Chapter 24: Someone jumped from a building (1)

Because of the Bunker incident, Zhang Xianyu didn’t have to participate in military training anymore.

Xie Dingxin explained to the principal that both Zhang Xianyu and Wang Yi were lured into the Bunker after being bewitched by something inside.

The principal, unfamiliar with these matters, not only generously paid for their hospital bills but also approved Zhang Xianyu’s leave of absence, excusing him from military training.

The collapsed Bunker was already being filled in.

The official statement claimed that a group of hikers snuck in at night with communication equipment, and coincidentally, a thunderstorm struck, causing lightning to collapse the Bunker.

Whether that explanation was believable or not was another matter.

The school only needed to provide a plausible story.

As for other speculations, as long as there was no concrete evidence, they would remain nothing more than rumors.

Alongside the filling-in, there was also a covert underground search underway.

The Thunder from Heaven had come down with overwhelming force, and in theory, all the evil spirits in the Bunker should have been wiped out.

Still, there was no guarantee that nothing had slipped through, so after waking up, Xie Dingxin arranged for people to search from other entrances, hoping to eliminate any hidden dangers left behind.

The pair of students from the history department who had been possessed were also dealt with.

However, they’d been possessed for so long that their Souls were seriously damaged, and they were still in intensive care, unlikely to wake up soon.

After finishing the discharge procedures, Zhang Xianyu returned to the Family Quarters with Lin Wushui.

Xie Dingxin was so furious in the hospital that he was practically jumping up and down.

The wound on his back was large, and because it was corroded by Corpse Poison, it was healing slowly.

To prevent infection, he couldn’t leave the hospital yet.

Lin Wushui, on the other hand, was in far better shape; apart from his leg in a cast, he was already out of danger.

Watching the two of them leave, Xie Dingxin cursed Lin Wushui for being heartless and leaving him behind.

What made him angrier was that Lin Wushui had also run off with the gold nugget he’d just found!

Lin Wushui only left him with a cold, indifferent back.

Zhang Xianyu pushed Lin Wushui into the car.

The car had been arranged by the Lin family—a spacious SUV with the back seats removed and the doors modified for easy wheelchair access.

Once the wheelchair was secured, Zhang Xianyu got into the front passenger seat.

The car drove smoothly to the Family Quarters.

Lin Wushui immediately sent the driver away and, in a good mood, had Zhang Xianyu push him upstairs.

The apartment was on the ninth floor.

Zhang Xianyu only knew that Lin Wushui had bought a place here, but once upstairs, he realized Lin Wushui had bought all four units on the floor and combined them into one.

There were six bedrooms, three living rooms, two studies, a gym filled with equipment, a home theater, and a huge balcony.

After having Zhang Xianyu push him around for a tour, Lin Wushui was secretly satisfied.

The decor was based on the preferences he’d picked up from spending a month with Zhang Xianyu: simple yet cozy.

He glanced at the person behind him—though he said nothing, his eyes were bright.

“This is the master bedroom. I’ll sleep here.”

Lin Wushui pointed, then shifted his finger to the right.

“You’ll sleep in this secondary bedroom. There are two studies—you pick one. You can draw talismans or perform rituals there. The rooms are soundproofed; you won’t be disturbed.”

“Alright.”

Zhang Xianyu pushed him onto the sunny balcony, where flowers and bookshelves made it a perfect spot to pass the time.

“You rest here. I’ll make us something to eat. Is there food in the fridge?”

They hadn’t eaten since leaving the hospital.

Lin Wushui nodded and went to get his laptop, then began working on the sun-drenched balcony.

Zhang Xianyu headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

The kitchen was fully equipped and brand new, seemingly unused.

Opening the four-door fridge, he found it packed with fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and seafood.

Zhang Xianyu put on an apron, planning to make seafood congee and black chicken soup.

While looking for condiments, he discovered that three of the four large cabinets were packed with bowls and plates—hundreds of them in all styles, filling the cupboards to the brim.

“Why buy so many bowls?”

Zhang Xianyu muttered.

Even if they had guests, there was no way they’d use this many.

In the end, he chalked it up to the odd hobbies of the wealthy.

Forty minutes later, the seafood congee was ready.

Zhang Xianyu served two bowls and called Lin Wushui to eat.

Lin Wushui, who was in a video conference, twitched his ear and said coldly to his subordinates,

“That’s all for today. Report the rest to Lin Ming.”

Ignoring his assistant’s aggrieved look, he decisively ended the call.

After eating, Lin Wushui went back to work, while Zhang Xianyu began cramming for his studies.

Xie Dingxin had said there was a Basic Examination every three months, and the next one was at the end of this month.

Zhang Xianyu wanted to get his Taoist Certificate as soon as possible, so he borrowed books from Xie Dingxin and started reviewing.

The Basic Examination covered a wide range of topics, but mainly focused on the history of Taoism.

Back in the village, Zhang Xianyu had read all the books left by the Daoist Elder, so reviewing alongside Xie Dingxin’s books wasn’t too difficult.

