During the morning exercise, Tong Xiaosong kept his eyes on Gu Xuan in the distance.
Was the copper basin given to him by Gu Xuan haunting him? Could it be that Gu Xuan had always been entangled with that copper basin?
So, the only way to escape was to have someone else steal the copper basin?
It seemed like a plausible explanation.
No wonder Gu Xuan went to great lengths to threaten him, forcing him to steal the copper basin.
Could all the strange occurrences he experienced be related to this copper basin?
Would getting rid of this copper basin make all the bizarre incidents go away, restoring a peaceful life?
But… where could he find someone to steal his copper basin?
Moreover, this could be considered harmful. He didn’t have the same audacity as Gu Xuan to give someone else a basin that caused harm, claiming it brought good luck.
He knew very well that this was an object bringing misfortune, and he couldn’t go against his own conscience.
***
Gu Xuan noticed that Tong Xiaosong had been staring at him.
After the exercise, he dragged Tong Xiaosong to a corner.
“What did you see that night in the old school building?”
Tong Xiaosong, a mix of fear and anger, stared at Gu Xuan. Shadows and the memory of the fire flashed through his mind. He gritted his teeth and said, “I didn’t see anything.”
“Nothing?” Gu Xuan frowned, suspiciously staring at Tong Xiaosong. After a moment, he asked, “What about the red string?”
Tong Xiaosong took a deep breath. “I threw it away, Gu Xuan. You’ve already caused me enough misery. I won’t hold onto the past, but please, don’t harm me again, okay?”
“Haha.” There was mockery in Gu Xuan’s eyes. He smirked, “Tong Xiaosong, did you think that a trip home would make you resist me? I like you, but don’t be too arrogant. As long as I want, I can crush you into the mud anytime.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“P xcbk…” Kbcu Wljbrbcu ibkfgfv tlr fsfr, ygfjatlcu gjqlvis. Lf kjcafv ab rjs wjcs atlcur, ilxf Qe Zjyb, erlcu atf wbra cjaegji jcv ofgbmlber abcf – “Gbc’a wfrr klat wf; lo sbe qgbnbxf wf, P’ii rwjrt sbeg tfjv.”
Lbkfnfg, lc atf fcv, tf rkjiibkfv jii tlr lwqeirfr.
Dfmjerf tf kjrc’a jr qtsrlmjiis ragbcu jr Qe Zjyb, tf mbeivc’a yfja Xe Wejc. Faafglcu atbrf kbgvr kbeiv bcis jcufg Xe Wejc, lcnlalcu j rfnfgf yfjalcu bg fnfc rbwfatlcu wbgf tbggloslcu—jrrjeia.
Just the thought of it made his scalp tingle, and he dared not speak.
Gu Xuan stared at Tong Xiaosong fiercely for a while, then sneered contemptuously and turned away.
***
In the evening, Tong Xiaosong returned to the dormitory and saw Wen Dong sitting on the upper bunk reading, while Ke Lin had already prepared the scissors.
Ke Lin asked, “Why are you back so late?”
Tong Xiaosong smiled, “The teacher helped me with extra classes. I took a seven-day break before, and I need to catch up.”
“Oh, come and sit down. I’ll help you cut your hair!” Ke Lin said enthusiastically. “Today, I specifically found a mannequin’s head to practice on. I guarantee it’ll look good.”
“Sure!” Tong Xiaosong quickly put down his backpack, feeling a bit nervous but excited as he sat in the chair in front of Ke Lin.
Ke Lin wrapped a bedsheet around Tong Xiaosong’s neck, sprayed some water on his hair, and began to focus on cutting.
As he cut, Ke Lin commented, “Your semi-long hair is quite nice. I won’t cut too much; the curls are cute. I’ll just expose your eyes; otherwise, it might look too gloomy.”
After a while, Ke Lin stood up to admire his handiwork and said, satisfied, “This looks great, like a fallen noble young master. Once you gain some weight, you won’t look destitute anymore. When the time comes, our gang can take you to work, earn some money, buy a couple of nice clothes, and you’ll look almost like a real noble young master. I guarantee all the girls will blush when they see you.”
Tong Xiaosong bit his lip, smiling sheepishly. He wanted to retort with a light-hearted joke like Ke Lin and the others, but he was tongue-tied and couldn’t come up with anything.
In the end, he could only say, “You’re… you’re exaggerating too much.”
Wen Dong, reading on the upper bunk, glanced at Tong Xiaosong and chuckled, “Tong Xiaosong, you’re mistaken. Da Lin isn’t exaggerating at all. Da Lin, find a mirror for our little young master here and let him witness this unparalleled beauty.”
