Chapter 122

As no direct poison was found and the hospital didn't provide a clear poisoning report, the police's actions were very limited. It was impossible to summon all suspects to the station for interrogation, and even inquiries into their social circles primarily involved simple interviews.

However, these swift and timely actions managed to "substantiate" the rumors of Zhou Yunyun being poisoned, preemptively quashing the version, already brewing and about to spread, that "a female class president from this school had a sudden mental breakdown." After all, if it were truly a mental breakdown, so many police wouldn't have been necessary.

While Tan Yunlong was assigning the next phase of investigation tasks and directions, Li Zhuiyuan and Lin Shuyou left the dormitory building first and got into the police car they arrived in.

Lin Shuyou was a bit excited: "Brother Xiaoyuan, what should we do next?"

"There's a very simple method."

"Simple is good! Let's use the simple one!"

"You go kidnap all five girls, then torture them and extract a confession."

Lin Shuyou: "..."

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head to look out the car window. The campus environment often carried an air of peaceful tranquility, and every university had its own unique style.

After much hesitation and thought, Lin Shuyou asked, "Brother Xiaoyuan, should we kidnap them to the basement of our school's discount store?"

"Hm?"

"I feel like that place is quite suitable for holding people. The most dangerous place is often the safest."

"Are you actually planning to do that?"

"If we can confirm that the curse-caster is among those five, Brother Xiaoyuan, I think your method is feasible."

"Then why don't you just kill all five of them? The culprit is in there anyway."

Lin Shuyou: "..."

Lin Shuyou tried to convince himself again, his fingers tightly curled, his expression twisted. Finally, he sagged like a deflated balloon and said disappointedly:

"Brother Xiaoyuan, this... I don't think I can do it."

He had actually considered the feasibility of doing that.

Li Zhuiyuan: "No need to rush. The curse-caster is very foolish. Just bait the hook, and they'll bite. I just deliberately brought up the laundry soap incident in front of them, like chumming the water for fish."

Fish flee when startled, but foolish people jump out of the water when startled.

With the suspect pool narrowed down so much, identifying the curse-caster is no longer difficult.

Now, the main consideration is, since the other party possesses such a high-level cursed object, they couldn't have just picked it up casually as an ordinary person by the roadside, right?

He still had a copper coin buried in the cemetery back in his hometown of Shigang, and he hadn't even gone to pick it up yet.

For such a high-level cursed object, she knows how to use it, dares to use it, and understands how to retrieve it. This indicates she's very familiar with such things.

Even if using a cannon to kill a mosquito is inherently absurd, the premise is that she has a cannon and knows how to fire it.

This means: she is a fool, and a fool with powerful backing.

Li Zhuiyuan interlaced his fingers and lightly tapped them.

Hooking her is just the first step.

The second step is to hook the connections behind her.

As for the third step, well... hehe.

A common line in the gangster films Run Sheng likes to watch is: "Trouble shouldn't extend to family."

But the problem is, you've already targeted our family.

Lin Shuyou noticed a deep, indifferent look in the young man's eyes.

He mistakenly thought Brother Xiaoyuan was displeased with his previous refusal, so he forced himself to speak:

"Brother Xiaoyuan, could there be more than one culprit?"

"Hm?"

"I mean, among the five, is it possible that two, three, four, or even all of them are the culprits?"

If they were all culprits, he'd have no moral burden. He'd perform the ritual tonight, killing without salvation!

"No, there's only one culprit."

"Ah..."

"Zhou Yunyun has a very good reputation. Even if it's the culprit, they must have been close sisters in their daily interactions with Zhou Yunyun. If multiple people in a dorm were dissatisfied with you, and conspired, condoned, and covered up attempts to harm you, how hated would you have to be? Besides, this involves casting a curse and using a cursed object. Ordinary people wouldn't have the qualification or skill to participate even if they wanted to."

"Then I..."

"There's only one thing I hope for now." Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head, looking at his neatly trimmed fingernails.

"What is it?"

"Do you have money?"

