Chapter 79: Someone’s in the Room

Afternoon. School Building Hallway.

Zhou Duoduo leaned against the window, staring at her phone. On the screen was a forum thread:

[Curious] What exactly is going on between Zhou Duoduo and that senior girl?

She scrolled through the comments, her expression growing darker and darker.

“Someone’s digging up old drama again?” Wang Xue asked carefully beside her.

Zhou Duoduo said nothing. Of course she knew who it was.

Li Tingting.

No one else would be this bored.

“Duoduo…” Wang Xue wanted to say something, but after seeing her expression, she swallowed the words back down.

Just then, Zhou Duoduo’s phone vibrated.

An unfamiliar number.

She answered. “Hello?”

“Duoduo, it’s me.” The voice on the other end sounded lazy, carrying a hint of amusement. “Long time no see.”

Zhou Duoduo froze for a moment.

“Lin Yuanyuan?”

“Mhm. I’m back at school. Where are you?”

Zhou Duoduo’s heartbeat quickened.

“Y-You’re back?”

“Yep. Just got off the plane. Dinner tonight? Bring Xue’er too.”

Zhou Duoduo parted her lips.

“Okay…”

The call ended.

Wang Xue looked at her. “Who was it?”

“Lin Yuanyuan.” Zhou Duoduo’s voice drifted slightly. “She’s back.”

Wang Xue was stunned too.

“Sister Yuanyuan? Didn’t she already graduate?”

“Yeah. But she said she came back to school.” Zhou Duoduo put away her phone. “We’re having dinner tonight.”

Wang Xue nodded, but unease stirred inside her.

Lin Yuanyuan was back.

That senior.

The one who had that kind of relationship with Duoduo…

She stopped herself from thinking further.

Evening. A Restaurant Outside the School.

Inside a private room, Zhou Duoduo and Wang Xue sat on one side.

Across from them sat a woman around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. Short hair, glasses, a gentle smile. She dressed casually in a T-shirt and jeans, looking no different from an ordinary office worker.

But Zhou Duoduo knew she wasn’t ordinary.

“Duoduo, you’ve gotten thinner again.” Lin Yuanyuan smiled as she put food into her bowl. “Not eating properly?”

Zhou Duoduo lowered her head.

“I’ve been eating…”

“Really?” Lin Yuanyuan looked at her. “How’s your ability been lately?”

Zhou Duoduo paused briefly.

“It’s okay…”

Lin Yuanyuan smiled.

“Just okay? I heard you’ve been pretty active lately. Picking fights with some junior student?”

Zhou Duoduo blushed.

“Who told you?”

“I have my own channels.” Lin Yuanyuan lifted her teacup. “That Li Tingting, right? A C-rank Favorability ability.”

Zhou Duoduo stayed silent.

Lin Yuanyuan set down the cup.

“Duoduo, do you know what your biggest problem is?”

“What?”

“You’re too soft-hearted.” Lin Yuanyuan looked straight at her. “When people bully you, all you know how to do is cry. And after crying, you just forget about it.”

Zhou Duoduo froze.

“I’m not—”

“You are.” Lin Yuanyuan cut her off. “You were the same in high school. People spread rumors about you, and you endured it. People isolated you, and you endured that too. If I hadn’t helped you, you would’ve been bullied to death by those people.”

Zhou Duoduo lowered her head.

Wang Xue spoke softly beside them.

“Sister Yuanyuan, Duoduo’s different now. She fights back too.”

“Fights back?” Lin Yuanyuan glanced at her. “How? By using her charm aura to make the girls in school chase after Li Tingting? And then what? Li Tingting’s still hopping around causing trouble.”

Wang Xue couldn’t respond.

Lin Yuanyuan leaned back in her chair.

“Duoduo, do you know why I came back this time?”

Zhou Duoduo shook her head.

“My mission’s finished. I came back to rest for a while.” Lin Yuanyuan said. “And also to form a team.”

Zhou Duoduo looked up.

“A team?”

“Yeah.” Lin Yuanyuan looked at her. “You, Xue’er, and me. Three people is enough.”

Zhou Duoduo was stunned.

“But… we haven’t even graduated yet…”

“Not graduated?” Lin Yuanyuan laughed softly. “Duoduo, do you think I came back just to be an ordinary teaching assistant? I’ve got the title of experimental assistant instructor. I’m allowed to guide second-year ability users. If you two follow me, it’s not against the rules.”

Zhou Duoduo opened her mouth.

“Then… what about the mission…”

“We’ll talk about missions later.” Lin Yuanyuan interrupted her. “First, let’s talk about your problem.”

She looked directly at Zhou Duoduo.

“How do you want to deal with Li Tingting?”

Zhou Duoduo thought for a moment.

“I… I just want her to stop targeting me.”

