Chapter 2 part 1
Although he had given up on college, Luo Shizhen still studied seriously during class.
Approaching the college entrance exam, the Grade 12 students had entered “burning the midnight oil” mode. After school ended at 10 PM, day students went home to continue the battle, while boarding students fought on in the dormitories.
At 10 PM, the dark playground—dim despite the streetlights—became livelier as the seniors were dismissed.
Students left alone or in groups, discussing recent news or gossip as they walked.
“Did you hear? No. 1 High School is haunted by a Pen Spirit. They say four people died.”
“Fake, right? Probably jumped off a building due to study pressure?”
“Have you ever seen four people agree to jump together? Besides, those were sophomores. Where would they get that much pressure? If anyone’s jumping, it should be us seniors.”
“Did you see the report about Wangyun City? Sounds like a school fire. Thirty-two students burned to death, and a teacher died too.”
A student immediately asked, “Huh? I have a relative who’s a teacher in Wangyun City. My mom said she messaged her yesterday and got no reply. What was that teacher’s name?”
“Um… can’t remember. Strange, I can’t recall what they looked like either. How old is your relative?”
“Twenty-five or twenty-six, I think? She’s my cousin.”
The student who read the report immediately said, “Then it’s definitely not your cousin. Although I can’t recall the face, I remember it was a man.”
“That’s good. Hey, why are things like this happening so often lately? Our neighbor said their school is haunted, something about ghost walls.”
“I heard that too. But I think it’s fake. Before, the group chat said there was a tiger at No. 2 High School that ate people. Come on, this is the city center, where would a tiger come from?”
“That’s too exaggerated. Sounds fake as soon as you hear it. Might as well talk about Pen Spirits.”
Hearing this, Luo Shizhen thought the tiger sounded more credible.
At least tigers really existed in the world, but Pen Spirits definitely didn’t.
Luo Shizhen, who had accepted materialism from a young age, firmly believed this.
He was waiting for Chu Xiao downstairs at the teaching building.
When Chu Xiao took the high school entrance exam, his score was first in the province. Several major high schools in Hongxi extended olive branches, but Chu Xiao didn’t choose the schools with stronger educational resources. Instead, he chose No. 3 High School.
Many people felt this was because the scholarship amount was the highest, and the extra perks for top students were the most plentiful.
One of these perks was that Chu Xiao had a single-room dormitory. By his second year, when his grades remained excessively excellent, his dorm evolved to not having the power cut at night, and he could keep various appliances without the school confiscating them.
Chu Xiao didn’t enjoy the single room alone. Instead, after discussing it with the teachers, he had Luo Shizhen move in with him.
He and Luo Shizhen were from the same town, they were friends, and Luo Shizhen was always obedient. Naturally, No. 3 High School agreed to the demands of this treasured genius they had worked so hard to poach.
Maybe living with Chu Xiao would help Luo Shizhen improve his grades.
Although that wish didn’t come true, Luo Shizhen and Chu Xiao had lived together for three years.
Luo Shizhen was in Class 3, and Chu Xiao was in Class 1. As the class monitor, Chu Xiao had to leave last to lock up, so every night after self-study, Luo Shizhen would wait for him downstairs.
Before, he used to wait at the door of Class 1, but starting from the first half of the year, Chu Xiao suddenly strongly disliked him waiting at the door.
So, Luo Shizhen switched to waiting downstairs.
Zhang Chuan, a day student from the same class, carried a backpack stuffed with homework. As he brushed past Luo Shizhen, he patted his head.
“Stone! Want to eat sesame flatbread tomorrow? I’ll bring some for you!”
Zhang Chuan’s family was wealthy, and his personality was generous and cheerful. He was popular in class. He liked giving people nicknames. Since Luo Shizhen’s name contained the character “Shi” (Stone/Rock) and he was a bit wooden, he was nicknamed “Stone.” Now, many people in the class called him that.
Luo Shizhen didn’t mind the nickname. Zhang Chuan also had a nickname, “Runs Fast,” because whenever he got into fights with other classes and teachers came to catch them, he always ran the fastest.
