Chapter 119

"You'll die horribly?"

"Could Zhou Yunyun be an evil spirit?" Lin Shuyou touched his eyes. Had they become so powerful that even close proximity didn't trigger his vertical pupils?

Lu Yi nodded, deeply agreeing: "Beautiful and gentle girls are devils; they can charm your soul away, leaving you tossing and turning alone in your dorm bed, unable to sleep."

"Runsheng, time to move the goods!" Yin Meng's voice came from the basement stairwell.

"Coming." Runsheng rolled up his sleeves as he walked over. Thanks to Lu Yi, the store had recently stocked many new products, causing students from other living areas to walk extra distances just to buy things here. Business had greatly improved, and the restocking frequency had increased.

"Here, A'you, envelopes." Lu Yi placed a stack of pink envelopes on the counter. "This style is quite popular now, selling well."

Lin Shuyou reached out, touched an envelope, then pushed it back. "Forget it, I don't want it."

Hearing this, Lu Yi shrugged. "Youth. Just don't end up with regrets."

"I think if I take this envelope, my life might just end with youth." He had fought with Runsheng twice, and Runsheng's impression on him was that he was ruthless and spoke little. If Runsheng openly gave a warning, it was best to obey and not do it.

Bidding farewell to Lu Yi, Lin Shuyou left the store. As he stepped down, he saw Zhou Yunyun standing by the bulletin board outside the dorm building ahead. Zhou Yunyun wore a yellow floral dress, her long hair draped over her shoulders. She occasionally glanced towards the dorm entrance. She wasn't the kind of girl who was stunningly beautiful at first glance, but she possessed a gentle and fresh demeanor that easily drew people in. Lin Shuyou observed her carefully, but his vertical pupils remained unresponsive.

"Lin Shuyou."

Zhou Yunyun noticed Lin Shuyou. It was hard not to notice someone staring so intently. The girl took the initiative to smile and greet him, making Lin Shuyou feel somewhat flustered: "Zhou Yunyun, are you looking for me?"

"Could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, sure, tell me, what kind of favor?"

"Could you please go into the dorm and call your class monitor down?"

"You mean my class monitor?"

"Yes, we're both from Nantong, and we were high school classmates."

"High school classmates?" Even a slow-witted Lin Shuyou understood what it likely meant for a girl to actively seek out a male high school classmate at a university dorm. During the previous social gathering, when Zhou Yunyun came to inquire about his class monitor, he foolishly thought she was just being polite because she was a class monitor herself.

"Yes, I just asked one of your male classmates to call him down, but no one has come yet."

"Okay, wait a moment. I'll go call down my 'big brother'." Lin Shuyou quickly entered the dorm, Runsheng's words echoing in his ears: *If you write it, you'll die horribly.* Runsheng, what a good person.

He ran up to the third floor, arriving at Bin Ge's dorm room. The door was ajar. Opening it, he saw a male classmate spinning in circles in the room. Lin Shuyou activated his vertical pupils and stepped inside.

"Creak..." The wooden stool holding the bronze mirror emitted a harsh scraping sound.

Tan Wenbin, lying on the bed, immediately opened his eyes. As he jumped off the bed, he reached for the Yellow River Shovel propped above the bed. He looked closely and realized it was Lin Shuyou disrupting the formation. "Are you crazy?!"

Lin Shuyou, seeing Bin Ge was awake, immediately deactivated his vertical pupils. "Bin Ge..." As soon as his vertical pupils retracted, he, like the previous male classmate, began to spin in circles.

Tan Wenbin sighed and flipped the bronze mirror face down. Their performance was over.

The male classmate spoke: "Class monitor, a girl wants you to come down. Her name is Yunyun Zhou."

"Okay, the class monitor knows. Thank you, thank you." Lin Shuyou patted the other's shoulder. "Go rest, you're very tired." After pushing the classmate out the dorm door, Lin Shuyou said, "Bin Ge, your high school classmate, Zhou Yunyun, is downstairs at the dorm calling for you."

