ALL NOVEL
Chapter 25
Suddenly, the bus slammed on the brakes. Chi Yan's first reaction was to immediately put his arms around Chu Yang next to him and hold her in his embrace. There was also someone standing at the back of the bus who rushed to the front and nearly fell over until someone in front grabbed them to steady them. Everyone on the bus was terrified.
At that moment, however, Chi Yan's mind was only on the girl in his arms. He caught a scent of sweet fragrance.
The bus driver uncle yelled out the window several times, "Looking to die? Get farther away! Can't you drive?"
Everyone then realized that a car had cut in front of the bus at high speed. If the bus driver hadn't slammed on the brakes they would have crashed.
On this side, Chu Yang was firmly pressed against Chi Yan's chest by him protecting her. Her nose hit his stiff chest and her eyes immediately turned red.
Chu Yang patted Chi Yan's chest signaling him to let go. Only then did Chi Yan come back to his senses and released her. Seeing her red-rimmed eyes, he became nervous and anxiously asked, "What's wrong?"
Chu Yang rubbed her nose. "Nothing. Your chest is just too hard. My nose got hurt when it hit."
Chi Yan's face immediately turned red. "Sorry..."
Chu Yang waved her hand. "It's okay. Thank you." Although it really wasn't necessary, why are you acting like a virtuous gentleman who got violated? She didn't take advantage of him either. It wasn't initiated by her.
Chu Yang thought again of their first meeting, and how this guy had acted all weird, seeming afraid she would violate him.
The two fell silent again. Chu Yang wondered why every time she took this bus route something would happen? She placed her hand on Chi Yan's arm. "Looking" ahead, nothing else happened for the rest of the trip. She felt relieved.
Chi Yan, with Chu Yang's hand on his arm, stiffened up again. His eyes darted around, deliberately not looking at her. When she removed her hand, he felt a tinge of loss.
What's with him?
Chu Yang didn't bother figuring out what he was thinking about. Repairing the crystal ball was the priority.
When they arrived at the stop, Chu Yang immediately said "Bye" and rushed off the bus.
Chi Yan: ......
Back in the dorm room, Chu Yang said not to disturb her. Then she took the crystal ball and ran to her bed. Her roommates assumed she had work to do again, so they also didn't disturb her and moved about quietly.
Chu Yang closed the curtains, then used a cloth to wipe the crystal ball clean. She took out all the materials, intending to use her magic to grind them into dust to mix together. She would then fill the cracks in the crystal ball with it, and use her power to fuse the materials into the crystal ball.
Jin Yang and the others could only see flashes of light coming from the gaps in Chu Yang's curtains, going dark and then lighting up again. It was the first time they had witnessed such a magical scene. They huddled together, shivering a little.
"Nothing will happen, right?" Zhou Caicai whispered.
"I... don't think so," Jin Yang also wasn't certain.
Qian Xin said, "Chu Yang is so capable, nothing will happen."
"Trust Chu Yang."
After more than half an hour, it still wasn't done. The three looked at each other. "Isn't it taking too long?"
"Maybe it's related to a major event in the prophecy."
They continued huddling together, staring fixedly at Chu Yang's bed, though they couldn't see anything.
After a while, laughter came from Chu Yang's bed. The three shuddered in fright. "Ahhh, is everything really okay?"
Jin Yang called out softly, "Chu Yang? You're okay, right?"
Chu Yang drew back the curtains in one motion. There was a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth, making her lips look extremely red against her pale complexion. But her spirit seemed quite good, and she was still holding a crystal ball in her hand.
She looked just like a vampire, especially with Chu Yang also laughing and baring her full mouth of red teeth at Jin Yang and the others.
The three let out a scream in shock.
Chu Yang tilted her head in confusion. "What are you doing?"
It was Chu Yang's normal voice. Finally relieved, Zhou Caicai held up a mirror for Chu Yang. "Chu Yang, look at yourself! You scared us to death!"
Jin Yang chimed in, "Right, what happened to you? Did you vomit blood? Your face is super pale." But she looked full of energy.
Chu Yang smiled, eyes curving. "Nothing much. I repaired the crystal ball."
As she spoke, she held up the crystal ball. Seeing the dazzling, shimmering crystal ball, the three gasped in admiration. "Wow! So beautiful!"
Chu Yang carefully stroked the crystal ball. "This is what I use to make a living."
They all congratulated her happily.
After celebrating for a while, Chu Yang finally couldn't keep it up and collapsed limply on the bed. She had overexerted her magic power and was exhausted.
The three roommates became busy taking care of her again.
For several consecutive days, Chu Yang remained weak. Final exams were also that week. Because she needed to recuperate these days, she also hadn't updated her blog.
Her fans didn't have much reaction, just asking when she'd update again. Some clients also asked, but Chu Yang declined, saying to wait a few days.
Chu Yang felt it didn't impact things though. Her body was a little weak, but her mind was fine.
Right after exams ended, roommates Jin Yang and Zhou Caicai packed up and went home that very night.
Chu Yang was also packing up. She was going back too. Although she didn't have her memories, she could find out from her ID where her home was - in the countryside of the neighboring Jiazhou City.
Qian Xin's home was farther away. Her flight was the next afternoon.
Chu Yang just packed two sets of clothes, thinking of her parents at home and a younger brother. She also bought each of them a set of clothes and some fruit. The next morning she left campus, first taking a train for over an hour, then transferring to a bus, and finally needing to take a three-wheeled vehicle to get to her village.
At her home, Chu's Mom's left eye had been twitching. With the recent cold weather, there were no crops left in the fields. Chu's Dad went to town each day for odd jobs. Chu's Mom did housework at home, sometimes bringing back handicrafts to work on.
Chu Yang's younger brother was named Chu Luo. He was still in middle school in town, with another week before vacation.
"Do you think Chu Yang is on break yet? I heard university students get out earlier."
Chu's Dad thought that made sense. "Why don't we call Chu Yang?"
"Let's wait until evening. What if she's still taking exams?"
"You're right, we'll wait until evening. I hope she has enough money."
Although they sent money to her every month, she never asked for money over there, always saying she received it.
"I'll transfer another 1,000 to her tomorrow. She'll need money for the ticket home if she's on break."
"Okay."
The two sat at the door. Chu's Mom was picking vegetables while Chu's Dad repaired a stool. Suddenly someone pulling a suitcase came down the small road. Chu's Mom glanced over, then did a double take. She stood up, "Dear, isn't that Chu Yang? Oh my, it's Chu Yang!"
Chu's Mom immediately tossed down the vegetables in her hand and hurried over. Chu's Dad also put down what he was working on and rushed over.
Chu Yang was pulling her suitcase down the road. Thanks to great government policies, even the small village roads were paved with cement, so pulling her suitcase didn't feel tiring to Chu Yang at all.