After class, Yan Chi called Mingcai and Lian Deng to his office alone to ask for their opinions. "...If you find it inconvenient, we can find another place for the new student to stay."
Mingcai didn't mind: "It's fine, let her stay with us. We have empty guest rooms in our apartment anyway."
Lian Deng also agreed.
Thus, Ding Yang and Xue Shun's move into the student apartment was settled. Yan Chi went to his office. The next class was music, so Xi Chang rushed to work.
As always, there were no more than two people in the office. Yan Chi was always there; the other teacher's availability depended on the next class. In Yunzhou, there seemed to be no concept of shift work.
The teachers arrived right on time for class and left immediately afterward, even more punctual than the students.
Xi Chang was in a bad mood, his lips tightly pursed, constantly wiping his arms with a tissue. As soon as he saw Yan Chi, he complained, "Lin Heng said someone came to my house last night and used my swimming pool! It's so annoying!"
Yan Chi was startled. "A thief?"
"It was those annoying people from other schools!" Xi Chang leaned on Yan Chi's shoulder, angrily accusing him, "How could they get into my pool? It's so annoying! And I swam in it as soon as I got back; I must be all dirty now."
He sniffed himself. "Luckily, I don't smell. I'll change the water in the pool after work."
Yan Chi thought Xi Chang probably had a severe case of mysophobia and couldn't stand other people soaking in his pool.
Wait… the pool?
Yan Chi suddenly remembered that Ding Yang and Xue Shun were still wet when they came to see him last night, and they were from other schools—all the evidence combined.
Could they be the thieves? “Um, Xi Chang,” Yan Chi called out to him sheepishly, “I might know who the other students from your school were who went into your pool last night.”
Xi Chang’s eyes burned with interest. “Who was it?”
Yan Chi told him everything that had happened last night, “…It must have been those two kids who hid in your pool to avoid the adults. They’re in class now, and I asked them to go and clean the pool for you?”
Xi Chang was surprised. “So you brought them to class?”
“Yes.”
“The principal agreed?”
“Yeah…it was his suggestion.”
“He must be crazy…” Xi Chang muttered to himself, looking utterly devastated. If there were a ranking of the most hated people in the school, Shen Mingsu would definitely be at the top.
Thinking back, Shen Mingsu had done quite a few outrageous things lately. The most obvious one was that he went from being unpredictable to wandering around the school like he didn't have a job to do.
Lin Heng said he accompanied Yan Chi on dormitory checks last night.
But Shen Mingsu used to avoid students like the plague, fearing they would cause him trouble.
Thinking back, Shen Mingsu's many unusual behaviors started after Yan Chi came to school. Could it be…? Xi Chang pondered for a long time, then suddenly grabbed Yan Chi's arm, "Xiao Chi."
His tone was so serious, and his hand was so cold that Yan Chi subconsciously hummed in agreement, "I'm here."
"You must be careful of the principal. I suspect he has ulterior motives towards you," Xi Chang said seriously. "Be very careful, don't let yourself be successfully hunted. He's after you!"
Yes, hunted.
In Xi Chang's view, every move Shen Mingsu made was preparation for a hunt. Cannibalism wasn't uncommon among them. Yan Chi had delicate skin and smelled delicious; it was understandable that Shen Mingsu would consider eating him.
But Xi Chang had come to regard Yan Chi as a good friend these past few days and couldn't just stand by and watch him become the principal's prey.
Yan Chi paused for a moment, then chuckled, "You're overthinking it. Maybe the principal just thought I was new here and unfamiliar with the school environment, so he took care of me. He's not gay."
Xi Chang looked confused. "What's gay?"
"...It's liking people of the same sex." Yan Chi realized something was off. "Didn't you mean the principal was gay?"
"No, I meant he's lusting after you."
Hearing this bold term twice in a row, a faint blush rose on Yan Chi's porcelain-white face. "Okay, okay, he definitely didn't mean that. Don't overthink it."
Xi Chang: "Okay."
