Unwelcome

It started raining under the sky on the day of the senior student's funeral. Every person who came to mourn had a solemn face, and the director was not surprised. Rancho looked at the grieving family of the senior student and then glanced at the figure of the director. He decided to do something. He walked up to the director, who looked at him and didn't say anything.

In the dimly lit scene, the once vibrant picture, enveloped in a solemn atmosphere, made even the audience know that something was about to happen. Sure enough, Rancho believed that the dean was the real murderer, not some ridiculous suicide.

He mocked, "Everyone thinks this is suicide."

The death of the senior student had already filled the director's heart with guilt, but the principles he had always upheld did not allow others to trespass. Rancho's words undoubtedly revealed something. Moreover, he didn't think that his own actions directly caused the student's death. He blamed them for not respecting their studies. Actions have consequences, and that was something he had always believed.

The two confronted each other with piercing gazes.

The growing sense of oppression made every viewer uneasy. ICE had become a place filled with pressure—indifference, confusion, fear... Various emotions seeped into the viewers' hearts, slippery and viscous, dancing along with the camera.

But Bella's eyes were filled with joy. The increasingly expectant emotions forced her to adjust her posture so she could carefully read every scene. All thoughts, all energy, all eyes were focused on the large screen ahead, where the tragedy that happened under the educational system captured her heart. Every beat followed the footsteps of the three protagonists in the story, stepping into this film.

More and more scenes unfolded.

Rancho was brought by the director to give a lecture, intending to embarrass him, but Rancho turned the tables and humiliated the director with two made-up words. He even said that the director's teaching methods were like those of a circus animal trainer.

"Virus" became furious and could no longer tolerate Rancho. He decided to target his roommates and isolate him. He called and informed Farhan and Raju's parents about their first exam scores, asking their parents to advise their children not to mingle with Rancho as he was bad company and would affect their studies.

The director didn't hide this matter either. After informing both sets of parents, he also told Farhan and Raju and tried to counsel them. In the director's eyes, these two kids still had hope as long as they stayed away from Rancho, the rebellious student.

Back in the dormitory, Farhan and Raju were gloomy after receiving the news. Seeing their expressions, Rancho asked about it, and Farhan explained what had happened. After listening, Rancho decided to accompany Farhan and Raju to meet their parents.

They first went to Farhan's house. His family was a typical middle-class Indian family. Although they faced some financial pressure, they could still manage. His father's wish was for Farhan to finish college, find a good job, and contribute to the family, improving their living conditions.

Upon receiving the director's call and learning about their child's poor grades, Farhan's father was already filled with anger. He scolded Farhan harshly when he returned home, and Rancho, unable to watch any longer, spoke up to mediate, which only brought more dissatisfaction from Farhan's father.

In his eyes, Rancho was also one of the reasons for his child's declining grades. As for Farhan's interest in becoming a photographer, his father sneered at the idea. "I should have burned all the photos he took."

Since returning home, Farhan had remained silent. Watching his father gather all his photography works from the bedroom and throw them into the bonfire, he simply stood there, still without saying a word. However, in the footage, the desolation of his figure lingered and couldn't be shaken off, as if his vitality had been drained.

Afterward, the three of them went to Raju's house. Raju's family situation was even worse. His father was bedridden, his mother had no stable job, and he had an older sister who no one wanted to marry because Raju's family couldn't afford the expensive dowry.

The burden of the entire family's livelihood rested on Raju's shoulders, and he was the one with the greatest expectations among the three. His devout religious belief was nothing more than a means of escaping reality. He truly wished for the blessings of the divine gods, but unfortunately, the gods did not favor humanity.

After returning to school, Raju and Farhan changed dormitories and started living with Chatur. They followed the advice from all sides and successfully distanced themselves from Rancho. However, they didn't know that Chatur had many quirks. He also liked to consume various brain-boosting drugs or other nutritional supplements.

The audience in the theater burst into laughter several times in a row. The sound of Chatur grinding his teeth in his sleep at night left Farhan and Raju speechless. After taking the supplements, Chatur always liked to fart and pretended to be innocent. He even secretly stuffed a large batch of pornographic magazines into the dormitories of various students the night before a minor exam...

