The class read and discussed the love poems in their anthologies in that lesson. Tian Xin flipped a few pages, "Please turn to page 15, it is a poem from the Yuefu folk poems of the Han Dynasty. It's about a woman's warm confession to her lover," she explained, "Yun Han, please could you read for us?"
 

Yun Han stood up and picked up the anthology to read: "I want to be your love for ever and ever,
Without break or decay.
When the hills are all flat,
The rivers are all dry.
When it thunders in winter,
When it snows in summer
When heaven and earth mingle,
Not till then will I part from you."
She finished and then sat back down.

Yu Yan grumbled, I can't take all this mushy love nonsense, she thought as she slumped over her desk.
Xiao Yu smiled, looking up from his anthology to look at her.
Is love even that great? Yu Yan asked herself, All these stupid poems are about losers head over heels in love and it sickens me. I feel suffocated by all this love and it's not even Valentine's Day - I hope that stupid fortune teller suffocates and dies.

And then the bell went signalling lunch time. Yu Yan shot out of her seat, sliding everything on her desk into her bag before dashing out of the classroom. Many things were on her mind - mainly love. She never thought about love and she felt so overwhelmed by suddenly having to think about it in class. Absently, she dragged her feet down the hallways to get to the staircase that lead to the roof. Before she could open the door, Xiao Yu flashed into her thoughts. "Why can't I go a second without thinking about him?" she groaned.
"Because you like him?" a voice replied.

Gasping, Yu Yan accidently bumped into the door before turning around. "Ya Se Wang?!" she hissed, "What the hell are you doing?!"
Ya Se chuckled, "I thought you knew I was behind you this whole time, can't you sense the objects in your surroundings?" he then smiled before putting a hand on her shoulder, "Forget it, you look so distracted, what's on your mind?"
Yu Yan turned around so that her back was facing him, "Nothing," she replied.
"Really? But I thought you said you couldn't stop thinking about him," Ya Se smirked, with a hint of tease.
"When did I say that?" she asked loudly, "You must be hearing things."
He nudged her playfully, "Really? I wonder who's so daring to stay in Jiang Yu Yan's mind for so long~" he teased, "Let me guess...."
"Stop!" Yu Yan barked, "You're so annoying - mind your own business."
Ya Se smiled, "You're avoiding us, is it because of what happened in class?"
"I'm not avoiding anyone," Yu Yan declared.
Ya Se chuckled, "Oh that's right," he clapped his hands, "You're not avoiding just anyone - you're avoiding Xiao Yu!"
He put an arm around her shoulders, "Seems like you've had time to understand your feelings~," he whispered before Yu Yan pushed him away violently.
"Do you have fun tormenting me?!" Yu Yan snapped, annoyed, "Stop beating around the bush, if you have something to say then say it!"
"Come with me to the computer room, I need to photocopy some things. We can talk on the way," he suggested before walking on.

Reluctantly, Yu Yan followed behind him. As they entered the computer suite, the ordinary students of Guava High School ran out in fear, leaving the whole suite to Ya Se and Yu Yan. "Well that was pretty welcoming," Yu Yan commented, sarcastically.
Ya Se chuckled and walked over to the photocopying machine, "You get used it," he replied.
"So what did you want to say?" Yu Yan asked as she sat on top of one of the tables.
"I just wanted to know which amazingly skilful guy has been able to soften your heart," he laughed before Yu Yan whacked him across the face.
"I'm leaving," she spat, hopping off the table and walking over to the door.
Ya Se grabbed her arm, "Wait, don't you want to know what I think you should do about Xiao Yu?"
Yu Yan stopped and listened quietly.
"Confess to him," Ya Se said blankly.
Yu Yan's eyelids opened wide and his hit Ya Se once again, "Are you crazy?! Who said I like that little fish?!"
"It's a bit obvious," Ya Se shrugged, "I think you two would make an interesting but cute couple."
"Little Fish likes An Qi, full stop," Yu Yan hissed, "Now leave me alone."
"Are you sure about that?" Ya Se questioned, "I'm pretty sure you're just jumping to conclusions."
"Then let me, it's better that way," she responded, turning on her heel to walk away.

