Li Wei still felt that leftover burn from Chen Guang's meltdown, hours later, and honestly, trying to sleep was a joke. He just lay there, staring up at his ceiling, the city's neon glow slicing through broken blinds, painting weird stripes on his walls and his face. He fiddled with the pendant—yeah, the supposed "family heirloom" or whatever—that kept finding its way into his hand no matter how many times he tried to ignore it. It was cool now, a weird kind of cold, but every now and then he swore it vibrated, almost like it was breathing through his palm.
If you asked Li Wei before last night, he probably would've said the pendant was just a fancy keepsake. But not after what went down behind the gym. Nope. That memory kept looping through his head. The way he'd dodged Chen Guang—like, not just gotten lucky, but moved with this crazy accuracy. Like his body knew exactly what to do before he even thought about it. That was not normal. Even for him, who considered himself pretty average, mostly flying under the radar unless drama forced him onto center stage.
He pressed the pendant tighter, and a bit of that leftover warmth shot up his arm, buzzing under his skin. Goosebumps all over. And still, not a peep from the jade itself, just that stubborn, pulse-pulse rhythm. Kinda like it was mocking him, or maybe just waiting to see what he'd do next.
His thoughts drifted where they always did, sooner or later—to his mom. Honestly, her warnings about his dad and all the "strange" baggage in their family? He used to brush those off. Now? Maybe not such wild talk. She always looked scared when she saw him messing with the pendant, but never explained why. He kinda wished she would, now. Maybe this green thing on a string was a whole lot more than just an inconvenient family 'treasure.' More like a key—or a fuse.
Everything was quiet except the city's faint hum and the odd creak from the pipes. Li Wei eventually passed out anyway. But even sleep wasn't normal. Suddenly, he was hiking through clouds on misty mountains, squinting at some figure in a cloak standing on a cliff like a video game boss. Real weird energy.
"Find strength, or get flattened," the wind whispered. Standard cryptic spirit stuff—guess his subconscious was feeling dramatic.
He woke up with his shirt stuck to his back in a post-nightmare sweat, the pendant glowing on the nightstand like it was on nightlight duty for ghosts. He could swear it looked brighter than before, though maybe he just needed more sleep.
By the time school started, drama was in full swing. Look, word travels fast, but nothing moves like the gossip after a good fight. Chen Guang's humiliation had turned into a school-wide sport, and people were treating Li Wei like he'd grown an extra head. A few random kids gave him cautious nods; most just stared. Chen Guang himself? Dude hadn't forgotten, not by a long shot—his eyes followed Li Wei everywhere, sharp and furious, pretending to be chill but everybody knew he was plotting something.
And, as always, Zhang Jie popped up at the lockers, sweating like he'd run a marathon. "Dude, you torched him," he whispered, eyes darting like there were spies around. "Guang's whole crew is out for revenge. We need a plan. Or a lawyer."
Li Wei just shrugged, half-smirked. "Let 'em try. I'm not worried."
Zhang Jie's face said it all: he thought Li Wei had lost it. "Bro, yesterday you fought like you leveled up overnight. You really think that's normal?"
"I don't know, maybe it isn't," Li Wei muttered, rolling the pendant inside his pocket like a lucky coin. "Maybe I'm just finally catching all the breaks."
Bell rang, and suddenly they were swept back into the daily madness. But if Li Wei paid attention at all (he didn't), he'd notice how he kept drifting off, reliving those moves from the gym: the effortless dodges, the power buzzing in his limbs. He felt half in, half out of his skin—present, but also watching from somewhere else.
So by lunch, curiosity beat out common sense. He ducked into an empty classroom, sunlight slanting just so across the desk. He dropped the pendant down and watched it gleam, practically begging him to touch it. What was he supposed to do—ignore it? He reached out, and—bam!—as soon as his fingers brushed the jade, the warmth hit him like a rush of espresso. Wider eyes, sharper ears… It was like someone cranked the volume on reality and everything snapped into HD. Every little sound in the hallway, every dust spark in the sun, it all felt, I dunno, charged.
Honestly, it freaked him out a little. So he whooshed his hand back and laughed, which totally didn't help him look sane. "What are you doing to me?" he whispered, half-expecting the pendant to answer with, I dunno, a magical voice or at least a cool sparkle.
It just pulsed, steady and totally unbothered. And for a second there, Li Wei felt huge, like he could jump over the school if he wanted. Was he strong now? Could he understand stuff quicker? Was he going to start glowing green next? Who knew?
By now, lunch was over, and he had to pretend to be just another regular kid as he wandered back into the crowd. Except, he wasn't. Not really. The jade rode along in his pocket, quietly buzzing. Each moment, each step, felt lighter, like he was balancing on the edge of something awesome and terrifying.
Back in the corridor, Lin Xinya was waiting by his locker—one of the few people he actually trusted. She didn't waste time with small talk. "You okay?" she asked, her eyes all worried-soft.
He could've spilled right then, but some stuff just felt too wild to say out loud. "Yeah, just tired," he lied, but tried for a smile anyway.
She nodded—a little skeptical, but nice about it. "Promise you'll take care of yourself, okay? Not just the brave face you always wear."
That got to him. A little warmth flickered inside—all the stuff he didn't have words for. And the pendant in his pocket? It hummed like an echo of that feeling, like it was part of some invisible team now.
The rest of the day? Total blur. Lessons came and went, whispers stuck to him like static, and even the teachers threw him weird glances once or twice. Chen Guang's glare felt practically radioactive—dude was not letting this one go—but truth was, for once, Li Wei didn't care. He wasn't scared. Actually, he was kinda looking forward to whatever came next.
Because, honestly? There was something wild starting to wake up under all the homework, drama, and cafeteria noodles. Something old, strange, maybe dangerous—and it wanted him involved. And for all the fear and confusion, Li Wei couldn't help but feel a thrill. He was in—really in this time. Wherever this jade thing was leading him, he was ready to find out.
He didn't know what was coming, but he finally felt alive. And if Chen Guang wanted to pick a fight again, well, Li Wei would be ready. Or at least, he hoped the pendant had his back. Either way, this was only the beginning.