A little while later, only Yan Chi was left in the office. He buried himself in writing lesson plans, the scene of his argument with Xi Chang suddenly flashing through his mind. He shook his head with a wry smile. How could the principal possibly like him?
Even if he really was gay, no one would like him; he had no redeeming qualities.
Yan Chi's curled eyelashes drooped, the pen scratching softly on the paper.
After some time, Yan Chi's phone screen lit up. He glanced at the message; the package he'd ordered a few days ago had arrived at the delivery point, and the courier had sent him a pickup code.
The delivery point was located in the guardhouse of Yunzhou School.
Yan Chi was in high spirits and eagerly got up to pick up the package. He'd been drinking plain water for two days, and his mouth tasted bland; the jam he'd bought would come in handy.
Besides that, he'd also bought a bunch of snacks, a life-sized plush bear, and a box of fruit.
There was too much stuff; Yan Chi definitely couldn't carry it all in one trip. After a moment's deliberation between making several trips and asking for help, he chose the former.
Preferring to be tired rather than bother others was a habit Yan Chi had cultivated since childhood.
Yunzhou was a vast area; it took Yan Chi fifteen minutes to walk from the teaching building to the guardhouse.
Inside the guardhouse sat an elderly man who looked to be in his fifties. He was reclining in a chair, his arm missing, the other hand leisurely fanning himself. Yan Chi's packages were on the table in front of him.
Yan Chi politely greeted him, "Hello, Grandpa, I've come to collect my packages."
The old man opened his eyes. It was unclear what he had done in his youth, but he exuded an aura of authority. His subconsciously furrowed brows slowly relaxed when he saw Yan Chi.
A few days earlier, Shen Mingsu had suddenly approached him, putting him in charge of receiving packages in the guardhouse, instructing him to ensure the deliverymen left safely and to properly safeguard the received packages.
The old man had been incredibly curious all day, and now that the owner of the package had arrived, he put on his reading glasses and looked at the name on the delivery address. "Yan Chi, is that you?"
Yan Chi nodded. "Yes, it's me."
"You have too much stuff; you probably can't carry it all by yourself," the old man suggested. "Why don't you ask a few friends to help you?"
Yan Chi smiled. "No need, I'll just carry it in a few more trips."
With that, he started moving the things.
Seeing the old man staring curiously at his packages, Yan Chi opened one of the large items. Inside were fresh apples and oranges. He took a few and gave them to the gatekeeper. "Thank you for keeping them safe for me."
His packages were the only ones in the entire gatehouse; he was probably the only one in the whole school who had ordered takeout.
The gatekeeper took the fruit. "That's good, you have someone deliver things to you."
Thinking the old man probably didn't know how to order, Yan Chi briefly explained how to place an order. The old man immediately pulled out his phone. "Oh, oh, slow down, this old man still doesn't understand."
Yan Chi patiently taught him.
The old man squinted at the order confirmation screen. "Is that all?"
Yan Chi: "Yes, the delivery will arrive in a few days."
The old man kept saying "very good, very good," his face beaming, like a teenager just starting out with the internet, diving headfirst into it, becoming a potential internet addict.
Yan Chi smiled, picked up the largest box, which most likely contained his plush bear.
The round trip between the classroom/apartment and the gatekeeper's room took half an hour. Under the blazing sun, Yan Chi made three trips, his clothes soaked with sweat.
The second time, Yan Chi sat in the guardhouse to catch his breath, sweat dripping from his hair, his exposed skin reddened by the sun.
The old man poured him a glass of water and gave him his large palm-leaf fan, saying irritably, "Getting someone to help you isn't such a hassle, you've exhausted yourself."
Yan Chi brushed the hair hanging over his forehead to one side, revealing his smooth forehead. "It's not good to bother others in this heat."
The old man snorted. "Stubborn as a mule."
Yan Chi smiled but didn't speak. He had heard these words countless times since childhood.
When he was very young, several adults came to the orphanage to adopt children. He was chosen because of his good looks. They said if he called them "Mom" and "Dad," they would take him away.
