The Company

Chapter 3: Dumb Shop • Consort Xiang's Chain

Friday, May 7, 2010 - Heavy Rain to Storm

Su Wanluo sat on the plaza steps, hugging her backpack to her chest, completely unconcerned about being drenched by the rain. Pedestrians hurried past with umbrellas, occasionally casting curious glances her way.

She paid them no mind, merely staring blankly as raindrops struck the smooth blue bricks, splashing into crown-shaped water patterns.

The rain beat down on her, cold and stinging, yet she showed no intention of seeking shelter. Icy water streamed from her hair, down her cheeks, mingling with her tears before trickling into her collar.

Just as Su Wanluo was watching the water droplets splash and vanish in a daze, someone suddenly held an umbrella over her, shielding her from the falling rain.

"It's very late. Why haven't you gone home?" a gentle, pleasant male voice said.

She looked up to see a man wearing a black tangzhuang suit, holding an eco-friendly bag in his left hand while raising a large black umbrella with his right, gazing at her with concern.

The man appeared quite young, probably only in his early twenties. Though he seemed ordinary enough to be forgotten after a passing glance on the street, he wore a tangzhuang that was impossible to look away from—deep black satin dark as midnight, with several blood-red frog buttons down the front. His right sleeve was embroidered with a dark red dragon, its body coiling up along the sleeve toward the collar. At first glance, it appeared so lifelike it seemed the dragon might bite through his neck at any moment. This eerie yet vivid embroidery gave him an indescribably mysterious aura.

Su Wanluo wanted to tell him not to bother, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn't control her emotions. Despondently, she said, "I lost something very important..."

"How unfortunate," the young man sighed sympathetically.

Su Wanluo pursed her lips and couldn't help crying again—she had lost the umbrella he lent her.

When school ended, the rain was already pouring heavily. Seeing her dilemma, her deskmate kindly handed her an umbrella. She froze for a moment, then was about to chase after him joyfully to thank him when she saw him sharing an umbrella with another girl, chatting and laughing as they left the campus.

Her world seemed to collapse in that instant.

So she simply didn't use the umbrella, walking all the way home in the rain. Halfway there, she suddenly realized the umbrella he had lent her was gone—she didn't even know when she had lost it.

Losing the umbrella was actually the lesser issue; what truly broke her heart was realizing she had lost her heart to him.

The young man didn't leave immediately. Instead, he pondered for a moment before asking, "Do you really want to find it?"

Su Wanluo nodded vigorously.

"Would you like to come to my shop and sit for a while?" the young man suggested softly.

Su Wanluo was taken aback and looked up at him again.

Though the man's features were ordinary, when he smiled now, a ray of sunlight broke through the thick clouds behind him, instantly dispelling the long-standing gloom in the sky and making one's mood unconsciously improve.

As if hypnotized, Su Wanluo nodded gently.

The rain gradually lightened, pattering softly against the umbrella in a clear, pleasant rhythm.

It was then that Su Wanluo began to regret her decision. How could she have been so bewitched as to agree to go with a stranger? No, she needed to quickly make up an excuse to slip away!

Just then, the young man said gently, "We're here."Su Wanluo looked up and saw a shop with a narrow storefront, decorated in a very antique style. The doors and windows were all exquisitely crafted in classical designs, sandwiched between two modern fast-food restaurants, making it seem somewhat out of place. On the plaque above the doorframe were two beautifully written small seal script characters, faintly recognizable as "Dumb Shop."

"Dumb Shop?" Su Wanluo was full of questions.

"This is my antique shop. Every antique here carries many, many stories, but they cannot speak, so no one can hear their thoughts."

The young Boss pushed open the old carved wooden door. What struck Su Wanluo as odd was that although there was no one in the shop, he hadn't locked the door.

"Don't worry, I never lock the door. No thief would dare come here to steal anything." As if sensing her inner doubts, the young Boss stood in the dimly lit shop, slowly turned around, and smiled.

