Wu Mabo choked a bit and said with a mix of irritation and amusement, “Well done, it turns out we’re all backup plans.”
Tang Yuxin blushed, “Don’t say it like that.”
Wen Dong couldn’t help but laugh, “Well, you can go now. Is that guy over there your boyfriend?”
Everyone followed the direction pointed by Wen Dong, only to see a guy with bandages on his arm sitting alone, eating something, and staring straight at them.
Seeing them looking over, the guy was startled, quickly avoiding their gaze nervously.
Tang Yuxin’s face turned even redder, “I’ll go eat with him…”
Saying that, she hurriedly got up, almost colliding with someone because she was looking down and didn’t see them.
Fortunately, the other person dodged quickly, stepping aside.
A somewhat gentle voice sounded, “Be careful when walking.”
Tong Xiaosong’s eyes lit up, happily saying, “Zhi Xian!”
Tang Yuxin raised her head and instantly took a step back, becoming serious. She deeply bowed to Zhi Xian, “I’m sorry, I almost bumped into you.”
Everyone:…
Everyone’s gaze towards Zhi Xian became even stranger.
Even Tong Xiaosong was stunned. What happened? Why did Tang Yuxin show such respect to Zhi Xian?
Zhi Xian, on the other hand, was relaxed, saying, “It’s okay, no need to be so serious.”
Tang Yuxin bowed deeply to Zhi Xian twice more before running towards her boyfriend.
Wu Mabo muttered under his breath, “Damn, three bows…”
Wen Dong:…
Zhi Xian sat down next to Tong Xiaosong and said with a smile, “I added a few more dishes for you. The cafeteria staff will bring them over in a while.”
Wu Mabo sighed, “Damn, Captain Gu is planning to cook for us every day.”
Upon hearing this, Zhi Xian was a bit surprised, “Don’t you guys know that I changed my name?”
Wu Mabo was speechless.
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.
Zhi Xian smiled with a somewhat distant expression, “Zhi Xian with the meaning of hearing the sound of the string. That’s my name now. I hope you don’t call me the wrong name. I don’t like the name ‘Gu Xuan’.”
Snfgsbcf:…
***
Ca cluta, Kbcu Wljbrbcu ijs bc atf rboa jcv mbbi yfv, offilcu rb mbwobgajyif atja tf rajgafv ab vbhf boo.
Qe Zjyb jcv Qfc Gbcu mtjaafv mjrejiis lc atf vjgxcfrr.
Pc j vjhf, Kbcu Wljbrbcu tfjgv Qe Zjyb rjs, “Dbat Gj Olc jcv Kbcu Wljbrbcu kfca ab yfv qgfaas fjgis abvjs.”
Wen Dong replied indifferently, “Tired, huh? Not everyone has such good stamina as you.”
Wu Mabo proudly chuckled and then said, “What do you think about calling Tong Xiaosong ‘Xiaosong’ every day from now on? Calling him ‘Tong Xiaosong’ every time sounds unfamiliar.”
Tong Xiaosong instantly woke up, about to agree.
Wen Dong, however, said, “Zhi Xian still calls Tong Xiaosong by his full name. Do you dare to just call him by two characters?”
Wu Mabo hesitated for a moment and said nonchalantly, “Him? What can he do to me? Kill me with his gaze?”
Wen Dong sneered, “He might use a dagger to kill you…”
Wu Mabo’s mind flashed with the image of Gu Xuan being killed by a dagger, and he fell silent.
Fully awake now, Tong Xiaosong also remained silent.
After a moment, Wu Mabo, not very confident, spoke again, “No way, he seems to have a gentle temperament.”
Wen Dong remarked, “Really? Then, tomorrow, try putting your arm around Tong Xiaosong in front of him. I want to see what will happen.”
Tong Xiaosong: … I better go back to sleep.
The roommates’ conversation made it difficult for him to join in.
He turned over, trying to find a more comfortable position. However, when he looked at the bed opposite him, he was momentarily stunned.
Although the room was quite dark, it wasn’t so dark that he couldn’t see anything.
Ke Lin’s bed was right across from his, but there was… no one there.
Tong Xiaosong thought he probably didn’t see clearly; Ke Lin must have left the dormitory after going to bed.
He squinted his eyes and carefully looked again, only to find that the bed was neatly made, showing no signs of anyone sleeping in it.
