Tong Xiaosong didn’t wash up at night; he fell asleep holding a book, tears streaming down his face.
In his dream, he felt a familiar warmth enveloping him.
He was embraced in a strong and warm hug.
Without looking, Tong Xiaosong instantly recognized who it was.
Clutching the person’s clothes, he cried out loudly, “Zhi Xian, Zhi Xian! I lost my friends! The friends I finally had are gone! Zhi Xian, sob…”
“Don’t cry, don’t cry. You still have friends,” Zhi Xian gently patted Tong Xiaosong’s back, speaking softly, “They misunderstood you. Just tell them how the copper basin ended up there. You don’t need to hide; you haven’t done anything wrong.”
“But I did something wrong! I knew the copper basin was ominous! I’m not even sure if it can summon ghosts, yet I hid its existence from them. I’m bad!” Tong Xiaosong cried loudly, “Wu Mabo was right; I deserve to be bullied! I’m bad and cowardly; I should be alone! Anyone who gets close to me will be harmed. It’s the same for my sister. If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have to work so hard. It’s all because of me, sob… it’s all because of me.”
A soft laughter echoed, and Zhi Xian, with a smile, stroked Tong Xiaosong’s disheveled hair, “Your haircut looks nice, and your roommates are good to you. Do you really want to belittle yourself and abandon them without a word?”
“I, I abandon them?” Tong Xiaosong repeated somewhat dazedly, expressing sorrow, “How is that possible? How could I bear to abandon them…”
“But you didn’t even explain. You didn’t give them a chance to trust you. Isn’t this abandonment?” Zhi Xian stroked Tong Xiaosong’s hair gently, “They trusted you, and you should trust them. Regardless of whether you were right or wrong, speak up. Let them decide whether to trust or doubt you. By denying them this right, how could they not be disappointed and angry?”
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.
“Is that so?” Tong Xiaosong’s crying softened a bit. He looked bewildered, carefully recollecting that they seemed to be waiting for his explanation, and all he did was cry with his head down.
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In his dream, Tong Xiaosong turned over, a sweet smile on his face, murmuring with closed eyes, “Zhi Xian…”
“Tong, Xiao, Song!”
A furious roar made Tong Xiaosong sit up abruptly, almost thinking he was back in his previous dorm, about to face a beating.
After waiting for a moment, the lights outside were on, but the bed curtain remained quiet, and no one seemed to be attempting to enter.
Outside, Wu Mabo was yelling angrily, “Tong Xiaosong, come out!”
Ke Lin asked, “What’s going on?”
Tong Xiaosong quickly opened the bed curtain, looking at Wu Mabo in panic and asking, “What happened?”
“What happened!? And you dare ask me what happened!?” Wu Mabo’s eyes were full of fear and anger. He bent down, pulled the copper basin from under the bed, and threw it onto Tong Xiaosong’s bed, saying, “Why did this thing come back again!”
Wen Dong on the upper bunk frowned, “Just because of this? Wu Mabo, lower your voice. Even if you’re angry, discuss it with school leaders tomorrow, don’t bully him like this.”
“I bully him?” Wu Mabo was almost crying out of frustration. He exclaimed, “Do you guys know what I dreamed just now? I dreamt of a ghost with an unclear face grabbing my feet, trying to drag me into a cauldron of boiling oil!”
“What?” Wen Dong jumped down from the upper bunk, serious, “You dreamt of a ghost?”
Ke Lin and Wen Dong frowned and looked at Tong Xiaosong.
Wu Mabo said in terror, “I was completely powerless in my dream. The ghost stabbed me with a knife! The feeling! It didn’t feel like a dream at all! Do you know how much pain I went through? I cried so much that my snot and tears were all out, and I almost wet myself. After waking up, I couldn’t move at all. A black ghostly figure floated beside me, saying ominously, ‘This is the price for bullying others.’ It took me half the day to move! This is not haunting, what is it!”
Upon hearing this, Ke Lin once again looked at Wu Mabo and asked, “Is it possible… I mean, is it possible that kicking the copper basin during the day offended something?”
Wu Mabo was speechless, realizing it was indeed possible.
Wen Dong sighed, “Why don’t you learn your lesson? Getting angry won’t solve the problem. Last time, your anger brought trouble, and this time, do you plan to resolve it through anger again?”
“I…” Wu Mabo explained with a hint of grievance, “I was just upset. I’m scared too.”
Wen Dong looked at Tong Xiaosong and said, “Tong Xiaosong, although we’ve only been roommates for a few days, considering we haven’t mistreated you, could you give us a way out? Where did this copper basin come from?”
Tong Xiaosong looked helplessly at his three roommates, recalling the words that Zhi Xian spoke in his dream. Gathering his courage, he met the gaze of the three, sincerely saying, “I’m sorry. I was scared during the day and didn’t explain properly. It is indeed my fault, but I really didn’t intend to harm you. This copper basin isn’t mine; it belongs to Gu Xuan.”
Wu Mabo frowned, “Gu Xuan? How did that hypocrite’s copper basin end up with you?”
“On the night my roommate died, Gu Xuan came to my dorm. I was afraid of him and didn’t open the door for him. However, the door somehow opened on its own. He then threatened me, telling me to go to his house to get this copper basin. He said if I didn’t obey him, he would rape and kill me.” Tong Xiaosong recounted that night’s events, leaving out no details, “It seems his house was haunted, and the paper effigy he worshipped was strange, almost lifelike. I was scared out of my wits and ran out without seeing anything. I threw the copper basin to Gu Xuan, but he didn’t want it. He shoved it back to me, saying it was a good thing and told me to keep it.”
Wen Dong poured a glass of water for Tong Xiaosong and handed it to his trembling hands.
Tong Xiaosong took a deep breath, feeling a bit short of oxygen as he hurriedly explained the situation.
Wu Mabo couldn’t stand it any longer and consoled him, “Take your time, tell us slowly about that hypocrite. Fuck, I knew his money was definitely not earned through legal means. Turns out, it’s an evil path.”
Wen Dong poured a glass of water for Tong Xiaosong and handed it to his trembling hands.
Wu Mabo cursed, “Tomorrow, let’s settle the score with Gu Xuan. That bastard has gone too far. How can we endure this!?”
However, Wen Dong frowned and disagreed, “We shouldn’t go after Gu Xuan. Since he’s involved in these supernatural things, who knows if he has other occult practices. It’s better not to provoke him when we know nothing about him.” He thought for a moment and said to Ke Lin, “Your friend… Tang Yuxin, call her tomorrow, and let’s ask her.”
Ke Lin nodded, “I think it’s a good idea. We have a good relationship, she will definitely help.”
Tong Xiaosong, still mindful of Zhi Xian’s words, cautiously said, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have hidden the matter of the copper basin. Tomorrow, I will apply to the principal to return to my original dorm. I won’t involve you guys. Can we… still be friends?”
Our tongtong is so good 😭 he just don’t want to lose his friends 🤧
ma bo is hot headed, but damn he is a good dude.