Geister im Medizinstudium Horror-Akten

Kapitel 4

It was completely dark when Ding Pao and I walked out of the stadium. Looking at his red, swollen eyes, I said apologetically, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have asked you those questions."

"It's nothing. I feel much better after crying. I've been holding it in for a while, and my heart keeps aching." Ding Pao wiped his nose and answered in a light tone. He suddenly grabbed my shoulder: "Hey, how are things between you and Fruit Fly?"

"What... what can I do?" I replied awkwardly. "You know me, I'm a carefree and irresponsible person. Those things are just coincidences and rumors... If it weren't for Tian Momo—it wouldn't matter whether he was there or not! It's not that exaggerated at all..."

"Stop talking nonsense. You can fool others, but you can't fool your brother," Ding Pao said seriously. "Your eyes are different from before—those who spend every day with you can tell. I heard that Fruit Fly went back to the dormitory this morning and cried a lot. Don't always have such a laissez-faire attitude; don't hurt people's feelings."

This is the second person to say this to me today. Maybe I really should do something? My mind is in complete turmoil.

This book is from , a free TXT novel download site.

For more updated and free ebooks, please visit

Chapter Three In-Depth

enemy

The year before I enrolled, a senior girl named Lü Zijing jumped from room 407 in the early morning, breaking her neck and dying instantly. The reason for her suicide was unknown. Before that, another girl, whose name and year are now unknown, also committed suicide in classroom 407. Rumors circulated that she cut her wrists, while others said she overdosed on sleeping pills; in any case, she also died. This is my verification of what Lei Ling said. Room 407 has become a topic everyone avoids, and it took me almost a week of effort to get this much information.

"Seriously... the school is really patient. They still haven't sealed off this damn classroom and are even arranging classes in it. They're really ruthless." I thought angrily, throwing the empty Coke can into the trash can. Investigating this matter was already brain-draining enough. As for the other three people Lei Ling mentioned who had contact with Chen Wenwen, I had absolutely no idea where to start: Li Zhengliang recently became the secretary of the Youth League Committee and also in charge of student logistics, so I basically had no possibility or excuse to contact him; Xu Beijie was a year ahead of me and had just stepped down from his position as vice president of the student union, but he was still riding high; as for that evening newspaper editor, I had absolutely no idea who he was.

"What kind of mess is this?" Dusk was approaching, and I grumbled as I wandered aimlessly. Should I ask someone else? In other people's eyes, I'm practically a monster now—if you were in a terrible car accident but mostly recovered, and then went around asking people about a notoriously haunted classroom, they'd treat you like an alien. Luckily, my original image wasn't much better, so the psychological impact wasn't too great.

Or... should I talk to Fruit Fly? She's the only person I can trust right now. Lei Ling has already completed her withdrawal procedures, and I don't want to bother her anymore; Ding Pao's mood has just started to improve these past few days, and I don't want him to have another mental breakdown; Xia Liu is reliable, but... he doesn't seem to have any other talents besides studying... After thinking it over, I finally decided to go talk to Fruit Fly about what's been going on these past few days.

"Where are you? Come out for a bit?" I quickly sent a text message, but didn't get a reply for ages. I sent another text, still no response. I dialed the number, and at first it was "Beep... Sorry, the number you dialed is busy, please try again later...", then it simply became "Sorry, the number you dialed is currently switched off. Sorry, you..."

I angrily slammed down the phone, snorting: "You brat, you little rascal! What I said that day was a bit much, but it doesn't deserve this much hatred! A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea, truly unfathomable." I dialed her dorm number again. A clear female voice, after confirming my identity, began to berate me: "She's out of the dorm now, and please, don't call again. You heartless bastard, you don't care about Guo Yingying at all, not even a single call in so long. She cried so hard that day, it was like the world was ending, and you didn't even offer to comfort her. Do you even have a human being? Do you have any basic morals? You…"

Without a word, I pressed the phone, my anger blazing: Damn it, I'm not some moral paragon, why should I appease her? From birth until now, all four slaps I've received were from her, what more does she want? There's a saying, "Don't hit someone in the face," I've already been very lenient by not retaliating, and she still says I'm heartless? If I were heartless, I wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess! I wandered around muttering curses, not paying attention to where I was. When I calmed down, I realized I had walked a very, very far place in the school's botanical garden.

