Lei Mi - Profiler

"Linyue, you're not ready yet?"

"I'm going to stay a little longer," she yelled toward the door. "You all go on without me."

"Such a dillydally! Tomorrow you'll have to bring the key to the student union yourself," the teacher decided.

Deng Linyue heard the teacher and all of her fellow cheerleaders walk away.

She continued on about her tasks. When she was all ready, she left the locker room and locked it behind her.

As she did, her cell phone beeped. It was a text from Liu Jianjun.

"I'm waiting for you at the basketball court, " it read.

Taking a deep breath, Deng Linyue pulled on her backpack and left the locker room.

The basketball court was completely empty, which made the huge space feel incredibly vast.

Deng Linyue glanced at the stands all around her. There was no sign of Liu Jianjun. "Where is he?" she muttered to herself, strolling aimlessly to center court.

Peng… peng… peng!

A rhythmic, banging sound suddenly echoed within the gymnasium, startling Deng Linyue. Looking around again, she saw that a basketball had been launched from up in the stands and was now bouncing on the court.

When the ball bounced over to her she stopped it with her foot and picked it up. It was a brand-new Spalding. Deng Linyue + Liu Jianjun was written in gold on each of its eight sections. It was beautiful.

Deng Linyue smiled to herself. This boy really was quite thoughtful.

Just then, Chyi Chin's The Moon Represents My Heart began to play over the loudspeakers. (Translators’ note: Chyi Chin, a famous Chinese pop music star.)

In the enormous arena, the sound of his magnetic voice filled the air:

"You ask how deep my love's for you… How much do I love you? …My feelings are true, my love is deep, the moon represents my heart…"

Deng Linyue looked up at the broadcast booth above the stands. A light was on inside, and she could see someone standing there and waving at her.

It was Liu Jianjun.

Before long the song ended and after a few seconds of silence, she heard Liu Jianjun's voice reverberating throughout the arena.

"Linyue, today has been a very special day for me," he said. "Not just because I got to compete with my idol on the same court, but more importantly, because today I will tell the girl I love how I feel about her…" His sweet-sounding voice was amplified by the loudspeakers, giving it an unexpectedly soul-stirring charm.

Looking up at the vague figure in the broadcast booth, Deng Linyue felt as if her whole body was filling with happiness.

Love. This was love.

What girl wasn't a little vain? It nearly made her blush. What girl wouldn't want her boyfriend to be tall and handsome? What girl could resist a romantic offensive like this?

"Linyue, I — "

A sudden, sharp bang split the air.

Suddenly all the lights in the arena went out and Liu Jianjun's heartfelt words abruptly stopped.

Plunged at once into darkness, Deng Linyue was momentarily stunned. At a loss, she waited for several seconds and then shakily called out, "Liu Jianjun…?"

The broadcast booth was pitch black as well. There was no response.

She cried out several times. In the vast, open gymnasium, her voice echoed back and forth, the sound frighteningly clear.

"Don't scare me!" she yelled, on the verge of tears. "I don't like it!"

Suddenly a spotlight switched on. The pale beam shined all the way from the top of the stands to the court, enveloping Deng Linyue.

Blinded by the light, she cupped a hand over her eyes and looked to where it was coming from.

Uncertain, she thought she saw someone walking down the stands.

Then the sound of steady footsteps reached her ears and she knew she hadn't been wrong.

"Liu Jianjun, is that you?"

The figure didn't respond, just kept walking towards her, neither fast nor slow. With the spotlight beam shining behind him, Deng Linyue couldn't make out his face, but she could tell it was a man.

As he drew closer, Deng Linyue was finally able to determine that it wasn't Liu Jianjun; this man was nearly half a head shorter than him.

"Who…who are you?" she wanted to run, but her legs felt too weak to move.

When at last the man stepped onto the basketball court, she could now see that he was wearing a black windbreaker and was carrying something in one hand.

Twenty feet, fifteen feet, ten feet…

As the man drew closer and closer, Deng Linyue's whole body began to shake. At last she saw his face.

The black hood of the windbreaker covered the upper half of his face, while his nose and mouth were tightly hidden behind a surgical mask.

She saw his mouth move behind the mask, but he wasn't speaking — it looked like he was smiling.

At last Deng Linyue reacted. With a cry of alarm, she threw the basketball at the man, and then turned and ran.

But the man was too fast. He leaped forward and grabbed hold of her hair. He raised his other hand and savagely brought it down to strike her.

But Deng Linyue's hair was still damp from her shower and it slipped out of his hand. The hammer that was supposed to come crashing down on her head instead smashed into her shoulder.

She gasped in pain. Her legs went limp and she collapsed to the floor.

Laughing darkly, as if amused, the man slowly stepped to her.

She tried to scramble away in terror, her arms and legs flailing protectively. "I'm begging you, don't…"

The man was completely unmoved. He stepped to her and put one foot on her leg and raised the hammer again.

"Stop!"

Like a thunderclap, a voice roared from the arena entrance, followed by a bang. A bullet shot through the air, nearly hitting the man.

The surprised man's attention went to the entrance.

Two figures there sprinted towards him. With no left time to think, he turned and fled.

When the two figures reached the terrified and cowering Deng Linyue, one of them yelled, "You wait here!" Then pistol in hand, he took off after the man.

Shaking, Deng Linyue felt someone help her up into a sitting position. Her whole body was in pain. Lacking even an ounce of strength, she could do nothing but lean softly against the person behind her. Struggling to look back, she saw it was Fang Mu, his face filled with worry.

"It's you ?" His voice was surprised. "Are you okay?"

She feebly shook her head.

"Where are you hurt?"

"My…my shoulder…"

He sighed with relief. With some effort he knelt down and helped her to lean against his chest. He grabbed his dagger and dragged the sheath off the blade with his teeth.

Deng Linyue closed her eyes halfway, content with her rescuer. Her body suddenly drained of energy, she lay limply against his chest.

But Fang Mu hadn't relaxed in the least. Gripping the dagger handle tightly, he felt his palm fill with sweat. Before long it seemed like the thing would slip out of his hand.

Another gunshot ripped through the gymnasium. Fang Mu and Deng Linyue both jumped in surprise, but then silence followed.

Neither was sure what it meant. A lone gunshot?

Had the killer been hit?

Fang Mu looked around nervously. Besides the nearby spotlight beam, everything else was obscured. On the dark bleachers, it seemed as if a million hidden creatures were leaping and dancing. He did his utmost to pick up any suspicious sounds from his surroundings, but besides his and Deng Linyue's breathing, the gymnasium was silent.

When his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, he saw that a basketball was sitting in front of him.

"It was just you in here?" asked Fang Mu, lightly shaking Deng Linyue.

She weakly opened her eyes. "No. Liu Jianjun is here, too."

"Where is he?" he asked quickly.