Yan Chi absolutely refused. They said he had a bad temper.
When he was taking the high school entrance exam, people around him advised him to give up and go work in a factory. They said people like him, without parents, connections, or money, shouldn't expect to have a good education.
He insisted on studying, and his friends said he was being delusional.
Later, he got into university. While tutoring to support himself, the male head of a household tried to have an inappropriate relationship with him. Yan Chi immediately quit his job and told the female head of the household, leading to their divorce.
The male head of the household sent him abusive text messages, accusing him of being hypocritical and saying that society would teach him a lesson for his idealistic nature.
Yan Chi ignored them all.
When he had free time, he easily thought of old times. Yan Chi chuckled, smacked his head, and got up to continue carrying packages. "Grandpa, I'm off!"
The old man: "Don't faint on the way!"
Yan Chi could easily hear the concern in his voice. "Okay."
There were more than a dozen packages in total. Yan Chi took the large bag on the last trip, packing the smaller items back with it.
By the time he got home, it was already noon. His clothes were completely soaked, sticking to his body, making it unbearable.
Yan Chi frowned in disgust, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and then started eating.
Then came the most enjoyable part—unpacking packages!
Packages of all sizes piled up around Yan Chi. He sat on the floor, picked up a package, and started unpacking, tossing the empty boxes aside, humming a tune.
When did he start to become so fond of unpacking packages? Yan Chi's memory was hazy. He only knew that the joy of unpacking gifts and unpacking packages was the same.
The former was a gift from someone else; the latter was a gift he gave himself.
A life-sized plush bear was carefully placed on the bed, the potted plant on the table was watered, and the wind chimes were hung on the window… Yan Chi was painstakingly creating the home of his dreams.
Ding~
Yan Chi glanced at his phone. It was a few pictures sent by Xie Tao. A large pit had appeared on a wide street, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.
[Bald Peach: How scary! This pit seems to have appeared overnight, and it looks like quite a few people have fallen in.]
[Gulu: How could it collapse like this? Is there a subway station under construction?]
[Bald Peach: No, the cause hasn't been found yet.]
Xie Tao's messages kept coming in.
[I heard that this kind of pit isn't just in my area; there are many places with them, but the news is being suppressed for now. Didn't I tell you before that many people are missing? It's very likely they fell into the pit. The scariest thing is that everyone who went down into the pit never came back up.]
[It's over, Xiao Chi, our world is collapsing! It's the end of the world!]
Yan Chi hadn't been watching the news these past few days and knew nothing about the strange pit; there wasn't one at school either.
He wasn't as pessimistic as Xie Tao, comforting him: [It's not the end of the world, maybe some underground construction caused the ground to collapse.]
Xie Tao: [The end of the world is actually pretty good, really, just thinking about my idiot boss dying with me makes me so happy.]
Yan Chi chuckled, [Okay, okay, if you can't stand your boss, just quit, I'll support you.]
Yan Chi wasn't joking; neither he nor Xie Tao were big spenders, and their current salaries were more than enough to support both of them.]
Xie Tao was deeply moved. [Waaaa, Xiao Chi, I love you so much! I'll hold on a little longer, and once I save a million, I'll quit my job.]
Yan Chi: [Please be careful.]
Meanwhile, Shen Mingsu strolled into the guardhouse, full of anticipation. "How's it going? Isn't Yan Chi happy?"
"That stubborn brat... Yan Chi? Of course, he's ecstatic!" The old man poured out his emotions, but his eyes never left his phone. He placed another order in the blink of an eye. "This old man is happy too."
"Stubborn brat?" Shen Mingsu protested. "Why do you say that about him?"
The old man glanced at him. Unlike the others at school, he looked at Shen Mingsu more like a junior. "Oh, you're protecting him now. You like that little stubborn mule?"
Shen Mingsu retorted, "Is that not allowed?"
"Of course, why not?" The old man smiled. "But does he like you? Or rather, does he know you like him?"
A fatal blow.
Shen Mingsu turned and left, making the old man burst into laughter.
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