Give me your jacket

[I have to get away real fast!]

"Xu Jiao, wait!" Acting like she couldn't hear the male voice that called after her, she increased her walking pace to a near sprint; the lobby door was only a few tens of meters away, and she only needed to be quick.

[Faster, faster… faster!!]

Finally stepping out the door, she didn't even pause to take a breath before turning away and walking just as quickly, not even bothering to see where she was going.

[Doesn't matter where, as long as I can get away from here…] Xu Jiao thought in a muddle while breaking into a run after turning a corner of the building. And she kept running without stopping, pushing people out of her way, looking as if a pack of wolves was hot on her heels.

Even though she couldn't sleep well last night, things had still been going well for most part of this morning at least. And, while selecting her courses and completing other necessary procedures, she had been giving herself internal prep talks and growing bolder with each passing second.

Actually, she had grown quite confident by the end of it all, assured of her ability to face the two people who'd hurt her to such inconceivable levels in her last life; she had been so sure that she could act just like how her normal 19-year-old self would have acted when meeting them again.

But, all her confidence had crumbled down to practically sub-zero levels upon seeing those two standing at a corner of the lobby, chatting happily as if everything was all right with the whole world.

[Not for long!] she gnashed her teeth while fear, hatred, unwillingness, sadness, and all sorts of other complex feelings fought inside her heart, but finally fear seemed to surpass every other emotion to emerge victorious in this battle, nearly swallowing her consciousness with the ferocity of its coming.

[Would they realize something is wrong? What should I do now?]

[Would those things repeat again? Would I have to suffer just like in the past?]

The past and present seemed to converge, turning everything in her mind into a blur. For one bewildering moment, Xu Jiao felt like she was in a hallucination, and everything that happened so far was fake. What was real and what was imaginary? She panted in fear when her chest started to feel tighter and tighter, while her breathing turned more and more laborious.

[I-I…I can't breathe! Why can't I breathe? What happened??]

[Am I going to die? Again? Didn't I die already?] Panicking due to the lack of air, Xu Jiao suddenly felt herself colliding hard with something, which was followed by a loud shout of pain.

"Ahhh…." Feeling herself falling down, she unconsciously braced for the impact, but the expected pain didn't arrive. Instead, a pair of arms held her securely, prompting her to open her eyes and take a look to see a devilishly handsome face, staring down at her from a higher vantage point.

[It's him… The one I met at the gate] she could see spots dancing in front of her eyes, probably from lack of air, while her lungs burned painfully. The person in front of her was frantically speaking –probably even shouting- but she couldn't hear a word he was saying. And just before she lost herself in the blessed darkness, Xu Jiao suddenly remembered why she felt he looked familiar.

[So… that's why. It's him!]

[Guo Shen…..]

***

Guo Shen stared down at the girl held in his arms, who fainted after experiencing what looked like a panic attack. She looked tiny and fragile with her small stature, her pale face covered with streaks of tears. Suddenly shocked out of his trance because of his friend's voice, he quickly drew back the hand which he had raised halfway towards her face, pretending that nothing happened.

"Aai… What was this person doing running like that? Can't they look at where they're going? I almost bumped my head on the wall!" A Pause, then "Eh… isn't this the girl we saw that evening? What's she doing here?"

Guo Shen hummed in response while thinking [So damn troublesome!] inside his head. But, when he placed the unconscious girl in a sitting position near the building, with her back against its wall, his gestures were unusually gentle.

"Uh… Old first {1}, why are you holding her like this? Did she faint??" Another long pause and then, "No way… I was the one who was nearly knocked down ah! Why is she the one unconscious now? This is scamming!!"

Seeing Guo Shen keeping his mouth shut while checking on the girl, Wang Jin kept chattering, determined to express his opinion on the unusual nature of this matter.

"I get it! She was trying to seduce you, and pretended to faint… Or could it be that she was going to confess to you, but got too excited and fainted?" Sighing, he continued, a sense of schadenfreude apparent in his voice.

"Aaiyo… I just knew something like this would happen by the way she looked at you that day. Ei... She even changed her hairstyle. Could it be… to look cuter when confessing to you? Guo Shen ah… you really are a disaster star for women! Look at this girl, she-"

"Second"

"Eh?" Suddenly interrupted in the middle of his one-sided analysis, Wang Jin looked at his friend, an expression of surprised expectation on his face. 'Is this guy finally willing to accept his honest opinion?'

"Shut up! You're so damn noisy!"

"…"

Feeling a great deal wronged, he closed his mouth, his face the very picture of despondency. [I was only saying what I thought. Did he need to act like this?]

Ignoring his sulking friend, Guo Shen looked around and after thinking for a while longer, he seemed to come to a decision and suddenly turned towards Wang Jin, which startled him out of his sullen daze.

"Wang Jin…"

"Ah? Ah? What's it?" [Mommy, I'm scared! Why's this guy suddenly calling me by name?]

"Give me your jacket."

Wang Jin: "…"

Guo Shen: "…"

Wang Jin looked down at the jacket he was wearing, and then at his friend's, and fell silent. Even though both jackets were obviously brand names, his is a bit old while old Guo's one is new. It can't be that he suddenly realized he liked this old jacket, right?

Probably seeing the confusion on his face, his friend explained, impatiently coloring his voice. "I need to cover her face." Ignoring the way Wang Jin's expression turned blank, he continued blithely, "If people saw me carrying a girl, it would cause too much trouble… For both me and her."

[So you are actually aware that you are a source of trouble, eh?]

"Why should I give my jacket? Why can't you use yours?"

"Why should I use mine?" Hearing the uncaring drawl of the other person, Wang Jin fell into momentary speechlessness.

"Not giving?"

[This evil spirit!] Wang Jin cried inwardly, but still ended up removing his jacket and throwing it at Guo Shen's face. He wanted to cry and rage at the injustice of it, and give this bastard a good beating, but in the end he couldn't. After all, who'd dare to provoke this person? He couldn't! And he wouldn't!!

#####

Glossary:

1. Old first - The term 'old first' or simply 'first' is used to address some one who's first in seniority, either by age or by the order of their joining some sort of group like structure (like a group leader, the oldest person in a group, the first son of a family etc.). The next person in seniority will be addresses as 'old second' or 'second'. This type of address can be used on any member of the group, depending on their level of seniority.