"Welcome to 'Dumb Shop.'"

The young man's smile, blending into the pitch-black background, made Su Wanluo feel an inexplicable sense of eeriness.

A strange antique shop, a mysterious boss.

Su Wanluo swallowed hard but did not step back. Instead, as if bewitched, she clutched her backpack tightly and stepped inside.

Dumb Shop was not as small as it appeared from the outside. Instead, it resembled a long, narrow passage, dark and seemingly endless. The Boss lit two palace lanterns by the entrance. Su Wanluo glanced at them and nearly jumped in fright—how could these two lanterns look so much like the Changxin Palace Lantern from the history books?

They must be replicas... definitely replicas...

Su Wanluo's lips twitched, and she said warily, "Um... I don't have any money. If you're trying to sell me something, I can't afford it!"

Hearing this, the Boss chuckled softly. "I'm not selling you anything. In fact, there's something here that suits you very well. If you like it, I'll give it to you."

Give it to her? How could there be such a good deal? Su Wanluo's eyes darted around as she thought, "I might as well see what he has to offer. It won't hurt to take a look..." She sat down on a nearby rosewood chair. Soon after, the Boss emerged carrying a box.

Under the dim, hazy yellow light, he slowly opened the intricately carved Dragon Pattern box. On the bright yellow silk cloth lay a bracelet studded with gemstones.

"This... this is too valuable!" Su Wanluo shot to her feet, her eyes wide with astonishment.

"The first owner of this bracelet was a favored concubine of Emperor Qianlong during the Qing Dynasty—the one known as 'Fragrant Concubine,' whose beauty was such that 'even before her jade-like face drew near, her fragrance would envelop you.'"

Su Wanluo's eyes widened even further. The Boss, unhurried, continued leisurely, "It is said that she was originally the wife of Huo Jizhan, the chieftain of the Xinjiang Hui tribe. When the Hui tribe rebelled, Huo Jizhan was executed by the Qing court, and General Zhao Hui captured Fragrant Concubine alive and presented her to Emperor Qianlong. However, Fragrant Concubine held firm to her resolve of 'preferring death to submission after the fall of her nation and home,' and she never yielded to Emperor Qianlong. Legend has it that to win her favor, Emperor Qianlong gathered seven gemstones of different colors, each imbued with spiritual energy, and meticulously crafted this bracelet for her."

The young Boss narrated slowly, his voice soft and captivating. "These seven gemstones are opal, lapis lazuli, topaz, moonstone, peridot, garnet, and obsidian. It is said that whoever wears this bracelet can recover what they have lost.""Seven gems? But two of the gem settings here are empty." Su Wanluo sounded skeptical.

"Each time something is recovered, one of the gems disappears. The first thing Xiang Fei wanted to retrieve was the remains of her husband, Huo Jizhan. The second thing she wanted..." The Boss paused, "was her homeland. So she was ordered to commit suicide by the Empress Dowager, finally returning her soul to her native land. As her wishes were fulfilled one after another, the corresponding opal and lapis lazuli have already vanished. Now only five gems remain."

The young boss picked up the bracelet, placed it on his palm, and extended it toward Su Wanluo. "Didn't you lose something? Try wearing it."

Su Wanluo knew antique dealers were often skilled storytellers, but she never expected such an outrageous tale.

Wearing a bracelet could help recover lost items? That might work on young children, but she was long past the age of believing in fairy tales.

Yet... even if it was a scam, even with two missing gems, she couldn't deny how beautiful the bracelet was. Each remaining gem was thumb-sized, surrounded by delicate fragments as accents. Even in the dim light, they shimmered with dazzling brilliance, as if naturally imbued with magic.

Would it hurt to wear it for a few days?

"Are you really giving this to me?" Su Wanluo asked for final confirmation.