Our university is an agricultural university, with usable building area accounting for only 10% of the total area. The rest of the land is used for botanical gardens, experimental fields, cultivation stations, and breeding farms. The advantage of the botanical garden is that the air is fresh, there is plenty of shade, and the environment is pleasant; the disadvantage is that it is difficult to manage, and anything can happen in the dead of night. Last year, a headless case occurred here, which was quickly solved, but it left a deep mark on the history of deaths at our university. Since I was already here, I decided to make the best of it. I wandered around in the dark woods, and finally found a tree, plopped down, leaned against the trunk, and took out a CD player to listen to music.

It was completely dark. I gradually sensed something was amiss. During a break in the music, I vaguely heard soft noises and faint voices. The surroundings were pitch black, making it impossible to see anything. I turned off the CD player and listened intently; indeed, someone was talking. I followed the sound into the bushes until I reached a clearing. Parting the bushes, I could see a man and a woman talking in the clearing. They seemed to be having a very engaging conversation, occasionally letting out soft laughter. The man seemed quite the performer, his gestures eliciting smiles from the woman. They drew closer and closer, almost to the point of embracing.

"Hmph, I'm already feeling down, and you're all still here flirting. I'll show you what I'm capable of." I grinned wickedly, took off my backpack, pulled out a pair of passive speakers, then took out my CD player and rummaged through the disc bag for two of my prized possessions: Current 93's infamous death metal masterpiece, *Dog Bloods Rising*, and Diamanda Galas's *Schrei X*, a work by the so-called "devil soprano." For anyone who hasn't been exposed to extreme music, even in broad daylight, these two records are enough to easily shatter one's will.

I plugged in the speakers, put on the C93, and started with the volume at its lowest setting, then gradually increased it. The unorthodox, sinister, and bloodthirsty music slowly spread through the air. The weakened and distorted Catholic choir's singing made the entire space eerily mysterious, the rhythms of handbells and wooden fish combined with lead singer David Tibet's hoarse, otherworldly vocals making the air seem to tear apart. I patiently increased the volume little by little until the dark and alien singing filled the entire forest clearing.

The couple had initially been in high spirits, but as the singing grew louder and stronger, their conversation noticeably quieted down and eventually disappeared. The boy fidgeted nervously, no longer gesturing wildly, while the girl stood there blankly, seemingly bewildered, as if sensing the presence of the dead. They exchanged terrified glances, as if trying to pinpoint the source of the hellish sound, while David Tibet continued to chant in a guttural voice: "Antichrist...Antichrist...Antichrist..." as if summoning evil spirits wandering the earth.

I had another CD ready and quickly switched it on when the song ended. The couple visibly let out a long sigh as the music faded away. The girl shook her head, searching for the source of the sound, while the boy muttered angrily, "Where did that sound come from...it's terrifying..."

Before they could even react, a series of absolutely human vocal notes—a combination of hoarse, guttural tones, continuous bel canto singing, and countless ultra-high notes—had already pierced their eardrums. Thank God, they didn't have the lyrics to this album: if they had known that all the lyrics were a ruthless exposure of darkness and humanity, and a naked description of death, they would have truly gone mad. Diamanda Galas's voice was absolutely unlike anything a human throat could produce; it was like the piercing roar of Satan in the deepest depths of hell and the desperate cry of an ancient monster on the verge of death. I gritted my teeth and turned the volume up to the maximum, letting the "devil's soprano" bombard the forest clearing.

Clearly, the couple couldn't withstand such a heavy dose of extreme music: the boy collapsed to the ground, his legs trembling uncontrollably; the girl clutched her head and screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice almost as loud as my CD. I was about to burst out laughing when I suddenly realized something was wrong: I knew that scream all too well… I wasn't talking about a CD, I was talking about a person!

