Xue Shun naturally heard Shen Chang Le call out "Teacher!" He suddenly realized, turning to look at the two figures' backs. "So he's a teacher. No wonder he doesn't need to wear a uniform. He looks about our age. Wait, why are these students walking towards us?"
The students who had been sparsely walking around them suddenly moved towards them with a clear purpose after Shen Chang Le left. A long-haired girl walked up behind Lao Qian and put her hand on his shoulder.
Old Qian looked at the girl's pretty face, somewhat smitten. "Hello, little beauty."
"You're not from our school," the girl said slowly. "We don't have students as ugly as you at our school."
Old Qian's expression changed. Facing the girl, who was a head shorter than him, he became aggressive, cursing, "Damn it, did your mother teach you how to talk like that?!"
Upon hearing the curse, Sister Yin and One-Eyed's expressions changed, but they didn't stop Old Qian.
The girl sneered, biting down on Old Qian's arm. Old Qian screamed, and in the next second, she ripped a chunk of flesh from his arm.
Old Qian couldn't break free and tried to kick, but suddenly a large mouth full of sharp teeth appeared on the girl's leg, biting off half his leg.
One-Eyed's expression changed drastically. "It's a Mouth-Full Monster."
Mouth-Full Monsters are common NPC monsters in dungeons, but they are exceptionally troublesome. Melee combat is practically hopeless; only ranged firepower can suppress them. High-level Mouth-Full Monsters can even swallow bullets.
Sister Yin grabbed a piece of wood from the ground, separating the girl and Old Qian. Then, she grabbed Old Qian, who had lost a leg, and they ran.
Xue Shun and Ding Yang were terrified. They couldn't understand why the girl, who seemed normal just a moment ago, had transformed into a flesh-eating monster.
Xue Shun's limbs went weak, but Ding Yang reacted quickly, hurriedly pulling him to catch up with Sister Yin and the other two.
Strangely, the students didn't pursue them. The girl who bit Old Qian disgustedly scooped up some water from the small pond, rinsed her mouth, and said, "So fat and greasy, disgusting."
Her companion handed her water, saying gleefully, "Anyway, they won't survive tonight. The first-year patrol list is out; they're on duty tonight."
Meanwhile, Yan Chi was still worried about the outsiders. Their group was too strange: a menacing one-eyed man, a young, cold-looking woman with short hair, a greasy middle-aged man, and two young children.
They didn't seem to be working together.
Especially the two children; although tall, their childishness was undeniable, making them stand out conspicuously among the adults.
And the adults didn't seem like good people either. Yan Chi couldn't help but worry about the two children and the adults, fearing they might harm the students.
Xi Chang didn't come to dinner tonight. He told Yan Chi beforehand he was going swimming, so only Shen Chang Le was at home with him.
During dinner, Yan Chi suddenly asked Shen Chang Le if he knew where the student dormitories were. "I'm really worried about them. I'll go check on them tonight."
Shen Chang Le looked up: "You...you're worried about them?"
Yan Chi was preoccupied. "I'm always worried that those people from outside the school might hurt them. Tonight is Sethia and Tan Mo's first patrol. What if something happens..."
Shen Chang Le: "Don't worry, even if those people from outside the school get hurt, they'll be fine."
Yan Chi: "I still need to go see them to feel at ease."
Unable to convince Yan Chi, Shen Chang Le told him the location of the student dormitories, "They're near the third teaching building. You'll have to walk across most of the school to get there."
Yan Chi smiled: "It's okay, I'm an adult."
Shen Chang Le was still worried. He planned to ask his uncle if he had time and was willing to accompany the teacher. Of course, there was something even more crucial.
He sent a message in their small group chat.
【The teacher is going to check the dorms tonight. Be careful, don't let the teacher notice anything amiss.】
【Mingcai: Okay!】
【Tanmo: Received】
【Sethia: Should I hide my snacks?】
【Ahui: Should I hide my flowers too?】
【Xingluo: Sethia, just hide the live food. Ahui, don't let your flowers bite anyone, or you'll scare our Teacher Chi into the infirmary again, hahaha.】
[…]
The bright moon hung high in the sky, the campus shrouded in darkness was quiet and still. The rustling of insects came from the grass. Under the warm yellow light of the streetlights, Yan Chi and Shen Mingsu walked side by side.
Yan Chi secretly glanced at Shen Mingsu, who was a head taller than him, and sighed slightly. After he went outside earlier, he saw Shen Mingsu waiting at the gate of his house.
"Going to check the dorms? Let's go together."
Yan Chi wanted to refuse, but Shen Mingsu had already pulled him along. "There are people from other schools visiting today. It's not safe for you to walk alone. I'll go with you."
Yan Chi glanced at Shen Mingsu's 1.9-meter height, his excellent shoulder-to-body ratio, and the clearly defined muscles beneath his sleeves, and swallowed his refusal.
And so, the two walked awkwardly down the street.
Fortunately, Shen Mingsu wasn't one to let conversations fall flat. He easily started a conversation, "I tried making egg tarts today too, but for some reason, they always burned, or the crust was burnt while the filling wasn't cooked through. Chang Le is so picky, he took one look and ran off to eat yours."
