Chapter Twenty-Nine: Returning to the Dormitory

After searching to no avail, we had to climb over the wall to get out. Our room monitor had indeed been to the school, and he had encountered that thing while on campus, yet his tracks remained hidden. Still, I was certain he was still within the school grounds.

When I returned home that evening, Huang Ying had already prepared dinner. I had no appetite, but to avoid disappointing her, I forced down a few bites without really tasting anything. Seeing my low spirits, she sat beside me and said, "Let me take you out for a walk."

This was the first time she had proactively invited me out. She was sitting very close—and I swear, she was truly, genuinely close! Well, since a beauty had extended such a sincere invitation, I had no choice but to accept. I realized that whenever I was in a bad mood, a single word from Huang Ying could reignite all my passion. It wasn't that I was heartless; it just showed how important she was in my eyes. Last time, I had her play the part of a domineering woman; next time, I should have her try acting coy—that would surely be an enticing scene.

Just as I was daydreaming about her, my phone rang. I was speechless; this wretched phone always chose the worst times to ring, specifically whenever I was with Huang Ying. I checked the screen: it was Li Yun.

"Is that Wang Yu?" Li Yun’s voice purred through the line. Damn, be careful what you wish for—but she had the wrong target! I wanted Huang Ying, not her.

"Yeah, speak," I replied.

"Do you have time? Let's go out and have some fun!" Even though she wasn't right next to me, I could still feel her sultry aura.

"Probably not," I said. The places she frequented were usually inappropriate, and I didn't want to get mixed up in that.

"It's a holiday today, what could you possibly be doing?" she persisted.

"I need to sleep early; I have class tomorrow." In truth, I hadn't rested at all during these two days off. I planned to go straight to bed after my walk and had no intention of going out again.

Li Yun sighed. "Fine. You people are all the same anyway. I actually thought you were different." She hung up without another word.

"How bizarre."

No sooner had I hung up than she called again. "Let me tell you something! I’ve reached out to you so many times, and you’ve never given me a pleasant look. I may be promiscuous, but I’m not cheap. My body is my own company, and I’ll run it however I see fit! You have no right to look down on me or judge me. Aren’t you all the same? When a man does it, it’s called being a 'player,' but when a woman does it, she’s called 'cheap.' Damn it."

She hung up again.

Oh no... I had been misunderstood. I never thought of her as cheap, but now I had thoroughly offended her. Come to think of it, Li Yun had actually been quite kind to me in class, and I really hadn't treated her well. Why was she so furious this time?

The feeling of being misunderstood was awful. After hesitating for a long while, I dialed her number back. She hung up immediately, clearly still angry. But a few seconds later, she called back. "I'm paying for the call, so just say what you need to say!"

Her logic was unique. I wanted to explain, so I started, "Li Yun, I actually never thought you were... that way."

"Forget it, you don't need to explain. I don't need it. I was good to you before, and I endured whatever you did to me, but I never expected you to see me as a shameless person. You always treated me with that attitude. Well, I’m done enduring it. I admit I liked you a little, but that was just a passing whim. I’m not interested anymore. Goodbye, and don't bother me while I'm out looking for guys!"

I was left between laughter and tears. She was right; every time she approached me, I gave her a cold shoulder. Because she never seemed angry, I had assumed she didn't care about my hostility, so I kept acting that way. I never realized she had been keeping score.

"Is something wrong? If you're busy, you should go," Huang Ying said, looking at my troubled face.

I smiled. "It's nothing, just a disagreement with a classmate."

After our walk, I went home, spoke with my grandfather on the phone, and went to bed, as I hadn't slept well in days. Lying in bed, I thought about what I had seen at school. It was clear that the person the room monitor knew had a surname starting with Li. There were several students with that surname in our class, all of whom were suspects. If the room monitor knew them, they were all potential leads. The scope was too broad, and among those I knew, I hadn't sensed any ominous energy.

There was too much going on; I couldn't handle it. If not for the thought of Huang Ying by my side, I would have collapsed from exhaustion.

In China, many schools are built on old cemeteries—a common phenomenon. Our school was no exception. Teachers claimed it was because the land was vast and cheap. I didn't buy it; that couldn't be the only reason. It was impossible for so many schools to be that stingy. When our school was first built, digging up human remains on the construction site was a regular occurrence. But that was decades ago, so I ruled out the possibility that the ghost was from that era.

The next day at school, the whole class was buzzing about the room monitor’s disappearance. Some said he ran away, others suspected a kidnapping. Only Chen Yuming and I knew the truth. The shards of the mobile phone had been swept away by the janitor, and the writing on the blackboard had been erased. No one realized the room monitor had been in the classroom on the day of the incident.

Huang Ying didn't come with me today. With everything weighing on me, I couldn't focus in class. Li Yun wore a sour face all day, right until school ended. Looking at her, I felt a twinge of guilt—the first time I had ever felt that way toward her.

"Li Yun, wait!" I called out.

She stopped and turned, looking impatient. "What?"

"Ahem... about yesterday, I apologize."

"Don't bother. Everyone else thinks that way, so it’s only natural that you do too."

"I never really thought that!" I was desperate; even if I had, I had to deny it now because I felt she was truly pitiful.

"Heh. In this world, I’m the only one who doesn't think I’m cheap, not even my parents. I shouldn't have gotten angry at you, and I shouldn't have forced you to see me through my own eyes. To be honest, I might not care what others think, but I did care about your opinion. But that was before yesterday. Now, I don't care about your opinion either. I’ll continue living my life my own way."

"But why do you have to live like this? Can't you try a different way?" I couldn't help but ask. Was she just seeking a momentary thrill?

"That's none of your business!" she snapped.

"Fine. Suit yourself."

I had intended to apologize, but it ended on a sour note. At least I had tried; whether she accepted it or not was up to her.

After school, I didn't go home. Instead, I asked Chen Yuming to help me keep watch at the school. I had a vague feeling that the room monitor and that person were still on campus. That night, I snuck past the dorm warden's inspection and stayed in the dormitory. My roommates were thrilled to have me stay; they loved anything that felt like an adventure. I bet they would have been even happier if the warden had caught me, though I wondered if they’d still be so cheerful once they saw that "thing."

I hadn't explained things clearly to Huang Ying, and I hoped she wouldn't worry. I slept in the room monitor’s bed, waiting. By midnight—the hour when yin energy is strongest—everyone in the dorm was asleep, including Chen Yuming.

I stayed awake. My bladder was acting up, so I got up and headed for the bathroom. A cold gust of wind hit me, and I shuddered. As I stood there, I thought about how time really is a blade. Only a few months had passed, and my state of mind had undergone a complete transformation; here I was, actively hunting for a ghost. The bathroom was next to the balcony, and a window offered a view of the outside. Below, the basketball court was shrouded in a hazy, ethereal mist, making everything look like a dream.