"Why is she here?"

"Today we had a social mixer with the auditing class. She's their class monitor, and she specifically asked about you at the mixer, but you didn't go, Bin Ge."

Tan Wenbin picked up his washbasin, went to the sink to brush his teeth and wash his face. As he returned to the dorm to grab his wallet and prepare to leave, Lin Shuyou asked: "Bin Ge, aren't you going to change clothes? The ones you're wearing are all wrinkled from sleeping."

"No need."

"Then at least wash your hair, right?"

"Where did that rule come from?"

"Before the mixer today, almost all the boys in our class changed clothes and collectively woke up early to wash their hair."

"That's why they're called 'little boys'." Tan Wenbin pointed to the dorm floor. "Help me clean up, and clean thoroughly. You can secretly look through the books on my desk, but don't touch Xiao Yuan Ge's desk, understand?"

"Understood." Lin Shuyou stiffened with excitement.

Tan Wenbin went downstairs, ran out of the dorm, and from a distance, waved and shouted to Zhou Yunyun, who was standing outside the dorm gate: "Long time no see, my great class monitor!"

While youth could be boisterous, students were generally reserved. His action attracted the attention of many nearby students. Zhou Yunyun watched the boy running towards her, a smile also appearing on her face, and waved back. She was used to his flamboyant nature, especially when he was the 'Left Protector'.

"Well, well, you've certainly changed after going to college. You know how to dress up now, very pretty."

"Thank you."

"Have you eaten?"

"I ate a lot of snacks at the mixer, so I'm not hungry now."

"I just woke up and I'm hungry. Come, honor me with your company for a meal."

"Okay."

Tan Wenbin and Zhou Yunyun walked side-by-side along the campus path. "Why didn't you come to the mixer today?"

"I was dead tired from staying up late studying last night, so I was catching up on sleep in the dorm." Tan Wenbin yawned again and rubbed his eyes. "Mainly, I didn't know you were coming. Otherwise, I would have just gone to sleep at the venue."

"Are your freshman year courses that demanding?"

"Not really. Just think of it as me taking an extra major."

"How do you feel after starting university?"

"Much more exciting and fulfilling than when I was watching peach trees back home."

"That's great."

"What about you?"

"I'm quite idle. Learning and life feel much easier than in high school."

"Huh?" As they chatted, Tan Wenbin saw Xiao Yuan Ge walking towards them, carrying a backpack.

"Li Zhuiyuan!" Zhou Yunyun waved enthusiastically. Although the young man didn't spend much time at school during his senior year, he was definitely a prominent figure. Most importantly, if your class produced a top scorer on the college entrance exam, it would undoubtedly be brought up repeatedly among classmates and friends in the future.

Li Zhuiyuan walked over and nodded to Zhou Yunyun: "Hello, Class Monitor."

Zhou Yunyun: "Li Zhuiyuan..."

Tan Wenbin: "Calling him that sounds too formal."

Zhou Yunyun: "Then Zhuiyuan?"

Tan Wenbin: "Just call him 'Ge'."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Tan Wenbin and asked, "Are you going to eat?"

Tan Wenbin: "Yeah, Old Sichuan."

Zhou Yunyun invited: "Zhuiyuan, how about the three of us old classmates go together?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. "I've already eaten. You two go." With that, Li Zhuiyuan walked away.

"Is Old Sichuan a Sichuan restaurant?"

"Yes, it's our eating base. We usually eat there."

At noon, there were many customers, but it wasn't completely packed. Tan Wenbin asked for a private room on the second floor, ordered a grilled fish with a few side dishes, and chatted and laughed with Zhou Yunyun as they ate. After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant and began to walk around to aid digestion. The sky had grown somewhat overcast, and a wind had picked up. They wondered if it would rain soon.

