Translator: CinderTL
Fatty and Huai Yi found Jiang Cheng's explanation peculiar, but they didn't doubt him. "Wang Qi? He dared to go in alone?"
Jiang Cheng briefly described the strange occurrences he'd encountered inside. When they heard that the entity from the dormitory had followed them, Fatty's face turned pale.
Huai Yi, a bit slow on the uptake, suddenly remembered something Wen Liangshan had said. "Didn't he say Wang Qi was muttering to himself before he left? Something about something following him all the way here and then suddenly disappearing?"
"I bet that's the thing that left the water stains!" Huai Yi declared confidently, looking at the others.
"Exactly," Jiang Cheng nodded.
"So Wang Qi not only noticed the water stains in the dormitory, but he also realized something was following us all the way to the Activity Center." Huai Yi continued, piecing things together. "When we got here, he realized whatever had been tailing us had vanished."
"He probably guessed it had slipped into the Activity Center with Brother Jiang and the others. That's why he made up an excuse to ditch us and sneak in through the front gate to investigate."
Jiang Cheng remained silent, neither confirming nor denying the theory, which implied it held water.
After Huai Yi's analysis, Fatty gradually understood the situation and began to see Wang Qi in a new light. The man's courage and capabilities were likely on par with the Doctor's. If he were a ghost, he could put their group in grave danger.
"Doctor," Fatty turned to Jiang Cheng, but before he could speak, the Doctor waved him silent.
"I don't have any leads on Wang Qi for now. Just be vigilant. As for the rest, I'm exhausted. Let's discuss it at dawn."
Since Huai Yi and Fatty hadn't exerted themselves much during the night, they leaned against each other to keep watch, prioritizing the Doctor's rest. After his usual brief instructions, Jiang Cheng took his blanket, spread it on the floor, and lay down. He wasn't used to sleeping in beds.
Back-to-back, Fatty and Huai Yi exchanged quiet banter, careful not to disturb the Doctor.
Perhaps even ghosts needed rest, or maybe none had followed them back at all. Whatever the reason, the night passed uneventfully, and the group gathered downstairs in the morning.
All eight members were present and accounted for.
Fatty's stomach growled loudly, drawing everyone's attention. Embarrassed, he clutched his rumbling belly. Noticing this, Jiang Cheng said, "Let's head to the cafeteria."
Having learned his lesson from yesterday's ordeal, Wen Liangshan spoke quietly, "The cafeteria... but we don't have any money."
Shen Mengyun nodded. "Let's check it out anyway. I've never heard of anyone starving to death on a mission."
Sure enough, they soon ran into a familiar face at the cafeteria—the female teacher who had escorted them into the school the previous day. She had changed her outfit, and they almost didn't recognize her.
Seeing Jiang Cheng and his group, the teacher hurried over. "Jiang Cheng!" she greeted him. "How was your night? Did you settle into the faculty dormitory alright?"
"It was fine, Teacher. Thank you for your trouble," Jiang Cheng replied politely.
"Oh, by the way, I heard Professor Wu mention yesterday that he plans to select you as his academic assistant. He said he's already discussed it with you." The teacher blinked, unable to conceal her curiosity. She seemed baffled that a student could be handpicked by a professor on his very first day.
"Yes, Professor Wu has been very kind to me. It would be an honor to assist him," Jiang Cheng said casually, swinging his arm and accidentally bumping into Fatty's hand, which was clutching his rumbling stomach.
As if on cue, Fatty immediately lowered his hand, and a loud stomach growl echoed through the air.
Upon hearing this, the female teacher pulled out her staff card and, out of habit, offered politely, "We've been so caught up in talking, you must be hungry. Why don't you join me for a quick bite? I haven't eaten either."
"If it's no trouble, we'd be grateful," Jiang Cheng replied.
The teacher froze, taken aback by their immediate acceptance. After a long pause, she led Jiang Cheng's group to the cafeteria. She ordered a few side dishes, then grabbed a bowl of plain porridge and left her card with Jiang Cheng. "Help yourselves to whatever you want," she said. "I'll go find us seats."
And just like that, the group snagged their first free meal since arriving. The teacher was stunned when the breakfast cost her over 200 yuan, especially since the shameless students even packed leftovers.
As they were leaving, the teacher mentioned Professor Wu's lecture later that morning and suggested Jiang Cheng attend.
After confirming the classroom location, the group set off. By sheer coincidence, the lecture had been moved to a different room, but the same group of students from the previous day was still there.
The moment Jiang Cheng's group appeared in the doorway, the students at the back reacted reflexively, leaping to their feet and surging toward the front rows like a tidal wave. Among them was Zha Zhanpeng, whom they'd met the day before.
Professor Wu didn't comment on the commotion. Before starting the lecture, he nodded discreetly toward Jiang Cheng's seat.
Jiang Cheng remained seated, his face cold and unyielding, and returned the nod with a barely perceptible tilt of his head.
Witnessing this scene, Zha Zhanpeng felt like he had struck gold. If he could cultivate a good relationship with Director Jiang, the Student Union presidency would undoubtedly be his in the upcoming election.
After class, Professor Wu, having packed up his belongings, approached Jiang Cheng. He pulled a card from his cloth bag and handed it to him. "This is your school ID," he said. "I arranged it for you, and the university approved it this morning. I often visit other departments, so this will make it much easier for you to find me on campus."
"Thank you very much, Professor," Jiang Cheng said politely, accepting the card.
"Attend my lectures more often lately to get acquainted," the old professor adjusted his glasses and lowered his voice. "It will help you with your future work. I haven't exposed your true identity. The students' attitudes toward studying have improved significantly recently, and I think that's for the best."
"I understand, Professor," Jiang Cheng replied earnestly. "I truly appreciate your discretion."
"Enough talk. I have another class soon."
"Let me walk you there."
When Jiang Cheng returned, Fatty and the others were huddled around a corner near the classroom, engaged in urgent conversation.
"Doctor," Fatty said quickly, "we've been waiting for you. There's a new development with Yuan Xiaoyi."
"Where is she?" Jiang Cheng asked as he walked.
"Downstairs. Huai Yi and the others are watching her," Fatty said, hurrying to catch up. "Zha Zhanpeng secretly told us that Yuan Xiaoyi had another episode. He overheard her muttering to herself about the missing female students earlier today."
When they reached the ground floor, they found Huai Yi and his group huddled together in a corner. A girl sat hunched over, her familiar pink backpack resting against the wall. Yuan Xiaoyi was trembling uncontrollably, as if terrified, and they could faintly hear her sobs.
"What happened to her?" Fatty asked, puzzled. "She seemed fine just a moment ago."
Huai Yi approached them, glancing back at Yuan Xiaoyi with a troubled expression. "Everything was normal at first," he said. "Then Wang Qi started stirring things up, and now Yuan Xiaoyi won't say a word, no matter how we try to comfort her."
"Calm down and explain slowly," Jiang Cheng said. "What exactly happened?"
"We brought Yuan Xiaoyi down to ask her some questions. She told us she had a dream last night about one of the missing girls. The girl grabbed her hand and desperately tried to tell her something."
"She woke up terrified and found her dorm room door ajar. There were wet footprints leading from the shower room to her bed."
"She's convinced her missing friend came back to find her!"
"And then?" Jiang Cheng was more interested in what Wang Qi had said.
Huai Yi lowered his voice, his face twisting strangely. "When she finished, Wang Qi suddenly smirked and said in a creepy, sarcastic tone, 'If you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear from ghosts knocking at your door.'"
(End of the Chapter)
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