At that moment, the door opened, and Wu Mabo rushed in anxiously. Everyone involuntarily looked at Wu Mabo.
Ke Lin asked curiously, “Da Bo, what’s wrong? Did you get chased by a ghost?”
“What nonsense!” Wu Mabo’s face turned sour, nearly causing a confrontation with that remark.
Ke Lin exclaimed, “What’s happening with you?”
Wen Dong from the upper bunk asked, “Da Bo?”
Wu Mabo glanced at Tong Xiaosong, took a deep breath, seemed about to say something, swallowed his words, and instead said, “Is the haircut done? If it’s done, swap with me; I haven’t had mine done yet!”
Ke Lin cursed, “Damn, you’re acting all rushed!”
Wu Mabo, discontented, sighed and sneered at Tong Xiaosong, saying, “Looks pretty good, too bad it’s not as handsome as me.”
Ke Lin took the bedsheet from Tong Xiaosong and covered Wu Mabo with it, helplessly saying, “Yes, yes, yes, you’re the most handsome, unbelievably handsome, handsomer than a monkey’s butt, handsomer than stinking dog poop…”
Wu Mabo added, “Handsomest of all, surpassing both you and Dongzi!”
Wen Dong from the upper bunk casually remarked, “Yeah, we’re the monkey’s butt and stinking dog poop.”
Despite the playful insults, the atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious.
Tong Xiaosong stood on the side, involuntarily smiling at the sight of these three.
Wen Dong glanced at him and said, “Tong Xiaosong, don’t just stand there; go wash your hair. Otherwise, there will be loose hair inside, and it’ll be uncomfortable when you tie it for sleeping at night.”
***
At night, everyone else was asleep, but Tong Xiaosong couldn’t seem to find any sleep.
His mind was filled with many things, the strange occurrences, the copper basin, and his three new roommates.
His thoughts were in a mess. Thinking about his roommates made him happy, but the thought of the copper basin brought fear. How could he get rid of this copper basin?
Unconsciously, it was already well into the night.
He sighed softly and turned to face the wall. Suddenly, he froze.
On the upper bunk across from him, Wu Mabo was in a peculiar posture, half-leaning over the bed, as if staring at him.
Tong Xiaosong whispered, “Wu Mabo?”
No one answered. Wu Mabo on the upper bunk didn’t move, still staring fixedly at him.
It felt strange. Was Wu Mabo asleep?
It didn’t seem like he was asleep. His upper body appeared to be hanging in the air over the bed rail, an unnatural position for someone to twist into.
It looked more like a boneless creature, and moreover, the hair of that figure seemed… a bit too long?
Tong Xiaosong stiffened, dared not breathe loudly. In the darkness, he silently confronted that entity.
He didn’t notice that behind him, another shadow was silently closing in, embracing him.
The entity seemed less like it was confronting him and more like it was confronting the shadow behind him.
***
Early the next morning, Tong Xiaosong opened his eyes to the calls of his roommates.
Wu Mabo in front of him yawned and looked dispirited. “Tong Xiaosong, wake up. It’s time to get ready for class.”
Tong Xiaosong immediately sat up. When did he fall asleep last night?
Thinking about the strange figure on the upper bunk across from him last night, he asked cautiously, “Wu Mabo, did you sleep well last night?”
Wu Mabo stretched lazily and replied halfheartedly, “Sleep well? Fuck no. I had some weird dreams last night. It felt like someone was squeezing me. I ended up against the wall the whole night, slept by the wall. It was cold and hard. When I woke up this morning, I was pressed against the wall like a pancake. If I can get up today, it’s all thanks to my good health.”
Tong Xiaosong’s face turned pale, and he didn’t dare to inquire further.
If Wu Mabo slept against the wall all night, then what did he see last night?
Wen Dong jumped down from the upper bunk, patting Tong Xiaosong on the shoulder. “Let’s go, time to freshen up.”
Phew, thankfully Da Bo, Da Lin, and Wen Dong (did I miss a nickname? 🤔) seems like genuinely good people. But, Wu Mabok seems a little off today? Does he have some relations with supernatural stuff?
Hmmmmmmmmm much to think about, much to consider~
Oops, *Mabo
I’m thinking maybe I shouldn’t have read this at 23:49 pm…
I was going to start this last night – I’m so glad i waited to morning
Hmm, something else latched on wu mabo, aiming for tongtong? But thankfully we have our ghost gong protecting his baobao
He has pretty good mental fortitude – id be having a breakdown already