On the campus street where tree shadows danced under the dim glow of streetlights, there were always dark corners left untouched by the light.
Li Mei carried a bulging bag, her clothes smeared with various stains.
She instinctively avoided students returning to their dorms, deliberately walking through isolated, deserted paths.
Her head was lowered deeply.
Her face, yellowed to the point of nearly looking black, was etched with a level of shame and inferiority that didn’t belong on someone her age.
“Who’s there?”
Ahead, a figure stood in the darkness, blocking her path.
Li Mei took a cautious step back and gripped the mouth of her bag even tighter.
“You must be really strapped for cash, huh?”
The person hidden in the shadows had a raspy, grating voice, the kind that made it impossible to discern their gender.
Li Mei snapped back angrily, “I’m not short on money.”
“If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be out here alone at night, digging through garbage bins for discarded bottles.”
The figure let out a soft laugh.
To Li Mei, it sounded scornful.
“Relax. I’m not here to hurt you. On the contrary—I came to offer you money.”
“Of course, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. You only need to do one small thing to get it all.”
Li Mei clutched her sack of empty bottles, realizing she had nothing worth stealing anyway.
She asked directly, “What… do you want me to do?”
“It’s simple.”
The shadowed figure stepped forward.
Li Mei didn’t dare raise her head—she only saw the hem of the person’s rough clothing.
The figure leaned down slowly and whispered into her ear.
“That’s impossible!!! I would never do something to betray her!”
Li Mei burst out, her voice suddenly several times louder.
The shadow chuckled again, sounding utterly confident.
“Relax. I won’t do anything to hurt her.”
“You just have to treat me like one of her… overly enthusiastic admirers.”
“It’s totally normal for someone chasing love to want to know more about the person they like. All I want you to do is something very, very small. Observe her daily life, note who she talks to on the phone, what she’s doing in the dorm… Report those things back to me, and that’s enough.”
“Think about it carefully,” the voice continued, smooth and persuasive.
“Even if I know all those things, what could I possibly do with that information?”
“Everyone else your age is living brightly and freely, enjoying their youth on this campus. Can you really accept staying at the bottom like this?”
“This is a one-time opportunity.”
The shadow suddenly let out a cold laugh and turned away, as if they had already given up on her.
Clang—
Li Mei’s tightly gripped bag fell to the ground.
She stared at the figure ahead, wiping the corners of her eyes.
“I’ll do it.”
“Hahaha, I knew I wasn’t wrong about you.”
The shadow turned back and patted her shoulder.
“Don’t worry, I won’t shortchange you.”
The figure handed her a box.
“There’s ten thousand yuan in here, along with some daily-use skincare products. Take it home.”
Beep—
As the contact information was added, Li Mei collapsed weakly to the ground.
She thought of how understanding and kind Si Xinyan had been to her, and she gripped the box so tightly that it started to deform.
“She… won’t hurt you.”
“She’s just a pursuer.”
“She just likes you too much…”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I just needed the money too badly. I can’t keep living like this…”
Li Mei mumbled over and over, as if trying to convince herself—trying to erase the last traces of guilt from her heart.
Holding the large box from the shadowy figure, she staggered forward.
Behind her, discarded plastic bottles still littered the ground, now forgotten by everyone.
Beneath the fake mountain in the school’s garden, the shadow stared intently at the retreating girl.
A slow, unfathomable smile curled at the corners of their mouth, as if watching a mere ant about to tumble into the abyss.
In this world, no one can truly resist temptation.
If ten thousand isn’t enough, then a hundred thousand.
A million. Ten million.
Once the first step is taken, the second always comes more easily.
Each time, the bottom line gets lower and lower.
The shadow’s gaze grew deep and distant as they stared at the newly added chat box on their phone.
A strange sense of anticipation stirred in their chest for what was to come.
*****
10:15 PM.
I finally made it back to my little dorm just before the doors closed for the night.
As soon as I opened the door, I spotted some high-end skincare lotions and serums sitting on Li Mei’s desk.
My eyes paused for a moment—then quickly moved on.