The squeaking creatures in the forest clearing were fruit flies.

break

When I turned off the CD player, the fruit fly was still screaming incessantly. I didn't bother to pack my things; I rushed forward, grabbed her shoulders, and shook her violently, saying, "Stop screaming! It's me! It's me, Ah K!" Under my vigorous shaking, the fruit fly's screaming gradually subsided. Her eyes were filled with tears, her hands trembled uncontrollably, and her face was as pale as a sheet of paper.

"It's okay, it's okay..." I was comforting Fruit Fly when the boy had already struggled to his feet. He dusted off his pants, walked over, and rudely yanked my hand off Fruit Fly's shoulder: "Who are you? Don't touch me!"

Damn it! He was scared out of his wits just now, and now he's acting tough with me. What kind of person is he! I turned around and glared at the boy: "And who are you?"

The boy didn't answer my question, but coughed elegantly and said, "If I'm not mistaken, you're the one who made that terrifying sound..." "Was that sound terrifying?" I asked back. "The sound of cutting aluminum alloy isn't much quieter."

"Hmph, but no normal person would enjoy the sound of metal being cut." The boy didn't back down at all. He looked me up and down, then suddenly exclaimed as if he had just realized something, "Oh, if I'm not mistaken, you're the school hero who bravely saved my girlfriend from under the truck's wheels... Um... what's your name again?"

"When did fruit flies become your girlfriend?" I suppressed my anger and asked with great restraint, "Yes, that's me. It's only polite to return the favor, so may I ask who you are...?"

"Xu Beijie, I'm not your girlfriend yet, don't talk nonsense." Fruit Fly seemed to have regained her composure, speaking coldly behind me. Her voice was soft, but it felt like a bomb to my ears. I scrutinized the person in front of me: he had fair skin, delicate features, and rather refined features, but there was a... lewd air about him. "You're Xu Beijie?"

“It is I. I heard you… are called Little K, right? In the dead of night, what is your purpose in coming here and making such a ghostly noise?” Xu Beijie’s eyes suddenly sharpened. We were about the same height, and he took a step forward, his nose almost touching my face.

"Shut your stinking mouth, you can't call me 'Little K'." I retorted without backing down, "And you? You hypocrite, what are you doing dragging a young girl to this deserted place so late at night?"

"What I do is my right, but you infringe on other people's freedom, which is an infringement on their rights! You call yourself a hero who made it into the newspaper? With your character, do you even deserve to be in the newspaper?" Xu Beijie seemed to have gained the psychological advantage, and he aggressively tried to drive me into a corner with his words.

Before I could retort, the fruit fly grabbed my braid, making me cry out in pain. I turned to look at her, only to find her trembling like a withered leaf in the wind. The fruit fly, fighting back tears, asked me, "K, was that really the sound you made just now?"

My parents taught me many things, but they never taught me to lie. Without thinking, I blurted out, "Yes, I put it there. But..." At this point, I nimbly jumped back, my head hitting Xu Beijie's nose squarely. He cried out and stumbled backward, the fruit fly's slap missing its mark. She stared at me, her eyes filled with intense hatred, and finally stomped her foot hard: "You...you pervert!" With that, she turned and ran quickly out of the woods. I chased after her for a few steps: "Guo...Guo Yingying!"

"Get out of here! Don't let me see you again!" The fruit fly didn't even turn his head, uttering those words before disappearing quickly. I stood there dumbfounded, feeling a mix of emotions. Xu Beijie chuckled coldly behind me, making me even more annoyed. I turned around and glared at him fiercely: "What are you laughing at!"

"I was just laughing my ass off, so what? What, you're upset because I stole your girl? I heard you're good at Sanda (Chinese kickboxing), come at me, hit me? Hmph, all brawn and no brains, you good-for-nothing. So what if you saved her? With your clumsy self, you'll never find a girlfriend in your life! Look at you..." Xu Beijie's voice suddenly stopped as I delivered a powerful punch to his stomach, striking his abdominal nerve plexus. He doubled over in pain, tears and saliva streaming down his face.