"Yes." After the embarrassment of not having money for a taxi last time, Lin Shuyou now made sure to carry his wallet every time he went out.

"There's a shop over there. Go buy some paper and paint."

"Okay, I'll go buy them."

Lin Shuyou got out of the police car. Watching his retreating back, Li Zhuiyuan's gaze slowly deepened.

He hoped the power behind the culprit wouldn't be as sensible and pragmatic as Lin Shuyou's family last time, jumping out to sacrifice their own for the greater good.

So this time, the identities of the Qin and Liu families would not be revealed for now.

Right now, he was: Li, the Corpse-Retriever from Haogang Pier, Nantong.

Come on, take the bait.

It was getting dark. Inside the dorm.

The police had left. The five girls sat either on their beds or chairs, and the atmosphere was very oppressive.

Their gazes toward each other were already filled with suspicion and caution.

Tong Yanyan spoke: "So, Yunyun was poisoned?"

Wang Lunnan suddenly started crying, saying between sobs: "Why is this happening, why? Who wants to harm Yunyun? Who is it?!"

She was the youngest in the dorm and the most delicate in appearance. In the past, whenever she cried, her dorm mates would come to comfort her.

But this time, no one was in the mood. They were all first-year students, and for many, it was their first time facing police so closely.

Unlike the police portrayed in movies and TV, the sense of oppression and deterrence you feel when a uniformed officer questions you in real life is very real.

Zhao Mengyao: "I really can't understand who would want to harm Yunyun. Yunyun is such a good person; who could do such a thing?!"

As she spoke, Zhao Mengyao's gaze swept over the other four girls, one by one.

Zhang Xin: "I believe that even if someone wanted to harm Yunyun, it wouldn't be someone from our dorm. Won't the police continue to question everyone in the class and other people? We're just the first batch to be questioned; it doesn't mean the poisoner is in our dorm."

Zhou Shengnan jumped off her bed and said, "Anyway, if I find out who harmed Yunyun, no matter who it is, I'll kill them!"

Tong Yanyan bent down. She was on the bottom bunk, and Zhou Yunyun was on the top bunk, so some of their belongings were kept under one bed.

She pulled out the plastic basin again. The original bar of laundry soap had already been taken by the police for examination.

Tong Yanyan pointed at the plastic basin and asked, "Who put a new bar of laundry soap in here?"

Everyone looked at the plastic basin; no one spoke.

Tong Yanyan asked again, "The person who replaced the laundry soap certainly won't admit it themselves. I want to ask, did any of you see someone come under my bed to exchange things?"

Still, no one spoke, only shaking their heads.

Tong Yanyan pursed her lips and continued, "If you saw something, please speak up now. Don't try to cover for anyone, because if she dared to poison Yunyun, she might poison you too!"

Wang Lunnan wiped her tears and said, "I didn't see anything."

Zhao Mengyao: "Me neither."

Zhang Xin: "Is this laundry soap poison? Or was the bar Yunyun used last night poisoned? Yunyun couldn't have eaten laundry soap. Could something happen just by touching it? In that case, are the clothes you wore this morning also problematic, Yanyan?"

Tong Yanyan looked at Zhang Xin with some confusion and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Zhang Xin: "I'm worried about you. Look at the police's previous attitude; it clearly indicated the laundry soap was problematic. Weren't the police just looking for poison?"

Zhou Shengnan said, looking puzzled, "I also don't understand why poisoning is related to laundry soap."

Zhang Xin continued to explain, "Could it be a toxin that can be contracted through contact?"

Wang Lunnan: "If that's the case, wouldn't our entire dorm be at risk? Boohoo, I don't want to die, I don't want to go crazy, boohoo..."

"Nannan, stop crying," Zhou Shengnan called out. "What will crying solve?"

Zhao Mengyao: "How about we write anonymous notes? If someone is too embarrassed to say it out loud in front of everyone, we can write it on paper and then open them together?"

Tong Yanyan said unhappily, "Something like this has already happened; what's there to be embarrassed about? Yunyun is already in the hospital. If you know something, do you still need to save her face?"