Other people suddenly coming into money wasn’t my business.
I couldn’t be bothered to get involved.
After running around all day, I was beyond exhausted.
Right now, I just wanted to climb into bed and sleep.
I hugged a set of pajamas and walked into the bathroom.
The warm water drizzled down, streaming along my hair.
Even though I’ve taken quite a few showers by now, I still wasn’t used to facing my own body.
Every time I washed the softer parts, I couldn’t help but feel they were a bit… exaggerated.
Not as ridiculous as in anime, sure—but still not something I could cover with just one hand.
The soft, round pinkness, each accidental brush making my face flush crimson.
Of course, this was real life, not some novel.
Normal people don’t tremble just from the slightest touch.
When I gave them a gentle squeeze, I didn’t feel much.
Unless I really pressed hard, there wasn’t much sensation.
As for someone else touching them—well, I hadn’t experienced that yet, so I couldn’t comment.
I slapped my increasingly hot cheeks and cursed my wild thoughts.
I was clearly just too full from dinner, and now my brain was running off to weird places.
I needed to throw out all the dirty, perverted junk cluttering my head.
What was I even thinking about all day?
Wasn’t I afraid I’d overthink and end up tossing and turning alone all night?
Forty-five minutes later, I finished blow-drying my damp hair.
Wearing a light, floral-print nightdress, I stepped back into the dorm’s common area.
I stood in front of my desk and began neatly organizing everything.
Li Mei was turned away from me, clutching her cracked-screen phone and staring nervously at her chat window.
[She just finished showering. Including blow-drying, it took forty-five minutes.]
Mysterious Person:
[Send a photo of her in her pajamas, and I’ll give you an extra ten thousand as a bonus.]
Li Mei nearly dropped her phone.
The guilt in her heart finally triumphed over greed.
[No! I can’t do that! You said in the beginning it would just be simple updates on her daily routine!]
The mysterious person laughed like a sly fox, showing no sign of disappointment at being refused.
[It’s fine.]
I climbed up into my bunk.
Li Mei’s bed was on a diagonal from mine, and unless we both sat up, we couldn’t really see what the other was doing.
I leaned lazily on my pillow, like a sleepy little tanuki, letting out a yawn as I curled up slightly.
My fair, slender legs were especially eye-catching as they shifted with the movement.
Out of habit, I checked my phone before bed—only to find a new message from Su Liumeng.
[Back yet?]
[Just finished showering,] I typed out the reply.
I shoved my phone under the pillow and pulled out that pitch-black name card again, fiddling with it in my hand.
My gaze flickered slightly.
In the end, I casually crumpled the card into a ball and stuffed it into one of the cylindrical iron beams supporting the bunk bed.
As for that woman, Su Yi…
When we first met, I had a relatively good impression of her.
But after what happened today—even though I didn’t exactly dislike her—I no longer wanted to get closer.
Just like Su Liumeng said, if she felt there was danger involved, then I should take that risk seriously too.
I needed to think about whether I could provide the ghost baby with a relatively peaceful environment.
Rip—
I tore open a pack of beef jerky.
After just a little while, I was feeling a bit hungry again.
Snacking on something helped ease my stomach a bit.
My small hand instinctively rested on my stomach.
Letting out another yawn, I curled into a ball.
I had just closed my eyes when my phone suddenly buzzed, followed by a soft ding—a new message notification.
I set the phone to silent and tapped open WeChat.
It was a message from Su Liumeng.
[Xiaoyan, are you sure you don’t want to move in with me? We can each have an entire floor to ourselves, so there’s no need to worry about privacy at all… You’re pregnant now, and staying in a dorm is bound to be inconvenient. Plus, I can help take care of you. If needed, I can even be your bodyguard—protect you personally.]
I pouted, but still typed out a reply.
[Better not… I’m just not used to living with someone else right now.]
In school, all dorms were four-person rooms, so it wasn’t really about being “used to it” or not.
But if I were to move in and live with just one other person, it’d feel too much like…
Well—
Too much like cohabiting.
It was just… weird.