Running Away To The...Circus?

Wednesday came around.

It was a peaceful day, and for what was the very first time after a while—Xue found himself waking up prior to her. At least waking up before her when the sun was finally around… And right now, he was given the chance to admire her.

She was snoring. Xue chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Miss Chan Lee?" She wasn't waking up even with that. He poked her cheek, "You're going to be late for university?"

She blearily opened her eyes, squinting at him but they shut back as quickly.

Xue stared at her and sighed silently, he pulled himself out of bed. Even though he would have wanted her to stay with him all day, there must be a good reason why she kept going through her routine each day.

The least he could do was help her.

He walked over to the treasure chests now kept in her closet. He pulled out a small flask, hesitating for a moment as he held it up.

She wasn't exactly someone who'd like to take something like this.

Xue glanced over his shoulder to see her still asleep—but she probably needed this. More than she actually knew. "Miss Chan Lee? Would you drink this? Just a little bit?"

There wasn't exactly an answer.

Xue sighed as he walked back to bed and uncapped the flask. Would it be better if she'd stay instead? It was a little difficult to say no to that.But he had to do what was good for her.Making her drink even a little sip would be beneficial.

He leaned down towards her, looking at her face—she was still very much asleep wasn't she? "Chan Lee?" He pouted at the lack of response and glanced at the flask in his hand. Could he possibly…? It was a thought.

Xue draw closer to her, holding the flask close as it touched—She pushed his face out of her way, "What's that smell?"

He chuckled and drew back the flask, her hand still on his face. "Body Tempering Elixir, it seems even inhaling the scent of it helps."

She looked at him as if he was funny but she nodded. "Thanks… that managed to help Han Jing huh? And it managed to wake me up…" She had a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Well, you don't really have to ingest it, but if you're feeling a little tired it could help." He offered the flask in his hand. "Would you like to have this one?"

"Alright."Before he could ask why, she started her day again.

Classes.

Work.

Classes.

Home.

Wednesday Ends

It was another day and another dollar—or something. She ran through the corridors, over to the classroom, she was going to be late if she stopped even a second.

Tick tock.

Work.

School.

Home.

School.

Friends.

Xue.

Work.

Make it quick, watch your step and don't be late. Her eyes blurred for a moment but she kept moving.

"Chan Lee?" A little more and she would finally be at the classroom, it was right up ahead— Her world spun and it all came down.

...

When she found herself awake, she was in a bed with white curtains draped around the room. A lamp hung and let out a soft glowing light, it barely lit the room. "Huh, this isn't—"

"Oh, you're finally awake."

She whipped her head to her right, they had been so quiet that she hadn't seen him sitting on a couch. Liu Guiren shook his head, "Tsk, did you know how worrisome it was to see you topple down the halls like that?"

"What?"

"You were running in the halls, that wasn't allowed." Liu Guiren gave her a resigned sigh. "I wasn't sure if you slipped down the floor or simply passed out due to tiredness. You slept for three hours straight."

"What time is it?"

"8:35pm."

"My class—"

"I sent over a note to your professor that you were in the infirmary. You have to take care of yourself more, Miss Chan Lee." He had his fingers laced together as he eyed her. Disappointment was apparent in his tone and expression. "I told you before that you are too kind, people can unknowingly take advantage of it."Why was she having another conversation with him again?

"...I mean, aren't you being kind to me right now? Shouldn't you be more concerned with yourself."

A smile formed on his lips, "Ah, it pleases me to hear of your warm regards to me but you need not to worry. I put careful considerations into things. There's always a debit and credit, pros and cons measured each time. There are certain benefits to doing this."

"Like what?" She frowned slightly, she had just woken up and here he was doing a soliloquy. He could probably keep talking to himself like this if she said not a word.

"I'm fulfilling my role as the School Council President, that's what. I'm simply doing what is asked of me."

"That's all?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "You don't have any ulterior motives?"

Liu Guiren chuckled, "That's much better, suspicions and doubts. I think you're good to go."

What?

The young man stood up and picked up her bag, walking over to her. "Shall I get you home? I'm not sure if I fancy the idea of you fainting while walking home." He held it out for her.

She reached for her bag and grabbed it away from him. "I think I can do it on my own, thank you very much."

"Hmmm… so be it." He assented with a shake of his head. "Then I'll wait for you to go."

"What?" She asked.

"Infirmary was already closed, I only asked for permission to let you in. I have to lock this once you get out."

"Oh, I see." She got herself out of bed and made her way out to the door. She tried to hold it in but she glanced back at him. "Thanks for bringing me here, Council President."

"Have a safe trip back home." A smile was on his face.

It never sounded that ominous.

Thursday Ends

"Chan Lee!" The next day, she found herself approached by Suyin, Mei and the others.