Zhou Shengnan chimed in, "Yanyan is right. At this point, if you saw something but don't dare to speak up, then you're truly beyond saving."

Zhang Xin: "I actually think Mengyao's suggestion is good. Why not try it?"

Zhao Mengyao took out a notebook, tore off five sheets of paper, and also took five pen refills.

One sheet of paper and one pen refill each, she handed them to her roommates one by one.

When it was Tong Yanyan's turn, she didn't take them. Instead, she exclaimed, "This is a complete waste of effort! If you had the time for this, why didn't you just tell the police earlier?"

After shouting, Tong Yanyan got out of bed and put on her shoes.

Zhou Shengnan asked, "Yanyan, where are you going?"

"I'm going to the school store to buy new cups, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and laundry soap. I'm replacing all my towels too!"

Tong Yanyan walked out of the dorm.

Wang Lunnan looked at the paper and pen refill in her hand and asked, "So, are we still writing or not?"

Zhao Mengyao said, "Let's write. What if? Everyone, turn your backs and write. Once you're done, put them in this box in order, and then we'll open and read them together?"

Everyone turned their backs.

"Everyone finished writing? Don't turn around. One by one, put them in, starting with Nannan, then Xinxin, then Shengnan, and finally me."

After everyone had placed their notes, Zhao Mengyao shook the pen holder, then unfolded the four notes one by one. The first three were blank, but the fourth read:

"I saw Yanyan change the soap."

Silence fell over the dorm.

Zhou Shengnan asked, confused, "Who wrote this?"

No one answered.

Zhou Shengnan continued to ask, "If Yanyan was the one who changed it, why did she just bring it up herself and ask who put it there?"

Zhao Mengyao: "Could she be doing it on purpose, crying 'thief' to catch a thief?"

Wang Lunnan: "Do we... do we need to tell the police? Or should we wait for Yanyan to come back and then ask her together?"

Zhang Xin got off her bed and walked out.

Zhao Mengyao: "Xinxin, where are you going?"

Zhang Xin: "I'm going to find the counselor. I'm applying to change dorms!"

As Tong Yanyan walked out of the dormitory building, a pink paper figure floated down in front of her.

She was in a fit of pique and didn't even look, stepping directly over the pink paper.

At the store, after paying for her toiletries and daily necessities, Tong Yanyan picked up the public phone on the counter and dialed a number.

The counter was by the door, and in the shadow to the left of the main entrance, Li Zhuiyuan stood. His ears twitched slightly, and Tong Yanyan's entire conversation clearly reached his ears.

She was calling her mother, talking about Zhou Yunyun, saying the police had come today, and expressing her current nervousness and fear.

Her mother was comforting her on the other end of the line.

After finishing the call, Tong Yanyan carried her purchases back to the dorm.

The other four girls also left the dormitory building individually that night; after all, they all had to go to the cafeteria for dinner.

As each girl came out, a small pink paper figure floated down in front of them.

Zhang Xin glanced down at the paper figure and continued walking.

Zhou Shengnan, on the other hand, snatched the floating paper figure and threw it into a nearby trash can.

Wang Lunnan and Zhao Mengyao were both startled by the paper figures and hurried away.

Besides Tong Yanyan, two other people came to the store to make calls: Wang Lunnan and Zhang Xin.

Wang Lunnan called her father, recounting the day's events and then tearfully seeking comfort.

She truly rambled on, even telling her father about the note-writing incident that took place in the dorm after Tong Yanyan left.

Zhang Xin called her uncle, who was either a school official or had connections within the school. Zhang Xin asked him to help her arrange a dorm change, saying she no longer wanted to stay in that dorm.

Her uncle asked her why, and she recounted the day's events in the dorm, belittling all the other girls except Zhou Yunyun.

Zhou Shengnan and Zhao Mengyao didn't make calls, which was normal. At that time, telephones weren't yet widespread, especially for rural students; calling parents anytime to chat was a luxury.