Passing a small convenience store, Tan Wenbin bought a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. When he pulled out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, trying to light it, the wind prevented him from lighting it several times. Zhou Yunyun deliberately shifted her position to shield him from the wind. Tan Wenbin paused, then silently lit his cigarette.

The two walked slowly along the university wall, from the North Gate to the South Gate. The sky remained overcast, and the rain seemed imminent but hadn't yet fallen.

"Our school is having a dance party soon. Are you coming?"

"Probably not. I don't have time."

"Are you going home for National Day?"

"I don't know, it depends on whether Xiao Yuan goes back."

"Did I bother you by coming today?"

"No, I'm genuinely happy to see you." Tan Wenbin took out a note from his wallet with the store's phone number on it and handed it to Zhou Yunyun. "If you ever need help with anything, just call this number and ask for me. My pager number is also on it."

Zhou Yunyun also took out a piece of paper and handed it over. "This is our dorm building's phone number."

"Okay." Tan Wenbin took the paper and put it in his wallet.

"The bus is here, I'm leaving. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Tan Wenbin lit another cigarette, watching her board the bus and the bus drive away. A chill on his forehead. The rain had begun.

Tan Wenbin exhaled a smoke ring, a wry smile on his face. "Does it have to be so fitting?" He wasn't a fool; he, of course, understood what the girl meant. But he couldn't take that step, because he didn't know when he might die.

Just as he walked into campus, Tan Wenbin saw Yin Meng and Zheng Jiayi walking towards him, chatting and laughing. Zheng Jiayi didn't see him, but Yin Meng noticed. They exchanged nods. It looked like they were planning to go shopping together.

Tan Wenbin suddenly remembered Xiao Yuan Ge's instruction: he needed to observe Fan Shulin's changes. But how was he supposed to observe these changes? Where would he find a severely injured person to send over on short notice?

Back at the dorm building, as he passed the dorm supervisor's office, the aunt called out to him: "Binbin."

"Yes."

"Come, Auntie fried some cakes. Have a taste."

"Okay!" Tan Wenbin entered the office, took the chopsticks, picked up a fried cake, and ate it. It was sweet, soft, and delicious.

"I saw the girl who came to find you today. She's very polite and graceful, a good girl."

"Ah, oh." Tan Wenbin nodded.

"Are you dating anyone?"

"Auntie Zhou, I'm not thinking about that right now. You know, my parents just got divorced, and I'm a bit scared about relationships."

"Ah, true. But as someone who's also divorced, Auntie has to tell you this: your parents are your parents, you are yourself. It's always good to find a suitable partner early and work through the relationship."

"Mm, I understand, Auntie Zhou. I'll go up and study now." Tan Wenbin stood up. Just as he was about to leave the office, he saw a man's figure appear at the dorm supervisor's office window: Tan Yunlong.

"Hiss..." Tan Wenbin felt a toothache. How was it that every time he badmouthed his own father, he got caught? It was even more effective than A'you's trance.

Tan Yunlong walked to the corner of the stairs, and Tan Wenbin obediently followed. "Zhou Yunyun?"

"Huh?" Tan Wenbin's eyes widened. "Dad, are you secretly investigating your son?"

"I had the day off today and came at noon. When I was near your dorm building, I saw you standing with that girl. Was it Zhou Yunyun?"

"Yes, it was her."

"Are you two dating?"

"No, today was a Nantong hometown gathering."

"How many townsfolk?"

"Me, Zhou Yunyun, and then A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H..."

"Can you be serious for once?"

"Dad, why don't you and Mom try a bit harder and have another child?"

"Your mother and I both work in public service."

"That's a small problem. I'll go get myself a certificate of mental illness; then you can have a second child."

"Come, let's go to the bus station."

"Picking up a prisoner?"

"Picking up your mother."

"Mom's here?"

"Yes, to pick up the divorce certificate you 'awarded' us."

"Okay, wait a moment. I'll go up and tell Xiao Yuan Ge."