They each busied themselves until afternoon.

For lunch, Zhang Xianyu made shredded chicken noodles with the chicken soup.

Lin Wushui ate two big bowls by himself, showing no sign of being a picky eater.

“Your sister says you’re picky, but you seem easy to feed to me.”

He was eating noodles so happily.

Lin Wushui coughed and said with a straight face,

“She’s talking nonsense.”

Mentioning Wu Shui reminded Zhang Xianyu that he hadn’t contacted her since military training.

He’d promised to treat her to a meal.

Since he remembered, he sent her a WeChat message, inviting her to the Family Quarters when she returned to the country and promising a feast.

After Zhang Xianyu sent the message, Lin Wushui’s phone on the table suddenly buzzed.

Both of them looked at it.

Lin Wushui’s mind raced.

Calmly, he picked up his phone and opened his assistant’s WeChat, sending a voice message: “Got it. Also, send me today’s meeting minutes.”

Lin Ming stared blankly at the cryptic message from his boss.

What did the boss know now?

And why ask him for the meeting minutes—he’d never done that before!

Unable to guess his boss’s intentions, Lin Ming nervously asked the secretary for a copy of the minutes and sent it over.

Seeing that Lin Wushui seemed to be handling work, Zhang Xianyu didn’t disturb him.

He went to the kitchen to take out the trash and planned to take Lin Wushui downstairs for a stroll later.

Once Zhang Xianyu was in the kitchen, Lin Wushui glanced that way and opened his message from Zhang Xianyu.

[Zhang Xianyu: I’m temporarily moving into your brother’s apartment in the Family Quarters. He’s also recovering here. When are you coming back to the country? I’ll cook a big meal for you.]

Lin Wushui thought for a moment and replied simply.

[Wu Shui: I’m handling things abroad, pretty busy lately, won’t be back for a while qaq]

Switching his phone to silent, Lin Wushui considered asking Lin Ming to buy him another phone and register a new WeChat account.

He hadn’t thought much about it before—he’d just added Zhang Xianyu with his own account, figuring he didn’t post on Moments anyway and Zhang Xianyu wouldn’t notice.

But now that they were under the same roof, it was too easy to get exposed.

Putting his phone away, Lin Wushui asked,

“Shall we go out for a walk?”

“Sure.”

Zhang Xianyu tied up the kitchen trash.

Lin Wushui took it from him, and Zhang Xianyu pushed him downstairs.

The Family Quarters at Jiangcheng University were on the east side of campus.

The buildings had been rebuilt many times, evolving from seven-story walk-ups to the grand high-rises of today.

Most of the residents were staff families and students.

Especially students—since Jiangcheng University Affiliated Middle School, one of the city’s top schools, was right next door, many families bought or rented apartments here to be close for their children’s education.

After tossing the trash, Zhang Xianyu pushed Lin Wushui through the plaza downstairs.

The evening air was already turning cool.

The square dancers were out in full force, and students were playing basketball on the nearby courts.

Zhang Xianyu breathed out contentedly.

He liked this lively, everyday atmosphere.

Being in the midst of it, he felt the vibrant energy and hope.

He couldn’t help but be infected by the positivity.

He pushed Lin Wushui under a tree and planned to sit on a bench for a while.

Just as he was about to sit down, a commotion broke out not far away.

The square dancing stopped, the basketball players scattered, and everyone gathered beneath one of the buildings.

They were all looking up at the roof, whispering to each other.

Zhang Xianyu squinted and saw someone standing on the rooftop.

It was too far to see clearly, so he bent down and whispered to Lin Wushui,

“Looks like someone’s about to jump. Want to go check it out?”

He pushed Lin Wushui to the edge of the crowd.

Looking up again, Zhang Xianyu could see it was a young boy on the rooftop.

The boy was thin and teetering on the edge, as if he might fall at any moment.

People below were shouting for him not to do anything rash.

Someone had already called the police.

In less than ten minutes, officers arrived—some clearing the crowd, some setting up air cushions, and two security guards heading upstairs, probably to talk him down.

The boy stood at the edge the whole time.

Backlit by the sun, his expression was unclear, but Zhang Xianyu could vaguely see his lips moving, as if he was talking to someone.

“Poor kid,” someone nearby whispered.

“I heard he tried to die with a girl in his second year. The girl died, but he was saved.”

“Yeah, after that his mind wasn’t right. He used to have great grades, but I heard he only got into a second-tier college this year…”

The crowd was made up of neighbors, all familiar with each other, whispering about the boy’s story—some with sympathy, but more with a taste for gossip.

Not long after the police arrived, the boy’s parents showed up, anxiously pushing through the crowd and going upstairs with the officers.

What followed was a long standoff.

The police and his parents must have been persuasive, because the boy finally hesitated and took a small step away from the edge.

The crowd below collectively sighed in relief.

But just as everyone thought it was over, the boy suddenly froze, then, without warning, turned and leapt off the roof.