"Yes," the young boss smiled. "But there's one rule you must remember: once you put on this bracelet, you must never remove it. Otherwise, everything you've recovered will be lost again."

Su Wanluo nodded and extended her left hand. The boss bowed his head, fastening the bracelet around the girl's slender, pale wrist while carefully securing the clasp.

A refreshing coolness spread across her wrist.

Outside, the rain had completely stopped, replaced by sunset clouds burning crimson across the sky.

Saturday, May 8, 2010 - Cloudy turning to light rain

Su Wanluo was awakened by the thunderous sound of wall drilling from upstairs. Staring at the white ceiling, she felt as if a tiny worker was desperately chiseling inside her head.

Renovation noise pollution! She helplessly massaged her throbbing temples. The jingling from her wrist reminded her of the bracelet someone had inexplicably given her yesterday.

She raised her left hand to examine it in the morning light streaming through the window, admiring the various gems - the orange-yellow topaz resembling snow pear, the wine-purple garnet glowing brilliantly, the emerald-green peridot like grandmother's jewels, the milky moonstone shimmering with silver-blue radiance... Wait? Why were there only four gems left?

Su Wanluo immediately tidied her room with unprecedented speed but found no fallen gems anywhere. She distinctly remembered there being five gems on the bracelet when she went to sleep last night.

Could it be... just as the antique shop owner said? That one gem disappears each time a lost item is recovered?

The missing one was the obsidian with double rainbow eyes.

But her lost umbrella was still nowhere to be found in the backpack drying on the balcony.

As expected, it was all a lie. The faint hope that had kindled in Su Wanluo's heart was extinguished once more.

To think she'd pinned her hopes on a bracelet... She was truly beyond help. It would be more practical to just go buy another umbrella to return to him...

Scratching her bird's nest-like messy hair, Su Wanluo crossed the living room toward the kitchen in search of breakfast when faint barking sounds drifted in from outside the door.What's going on? She remembered this apartment building didn't allow pets!

Su Wanluo opened the door in confusion and immediately froze, then exclaimed joyfully: "Mom! Mom! Cola is back!"

"What nonsense are you talking? How could Cola possibly find this place? Didn't he get lost?" Su's Mother walked out from the kitchen while wiping her hands.

"No! It's Cola! This must be Cola!" Su Wanluo scooped up the dog that was leaping toward her. The little dog was snow-white all over with a patch of black fur around its mouth, looking as mischievous as if it had stolen food without wiping properly—such a unique appearance, who else could it be but her Cola?

"Cola, you're so dirty! Come on, I'll give you a bath!" Su Wanluo happily carried the continuously barking Cola toward the bathroom, not noticing her mother's unusually strange expression behind her.

After giving Cola a fragrant bath, Su Wanluo was using a hairdryer to dry his fur when she suddenly realized—Cola was also one of the "things she had lost"!

Cola had gone missing just before her family moved to this new apartment. It had been two years—how did he manage to find this place?

Could it be... the power of the bracelet?

She looked down at the bracelet with three missing gemstones, her heart pounding wildly.

Perhaps this bracelet truly had magic, though it didn't precisely retrieve the specific items she had lost, but rather brought back everything she had lost, one by one.

There were still four gemstones left on the bracelet, meaning she had four more chances to recover lost things.

Four items—she had lost so many things! What should she try to recover?

As Su Wanluo excitedly pondered this, Cola happily rolled around on her bed, occasionally coming over to lick her cheeks, being extremely affectionate.

"Stop it, Cola! You must be starving! Let me find something for you to eat. Stay here and be good. Sit!" At Su Wanluo's command, just like before, the little dog obediently sat down, sticking out its tongue and looking at her adoringly.

For a moment, Su Wanluo felt transported back several years, when her father hadn't been promoted yet, when their family of three and Cola were squeezed into a tiny little house. Life was hard, and though only Cola kept her company, Su Wanluo still felt incredibly happy.

