Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Now that money was no longer an issue.

The gift had become the new problem.

……What exactly should I buy?

Ye Jishu stared absentmindedly at what was on the blackboard.

He rarely stayed awake, especially since this class highlighted key exam points, but even then, his mind wandered.

The tip of his pen made a scratching sound on the paper.

Yan Mei was in a good financial position.

Most college students wouldn’t drive luxury cars or just casually go to high-end restaurants. In other words, when it came to material things, if Yan Mei wanted something, he could get it without anyone’s help.

So what to give him as a gift, that was the question.

A few girls were sitting in front of him.

Maybe because of something that was said, one girl turned toward another, her ponytail swinging in the air.

Ye Jishu blinked and sat up straight all of a sudden.

“Yan Mei’s hair has gotten a bit long.”

It hung slightly over his neck, making his neck look even more elegant, and Ye Jishu couldn’t help but keep staring.

But in the summer, it always feels oppressively hot and humid.

It’s better to give something practical rather than gifts that Yan Mei doesn’t like.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the class.

Everyone started packing up to leave the specialized classroom.

The girl next to him was chatting with her friend when a voice suddenly called out, "Excuse me... where did you get your hairband? Can you tell me?"

……

They were at the mall.

There wasn’t much foot traffic.

Ye Jishu couldn’t remember the last time he’d set foot in an actual store. After all, most of the time, you could buy clothes and necessities online, so there was no real need to go out.

Thank goodness for the convenience of the internet.

This was the first time he’d bought something for someone else.

Unlike him, Yan Mei always loved buying all sorts of things for him.

He couldn’t imagine what it was like to pick out a gift.

Ye Jishu stood in front of the store, hesitated for a moment, then went inside.

The store was filled with all sorts of things. At first glance, he couldn’t decide and only felt more confused.

This one? Or that one?

It doesn’t seem to suit Yan Mei at all.

Even on a whim, this situation feels too awful.

Fifteen minutes later, he left the store empty-handed.

His next stop was a store on the second floor.

But before entering the store, he was distracted by a crowd gathered in the mall’s center.

A large group of people blocked the path.

From the noise, it sounded like a lottery event was taking place.

Ye Jishu meant to bypass the crowd and take the escalator to the second floor, but just as he passed the group, a lottery ticket was shoved into his hand, as if everyone was supposed to join in.

The top three prizes were awarded as physical items.

Things like household appliances.

The rest were smaller items.

If it was just going up to spin the wheel and hoping the pointer landed on the right spot, Ye Jishu would have thrown away the ticket—but it was a scratch-off.

In other words, it was like gambling.

All you had to do was scratch off the plastic coating to see the corresponding number and check if you’d won.

"It's like a card-drawing game."

Ye Jishu went ahead and scratched the lottery ticket.

A number revealed itself—

"7."

He spotted a sign hanging nearby that read, "Grand Prize: One Microwave Oven! Number 7!"

Ye Jishu…

He scanned the crowd.

Finally, his gaze fell on a pregnant woman.

She was looking at her number, disappointment written all over her face.

He walked up to her and quietly said, "Here, this is for you."

The pregnant woman’s eyes widened in shock as she looked up at him, "You, this is..."

As she hesitantly took the ticket, Ye Jishu withdrew from the crowd and headed toward the escalator. Though he could still feel her astonished look, he continued in his original direction.

"I didn’t mistake it; you really are an odd person."

Just as he stepped on the escalator, he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Why give the prize to a stranger for no reason? You should just keep it for yourself." The person continued, "If it's too heavy and you're worried about getting it home, the mall usually offers delivery. It wouldn't be much of a hassle to get it home."

"It's a hassle." Ye Jishu said.

If it was something smaller, I could manage.

But with a household appliance like this, he had no idea where to put it. Dorms don't allow high-power devices.

"You could just sell it for cash instead."

"I've got enough money for now."

"..."

Anyone else would find this totally confusing.

How can someone say they have enough?

The more money, the better.

That's what anyone would think!

How could someone think that having just enough money to maintain a normal life is sufficient, as if they've lost all their basic desires and ambitions.

"Hmm, now that I think about it, it's not impossible to understand."

Although the face couldn't be seen, it could be felt that the person speaking had moved up a step.

"After all, it's you."

