Yan Junze really couldn't help but admire Zhou Dali.
A serious and terrifying incident involving red high-heeled shoes had been transformed by this guy into a comedy sketch that had Yan Junze trying not to laugh, suddenly very curious to see what Fat Wang from Class Six looked like right now.
Chatting and laughing, the two walked into the campus of Shuntian No.3 Middle School. It was here that Yan Junze finally felt the comfort of being reborn.
As a top research assistant in his past life in Hua Country, securing a master's degree in this era was no problem at all, so high school knowledge posed no difficulty for Yan Junze now.
Instead, he quite enjoyed the tranquil life on campus.
Yan Junze and Zhou Dali were students of Class 5 of Senior Year Three, with only a wall separating them from Fat Wang's Class 6. Yan Junze had made a point of asking around; indeed, Fat Wang had taken a week off, confirming Zhou Dali's words.
It took Yan Junze a day to roughly understand the situation at school.
Firstly, the original owner of the body was above average academically, so his sudden improvement in grades now was reasonable and not likely to arouse suspicion.
What Yan Junze feared was the possibility that the former student was a poor performer because an academic achiever taking over would make it difficult to give it his all.
Then there was the college entrance exam in less than two months, putting the senior year under immense pressure. Even with supernatural events causing disruptions, Shuntian City's exorcists would prioritize dealing with any strangeness for the senior year, ensuring students a clean, healthy, green, and pure learning environment, free of any negative energy.
The homeroom teacher of Class 5 of Senior Year Three was a middle-aged man with a greasy belly, named Xiang Decai. Yan Junze had discovered that Teacher Xiang's knowledge was indeed as expansive as his prominent beer belly, living up to the description of being profoundly learned.
Yan Junze didn't have much of an impression of the other teachers, except that the sight of Teacher Zhang Tiantian, who taught American English, made the Yan Junze who had no girlfriend in his previous life momentarily bright-eyed, only to extinguish that spark right after.
Zhang Tiantian was of the petite and cute type, which most boys found irresistible, but not Yan Junze. He did like beautiful women, but not those who needed his constant protection.
Independent, thoughtful, not timid, relying on him only when necessary, yet calmly dealing with issues on her own — for such girls, Yan Junze had absolutely no resistance. (Note this down, it's important.)
After a day's classes, Yan Junze found that Shuntian No.3 Middle School seemed quite normal; there was no talk of abandoned ancient wells, no strange staircases with 13 steps, no off-limits fifth toilet cubicle.
This made Yan Junze wonder if the exorcists had set up a barrier in the school, completely shutting out all supernatural events.
At the same time, Yan Junze kept reminding himself that there were no superpowers or cultivation here, just pure urban strangeness.
Zhou Dali was very active at school, and Yan Junze also learned that this guy's hefty build was closely tied to his family's genes. Reportedly, he weighed a hefty eleven pounds at birth.
Zhou Dali also liked to chant a rather lame motto which was, "Shuntian No.3 has Dali, and Dali can work miracles."
It was undeniable, he was like a bear.
Lunch was had at school, so it didn't cost much. Only after school did some students go out to buy snacks nearby.
Yan Junze didn't have this habit. After school, he went straight home, and by the time he arrived, his mother Li Man was already cooking.
Li Man's work schedule wasn't fixed, depending on the cleaning company's roster, sometimes so busy that she couldn't return home on weekends.
Yan Junze couldn't cook. After swiftly completing his homework, he helped Li Man serve dinner and cleaned up the kitchen.
Later, his father Yan Daguo arrived home, and the family gathered around the dining table.
Concerning their son's academic performance, the couple wasn't too worried. If Yan Junze continued to maintain his previous grades, getting into one of the top five universities in the Tianmeng District of Great Capital under Huaying University was very hopeful.
So what Yan Daguo was more concerned about was his son's emotions and physical condition. After eating a few bites of food, he asked, "Did you sleep well last night?"
Yan Junze knew it was the dark circles under his eyes that betrayed him; he had only slept three to four hours the previous night, so it was normal for him to look this way. He didn't plan to hide the truth.
"Well, I couldn't fall asleep for a long time after seeing that thing and then I don't know when I fell asleep."
"Did you hear any knocking?" Yan Daguo asked further.
This question was meant to confirm whether Yan Junze had been asleep before two in the morning. Undeniably, the midnight knocking of the old woman was more punctual than an alarm clock.
"No," Yan Junze concealed the truth.
Yan Daguo nodded, having a rough idea of when Yan Junze had rested.
Li Man spoke up, "Have you finished your homework?"
"It's done, and I've finished reviewing as well," Yan Junze put down his chopsticks and took a few sips of soup, "I plan to go to bed early today to make up for last night's sleep."
"Mhm, get some rest early," Yan Daguo said, reaching out to ruffle Yan Junze's hair.
After dinner, Yan Junze chatted with his parents in the living room for a while, and around eight-thirty, he went to wash up and then headed to his bedroom.
To avoid disturbing their son, Li Man turned down the volume of the TV in the living room. Even though she and Yan Daguo spoke in deliberately lowered voices, their words still reached Yan Junze's ears.
Yan Daguo said, "You should buy some sedative oral liquid tomorrow to help our son with his health."
Li Man must have nodded as her voice came through, "Mhm, I will go down to the pharmacy first thing in the morning. Ze has indeed been studying hard recently. Today was the first time I've ever seen him finish reviewing so early."
"Sigh," Yan Daguo let out a sigh, "What's with the world these days? Ordinary life pressure is already suffocating enough, and now there's suddenly an increase in strangenesses. With the double pressure on the body and mind, how are people supposed to live?"
"Especially since Ze is facing the college entrance exams, and with the house in its current state, Daguo, can you think of any solutions?" Li Man asked.
Yan Daguo fell silent.
After a while, he spoke again, "Today I went to see our factory director, who has connections in the city. As long as we're willing to pay, the director said he can go and ask for us, to cut in line so we can get the bathroom issue sorted as soon as possible."
"How much will it cost?" Li Man inquired.
Yan Daguo must have gestured a number because their conversation fell silent once again.
After some time, Li Man sighed, "If there's really no other way, I'll go to the company and get an advance on my salary. Together with our savings, that should be enough."
"We must deal with it as soon as possible," Yan Daguo didn't stop Li Man, "I will go withdraw money tomorrow. Once we have enough, I'll give it to the factory director and ask him to negotiate for us, to resolve this issue quickly so our son can focus on his exams."
Yan Junze leaned by the bedroom door and roughly overheard these things; he suddenly felt a complex surge of emotions for the parents of this life and then quietly walked back to his bed to lie down.
It seems that deciding to carry out the "hair washing" task tonight isn't too late.
Provided that it can be successfully completed.