Tan Wenbin went upstairs and pushed open the dorm room door. The entire dorm room was sparkling clean, so clean that Tan Wenbin couldn't help but wonder if Lin Shuyou had hired a 'White Crane Child' to clean it. However, Lin Shuyou was currently somewhat awkward. He sat at his desk, a pen in hand, with a large blank piece of paper in front of him that seemed to have some questions written on it. His forehead was flushed red, and the hand holding the pen was sweating. He looked exactly like his old self before meeting Xiao Yuan Ge, called to the blackboard by a teacher to solve a problem.

"Where's Xiao Yuan Ge?"

"He went out."

"Where did he go?" Just then, Li Zhuiyuan returned with a basin. He had just washed clothes, and Tan Wenbin came over to help hang them up.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Finished eating?"

"Yes, I also took a walk after dinner. She's back at her school now."

"Oh." Li Zhuiyuan merely asked out of politeness; he wasn't very interested in prying into others' romantic lives.

"Xiao Yuan Ge, my mom is in Jinling. My dad and I are going to pick her up at the bus station later."

"Give my regards to Auntie."

"Okay, I'll head out then." Tan Wenbin waved his hand, ignoring Lin Shuyou's pleading gaze, and walked out of the dorm.

Li Zhuiyuan, holding a dry towel, wiped his hands as he walked up to Lin Shuyou. He was preparing to arrange a work schedule for the 'White Crane Child'. At the same time, he would help Binbin test the operating logic of the new 'Ghost Control Art'. Therefore, he gave Lin Shuyou a few questions: two about his understanding of the 'Gathering Malice Formation' he had given him last time, and two about the perception of spirit mediumship and its extensions from the *Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Sūtra*. Lin Shuyou hadn't written a single word for any of the four questions yet.

Lin Shuyou initially thought Xiao Yuan Ge would call him stupid. But Xiao Yuan Ge said nothing. After hanging up the towel, he sat back down at his own desk. Lin Shuyou swallowed: *Was he so lazy he couldn't even bother calling me stupid anymore?*

Li Zhuiyuan opened his *Zhuiyuan Secret Scroll*, preparing to write down the 'big fish' incident. This incident contained both a verification of patterns discovered in the previous event and new insights. However, the young man was now starting to worry: he had cleverly gained an advantage twice in a row due to being proactive. Next time, would the 'examiner' do the opposite? From a normal perspective, the Heavenly Dao should be using his hand to eliminate those evil spirits and restore stability and peace to the world. But from an abnormal perspective, once he reached a certain level, would he also be singled out as a factor disrupting stability and peace? The fate of a 'white glove' is often not good. This topic of speculation seemed a bit too grand, and thinking about it now felt somewhat premature, like worrying unnecessarily too early. However, when Li Zhuiyuan put himself in the 'examiner's' mindset, he would create some difficulties or unexpected events, letting his 'white glove' develop a few holes first. This would not only allow it to continue helping him clean up the 'trash' but also reduce the difficulty of removing and destroying it later.

After writing about this incident, Li Zhuiyuan emphasized on the next page: *Do not become complacent because of the smooth progress of the first two times.* He planned to write the summary and conclusions of the event in a couple of days. After all, he had just passed the second wave, and theoretically, there was a long period of calm ahead. Of course, if the river gave him another chance to perform an early excavation, he wouldn't refuse.

Closing the *Zhuiyuan Secret Scroll*, the sky had already darkened. Li Zhuiyuan rubbed his wrists, got up from his desk, and began to practice horse stance while performing breathing exercises. That scene in wuxia novels where a warm current instantly flows through the whole body, gathers in the dantian, and then one achieves great martial arts mastery... it's true some people can achieve it. But just like him being able to score as the provincial top scholar at ten years old, treating extreme exceptions as general rules is both naive and foolish. In terms of cultivation, he and Runsheng had a big gap, but he could rely on his deep understanding of the *Qin Clan's Dragon-Viewing Method* to shorten the distance as much as possible. After a year of persistent basic breathing exercises, he could feel the changes in his body, a solid sense of building a foundation. Once he reached the right age and the foundation was complete, building houses and even high-rises on top would be an extremely simple matter.