The voice drew closer.

The mall's cold air blew against Ye Jishu's neck.

"I've seen your file. Your parents divorced when you were five and both remarried. It was difficult for them to even send financial support. From that time on, you were passed around like a soccer ball, living at various relatives' homes for a few days before being sent away for various reasons. I can understand why you like fish, because of that rumor about their 'seven-second' memory, so they don't feel pain, right?"

Wei Yangze laid out the investigative file he had seen with cold and ruthless words.

The school building was where they first met.

Although they had a brief conversation, Wei Yangze didn’t really see him.

Thus, Wei Yangze made up his mind.

He went back and got Ye Jishu's file.

A person's experiences shape their character.

This statement has been a truth so far.

Ye Jishu's personality, at first glance, made people think he was extremely dull. But those who had interacted with him more would realize that his coldness was a core part of him, as if no one could reach his heart, which sparked an inexplicable desire to challenge him.

This self-enclosed personality was not formed overnight.

A person who has no expectations has likely never had their expectations responded to.

A person who is indifferent towards their surroundings has likely never been treated properly.

That's why Wei Yangze examined Ye Jishu's past.

Only by making the other party drop their indifferent attitude could he truly have the conversation he desired.

He stared at the retreating figure of Ye Jishu.

What would the reaction be if a stranger directly exposed someone's inner thoughts? Until now, he had needed the other party to show a flaw, and then he would take the opportunity to bring up the topic he had already prepared—

“Clack.”

The automatic escalator reached the top floor.

Ye Jishu descended the stairs and finally turned to face Wei Yangze behind him.

Wei Yangze saw his expression at that moment.

And couldn't help but be stunned.

There was no embarrassment or pain from having his inner thoughts exposed, only complete calmness.

“It's not like that,” said Ye Jishu, “I just like fish. Besides, it's a bit too much to expect someone who has no real connection to me to be nice to me. I understand. It's fine.”

This nonchalant attitude.

It was as if he was talking about someone else entirely.

At that moment, Wei Yangze felt a twist in his stomach for a moment.

This is too difficult to handle.

He realized he had misjudged.

Ye Jishu wasn't indifferent. He just genuinely didn't care; it was simply his nature.

Even though he had gathered information on Ye Jishu, at this moment, his miscalculation had caused the roles between them to reverse.

“...”

“You and Lin Lin are coworkers,” said Ye Jishu, “So, is it still because of the issue with Chen Heming?”

At the mention of the name, Wei Yangze felt a throbbing at his temple.

Chen Heming—

“Source of Infection 3301.”

That guy was already dead.

There was no need to worry about the body.

Before the containment team arrived, the fish in the aquarium had gone wild and started feasting on the corpse. Hundreds of fish swarmed over, and in just over ten minutes, all that remained was a picked-clean skeleton.

The containment team carried the skeleton away.

Supposedly for headquarters to study.

In any case, it was no longer within Wei Yangze's jurisdiction to handle.

“Let's talk over there,” said Wei Yangze, pointing to the café.

It's a weekday, and not during rush hours, so the shop is exceptionally empty. There's no worry that others might overhear the conversation.

Once seated and after ordering drinks, Wei Yangze took out the same model of steel pen as Lin Lin's and placed it on the table.

"It's not for recording, just necessary," he said.

In public places, staying vigilant is a must.

He had thought that Ye Jishu would at least ask a question, but the other party just briefly glanced at it and said nothing.

"Sure enough... he cares even less about it than I imagined."

"I won't keep you long," Wei Yangze said. "I only have a few questions, and the decision is in your hands."

The air conditioning in the indoor café was blasting.

So, even though the sun shone outside the glass, there was still an unstoppable chill crawling up the spine.

Wei Yangze's hand reached into his pocket, and he took out several cards, placing them on the cold tabletop.

Ye Jishu looked down at the cards.

There were photos of different people on them, with names written below.

They included Chen Heming and Professor Chen.

"You were at the scene and later found out that he jumped into the lake. Don't you find that strange? People, whatever happens, have a survival instinct. Especially this guy, who played with emotions and forced others to die, actually drowned multiple times."

Wei Yangze slid Professor Chen's card away.