He agreed expectantly:
“Please bring some for me. Bring five, thank you, Zhang Chuan.”
He loved the flatbread from the stall at the school gate, but boarding students weren’t allowed out. If he wanted to eat it, he could only ask day students to bring it in.
Zhang Chuan looked nonchalant.
“No need to be polite. You usually eat four, right? Why five tomorrow? Did you get sad over the mock exam results and need an extra one to comfort yourself?”
“No,” Luo Shizhen said. “The extra one is for Chu Xiao. He doesn’t have an appetite as big as mine; one flatbread is enough for a snack.”
Zhang Chuan rolled his eyes. He had always found Chu Xiao a bit disagreeable.
“Chu Xiao is the teachers’ precious darling. Even the cafeteria staff wish they could heap his plate full. Does he need you to worry about him?”
Luo Shizhen insisted, “His leg isn’t healed yet; he needs nourishment.”
“Fine, fine, fine.” Zhang Chuan patted Luo Shizhen’s head again. “For our Stone’s request, I definitely have to deliver. Don’t worry, tomorrow, five big flatbreads, not one less.”
“By the way,” he asked, “You went in after me today. What did the teacher say to you?”
Luo Shizhen couldn’t lie. Since Zhang Chuan asked, he told him honestly.
Zhang Chuan asked, “So you’re going to develop back in our hometown? That’s great! My dad said he’d let me come back to help the family after I graduate. Then we can be together again!”
“When I inherit my dad’s business, Stone, you come be my personal chef. I’ll pay you twenty thousand a month!”
Without waiting for Luo Shizhen’s answer, he checked his watch. “Alright, Stone, I won’t chat anymore. I’m off. Just wait for the big flatbreads tomorrow!”
Zhang Chuan ran a few steps. Several passing students greeted him, even some girls.
He was cool and handsome. Although his grades were also poor, he was cheerful, articulate, and straightforward. If anyone in the class was bullied, he would take the lead in standing up for them. Not only was he popular among the boys, but rumor had it that girls had confessed to him too.
Luo Shizhen looked enviously at Zhang Chuan’s back. He had always been a silent, invisible person in class. His reactions were slow and his speech clumsy. Sometimes when classmates tried to talk to him, he didn’t know how to fit in.
Unlike Zhang Chuan, who seemed to get along with everyone. Even for an invisible person like him, Zhang Chuan was willing to bring things and remembered he liked flatbread. No wonder people greeted Zhang Chuan wherever he went.
“What are you looking at?”
Chu Xiao’s voice came unexpectedly from behind. Luo Shizhen turned his head and sure enough, saw him standing there leaning on a new crutch.
The new crutch had been bought directly by the Class 1 homeroom teacher leaving the school that afternoon. It showed just how high Chu Xiao’s status was in the teachers’ hearts.
Luo Shizhen smiled as soon as he saw Chu Xiao. “I was watching Zhang Chuan. He promised to bring me flatbread tomorrow. I asked him to bring an extra one for you.”
Chu Xiao, however, didn’t appreciate it. “If you want flatbread, why didn’t you tell me? I’ll have someone from our class bring it. No need to trouble Zhang Chuan.”
Luo Shizhen saw that he seemed unhappy again. Not knowing why he was being like this all day, he scratched his head.
“Zhang Chuan is in my class; it’s more convenient to ask him.”
Chu Xiao naturally extended his hand, letting Luo Shizhen support him.
“We live together. It’s more convenient to ask me.”
Luo Shizhen felt like it shouldn’t count that way, but he was shouldering the heavy responsibility of supporting Chu Xiao and didn’t bother arguing. He earnestly helped the person walk forward.
No. 3 High School invested heavily in its architecture, so the teaching building was quite far from the dorms. The streetlights were all on, but they weren’t very bright. As they walked, they could vaguely see other boarding students walking in twos and threes around and ahead of them.
Luo Shizhen glanced up inadvertently and suddenly noticed a figure standing perfectly straight about six streetlights ahead of them.
Strange. His eyesight wasn’t usually this good. At this distance, and at night, he theoretically shouldn’t have been able to see clearly, yet his gaze was inexplicably drawn.
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