Tong Yanyan, Wang Lunnan, and Zhang Xin, their family backgrounds should be quite good.

The first two called their homes directly, while Zhang Xin called her connections to change dorms.

Actually, there was a public phone under every dorm building, on the table outside the dorm manager's office.

The reason those three left the dorm building to call from the store was that Li Zhuiyuan had Lin Shuyou cut the phone lines in the dorm building.

To reconnect, they'd have to wait for maintenance personnel to come and fix it tomorrow.

As for the paper figures that floated down when each person came out, they were thrown by Lin Shuyou, who was hiding in a tree.

The night deepened. Though it wasn't yet lights-out or power-off time for the dorms, it was approaching. Outside, only a few scattered couples were having their final whispers, and the store was preparing to close.

Li Zhuiyuan sat on a long bench. Lin Shuyou ran over.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, any discoveries?"

"Three made calls; no anomalies found."

Lin Shuyou scratched his head: "Ah, what a pity. Never mind, Brother Xiaoyuan, think of other ways, we'll definitely be able to..."

"What's a pity?"

"Didn't you say no anomalies were found with the three who made calls?"

"No anomalies just means they're normal, right? That eliminates three options."

"Uh... oh right!"

When you identify the culprit as a "fool," the world becomes very simple. Designing complex and profound traps and tests would be an insult to yourself.

A fool wouldn't think that she's being closely watched, and then deliberately run out to call "family" and casually chat, performing for him.

If she had that kind of brain, she wouldn't have unsealed a new bar of laundry soap and put it back.

If she were to contact her family, she should have told them that someone seemed to have discovered her secret, admitted her mistake first, and then sought their help.

Li Zhuiyuan asked, "What about the paper figures?"

"Brother Xiaoyuan, I observed that Wang Lunnan and Zhao Mengyao were startled when they saw the paper figures, Tong Yanyan stepped directly over them, Zhang Xin glanced and walked away, and Zhou Shengnan threw the paper figure directly into the trash can. So, based on your previous eliminations and their reactions, Zhou Shengnan is the one who cast the curse?"

Li Zhuiyuan took the pink paper figure from Lin Shuyou's pocket, held it in front of him, gently shook it, and asked, "Why?"

"Because she wasn't scared! Brother Xiaoyuan, you cut this paper figure to the standard size for 'villain hitting' rituals. Anyone with even a slight understanding of curses would recognize it. But there are no words written on it, no strings tied, and no signatures. It's like a Taoist talisman paper with no actual symbols, just a standard yellow paper. There's no reason to be scared at all. So, with two methods of elimination, there's only one truth. The curse-caster is..."

"A-You."

"Yes, Brother Xiaoyuan?"

Li Zhuiyuan flicked the paper figure in front of him and asked, "Do you think this paper figure is scary?"

"I..."

"I deliberately made it pink, not white or black, precisely so it wouldn't give people a scary feeling. This kind of paper figure, if put on a wall during cultural events, would be quite normal. What's so scary about it? Don't overcomplicate things. Everything can be simpler. So, those who were scared by it are either naturally timid and prone to crying when something happens, or they... genuinely have something to hide."

"So, the one who cast the curse is..."

"Zhao Mengyao."

"Who are you looking for?"

Tong Yanyan opened the dorm door and asked in a very stiff tone.

After she returned to the dorm from the store, the other residents looked at her with obvious wariness, even hostility. This made her feel very uncomfortable, and she had no patience for strangers.

"Zhao Mengyao is in your dorm, right?"

"Yes."

"A boy asked me to deliver this love letter to her. Here."

An envelope with a heart on it was handed over, and Tong Yanyan took it.

The girl delivering the letter left. She was returning to the dorm late, and a boy had paid her to bring the letter in, essentially earning some quick cash for a delivery.

Tong Yanyan closed the door, tossed the love letter to Zhao Mengyao, who was already on her top bunk, and then returned to her own bed.

In the past, whenever Zhou Yunyun received a love letter, everyone would collectively exclaim with curiosity, tease her, or even clamor to read it together.

