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“Whoa, wait up! Old Feng, we weren’t done talking!” Song Zhe’s shout echoed behind Lin Feng. His gaze steadfastly followed his retreating friend.

Rubbing his chin, a puzzled look passed across his face as he tried to figure out what seemed off about Lin Feng. Pulling up his binoculars, he squinted at the distant spider’s nest. “Hmm, more spider webs than three days ago, isn’t it?”

…

“Lin Feng, why’re you up?!” Liu Mengqi bolted towards him, her worry breaking through in her voice as he wandered into the archery area from the rooftop.

“The doc said bed rest for days! Sure, your wounds look okay, but the inside’s a mess too!” Discarding her bow and arrow, she caught Lin Feng’s tail, trying to gently coax him back towards the dorms with a mix of concern and insistence.

“Hold up, hold up!” Lin Feng chimed in, gently placing a hand on Liu Mengqi’s in subtle protest.

“Wait, Lin Feng, wasn’t your fur a lighter shade? It’s looking kind of gray,” Liu Mengqi pointed out, pausing her movement to inspect a strand of his fur curiously. She held it up against his tail, eyes narrowing slightly at the conspicuous disparity.

“It is?” Lin Feng, ever so indifferent towards his fur, nonchalantly scrutinized a strand himself.

“Yeah.”

“Eh, no big deal. Anyway, I’m all healed up now, so you can let go of my tail,” he attempted nonchalance, tugging lightly at his tail. However, Liu Mengqi, instead of complying, tightened her hold, clutching it securely at its base.

“Hey, you—!” Lin Feng, feeling an odd tingling, tried to swat away Liu Mengqi’s hand.

“I still can’t wrap my head around how you healed so darn quick. Two days ago, your chest was practically concave!” Without a pause, Liu Mengqi ushered Lin Feng into a side room, unceremoniously yanked open his shirt, and scrutinized his chest with wide-eyed curiosity.

“Weird. You think you unlocked some new power or something?”

“Perhaps? It’s all a bit foggy to me too,” Lin Feng admitted, a mix of confusion and acceptance in his eyes as he allowed Liu Mengqi to continue her somewhat haphazard examination of his ribs, his tail twitching anxiously beneath him.

“Is this even possible? That’s just insane. Gotta say I’m a tad jealous, Lin Feng. Why can’t I be a mutant as well?” Her voice held a playful note of grievance as she playfully pinched Lin Feng’s ear, a glint of playful mischief dancing in her eyes.

“Stop.” Lin Feng’s voice held a gentle reproach as a fleeting irritation flickered across his face. His teeth gingerly met Liu Mengqi’s arm, not to cause pain, but with a series of gentle, symbolically resistant nips.

“Okay, okay, I get it. Let me up, will you? The wounds are healed, and I’ve got some archery practice to get through. Mastering the bow isn’t something one can do overnight, and now that I’m mobile again, I want to make the most of today,” Lin Feng implored, his voice veiled with a resigned plea after he released Liu Mengqi’s arm. His eyes, silently beseeching, met hers, hoping she’d heed his word.

However, Liu Mengqi, perched astride him, displayed no intention of budging. A gentle blush tinted her cheeks as she leaned closer, her eyes intimately fastened onto Lin Feng’s, unyielding and soft all at once.