"Look at your pathetic state—you asked for this yourself, don't blame me." I glared at him coldly, walked right past him, and started packing my things. It took him a while to recover, and he called out behind me, "What kind of skill is a sneak attack? If you're so capable, fight me head-on!" By then, I had finished packing and stood up. I cracked my knuckles and beckoned to him, "Come on, you're asking for it." Before he could react, I was in front of him, feinting at his face with my left hand, then delivering a solid punch to his stomach with my right. I ignored Xu Beijie, who was kneeling on the ground vomiting, and slung my bag over my shoulder. "I'm leaving. Come visit my dorm sometime."

"Hmph...hmph...you'll never have Guo Yingying! I've set my sights on her, she's mine, and you'll never have her!" Xu Beijie, though already weak, still managed to shout at me. I whirled around, grabbed his hair, and pulled him up. "Who said I wanted Guo Yingying? What does it matter to me if you're just being delusional? She has her own feelings; she'll be with whoever she likes. She belongs to herself, not anyone else!"

I casually tossed Xu Beijie onto his vomit, making him all dirty. He had completely lost his earlier arrogance, sitting on the ground cursing incessantly. I was about to leave when I suddenly remembered something, turned back, and leaned closer to his filthy face: "By the way, do you know what I put there?"

Seeing his blank look, I gave him the answer: "The first song is a requiem for European cults when they sacrifice living people to the Grim Reaper; the second song..." I paused deliberately: "is the recording of Chen Wenwen crying before she passed away."

His pupils shrank to a single point in an instant, his eyes widened, and he couldn't utter a single word. A few seconds later, just as I expected, he howled and jumped up, disappearing into the woods in a flash.

I smiled dismissively, immediately clasped my hands together, closed my eyes, and apologized to Chen Wenwen. After praying, I thought of the fruit fly again: I'd really offended her this time. Would she forgive me? Would she still remember me? Could she still…

I shook my head, trying to banish these chaotic thoughts from my mind, but my tongue tasted a bittersweet flavor I'd never experienced before. Perhaps, I was beginning to understand the feeling Ding Pao had described.

progress

I haven't seen a fruit fly since the battle at the botanical garden. Her phone might have fallen into the toilet—I'm not sure, but I haven't been able to get through to her. When I dialed her dorm room, everyone who answered hung up immediately upon hearing my voice, as if to shut me out. Suddenly, it dawned on me: I might have made an irreparable mistake. My mother never taught me that women are not to be trifled with, but now I've learned it all by myself.

For the next few days, I spent them all at the martial arts club's training ground. Only by constantly expending my physical strength could I banish the images of these girls that filled my mind: Chen Wenwen, Guo Ying, Lei Ling... As soon as I stopped, everyone's pain was vividly displayed before my eyes, stirring up bitter waves in my heart.

A week later, during sparring with the captain, I was kicked and injured because I hadn't warmed up properly. At first, I didn't feel anything special, just a burning sensation in my thigh. But after sitting for a few minutes away from the training ground, the pain became so intense I couldn't stand up on my own. Back in the dorm, my roommate and Ding Pao rubbed it on me with safflower oil for almost half an hour, making me grimace and scream in pain. That didn't help much, so the next day, after a game of rock-paper-scissors, Tian Momo, the unfortunate loser, helped me to the hospital. The diagnosis was a muscle strain, but not a tear—much better than the worst I'd imagined. It was already noon when we got back. To celebrate the minor injury and reward Tian Momo for sacrificing his morning, I treated him to a meal at a small restaurant.

How much do you know about Xu Beijie?

"That Xu Beijie is our school's star fourth debater. He once led the team to second place in the provincial college debate competition. If you want to argue with him, you're probably in for a bad time." After a few rounds of drinks, Tian Momo became more talkative, answering my questions, whether intentional or not, crisply and decisively. He put down his wine glass and, with great interest, took a bite of a piece of meat on his plate.

"The ace fourth debater? Just there to finish the speech? I think she's more like a pile of shit." I exhaled a puff of smoke, watching Tian Momo rhythmically clear the meat slices from the plate. "Look at you, so pathetic. Can't you eat more vegetables?"

"I specially saved these vegetables for you, why don't you appreciate it? Vegetables are full of fiber, which is very good for your injured thigh chicken meat. As for the rest—K-ge is treating me to dinner, how can I not try my best? Let me get fat! Let me suffer! I love cholesterol! I love lean meat powder!" Tian Momo's mouth was stuffed full, and she was still stuffing herself with food. I could only sigh and pretend I didn't see anything.