However, Zhou Yunyun never opened them, putting them all into her drawer.

Everyone then began to speculate and suspect that the class president already had someone in her heart.

Zhao Mengyao picked up the envelope with some surprise and waited deliberately, but found no one teasing or exclaiming.

She mumbled to herself, "Heh, at a time like this, who has the mind to look at something like this?"

Tong Yanyan didn't respond. Zhang Xin was packing her luggage, preparing to move dorms tomorrow. Wang Lunnan was curled up on her bed, tears in her eyes. She needed comfort herself; she had no time to provide emotional support to others.

Only Zhou Shengnan offered a perfunctory remark:

"Let's just take it as good luck."

Zhao Mengyao's chest rose and fell, then she took several deep breaths, finally stabilizing her emotions.

Then, she carefully opened the envelope and took out the letter.

The handwriting was beautiful, but the content was very brief.

"Regarding the curse you cast on my cousin, I need an explanation from you.

Meet me backstage at the school auditorium tomorrow at noon.

— Li, the Corpse-Retriever from Haogang Pier, Nantong."

Zhao Mengyao's entire face changed color. She asked in a trembling voice:

"Hey, where's Yunyun's hometown again?"

Zhang Xin zipped up her suitcase. She was from Jinling, also in Jiangsu, so she casually replied, "Nantong."

Tong Yanyan then spoke, "That young man who was with the police today, wasn't he Yunyun's cousin? So he should be from Nantong too?"

Zhang Xin: "Probably."

Zhao Mengyao got out of bed.

Zhang Xin asked, "Are you going out to meet him?"

"Huh?"

Zhang Xin said, speechless, "Meet that guy? The one who wrote you the love letter."

"I... I... Yes, I'm going to meet him."

Zhou Shengnan asked, "Are you going to accept?"

Zhao Mengyao shook her head: "No, I'm going to reject him and make him give up. Hehe, what are you thinking? Am I such an easy person, to agree just because of a love letter? If that were the case, wouldn't our class president have had a dozen relationships by now?"

Because Zhao Mengyao mentioned Zhou Yunyun again, the slight interest everyone had in talking was instantly extinguished.

Everyone lowered their heads, no longer speaking.

Zhao Mengyao walked out of the dorm. She went downstairs first. At the dorm building entrance, the dorm manager auntie was about to close the door. Seeing her come down, she asked:

"Are you going out? Be quick, I'll wait for you for a bit."

"No, no, no, it's fine, Auntie, close the door. I'm not going out."

Zhao Mengyao seemed to suddenly remember something. After waving her hands repeatedly, she ran back up the stairs.

She didn't return to her dorm but entered the public restroom on her floor, hid in the innermost stall, and closed the door.

She took out a folded piece of paper from her pocket, unfolded it, and blew into the middle, making the paper expand into the shape of an ingot, or like a small boat. Then she placed the "love letter" inside the paper boat.

She looked at her fingers and took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself.

"Ugh..."

Breathing deeply in the restroom, the foul odor made her feel nauseous.

After two dry heaves, she made up her mind, put her finger in her mouth, bit her fingertip, and then dripped blood onto the paper boat. Once the paper boat was largely soaked with blood, she pulled a cigarette box from her pocket and took out a lighter from it.

"Click!"

The lighter ignited the red paper boat, which she then dropped into the toilet bowl below.

"Whoosh!"

Just then, the cistern at the front reached a certain water level and began to flush. Water surged in the toilet bowl, and the burning paper boat disappeared into the round opening.

From a stall ahead, someone cursed:

"Have some public decency! Smoking in the restroom!"

Sixth Hospital, patient room.

Tan Wenbin sat on a chair, arms crossed, feet propped up on the edge of the hospital bed.

Though a bit far from the bed, this allowed him to both keep an eye on the patient and monitor the three candles beneath the bed.

Zhou Yunyun was asleep, having slept for a long time.

Then, her eyelids fluttered slightly, and she awoke.

Though still a bit dazed, her personal spirit was gradually returning.

