Chapter 145: Nightmare and Desiring Flame

Jiang Yeyan’s broken eyebrow lifted slightly in a world-weary expression before the corners of his mouth curved upward. He truly believed the woman before him was mentally ill. However, given that this face frequently haunted his nightmares, he reluctantly decided to humor her.

"Appraising antiques?"

"Yes. Didn't you say you've seen me before?"

"Every time I play rock music, every time I dream, I see a woman engulfed in flames falling from a high place. But I could never make out her face. Until just now, when I saw you, and the image startlingly overlapped. Do you believe me?"

It was rare for Jiang Yeyan to say so much in one breath.

Yet, hearing this sent a shudder through Zhong Huayan. Could it be this bizarre? She had indeed experienced a fire... but she genuinely had never laid eyes on this man named Jiang Yeyan. Why had he been dreaming of her all this time? Was the person in his dreams really her?

Zhong Huayan was bewildered as well.

Seeing her expression, Jiang Yeyan knew she probably had no idea either.

"Well... just pretend I made that up. You don't have to take it seriously."

"Oh. Don't worry, I never take the words of the mentally ill seriously."

"Can you actually appraise antiques?"

Jiang Yeyan took out his phone, unlocked the screen, and placed it before her, displaying a pair of strangely colored folding fans. Then, his somewhat crooked fingers pointed at the fans on the screen as he coldly inquired, "A birthday gift from my mother."

The fans in the video featured a light-yellow background with layers of dark brown circles patterned across them, measuring over thirty centimeters in length. Even just lying casually on a bed, their immense value was apparent. The exposed fan ribs had been repaired and bore inscriptions. The fan leaves and body were of the same uniform, dusky yellow tone, carrying a sense of history.

"A Ming Dynasty imperial Consort Xiang purple-flowered wax-base thirteen-rib single folding fan. The ribs of a folding fan like this, each supporting the leaf, are exquisitely crafted. It’s easily worth over a million. Instead of getting you something related to rock music, your mother gave you this?"

Jiang Yeyan clearly agreed with her assessment to some extent. He gradually abandoned the notion that she was just another superficial classmate putting on airs, concluding that she must possess some genuine expertise.

"Will you buy it?"

"If you accept eight hundred thousand, I'll take it."

"Fine. Come to my house this weekend, and I'll send you the address."

Zhong Huayan added his contact information, surprised by how straightforward he was.

Without saying much more, Jiang Yeyan inwardly pondered: what on earth was this woman's background?

***

Zhong Huayan happened to catch a clear glimpse of the two traditional Chinese characters tattooed on the man's arm.

'Fire Calamity'.

It didn't look like a fresh tattoo; it appeared to be inked with red lines specifically designed to cover up a previous tattoo. What kind of story was hidden behind this man? She had no way of knowing, so she opened up and asked him a couple more questions.

"Since you don't want to study, why even come to school? That implies you haven't yet gained the ability to break free from your parents' control. If that's the case, you'd be better off enriching yourself first. Once you defeat them, you can do whatever you like."

"I don't need to defeat my parents. It's the will of the gods. The gods sent me to this school."

Looking into his firm and serious eyes, Zhong Huayan felt somewhat at a loss. Was this guy genuinely mentally ill, or was his spiritual world simply too detached from reality?

"Are you going back to the classroom now or not? If not, you should at least let your uncle know, otherwise, they'll all think you're up to no good."

"Fine."

Unable to figure him out, Zhong Huayan watched as the youth stood up. He wore punk-style black accessories around his wrists that chimed crisply as he moved. With the weather outside overcast and rainy, he walked toward the elevator, humming a tune under his breath, and never glanced at her again. He walked ahead on his own, his naturally slender eyes half-closed, lending him an even more world-weary aura. He exuded an air of utter decadence.

Upon reaching the classroom door, he predictably kicked it open.

Everyone, including the teacher, watched as Jiang Yeyan silently walked in and took a seat in the back.

A deep sense of awe washed over the class.

The group chat was instantly buzzing with hot discussion:

[Principal Li is an absolute boss! Dragging this freak back to class makes her the ultimate nemesis of bad boys!]

[Li, are you hurt? Jiang Yeyan used to beat students up real bad. You guys better not provoke him, or he'll handcraft tattoos for everyone without any anesthesia.]

[Help! Even though he's handsome, being in the same class as him is pure torture. Can he switch classes?]

Meanwhile, Zhong Huayan simply continued looking through her art portfolio, preparing the artwork for the upcoming Global Art Finals in Beijing.

She kept sensing an eerie, gloomy gaze fixed upon her.

Yet when she turned her head, she saw nothing outside except the wind rolling fallen leaves across the ground.

Until dismissal time, Jiang Yeyan remained entirely quiet throughout the day, sleeping at his desk. Everyone avoided him like a plague, terrified of waking the slumbering beast. They hurriedly hoisted their designer bags, smoothed their hair, applied makeup, and sneaked out of the classroom.

The forum of Capital University was practically exploding. Those infatuated with Jiang Yeyan loved him to death, yet none dared approach him, simply because the guy had zero manners.

***

At least Xu Chuyin, despite loving to bully classmates, wasn't mentally ill, didn't babble nonsense, possessed basic manners, and was capable of communication.

Jiang Yeyan was different.

He didn't like communicating with others, refused to listen to teachers, and couldn't even be reasoned with.

Yet on the forum, a massive fan club still defended Jiang Yeyan, alongside students from various other schools who flocked there to join the heated debates.

Every comment praised Jiang Yeyan as handsome, talented, and from a good family—so what if he was a bit crazy?

Before leaving, Zhong Huayan tapped him on the shoulder.

Just as he unhappily raised his head, ready to throw a tantrum, he caught sight of the woman's face and the empty classroom.

"Don't look at me like that. School's over."

With a somewhat aggrieved gaze, Jiang Yeyan watched the woman's retreating figure. He had dreamt of her again... What on earth did all this mean?

Had they truly met before?

A deep curiosity toward her took root within him. He stood up, lit a cigarette, and followed behind her until they reached the school gates, only to see her climb into a luxury car—a license plate that couldn't be bought with money alone.

Jiang Yeyan extinguished his cigarette.

The corners of his mouth curved up slightly before he dialed his uncle, the principal.

"Did you tell her to come find me?"

"No. I only asked her to keep an eye on you sometimes. You should learn a thing or two from that young lady..."

"What's her background?"

"Ahem, let me warn you! Don't go looking for death, and don't provoke her. Behind her is the Fu Group. Besides, that young master from the Fang family is probably interested in her too. Don't you dare harbor any ideas in that direction!"

Having received his answer, Jiang Yeyan clicked the phone shut with a crisp sound.