"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."
You reach your arm around Si's shoulder, gently running your fingers through his hair. "Wherever she is, she'll be feeling the same things that Lei is feeling. And she couldn't have gone too far in a day. When she realizes how much she needs him, she'll come back. Whether she wants to or not."
"I hope you're right." He sighs, leaning further into your hand. "You always know just the right thing to say to make me feel better." He says thoughtfully.
"That's what soulmates are for." You grin at him. "To support you no matter what, to cheer you up when you're feeling down. I know you would do the same for me."
He looks at you with a certain emotion in his eyes, one that you can't decipher. He speaks softly only after a few moments. "Y/n, can I tell you something?"
"What is it?" You ask in the same hushed tone as his eyes peer deeply into yours.
"I think I lo-"
Ring. Right at that moment, your phone goes off. You flinch, glancing over at the device that's ringing and buzzing next to you before looking back at Si.
He sighs, seeming a bit disappointed. "You can get it, it's fine."
You push your curiosity about whatever he was going to say to the back of your mind and pick up your phone. It's Qinghe. "Hello?" You say, answering the call.
"Are you almost ready? I'm coming to pick you up in ten minutes."
Your eyes widen. "You're coming now? Alright, uh, I'll be ready by the time you get here. Bye!"
You wait for a response before hanging up.
"Where are you going?" Si asks curiously.
"Oh, I'm going to the arcade with Qinghe, Li Zhen, and Shancai. I was going to tell you but you were already on your way so.."
"No, don't leave me." He whines childishly, clutching onto you like a bear.
"Stop being such a big baby." You laugh, pushing him off of you playfully. "I have to get ready now so get out."
"Fine." He groans, pouting as he drags himself off of your bed. "I'll go bond with your parents then." He huffs and leaves through your bedroom door, closing it behind him.
You roll your eyes at his antics before getting ready. You throw on a pair of jeans, along with a nice top and a jean jacket. By that time, you hear your phone buzzing again and you assume it's Qinghe telling you he's outside.
You leave your room to see your parents and Si conversing very comfortably in the living room. It seems like your mother even made tea for him. "I'm leaving to go hang out with my friends. I should be back in a few hours."
"Be safe." Your mother tells you and your father warns you to not stay out too late.
You heed to their warnings and give Si a quick hug before kissing him on the cheek. "Bye!"
You walk outside to see Qinghe's car waiting outside your house. You wave to him, opening up the door and getting in the backseat since you're sure Li Zhen is in the front.
"Hey!" You greet them as you get settled in the back seat.
"Hey Y/n!" Li Zhen waves to you from the passenger's seat.
"Hey, where's Shancai?" Qinghe asks.
"Oh, she's coming. I told her to meet us there."
He nods and begins to drive. Li Zhen turns up the radio and the three of you begin to sing along loudly to the songs you know. You smile brightly as you look out the window into the darkness. It's been a while since you've had so much fun.
Before you know it, Qinghe has parked in the lot of the arcade. All hyped from the car ride, you immediately jump out of the vehicle. "C'mon guys, let's go!" Your friends give each other a weird look before following behind you.
Heading inside the building, you notice Shancai standing near the entrance, her attention fully on her phone.
"Hey Shancai!" You greet her. She looks up from her phone, smiling when she sees you.
"Hey!" She comes closer to you, wrapping her arms around you in a quick hug.
Li Zhen and Qinghe come in through the door not too long after. "Let me introduce you to my friends." You smile.
"Shancai, this is Li Zhen and this is Qinghe. Guys, this is Shancai."
"Nice to meet you guys." Shancai grins widely at them and they greet her just the same.
The four of you enter the large arcade area. Looking around at all the different games and activities, you're so excited that you don't know where to go first.
However, Qinghe's eyes immediately light up when he spots one of the race car games. He begins to walk over and the rest of you follow. Luckily, there are just enough bikes for all of you to sit and play.
"You're going down." You glare playfully at your friends as you press play. And indeed, you were right. Somehow, you managed to zoom your way to first place.
Shancai and Li Zhen high five you while Qinghe simply pouts at his loss.
"What's next?" You ask with a grin and Shancai looks around before pointing to the strength test game. The objective is to hit the button with the rubber hammer and make the meter go up to a certain spot. If you hit it too hard, you lose. If you hit it too lightly, you barely get any tickets. But if you hit it with the right amount of strength, you could win 1000 tickets.
The four of you walk over and watch tentatively as Shancai swipes the card in the slot, waiting for the game to start. She takes a deep breath before picking up the rubber hammer. She brings both of her arms back before hitting the big red button. Not with too much strength, just enough. Or at least you hope. You all hold your breath as the blue light travels higher and higher up the meter, praying it doesn't stop too short or go over.
As if the heavens have answered your call, the light stops exactly in the right spot. The machine begins to flash in a multitude of colors, indicating that you have won the grand prize. Shancai's jaw drops and she begins jumping up and down excitedly.
The rest of you cheer as the machine begins spewing out all of Shancai's tickets. "How did you do that?" Li Zhen asks, still in awe.
"I have no idea." Shancai laughs.
"Oh my god guys!" Qinghe suddenly gasps, looking across the arcade.
"What is it?" When you look closer, you see some people standing on these silver platforms, bright screens in front of them and music playing in the background. From the looks of it, they are dancing.
"You know what I'm thinking." Qinghe wiggles his eyebrows at you playfully.
"Dance Dance Revolution?"
He smiles widely, nodding. "Dance Dance Revolution."
"Let's go!" You say excitedly. Then you turn to Li Zhen and Shancai. "You guys coming?"
They look at each other and shrug. "No, I think we'll stay in this area." Li Zhen smiles.
The two of them walk off to some other game and you grin, glad that your friends are spending time together and really getting to know each other. Then you and Qinghe head off to start your dance battle.
After losing to Qinghe, to your dismay, the four of you meet up again to get some food. You order what you want and then sit down at a small table to eat.
"So Shancai, when do you have to go back to school?" You ask, trying to make light conversation.
When she doesn't answer, you look up to see that she is completely zoned out and hasn't even touched her food yet. "Shancai, are you alright?" You ask worriedly and she doesn't answer.
"Shancai." You say and she doesn't even flinch. "Shancai?" You say a bit louder and she jumps, her eyes darting to you.
"Sorry, I'm not feeling too well. Excuse me, I'm gonna go to the bathroom. I'll be back."
You're a bit taken aback but you nod as she gets up and heads towards the bathrooms not too far from where you're sitting. And you can't help but notice that she's stumbling a little bit.
"Did you notice anything weird with Shancai when it was just the two of you?" You ask Li Zhen.
She shrugs. "She was complaining about a small headache, but that's it."
You decide to just let it go, continuing to eat your food. It's when you're almost done that you realize Shancai has been in the bathroom for a concerning amount of time. Maybe she's fine but right now, you're instincts are telling you to check on her. And if there's anything you've learned in life, you should always listen to your instincts.
Just as you get up from your seat, a woman comes running out of the bathroom. She looks terrified. "Somebody help!"
You run over to the woman, your heart pounding in your chest. "What's wrong?"
Without another word, she points to the door of the bathroom that has now closed. Glancing at her once more, you hesitantly push it open to see a woman passed out on the floor.
"Shancai!" You gasp, running over to her. You kneel next to her unconcious body as you try to shake her awake. When you finally realize that's not going to work, you pull out your phone to call an ambulance. Simultaneously, you pull up one of her shirt sleeves to check her pulse on her wrist. And when you do that, you see something very interesting.
The soulmate timer on Shancai's wrist, the one that you remember seeing very clearly the last time you hung out with her, is gone.