Lin Yuanyuan smiled.

“That simple?”

“Mhm.”

Lin Yuanyuan nodded.

“Alright. Then I’ll help you.”

Zhou Duoduo froze.

“Y-You’re going to step in?”

“What’s wrong?” Lin Yuanyuan blinked. “I’ve already graduated. School rules don’t apply to me anymore. Besides, you know what my ability is capable of. A few little tricks, and nobody will notice.”

Zhou Duoduo hesitated.

“But…”

“But what?” Lin Yuanyuan looked at her. “You want her to stop harassing you, right? Then leave it to me.”

Zhou Duoduo stayed silent.

Wang Xue also lowered her head.

Lin Yuanyuan smiled again.

“Alright, eat. Stop thinking about all that nonsense.”

2:00 AM

Shen Qingyue was awakened by a wave of coldness.

Still half-asleep, she instinctively tugged at her blanket, trying to wrap herself tighter.

But the blanket wouldn’t move.

It felt like something was pressing down on it.

Shen Qingyue froze.

Her scalp tingled harder and harder. She didn’t know whether it was imagination or reality, but she felt as though something was lightly touching her legs.

She didn’t dare turn around.

She stared at the shadow.

The shadow didn’t move either. It simply stood there.

But she could vaguely make out a hand slowly reaching toward her legs.

Time passed.

Maybe one minute.

Maybe five.

Shen Qingyue couldn’t tell anymore.

Finally, she gathered enough courage to speak.

“Who’s there?”

No answer.

The shadow didn’t move.

Her breathing became rapid.

She wanted to call Su Qianqian.

Su Qianqian was sleeping on the bed beside her, less than two meters away.

But no sound would come out.

It felt like something was choking her throat.

Then—

The shadow moved.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

It bent down.

Like someone leaning closer to see her face clearly.

Shen Qingyue quickly shut her eyes.

She felt an icy breath against the back of her neck.

Close.

So close it felt pressed against her skin.

Then a voice whispered softly beside her ear.

“I found you.”

Shen Qingyue wanted to scream.

But she couldn’t.

Her whole body was rigid on the bed, like she’d been nailed in place.

The cold spread from her back through her entire body, drilling into her bones.

She didn’t know how much time had passed.

When she finally opened her eyes again, the shadow was gone.

The coldness had vanished too.

The dorm room was quiet.

Only Su Qianqian’s even breathing remained.

Shen Qingyue lay there drenched in cold sweat.

She stayed awake until dawn.

7:00 AM

Su Qing was woken by her alarm.

She reached for her phone, rolled over, and saw Shen Qingyue already sitting upright.

“Qingyue? You’re up so early?”

Shen Qingyue didn’t answer.

She sat on the bed hugging her knees, her face pale and lifeless, dark circles under her eyes.

The kind fortune tellers described as “dark energy clouding the forehead,” like someone haunted by something dirty.

Su Qing sat up.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t sleep well?”

Shen Qingyue nodded.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end only shook her head.

“Nothing… Just had a nightmare.”

Su Qing studied her.

Shen Qingyue looked terrifyingly pale.

“You sure?”

“Mhm.”

She climbed down from bed and went to wash up.

Su Qing watched her back, feeling a little uneasy.

But she didn’t think too much of it.

Everyone had nightmares sometimes.

Noon. Cafeteria.

Su Qing and Shen Qingyue sat down with their trays.

Shen Qingyue kept staring at her phone without speaking much.

“Qingyue, why are you eating so little?” Su Qing glanced at her plate.

“Not very hungry.”

She slowly chewed a mouthful of vegetables.

They ate quietly.

Halfway through the meal, Shen Qingyue’s phone suddenly lit up.

She glanced at it.

Her face instantly changed.

“What’s wrong?” Su Qing leaned over.

Shen Qingyue handed her the phone.

An unfamiliar number.

Only one line of text:

“Did you sleep well last night?”

Su Qing’s heart skipped a beat.

“Who sent this?”

Shen Qingyue shook her head.

“I don’t know…”

“Did you reply?”

“No.”

Su Qing thought for a moment.

“Maybe it was sent to the wrong number. Just delete it.”

Shen Qingyue nodded.

She deleted the message.

But her hands were trembling.

Afternoon. Library.

Shen Qingyue didn’t want to return to the dorm, so Su Qing accompanied her to the library.

The two sat in a corner with books spread open before them.

Shen Qingyue couldn’t read a single word.

She kept thinking about last night.

That shadow.

That coldness.

That voice.

“I found you.”

She shivered.

“Cold?” Su Qing asked.

“A little…”

Su Qing handed over her jacket.

“Wear this.”

Shen Qingyue accepted it and draped it over her shoulders.

