Fang Yuan and Qin Yue walked outside the medical school and found the breakfast shop they had agreed to meet. Tao Bing'er and the other two had already grabbed a table and ordered breakfast.
The five of them chatted and laughed, enjoying themselves.
After breakfast, Fang Yuan found an excuse to leave the other girls and went to the dormitory of Class 2, Pharmacology, 2005, to look for Xu Yan. Xu Yan wasn't there. Her roommates said she might have gone to the library to read.
She walked around the library reading room but couldn't find Xu Yan. In truth, Fang Yuan had only seen Xu Yan's photo online once and vaguely remembered her general outline. If her appearance had changed significantly, she wouldn't have recognized her even if she stood right before her.
Since she was already there and had nothing else to do, she decided to familiarize herself with the library's work environment. She walked to the library and knocked on the iron door. A pair of light blue eyes appeared before her—it was Xiao Jing on duty.
Xiao Jing opened the door and let her in. He looked well today. His movements were quick and decisive, and aside from being a bit overdressed, he didn't look sick at all.
"Why are you here today? Didn't I tell you I'd be working in the evening?" Xiao Jing asked.
"Teacher Xiao, I'm looking for someone." Fang Yuan glanced around. The library was neat and tidy, but she didn't see Xu Yu as she'd imagined. "But since I couldn't find her, I decided to see if I could help."
"You're afraid my strange illness will flare up and I won't be able to take care of myself!" Xiao Jing's words suddenly became sharp. "I don't need anyone's sympathy. Cheap sympathy only makes you weaker, and it's completely useless!"
Fang Yuan only then realized how sensitive Xiao Jing was. Come to think of it, he was so withdrawn, suffering from a strange illness, and secluded himself in the small world of the library, refusing to communicate with others. How could he not be sensitive?
Fang Yuan's attitude was sincere. "You misunderstood, Teacher Xiao. That's not what I meant."
Xiao Jing's pale blue eyes stared at Fang Yuan silently. For some reason, Fang Yuan suddenly remembered the black cat in girls' dormitory 441. Although Xiao Jing's eyes were shaped very differently from the black cat's, they shone with a cold blue light, as if piercing deep into her heart, seeing through everything about her.
Fang Yuan avoided Xiao Jing's gaze.
She was afraid of it.
She didn't like the feeling of being seen through.
The human body has its privacy, but so does the human heart?
Compared to the raw flesh, the privacy of the soul is even more sensitive.
Xiao Jing suddenly smiled.
His smile was strange. A slight twitch of the corners of his mouth, a slight movement of the muscles that accompanied it, but even that was a smile, and it was as unsightly as it could be.
"You're here to see Xu Yu!"
Fang Yuan almost cried out.
Xiao Jing, how did you know she was looking for Xu Yu?
"How did you know? Did Teacher Qin Yue tell you?"
Xiao Jing shook her head. "I only know you're from girls' dormitory 441. It's mentioned in the letter of introduction Qin Yue wrote me. Of course, I also know who Xu Yu is. You just said you were looking for someone. If you put the pieces together, the answer is easy to come up with."
Fang Yuan was skeptical. She remembered the look Xiao Jing had given him earlier. Could he really see through her thoughts? Could mind reading or telepathy really exist?
"Besides, Xu Yu is in the reading room right now," Xiao Jing added.
"She's in the reading room? How come I didn't see her?"
Fang Yuan peered around through the iron gate, still unable to see Xu Yu.
"You haven't seen her, have you?"
"Yes, I've seen her picture online."
"That's right, she's there."
Xiao Jing pointed to the back of a girl in the corner of the reading room. Fang Yuan remembered glancing at her and not matching her with Xu Yu.
"Is it her?"
Xiao Jing didn't answer her. Instead, she took out her key, unlocked the iron gate, and let her out.
Fang Yuan walked over to the girl and examined her closely.
