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Capítulo 20

"What did the Jeep do to make you hate it so much?"

Do you remember that very poor student in our department this year?

"I remember," I nodded. He was a pitifully thin boy. His father was seriously ill, and his mother was struggling to support him and his two younger sisters' tuition fees.

"The department is awarding scholarships," she sighed deeply. "But Big Jeep used his position to squeeze out that poor student's spot. He sucked up to the department head's son. That playboy doesn't need those few coins; he took the hard-earned money from others to squander on chasing girls. Even if he's not completely heartless, he's definitely an accomplice!" She was furious, and the small bed wobbled.

"Isn't anyone in charge doing anything about this?"

"Heh," she sneered twice, "His ambition is growing rapidly and subtly. Haven't you seen how he's now, fawning and obsequious while outwardly complying but inwardly defiant? It's chilling..."

"If that's the case... then we should give them some serious advice. But pouring a bucket of water on their head, isn't that...?" It's already autumn.

She continued angrily, "I don't want him to live such a spineless life. A man should live with spirit... After we graduate, he can come with me to find a job in a coastal city, or we can find internships ourselves. A dwarf hen lays many eggs, and a fledgling cat is fierce as a tiger. As long as he learns and grows, he will eventually amount to something. Right now... I don't want him to be completely sullied by mercenary ways."

I brushed her bangs aside and urged her to go to bed early: "Having too many worries is exhausting. Aren't you afraid of aging quickly?"

She obediently closed her eyes, clutching my arm as she fell asleep. Looking at her young face, my heart was filled with conflicting emotions. We were both at the age of budding romance; love is a beautiful bud that shouldn't wither too soon. Youth is our only asset, and I didn't want to see it fall so tragically. I hope we can both cherish ourselves and treasure our time. No matter how many people's paths cross ours, we must remain steadfast in our own direction and learn from our mistakes.

I gently patted her face: You and I are different. From birth, I was prophesied; my life was shrouded in that enormous shadow. I drifted, confused, hesitated, and was reborn in a life where everything seemed preordained. But you… without those invisible constraints, you should naturally fly. When love is on the verge of collapse, we may not be able to remain calm, but at least we must believe that after the hardships, the sky will still be bright.

Yes! Nothing is insurmountable!

The sun rises in the east.

On Sunday mornings, sleeping in was a precious treat during my student days. Suddenly, a piercing scream came from behind the dormitory building, and our building instantly erupted in chaos.

"What was that sound?" Apple sat up abruptly.

“I heard it too. It sounded like… coming from behind.” I looked up at the window; the white curtains were fluttering in the wind, and there was nothing unusual.

"Behind us? The women's bathhouse is right behind our building! Just a wall and a row of trees separating us." She slipped on her slippers and ran to the window. "Something's up! Something's definitely happened!"

"Something happened?"

"Something must have happened in the bathhouse. Look, people are already crowding around. I bet it won't be more than an hour before the area behind our building is completely packed with people."

We peered out the window, and several other heads appeared on the windowsills of other dormitories as they peered into the bathhouse.

Half an hour later, four people carried a stretcher out of the bathhouse. The stretcher was covered with a white sheet, and a pair of pale hands fell out from under the sheet, dangling limply on the side of the stretcher.

"Something really happened..."

I turned around, but there was no one around. I looked down again and saw that she had already darted into the crowd of people three or four deep downstairs to ask around.

"Oh dear! I know who's in trouble." Her voice arrived before she even rushed upstairs.

Who is it?

"It's the auntie who's the gatekeeper at the women's bathhouse, the one who was on duty yesterday."

My ears went blank. Had the administrator died not long after I parted ways with her yesterday?

The crowd gathered at the entrance of the bathhouse was gradually dispersed, leaving only a few people taking notes.

Then, the same trick was used again, and the student bathhouse was temporarily closed "due to pipe repairs".

Section 51: The Campus Blood Curse (3)

My heart is beating very fast...

Could it be that a murder plot has been laid in the bathhouse as well?

Unfortunately, the school has suppressed the news. How did the aunt on duty die? There's no conclusion yet...

The bathhouse reopened in the afternoon, and everything was as before, as if nothing had happened.

The Jeep didn't appear under our dorm window all Sunday. I advised Apple, "Why don't you go look for him? He might still be angry."

"Forget it!" she said, becoming more and more stubborn.

"If you're too embarrassed to ask, I can go and call him for you?"

"Don't go! What kind of girl would you be going to the boys' dormitory? In the summer, all the girls in our dormitory go to shower naked. It's the same in their boys' dormitory. It's just that now that it's autumn, the girls go to the public bathhouse, but the boys still stay in the dorm's water room to shower. A basin of cold water is poured over their heads, and they jump around naked."

I stared at her in surprise: "You talk as if you saw it with your own eyes."

"I..." she pouted, "It's all because of that stinky Jeep. Last time he insisted I wait for him at his dorm, and I saw a guy rushing out of the washroom, completely naked. I screamed in fright, and the guy was so ashamed he quickly covered his bottom with a plastic basin and ran back to his dorm..."

Just as we were having a great time, someone downstairs started calling our dorm number: "207-207-" The seven was drawn out so long, it sounded like a coloratura student in a bel canto program.

Apple and I looked at each other and exclaimed in unison, "Mo Yan!"

"How did you persuade him to leave yesterday?" I asked Apple.

"What else can we do to persuade him? Just tell him to come back tomorrow! With perseverance, even an iron rod can be ground into a needle..."

I was so anxious I almost jumped up: "Is that all you're going to say?"

