Chapter 67: Transition Yi Mou Ren found it hard to say, but he was certain he could run away.

School cafeterias and bathrooms are always the most crowded places.

However, this middle school does not have public bathrooms.

It maintains the dignity expected of a “mandatory” boarding high school, at least the accommodation conditions are decent—

For students in their first and second year of high school, the dormitory is a four-person room, while third-year students have double rooms, complete with private bathrooms and a balcony.

Even though the little fatty isn’t tall and is quite round, he is genuinely a third-year student.

All rooms in their dormitory building are double rooms, and You Huo and Qin Jiu have also been assigned one.

“To prevent everyone from wasting time indulging in baths, hot water is only available from 9 PM to 12 AM,” the chubby guy explained.

“Look, there’s a card slot here—insert your meal card to get water. The cost will be deducted from your card, which basically covers the water fee. It’s actually also to prevent people from taking overly long showers.”

“Why 9 o’clock?”

“Because the most relaxed students, the freshmen from high school, finish their evening self-study at 9 o’clock.”

“You’re still a minor, but you sure call others ‘little devil’ with ease,” Qin Jiu remarked.

“Indeed, we’re seasoned veterans,”

the little fatty said, putting on an air of maturity.

You Huo couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t doze off during the day, but if conditions allowed, he still hoped to take a bath before sleeping.

“Can we get it earlier?”

“I’m afraid not. This is a standard setup, even the teacher apartments are like this.”

Qin Jiu: “There are teacher apartments?”

The chubby boy pointed somewhere beyond the balcony.

“The view here is tricky—a wall blocks the way. Over there are two buildings, those are the teacher apartments. Actually, the teacher apartments are also double occupancy, but they come with living rooms and kitchens, just like regular apartments. Oh right, why weren’t you assigned to the teacher apartments?”

Because the system is a moron who can’t stand to see anyone comfortable.

The balcony window glass was wiped very clean, though outside there was a layer of iron railings, dividing the large piece of glass into small sections, which felt a bit oppressive.

Qin Jiu reached out and shook it, giving his assessment, “Not bad, quite sturdy. But can this thing hold back those subjectively fabricated creatures of yours?”

The little fatty said, “This isn’t installed to keep out monsters and demons; it’s to keep us in.”

“Keep you in for what, worried you’ll outrun the ghosts?”

“Jumping from the building,” the little fatty said.

“They’ve installed protection on all levels above the second floor—you can’t even break a bone if you try.”

“……”

The chubby young man was an enthusiastic tour guide, introducing every nook and cranny along the way.

Students overwhelmed by heavy coursework often shared this trait—as long as it offered a brief escape from the classroom, they would gladly take two guests trekking through mountains and crossing seas without hesitation.

Youyou listened absentmindedly while casually flipping through the other decorations in the room.

When he pulled open a drawer, his movements abruptly paused.

Because there’s something in the drawer.

That was a keychain.

Aside from two keys, there was also a mini teddy bear charm.

You Huo was momentarily stunned, then grabbed the keys and asked Zhang Ming, “Where did this come from?”

He recognized this set of keys—they belonged to Yu Wen.

The little bear keychain was put there by his little girlfriend. Afraid his dad would ask too many questions, Yu Wen mustered his courage and deflected by using his brother.

He told Lao Yu, “It was given by a girl who secretly likes my brother. My brother didn’t want it, so I put it on.”

Lao Yu actually believed such nonsense.

Because Yu Wen had privately coordinated his story with You Huo, he recognized this bear.

Even the scratch marks on the bear’s butt are exactly the same—it’s definitely Yu Wen’s.

And what the little fatty said further confirmed his thoughts.

“This dormitory was previously occupied by someone else,” Zhang Ming said.

“It was the last batch of transfer students and his dad, surnamed Yu. Old Uncle Yu came to accompany his son during studies, but he fell ill and was bedridden for several days, so I didn’t get the chance to speak with him. However, I did become quite familiar with Little Yu! This must have been something they accidentally left behind.”

You Huo hadn’t expected to come across traces of Yu Wen and Old Yu here.

He asked the little fatty, “What happened to them after that?”

“You mean Brother Yu?” the little fatty said.

