A little after 1 PM, Yan Chi finished tidying up the house and headed to his office. The sun was blazing outside, and Yan Chi's sunburned skin was still red. His skin had always been fair, and the sun didn't tan it easily; in severe cases, it would turn red and peel.
Yan Chi carried an umbrella and walked along the campus avenue, choosing the shady spots.
Beside the road was a large lake called Mirror Lake. To prevent students from swimming without permission, the school had built a fence around the lake. Many willows were planted along the shore, making it a beautiful place.
Amidst the lush greenery, a patch of black stood out conspicuously.
The man sat on a small stool on the shore, holding a fishing rod. Fish food was mixed at his feet, and he intently watched the float on the lake's surface.
In this sweltering heat, this man didn't even have an umbrella, brazenly exposing himself to the sun. Yan Chi felt hot just looking at him, but admired the fisherman's passion for fishing.
The fisherman turned his head as if sensing something, and a familiar face came into Yan Chi's view.
Yan Chi was startled, "Teacher Lin?"
Lin Heng hummed in response, rummaged through the bucket, and picked up a fish. "Freshly caught, want some?"
"No, no," Yan Chi quickly waved his hand, glancing at the grass carp struggling violently in his hand. "I just didn't expect you to like fishing."
After all, Lin Heng's face was rather fierce; he didn't seem like the type to enjoy an activity like fishing that required immense patience.
Lin Heng put the fish back in the bucket. "Fishing is a lot of fun."
As he spoke, he gave Yan Chi a less-than-friendly look, "You're not going to throw stones at me, are you?"
Yan Chi was taken aback. "Why would I do something so despicable?"
His answer pleased Lin Heng. "Shen Mingsu is despicable."
Uh…so Shen Mingsu threw stones into the water while he was fishing?
Yan Chi was momentarily speechless, and Lin Heng's words sounded like he was tattling.
Besides, tattling wouldn't do any good. Did they expect an ordinary teacher like him to dissuade the principal?
Yan Chi smiled and said matter-of-factly, "Maybe the principal was just joking."
Lin Heng: "No, he did it on purpose."
Yan Chi felt a wave of embarrassment. Why was this guy so persistent? But he didn't dare speak ill of the principal. He made an excuse that he had to teach and slipped away.
Running back to his office, Yan Chi breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't intend to get involved in the conflict between his colleague and boss. Based on his past experience, he was likely to become cannon fodder.
Yan Chi had barely sat down when a student approached.
Lian Deng peeked out from behind the door. "Teacher."
"Lian Deng," Yan Chi smiled and beckoned, "What brings you here?"
Lian Deng, holding a cardboard box, nodded. He was shy and spoke softly to Yan Chi. "Teacher, could you take care of my little ones for me?"
"Little ones?"
"Yes, these."
Lian Deng handed the box to Yan Chi. Yan Chi looked inside: a stick insect, a piece of bone, and... a wrinkled red water sprite?
Yan Chi had expected small animals like hamsters; Lian Deng's pets were a complete surprise.
Lian Deng blushed. "They want to play with their new classmates, but they're scared of them, so I thought I'd leave them with you."
"It's alright, I'll take good care of them." Yan Chi took the box and placed it on his desk.
Lian Deng happily bowed and thanked him, waving to his precious little ones. "I'll pick you up after school, okay? Be good here without me, don't be naughty."
The stick insect clung to the box, watching Lian Deng leave. Yan Chi seemed to see a hint of reluctance in the little creature.
"Good boy." Yan Chi patted its little head.
The stick insect was surprisingly affectionate, rubbing its little head against Yan Chi's finger, and then, with a kick of one leg, the red sponge ball rolled to the very edge of the box.
"Don't bully your friends!" Yan Chi had no resistance to such a tiny creature. With a gentle flick of his finger, the red water sponge rolled back to the center of the box. “There’s a little pillow here too.” Yan Chi picked up the water sponge and placed it on the small pillow. “That way it won’t roll around.”
But why is this little sponge ball fading color?
Yan Chi looked at the red stain on his finger, lost in thought. He used to play with water sponges when he was little, and back then, the color never faded. How come the quality of the water sponges has gotten worse over the years?
Won’t it turn transparent if I put it in water like this?
“Click, click…”
The stick insect touched Yan Chi’s finger, rubbing its long leg against it, and the red stain quickly disappeared.
