Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The dormitory was on the third floor of the building.

While climbing the stairs, Ye Jishu glanced at the hallway.

There was an elevator there.

But the elevator doors were tightly closed.

The exterior walls were already showing signs of wear and tear, and the edges of the iron doors were slightly rusted and yellowed.

The math department's dormitory was housed in an old, decrepit building.

Although an elevator had been installed, no one dared to use it due to its unreliable operation and aging condition.

Rumors circulated that there had been serious issues.

The incident was so bizarre it became a campus legend.

It happened a few years ago.

The school, as usual, closed for summer vacation in July.

The last student to leave was tragically trapped in the aging elevator. Worse, the operator had left, and with no phone signal, the student couldn't call for help. The student was left to languish in the narrow, dark space.

In the end, the student starved to death.

When the elevator door was finally opened, the stench was overwhelming.

In the summer heat, food left overnight would reek of fermentation. The moment the sealed, coffin-like elevator was opened, the putrid stench assaulted the senses. The floor was slick with a sticky, flesh-colored liquid...

But this was merely a rumor.

Their university was top-tier, with patrols even during summer vacation.

Moreover, if a student went missing without explanation, their family would surely panic. Even if they called the police, the authorities would quickly contact the school. The student didn't vanish in some remote wilderness; a quick check of the surveillance footage would have found them.

Of course, Ye Jishu had heard a more detailed account.

The student stayed late, worried about failing advanced algebra and mathematical analysis after checking the exam answers. They cried in the dorm, unaware everyone had left, leading to their tragic entrapment.

"..."

Totally understandable.

The math department could drive anyone crazy.

This was a horror story only math students could tell.

In a week, Ye Jishu would learn the results of his mathematical modeling competition.

If something like "failing" happened, he might also cry out loud.

Thinking of this, his grip on his backpack tightened slightly.

So, this was clearly a novel, why was it set so realistically? He was just a nameless background character, was the math department setting a joke on him? He would rather study something relatively easier like folklore, just like the protagonist...

Lost in thought, he continued climbing the stairs.

He soon arrived at his dormitory floor.

His dorm room number was 311, and the rooms were arranged from the innermost part, so it was at the very end of the hallway.

When he pushed the door open, the dorm room looked unusually spacious.

Since the School of Mathematical Sciences didn’t have many students, even though the school assigned four people to a room, in practice, only three people usually lived there.

Each person had their own locker.

The beds were loft beds with desks below, so there was no worry about mixing up their stuff.

As for his three roommates:

One was a local, so he didn’t stay there often, and his bed had gathered a layer of dust.

As for the other one—

Ye Jishu set his backpack on his desk and glanced across the room.

The bed curtain was tightly closed.

Even though they heard him open the door, there was no movement from that bunk.

Only when he turned around, took off his sportswear, and put on a casual jacket did he hear some faint rustling sounds from behind, followed by a focused gaze that felt almost physical, landing on his back, trying to go unnoticed.

Someone was watching him.

After putting on his jacket, Ye Jishu turned around and, as expected, saw that the previously tightly closed bed curtain had shifted, now slightly open, revealing a narrow slit, with the fabric on both sides crumpled by nervous fingers, and a single eye peeking through the gap.

It was this eye, quietly watching him.

When he suddenly turned around, the roommate was clearly startled, probably shrinking back, making the bed frame creak unnervingly.

"I, I was reading the advanced algebra book," he hurriedly said.

As if responding to his words, the sound of papers rustling came from the darkness of the bed, appearing flustered and extremely panicked.

Ye Jishu didn’t speak.

The two of them stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.

Seeing that he wasn’t angry, the other seemed to finally muster some courage, looking at Ye Jishu, cautiously and stammering like a fly.

"I, you, you have his scent... that, you, are you going on a date?"

The word "he" was used in the sentence.

But who it referred to was self-evident.

Ye Jishu’s face remained expressionless.

No mistake—

The other roommate was probably a socially anxious, yandere otaku.

They had never met.

—But, the person before him used "his scent."

Yan Mei doesn't usually wear perfume.

But every time they meet, Ye Jishu can smell a faint, indescribable yet very pleasant scent from him.

It makes you want to get closer and just keep hugging.

The roommate probably picked up the scent from somewhere, but Ye Jishu doesn't want to know the specifics.

Because that's probably just how he is.

Even though the protagonist has never spoken to him, or even met him face to face, he fell in love at first sight after accidentally seeing a photo on the school forum, and has since become uncontrollably infatuated, constantly keeping tabs on the protagonist.

Originally, he and Ye Jishu were roommates who kept their distance, but after finding out that Ye Jishu was the protagonist's boyfriend, he poured a lot of energy into watching him.

And now, hearing that he was going on a date, the look in his eyes was a desperate attempt to stop him, probably out of jealousy.

That's why he whispered, "Can't you not go..."

"No."

Not wanting to elaborate, Ye Jishu pulled the charger from his sports jacket and shoved it into his new jacket pocket, then left the dorm.

Despite his aloof demeanor.