"Is it because you feel useless that you don't want to accept your feelings for him?" Ya Se called out to her and she stopped dead in her tracks.
"Why would I, Jiang Yu Yan, feel useless?" she spat at him.
"Because of what Sha Jie said in class - you know, that comment about how you can't do anything for anyone?" he replied.
"Why would that affect me? It's true and I acknowledged that long ago," Yu Yan turned around to face him, "Look Ya Se Wang, I know you have good intentions but Xiao Yu and I can never be. It doesn't matter what I feel for him, my feelings would just be another burden on his shoulders. Plus, I don't deserve any of you guys as my friends and I definitely don't deserve Xiao Yu's love. I have my reasons, don't push me any further," she said coldly before walking out.

Ya Se could only watch her leave and a sigh escaped his lips.
 

~*~*~
 

Wang Da Dong and Ding Xiao Yu sat on the grass together outside, waiting for Ya Se. "Hey Narcissist, you're finally here!" Da Dong exclaimed as Ya Se walked over to them, "Where have you been?"
Ya Se dropped a folder into Da Dong's lap. He opened it and looked through it, "Isn't this all our information from our investigation?" he asked in a low voice, just in case any of Meng Zhu's spies were around, "Weren't you supposed to give this to Serena?"
"Selina," Xiao Yu corrected.
"I photocopied everything," Ya Se explained, "This way we can continue our investigation secretly."
A bright grin spread across Da Dong's face, "Narcissist, you're the best!"
"I know, now let's eat," Ya Se replied as he sat down next to them and opened his lunch box made by Wu Xiong.

Xiao Yu looked around, "Where's Yu Yan?"
"She's avoiding us," Ya Se replied with a small smile, "She's probably on the roof alone."
"Why is she avoiding us?" Da Dong asked, "And how do you know?
"I was with her just now," he answered before turning to Xiao Yu, "Xiao Yu, you're free to leave us and go find her."
Xiao Yu looked away, avoiding his gaze.
"Wow, don't tell me you're avoiding her too!" Ya Se exclaimed, "What's with you two?!"
"Why?" asked Da Dong, "Weren't you two fine in class just now?"
"It's just that the class was too much for them," Ya Se smirked, "And now they need time to think."
Xiao Yu's eyes widened and he looked at Ya Se, "What are you trying to say?"
"Hey, you two are hiding something from me," Da Dong realised, "I want to know too."
Ya Se scoffed, "Egomaniac, I'm sure you're aware of this too. Surely you've picked up on it."
"Ya Se, get straight to the point," Xiao Yu spoke up.
"What do you feel for Jiang Yu Yan?" Ya Se asked, straightforwardly.

Xiao Yu turned away with a sigh; "I... think I... like her..." he trailed off quietly.
"Wow, you were more honest than I thought you'd be," Ya Se laughed.
"So that poem in class was for Yu Yan?" Da Dong asked.
"What else?" Ya Se instead replied, rhetorically.
Da Dong's face brightened up before he threw an arm around Xiao Yu, "Then what are you waiting for?! Hurry up and confess!"
Xiao Yu pushed his arm away, "There's no way Yu Yan likes me back," he replied.
Ya Se snorted, "Are you serious?"
Xiao Yu turned back around and looked up at the grey sky, "Doesn't she find people like me annoying?" he asked himself aloud, "I think she'd like a guy who's more like Sha Jie but looks like Da Dong - someone who can match her character perfectly."
Da Dong burst out laughing, "Xiao Yu, have you forgotten that Yu Yan and her don't get along? They fight all the time."
"They don't like each other but that's their way of communicating - it's like you and Ya Se, I'm sure that if the other is in trouble they would help." Xiao Yu explained.
"Why are you saying this all of a sudden?" Ya Se inquired, "Why would Yu Yan care about appearance and I'm sure that if Yu Yan met someone who was just like her, they'd kill each other."