She seemed to be thinking, recalling what happened today.

Then, terror resurfaced in her eyes as horrifying images began to flood her mind, and her body instinctively began to curl up.

"You're awake?"

Zhou Yunyun turned her head to look at Tan Wenbin beside her. She bit her lip, and tears streamed from her eyes.

"It's okay, it's okay. It's all over now. It's okay."

Tan Wenbin reached out to wipe her tears. This wasn't the first time Zhou Yunyun had cried today; she had also cried when she saw herself earlier, lying in bed with dazed, lifeless eyes.

However, when Tan Wenbin's hand reached out, Zhou Yunyun actively grasped it, then buried her head against Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin could only bend down, embrace her, and gently pat her back.

For a girl to be a class president, if she isn't strict and doesn't speak loudly, she won't be able to keep people in line.

As a former 'left guardian' of the class, Tan Wenbin had often been yelled at and lectured by the class president.

This was the first time he had seen the class president so vulnerable.

Even on the eve of the college entrance exam, when she confessed her feelings to him, she was radiating confidence like a rainbow in the sky.

But now, she was scared, weak, and desperately yearned for reliance and a sense of security.

Tan Wenbin held her, his eyes showing a fierce resolve.

He had always avoided his feelings for Zhou Yunyun. Did he like her?

He probably did.

She was beautiful. She existed in his memories; her confidence and her smile had adorned his youth.

If he didn't like her, he wouldn't have mentioned her to Uncle Tan, and Aunt Tan wouldn't have overheard.

If he hadn't been moved, he wouldn't have told Run Sheng, leading Run Sheng to tease him repeatedly about "when are you having babies."

But if you're talking about a love-unto-death kind of true love, then certainly not, because it hadn't truly begun.

But she was truly different to him.

It was a difference even outsiders, like Lin Shuyou, could see.

Beyond all this, Zhou Yunyun's ordeal today reopened another wound in Tan Wenbin's heart.

He had once witnessed Zheng Haiyang die in front of him. Today, he had nearly witnessed Zhou Yunyun fall to her death in front of him.

Having experienced loss once, the anger when it nearly happened again was imaginable.

He had been suppressing this anger. He didn't show it when Xiaoyuan was present during the day because he didn't want to interfere with or influence Xiaoyuan's judgment. Xiaoyuan had already gone to investigate the incident with his father.

Once the investigation results were out and the true culprit found, Tan Wenbin would kneel before Brother Xiaoyuan and ask him to help him exact revenge.

He knew very well that Brother Xiaoyuan disliked being swayed by emotions and detested acting on impulse, but Tan Wenbin simply couldn't tolerate this.

He would kill, kill, kill the person who harmed Zhou Yunyun!

Zhou Yunyun's crying gradually stopped. She moved her head, and the fierce expression on Tan Wenbin's face softened, returning to a gentle smile.

"Thank you, Binbin."

Tan Wenbin tidied her pillow, making her more comfortable.

When he got up to put some distance between them, Zhou Yunyun raised her hands and grabbed his clothes.

She was very scared.

"Don't go..."

Tan Wenbin shrugged, pointed at the fruit on the bedside table, and said:

"I just wanted to show you the classic scene of peeling an apple by the bedside."

Zhou Yunyun looked up at the bedside table, where there was indeed a fruit basket.

Her lips were also very dry.

But she still shook her head, her hand continuously clutching the boy's clothes.

This wasn't a girl's romantic attachment or playful reluctance for her beloved to leave. She had just endured terror and was still under its lingering shadow.

"Alright then."

Tan Wenbin picked up an apple and a fruit knife, then lay down on his side beside the bed.

A smile appeared on Zhou Yunyun's pale face. She rested her face on Tan Wenbin's chest, her arms wrapped around his waist, as if afraid he would disappear.

Tan Wenbin hummed a tune as he peeled the apple.

After peeling a piece, he offered it to her mouth. She opened it and ate, not minding her lips touching his fingers at all.

This soft, warm touch, instead, made Tan Wenbin's heart pound.