Yan Chi couldn't help but chuckle, thinking for a moment, "It's probably because your oven temperature wasn't set properly, or you didn't beat the eggs well enough when making the filling, so there was too much moisture."
Shen Mingsu looked enlightened, nodding thoughtfully, "I see. But I'm so clumsy, Teacher Yan, how about you come to my house and give me some pointers next time?"
Yan Chi was taken aback, looking up at Shen Mingsu. In the moonlight, his handsome face was bathed in a white glow, his nose high and straight, his thin lips slightly curved, and his emerald green eyes were full of laughter as he looked at Yan Chi.
This face perfectly matched Yan Chi's aesthetic sense, and he couldn't help but stare at it for a while longer. It wasn't until Shen Mingsu chuckled softly, a slight blush rising to his fair earlobes, that Yan Chi snapped out of his reverie. "Sorry, I was daydreaming."
Shen Mingsu seemed to be in a good mood. "It's alright, I don't mind."
His words made Yan Chi feel the atmosphere become a little awkward. He awkwardly turned his head away, looking at the flowers and plants by the roadside, exposing his porcelain-white, delicate neck to Shen Mingsu's gaze.
Both of them remained silent for a moment.
Shen Mingsu: "...Teacher Yan, do you really like children?"
"Why do you say that?"
"I've noticed you're very kind to every student in your class, um... in every way."
Speaking of children, Yan Chi nodded, his eyes filled with amusement as he thought of them. "Because they're so cute. The things they say and do are so innocent and childlike. Being with them makes me feel very relaxed."
Shen Mingsu's tone held a hint of hostility. "That's not necessarily true. They have their little schemes too."
"Little schemes that are obvious are also interesting, don't you think?" Yan Chi said. "Like today, Chang Le told me your cooking was terrible. I know he was just pretending to be pitiful so he could keep eating here, but it's cute, isn't it?"
Shen Mingsu gritted his teeth inwardly. "Cute, of course cute."
So cute he wanted to punch the kids.
Chatting and laughing all the way, they soon arrived at the student apartments. Similar to the faculty apartments, the student apartments were two-story duplexes, with two students sharing one unit.
However, since Shen Chang Le didn't live in the student dormitory, Xingluo, who was supposed to share an apartment with him, went to Sethia and Tan Mo's apartment, cleared out the study, and the three of them lived together.
The four apartments were 201 to 204.
Yan Chi went to 201 first. Mingcai and Ahui lived in 201. Before even getting close, Yan Chi smelled a fragrant aroma. Lush wisteria covered the entire courtyard, and two hanging plants flanked the gate.
This was exactly the courtyard Yan Chi had always dreamed of. He couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder it's a place for girls."
Shen Mingsu: "You really like flowers?"
Yan Chi touched the soft petals. "Yes, they're very beautiful."
The edges of the petals curled up slightly, as if they were blushing.
"When the commercial street outside is repaired, shall we go buy some flower seeds together?"
Yan Chi readily agreed, "Okay."
A promise was made just like that. Yan Chi called out to Mingcai and Ahui from outside the courtyard gate.
A second-floor window opened, and Mingcai leaned halfway out, waving to Yan Chi in a clear voice, "Good evening, teacher!"
"Good evening, Mingcai." Yan Chi looked around. "Is Ahui there?"
"Yes, yes."
Mingcai tugged at her, and Ahui appeared at the window. Ahui's thick hair was loose, and she seemed a little reserved. She nodded shyly, "Good evening, teacher."
"Good evening." Yan Chi reminded them, "Be careful, there are people from another school tonight."
Mingcai smiled, "Teacher, please be careful too. Principal, you must protect the teachers."
Shen Mingsu: "You don't need to tell me."
After confirming that Mingcai and Ahui were both in the apartment, Yan Chi and Shen Mingsu continued to the next apartment. As they passed the wisteria wall, Shen Mingsu put his arm around Yan Chi's waist and pulled him closer.
Yan Chi looked up at him, puzzled.
Shen Mingsu: "There's a bug."
Yan Chi turned his head and saw a small flying insect perched on a wisteria flower before slowly flying away.
Yan Chi wasn't afraid of bugs, but since it was Shen Mingsu's kindness, he still thanked him.
On the second floor of room 201, Mingcai and Ahui watched Yan Chi and Shen Mingsu enter 202. Mingcai breathed a sigh of relief, "That was close, we almost got caught."
"They haven't finished eating yet." Ahui waved her hand, and the wisteria climbing the wall parted slightly, revealing half of the man's body. The obese man's eyes were wide open, his eyeballs bloodshot. The vines coiled around his body, slowly devouring his flesh.
The man wasn't completely dead yet; his fingers stubbornly stretched out. If Shen Mingsu hadn't pulled Yan Chi, he probably would have seen that finger.
Ahui: "Eat slowly."
The vines closed again, covering the middle-aged man's terrified face.
"Lets go to sleep," Mingcai said to Ahui, closing the window.
But in that instant, a dark shadow slammed against the window with a loud thud, then plummeted to the ground.
Mingcai was startled. "What was that?"
Ahui opened the window and looked down. There was a person lying on the lawn. "It's nothing, it's Tan Mo."
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