Lin Shuyou watched Xiao Yuan Ge practice horse stance. He really wanted to throw down his pen and join him in practicing. *This is torture.* The four questions had tormented him from noon until dark. During that time, he hadn't eaten anything except a glass of water from Bin Ge's desk. His stomach was now rumbling with hunger, yet he had to suck in his stomach to keep the noise from disturbing Xiao Yuan Ge's writing and practice. Xiao Yuan Ge wouldn't be so strict, but looking at the blank answer sheet in front of him, Lin Shuyou felt too embarrassed to think only of eating when he couldn't write anything.

Li Zhuiyuan finished his practice and slowly exhaled a long breath. He looked at Lin Shuyou again, noticing that his face was pale and his lips were trembling. Although the answer sheet was still blank, his scratch paper was full of writing. He had ideas and was thinking, but couldn't formalize them on paper. Li Zhuiyuan didn't find this strange at all. Asking Lin Shuyou to write these things was like asking Zhang Fei to embroider. Relatively speaking, he preferred straightforward fighting, spirit mediumship, where it was either you die or I die.

"Leave the questions here for now. Think about them when you sleep tonight. Tomorrow is the weekend, so come back in the morning and continue solving them here."

"Huh?" Lin Shuyou exclaimed in surprise, then immediately corrected himself, "Okay, understood!" The process was incredibly painful, but if his master and grandfather back home found out he refused this lesson because he was afraid of studying, then there would be no main seat for him when he went home for Chinese New Year. He'd probably have to share a table with the family watchdog.

"Xiao Yuan Ge, what are you eating? I'll bring it back for you."

"No need. I'll eat at the store. Take care of yourself, and remember to close the door."

After Li Zhuiyuan left the dorm, Lin Shuyou finally collapsed, slumping onto the chair. Bin Ge really lived up to his name. How did he manage to endure being with Xiao Yuan Ge for so long?

At the store, Runsheng had made a pot of water chestnut stir-fried with meat, a pot of dried tofu stir-fried with chives, and a pot of seaweed egg drop soup. After Li Zhuiyuan arrived, Runsheng first used a bowl to scoop out the dishes and soup, then lit incense in the pots himself. The two sat at the table and ate dinner.

"Where's Mengmeng?"

"She went shopping with Zheng Jiayi this afternoon."

"Hmm, Runsheng Ge, you could also go out and have some fun, find some hobbies."

"I find helping out at the store quite enjoyable." He used to feel restless when he couldn't find any 'dead ghosts' to salvage. Now that Xiao Yuan was 'walking the river', he could regularly get his fill, and live a peaceful life on weekdays.

Li Zhuiyuan finished his meal and put down his chopsticks. Runsheng asked, "How was the taste?"

"A bit salty."

"Next time I'll put in less."

"No need. Your preference for strong flavors is fine. Just scoop out my portion of the soup first before you add salt next time."

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the tonic that had cooled down beside him and brought it to Little Black. Little Black twitched its nose, opened its eyes, stretched, looking extremely lazy. Then it rolled over, went to its dog bowl, and began to eat the tonic. It truly treated the tonic as its main meal. As for other foods, even meat, it wasn't very interested. Even if a bowl of meat was placed in front of it, it would only occasionally take a piece, just to taste it like a snack.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out, stroked its head, and then squeezed its leg. "Why do I feel like Little Black is still growing?"

"Yes," Runsheng said, taking a bite of incense. "It's definitely still growing."

"This dog cage will be too small again, won't it? We'll have to order another one."

