“When is it?”
Hearing the second brother’s words, the other two roommates got excited and crowded around him.
“Right after the long holiday, the second week.”
“That’s less than a month left, right?”
“Hehe, this time the venue is the school across the street. All those beauties we don’t usually see will show up in droves.”
The school sports meet, huh.
Nangang University’s sports meet was quite special; it wasn’t just a sports meet but included other activities too.
For example, it was a bit like the sports festival and cultural festival combined from anime.
But that was just one part. What made it even more special was that Nangang University’s sports meet was co-hosted with the university across the street.
So the scale was larger than other universities, and the atmosphere and participation were stronger.
However, after hearing this, Xu Lin didn’t feel much.
He had already experienced it once last year; it was just more lively, that’s all.
The three roommates were still discussing it there, and Xu Lin withdrew his attention.
Just then, a WeChat message came.
It was from Lin Shen Xue.
If it were before, Xu Lin would have been a bit afraid to look at her messages, after all, she could influence him from afar.
But knowing that she was now in Unstable · Moderate, he felt he should at least reply to her a few words.
Otherwise, keeping her hanging like this, he didn’t know if her state would change.
Moreover, now he had a new item to use, so he could take this chance to test its effects, right?
Snowman: [Xu Lin classmate, I’m really sorry today. I left before you came back.]
A guilty 2D emoji, still of ‘Yuki Hongye’.
She started with an apology.
But she had already apologized once before.
Mu-Mu: [You had something urgent, I understand.]
Xu Lin was actually a bit curious about what exactly it was that made her leave on her own in that situation.
He remembered when he got up to go to the bathroom, Lin Shen Xue grabbing his arm with a reluctant look in her eyes.
However, for Lin Shen Xue’s matters, unless she said it herself, it was better not to probe too deeply. Who knew if it would trigger something.
Snowman: [But I still feel bad about it.]
She felt bad, but Xu Lin was actually grateful to her.
Since she left first, Xu Lin didn’t have to think of a reason to part ways.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t know what excuse to use to detach from her.
Before Xu Lin could reply, the other party’s message came right after.
Snowman: [Xu Lin classmate, how about this? Next time I’ll ask you out once too, as compensation.]
Snowman: [This weekend! Saturday or Sunday, which day are you free, Xu Lin classmate]
A pulling force suddenly overflowed from the phone screen, trying to capture Xu Lin.
However, a soothing aura wrapped around Xu Lin’s entire body, blocking that gravitational pull from capturing him.
It was the effect of the ‘Six Gods Blessed Florida Water’.
It’s coming already?
Xu Lin clearly felt the clash between the Florida Water and the gravity, and his heart was actually a little tense.
Now that it had blocked the opponent’s gravity, Xu Lin slightly relaxed.
But thinking about the words the other party sent, Xu Lin couldn’t help but tense up again.
Text alone was hard to convey much emotion, but Lin Shen Xue’s last sentence made a scene appear in Xu Lin’s mind.
Lin Shen Xue with a warm sunny smile on her face, stepping closer to him one step at a time, while the surrounding environment gradually darkened.
Full of oppressive force.
“She’s not asking for my opinion at all…”
She had already decided to ask him out this weekend.
What if he refused?
This thought popped into Xu Lin’s mind.
Snowman: [Hard to choose? Yeah, Saturday and Sunday each have their merits. Saturday has the next day still a holiday, but Sunday the next day is Monday, classes start.]
Snowman: [But Sunday has one good point; it’s the afterglow of the weekend, always making people reluctant to part.]
As soon as Xu Lin didn’t reply, Lin Shen Xue started talking to herself.
Snowman: [But it’s okay, Xu Lin classmate. There’s still one day until the weekend. You can give me the answer tomorrow.]
Giving him an ultimatum, huh?
Xu Lin sometimes felt he was making a mountain out of a molehill, whether he was becoming paranoid, analyzing the motive behind every word Lin Shen Xue said in detail.
A gravitational force overflowed from the screen.
The soothing aura around him appeared again, blocking the gravity outside.
…Alright, it’s not me overthinking.
This ‘Six Gods Blessed Florida Water’ really has something.
Seeing the Florida Water’s effect twice, Xu Lin couldn’t help but admire it.
Snowman: [But before that… Xu Lin classmate, tomorrow in that elective class, can I sit with you again?]
I got distracted, how did the topic jump here?
Xu Lin was stunned seeing this message.
Scrolling up the chat history, he found that after giving the ultimatum for the invitation, Lin Shen Xue had directly jumped to this topic.
This really left no room for refusal, huh?
Xu Lin felt that even if he forcefully steered the topic back, the other party would directly ignore it and drown him with a flood of messages.
