In the bathroom stall, Tong Xiaosong sat on the toilet seat, bowing his head to the blank classroom notes, tears falling onto the paper.
How could he be so incompetent!
When his mind was divided, he shamelessly had such dreams last night.
His declining academic performance was his own fault, a result of his lack of firmness of mind.
He sniffed, his vision blurred by tears.
To achieve a top-ten ranking in a week, but most of his recent class notes were blank.
His intelligence was low, and he could barely understand the teacher’s explanations, especially now that his notes were incomplete, and he hadn’t attended some classes.
The result of the test a week later could be imagined.
The possibility of making it to the top ten was close to zero. He wasn’t afraid of facing the disappointed gaze of the principal and teachers, but without the subsidy, he felt guilty towards his sister.
How could he be so useless?
Not only was he unable to help his family, but he also kept dragging them down.
Tong Xiaosong cried silently, his body trembling uncontrollably, tears falling drop by drop onto the paper, soaking it through.
Knock, knock, knock.
Three slow knocks echoed.
Tong Xiaosong cried so much that his mind was hazy, and he didn’t realize that the knocking sound was unusual.
He thought someone wanted to use the stall. He wiped his tears, lightly knocked twice inside, indicating that someone was inside.
Sure enough, the knocking sound did not continue.
Tong Xiaosong, who was wiping away tears, didn’t notice that there were no footsteps outside.
After a while, Tong Xiaosong’s emotions finally calmed down a lot.
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.
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Since all the students were in class at the moment, there was no one in the bathroom.
He rubbed his sore eyes and approached to read the words on the note.
The note had very elegant dark red handwriting, with a few red stains trailing off at the end. Although it looked ominous, the content was somewhat warm.
[Grow towards the sun, follow the light, you are the eruption of life, a splendid display of fireworks.]
Tong Xiaosong was a bit bewildered. Who was the note talking about?
Except for him, there seemed to be no one else in the bathroom.
He carefully took down the notebook stuck to the wooden wall.
As he flipped it open, he was stunned. It was a notebook for studying, not just simple board notes.
It explained various key practice problems, application formulas, and study methods from different angles with sharp and ingenious insights.
After reading just a few lines, he had a completely new understanding. It seemed that he didn’t need the teacher’s explanation; he could understand clearly by comparing it with the textbook.
Tong Xiaosong felt like he had found a treasure. He hugged the notebook and the note to his chest, looked around the empty bathroom, and suddenly regretted not opening the door a moment ago.
Who could this person be?
They helped him at a crucial moment, and he didn’t even say thank you.
Moreover, this note…
Tong Xiaosong felt a bit trance-like for a moment, and he unexpectedly thought of Zhi Xian.
It really resembled Zhi Xian’s style. He was almost starting to suspect that Zhi Xian had really come to his side.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he couldn’t think like that. Regardless of who the person was, they genuinely helped him. Associating them with his fantasy of Zhi Xian was a lack of respect for the real person.
No matter who it was, he acknowledged this benefactor, and he would definitely find a way to express his gratitude and find them in the future!
***
At noon, when Wu Mabo returned to the dorm to get something, he found Tong Xiaosong also present, studying diligently at the desk as usual.
Glancing at Tong Xiaosong’s hair, he commented, “Your hair grows really fast, it’s longer again. You should buy a small hair tie to bundle it up.”
With a gesture, Wu Mabo continued, “Not all of it, just that kind of noble young master hairstyle. Casual, tie up a part of it, it will definitely look good.”
Tong Xiaosong, coming out of his study zone, somewhat absentmindedly touched his hair and looked at Wu Mabo, asking, “Why are you back?”
“Hey, your eyes…” Wu Mabo frowned, looking at Tong Xiaosong’s slightly swollen eyes. “Did someone bully you again?”
“No…” Tong Xiaosong rubbed his eyes and explained, “My grades slipped, and I cried for a while out of frustration. But a kind person lent me their study notes. Unfortunately, I didn’t open the door at that time, and I don’t know who it was.”