"Even if you don't know exactly what happened, you must have noticed that something was wrong. He had a mental breakdown, confessed all the bad things he had done, and crawled like a dog. Why did this happen?"

This series of questions was thrown out, giving the person in front of him no time to breathe.

However, Ye Jishu said nothing.

Wei Yangze flipped the card over, revealing the reverse side of Professor Chen.

It was a photo of a nervous and gloomy-looking roommate.

He was wearing the uniform of an affiliated high school.

His face looked much younger than it does now, avoiding the camera with a timid look in his eyes.

"This is a student from the same department as you, but you've never seen him before in specialized classes. You probably haven't ever seen him leave the dorm, right? Even now, after moving out, there's been no notice from the counselor. You know this is very unusual for a university student."

As he spoke, Wei Yangze stared intently at Ye Jishu, not missing a single detail of his expression.

There was one more card that hadn't been flipped to the back.

But anyone with the ability to make associations would know who was hidden underneath, who the remaining person is.

Ye Jishu lowered his head, staring at that card, not saying anything. No one could predict his next move.

The atmosphere at this moment became tense.

The air conditioning was still set to a cold temperature.

Yet, a thin layer of warm sweat had soaked through the back of Wei Yangze's shirt.

"Is the other party in the know, or not?"

"But there's no way we can give up on this breakthrough opportunity."

In Wei Yangze's mind, the foul memory of that rainy night surfaced.

He wasn't as unaffected as he seemed.

His mind and body were forcibly marked by the smell and sight of blood from that day.

What exactly was this so-called special human?

And who did "He" refer to?

Confusion, unease, and anxiety clogged his mind.

He'd been haunted by the thoughts in his head for a solid four months.

After working for the Bureau of Infection Management and Control for so long, Wei Yangze trusted his gut, and it told him that Ye Jishu was definitely involved.

"Why, after I submitted the report, did headquarters fail to respond? Why?"

Aside from newcomers like Lin Lin, experienced staff wouldn't be afraid to run tests.

This unsettling feeling drove him to seek out Ye Jishu today.

But from the other party's reaction at that moment, it seemed he genuinely didn't care, and none of the typical physical reactions most people would have when hearing something unbelievable—like widened pupils or shaking. There was just a touch of confusion.

"Are these things connected to Chen Heming?"

"……No."

"Did I cause it?"

"No."

If anything, it's the opposite.

When Ye Jishu was present, these anomalies didn't occur.

That was also an unexplainable phenomenon...

"Could Ye Jishu be the so-called special human?"

However, the instant he finished speaking,

Ye Jishu stood up immediately, fixing his gaze on him.

Startled, Wei Yangze looked up, only to meet Ye Jishu's blank expression. "Not interested."

Before he could react, Ye Jishu had already walked to the counter, paid, and left.

"..."

Ye Jishu stepped out of the shop.

His pace grew quicker.

What had started as a calm walk soon turned into a hurried run, and he quickly rushed into the mall's restroom.

He took a long exhale.

Then, he let out a short exhale.

He looked up, and his reflection in the mirror was still expressionless.

This, at least, gave him a reason to calm down, and his racing heart gradually slowed.

"What's so strange?"

"This is an over-the-top melodramatic novel after all. It's quite normal for such illogical flaws to exist."

He attempted to reassure himself.

But slowly, another voice began to surface in his mind.

"Is that really the case?..."

Could it be that, even now, he was still—

"Ding-dong."

Suddenly, his phone ding-donged in his pocket.

Ye Jishu was suddenly pulled from his thoughts.

He pulled out his phone.

It showed a message from his roommate.

His roommate hadn't replied to his messages since that day.

So, as he opened the chat box window, his eyes rested on his unanswered message.

But finally, his roommate had replied.

It was a large block of text.

But with just a glance, he could already pick out the key phrase.

He realized it was a fairy tale.

It was a story he knew well.

A husband, leaving for a trip, handed the keys to his wife.

He instructed, "You may go anywhere in the castle, but under no circumstances open the basement."

However, it was curiosity and desire that drove the wife to open the door—

A mountain of corpses was found.

The key fell to the ground, stained with blood, but the blood couldn't be washed away.

……

It was *the* Pandora's box.

Once you use the key to open it, you'll face terrifying and unpredictable consequences.

Jishu's roommate: "Don't open the door, Jishu."