The girl had thin cheeks, deep eye sockets, wrinkles around the corners, and prominent cheekbones. At first glance, she looked a bit like a Uyghur. She was reading a book, absorbed in it. Fang Yuan glanced at the cover: "The Interpretation of Dreams."
She was actually reading this book, too?
"Xu Yan?" Fang Yuan whispered beside her.
The girl shuddered, abruptly stood up, and turned to look at Fang Yuan.
It was indeed Xu Yan!
Fang Yuan had seen Xu Yan online, with a chubby face. She hadn't expected her facial shape to have changed so drastically. No wonder she hadn't recognized her at first.
In fact, she should have realized long ago that Xu Yan had been mad for a while. During those days, she was mentally unstable and unable to sleep or eat. How could she not look haggard and changed?
Xu Yan glared at her fiercely, without saying a word. She hurriedly returned the book to Xiao Jing and ran out. She walked quickly, and it was clear that she was trying to avoid Fang Yuan.
Or perhaps, she was trying to avoid her past self, the "Xu Yan" in girls' dormitory 441.
Fang Yuan chased after her. "Xu Yu, don't be afraid. I mean no harm."
Fang Yuan changed her name to Xu Yu, knowing that she didn't want others to know about her past.
"I don't know you!" Xu Yan continued to be irritated. "Don't bother me."
Fang Yuan took two quick steps and rushed in front of her, blocking her path.
"Get out of the way!"
"I'll just say one thing. If you still want to avoid me after hearing this, I'll never come back to you again."
"Hurry up! I'm in a hurry," Xu Yan said impatiently.
Fang Yuan sighed softly, her eyes calm as she met Xu Yan's. "I understand you, because I'm living in girls' dormitory 441 right now."
Xu Yan sneered. "That's all. I can leave now."
She brushed past Fang Yuan without a second thought.
Fang Yuan shouted after her, "Xu Yu, you can run away now. But sooner or later, you'll have to face yourself and everything about yourself. If you can't even do that, you won't be able to do anything in the future!"
Xu Yan stopped, her back to Fang Yuan, and stood still.
Fang Yuan waited for a moment, but Xu Yan still didn't turn around or leave.
"I know you're probably in pain, and it's hard to bear, but life is like this. Escaping isn't the solution. I've been through this same painful experience myself: helpless, alone, and living a life worse than death. But I made it through, and you can too."
Fang Yuan walked over to Xu Yan and realized she was already in tears. She gently stroked her head and said softly, "Trust me, I just want to solve the problem. Believe in yourself. There's no inner demon you can't overcome."
Fang Yuan squeezed Xu Yan's hand, and she finally burst into tears.
In the Mushroom Pavilion at Moon Lake, two girls recounted their experiences in Dormitory 441. Xu Yan's story was punctuated by her own fears. With Fang Yuan's constant encouragement, she finally finished recounting what happened the night Cheng Li committed suicide.
A black cat attacked Xu Yan? Time's up? I'm behind you? A man sighed?
Everything was a mystery. What was the answer?
Aside from the black cat attacking Xu Yan, which could be considered an accident, the other three points of doubt are truly difficult to explain.
But at least one thing is certain: before Cheng Li jumped from the building, someone did leave her a message on QQ, and the message likely hinted at suicide.
Who left the message?
Also, was the man's sigh just Xu Yan's imagination, or was there really a man in girls' dormitory 441 at the time?
If there was really a man in the dormitory, how did he get in? Xu Yan clearly remembered that she had closed the door when she slept, and when she woke up, she saw it was still closed. How did the man get in? And how did he get out?
Unless he didn't need to enter or exit through the main door?
A strange scene flashed before Fang Yuan's eyes: Cheng Li turned on her computer and saw the message on QQ. Then, behind her, a handsome man appeared, with a sinister look on his face and a wide smile, saying to her, "Time's up." Cheng Li, with a dazed expression, was mesmerized by the evil man's words. Like a walking corpse, she followed him, step by step, towards the balcony and towards death.