Tian Momo finally swallowed the last piece of meat, wiped her mouth, and asked me, "What's going on between you and Guoying lately? I heard from Tangdou that Guoying has been in a bad mood these past few days. That Xu Beijie you mentioned seems to have a good relationship with the people in Guoying's dorm. He calls their dorm every day. Tangdou has a very bad impression of that guy, saying he's a playboy type, all looks and no action."

"Nonsense, if Tangdou had a good impression of that kind of person, wouldn't you be in trouble?" I changed the subject. "There's data collection this afternoon, right? I'm thinking of asking for leave." Tian Momo winked at me slyly: "You're pretending to ask for leave, but you really want to cause trouble for Ergui, right? Speaking of which, you and Guoying..."

“Shut up! Eating so much can’t shut you up.” I threw away my cigarette butt and stood up unsteadily, trying my best not to think about fruit flies. “You guys go to that terrifying 407 this afternoon and undergo a hellish ordeal! — I’m not going anyway.”

I limped through the basic department's office area, occasionally gasping for breath from the pain in my thigh. Wang Ergui's office was right in front of me. Like a spy, I slowly crept along the wall to the door, raised my hand to knock, but was drawn in by the conversation coming from inside.

“These students have mentioned it to me before—but I don’t get to arrange the classrooms for them, so what can I do? I just have to make do. Anyway, apart from being old and having frequent power outages, the classrooms aren’t too bad.” This loud, uncontrollable voice belonged to Wang Ergui, and his voice sounded somewhat anxious and helpless.

After a long silence, another unfamiliar young female voice (?) said, "But that classroom is really a bit strange. When I used to have classes in the main building, all the other rooms were stuffy in the middle of summer, but that room was cool and even a bit cold. Sigh, thankfully my classes weren't scheduled in the main building this semester."

"Hey, you're one to talk. Lately, I've been feeling weird when I go to class, like something's watching me. But as soon as get out of class is over and I step out of the main building, that feeling disappears immediately. I'm really wondering what's going on."

The unfamiliar voice noticeably quieted down: "Not long after the start of this semester, that girl named Chen Wenwen—yes, the one who was in the newspaper before—supposedly jumped from that classroom, right? Oh dear, I heard it was a really horrific scene. Someone died in that classroom before, back when you had just started working at the school, wasn't that...?"

"Alright, alright, stop talking. If others hear this, they'll think we don't even have the courage to have a class in a classroom, and that would be incredibly embarrassing."

I finally lowered my hand after holding it up for so long, pounding it three times on the door. The room fell silent. A few seconds later, when I heard Wang Ergui's feignedly authoritative "Come in," I couldn't help but chuckle to myself.

Wang Ergui sat upright in his seat, with several books neatly arranged in front of him. A young female teacher sat opposite him. When she saw me stagger into the room, she couldn't help but smile slightly, and then said to Ergui, "Teacher Wang, you go ahead with your work, I'm leaving."

"Okay, I won't see you out. Take care." Ergui watched the female teacher's figure disappear by the door before scanning me up and down: "It's you again. What do you want?"

"Teacher, I'm so sorry to have troubled you." I stood sideways, with a pained expression on my face. "I strained my thigh muscle during training yesterday, and it hurts a lot, so I wanted to ask you for leave. This is my doctor's diagnosis."

Ergui took the diagnosis report, glanced at it briefly, and casually tossed it onto the desk in front of him: "I'm telling you, you're such a stubborn student. Your parents sent you to school to learn knowledge, not to compete with others! So what if you pulled a thigh muscle? You still made it this far, didn't you? You think you can skip class over something like this? No way! Do you think you can pass this subject on the final exam? Let me tell you, if you miss even one class, you can forget about passing the make-up exam!"

I glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then deliberately lowered my voice: "Teacher Wang, if you grant me leave, I didn't hear anything outside the door just now." "You! You..." Ergui was about to explode in anger when I quickly added, "Our whole class really doesn't want to have class in 407. We just don't know who to talk to about this."

