"Do something to help him — he'll be burned alive!" Shari said to Liu Jiu with an anxious expression. Though she resented Wang Daxiong, she had no desire to watch him burn to death.

  Liu Jiu said in a panic: "I can't! I'm a third-level Magic Ultra-capable — I can only start fires, not put them out."

  "Get out of the way!" The masked figure in the tree spoke up. With a wave of his hand, a bst of icy, bone-chilling wind materialized near Wang Daxiong and swept across his fme-engulfed body. The moment the freezing gust hit him, the fire began to die down, and in less than ten seconds, the fmes were completely extinguished.

  Though the fire was out, Wang Daxiong's clothing was burned to charred tatters. His once-pale skin had turned bck, and in many pces the flesh had been burned away entirely, exposing raw, red meat beneath. Wang Daxiong y face-down on the ground, wailing and crying out in agony, unable to get to his feet. The sight of him was so pitiful it was almost unbearable to look at.

  "Carry him out and get him to a hospital. Otherwise he really won't make it." The masked figure on the tree said in a ft, emotionless tone. Liu Jiu and the others shot a frightened gnce at the masked man, then scrambled to lift Wang Daxiong from the ground and hastily left the woods.

  "Hey — do you have any idea how far you went just now? That was genuinely dangerous. Someone could have died." Shari fixed her gaze on the masked figure in the tree and said in a reproachful tone.

  The masked man looked at Shari and said in a low voice: "They treated you like that, and I taught them a lesson for you. Not only do you not thank me — you're taking their side?"

  Shari was still indignant: "You were right to teach them a lesson, but your method was far too extreme. And why are you wearing a mask? Are you a student here?"

  "Shari — you're still as naive as ever……" The masked man shook his head, murmuring to himself. Without answering her questions, he turned, leapt down from the tree, and with a whoosh flew off into the distance.

  "Hey — where are you going?!" Shari called out after the masked figure. Then suddenly something struck her, and she paused, murmuring to herself: "Wait — his manner of speaking is so familiar. That voice…… could it be……"

  "Rulu — don't go, come back!" Shari cried out and ran after the masked figure flying away into the distance. But the masked man seemed not to hear her calls and continued to fly deeper into the woods, vanishing from her sight before long.

  "Why — just when I finally get to see you, why won't you see me?" Shari stood rooted to the spot, staring at the direction where the masked figure had disappeared, her face a picture of sadness.

  "Sister Shari, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Sphinx, seeing Shari standing motionless without a word, came over to check on her.

  Shari shook her head and said softly: "No — I probably just made a mistake. He wouldn't hide from me. Come on, Sphinx, let's get out of here."

  With that, Shari pulled herself together and walked toward the edge of the woods. Sphinx followed close behind. They hadn't gone far when a dark shadow fshed ahead, and a lean young man dressed in bck stepped out from behind a rge tree, appearing directly in front of Shari.

  "Shari — it's been a long time." The young man in bck smiled with effortless grace, his voice rich and resonant. And this young man was none other than Rulu.

  "Rulu — is it really you?!" At the sight of him, Shari was momentarily stunned — then joy spread across her face. She stepped forward quickly and threw her arms around him.

  "Shari — what's gotten into you? We haven't seen each other for a while, but surely this isn't necessary?" Rulu was thrown completely off guard by Shari's embrace. A flustered expression crossed his face; his arms hovered stiffly at his sides, unsure whether to push her away.

  "Rulu…… I heard you and Nana went missing in a terrorist attack. I thought you were dead — that I'd never see you again." Shari's eyes glistened with tears. She released him and gazed at his face, her expression full of sorrow.

  "Well, now you can see me. You can rest easy." Rulu said with a smile.

  "I suppose so. I'm sorry — letting you see me in such an embarrassing state. I hope I didn't frighten you." Shari wiped the corner of her eye and said with an awkward ugh.

  "Shari, you never change — always so impulsive. You'll get yourself hurt that way. Be careful or you'll end up being taken advantage of." Rulu said with a wry, teasing smile.

  "Awful — you always love to make fun of people." Shari thumped Rulu hard on the chest with her fist. She tried to look angry, but somehow, inexplicably, she ended up breaking into a happy smile.

  Then something seemed to occur to her. She looked at Rulu and said: "Right — Rulu, I called out to you just now. Why didn't you answer?"

  "Shari, I'm not sure what you mean — I only just arrived here." Rulu said, feigning complete ignorance.

  "Stop pying dumb. I know the person in the mask was you — your outfits are completely identical."

  "Are they? That's probably just a coincidence."

  Shari gave him a reproachful look and said: "You're still lying to me. Oh — I understand. You were afraid I'd bme you, so you wouldn't admit it. You did go a bit too far just now, but you put out the fire on Wang Daxiong in time, so that shows some capacity for course correction. I won't hold it against you."

  Rulu gave a slight smile and made no denial. He said: "Shari, you're clearly an ordinary person with no Psionic powers, and yet you insist on being a discipline committee member and sticking your nose into things — getting yourself into trouble. I've never quite understood why you do it."

  Shari looked a little embarrassed. "Because you used to be a troublemaker at this school too, Rulu. You caused plenty of problems back when you were here."

  "Really? I feel like my conduct has always been perfectly upstanding?!" Rulu stared at Shari in genuine surprise. He stroked his chin and mused: "Besides, what does that have to do with you being on the discipline committee? Don't tell me you became a discipline committee member specifically because of me?"

  "You already knew that — don't pretend you didn't." Shari lowered her head slightly, took Rulu's hands in hers, and gave them a firm shake.

  "That won't do, you know." Rulu patted Shari gently on the head and looked at her with a fond, indulgent gaze. "Shari, you're a young dy from a distinguished family — there are plenty of people who'd pursue you. There's really no need to set your heart on me."

  "What do you mean, Rulu? Didn't we always get along so well before? Why are you suddenly saying things like this?" Shari looked at him, a faint unease in her eyes.