Tong Xiaosong was surprised and asked, “Where did Ke Lin go?”
Wu Mabo was startled, “Fuck! Tong Xiaosong, you were awake?”
Wen Dong got up and turned on the light, sounding puzzled, “Da Lin?”
All three of them looked at Ke Lin’s bed. There was only a well-made bed with no traces of someone having slept in it.
Wu Mabo exclaimed, “When did Da Lin leave? Dongzi, did you see Da Lin leaving?”
Wen Dong took a moment to recall, then said, “Was he there when we turned off the lights? I can’t quite remember.”
Wu Mabo frowned, “I’m having trouble remembering too…”
Tong Xiaosong desperately tried to recall, but he realized he also didn’t pay attention to whether Ke Lin was on the bed or not.
It seemed that everyone simultaneously ignored Ke Lin, assuming he had already gone to bed.
A moment of silence enveloped the dorm room.
Wu Mabo asked anxiously, “Could something strange be happening again? Didn’t Zhi Xian say everything ended with the burning of the building?”
Wen Dong took a deep breath, “I’ll call Da Lin.”
He took out his phone, dialed the number, and after a few seconds of quiet, the call was answered.
Wen Dong spoke, “Da Lin… Da Lin? Is it Da Lin?”
Wu Mabo hurriedly asked, “What’s going on?”
Wen Dong frowned, then turned on the speakerphone.
On the other end, it wasn’t complete silence, but there was the sound of rushing water in waves, mixed with Ke Lin’s voice, and it seemed like there were other people shouting in the background.
The sound was a bit noisy, as if the signal wasn’t great, but they could hear Ke Lin trying to speak.
Suddenly, Ke Lin’s clear voice rang out, “Hang up first! I have an emergency!”
With a beep, the call was disconnected.
Tong Xiaosong felt that the sound was a bit off, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong. He muttered, “Why would there be an emergency so late at night?”
Wu Mabo said, “Shit, it sounds quite lively on his end. Could he have sneaked out to grab some food?”
Wen Dong asked, “Did you see when he left?”
Another moment of silence filled the dorm room.
Wen Dong sighed, “Let’s sleep. We’ll talk about it tomorrow morning. If he doesn’t come back by tomorrow morning, then something might have really happened.”
With a click, the light was turned off.
Tong Xiaosong flipped over in his bed, but there was no familiar scent of sandalwood. He took out the ember from his pajamas and gently sniffed it, catching a very faint fragrance.
He closed his eyes, feeling a bit drowsy, hoping that nothing bad would happen again.
***
In the early morning, just as the sky began to show a hint of light, Tong Xiaosong turned over in his bed. His groggy mind swirled, and suddenly, he was startled. He quickly opened his eyes and looked at the bed opposite.
There, he saw Ke Lin lying peacefully on the opposite bed, fast asleep.
Tong Xiaosong breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that they had overthought things.
Wu Mabo also woke up at this moment, still wearing a sleepy expression. He leaned over the bed and looked down, couldn’t help but sigh, “Dongzi! Da Lin is back!”
With this shout, both Wen Dong and Ke Lin were awakened.
Ke Lin, disturbed from his sleep, looked confused, “What’s going on?”
Wen Dong, upon seeing Ke Lin, felt reassured. He rubbed his eyes, yawned, and asked, “Da Lin, where did you go last night?”
Ke Lin, slowly recalling, expressed his confusion, “Last night… wasn’t I with you guys?”
Wu Mabo clarified, “We mean, after we turned off the lights and went to sleep, where did you go?”
Even more perplexed, Ke Lin said, “I was sleeping too…”
Tong Xiaosong, noticing that Ke Lin genuinely seemed unaware, felt a strange sensation. He said, “After the lights went out last night, you weren’t in your bed. We turned the lights back on, and your bed was empty.”
“Huh?” Ke Lin paused and couldn’t help but laugh. “So where did I go? Sleepwalking? After Dongzi turned off the lights last night, I fell asleep in less than a minute.”
Wen Dong sat up, his expression serious. “Da Lin, we’re not joking.”
Tong Xiaosong also sat up, rubbing his hair. This conversation… why did it feel so familiar?
Yes this conversation is familiar…
Bruh…ghost ghost everywhere😰
Awww our poor babies can’t catch a break 🙁
And they skimmed over our happy couple… I think we got a paragraph!
So it’s not over yet 😰