Cola would tirelessly follow every instruction she gave. Every evening, she would take him out for walks. The two of them would often sit on a bench together, watching the sunset disappear beyond the horizon.

When she felt lonely, he would press his warm little body against her. When she was sad, he would lick her palms with his warm tongue, doing his utmost to bring her even the slightest comfort.

He was always quietly by her side, whether she was happy or sad. To her, he was more than just a pet—he was like a younger brother who grew up with her.

The beautiful memories made Su Wanluo's lips curl upward involuntarily. She patted Cola's head and turned toward the kitchen, only to find her mother wasn't there.

Passing through the living room, Su Wanluo inadvertently noticed the main door was slightly ajar. Curious, she retreated back, only to overhear an unexpected conversation."Dad, Cola is back! What should we do? Yes! I'm not mistaken, it's definitely Cola! Back then... didn't you take it to the countryside? How did it come back again? Really! We can't keep dogs in this apartment! How about... you abandon it one more time... just tell Wanwan that Cola got lost again! She's such a good girl, she'll believe whatever we say..."

What? Su Wanluo, standing in the shadows by the door, was as shocked as if struck by lightning.

The person speaking in a hushed voice was her mother, right? Then why... would she say such strange things? Cola didn't get lost on its own? It was her seemingly kind and amiable father who abandoned it?

Su Wanluo could almost imagine little Cola from years ago, desperately chasing after her father's car, running and running, until it could only collapse by the roadside, whimpering weakly and hopelessly...

Tears surged up without warning. She reached up to wipe them away, but somehow her bracelet got caught on a loose thread of her clothing, and the clasp suddenly came undone.

The bracelet fell to the floor with a "clatter," and the words of the young boss from the antique shop unexpectedly echoed in her ears—"One thing the customer must remember: once you put on this bracelet, you cannot take it off. Otherwise, what you've found will be lost again."

Before she could fully understand what this meant, through her blurred vision she saw a small white figure dart across the living room, down the hallway, and slip out through the slightly open door.

"Cola!" Su Wanluo hurriedly chased after it.

"Wanwan! Change your slippers before going out!" Her mother exclaimed behind her, sounding so detestable.

Su Wanluo wiped away the tears streaming down her face and quickened her pace down the stairs to chase outside. She must find Cola! She absolutely couldn't lose it again!

In the evening, two aunts returning from grocery shopping were chatting.

"Is that little girl still looking for her lost dog?"

"Last night, I heard a dog was run over by a car on the street ahead! I happened to pass by and saw it—it was too horrible to look at! A white dog with a patch of black fur by its mouth, quite cute!"

Su Wanluo walked past them in a daze. She could no longer distinguish what was an illusion and what was real...

The weather outside wasn't good. The wind was strong, strong enough to dry the tear stains on her face.

But before long, raindrops began to fall again, flowing down her cheeks in place of tears.

[Obsidian: Also known as Apache Tears. In Native American legend, a troop was ambushed by enemies, outnumbered, and completely wiped out. When the tragic news arrived, the families' painful tears fell to the ground and turned into small black stones. It is also called the gem that never cries. Whoever possesses this black obsidian will never have to cry again, because the Apache maiden has already shed all tears for you. Giving obsidian to someone you like symbolizes no more crying, only happiness and joy.]

Sunday, May 9, 2010, Overcast with occasional showers

Su Wanluo had woken up at the moment dawn broke. To be more precise, she hadn't slept much last night. Every time she closed her eyes, she would see Cola's simple, honest face.Yesterday she had wandered in the rain until dusk, never finding Cola even after her father dragged her home by the wrist. Faced with her parents' concern, she remained silent and asked no questions. She was terrified—what could possibly change by asking? She feared the perfect image she held of her parents would shatter completely.

She preferred to pretend she had seen nothing, heard nothing.

The renovation noises from upstairs began right on schedule, this time replaced by the even more jarring sound of an electric drill. Su Wanluo sat up with a splitting headache and glanced at the bracelet on her wrist.

