The moment I held Xiao Ying in my arms, the classroom lights suddenly flickered on, illuminating the room with a harsh brightness that made my eyes sting. The chilling aura that had enveloped the room vanished instantly, as if Feng Lan's lingering resentment had truly dissipated.
Xiao Ying lay quietly in my embrace, her large, glistening eyes blinking at me in confusion, tinged with a hint of tenderness. I stared at her face for a moment, dazed, before realizing my limbs were stiff and tingling. That's when it hit me—I was holding a girl for the first time in my life, and this close at that.
"Ahem…" I coughed lightly, trying to mask my embarrassment. To my surprise, Xiao Ying shyly lowered her head, her cheeks turning a delicate shade of red, and then she closed her eyes.
"Wait, she's awake?!" I thought in shock. I'd always heard that people possessed by spirits typically fall unconscious. How was Xiao Ying not only conscious but also able to look me in the eye? Then again, I myself had been possessed by Yan Xiaoning and felt perfectly fine. Maybe some people are just better at "adapting" to ghostly invasions.
While I was lost in my thoughts, Xiao Xiang shot me a complex look that startled me into letting go. Unfortunately—
"Thud!" Xiao Ying fell straight to the floor.
"I'm so sorry!" I scrambled to apologize, reaching out to help her up. But she simply glanced at me, smiled faintly, and said nothing.
After everything was over, we rearranged the desks and chairs in the classroom, and everyone fled the scene like it was cursed. Even though we had just experienced a terrifying haunting, none of the other classrooms seemed to notice a thing. The eight of us shared a silent understanding: no one was going to talk about this incident. If word spread, it would not only make us the center of attention but might also throw the entire school into a panic.
The four guys—Liu Bin and his crew—showed no chivalry whatsoever, ditching the girls as they ran off. I volunteered to escort Xiao Xiang and the others back to their dorms. On the way, Xiao Xiang remained silent, clearly still shaken. Xiao Ying, however, kept thanking me. Her calm demeanor surprised me, as if she had completely forgotten about being possessed by Feng Lan.
Of course, only Xiao Ying knew that it was me who had driven Feng Lan away. The others assumed the spirit had left on her own. Thinking about this made me feel a little guilty—after all, my method of dealing with Feng Lan was… unconventional. Especially when I remembered the "contribution" I'd made to Xiao Ying's eyelids. Just thinking about it made me too embarrassed to look her in the eye.
After dropping the girls off, I returned to my dorm alone. As soon as I entered, I saw Liu Bin curled up in his bed, wrapped tightly in his blanket like a cocoon. The guy who loved telling ghost stories had clearly been scared out of his wits this time. Meanwhile, Kong Mingfei and Lei Chen were casually snacking on peanuts and drinking. They waved me over to join them when they saw me come in.
"What's up with Big Pig Liu?" Lei Chen squinted at me. "Did he overdose on something tonight?"
"Him?" I smirked and made up a story. "He went to knock on Teacher Qiu's door and got caught red-handed by Director Chen. Guess he's scared out of his mind now."
The two burst out laughing, their mockery of Liu Bin unrestrained. The playful banter lightened my mood, and I sat down to chat with them. Before I knew it, we'd finished two bottles of beer and passed out on our beds.
But the peace didn't last long.
The next morning, I was jolted awake by a commotion in the hallway. Rubbing my bleary eyes, I stepped outside to see the third floor of the dorm packed with people. Amidst the chaotic chatter, I caught wind of a shocking piece of news—Li Dezhi was dead!
Li Dezhi, the guy who sat next to Xiao Ying last night and had been chasing after her since freshman year, was gone. A heavy sense of dread filled my chest. After everything that had happened with Feng Lan last night, could it be… was he killed by her?
I saw his body being carried out under a white sheet. Whispers around me filled the air:
"I heard he died horribly. His eyes were bulging, and his tongue was sticking out like a hanged ghost."
A hanged ghost! The words sent chills down my spine. I quickly slipped away from the crowd and returned to my room, muttering under my breath: "Yan Xiaoning! Are you there?"
"Don't bother me, I'm recovering," her lazy voice echoed in my mind. "Helping you last night nearly drained me to dust."
"Forget recovering! Something's happened!" I whispered urgently, recounting what I'd just learned about Li Dezhi.
She went silent for a moment before responding: "Hmm, it's probably Feng Lan. You embarrassed her last night, so she's holding a grudge. Of course, she'd seek revenge. If this keeps up, she'll kill one person every day until all nine of you are dead."
"What?!" I nearly jumped out of my chair. "What are we supposed to do?"
"Simple. Go to the grove tonight and confront her," she said nonchalantly, as if discussing dinner plans.
"Confront her?!" I nearly shouted. "You're sending me to my death!"
"If you don't go, she'll pick you off one by one. This kind of vengeful spirit is fueled by intense resentment. Running won't save you. Sooner or later, all of you will die."
I slumped into my chair, feeling worse than death. Going meant suicide, but staying meant waiting to die.
"Stop acting dead already," Yan Xiaoning snapped. "I'll go with you tonight. She won't be able to harm you with me around. But after that, how to deal with her is up to you."
"Deal with her?!" I groaned. "I barely survived last time, and you want me to go again?"
"Of course!" she replied with a chuckle. "You're the protagonist; I'm just your support. Good luck, Zhang Zheng!"
Her teasing tone grated on my nerves, but I knew there was no other choice.