Xiao Yu got up, "Just let me quietly like her - I don't want to ruin the friendship that took us so long to build." He picked up his things to leave, "If you need me, I'll be in the music room."

Da Dong and Ya Se watched him leave, dumfounded. "Two idiots in love refusing to confess to each other out of fear?" Ya Se said just amazed, "Just watching them stresses me out."
"I know what you mean," Da Dong added, "How do we get them together?"
Ya Se looked over at his folder, "I think we're going have to pause our current mission and start 'Operation: Get Xiao Yu and Yu Yan together!'"
"Okay!" Da Dong put his fist into the air, "I'll follow Yu Yan and you follow Xiao Yu!"
"Got it," Ya Se picked up his thing before hurrying over to the music room.
 

~*~*~
 

It was about 8pm when Ya Se frantically called Da Dong and Xiao Yu for an urgent meeting. The trio and Yu Yan met up at Duan Chang Ren's stall in half an hour.

"Why'd you call us so suddenly, Narcissist?" Da Dong asked as Duan Chang Ren placed four bowls of noodles in front of them.
Duan Chang Ren nodded, "Yes why did you call them so suddenly? I didn't even have time to prepare a welcome treat to our new friend," he added, gesturing to Yu Yan.
"I'm sorry Duan Chang Ren, you can formally meet Yu Yan later, but right now it's an emergency," Ya Se responded.
"What is it?" Xiao Yu asked.
"My men found Little Blue," he announced seriously.
"That's great!" Da Dong beamed, "Why do you look so stressed?"
"Yes we found him but..." Ya Se trailed off.
Yu Yan felt guilt sit in her stomach again and she faced away from everyone else.
"But?" Xiao Yu asked as Ya Se's face fell, "Ya Se, what's wrong?"
"Something happened?" Yu Yan asked, trying to sound interested.
"He... was murdered..." Ya Se finished and immediately Xiao Yu and Da Dong went pale.
"W-What?" stammered Xiao Yu, still in shock.

Ya Se sighed and stared blankly at his steaming noodles, "The enemy must've killed him to stop him talking," he guessed.
"Then, doesn't that mean that Little Blue's previous owners are suspicious?" Xiao Yu inferred.
"That's not important right now! What do we do about Pigeon Lady?!" Da Dong exclaimed, "Pigeon Lady will be back soon, what do we tell her?"
"The truth???" Yu Yan popped up acting like it was obvious.
"But she's already lonely, without Little Blue she'll be even more sad," Da Dong replied.
"The truth hurts less than lies," Yu Yan answered and Ya Se nodded.
"I don't think we should tell her now, we'll wait for her to recover first," he said.

"What do we do now though?" Xiao Yu asked, "Why would Jiang Ye Zi or Jiang Yu Er come back to kill off their own pet if Little Blue hadn't almost spilled their secret?"
"But how do you know it was them?" Yu Yan questioned, "Didn't you see at the countdown concert that there were lots of attackers? It could've been any one of them."
"But they would be on the same side right? Wasn't Jiang Ye Zi the one who started the attack at Taipei101?" Da Dong asked before his stomach rumbled.

Duan Chang Ren looked at Yu Yan who was the only one eating. He smiled, turning back to the trio, "Eat first. Discuss later."
 

~*~*~

Yu Yan stirred in Xiao Yu's bed. It was almost 3am and she felt as though someone was dragging her out of dreamland. She slowly sat up and rubbed her empty eye sockets before turning to a glass of water at her bedside. In the glass were here glass eyes and she fished them out and popped them into her empty eye sockets. "Who's there?" she hissed, "You woke me up now show yourself!"
The window to Xiao Yu's room slowly creaked open and a figure jumped in, "It's not like you can even see me," he replied as he sat on the bed.
"Who are you and what do you want?" she snapped before the person clamped a hand over .
He placed a finger to his lips, "Shh, you don't want to wake Ding Xiao Yu now, do you?" he said before removing his hand. He stared at her tired face and messy bed hair before he snorted, "I don't know if I should call you my sister or my niece," he chuckled, "You're my sister's clone – so essentially that means you're her, but you were made using her DNA and are a daughter product and that brother-in-law of mine calls you his daughter so I'll address you as my niece," he muttered to himself.