"No need. He can just sleep with me."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and said nothing more. Even if Little Black wasn't caged, it was too lazy to run outside. Since it was young, it had shown no interest in the outside world, only liking to eat until full, sleep, wake up, and eat again. At a young age, it had already "seen through dog life." Most importantly, even without exercise, this fellow's bones developed very well. If it were to stand up now, it would have an aura similar to a Tibetan Mastiff.

Li Zhuiyuan patted its head: "When I have some free time, I'll take you out for a walk."

Little Black, eating its tonic, snorted, seemingly uninterested in the suggestion.

"Xiao Yuan, the school has a National Day holiday, right?"

"Yes, it does."

"Are you going back to Nantong?"

"Yes, I am."

"Hehe, I miss my grandpa."

Li Zhuiyuan continued stroking the dog, a smile also appearing on his face: "I miss my great-grandpa too."

"Where did you get these books?" The old man, holding a magnifying glass, examined them carefully.

Yin Meng said, "They're family heirlooms."

The old man asked, "Where is your family from?"

"Rongcheng."

"Were your ancestors Taoists?"

"Yes."

"These books have a musty smell, freshly exposed to light, with a surge of energy. They clearly look like they were recently dug out from some lightless place. Did you raid a tomb?"

"Who would raid a tomb just to dig up books?"

The old man shook his head. "You don't understand. Only those short-sighted, foolish tomb robbers go down into tombs for gold, silver, and jewels. In reality, items with writing or drawings are the most valuable."

"Just name your price."

"Have the loose ends been cleaned up for this item?"

"It won't cause you any trouble."

"Alright, how about this number?" The old man wrote a figure on a piece of paper in front of her.

"Acceptable."

"Do you have any more books like this? You can bring them all to me; I'll keep buying them."

"No more." These were books Xiao Yuan didn't care for, so she brought them out to sell. As for the books Xiao Yuan read, Yin Meng knew they were priceless treasures.

"Wait a moment, I'll get your money." The old man went into the back room, and after a while, came out holding a plastic bag. Handing it to Yin Meng, he said, "Count it."

Yin Meng placed the bag on the table and counted the money, stack by stack. The old man quietly sipped his tea.

"Okay, no more, no less, exactly right." Yin Meng picked up the bag. She could go buy a car now... No, she'd have to get her driver's license first.

As Yin Meng was about to leave, the old man called out to her again: "Girl, wait a moment."

"What else do you need?"

"Could you leave your contact information?"

"No."

"Was your ancestor really a Taoist priest?"

"Sort of."

"I recently bought a new house. I wonder if you could come and take a look for me?"

"No."

"For a red envelope, you can name your price."

"I have enough money. Goodbye." Yin Meng left with the money.

No sooner had she left than a bald man walked out from the back room. "Boss, should I look into her background?"

The old man waved his hand. "Forget it. Don't cause trouble."

"She's just a tomb robber, what trouble could there be?"

"It's true the items are newly unearthed, but that girl has a straightforward brow and an inherent heroic spirit. She's definitely not a tomb robber."

"Then she's helping to fence stolen goods."

"Look at my teacup." The bald man looked down and saw that the tea in the cup was clear, with nothing unusual. "What's wrong?"

The old man extended his thumb, dabbed a little saliva from his mouth, then dipped his fingertip into the cup. Instantly, the water in the cup turned black.

"This... is it poisoned?"

The old man shook his head, then gently swirled the teacup again, and the blackness faded. "It's not poisoned. This is a warning they deliberately left for me. Of course, if you keep pestering them, it won't be just a warning anymore." The old man held up the teacup, examining it carefully, then chuckled: "Compared to these books I bought tonight, this particular skill interests me more. I've only seen it mentioned in my master's diary; there's a type of jianghu person who likes to act in this manner."

"Then..."

"Then what 'then'? Haven't you seen I've already backed down? It's better to open the door for business and let the profits flow like a steady stream."

Yin Meng walked out of the alley into the open. Zheng Jiayi, carrying large and small bags, jogged over and asked, "How was it, Mengmeng? Did you sell everything?"