After much internal struggle last night, she had ultimately put the bracelet back on. She thought, perhaps... this way Cola would return? She counted the gems and found indeed another was missing—this time, the orange-yellow topaz. Su Wanluo hurried out of bed and rushed to the front door, repeatedly opening and closing it, but found no trace of Cola.

After waiting despondently by the door for an hour, Su Wanluo was finally persuaded by her mother to return to her room. Upon opening her door, she unexpectedly discovered a small videotape on her desk.

Picking it up, Su Wanluo saw written on the case—"Wanwan's 15th Birthday Party."

That's right—for her 15th birthday, she had gone to a KTV with friends for the first time. This was the recording from that day, which had been lost after moving. Could it be... this was the lost item exchanged for the topaz?

Since the videotape couldn't be played on a computer, Su Wanluo rummaged through boxes until she found an old VCR. After plugging it in, she inserted the tape.

Qiqi, Meizi, You'er... familiar yet childish faces appeared on the small screen, with laughter and singing occasionally rising. The long-blurred faces of the girls gradually came into focus again.

The cheerful sounds from the tape temporarily eased Su Wanluo's grief over losing Cola, bringing a smile to her lips as memories of her three good friends surfaced—Qiqi was always so likable, her smile sweet enough to drip honey; Meizi was carefree and unconstrained, the girl who got along best with boys in their class; while You'er was the most fashion-conscious, regularly wearing the trendiest clothes and shoes, even changing her bags every season.

And there she was beside her three remarkable friends—with straight bangs and a silly ponytail, wearing a crumpled old school uniform at her own birthday party, awkward and shy, possessing nothing but excellent grades.

The timid, smiling girl in the recording seemed so out of place among the three distinctive friends. She hadn't even sung one song, just sat in the corner clapping enthusiastically.

Why did she appear so restrained while having fun with friends? Why hadn't any of these so-called good friends really looked at her? Why did the happy birthday party she remembered now seem so awkward and uncomfortable years later?At this thought, Su Wanluo's smile gradually stiffened. It seemed that after this birthday party, she had lost contact with her friends. Although she had called them a few times, none had agreed to go shopping or hang out with her... Perhaps they had all entered different high schools and were too busy to meet, she comforted herself this way.

Su Wanluo watched the recording seriously until the screen showed snowy static. She didn't rush to turn it off but fell into deep thought.

"Click!" The clasp of the bracelet suddenly came loose and fell onto the table.

Su Wanluo's heart jumped at the crisp sound. The antique shop owner's words still echoed in her ears, but she felt she was overreacting. At the very least, the videotape couldn't run away on its own, could it?

Just as she was mocking herself, the snowflakes on the screen disappeared, replaced by a clear image. In front of the camera was Qiqi. The expression on her face was no longer sweet but replaced with disdain: "Wanwan, maybe you'll never see this recording, but we still have to say it. Actually, we really dislike being friends with you!"

"Yeah! You're the class monitor, the teacher's pet. If we don't suck up to you, where else can we copy homework from?" This was spoken by Meizi, who seemed innocent and loved to laugh heartily. Her laughter, which always made Su Wanluo feel as bright as the sun, now felt piercingly harsh.

"Actually, we all dislike you. Your clothes are tacky, and you talk so stiffly. We even feel embarrassed to be seen with you! Thankfully, we're graduating soon, so we won't have to deal with you anymore!" You'er, with her meticulously applied makeup, spoke to the camera with disgust.

"Oh my! You're being so blunt—Wanwan won't be able to take it! Hee hee hee!"

"Why not? Wasn't this your idea in the first place?"

"Hurry up, hurry up! She's about to finish paying and come back!"

The screen shook for a moment before returning to the static snowflakes. The room fell into a deathly silence, as if the noisy voices just now had come from another world.