Saying this, Tong Xiaosong raised the notebook in his hand.
Wu Mabo said, “Hmm? This notebook… Why does it look somewhat familiar?”
Tong Xiaosong excitedly said, “Really? Do you know whose it is? I want to thank them properly!”
Wu Mabo took the notebook and examined it closely. “Indeed, it looks familiar. I seem to have seen it, and the design of this notebook is definitely not ordinary. It should be some famous limited edition product. Hmm, I can’t recall it for a while…”
Tong Xiaosong smiled and said, “Then you go ahead and do your things. Let me know when you remember.”
Wu Mabo was stunned by Tong Xiaosong’s smile. He looked at him blankly, somewhat surprised, and said, “This smile of yours…”
Tong Xiaosong hastily restrained his smile, asking, “Is it not good-looking?”
“No, it’s too good-looking.” Wu Mabo shook his head and sighed, “Don’t smile at girls like this; it’s too attractive. You look like a sunny and dazzling noble young master. The pure and clear temperament is simply incredible.”
Tong Xiaosong: …
The description of being a noble young master was something he had become somewhat immune to. However, he still found such compliments a bit embarrassing and awkward. If it weren’t for the fact that the person saying these words was well-intentioned, he might have thought the other was mocking him.
With a sense of inferiority and weakness, being small and frail, he couldn’t quite bear such praise.
Wu Mabo shook his head and said, “Why don’t you believe it? Forget it, let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about tonight. My relative has a black cat that we can borrow. I’m in a hurry now. Check their beds for any dirty socks or unwashed underwear. If there’s nothing else, just tear off the pillowcase for use tonight.”
Tong Xiaosong’s expression was somewhat bewildered. Dirty socks or unwashed underwear? Were his roommates really that messy? To think there could be such things in their beds made him feel a sudden sense of repulsion at the thought of using his hands to check.
Wu Mabo laughed, “Don’t make that expression; you’re cracking me up! Hahaha, I’m just messing with you! No kidding, just tear off their pillowcases. I’m leaving now. Pay attention to the time and don’t be late for afternoon classes.”
Tong Xiaosong weakly nodded, “Okay…”
It was really difficult for him to distinguish between jokes and seriousness, and unfortunately, his roommates seemed to enjoy teasing him about it.
***
Night fell, and a cool breeze rustled through the air.
Tong Xiaosong held an adult black cat with a bell around its neck, while Wu Mabo carried two pillowcases. They met with the still worn-out Gu Xuan on the construction site.
Perhaps because it wasn’t yet time, the construction site was quiet, and the workers were resting in their dorms. There was no eerie incident like the one that occurred last night.
Even though it wasn’t too cold, Gu Xuan had put on a thin cotton jacket, as if he feared the cold greatly.
His hands were in his pockets, and he raised his chin to command, “Let the black cat smell those two things. When the drumming starts, release the black cat, and be sure to follow it closely. Otherwise, your two friends will be in danger.”
***
They didn’t have to wait long before they saw the workers walking out of the dormitory as if sleepwalking, their eyes closed. Just like the previous night, they orderly lined up in two rows.
Then, at the same moment, they opened their vacant eyes, and joyous yet eerie smiles appeared on their faces.
Tong Xiaosong and Wu Mabo felt their scalps tingle and instinctively stepped back.
Gu Xuan tightened his jacket and muttered under his breath, “Fucking eerie stuff, shit, it’s happening again…”
No one could understand what Gu Xuan was cursing, and the muttered complaints behind him were even less intelligible.
All they could sense was Gu Xuan’s impatience and irritability, as if he was venting extreme fear.
Zhi xian is such a good hubby, leaving notes for wifey ☺
Ough so the black cat is to show the way, i thought that crazy gu xuan would sacrifice somebody’s cat
Honestly, in this situation I am most concerned for the cat…