"Yes."

"Wow, so much money! Quick, put it away, don't let it show. And speaking of which, let's hurry up and go."

Zheng Jiayi pulled Yin Meng to the roadside. Seeing them emerge, Fatty Wu immediately started the car. After the two girls got in, Fatty Wu floored the accelerator. As he drove, he checked behind them using the rearview mirror. Zheng Jiayi did the same, kneeling on the back seat and observing through the rear window. Their cautious demeanor made them look like they were in a spy thriller.

The car drove to the school gate. Fatty Wu rolled down the window and greeted the security guard. The school gate opened, and Fatty Wu drove in, stopping only when they reached the store. Even for such a short distance, Zheng Jiayi still got out with Yin Meng and escorted her into the store. Only after seeing Runsheng did Zheng Jiayi pat her chest and let out a long sigh of relief.

Then, she went to the shelf, took two bottles of soda, and walked to the counter to pay. Yin Meng smiled and said, "Just take them."

"I owe you a lot already, Mengmeng. I can't keep accumulating debt."

Yin Meng: "If you always talk about owing, our relationship won't last."

Zheng Jiayi smiled, stepped forward, and kissed Yin Meng on the cheek. "Mengmeng, you're so good. Oh, right, Mengmeng, if you're not in a hurry to buy a car, remember to deposit the money in the bank first."

"Yes, I will." Zheng Jiayi left very happily.

Yin Meng wiped her face with the back of her hand and said to Runsheng, "She doesn't seem to have changed."

Runsheng: "Your relationship with her is already intimate."

"True." Yin Meng nodded. "Then I'll secretly observe her for the next few days to see if her attitude towards others in her daily life has changed."

"Will that be too much trouble?"

"No trouble. This is a task Xiao Yuan Ge assigned me."

"Tonight when Xiao Yuan came here for dinner, he also called you 'Mengmeng' when he asked about you." Yin Meng burst out laughing, pointing at Runsheng: "You know how to make me happy."

"Class Monitor, these are for you. One is from our school, and one is from Haihe University." In the dorm room, a girl delivered two love letters to Zhou Yunyun's desk. Zhou Yunyun didn't even look at them before putting them in a drawer.

"Sigh." A girl sitting on the bed next to her, painting her nails, sighed, "Yunyun, it's really a case of 'the dry die of thirst, and the flooded drown'."

The girl on the opposite bunk pointed at her and laughed, "What kind of 'tiger-wolf words' are you saying?!"

"I'm just stating facts. Look how popular Yunyun is; how many love letters has she received since school started?"

"That's true. But Yunyun, why did you think of organizing a mixer for us with Haihe University? I heard from other classes that it was your suggestion."

Zhou Yunyun replied, "Weren't you all constantly clamoring in the dorm about finding your Prince Charming? I was just helping you cast a wider net."

The girl blew on her freshly painted nails. "By the way, Yunyun, are you not planning to date, or do you already have someone in mind?"

"I don't want to think about these things for now; my studies are my priority."

"Ehh?"

"Heh!" The girls in the dorm collectively let out long sounds, clearly disbelieving her.

Zhou Yunyun smiled, put her clothes into a basin, and asked, "Do you have any dirty clothes? I can wash them for you while I'm at it."

"Love you, Yunyun! If I were a guy, I'd definitely marry you and cherish you dearly."

Zhou Yunyun picked up the basin, put the laundry soap in, left the dorm, and went to the washroom. The light bulb by the sink seemed to be broken and wouldn't light up, but the corridor lights were barely enough, as long as one didn't go too deep inside.

Turning on the faucet and letting the water run, her thoughts began to drift, floating through the window of a high school classroom, towards the podium, and settling on the left side. Sometimes, feelings are just this inexplicable. The person themselves doesn't even know when this jar of wine was aged.