Su Wanluo sat there in a daze until the tape reached its end and the machine stopped running.

What were they saying? Why didn't she understand a single word? Wasn't it them who insisted on being friends with her in the first place?

The sound of the electric drill upstairs started again without warning, jolting Su Wanluo out of her nightmare. She clutched her head abruptly, feeling an intense pain in both her mind and her heart...

In the living room, Su's Mother and Father were watching TV.

Su's Father said worriedly, "Wanwan has been acting strange these past couple of days. She won't go out looking for Cola again, will she?"

"Probably not. I just found the tape from her 15th birthday party while cleaning and put it on her desk," Su's Mother said cheerfully. "Maybe she'll go play with Qiqi and the others soon. This child has never had many friends since she was little, which is why she treasures that puppy so much."

"Oh? That long-lost tape was actually found?"

"Yes, but it's been stored next to a set of magnetic chess pieces all this time. The tape might have been erased and can't be played anymore..."

[Topaz: Known as the "Friendship Stone," it represents sincerity and steadfast love, symbolizing beauty and intelligence. It signifies vitality and prosperity, helps alleviate fatigue, controls emotions, and aids in rebuilding confidence and goals.]

Monday, May 10, 2010, Sunny

Su Wanluo sat dazedly in the classroom. She had arrived at school very early today, so early that aside from her, there was no one else in the classroom.

But to be precise, someone had arrived even earlier than her. Su Wanluo glanced at the desk next to hers, where her deskmate's backpack lay quietly. He always came to class earliest to practice basketball, which was why he kept the classroom key.

Su Wanluo withdrew her gaze and looked at the tape she had brought and placed on her desk. For some reason, she had brought this rediscovered lost item with her. Although her bracelet had fallen off once, this tape still hadn't disappeared.But what could this truly preserve? The precious friendship she once thought she had regained had actually been discarded long, long ago.

They knew she was weak-willed and lonely, craving friendship more than anyone. Seizing upon this vulnerability, they half-forced her into becoming friends.

Years had passed, yet she remained unchanged, lacking even the courage to confront them. Just as she knew Cola had been abandoned by her father yet chose to escape from that truth... She truly despised this version of herself.

Su Wanluo unconsciously fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist. When she woke up this morning, the moonstone on the bracelet had disappeared. But unlike the previous two times, this time she hadn't noticed any lost items reappearing. At least, not yet.

As Su Wanluo sat in a daze, her deskmate suddenly pushed the door open while carrying a basketball.

"Why are you so early today?" Su Wanluo asked uncomfortably. He usually practiced until right before class.

He flashed a toothy grin: "I saw you'd already arrived when I was on the sports field. What about you? Why are you so early too? You used to arrive exactly on time every day!"

Su Wanluo quickly lowered her head, flustered as she opened her backpack and took out the new umbrella she'd specially bought. But unexpectedly, he pulled out an umbrella from his own desk.

"You! After I specially lent you my umbrella, you actually forgot to take it!" he said exasperatedly. "Luckily I met a girl from the same neighborhood, otherwise not only would my good deed be wasted, I'd have gotten soaked in the heavy rain!"

Facing his accusation, Su Wanluo was speechless. She clearly remembered taking the umbrella when she went downstairs. Who knew how it ended up back in his desk?

Could it be that the bracelet had retrieved it for her?

"I... I thought I'd lost it..." Su Wanluo said awkwardly. "This new umbrella... I was planning to replace yours with it."

The confused expression on his face immediately vanished as he shook his head and laughed heartily: "I'm really impressed by you! How can you be so scatterbrained! So how did you get home then?"

As he laughed, Su Wanluo's face grew increasingly red. She didn't know who the girl was that went home with him that day? Just like she didn't know whether what she'd ultimately lost was his umbrella, or him?

Too cowardly to ask, Su Wanluo even specifically checked whether the bracelet on her wrist was securely fastened. If it happened again like before, regardless of whether the bracelet fell off or not, would she lose whatever had been retrieved?

