things going with Lei?"

"We searched the entire area, asked workers in the stores and no one knew anything. He's feeling really hopeless right now." He sighs heavily, resting his head on your shoulder. "I told him to rest for a bit and we'll go back out later. But honestly, I don't know what to do. He won't admit it but I know he's starting to feel the effects of the bond and I...I just want him to be okay."