She bit back a wince and looked at them, but more importantly, Suyin."I apologize that I wasn't able to come to work this morning—"

"You missed two classes yesterday, sweetie, you placed too much on your plate. That's not good." Suyin frowned at her.

She laughed weakly and scratched her head, "I mean, you're doing it and managing it well. Other students take part time jobs, some even support themselves all on their own. If I'm not able to do this much—"

"Then that's alright. It's okay. You don't have to compare yourself to everyone."

"Yeah, Suyin is right. We all work at our own pace, there's nothing wrong with not being able to do as much as others—all that matters is that you do things at your own pace." Mei added in with a smile.

Gen nodded, "Would have to agree with them, some people get too caught up in being working too hard that they miss the chance to play, relax and spend some time on recreational activities."

"You play more." Xiaobo spoke up.

Suyin glanced at Gen. "Define recreational activities."

"Having fun! Whether that's going to the movies, bars, a little nightlife—"

"Oh, what about an amusement park?" Mei cut in.

Gen made a face. "An amusement park?"

"Yeah! My grandma received two all-day entrance tickets to the park from her insurance company just this morning. Though it's not like she'd go there with me."

"That sounds like a date." Gen grinned and motioned to Xiaobo. "Get lost in each other's eyes, ride in the love tunnel and disappear into darkness to do stuff. You could definitely go on one with—"

Mei immediately waved the idea off. "It's not a date, I mean—you guys could buy tickets and we could all go there?" Her eyes lit up as she turned to Chan Lee. "I'll give you one of the tickets, let's all relax this weekend!"

"An amusement park, seriously we're not children…" Gen grunted as Suyin elbowed his side. "I mean, I'd love to go! Definitely would love being the fifth wheel this time."

"Well, since Chan Lee took over my shift last Saturday, I think skipping a day of work on Saturday is alright for me."

"Gee, good work ethics. You should probably work instead, Suyin."

"And what, try to pair yourself up? I need to keep an eye on you unless you try anything sneaky with Chan Lee."

"I'm not going to hit on her—" Gen glanced at her, raising a hand placatingly. "I mean you're pretty and all, but not my type."

"Did you just reject Chan Lee on the spot?"

"Are you jealous, Suyin?""In your wildest dream!"

Chan Lee cracked a smile, after the events last night she had gotten the chance to sleep in. And now here they were, proposing a plan to get her to relax.

She really didn't deserve people like them.

"So what do you say, are we all good for tomorrow? Everybody should be on time!" Mei cheered.

An amusement park… as Gen said earlier, wouldn't it be a nice place to have a date? Xue would definitely be—She blinked at that thought, trying to ease the fluttering in her chest.

"You can't back down, alright, Chan Lee? Let's all go relax tomorrow!"

Friday Ends

It was a bit hard to explain that she would be going out to Xue, but he simply patted her head. "That sounds like a great place to unwind, Miss Chan Lee. Please do not worry about me, I'll be fine!" He gave her a gentle smile. "Please relax today and have fun with your friends, we can always have a date tomorrow or any other day."

And so she found herself meeting with the group at a bus stop before they all headed to the amusement park. As they got down the bus, they were welcomed with the sights of a giant ferris wheel and the loops of a rollercoaster. A breath of fresh air

.A chance to relax and even have fun. How long had she had a chance to do something like this? The only recollection she had was when she was younger—a faint memory of earlier years.

Her bubbly friend skipped beside her, a bright atmosphere around her. "We're here at last, what do you guys want to do first?" She looked around eagerly.

Gen chuckled as he walked over in front of them, looking around their surroundings. "We should pay for the entrance tickets first, Mei-Mei."

"Somebody is already one step ahead of you, dunce." Suyin motioned to Xiaobo, he was already lining up at the ticket booth. How the guy was able to move around so quietly still amazed Chan Lee—he was like some sort of ninja. Her attention then flew to a couple of crowds ahead. Children were laughing, parents were smiling. Couples having fun together...

"How about we ask Chan Lee first? Where would you like to go?"Xue, he would have liked it up here, it was bright and cheerful.

"Chan Lee?"

She snapped out of it and looked at Mei and the others, they were looking at her with worried expressions. "Oh, sorry, I was thinking about someone who'd probably have liked to join us."

"Ouch," Gen dramatically clutched at his chest, "All the things we do for you and someone else is on your mind."

She felt her face heat up as she waved at them, "I don't mean it that way—"

"It must be someone she likes.

"It was still a little too… she wasn't still used to the thought that she did. She really did like him.

"Oh look, she's not denying it at all." Suyin chuckled before she got elbowed by Mei.

The young woman approached her and tapped her arm, "Do you think it was a good idea that you came with us, Chan Lee? It might have been better if you stayed home and rested." Although Mei had been the one who first suggested this, her brows were knitted together.

She was too good of a friend.She really didn't deserve someone like her.

"It's not fun if we didn't bring Chan Lee around, I mean, isn't the point of this trip is to help her relax and all?" Gen spoke up with a frown, crossing his arms.