Just like usual.
“I always feel that the real-life Lin Shen Xue and the WeChat Lin Shen Xue are a bit different…”
After spending enough time in contact with Lin Shen Xue today, he had noticed something.
“The real-life Lin Shen Xue does put a lot of pressure when facing her directly, but thinking carefully, she wouldn’t do anything too aggressive.”
“But the one on WeChat seems more forceful. What’s going on?”
“Could it be that the one chatting with me on WeChat isn’t Lin Shen Xue, but someone else?”
As soon as this thought appeared, it was immediately denied by Xu Lin himself.
“No, this oppressive feeling doesn’t seem like someone else.”
Xu Lin continued looking back at Lin Shen Xue’s chat box.
“Hm?”
While he was lost in thought, Lin Shen Xue surprisingly hadn’t sent any more messages.
The conversation still stopped at her asking about sitting together in class tomorrow.
The topic just suddenly cut off.
This was very unusual.
It’s not that Lin Shen Xue would send him WeChat non-stop without pause; there were stops, like twice today.
But every time Lin Shen Xue wanted to end the conversation, there would be a clear ending signal; she wouldn’t suddenly interrupt.
The sentence she stopped at now didn’t look like an ending signal at all.
Could it be that something made her have to interrupt the chat?
However, the powerful gravity overflowing from the screen next let Xu Lin know that wasn’t the case.
She was waiting, waiting for his answer.
This attitude made Xu Lin immediately understand that he only had one possible answer now.
Mu-Mu: [Sure. Then I’ll go early tomorrow to save seats.]
Although in the current situation, Xu Lin only had the option to say yes, he still tried his best to gain a bit of initiative for himself.
He chose to go save seats himself first, rather than what Lin Shen Xue might say after he said “Sure,” like “Then let’s go to the classroom together.”
Although the result was sitting together in class either way, at least it gave him a buffer period before that.
“This is going to be lively tomorrow…”
In the morning, he had to sit with Lin Shen Xue in class, and in the afternoon, he had to meet her best friend.
Just from Luo Qiu Zhu’s attitude on WeChat, Xu Lin already felt a headache.
After that, Xu Lin was pulled by Lin Shen Xue to chat for over an hour more, until he pushed that he had to shower, and she temporarily let him go.
In the middle, Xu Lin reapplied the Florida Water several times.
Making the other roommates start suspecting, “Are there that many mosquitoes in the dorm?”
After ending the WeChat chat with Lin Shen Xue, Xu Lin naturally didn’t go shower but told Li Zhi Ran about Lin Shen Xue proposing to ask him out on the weekend.
The weekend thing was no longer rejectable; now the issue was choosing Saturday or Sunday.
And this still depended on which day Li Zhi Ran was free.
Xu Lin always felt that Lin Shen Xue’s Saturday-Sunday theory had some implication; he thought this weekend was a bit dangerous.
Having Li Zhi Ran as backup made Xu Lin feel much more at ease.
Sorceress: [I’m free both days; it’s up to you, Young Hero.]
Great, the problem is thrown back to me…
Mu-Mu: [Alright, no rush then.]
As Lin Shen Xue said, there was still one day.
It wasn’t that Xu Lin wanted to delay to gain a breath of safety.
Actually, he thought of something.
“How about deciding after meeting Luo Qiu Zhu? Maybe I can really get some turning point from her.”
“When it comes to the person who knows Lin Shen Xue best, it has to be her.”
***
A bit past 9.
Xu Lin was the only one who climbed into bed early.
Usually, he wouldn’t get in bed until he drained his laptop battery.
But thinking about tomorrow’s full schedule, he felt he needed to rest and recharge.
But he couldn’t sleep yet because Lin Shen Xue was still sending him WeChat messages.
Seeming to estimate that Xu Lin had finished showering, Lin Shen Xue’s messages continued.
This time she didn’t mention the weekend or tomorrow’s class; it was all her feelings and occasionally popping out a few sentences about missing Xu Lin.
And also trivial things like changing shampoo and body wash today.
These were things they hadn’t chatted about before.
Snowman: [Xu Lin classmate, have the lights gone out on your side?]
When the Florida Water was about to be half used up, Lin Shen Xue sent this sentence.
Even Xu Lin understood that the other party was setting the rhythm to end the chat.
Xu Lin quickly replied yes.
Snowman: [Then, Xu Lin classmate, sleep early. Good night.]
A “Yuki Hongye” good night emoji.
Mu-Mu: [You rest early too. Good night.]
With a standard topic-ending exchange, Xu Lin prepared to put away his phone.
