Chapter 52: Alice Royal Academy

It was the fourth day since Su Qing disappeared.

Lin Mo lay on the bed, unsure of how long he had been awake.

The sunlight filtered through the window, landing on his body with a cozy warmth.

He rolled over to the left.

Then he rolled over to the right.

The weather today was truly wonderful…

(；一_一)…

He picked up his phone.

He tapped on his chat with Shen Qingyue.

Scrolling up, he saw that they had quite a few chat logs from the past few days.

“Morning.”

“Have you eaten?”

“I have. By the way, is your cat there?”

“Yeah, want me to take a photo for you?”

“No, no, I was just asking.”

“Oh.”

“Um… are your legs still sore?”

“Much better.”

“Mm-hmm.”

……

Lin Mo looked at these conversations.

They were very mundane.

Very ordinary.

But for some reason, every time he saw her avatar light up, he wanted to click on it.

(｡•́︿•̀｡)…

‘Am I freaking sick or something?’

He put his phone down.

He started spacing out again.

Su Qing hadn’t been home these past few days.

She really hadn’t been home at all.

There were no “good morning” messages.

There was no sudden knocking on the door.

There was no “Brother, I’m here to leech a meal.”

There was no…

Lin Mo couldn’t quite describe the feeling.

It was just… as if the air had become lighter. What the hell kind of description was that?

Regardless, it meant breathing had become smoother.

He didn’t have to look over his shoulder while walking to see if someone was stalking him.

He didn’t have to worry about being discovered by Su Qing while chatting with Shen Qingyue.

(；一_一)…

So? What was this called?

Freedom!

Yes, it was freedom.

He realized that this was what a normal summer break was supposed to be like. He hadn’t felt this relaxed in a long time. It was truly comfortable.

But.

One thing was not quite normal.

Lin Mo sat up and grabbed the piece of paper on his nightstand.

An Admission Notice.

No, should it be called… an admission slip?

He stared at the line of text on it.

Alice Royal Academy??????

(°△°|||)

What the hell was this?

When did he ever apply to this school?

He had searched for it on Baidu.

the results were pitifully few.

There were only a few lines of introduction:

“Alice Royal Academy, located in the eastern suburbs of Haicheng City, covers an area of…”

“Established in…”

“Majors offered include…”

That was it.

That was really it.

There weren’t even any admission scores from previous years.

No campus photos.

No online forums.

Lin Mo had been stunned at the time.

He called the Haicheng Admissions Office.

“Hello, I’d like to check my admission status…”

“Name? Registration number?”

“Lin Mo, 370… By the way, I received a notice from a place called Alice Royal Academy. What kind of school is…”

There were three seconds of silence on the other end.

“Student, your files have already been transferred by that institution. Please consult that school’s admissions office for specific details.”

“No, I didn’t apply to this school. I applied for—”

*Beep— beep— beep—*

They hung up.

(；¬＿¬)…

Lin Mo made several more calls.

The Municipal Education Bureau, the Provincial Admissions Office, and he even called 114 Directory Assistance.

The responses he received were all similar—

“This school is a legitimate institution.”

“Your files have already been transferred.”

“Please consult the school for specific details.”

“Is there anything else we can help you with?”

That was all.

Lin Mo held that notice and stared at it for a long time.

Alice Royal Academy.

This name…

No matter how he heard it, it sounded like some kind of diploma mill.

But after calling around, everyone said it was legitimate.

How could a legitimate university not even have an official website?

(；一_一)…

This school…

What was the deal? He felt like something was wrong.

Or was he just overthinking it?

He mentioned this to Shen Qingyue.

Shen Qingyue was silent for a few seconds.

Then, she sent a screenshot.

Lin Mo clicked on it and was dumbfounded.

It was actually her admission notice.

Alice Royal Academy.

The same school?

Shen Qingyue: “I received one too.”

Lin Mo: “??????”

Shen Qingyue: “I asked around, and no one knows about this school.”

Lin Mo: “Same here. I can’t find anything online.”

Shen Qingyue: “Did you ever apply to this school?”

Lin Mo: “No! I applied to Haicheng University of Technology.”

Shen Qingyue: “I never applied either…”

Lin Mo: “……”

Shen Qingyue: “……”

Lin Mo: “So both of us were admitted to a school we never even applied to?”