After eating half an apple, Zhou Yunyun said, "I'm done. You eat it."

Tan Wenbin then ate the remaining half apple himself.

Zhou Yunyun asked, "Why are you here?"

Tan Wenbin knew this wasn't the time to help her recall. Instead, he smiled and retorted:

"So I should be under the bed?"

Zhou Yunyun seemed to realize that she was pressed against his chest and her hand was around his waist.

But she only gently lifted her face, slowly moved her hand away, and then, a moment later, put her face back, hugging him even tighter.

After a long while, she spoke again: "What exactly... happened to me?"

"A nightmare. Now the nightmare is over, and from now on, it will all be good dreams."

Tan Wenbin's fingertips gently patted the girl's back.

He didn't intend to tell Zhou Yunyun the truth, because not everyone can handle the truth.

Zhou Yunyun, after all, wasn't A-Li.

Back then, when Brother Xiaoyuan, pushing himself to exhaustion, set up the formation to retaliate and kill the dwarf father and son, it was he who rode the tricycle, slapping himself to stay awake, and brought Brother Xiaoyuan back to Grandpa Li's dam.

Brother Xiaoyuan told A-Li that someone was plotting against him, and he had retaliated and would kill those who plotted against him.

He had been unconscious nearby then, but even in his daze, he saw A-Li, the perpetually cold and expressionless little girl, smile.

But if he told Zhou Yunyun the truth, and then told her about his past and future experiences, even ignoring the karmic effects of 'walking the river,' could she truly accept it?

After coming back from a mission with Brother Xiaoyuan, telling her: "Hey, do you know how amazing I am? I literally bludgeoned someone to death with a rock tonight; I single-handedly wiped out a whole nest of evil spirits tonight!"

Not every girl would be as directly pleased by this as A-Li.

Of course, he didn't want her to become A-Li. He hoped she could continue living her life confidently and brightly, just as before.

If possible, being able to see her occasionally would already make him very happy.

If she found a partner, he would feel regret, and might have a sleepless night, but he would ultimately be able to come to terms with it.

But now... Tan Wenbin looked at her in his arms, and after his fingers stopped patting, his fingertips brushed her back, feeling a smoothness even through her clothes.

He wasn't a naive person; he knew: the sense of distance he had deliberately maintained seemed to have been breached.

"Tan Wenbin."

Zhou Yunyun's face remained pressed against his chest as she called out his full name.

"Your servant is here, Your Majesty. What are your commands?"

"Tan Wenbin, I want to be with you, the kind where we don't separate."

"That wouldn't be good, would it? You're sick right now; wouldn't it look like I'm taking advantage of you?"

"It doesn't matter if you don't agree." Zhou Yunyun looked up at his face. "There's no rule that only boys can pursue girls. I can pursue you too."

"No, no, no, it's not worth it, Old Class President, we won't suffer this injustice."

"Do you have a girl you like?"

"Yes, I do."

Zhou Yunyun lowered her head, falling silent.

This reply seemed to instantly drain all the courage she had mustered.

"Back then, I used to deliberately make mischief during self-study sessions, just to hear her angrily yell at me: 'Tan Wenbin, be quiet!'"

"Hehe..."

The girl laughed.

Tan Wenbin: "Tan Wenbin, it's fine if you don't want to study, but don't disrupt other students!"

"Enough," the girl said, shaking Tan Wenbin's waist with her hand.

"Tan Wenbin, if you don't behave, I'll tell the teacher!"

"That's enough, that's enough." Zhou Yunyun's face flushed.

"Tan Wenbin, this is the time to study! Don't you care about your future?!"

"Stop, that's enough." Zhou Yunyun's fist lightly pounded the boy's chest.

Tan Wenbin lowered his head, looking at the girl in his arms:

"Class President."

Zhou Yunyun's body stiffened slightly.

"I never thought that I, a toad, would one day get to eat swan meat."

"No, don't..."

Zhou Yunyun continued to lightly pound Tan Wenbin's chest, clearly displeased.