“He’s really something—he even saved me once! Out of that batch of transfer students, only him, Old Yu, who was accompanying him, and another guy stayed out of trouble. But as soon as the monthly exam ended, they transferred out again. Director Xiao personally saw them off.”

“Something?”

Hearing this description, You Huo almost thought he’d gotten it wrong.

The little fatty nodded and said, “Yeah. Well…he still gets scared when ghosts chase him, but he’s really reliable in crucial moments. Maybe it’s because he’s a bit older than us—he said he’d protect us.”

“He said in the past, he also relied on his brother to cover for him. Now, in this entire building, aside from Old Yu, who’s sick, he’s the oldest—so it’s his turn to cover for others.”

The little chubby kid thought it over, removed the filter, and offered a rational evaluation: “Aside from talking a bit too much, no issues there.”

This genuinely surprised You Huo.

But it really was good news.

The fact that Old Yu and Yu Wen were still alive was probably the best news of the day.

* * *

Soon, Director Xiao and the others arrived.

They gave You Huo and Qin Jiu two sets of toiletries and two student cards, and even thoughtfully prepared an emergency medical kit.

“The school infirmary supplied it. Given the special circumstances, every dorm has been issued a box,” Director Xiao said.

“One box each for cold and fever medicine, mainly anti-inflammatory and pain relief. Also, there’s a roll of bandages and a small box of sleeping pills.”

Qin Jiu couldn’t help but laugh when he saw the sleeping pills.

He pointed at the person beside him and said, “Our top… ahem, Mr. A, not to mention anything else, has better sleep quality than anyone here. Compared to sleeping pills, what I might need more is a box of cooling ointment, or maybe some essential balm.”

You Huo instinctively sensed trouble: “…What do you want these for?”

Qin Jiu asked, “What do you think?”

“……”

You Huo didn’t want to think about it.

Director Xiao gave a dry laugh, thinking to himself, Is it really okay to entrust the school to these two?

She felt a little bit desperate.

Teacher Zheng reminded from the side, “After dinner, the students have evening study. Do you want to go check on the classrooms once you finish eating?”

Qin Jiu nodded and said, “Sure thing.”

“Then you two should go with Yu Luo.”

Director Xiao pointed to a young female teacher nearby and said, “Teacher Yu is Zhang Ming’s homeroom teacher and teaches Chinese. I have to handle the injured teacher’s matter shortly, so if you need anything, feel free to let Teacher Yu know.”

Director Xiao was so busy that he practically spun away like a top.

“How about grabbing something to eat first? Our school’s dinner time is quite tight.”

Teacher Yu’s voice was terribly hoarse. She coughed twice, trying to clear her throat, and apologized, “I taught eight classes today, so my voice is worn out. Sorry about that.”

You Huo: “Eight?”

Is this class only taking Chinese language for the college entrance exam? Eight lessons a day…

Teacher Yu said quietly, “Both the biology and English teachers were injured. As for the math and chemistry teachers… The counseling office suggested not scheduling classes with too much pressure for the students these two days. The more pressure, the more likely they are to have nightmares. Chinese is calmer, less stimulating.”

You Huo: “…”

Teacher Yu: “Between us, I think Principal Xiao arranged for you and Teacher Yi to come to our class with the same intention.”

Qin Jiu looked quite amused; it was the first time someone was afraid they’d be upset.

It might be intentional.

He turned his head and asked You Huo, “Teacher A, do you dream?”

You Huo: “…”

He kept a straight face and stared at Qin Jiu for a moment before turning to Yu Luo and saying, “I don’t.”

Yu Luo said, “I never used to dream much either. After staying up late preparing lessons, I would just collapse and fall asleep. But these past few days, I’ve been dreaming every single night. I think…just my own guess—no one might be able to escape this.”

No one can escape?

Hearing these words, the two amnesiacs fell into contemplation.

You Huo had no idea what Qin Jiu was like.

As for him, he truly dreamed very rarely—neither nightmares nor sweet dreams.

Perhaps on some night in the past, he had occasionally dreamed of something.

But upon waking, apart from lingering fragmented emotions, he could never remember anything.

As for that certain someone, it was hard to say, but he felt confident he could run away.