Wang Ergui put his raised buttocks back down in the chair, squinted his eyes and thought for a while, then said carefully, "Looks like you're not feeling well either. How about this, I'll make an exception and give you half a day off this afternoon. Go ahead."

"Thank you, teacher!" I gave Ergui a serious, crooked bow, and slowly turned around to leave. Ergui said to himself, "The one in charge of scheduling students' classes is Teacher Li, the secretary of the Youth League Committee. Actually, you still have a chance to pass this course, as long as you work hard enough."

I was still moving out, but my mouth wasn't idle: "Teacher Wang, do you know a girl named Lü Zijing?"

"How would I know her? Hurry up and get going, or I'll make you run fifty laps around the main building, and I mean it!"

After finally getting out of the office building, I quickly found a quiet corner, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag: it's like finding a hidden village after a long and winding road, hehe.

help

Given my current physical condition, reaching the Youth League Committee was practically a miracle, a feat beyond myth. I sat on the steps of the main office building, panting heavily, gritting my teeth and pressing my left leg. Large beads of sweat rolled down my forehead: I'd been too excited and rushed, and now the pain was escalating, it was awful… But since I was here, I had to get it done. So I struggled to get up, but my left leg gave way and went limp…

Just as I was about to tumble backward down the steps, a pair of strong hands braced my shoulders. A kind voice rang in my ear: "Are you alright, classmate?" I turned around and saw a kind and gentle face: a square face with distinct features, thick eyebrows, deep-set eyes, and a clean-shaven chin. At that moment, this person was trying his best to support me, preventing me from falling due to loss of balance. He was Li Zhengliang, the secretary of the Youth League Committee.

I struggled to sit up and greeted him. I had approached him a few times before regarding the martial arts club's participation in the provincial university league, and his straightforward manner and efficient approach had left a good impression on me. Moreover, he was widely regarded by students as a kind, approachable, and charismatic person, which filled me with confidence for our upcoming conversation. He clearly recognized me as well, and smiled gently: "What, can a martial arts practitioner faint from the heat?"

Li Zhengliang helped me into his office, had me sit on the sofa, poured me a glass of water, and turned on the air conditioner before sitting down next to me and saying with a smile, "You didn't come here to see me, did you?"

"Mr. Li, you are truly insightful! I came here specifically to see you." I felt completely at ease in his presence and chatted with him cheerfully. After explaining our class's desire to change classrooms, I noticed his eyebrows furrow slightly and quickly asked, "What's wrong, Mr. Li? Is there a problem?"

“There are difficulties… indeed. Your reason for wanting to change classrooms is a bit outrageous. Our educational policy is based on a pragmatic and materialistic viewpoint… If I were to write on your application approval: ‘The classroom is haunted, so the change is approved,’ what do you think others would think? Do you think I would be in a difficult position?” Teacher Li looked at me with a hint of reproach.

I quickly explained, "It's like this, Professor Li: Although I don't believe in ghosts or gods (Chen Wenwen, please don't punish me...), because a female student in our department committed suicide in that classroom, everyone is under a lot of psychological pressure. It's not because of any fantasy, but because classmates we spent so much time with suddenly disappeared during our university life, making it even more painful. Right now, the emotions of my classmates are quite unstable, and many students have strong opinions about this. The current educational policy for university students is to cultivate well-rounded individuals, and I think you wouldn't want to see a group of people with serious psychological problems graduate, would you?"

"Hehe, you're quite the talker, kid, but what you said makes some sense." Although Li Zhengliang himself was only in his thirties, he called me "kid" with an air of maturity, but I didn't take it personally. Teacher Li stood up and paced back and forth in the office, then suddenly stopped and sighed: "Chen Wenwen was a really good girl. It was such a waste of her life. I really don't understand why she chose to commit suicide."