He was right.

Chan Lee managed a smile, "Don't worry about me, Mei. Just a little dazed." Seriously, all she needed to do was relax and pay attention more to her friends. Couldn't she at least do that?

"You always are—" Gen received a karate chop at the head.

She scratched her cheek, "Working while studying turned out to be tougher than I thought." Why did she even continue taking it? Perhaps it was because they had expected her to do so? "That's why I respect you Suyin."

"Please, I slack off more often than not." The woman brushed off her compliment."

"Still...I'm not really good with balancing things. It's probably why I didn't have too many friends until you guys." That was a pitiful remark.

"You know what they say, small circles of friends are better than a large circle of friends." Mei smiled brightly and glanced at their silent companion. "Don't you agree, Xiaobo?"

Xiaobo paused mid-way from handing them tickets before nodding. "Mhmm."

Suyin spoke up. "Well, how about we ride the ferris wheel? Oh, maybe a roller coaster?"

"Hmm, as long as you guys don't end up screaming." Gen stuck a tongue out. "You girls have high-pitched screams."

....

In the end, it was Gen who found himself hurling at the end of their ride as Xiaobo patted the guy's back. The two of them were inconspicuously at a garbage can while Suyin and Mei were talking.

"Where else should we go?" Suyin asked. "Probably not a ride where our poor friend here can puke."

"Please, I just ate too much—urgh." Gen was unable to fully retort back

.Mei shook her head, somewhat sympathetic. "Don't forget that he also screams like a 'girl'."

Chan Lee found herself considering rides. A carousel? That would be too childlike if she suggested that. Along with other slow rides like the Caterpillar and the Teacup with Saucers. Should they try their luck at games?

"How about the House of Mirrors?" Xiaobo asked and motioned to one of the available attractions ahead of them.It was probably one of the longest sentences she ever heard that came from the man.

"Huh, that sounds boring. No offense."

"People are lining up there though—could be fun." Gen shrugged, finally recovering from his little incident. Indeed there was already a crowd gathered there. It was actually a large crowd.

It must have been a remarkable attraction if it garnered such an amount of people.

Mei smiled and nodded. "Well, there's no harm in trying there I guess."

...

An ornamental easel stood outside the House Mirrors, stylish calligraphy were painted on the white canvas:

'Look Past Reflections If You Wish To Venture Forward And Reach The Truth'

As they were ushered into a corridor. They saw it filled with intricate mirrors all around them along with twinkling lights bouncing on and off the mirror. With a black dome that sprawled over the entire place, they were welcomed into a silver bright milky way where the corridor split into three different paths.

The crowd around them began to navigate the corridors, small groups being formed as they searched and walked through revolving mirrors.The Hall of Mirror turned out to be a complex maze, the reflections and twinkling lights disorienting and deflecting crowds of people.

One person leaned against a mirror and yelped as it turned halfway around and revealed a narrow entrance with only faint glimmers of a mirror within it.

"Secret passage!" The guy called out to his companions.

Amidst the group of explorers, escape room wannabees and experts who were with them. Chan Lee found herself simply navigating with her friends and other people through the middle pathway.

"With how this House of Mirrors was designed, it's a little scary if you got lost in it—I mean, wouldn't you be able to tell the time?" Someone spoke up loudly. "Totally creepy."

"Idiot, we have phones to tell the time! Besides, you can always retrace your steps back to the entrance." One of their companions retorted.

On the other hand, the people who she founded herself with were…

"Make funny faces like this—" Gen scrunched up his face, like a monkey as he stuck his tongue out. His reflection was as silly as the face he was making.

"How the mirror isn't breaking yet with your expression still amazes me." Suyin remarked with a shake of her head.

Chan Lee bit back a giggle as she walked on ahead.

"The two are cute together aren't they?" Mei chuckled and walked alongside her before she skipped into the crowd ahead of them. "Xiaobo! Don't leave us!"

Chan Lee raised a brow, Mei thought the two were good together as a couple. To be honest, despite Gen remarking about being a fifth wheel. It was she who felt like that person. But she really didn't mind that much.

Being able to walk alone and have a little time to collect her thoughts, it was comfortable. Xue had been a wonderful addition, but to have some time for herself was also important. "Mmm...?" Her attention drifted to the mirrors, previously they distorted one's appearance or reflected and deflected light refractions.

However, this one was a plain old mirror without any light bulbs on it. No lights bounced or even touched it.She ran her hand over the glass, it was frosty to her touch. How did this… fracture lines erupted under her touch, she drew back her in hand in shock—Darkness engulfed the hall.

"What the—?!"

"Hey let me hold you!"

"Mommy! Where are you?!"

"Scaredy cat!"

"—Is this part of the game?"

"Turn on your flashlights!"

"Man, they should have told us ahead. Creepier than a haunted house."