Yuan Shen pulled Qi Dong over to his side. “Brother, are you okay?”
Zhang San glanced at him silently, offering no answer.
Did he even need to respond? Could Yuan Shen tell if he was alright?
Sweat trickled down Zhang San’s cheek, dripping onto his blood-stained pants. The pain had sapped all his strength, leaving him no energy to reply.
Seeing Zhang San remain silent, Yuan Shen lost interest and returned to his seat with Qi Dong.
Finally regaining some composure, Zhang San steadied himself by gripping the edge of the desk and shakily stood up, reaching out to Ran Feng.
“Give it to me.”
This was the clue he had gotten—why should Ran Feng take it away?
“Aren’t you going to share the clue?” Ran Feng handed him the key, but just as Zhang San’s hand was about to touch it, he pulled it back.
Zhang San’s patience was wearing thin, his expression turning cold. Ran Feng continued, “Just a friendly reminder, it’s unlikely anyone can make it out of the Rules Creepypasta World unscathed alone.”
“I’m willing to share. Just give it back!”
Ran Feng was used to keeping all the clues to himself. “How about I keep it for you first?”
Zhang San’s face fell, displeased as he glared at Ran Feng.
His lower-body injuries kept him painfully aware and clear-headed. A plan was brewing in his mind as he feigned generosity and compromise.
“Fine. No problem.”
He looked up at Yuan Shen and Qi Dong. Yuan Shen caught his gaze but awkwardly pretended not to notice, whispering something into Qi Dong’s ear.
Fine. Years of friendship mean nothing, huh? You see me getting bullied and don’t even react?
Zhang San clenched his knuckles until they turned white, veins throbbing at his temples. Memories flashed before his eyes.
Every time, Yuan Shen and Qi Dong seemed to have an invisible barrier between them, pushing him out.
If he wasn’t afraid of being an outcast, how could he have become such a close comrade with these two?
Since they treat him this way, don’t blame him…
Xunian followed Shen Mosi’s gaze and saw her watching the scene with great interest, her eyes full of ridicule.
She was very interested in the ugliness of human nature. People like these, buried in the Garden to become fertilizer for the flowers, would be fitting.
The souls here were so filthy she was itching to personally harvest them.
Too bad she couldn’t break the Rules.
“Here.” Xunian handed her a notebook.
Shen Mosi took it, a bit dazed.
“Don’t you struggle to finish last class’s homework? Use mine.”
Xunian reminded her.
“That’s perfect!” Shen Mosi accepted the notebook with a delighted voice. Before she realized it, a kiss was pressed onto her cheek. “Thanks, deskmate!”
Caught off guard by the kiss, Xunian’s heart fluttered uncontrollably. Her mind was a mess, and she instinctively moved slightly away from Shen Mosi.
Noticing this, Shen Mosi deliberately scooted her chair closer to Xunian.
Before confirming she was the Duke’s Daughter, how did she end up like this…
The faint scent of shower gel from Shen Mosi wafted into Xunian’s nose, making her even more flustered.
She flipped through the textbook distractedly, her thoughts elsewhere.
If feeling a little flutter toward the Duke’s Daughter was because she reminded her of someone, then what was the rapid heartbeat she got whenever near Shen Mosi?
While pondering this, she flipped through the book to look for clues.
Could it be that Shen Mosi was actually a flirt? Falling for anyone?
Sure enough, she was a bad person.
Xunian was not surprised. She had been rotten to the core from an early age.
She couldn’t ruin Shen Mosi. Xunian resolved silently: no matter the outcome, whether Shen Mosi was the Duke’s Daughter or not, she would keep her distance.
A hand tugged her sleeve.
Shen Mosi blinked her big, watery eyes, eyelashes trembling lightly. Nervously, she bit her lower lip. “Deskmate, do you dislike me…”
“No, I don’t… well, just a little bit.”
Her words twisted and changed meaning at the last second.
Shen Mosi’s eyes immediately clouded over with tears. She lowered her gaze as a crystalline tear fell onto her blue pleated skirt. Her hand seemed to lose strength, slipping off Xunian’s sleeve.
A sharp sting of sorrow pierced Xunian’s heart, solidifying her determination to keep away from Shen Mosi.
Shen Mosi bowed her head, her expression indifferent.
She had planned to take it slow, but it didn’t seem to be working.
No matter. Just endure a little longer. Soon, it would be just the two of them.
Only two days left.
A neatly folded handkerchief appeared on the desk. Shen Mosi looked up in surprise but only saw the back of Xunian’s head, her black hair loose.
She clung to Xunian again. “You actually don’t dislike me, right?”
Xunian said nothing.
Outside the classroom was a long, endless Corridor. The Players who had finished class loitered aimlessly in the room, each doing their own thing.
“Based on the Class Schedule and the lessons, we woke up on the afternoon of the first day of the Game. Two periods have passed,” he pointed outside, “It’s almost dark.”
The sun was already halfway down, golden light streaming through the windows, stretching the shadows of those in the classroom.
“Click.”
The sound of a switch echoed. The classroom lights suddenly turned on. Qi Ye smiled at the others from the doorway and explained,
“I’m following Rule Two.”
[Rule Two]: Please keep the classroom well-lit.
He turned on the lights to maintain sufficient lighting in the classroom.
Ran Feng gave him an approving look and said to the Players,
“Don’t forget Rule Five.”
[Rule Five]: Do not linger in the classroom after 7 PM.
The quartz clock hanging in the upper-left corner of the blackboard showed the time:
6:48
“But…” Yuan Shen asked, confused, “If we can’t stay in the classroom, where can we go?”
Qi Dong added, “Don’t say we didn’t warn you—the First Floor Girls’ Restroom has a Female Ghost.”
Everyone except Xunian and Shen Mosi gasped.
So that was why Yuan Shen and Qi Dong had returned in such a sorry state—they had encountered the Female Ghost.
“Then this key might be needed,” Ran Feng pulled out the key and looked at his deskmate, who had moved far from him, “What do you think?”
“What do I think? I think it’s great.” Zhang San almost spat the words out through clenched teeth.
Qi Ye, now standing next to Ran Feng, asked,
“But what exactly does this key open?”
Without anyone clinging to him, he looked relaxed.
Ran Feng glanced at Qi Ye with a touch of envy. How carefree he was without a troublesome burden.
“It’s probably for a locked door. Either way, it can’t be the key to passing the Game—that wouldn’t be so easy to get.”
He answered.
Everyone fell silent.
“There’s only one door with a lock here, isn’t there?”
Xunian, unclear on what they were discussing, couldn’t help but speak up.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.