"You're my mother's brother?" Yu Yan inquired before remembering what Little Blue had said, "So you're Jiang Ye Zi? The one who attacked Pigeon Lady?"
He nodded with a smile, "Of course - who knew such an old lady would possess such power?" he laughed before lowering his volume.
"Why are you here?" Yu Yan asked.
"Hmm, two reasons. I have good news and bad news - mostly bad," he replied, "Which do you want to hear first, my dear niece?"
"I don't care, just get to the point. I want to sleep," she snapped in a whisper.
Ye Zi smiled, "First of all, I want to congratulate and praise you for getting rid of that stupid bird before that stupid Ding Xiao Yu could get more information out of him - your loyalty still lies with us so I'm glad."
"Is that the good news?" questioned Yu Yan.
"Patience!" he grinned, "I haven't gotten there yet. But I don't know if it really is all good news, not all is positive."
"Get to the point," Yu Yan barked.

"Your father is in the iron dimension for a while and when be comes back he'll surely dispose of you and you'll cease to exist." he said bluntly, "But, in the mean time, you have been granted the freedom of doing whatever you like until then: including hooking up with Ding Xiao Yu because your father no longer gives a damn about you."
Yu Yan faced him blankly, processing the information, "You mean I can actually do what I want?"
Ye Zi smiled and nodded, "I know you like him and I don't want you to die with regrets so that's why I'm here telling you. Take this chance and be with him before you have to leave. Confess to him and be happy so you can die happy."
Yu Yan snorted, "Is it really that easy?"
"Sure it is," Ye Zi patted her head, "Unlike your sisters you never had the chance to grow up like a young girl and experience everything. You've always been sheltered and isolated from society, now you have the chance to live your childhood and be the normal girl you never got to be - take that chance and don't worry about anything else. "
Yu Yan faced the door to the bedroom, feeling her heart pound all of a sudden, "...Is it really okay? Can I really like him? I've done so many horrendous things, after he finds out the truth about me; will he even come near me?"
"Don't worry about any of that, you won't even be alive if he finds out," Ye Zi assured.
"But that guilt will always stay with me," she muttered, "How can I die happy with guilt?"
"Silly girl, you deserve to be selfish after all you've been through. Just be happy and don't care about anyone else," Ye Zi told her as he stood up. He walked over to Xiao Yu's bedside table where a frame stood. Inside the frame was the picture of the four friends taken on the mountains and he smiled, "Just be happy okay? You're all going to die soon anyway, don't bother to care about others."

Yu Yan sighed, "...Can I really like him as a normal girl...?"
Ye Zi laughed and put down the frame, "I have to get going now, I'll be keeping an eye on you." And with that, he returned to the window and jumped out.

As soon as he left, Yu Yan felt a smile crack through her blank expression.

But then suddenly Ye Zi jumped back in. "I thought you left?" Yu Yan asked, trying to cover up her smile.
"I thought I'd tell you one more thing to make you happy," he said.
"And what's that?" Yu Yan raised an eyebrow.
"You've been in love with Ding Xiao Yu for longer than you think you have," he said, earning a weird look from Yu Yan, "Your father noticed that you were falling in love so created those pills for you in order to stop you falling in love. He even changed your DNA to stop you falling further. He reduced the production of certain hormones so that's why you felt sad and gloomy for a while," he explained, "Bye now!" He grinned before jumping out of the window, leaving Yu Yan staring blankly at the darkness in her eyes.

"If father even says I'm in love..." Yu Yan muttered, "Then I must really be in love... how did this happen? Me – a blind person – in love: how ridiculous."