She pondered distractedly - when exactly had she started noticing him?

Was it on the sunlit sports field when he ran towards her bouncing a basketball, his face full of radiant smiles? Was it when he sang boldly without stage fright in an auditorium of thousands? Or was it during one of their accidental eye contacts, when they were so close she could see her reflection in his eyes, making her too shy to look at them since?

She was certain of her own feelings, but uncertain of his. Just like with Cola or her former friends, she was too foolish, never able to figure out exactly what kind of world she was living in.

Perhaps not getting an answer was the best outcome for her?

"What's wrong? You seem unhappy today?" he asked, as if sensing her unusual silence.She gazed at the slightly upturned tips of his hair and quietly asked, "Is there something you'd rather have lost than found again?"

"Huh?" He hadn't expected such a question from her.

"N-never mind, forget what I just said." Su Wanluo realized how strange her words sounded and bit her lip anxiously.

After a moment of silence, he sighed softly. "When I was little, I saw a neighbor's child with a really cool remote-controlled car. I was so envious that I spent all my New Year's money to buy one. I played with it outside all afternoon—that feeling of satisfaction is something I'll never forget. But when I got home, my cousins found out I'd used all my savings on that car and laughed at me for being a fool. They said that money could've bought three identical cars. I was so ashamed and regretful that I burst into tears right then."

He scratched his head sheepishly. "I stuffed that remote-controlled car to the bottom of a box and never played with it again. Every time I think about it, the shame and regret far outweigh the joy the car ever brought me. So sometimes I can't help thinking—if only I'd accidentally lost that car back then. Then all that'd remain in my heart would be a faint sense of loss."

Su Wanluo looked at him with dawning understanding, staring until he grew visibly uncomfortable.

"Sorry, I need to step out for a moment." Su Wanluo suddenly stood up and rushed out of the classroom.

"Hey!" he called out worriedly, ultimately sighing in resignation.

Looking at the empty classroom, he suppressed the urge to chase after her.

Setting the basketball aside, he reflected that he hadn't returned to the classroom because he'd seen her coming from the playground—rather, he'd been cutting his morning basketball practice short by an hour for a long, long time.

Pulling textbooks from his backpack, he began studying with intense focus.

He knew his academic performance couldn't compare to his deskmate's. But to attend the same university as her, he needed to study desperately. Because by then, he'd finally say the words he'd never dared voice...

[Moonstone: Also known as the "lover's stone," it's called moonstone due to its "adularescence"—an ethereal blue or white glow emanating from the gem's center resembling moonlight. For centuries, moonstone has been a beloved gem, believed to awaken tender passion in one's beloved and attract romantic love as beautiful as moonlight.]

Su Wanluo dashed out of school, not stopping until she reached the entrance of Dumb Shop, gasping for breath. Glancing at the bracelet in her hand—now missing all but two gems—she took a deep breath and pushed open the aged carved wooden door.

"Welcome." The antique shop owner's elegant voice greeted her. When he saw it was Su Wanluo, his expression showed no surprise, instead blooming into a warmer smile.

"I... want to return this bracelet to you." Su Wanluo placed the bracelet on the counter, then stepped back quickly as if avoiding a venomous snake. Though it was early morning, the shop remained enveloped in darkness, with only the candlelight from two Changxin Palace Lanterns flickering eerily within the carved sleeves of palace maid figures by the entrance."Oh? Have you found what you were looking to retrieve?" The Boss glanced at the bracelet with only two gems remaining, a trace of disappointment flashing through his slender phoenix eyes.

"No, I haven't found it." Su Wanluo shook her head like a rattle-drum, "But I don't want to search anymore."

"Oh?" The Boss raised an eyebrow, asking with interest, "Might you tell me why?"