“Oh dear!” she said, drawing out her words. “Actually, that kid was really nice, with a good temper, unlike that big jeep, which was like a firecracker that would explode at the slightest touch! But I was just trying to tease him, and who knew that as soon as I finished saying the first sentence to him, the big jeep came... so after that, I didn’t get to say anything more.”

I crouched under the window, too afraid to stand up, like a helpless child.

"What are you doing squatting here?" Apple pulled me up. "He can't see you. Don't be afraid! I'll block him for you." She poked her head out the window and asked, "Mo Yan, what are you doing?"

"I'm looking for Lan..."

"It's not here! Look elsewhere!"

Where did she go?

Apple's eyes darted around, and she blurted out, "She went to the tenth floor to study. Go check there!" Then she turned to me happily and said, "Got it! The silly boy went to the study building."

I stared at her blankly: "How do you lie to him?"

"If we don't get him away, how can we get out?" she said as she changed her sneakers.

What are you going to do?

"Let's go for a run."

I shook my head: "People in love are most easily stimulated. When their emotions fluctuate, they either engage in strenuous exercise or binge eating. You're doing well. Exercise is the right way, and it's better than binge eating."

"Who said that?" she said angrily, her cheeks puffed out. "I'll go to KFC for a big meal after I finish running."

I stared blankly at her round face: "Do you perhaps want to become Lydia Shum?"

"I'd rather!" she pouted, glancing back at me before leaving. "Are you going to stay home alone, or come with me to the east playground?"

"I'm scared of you, I'll go with you!" Without changing my sneakers, I followed her out in my T-straps.

Aren't you going to run?

I looked at her with a smile: "I haven't encountered anything that can motivate me to run like crazy yet."

We chased each other, one after the other, running until we were panting heavily.

The wind whistled past my ears, but suddenly I felt a chill, as if the vast wilderness around me had suddenly become empty. My breathing rose and fell, I could hear my own heartbeat, and I felt as if I had escaped the Earth's magnetic field.

There was a strange feeling, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Go to the track!" I said, separating from her temporarily. "I'll watch you from the sidelines."

Where are you going to stay?

"There!" I pointed with one hand, "There are exercise machines over there, I'm going to swing on the swings."

On the south side of the east playground, there are two tall swings. I took one and swung gently.

The apple, like a tiny white dot, drew circles at the end of the playground.

The bright moon hangs high in the sky, and all the stars have hidden themselves. Swinging a little higher on the swing, it feels as if you can swing all the way to the cassia tree in the moon palace.

Your feet are so beautiful!

Someone is talking.

Are you talking about me?

I turned around and saw that there was another person on the swing next to me.

Section 52: The Campus Blood Curse (4)

"Green grass, a pair of delicate feet as white as jade. I used to run on this grass too, just like you, running wildly with my shoes off. Someone was chasing me, laughter echoing, but now it's gone...?" The speaker was a girl, gentle and kind, as lovely as an orchid. A smooth forehead, delicate features, pearly teeth and arched eyebrows, she looked pitiful. Her simple ponytail was neatly combed at the back of her head, and she wore a light blue long-sleeved shirt and a white ruffled skirt, her legs quietly together.

"Are you talking to me?" I stared at her blankly. When did she arrive?

"Is there anyone else here?" she asked me in return.

I smiled at her, but she ignored me and continued talking to herself: "I used to swing here last semester! He pushed me from behind, and I could swing so high that I could almost lie down and look at the moon." As she spoke, a sweet smile appeared on her lips, as if she were lost in memories.

"He..." I suspected the woman was a little crazy, so I turned my head away and didn't speak, only following the figure of the apple with my eyes.

"Why are you ignoring me?" The woman looked at me wistfully and sighed softly.

Helpless, I smiled politely at her and said, "I'm sorry, we don't know each other, and I don't understand what you're talking about."

"You understand, you're just ignoring me on purpose!" she said, sounding aggrieved.

I stood up to leave, but she started to cry: "I know, you don't want me anymore..."

"Uh..." A little embarrassed, "I'm a woman!" Now I'm certain that the person she's reminiscing about is definitely not me.

She rushed up and tugged at my sleeve, then suddenly changed. In what seemed like an instant, she became emaciated and withered, her once-rounded cheeks slumped, and her lips instantly lost their color, leaving only her bright, sparkling eyes. She glanced at my face out of the corner of her eye and gave a strange laugh: "Every year, an even number of people die. This year, there have already been three. Next... it's your turn."

My mind went blank for several minutes, as if struck by a massive shock. What did she say?

"What good will it do you to talk such nonsense?" I was a little angry.

She sneered again: "Look behind you."

I slowly turned my head, my pupils dilated, and I froze as if struck by lightning: my shadow... was its head and body still connected?!

"Who are you?" I turned around and shouted. But I found that the one grabbing my clothes was not a woman, but a silly-looking, chubby boy, probably in his teens, with unfocused eyes and drool at the corner of his mouth.

I was shocked and stumbled back a few steps: "Who are you?" The person who was talking to me just now was clearly a beautiful young girl!

The silly boy chuckled, "Auntie! Auntie!!"

"Ouch!" I exclaimed in surprise, as a large patch of small goosebumps appeared on my arm.

"Ruoxi!" Apple ran towards me, panting, and stepped between the boy and me, gently pushing him aside. "Go play somewhere else! Okay! Be good!"

The boy obediently turned and left.

I asked Apple, stunned, "You know him?"

“Who knows him? I heard there’s a teenager with cerebral palsy around here, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen him,” she said, then chuckled. “It seems like you can stumble upon all sorts of good things.”