She remembered his initial rebellious wildness: daring to fight on campus, daring to talk back to teachers, daring to scratch his head while drawing a Doraemon on the blackboard when called to solve a problem. Later, he suddenly became composed, began studying diligently, and his grades gradually rose from the bottom of the class to the top few. The story of a prodigal son's return has always held immense appeal. She never regretted confessing her feelings to him before the college entrance exam, and even without a result, she still felt a sense of contentment. She thought she had moved on, agreeing with the sentence she read in a book: *The best of youth should be kept perfectly framed.* In fact, until she saw him today, she hadn't had such a clear thought. But after seeing him, and the sense of distance he projected, she found herself captivated again, because he seemed to have changed once more.

Actually, for Tan Wenbin, this was unavoidable. In high school, while his peers were burying themselves in studies, he was already salvaging 'dead ghosts'. While his university classmates were busy searching for the meaning of youth, he had already frequently encountered life and death. Moreover, just recently, he had personally smashed a person to death with a stone and single-handedly wiped out a nest of evil spirits. The weightiness of life comes from its breadth, not its length. Those in university who could earn money early and achieve financial independence often looked at their classmates as "children," let alone Tan Wenbin's current situation. It's just that others would find it hard to notice this, but Zhou Yunyun had always liked to "read" him carefully. When you've seen him transform from a wild youth to a steady young man and then to a mature "uncle," you naturally want to get closer to him. Even knowing there might be no outcome, even if the other person again shows a sense of distance, you still cannot control yourself. It was foolish, yet addictive.

The water was ready, and Zhou Yunyun began to wash her clothes. As she washed, a voice came from behind her: "Excuse me, could I borrow some laundry soap?"

Zhou Yunyun was vigorously scrubbing clothes, her hands pressing down, so she said, "Go ahead and take it." The laundry soap placed by the sink was taken by a hand. A moment later, she heard the sound of clothes being taken off from behind her. Zhou Yunyun didn't think much of it. Perhaps the person just had a dirty jacket and came to wash it.

"Rip... rip... rip..." Next came a series of intense ripping sounds, like tape being torn. Zhou Yunyun grew curious. *What exactly are you washing?* She turned her head to look behind her. The person was standing at the sink opposite her, about ten meters away, too far to see clearly.

"Excuse me, where did you buy your laundry soap? It smells nice and works very well."

"I bought it at the school store."

"Oh."

"Rip... rip... rip..." The ripping sound reappeared, and vaguely, she could see the person undressing. *Did they wrap tape around themselves?*

Zhou Yunyun asked, "What are you washing?"

"My body hair is very dirty."

Zhou Yunyun paused, startled. So, was this a hair removal? Though somewhat surprised, all sorts of people were always found in schools, so she didn't bother to inquire further.

After rinsing and wringing out her clothes, Zhou Yunyun picked up her basin and asked, "Are you done with the laundry soap? I'm leaving."

"Yes, I'm done. You can take it."

Zhou Yunyun walked over. As she got closer, she could see a figure vigorously scrubbing clothes in the dimness. The person seemed to be wearing very little, as she couldn't make out the outlines of clothes. Zhou Yunyun reached out, picked up the laundry soap nearby, put it in her basin, and walked away.

Just as she stepped out of the washroom and into the corridor light, she was startled to discover a pool of bright red blood on the clothes in her basin. Girls sometimes soil their clothes due to physiological reasons, which is normal. But the problem was, she had just washed the clothes in the basin. Moreover, the laundry soap was the reddest thing, looking as if it had been soaked in blood and was still bubbling with blood.

Zhou Yunyun instinctively turned back to look into the sink. Just then, somehow, the faulty circuit suddenly reconnected, and the light bulb inside flickered several times.

In the sink, a person stood, their feet submerged in spreading blood. She stood by the sink, her entire skin from above the waist—from her lower abdomen, belly, chest, neck, and face—all peeled off and lying in the sink.

At this moment, her hands were vigorously scrubbing... the skin from her own body.