However, the other side sent another sentence.
Snowman: [I was so happy today. Being able to truly get close to you. But today ended just like that. What a pity.]
Snowman: [I really want to meet in dreams too. Xu Lin classmate, will you dream of me tonight?]
Snowman: [Good night, Xu Lin classmate.]
After this sentence, Lin Shen Xue didn’t send any more messages.
Xu Lin knew that today’s WeChat chat ended here.
His whole body completely relaxed.
Although the Florida Water’s effect helped him block a lot of Lin Shen Xue’s gravity, he still unconsciously tensed his nerves while chatting with her.
After all, the Florida Water could only protect himself; it couldn’t influence the other party from afar like Lin Shen Xue’s power.
He still had to pay attention to every word he said to her to avoid causing changes in Lin Shen Xue’s tag state.
Putting away his phone, Xu Lin lay on his back in bed.
He didn’t know if it was because his mind relaxed, but sleepiness hit immediately.
“Really want to meet in dreams too?”
Before falling asleep, he felt Lin Shen Xue’s last words seemed to imply something.
However, before he could find an answer, he fell completely asleep.
***
In a hazy state, Xu Lin slowly opened his eyes.
The surroundings were dim.
“Why did I wake up before dawn? Could it be too excited about sitting with Lin Shen Xue in class?”
“…Whatever, it’s not an 8 AM class, keep sleeping.”
Thinking fuzzily, Xu Lin soon stopped dwelling and prepared to sleep again.
However, his body position was a bit uncomfortable; with eyes closed, he adjusted his posture.
“What, what’s going on?”
He suddenly opened his eyes wide, instantly fully awake.
He couldn’t move his body at all.
“Sleep paralysis?”
This thought flashed in his mind.
“No, this, where is this?”
But the next moment, the scene before him made the sleep paralysis confusion.
The surrounding environment was dark, but Xu Lin could vaguely see the situation around him.
This was not the dorm he was familiar with at all.
And at this moment, he wasn’t lying down but standing.
What he could see was rows of racks with numerous different clothes hanging on them.
Some racks also had uncut fabrics draped over them.
Near him, there was a wooden table.
Various items were scattered messily on it.
Rulers of various shapes, scissors, needles and threads, fabrics cut into various shapes…
At the inner position of the wooden table, there was a large item.
Xu Lin didn’t recognize it at first, but soon remembered seeing it in some film and TV works.
It seemed to be a sewing machine.
Sewing workbench, racks with clothes and fabrics…
“This is some sewing studio?”
“How did I get here? Wasn’t I sleeping in the dorm?”
“Is it a dream or reality?”
But no matter where it was, Xu Lin felt an inexplicable panic and subconsciously wanted to escape from here.
?
He almost forgot; he couldn’t move at all right now.
Not only that, his body seemed to maintain a strange standing posture.
And at this moment, only his eyes could move.
“This is the truth of sleep paralysis!”
“No, that’s not important! What exactly is this place? Is it really a dream? No, do dreams really feel this real?”
The curtain nearby swayed slightly, a gust of wind blew over Xu Lin, and he felt his body chilly.
Why did it feel like he wasn’t wearing clothes.
So he used his only movable eyes, trying hard to shift his view to check his body’s condition.
“The range I can turn is still too small.”
But even though he strained to look down until his eyes hurt, he still couldn’t see below his body.
He couldn’t lower his head; vision was limited first.
But soon he glimpsed something reflective beside him.
He turned his gaze that way.
It was a mirror!
Just right, the mirror’s position didn’t require much effort to turn his eyes.
With the dim light, he saw his appearance in the mirror, but he blinked, afraid he was hallucinating.
However, what he saw was still that scene.
In the mirror, he stood stiffly, legs slightly apart, arms hanging naturally but palms a small distance from his thighs.
And at this moment, he was completely naked.
But at the very bottom, his key area was smooth.
Nothing.
For a moment, chills ran through his heart.
But soon, he understood the situation.
“This is a clothing mannequin from a mall!”
Just with the clothes stripped off.
But there were differences too.
His face was still his face, not like the plastic feel of a mannequin, though the expression was as wooden as one.
And other parts, if looked carefully, except for the muscle details being off, especially under clothes usually, the other limb proportions were exactly like his.
In this dim environment, at first glance, one might really think it was him standing naked here.
Ka-da.
While Xu Lin was puzzled by his appearance in the mirror, the sound of a door opening came from afar.
No lights were turned on.
But at this moment, moonlight spilled in from the window nearby, making the whole room a bit brighter.
A figure slowly walked over from afar.
Soon he clearly saw the identity of the person.
It was Lin Shen Xue.