Su Wanluo gazed at the sparkling bracelet on the counter, images of Cola and several close friends flashing through her mind. With a pained heart, she said: "Because I've come to understand that what was lost never truly belonged to me in the first place. I won't dwell on regrets, nor do I need to feel sorrow."

She didn't even think about her deskmate anymore. She had never possessed him, so how could she have lost him?

Actually, what he had just said was right - his remote control car model merely represented his immature childhood, just like her Cola and close friends. She could have detected the problem earlier. If she had properly discussed the matter of Cola with her parents back then, and opened her heart to communicate with her friends, she wouldn't have experienced the pain of discovering the truth later.

But she hadn't noticed anything, merely hiding in her own world like an ostrich. The bracelet hadn't done anything - it was only guiding her to see the path of her past clearly.

And now, she could see it all very clearly.

Therefore, the bracelet no longer held any purpose for her.

"I understand." The Boss smiled faintly, "Then, I wish that you'll never lose anything again in the future."

"I will." Su Wanluo quietly clenched her fists and walked out determinedly. This time, she would rely on her own strength to properly cherish what she currently possessed, and strive to create a future she wouldn't regret.

The Boss watched her much-strengthened retreating figure thoughtfully, not withdrawing his gaze until her form completely disappeared from the window frame. He then picked up the bracelet from the counter and examined it carefully.

"Hey, you just let her leave like that?" From the depths of the antique shop emerged a slender figure slowly. It was a handsome man wearing a white lab coat with a fashionable hairstyle. Though dressed trendily, he wore a rustic red cord around his neck, from which hung a snow-white jade pendant with a warm luster, exquisitely carved with the characters "Long Life and Hundred Years."

The man was holding a white dog in his arms, the dog particularly adorable with a patch of black fur by its mouth.

The Boss chuckled lightly: "You heard her yourself - what's lost shouldn't be regretted or mourned."

"Then what about this dog? Aren't you giving it to her? You urgently called me out yesterday just to save this dog. I'm a surgeon, not a veterinarian!" The handsome man complained discontentedly. The dog in his arms affectionately licked his palm.

Seeing this, the Boss smiled faintly: "Her family doesn't allow pets. Even if we returned it to her, she'd just have to give it away to someone else. But it seems quite fond of you - why don't you keep it?"

The handsome man looked down at the dog in his arms: "I suppose I could keep you, but 'Cola' is such a tacky name. I'll call you 'Apache' instead!" The Boss paid no attention to the dog's name, his concern focused solely on the bracelet that had returned to his possession."Huh? When I saw you yesterday, wasn't the dragon on this suit coiled around your right arm? How did it move to your back?" The Doctor had initially thought the Boss was simply wearing a plain black Mao suit today, until he turned around and suddenly discovered a deep crimson dragon coiled across his entire back, glaring fiercely at the Boss's pale nape. The exquisite embroidery made the dragon appear almost alive at first glance in the dim light.

"You must have seen wrong." The Boss spoke calmly without turning his head.

"No, how could I possibly be mistaken?" The Doctor insisted. He was a doctor, after all! How could he misremember a piece of clothing? Especially when the dragon on this Mao suit was so vividly lifelike - it was hard to forget.

After a brief silence, the Boss said, "This is a different suit. What I wore yesterday and today aren't the same."

A suspicious pause... The Doctor furrowed his handsome long brows and slowly approached the Boss, carefully studying the dragon on his back.

The Boss subtly created distance between them and changed the subject: "It's a pity that this Xiang Fei bracelet can only achieve perfection when all its gemstones completely disappear. If we miss this opportunity, the next time it sees sunlight will probably be 125 years later."

The Doctor's mouth twitched twice as he chuckled awkwardly. "You and your intimidating talk. You make it sound so real!"

The Boss solemnly returned the bracelet to its box, then turned back with a slight smile. "I never tell lies. Really."

As he spoke, the red dragon behind him quietly bared its sharp fangs...

(End of Chapter)