If Fu Ruxue saw this, she would probably be furious. Xunian always brushed her off but was so indulgent toward a girl she’d just met for the first time—it was clearly an unfair double standard.
Xunian and the unfamiliar beautiful girl walked down the corridor for a long time, yet they still hadn’t reached the end.
Every clue pointed toward the classrooms labeled “First Year Class 1,” as if they absolutely had to go inside.
Xunian gritted her teeth. She stubbornly refused. So what if she didn’t go in?
The girl tugged at her sleeve. “Should we go in?”
“No.”
“But if we don’t…”
Xunian said firmly, “No.”
“Alright~ I’ll listen to you.”
The girl’s eyes curved into a smile filled with affection.
A strangely familiar feeling washed over Xunian.
Her smile momentarily unsettled Xunian, who deliberately avoided her gaze, but inside, ripples stirred like a stone thrown into still water.
After clearing the stage this time, she really needed to see a psychiatrist. It had been so long she was starting to lose her grip on reality.
After waiting for an unknown amount of time, Xunian was about to wait a bit longer when she suddenly sensed something was wrong.
The space seemed to be shrinking.
The walls of the corridor were gradually closing in, and the pace was accelerating; the space was narrowing rapidly.
“Oh my god.”
The girl cried out in alarm, pressing tightly against Xunian’s shoulder and clutching the edge of her clothes so hard her fingertips turned white, trembling slightly.
Seeing how scared she was, Xunian said, “Let’s go in.”
It seemed that even if she didn’t want to enter, she would be forced eventually.
The girl nodded seriously.
Xunian led her forward and pushed open the classroom door.
Inside the classroom.
What caught the eye immediately was a cluster of wooden desks and chairs paired together in twos.
At the very front of the room, a dark green blackboard stretched across the wall.
Above it, four bold red characters were written: “Golden List Success, Instant Victory,” evoking a nostalgic feeling of returning to high school.
Five people stood inside, dazed, and when the door opened, all their gazes converged on the two girls.
All of them were momentarily stunned by the girls’ high-level looks.
Three of them—a woman and two men—clustered together closely, seeming to know each other.
The other two stood apart on opposite sides of the classroom.
The tall, handsome man standing alone stepped forward with a goofy smile. “Hi, are you here to attend class in this room too?”
“No,” Xunian replied.
“My name’s Qi Ye, but you can also call me Li Jie.”
The woman in the group asked curiously, “Why?”
“Because Qi (祁) Ye (夜) sounds like ‘Enterprise Level Li Jie’.”
The moment this was said, everyone was left awkwardly speechless; the atmosphere froze for half a second.
So awkward.
Thanks to Qi Ye, the people in the classroom finally started talking to each other.
But not Xunian—she was busy observing the blackboard, followed closely by the girl who had trailed her since they entered.
She looked up at the class schedule hanging beside the blackboard. Strangely, the timetable listed Friday through Sunday, even though Saturday and Sunday were usually school holidays.
The ceiling fan above them emitted an eerie creaking sound.
She observed carefully while quietly pricking up her ears.
“Do you all know where this is?”
“No…”
“None of the three of us know either…”
“I know.”
A man stepped forward, shaking the phone in his hand to catch everyone’s attention.
“Hello, I’m Ran Feng, ranked 250 on the Strange Tales Ranking. You can check the APP to confirm…”
His face glowed with enthusiasm, and he gave a self-satisfied smile.
Everyone pulled out their phones and opened the Strange Tales APP, their expressions shifting as they read.
“I’ve taken part in the Rules Strange Tales Game many times and understand its various Rules pretty well.
If you want, you can join me in searching for the ‘Key.’ Once we find the ‘Key’ and unlock the Door of Clearance, we can return to the Real World.”
Ran Feng introduced himself with a bright smile.
The others were new players, exchanging glances, completely confused by his words.
But unfamiliar with the Rules World and in such an unknown environment, they needed someone to reassure them.
Clearly, Ran Feng was that person.
“Trust me.”
Ran Feng smiled warmly and nodded toward them.
The hesitant group slowly moved to stand beside Ran Feng, including the joke-loving man named Qi Ye.
Xunian, however, had no intention of teaming up for a random party. She stayed apart.
The girl tugged at her dress, eyes shining brightly as she stared at Xunian, not even glancing at Ran Feng.
Ran Feng looked their way. “Aren’t you going to join us? There’s strength in numbers…”
“No thanks.”
Xunian cut him off quickly.
Cooperating with even one person was troublesome; with so many, it would be even more complicated.
“Ah… it’s okay. I believe you’ll trust me sooner or later.”
Seeing Xunian’s firm rejection, the man was moved by his own optimism and sighed aloud.