Snow Flower, Fire Storm

IV

THIS YEAR, BEIJING

The boy stared at him wordlessly, then stared at the letter in his hand. Once he had finished appraising the situation he simply turned around and started walking away.

"Xun Yuan!" Xie Xiao called after him.

Xun Yuan, if it was him, turned around once more. His face was wiped clean of any expressions. "My name is Luo Sicheng."

Xie Xiao began to say something, then pursed his lips at the last moment. He really was Xun Yuan, wasn't he? He did look a little different without his once long, impeccable, cascading hair which never had a strand out of place, but now he had short, feathery hair with a windswept quality to it. Still that wasn't enough to make him unrecognizable. Even the neatly pressed white flannel shirt he was wearing right now only served to remind Xie Xiao of how Xun Yuan only ever clothed himself in snow white robes in the past.

There was also the way he spoke. Two people can look the same, but they can't talk or act the same or copy one another's countenance, not unless the imitator adapted the mannerisms of his subject through prolonged study. But who would know Xun Yuan well enough to copy him? The low cadence of his voice and the intense plainness of his statement was unmistakably Xun Yuan's. Xie Xiao could swear that the person before him was Xun Yuan, but for whatever reason Xun Yuan was denying it. He didn't even give any indication that he recognized Xie Xiao either.

Or perhaps he was putting on an act because he didn't want the gawping crowd around them to find out he attended classes using a forged identity.

So Xie Xiao stepped closer to Xun Yuan and asked in a low voice only the both of them could hear. "Come on, don't be like this. We haven't seen each other in two thousand years. Shouldn't you at least say hello?"

Xun Yuan stared at him blank-faced.

Xie Xiao scrutinized his face, frowning slightly. "You really can't tell who I am?"

"No." Xun Yuan was succinct. He kept his eyes steadily locked on Xie Xiao's.

Xie Xiao smirked, a small shoot of relief burgeoning in his chest. Too bad, Xun Yuan, I figured out that's a lie.

Mentally, Xie Xiao congratulated himself for taking the pain to attend an entire course on human psychology several years ago. From the years he had known Xun Yuan he knew that lying didn't come naturally to him, that most of the time he lied only to sound contrary or to act difficult. Xun Yuan was the kind of person who needed to practice before he decided to utter falsehoods to another person. Xie Xiao felt a thrill pass beneath his skin. He couldn't wait to catch and dissect all of Xun Yuan's lies. He took another step towards Xun Yuan, intruding into his space. Xun Yuan backed away from him really quickly. "What do you want from me?"

"I told you," said Xie Xiao, still stalking him step by step. "I want to give you a love letter."

Initially he'd only been trying to embarrass the person he thought was Luo Sicheng, throw some dirt on his pride when there were people watching. Now he wanted to use it to keep talking, to make Xun Yuan keep talking and not disappear on him again.

A moment later he became aware of the vociferous whisperings around him. He glanced up to see that everyone else on the corridor was giving the two of them queer looks. It took Xie Xiao only a moment to realise he'd cornered Xun Yuan into a wall and that he was holding up the flashy red envelope between them as though he were wielding a knife to threaten the other boy. Too close. They were standing too close.

Xie Xiao pulled back from Xun Yuan in a twice. He let out an awkward laugh, still holding the letter aloft as he waved it in front of the crowd dismissively. "Haha, this letter is not from me. A girl I know wrote this for Luo Sicheng. I'm just here to deliver it. Haha, don't mind me."