He could still feel the roommate's gaze, almost tangible, piercing his back through the gap in the bed curtain.

...

Ye Jishu went downstairs.

From afar, he could see Yan Mei, still standing where he said he'd be when he left, head down, seemingly on his phone.

But he wasn't alone.

Right in front of him, two people stood in his way, apparently trying to talk to him.

From Ye Jishu's perspective, he could only see the strangers' faces, completely missing Yan Mei's expression.

It was a man and a woman.

The girl was a stranger, but the man looked oddly familiar.

Ye Jishu frowned slightly, quickly zipped up his jacket, and sped towards the group.

Just as he approached, he could already hear the faint noise coming from there.

What's going on.

Someone nearby whispered, "Is that the person? From the art department?"

Art department.

The keyword caught his ear.

Ye Jishu paused.

He remembered who that was.

That famous rich second-generation.

He is famous not only because of his family background but also because of his extremely messy personal life.

It is said that he is bisexual, and his tactics are disgusting. Even though his last girlfriend was driven to jump off a building, it was covered up due to his powerful connections.

A week ago, he brazenly declared in a public class that he "would definitely win over Yan Mei."

"So what if he has a boyfriend?"

He sneered, boasting to the people beside him, "That's because he hasn't met me yet. No matter who it is, I can definitely get them."

Ye Jishu happened to be in that public class as well.

He paused his mobile game.

He looked up and took a good look at the man.

It was at that moment that he noted the contours of that face.

He initially wanted to confront him directly, but after remembering who the man was, his steps slowed down.

Should he approach now?

This rich second-generation heir was probably one of Yan Mei's suitors as well.

"..."

In the end, Ye Jishu halted and stood at a distance, watching the group.

His eyebrows slightly raised, his eyes narrow and long, exuding a typical arrogant appearance. Up close, this face, which he remembered as being overbearing, seemed even more haughty. Even though he was trying to suppress his temper and deliberately softened his voice to coax someone, it still felt off.

As for the other person.

The girl had her head bowed low, hanging down to her collarbone, her shoulders slumped. Her long, straight hair, unkempt, fell forward, covering half of her face.

Ye Jishu saw her biting her lower lip, her thin fingers gripping her clothes until they wrinkled.

Rumor had it that she was his current girlfriend.

How twisted.

To bring his current girlfriend along while chasing after someone else right in front of her.

"Just a cheap decoration."

What decoration?

Ye Jishu's gaze shifted to Yan Mei.

He was the topic of discussion at that moment.

Yet, even so, his profile was icy, expressionless as he looked down at his phone, making others feel as insignificant as ants.

When he lifted his eyelids to glance at someone, it gave them chills.

However, the person being looked at seemed oblivious. Instead, under his prolonged gaze, their cheeks and neck flushed with an unhealthy flush, as if even their breathing had become scorching, making the surrounding air feel slightly heated.

"Cheap?" Yan Mei said.

Ye Jishu looked at his hand.

On the phone case's charm holder, only a broken black zipper ring remained, the small doll that had been hanging from it was gone.

...Ah.

Oh, that's what it was.

Ye Jishu blinked, finally understanding.

There was supposed to be a small purple-red octopus there.

It was a plastic product, poorly made, probably dirt cheap, maybe even just ten yuan.

The rich kid was right—it was super cheap.

He’d won it himself from a claw machine at the arcade.

It was kind of ugly-cute.

He thought he’d hate it once he held it.

But after staring at it for a few seconds, the other guy had tucked it into his pocket, and it ended up becoming a phone charm.

"I didn’t mean to break it—it was totally an accident that it fell into the lake..."

The rich kid kept rambling on.

At the same time, the arrogance in his eyes was plain to see, and though he was apologizing, he clearly didn’t care about it.

The lake?

Sure enough, there was a man-made lake right below their dorm.

And Yan Mei was standing by the lake now, which was probably how the charm ended up falling into the water when it broke.

He stood there, lost in thought, watching.

Suddenly, Yan Mei, standing in the middle of the crowd, turned his head and locked eyes with him.

Ye Jishu, caught staring: "..."

Those annoyed eyes, which had briefly lit up when they spotted him.

But the moment he noticed the distance between them, the other's face suddenly darkened, like a storm cloud rolling in.

"..."

Yan Mei turned away without a word.

Finally, he turned his attention to the rich kid who was still trying to attract his attention.

"So that's how it is, I completely understand."

Not a question.

Just a plain and ordinary voice.

However, there was finally a reaction.

The rich kid was thrilled and immediately perked up.

However, suddenly meeting those eyes, his body shivered against his will.

His mind went blank.

He stammered, "O-of course, it's just a doll. I can give you anything you want..."

This time, it seemed he had given the correct answer.

The person who had remained cold in front of him finally reacted, a faint smile creeping onto the corner of his mouth.

This was no time for smiling.

At this moment, the smile never reached his eyes, instead, it was tinged with sheer malice.

He said softly, yet with an edge, "Is that so? Then jump down and get it for me."