"Now is not the time for metaphors, don't use metaphors."

Ah, women are really hard to please.

"Class President."

"Mm..."

"I like you."

Zhou Yunyun was content. She closed her eyes, a smile gracing her lips, her breathing gradually steadying.

Just as Tan Wenbin had said earlier, the nightmare was over, and now it would be sweet dreams.

Let's just pretend it was a dream.

At least in the dream, she found contentment.

She fell asleep.

This time, her brow was no longer furrowed. Her expression was comfortable and serene, even with a hint of sweetness.

Tan Wenbin also smiled.

Although the environment wasn't suitable at the moment, and smoking was harmful to health, secondhand smoke was also extremely dangerous, and he had quit smoking and given his last pack to his father...

Still, he really wanted to lie there, light a cigarette, and blow excited little smoke rings, like a cartoon steam locomotive: "Choo-choo-choo!"

He gently moved the girl's hand, settled her comfortably, and covered her with the blanket.

Tan Wenbin got out of bed, first bending down to check the three still-burning candles, then straightened up and gently stretched his waist and neck.

Brother Xiaoyuan and his biological father had gone to investigate. He wondered if his father had inherited enough of his excellent talent to cooperate well with Brother Xiaoyuan.

Suddenly, Tan Wenbin felt a cold wind blow in, sweeping across his face, making his forehead feel chill.

The patient room's doors and windows were all closed, with no ventilation.

Having experienced so much, Tan Wenbin was now experienced: something was happening.

He reached into his left pocket for a talisman and pulled out his Yellow River Shovel from his bag with his right hand.

He slowly walked around the bed, facing the room door.

Before, he used to stand in front of Brother Xiaoyuan. Now, behind him, there was another person who needed his protection.

The hospital was very quiet in the dead of night. This floor consisted of single patient rooms; those who stayed here either had special medical conditions or special identities.

Therefore, tonight, apart from this one, all the other patient rooms on this floor were actually empty.

An old man, wearing a white ripped tank top, carrying a bamboo basket on his back, and leaning on a wooden stick with his left hand, came up to this floor via the stairs.

He looked around seventy, but his actual age might not have been that old. His wrinkled, gaunt face resembled that of an ordinary old farmer weathered by life in the countryside.

The new cloth shoes on his feet were the only decent thing about him. His entire outfit made him look like he was heading to a market.

The old man raised the wooden stick in his hand, hooked something from the bamboo basket on his back, and then swung it forward.

A dirty, tattered cloth doll landed on the ground.

The old man emitted obscure, mixed sounds from his throat, and the wooden stick in his hand continuously drew circles around the cloth doll.

The cloth doll began to tremble, and wisps of black smoke shot out from it, finally coalescing in front into a disheveled girl of fourteen or fifteen, dressed in rags.

The girl's body was covered in patches, and silver needles were scattered all over her. Her disheveled hair completely obscured her face.

She began to move forward, dragging one foot after the other along the corridor, until she reached the patient room.

She turned, attempting to enter, but her body was halfway through when an inexplicable force repelled her, sending her stumbling backward.

Behind her, the old man's eyes showed confusion.

Inside the patient room.

Tan Wenbin, not having entered the spiritual realm, only felt the cold wind suddenly intensify, then abruptly stop. A slight trembling and rubbing sound came from around the room.

He immediately turned to look, saw that the three candles under the hospital bed had only flickered slightly but were still burning normally, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Just then, in the silent hospital building, a crisp snap of fingers sounded from an unknown source.

"Snap!"

The three candles instantly went out!

Tan Wenbin's eyes widened. What was happening?

The girl was making a second attempt to enter. Her body first passed halfway through, and then, she was entirely inside.

Seeing this, the old man's confusion vanished, replaced by a slightly reserved smile:

"Heh heh, a mere corpse-retriever no one's ever heard of actually dares to demand an explanation from my family. Alright then, this old man will grant your wish today. I wonder, will this explanation satisfy you?"

Just then, a young man's voice came:

"Extremely satisfied."