Shen Qingyue: “That seems to be the case.”

Lin Mo: “What the hell? What kind of move is this???”

Shen Qingyue: “I don’t know… but I heard from a teacher that this school seems to have quite a background.”

Lin Mo: “Background?”

Shen Qingyue: “Yeah, she said… anyway, it’s not a diploma mill. She told me to go without worrying.”

Lin Mo: “Li Xue’er said that?”

Shen Qingyue: “Yeah. But when I tried to ask more about what the school is for or what majors it has, guess how she responded?”

Lin Mo: “How?”

Shen Qingyue: “She said… don’t ask too much about this school… you’ll know once you’re in. Rest assured, it’s definitely a legitimate school. Moreover, the faculty is extremely powerful. I heard they even waive tuition, housing, and dining fees.”

Lin Mo stared at that line.

What??????

He typed:

Lin Mo: “What do you mean?”

Shen Qingyue: “She didn’t explain too clearly. She just said I’d know when I get there.”

Shen Qingyue: “Anyway… it’s quite mysterious.”

Lin Mo looked at the screen.

Mysterious.

That word was used accurately.

He thought for a moment and typed:

Lin Mo: “So… what are you thinking?”

Shen Qingyue: “Me?”

Shen Qingyue: “Actually… I’m a bit curious.”

Shen Qingyue: “What about you? What do you say?”

Lin Mo looked at the question.

What was he thinking?

He had originally wanted to go to Haicheng University of Technology.

It was 2,300 kilometers away.

Far away from Su Qing.

Now, a mysterious school had suddenly appeared.

He had never applied for it.

Yet he had been admitted.

Shen Qingyue had been admitted to this school as well.

(；一_一)…

Lin Mo: “I don’t know.”

Lin Mo: “But at least…”

Lin Mo: “At least I’ll have you there.”

Sent.

He regretted it as soon as he sent it.

His face turned red with embarrassment.

‘What do I even mean?’

‘What kind of thing is that to say… haha!!!’ {Author: What else could it be? It’s what’s in your heart.}

‘Isn’t this just flirting? Seriously!’

(；一_一)…

Shen Qingyue was silent for a few seconds.

Then she sent an emoji.

It was a cat with its face buried in a pillow, captioned “So shy.”

Lin Mo stared at the emoji.

His heart beat a little faster.

He typed:

Lin Mo: “Um… are you sure you’re going?”

Shen Qingyue: “Yeah. I checked, and it seems that if I don’t go, my files will be locked.”

Shen Qingyue: “I won’t be able to apply to any other schools.”

Lin Mo: “……”

Lin Mo: “So it’s mandatory?”

Shen Qingyue: “It seems so.”

Lin Mo: “What kind of school is this? So overbearing.”

Shen Qingyue: “I don’t know… but I feel like it’s quite strange.”

Shen Qingyue: “Are you scared?”

Lin Mo looked at the question.

Scared?

He thought about it.

It wasn’t exactly fear.

He was just… a bit bewildered.

Being admitted to a mysterious school for no reason.

Unable to find anything online.

Unable to get a straight answer over the phone.

And yet, he would be with Shen Qingyue.

(｡•́︿•̀｡)…

He typed:

Lin Mo: “I’m okay. You?”

Shen Qingyue: “I’m… also okay.”

Shen Qingyue: “I just think it’s quite a coincidence.”

Shen Qingyue: “Both of us being admitted to the same school.”

Lin Mo: “Yeah…”

Lin Mo: “Maybe it’s destiny?”

Sent.

He regretted it again right after sending.

What was he talking about destiny for?

(；¬＿¬)…

Shen Qingyue sent another emoji.

It was a cat making a heart sign with its paws against its face.

Lin Mo stared at the emoji.

The corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously.

He didn’t even notice it himself.

He put his phone down.

He continued to stare at that admission notice.

Alice Royal Academy.

Mysterious.

Unsearchable.

Mandatory admission.

Together with Shen Qingyue.

(；一_一)…

His mind started racing again.

What exactly was the deal with this school?

Why specifically him and Shen Qingyue?

He rolled over.

He buried his face in the pillow.

Whatever.

He wouldn’t think about it anymore.

What was the point in overthinking?

He would find out once he got there.

Once he arrived…

(｡•́︿•̀｡)…

At least she would be there.