Yi Zichen pulled into the parking lot of the orphanage, his annoyance still simmering beneath the surface from the encounter with Ao Bing. Yi Zichen’s frustration wasn’t just from Ao Bing’s coldness or the way he had brushed him off after what seemed like a genuine connection that morning.There was a part of him that couldn’t understand why Ao Bing’s indifference bothered him so much—why he cared what this stranger thought of him.

Yi Zichen had never struggled to date. Men and women alike were drawn to him, often throwing themselves at him without hesitation. But his problem was never attracting interest—it was staying interested. His dating life was a series of short-lived connections, passionate but fleeting, which he would sever the moment things got too personal or started to feel predictable. He preferred it that way—controlled, casual, without the weight of expectations or emotional complications. People liked him, and he liked them well enough, but when he was ready to move on, there were rarely any hard feelings.

But Ao Bing was different. There was something in those sharp golden eyes that Yi Zichen couldn’t look away from. He thought he could push through that cold and aloof exterior, but clearly, he was wrong. 

Why do I even care? he thought, anger bubbling up alongside confusion. Yi Zichen had always prided himself on being untouchable, emotionally independent, but here he was, feeling slighted by a stranger’s dismissive words. 

As he fumbled with the grocery bags earlier, he had tried to maintain his composure, but every clipped word and awkward glance from Ao Bing made it harder to keep the irritation at bay. The way Ao Bing had dismissed him with that bitter, indifferent edge to his voice—Maybe I just don’t like you—echoed in his mind, feeding the simmering anger.

When he got out of the car, his fists clenched involuntarily. He took a deep breath, trying to release the tension that had been steadily building all evening. He shook his head as if trying to clear away the confusion. He grabbed the bags from the passenger seat and forced himself to think about the kids waiting for him inside. 

But as he stepped out of his car, something felt wrong.

He froze.

The air was heavy, charged with a strange energy which made the hair on the back of Yi Zichen’s neck stand up. As he approached the entrance of the orphanage, a noise caught his attention--a rhythmic pounding, insistent and frantic. In the distance, he saw a group of people clustered around the front door of the orphanage, their fists slamming against the wooden frame with unnatural force.

There was something wrong about the way they moved, a rigidness in their limbs that set off alarm bells in Yi Zichen’s mind. He squinted, focusing his gaze, and that’s when he saw it: a deep, glowing red aura surrounding each of the attackers. The energy pulsed and flickered like flames licking at their skin, swirling around them in a way that wasn’t natural. Yi Zichen’s pulse quickened. 

He took a step forward, instinctively reaching for his phone, but his eyes caught something lurking in the shadows—a darker presence, almost camouflaged against the night. His breath hitched as the creature’s form became clearer:

A demon. 

The demon stood just beyond the group, its grotesque shape twisting and shifting, as if its very existence was an affront to the natural world. The demon’s red aura glowed even brighter, more vivid and pulsating than the humans it seemed to be controlling. The malevolent energy it exuded was almost suffocating, thick and oppressive in the air around him.

The creature’s body was sinewy and gaunt, its limbs grotesquely elongated. Its eyes gleamed with an unsettling, predatory light, watching the scene unfold with a chilling intensity. It had sharp, angular features, like something carved from nightmares, and its clawed hands clicked together in a slow, deliberate rhythm, as if savoring the chaos it had orchestrated. The demon didn’t move or engage—it just watched, its lips curling into a mockery of a smile.

Yi Zichen’s stomach dropped, a cold dread seeping into his veins. He recognized the pattern now; these were the same types of malevolent forces he’d glimpsed before. But this time, the threat was here—right in front of him. The kids were inside, vulnerable and unaware of what was clawing at their door. He didn’t have time to think, to process the implications of what he was seeing. The demon’s red aura seemed to pulse in time with his quickening heartbeat, each beat drumming louder in his ears.

For a split second, he stood frozen, gripped by a mixture of fear and anger. But the sounds of pounding and muffled shouts pulled him back into focus. Yi Zichen took a deep breath, forcing the panic down. He couldn’t afford to hesitate. 

