The classroom erupted the moment Li Wei's words sank in.
"Boyfriend?!"
"Wait—Ren? Seriously?"
"Since when?!"
Whispers rippled like wildfire, every glance turning toward Ren, who stood frozen in place. His face burned, his chest constricted, and his hand still clutched Li Wei's sleeve as if betraying him.
"I—It's not—" Ren stammered, but his voice was drowned out by the rising chatter.
Li Wei, however, didn't falter. His golden eyes remained locked on Ren, a faint smirk on his lips as though he relished every second of the chaos.
When the bell rang, releasing the class into noisy speculation, Ren bolted from his seat. He shoved Li Wei's hand off him and stormed down the hall, ignoring Hana's worried calls behind him.
"Ren—"
"Don't follow me!" Ren snapped, not daring to look back.
He didn't stop until he reached the school's quiet rooftop. The crisp wind hit his face, cooling the flush in his cheeks, but not the storm inside. His heart pounded with humiliation and something else he refused to name.
Why did he say that? Why in front of everyone?
"Because it's the truth."
Ren froze. Li Wei's voice again—smooth, certain. He turned sharply, expecting the serpent's golden eyes.
But the figure who stepped out of the shadows wasn't Li Wei.
It was someone else.
A tall young man, dressed in black with silver charms hanging from his belt, stood near the stairwell door. His eyes were sharp, watchful, and when they met Ren's, something about them felt colder than Li Wei's fire.
"You're Ren, aren't you?" The stranger's tone was steady, but heavy with intent. "The one carrying the serpent's mark."
Ren instinctively covered his shoulder, his breath catching. "Who… are you?"
The man stepped closer, his presence filling the rooftop with a quiet tension. "An exorcist. Call me Jian." His gaze flicked toward Ren's covered mark. "That serpent who hovers around you—he is cursed. You mustn't let him bind you."
Ren's chest tightened. "Cursed…? What do you mean?"
Jian's expression darkened. "He's waited lifetimes, pulling you back again and again. That bond will only end in tragedy. If you don't sever it, you'll be the one to pay the price."
The rooftop wind howled, rattling the railings as though echoing his words.
Ren staggered back a step, memories of Li Wei's burning gaze and possessive whisper rushing through his mind. He clenched his fists, shaking.
"No," Ren whispered. "You don't understand him."
Jian's eyes sharpened. "No, Ren. You don't understand what he is."
The bell rang again, signaling the next period, but Ren didn't move. His heart wavered between fear and something more dangerous—desire.
And in the silence that followed, he realized one terrifying truth:
The world wasn't just watching anymore. Others knew. Others were coming.