The jacket carried Su Qing’s faint scent.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

At that moment, her phone lit up again.

Another message.

Same number.

“Don’t stay in the library. Go back to the dorm.”

The blood drained from Shen Qingyue’s face.

She quickly looked around.

The library was quiet.

Some people were reading.

Some were writing.

Some were sleeping on the tables.

Everything looked normal.

“What happened?” Su Qing asked.

Shen Qingyue handed her the phone.

Su Qing’s expression changed too.

“Who is this?”

“I don’t know…” Shen Qingyue’s voice trembled.

Su Qing took out her own phone and called the number.

Powered off.

She tried again.

Still powered off.

“Qianqian…” Shen Qingyue tugged at her sleeve. “Let’s go back to the dorm.”

Su Qing looked at her pale face.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

The two quickly packed their things and left the library.

At the entrance, Shen Qingyue suddenly stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Su Qing turned back.

Shen Qingyue stared at the end of the hallway.

Nobody was there.

But just now, she had clearly seen something flash past.

A faint shadow.

Like someone standing against the wall before quickly retreating.

“Nothing…” She shook her head. “Let’s go.”

The two hurried back to the dorm without another word.

Evening. Girls’ Dormitory, Third Floor.

Su Qing lay in bed scrolling through her phone.

Shen Qingyue lay on the neighboring bed facing the wall.

“Qingyue, not sleeping yet?” Su Qing asked.

“Mhm… going to sleep soon.”

Su Qing turned off the lights.

The room darkened.

Only the glow from the phone screens remained.

After browsing the forums for a while, she was about to put her phone down when she suddenly heard movement from Shen Qingyue’s bed.

“Qingyue?”

No answer.

“Qingyue?” she called again.

Still no answer.

But the bed was trembling slightly.

As if someone were turning over on it.

Su Qing sat up.

“Qingyue, what’s wrong?”

She switched on her phone flashlight and shone it over.

Shen Qingyue’s blanket covered her head completely, her body curled into a ball.

The bed shook.

The blanket trembled too.

Su Qing quickly climbed down from bed.

“Qingyue! Qingyue!”

She pulled back the blanket.

Shen Qingyue was curled up tightly, face deathly pale, lips trembling.

Her eyes were wide open, fixed on the wall.

“Qingyue! What’s wrong with you?!” Su Qing grabbed her shoulders.

Shen Qingyue slowly turned her head toward her.

Her lips moved slightly.

“She’s here.”

Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

“Who?” Su Qing’s heartbeat quickened.

Shen Qingyue didn’t answer.

Her gaze passed over Su Qing’s shoulder.

Looking behind her.

Su Qing felt terrified by her expression. She suddenly felt as if something was behind her too.

She whipped around.

Nothing.

Only her bed and the closed dorm door.

She let out a breath.

“Qingyue, what exactly—”

Before she could finish, the phone screen flickered.

Su Qing looked down.

There was nothing on the screen.

But in the reflection—

She saw someone standing behind her.

Blurry.

But unmistakably human-shaped.

She spun around again.

Nothing there.

Her blood turned ice-cold.

She switched on the flashlight and swept it across the corner.

Empty.

She looked back at the phone screen.

The reflection was gone.

“Qianqian…” Shen Qingyue’s voice came from behind her.

“Did you see it too?”

Su Qing didn’t answer.

She stood beside the bed, palms soaked in sweat.

The dorm room was silent.

So silent they could hear each other’s heartbeats.

“Let’s change dorms,” Shen Qingyue whispered.

Su Qing looked at her.

“Okay,” she said. “We’ll move tomorrow.”

Su Qing returned to her own bed.

Lay down.

Didn’t dare close her eyes.

She was afraid that if she closed them, she’d run into something dirty.

Afraid that when she opened them again—

Her phone vibrated.

She picked it up.

Another message from the unknown number.

“Don’t change dorms.”

Su Qing stared at the words, hands trembling.

She looked toward Shen Qingyue.

Shen Qingyue was already facing the wall again, wrapped tightly in her blanket.

Su Qing typed:

“Who are you?”

Sent.

No reply.

She typed again:

“What do you want?”

Her phone vibrated immediately.

She opened the message.

“I’m so lonely here by myself. Will you two play with me?”

Su Qing felt cold all over.

She sat up abruptly and turned on the flashlight, scanning the entire dorm room.

Under the beds.

Inside the wardrobe.

Behind the door.

Nothing.

She stood in the middle of the room, breathing heavily.

Shen Qingyue didn’t move.

Didn’t say a word.

Slowly, Su Qing returned to her bed.

She didn’t turn off the flashlight.

She left it on until dawn.

That night, she never closed her eyes.

The moonlight outside was faint.

The dorm room was quiet.

But she constantly felt that something—

Was watching them.