He sprinted toward the orphanage, where the owner, an older man who everyone called Mr. Chang, was desperately trying to hold off the four possessed attackers from breaking through the front door. Mr. Chang’s face was pale and slick with sweat, his hands trembling as he pushed against the door to hold it shut. Yi Zichen’s heart pounded, a mix of adrenaline and fear driving him forward.

"Get away from them!" Yi Zichen shouted, his voice hoarse with urgency. He dropped the grocery bags without a second thought and launched himself at the nearest attacker. He wasn’t an expert in martial arts, but his instincts kicked in. The first attacker turned towards him with jerky, unnatural movements, eyes glowing faintly red, a reflection of the sinister energy that surrounded him. Yi Zichen aimed a wild punch, but the man dodged with inhuman speed. Yi Zichen  felt the sharp sting of a counterpunch to his ribs, pain flaring up his side. He stumbled but didn’t fall, gritting his teeth and throwing himself back into the fray. Mr. Chang, though old and not particularly strong, threw his weight against one of the other attackers, his desperate shouts mingling with the grunts and sounds of struggle.

Each swing Yi Zichen took felt like hitting a wall—his punches barely fazed the attackers. It was clear that something unnatural fueled their strength. He could feel the oppressive energy of the red aura swirling around them, making each of the possessed move faster, hit harder. It felt as though he were fighting ghosts given flesh.

Yi Zichen winced as he took another hard punch to the side, pain radiating through his ribs. He saw Mr. Chang trying to keep one of the men from forcing open the door, their bodies pressed against it with only inches between them and breaking in. Yi Zichen lunged, grabbing the attacker and pulling him away, his muscles burning with effort.

Somehow, through a mix of sheer will and desperation, they managed to subdue the four attackers. Mr. Chang grabbed one by the arm and swung with surprising force, slamming the man into the dirt. Yi Zichen twisted another attacker’s arm behind their back and kicked them to the ground. One by one, they fell unconscious, the red aura around them flickering weakly before dissipating.

Breathing heavily, Yi Zichen glanced over at Mr. Chang, whose chest was heaving from exertion. “Check on the kids! Make sure they’re okay!” he called out, his voice strained but firm.

Mr. Chang gave a hurried nod and rushed inside, throwing the door shut behind him. The latch clicked into place, but Yi Zichen knew it wouldn’t hold for long if there were more of those things out there. He stood outside, trying to catch his breath, his side aching with each inhalation.

Before he could process what had just happened, he noticed movement at the far end of the street. Five more people appeared, all moving in unison, their eyes glowing with the same eerie red light. Yi Zichen’s pulse spiked as he saw the crimson aura surrounding them, stronger and more malevolent than before. The demon, still lurking in the shadows, seemed to sense his gaze and turned its grotesque head towards him, its eyes gleaming with a dark satisfaction. The creature’s presence felt heavier now, more tangible, as if it was feeding off the chaos.

“Shit,” Yi Zichen muttered under his breath. He needed to do something, anything, but his mind was racing, and his body was still reeling from the earlier fight.

Before he could react, the five possessed figures charged at him with unnatural speed. He barely had time to brace himself as the first one, a taller man with wild eyes and a contorted grin, grabbed him by the arm and effortlessly hurled him onto a nearby parked car. The impact shattered the car window, and Yi Zichen cried out as pain shot through his side, glass slicing into his skin.

Gasping for breath, he struggled to push himself up, but the tall man was already on him again, moving with a terrifying quickness. He felt the man’s hands wrap around his throat, squeezing with a crushing force. Yi Zichen clawed at the hands choking him, his vision blurring as the world around him started to darken. Panic surged through him as his lungs screamed for air, and he felt himself slipping away.

The demon stood at the edge of the street, watching with that same amused expression. Its aura pulsed in time with Yi Zichen’s heartbeat, each beat growing weaker and slower. It was enjoying this—playing with its prey.

Desperate, Yi Zichen’s fingers twitched toward his pocket where his phone was, hoping to call Sun Wukong, but he could barely move. His vision was dimming, the world closing in around him. 

Just as the darkness threatened to consume him, the iron grip around his throat was suddenly torn away.

Yi Zichen collapsed onto the ground, coughing violently, gasping for air. His throat burned, and his vision swam, but he forced himself to look up. 

There, standing above him, was Ao Bing.