Familiar humorous scenes mixed with the mockery of the plot once again hit them. Bella was no exception; a slight curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.

Raju and Farhan were completely grossed out by Chatur, so they returned to Rancho and once again lived together as a trio.

The camera shots became vibrant again, documenting their campus life.

The troublesome student Rancho had become much more restrained. At least that's what the director believed, thinking that his methods were effective. It seemed that after the climax of the conflict caused by the senior student's death, this movie was about to end peacefully. The three of them studied together, laughing and talking.

"It definitely won't end like this."

Bella was certain in her heart that the director's thoughts on the educational system, hinted at earlier, wouldn't be concluded so casually. So far, this film could only be considered average; it couldn't be said to be excellent. The director must have ambitions, brewing something.

Sure enough, the movie entered another dramatic climax.

By chance, Rancho saw the final exam question booklet in the director's office. Thinking about Farhan and Raju's parents' expectations and their gloominess after the previous exam, a thought flashed through his mind. He decided to let his two roommates see the question booklet and then return it immediately. Without delay, while the office was empty, Rancho smoothly took the question booklet and returned to the dormitory.

Raju and Farhan thought Rancho was taking a huge risk, and they unanimously believed he had done something foolish, demanding he return it immediately. Seeing that his two roommates had no intention of cheating and realizing his own mistake, Rancho placed the question booklet back in its original place.

However, the director had an exceptional memory. The next day, when he arrived at the office, he noticed signs that the question booklet had been tampered with. He asked the staff responsible for cleaning, only to learn that the desk hadn't been cleared. Therefore, the director began to suspect something.

Rancho's presence had always bothered him in the past, but the director hadn't found a good way to expel him. Now, perhaps, there was an opportunity. With this in mind, he called for Raju.

As soon as he mentioned the incident, Raju's face changed. In Raju's view, Rancho's actions were easy to notice and expose. Now that the director brought up the matter, Raju felt that the director already knew. And sitting across from Raju, the director observed his intense reaction and suspected that something was amiss.

Under his probing, Raju's expression became increasingly unpleasant. Suddenly, "Virus" said, "If you can prove that Rancho took the question booklet yesterday, I won't pursue the fact that you looked at it. I'll give you a chance." Still, Raju remained silent.

The director continued, "If you don't want to do that, it's fine. I will inform your parents and have them take you back. You don't have to come to school anymore." This statement almost made Raju collapse, but he held back and remained silent.

The director asked him to think it over and left for class with the textbook. The spacious office was left with Raju alone. He slumped on the ground, lost in thought. In the close-up shot, his eyes were bloodshot, and his eyeballs kept moving.

Then, it seemed like he thought of his parents' expectations, his brows furrowed, and a hint of hesitation appeared on his face. Afterward, he struggled, grew angry, and eventually fell into a calm state. He was still contemplating something.

Numbly standing up, he walked to the window and lowered his head, looking down at the ground. The director's office was on the third floor, quite high above the ground. Raju instinctively took a step back due to his deep-seated fear of heights.

This close-up shot was prolonged, capturing the audience's attention throughout. They could see Raju's eyes growing dimmer and his entire being losing vitality. The audience speculated, wondering what choice Raju would make. Would he betray his friend Rancho or stay silent, stubbornly refusing to discuss the topic and awaiting the director's punishment?

No one thought Raju would choose to jump off the building and commit suicide, including Bella. In her view, Raju was a person who constantly evaded reality, living in fear. He bore all the pressures from his family and himself. Moreover, he had acrophobia.

But Raju made up his mind. He didn't want to see the disappointed looks on his parents' faces if he was expelled, and he didn't want to betray Rancho.

He didn't have many friends because of poverty and his eccentricities; no one wanted to get close to him. Rancho was different; he was like an angel who appeared in his bleak life, and Raju cherished that time. Perhaps this was a form of liberation. He was truly exhausted. Raju slowly closed his eyes, a peaceful smile appearing on his lips.

He jumped from the office.

The shot was drawn out, allowing everyone to see his body collide with the ground like an egg hitting a rock. Blood splattered, causing an indescribable chill in people's hearts.