This little guy was wiping him clean?! Yan Chi was amazed by the stick insect’s intelligence. “Thank you.”
The stick insect wriggled its body, covering its little eyes with its front legs, as if it were shy. Yan Chi was amused by his association. No wonder Lian Deng treated them like treasures; they were indeed very cute.
"Do you like fruit?" Yan Chi remembered that stick insects were omnivorous. He took an apple, peeled a slice for the stick insect, and the little insect stretched out half its body to sniff it before eating from his hand.
Yan Chi rested his chin on his hand, watching the little creature eat with a smile. He loved all cute creatures; perhaps he could keep a kitten?
Suddenly, his gaze fell on the small bone lying alone beside the cardboard box. "The water sponge has a little pillow, and the stick insect has an apple to eat, so what about you?"
After thinking for a moment, Yan Chi tore off a piece of paper, folded it into the shape of a little skirt, tied it to the bone, looked it over, and was quite satisfied.
After bringing the water, Yan Chi went about his business, putting the cardboard box aside, and thus failed to see the originally grayish-white bone slowly turning a shy pink.
Lian Deng rushed to the office after school. "Teacher, I've come to pick up my little ones."
Yan Chi handed the cardboard box back to him. "Your little ones are all so cute."
"Yes, yes!" Lian Deng's eyes sparkled. He looked at Yan Chi as if he were looking at a kindred spirit, full of affection. "Teacher, you made a little dress for Xiao Yi! It loves it! Thank you!"
"Xiao Yi?" Yan Chi felt the name sounded familiar. Pointing to the stick insect, "Is this little guy Xiao Er?"
"Yes."
It was getting stranger. He seemed to have heard those two names before, a strange sense of déjà vu.
Could it have been a dream?
Yan Chi chuckled at his thought and ruffled Lian Deng's hair. "Alright, you should go back now."
"Mmm." Lian Deng said reluctantly, "Goodbye, Teacher."
Yan Chi: "Goodbye."
In the corridor, Lian Deng walked along, looking at the bone in the cardboard box with delight. He praised it, "Xiao Yi, you look so pretty in your dress! You're such a beautiful baby!"
The bone, which had originally been just a small piece, instantly transformed. A paper pleated skirt now surrounded the skeleton's body. The skeleton, holding the hem of the skirt, looked a little shy, but happily twirled around in front of Lian Deng, showing off its new dress.
The stick insect tried to touch the skirt, but Xiao Yi domineeringly swung its forelegs away, not allowing it to touch its skirt.
Xiao Er was unhappy and poked Xiao San, the water sponge, almost causing it to deflate. The water sponge angrily swung its thin threads at it.
Lian Deng stopped them, "You can't fight, you're all good babies."
"Also, we'll have a new roommate tonight. He's a player, but a player you can't eat, so please don't accidentally eat him..."
Lian Deng's admonitions faded into the distance.
The sun set, and night gradually fell.
Ding Yang, led by Mingcai and Ahui, arrived at apartment 401. Mingcai and Ahui chatted and laughed the whole way; setting aside their high-risk NPC status, they seemed no different from ordinary good friends.
Ding Yang's guard was down when she suddenly saw the wall covered in wisteria. She stopped abruptly, a chill creeping up her spine. She would never forget the scene of Old Qian being swallowed by the wisteria wall.
"Aren't you coming?" Mingcai asked, seeing Ding Yang hadn't followed. "If you don't come, you won't have anywhere to sleep tonight."
Ding Yang glanced at the wisteria wall, pointing at it. "If I go over there, will it swallow me?"
Ahui replied coldly, "No."
"Okay."
Ding Yang took a deep breath, then followed Mingcai and Ahui. As she passed the wisteria wall, she held her breath, staring intently at the beautiful purple waterfall.
Even after she was far away, the wisteria remained perfectly still. A gentle breeze blew by, causing the purple sea of flowers to sway slightly; from a distance, it looked like just an ordinary plant.
Because of Yan Chi, Mingcai and Ahui didn't embarrass Ding Yang too much, but they weren't overly enthusiastic either. They showed her to a room and gave her some changes of clothes.
Perhaps because they were all girls and the other party meant her no harm, Ding Yang slowly lowered her guard and sincerely thanked Mingcai and Ahui. Mingcai waved her hand. "It's alright, tell me if anything comes up."
