Those Who Live Outside the Light

On registration day in September, I saw a girl in the crowd. She wore a white T-shirt and a pale blue denim skirt, standing in the sunlight so neatly that she looked like a frame from a scene slowed down just for her. I didn’t dare go over and talk to her. Only later did I learn her name was Lin Xia, and that she was in my class. From that day on, I couldn’t take my eyes off her: the flash of dimples when she turned her head and smiled, the way she walked down the hall in one lovely outfit after another. Every time I saw her, I thought she couldn’t possibly look any prettier. But every time we met again, she still left me speechless. Later, I discovered a secret. Blushing, she told me, “Don’t tell anyone.” I nodded and kept it for her. I thought that was all there was to it, that she had entrusted all her secrets to me. Until one night, I saw Lin Xia tied up in the classroom… But she never told me who had tied her up. She said, “Because you’re different.” In this story, some people are lying, some are hiding things, and some are watching everything from the shadows…and someone is carrying out their revenge… This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.