My heart skipped a beat, but then I heard Teacher Li continue, “Last year, she became the president of the literary society through her own abilities, showing great ambition. Later, she came to me, hoping I could support the literary society in organizing some activities to increase its influence. At the time, I knew about her relationship with Zheng Tuo and knew she didn't want to go through the student council, so I sympathized with her and secretly helped her a little, helping her to revitalize the literary society. A well-known literary society brings honor to our school.” He paused, pursed his lips, and continued, “Later, in the second half of the year, there was a student council re-election. I knew she was aiming for the president position, and to be honest, I wanted to help her succeed. But at the time, I wasn't the secretary of the Youth League Committee, and sometimes I was powerless to help her, so her failure was expected. I saw she was very down, and I tried my best to encourage her and support her in continuing to expand her career as president. She gradually improved, but who knew this year… sigh…”

I silently lowered my head, wiped my nose, and didn't say a word. Teacher Li walked to her desk, picked up her cup, took a sip of water, and sighed, "Sometimes I think I bear some responsibility for this. But your class is really strange. Chen Wenwen died, Zheng Tuo died, and Lu Xiaojia's death brought a lot of trouble to the school. You should be grateful you survived the car accident last time; maybe there really is something strange happening here."

“Teacher Li, about what I said…” I heard a glimmer of hope in his words and quickly asked.

"Don't worry, I'll do my best to help you. There shouldn't be any major problems with the academic affairs office. You're right, with the 'well-rounded development' label, there's still a good chance." Teacher Li put down her cup, turned to me, and said, "You kids have had a tough time too. Society changes so fast, almost every five years. The world before you entered university and the world after graduation are completely different concepts. Whether you can live smoothly in the future depends on whether you can adapt to this environment. I've been through it, I know what it's like. You'll graduate in a little over a year, right? Are you confident about your future? If not, then keep trying. Although you like fighting and music, in this environment, you can't make a living from these things: you still have to live, you still have to get married and have children, these are all things you have to consider. Once you leave school, you have to take on your responsibilities, but are you prepared? I'm a graduate who stayed on as a faculty member, and even I wasn't prepared back then, so you can imagine how difficult it is for you."

I nodded gratefully, "Thank you, Teacher Li. I've remembered everything you said, and I won't let you down. I'll head back now..."

"Wait a minute. Your data statistics instructor—oh, isn't it Mr. Wang Kui? What's his opinion on this?" Teacher Li suddenly remembered this question.

“Oh…we have also raised this issue with Teacher Wang, and he has also expressed his opinion on the frequent power outages and aging equipment in the main building. However, he said he does not have the authority to arbitrarily change classrooms and hopes that we can resolve the issue ourselves through other channels.”

"So you came to me? Hehe, you're quite capable, kid, you find a way pretty quickly. Okay, I'll do my best to help you with this. If you succeed, how will you thank me?" Teacher Li said with a smile.

"This..." I was a little stumped. Something in my pocket reminded me, and I took out my "Traveler" Swiss Army knife and respectfully handed it to Teacher Li: "This is very useful. Please accept it, Teacher Li."

"Oh, I was just joking, why did you take it seriously? If I take a student's things, won't I become a corrupt official?" Teacher Li probably didn't expect me to be serious, and she panicked, repeatedly refusing me.

“Teacher Li, if you don’t accept this, you’re looking down on me,” I said sincerely. “You’re the only good teacher I’ve met in this school. You do your best to help students and teach them how to be good people. In my heart, you are not only a good teacher but also a good friend. Can’t I even give my friend a small souvenir? Please accept this.”

Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Teacher Li smiled憨厚ly and said, "Hey, look at what you're saying, as if I don't take you seriously if I don't accept it. Fine, since you consider me a friend, I'll leave this knife with you for now, and I'll return it to you after I've finished my business."

"Hey, look at what you're saying, how pretentious! There are plenty of girls in school who admire you, and you still don't have a girlfriend, do you? I'll introduce you to one sometime, and you can just get my knife back, right?" I joked as I moved toward the door.

"You little brat, you think you can get away with just a compliment? And you're talking about me? You've been in university for three years and you're still single! You should take care of your own problems first. Even if you don't have a girl, I still have to return this to you." "It's nothing..."

Teacher Li helped me all the way to the outside of the office building, gave me a few more words of advice, and then went back inside. I took a deep breath of the warm air, and suddenly felt a strange pang in my chest: the 407 matter was progressing, but what about my matter?

Chapter Four: Mystery