Mingcai was lively and cheerful, always speaking her mind, while Ahui was the opposite, easily discerning others' subtle thoughts.
Seeing Ding Yang sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the wisteria wall, Ahui quietly sat down beside her, her voice calm, "Are you sad for your companion?"
Ding Yang looked around, making sure she was talking to her, and pursed her lips. "No, he's dead. I just think he deserved it."
Old Qian, that disgusting, greasy middle-aged man—Ding Yang felt that even recalling him was an affront to her brain cells.
Ahui chuckled softly. "Don't be afraid, your system will take you back in two days."
Ding Yang suddenly looked up, staring at Ahui in shock.
Mingcai spoke up: "What, you think we shouldn't know because we're NPCs?"
Ding Yang's mind was unusually clear. "...You're not NPCs."
"Not hopelessly stupid yet," Mingcai commented bluntly, her light gray eyes fixed on Ding Yang. "Besides, I know everything, like how you're not even a student who just finished the college entrance exam."
Ding Yang forced a calm expression. "I am."
"No, you're not." Mingcai pressed closer to her eyes. "According to your academic system, you're a PhD student, skipping grades and smoothly entering the best university in your world. And you told that idiot you were just a high school graduate because you thought he was a college student too."
"Similar backgrounds can lower people's guard, leading them to team up." Mingcai laid bare her thoughts: "Those two veteran players are destined to have no real feelings for you, and you find that old man stupid and disgusting, so you plan to win over Xue Shun."
"If things go smoothly, he can be your ally; if not, he can be your scapegoat."
Ding Yang remained silent for a long time, then looked up at Mingcai. "Yes, you're absolutely right."
So, now that she knows how despicable she is, is she going to curse her, or perhaps just kill her...?
"Hahaha, you're amazing!" Mingcai gave her a thumbs up. "Very impressive, I admire you."
Ding Yang was stunned, but Mingcai had no intention of explaining. She got up to water the flowers with Ahui, leaving Ding Yang alone in the living room in silence.
On the third night, Ding Yang was doing her homework in her room when she suddenly heard voices coming from the living room. Besides Mingcai and Ahui, there was also the gentle voice of a mature woman.
"Sweetie, have you been eating well lately? Do you want Mommy to bring you and Ahui lunch this weekend? I'll bring you your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs."
Mingcai happily replied, "Okay, okay! I want candied chestnuts, the little sweet kind."
The woman readily agreed, "Okay, Mommy will bring them for you. What does Ahui want to eat?"
Ahui thought for a moment, "I'll eat the same as Mingcai, thank you, Auntie."
"It's alright, sweeties, be good at school, Mommy will come see you this weekend."
After the call ended, Ding Yang came out of the room, looking somewhat distracted. "Sorry, I accidentally overheard your conversation."
Mingcai waved her hand. "So what if you heard? It's not a big deal, no need to apologize."
This time, Ding Yang didn't go back to her room alone. Her eyes held envy and a hint of incomprehension. "Was that your mother who was talking to you just now?"
Ahui: "Yes, it's Mingcai's mother."
Mingcai nodded.
Ding Yang murmured to herself, "Your mom... calls you 'baby'."
Mingcai nodded matter-of-factly, "Yeah, doesn't your mom call you 'baby'?"
Ding Yang shook his head, "...Never."
Mingcai and Ahui exchanged a glance. Mingcai pulled her close, flashing a bright smile, "Then how about we call you 'baby,' Ding Yang, baby?"
Ahui also uttered two words expressionlessly: "Baby."
The word "baby" came from their mouths, even though they had only known each other for two days.
Ding Yang's eyes reddened slightly, her voice choked, "Th-thank you."
Meanwhile, Xue Shun hid under the covers, shivering. Three large monsters stood beside his bed, the stick insect staring longingly at the bulge on the bed.
The skeleton, still wearing a little dress, proudly twirled the hem in front of the stick insect, which shoved it aside.
The third monster was a head without skin, just a layer of muscle tissue, with dense blue veins hanging down below.
All three monsters obeyed Lian Deng's orders and didn't attack Xue Shun, but they were incredibly greedy, thinking that looking at him wouldn't hurt them.
Xue Shun could see these terrifying monsters just by peeking out from under the covers. He choked back a sob, then quickly covered his mouth, silently praying for the sun to rise soon.
He couldn't take this anymore!
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