Chapter Three: A Series of Unfortunate Events

Early the next morning, I received a call from Principal Wang. He told me that Wang Jie had taken a leave of absence and asked me to cover her shift. I didn't think much of it and agreed.

Then, at noon, I ordered takeout and was just about to eat when, out of nowhere, a black cat darted into the hallway and knocked my food over. Furious, I chased after it for a long time, but in the end, I didn't catch the cat, and my meal was ruined.

The whole day felt unlucky. My chest felt tight, and I had been having heart problems in recent years—this felt like a warning sign of an episode coming on.

By the afternoon, the tightness in my chest was unbearable, so I asked the teacher on duty to cover for me while I went to the hospital for some medication. But as soon as I stepped out of the dorm building, I felt something trip me, and I fell flat on my face.

Before I could react, I heard a loud crash! A flower pot, about the size of a human head, had shattered right in front of me.

A cold sweat broke out on my back.

If I hadn't fallen just now, that flower pot wouldn't have hit the ground—it would have hit me.

Shaken, I slowly stood up and looked up at the dorm windows. Something felt off. All the windows had protective bars—there was no way such a large flower pot could have fallen out. And besides, it was already winter. Who would open their window for no reason?

The more I thought about it, the more unsettled I felt. In the end, I decided not to go to the hospital and instead returned to the security room to endure it for the night.

That afternoon passed without incident.

At midnight, lying in bed, I recalled everything that had happened during the day, along with Wang Jie's strange behavior the previous night.

For some reason, I had a terrible feeling.

I didn't remember when I fell asleep. I only recalled struggling between sleep and wakefulness for a long time, and at some point, I vaguely heard someone knocking on my window from the hallway.

I opened my eyes and looked over.

And then—I froze.

Standing outside my window was Yingying!

At first, I thought I was dreaming, maybe because I had been obsessing over that 100 yuan for too long.

But then Yingying knocked twice more and called my name. That was when I realized—this wasn't a dream.

I sat up and opened the window. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

She made a playful face at me. "I just got back today and wanted to see if you were still working here. Didn't expect you to still be around."

I rubbed my eyes and said, "Of course I am. You haven't paid me back yet—if I quit, wouldn't that be a win for you?"

Yingying's face turned a little red, maybe because she felt embarrassed. She hesitated for a moment and then said, "Wait here. I'll go get your money."

I laughed. "No need, I was just joking. It's just 100 yuan—it's fine whether you pay me back or not."

I had planned to ask her about the Coke bottle, but when I glanced at the time, it was already close to 2 AM. I was exhausted, so I told her to get some rest and that we could talk tomorrow.

But instead of leaving, Yingying just stood there, looking like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

After a long pause, she finally spoke. "Um… can you come with me to the bathroom? I'm a little scared."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Come on, you're a grown woman and still scared to use the bathroom? Where are your roommates?"

She pouted. "They're not here tonight. Not sure where they went."

Seeing her so flustered was kind of amusing, so I agreed. "Alright, I'll go with you."

When I stepped out of the security room, I finally noticed what she was wearing—a lace nightgown. The top part was fine, but the bottom was practically nonexistent. It made me a little uncomfortable.

But she seemed completely unbothered, leading the way toward the women's restroom.

Before going in, she turned back and said, "Wait here, okay? Don't leave until I come out."

I nodded. "Got it."

She was quick. I played with my phone for less than a minute when I suddenly felt someone tap my shoulder from behind.

Seeing her come out, I said, "Alright, I'm heading back then."

But before I could leave, Yingying suddenly hooked her arm around mine. "Walk me back to my dorm? The hallway is really dark, and I'm scared."

She leaned in close—too close for someone I'd only met twice.

My first instinct was to push her away. After all, it was the middle of the night, and she was barely dressed. What would people think if they saw us?

But whether intentional or not, she kept brushing her chest against my arm.

Damn. I was still a young, single guy. How was I supposed to resist this kind of temptation?

So, as if under a spell, I let her hold onto me. My heart was racing, but I didn't pull away.

Honestly, I hadn't been this close to a girl since I graduated. It was exciting, but also a little awkward.

Trying to break the tension, I asked, "So where have you been all this time?"

Yingying hesitated before sighing. "It's complicated… I'll tell you when I have time."

I glanced at her again. "So, you've got it all sorted now?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it's all settled. I can go back to class like normal now."

We walked in silence after that.

Her dorm was on the fourth floor. When we reached her door, she finally let go of my arm. I felt a strange sense of loss and stood there, looking at her.

Seeing my expression, she covered her mouth and giggled. "What's wrong? Can't bear to leave?"

Damn, she was good. She was already beautiful, but that smile made her even more stunning. My heart melted a little.

But I couldn't let it show. I quickly said, "Nah, I was just making sure you got inside. Alright, I'm heading back."

She pouted. "You're just going to leave like that?"

She blinked up at me with big, sparkling eyes.

"How about coming inside for a bit? We can chat. Don't worry, my roommates aren't here tonight."

I shook my head. "I can't. School rules say dorm supervisors aren't allowed to enter student rooms—especially not male staff."

She scoffed. "What are you so scared of? It's just the two of us. No one will know. Come on."

Then she turned and walked inside.

I watched her go, her figure curving in all the right places. I hesitated.

To be honest, I wanted to go in. Even if we didn't do anything, just sitting and talking with her would be nice.

But something in my gut told me something wasn't right.

After everything that happened today, I had a bad feeling about breaking the dorm rules.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" She called back, her voice sweet and teasing.

Damn. If her tone before had been friendly, this was outright seductive.

I didn't think she was trying to do anything, but for some reason, I just couldn't control myself. I wanted to stay with her longer.

I was about to step forward when—

"Gu Yan?"

A voice called my name from the hallway.

Instinctively, I turned my head.

It was Yingying.

She was standing in the hallway, looking at me in shock.

I blinked.

"You… weren't you just inside? When did you come out—?"

And then—holy sht.*

I couldn't even finish my sentence.

A chill ran down my spine. Cold sweat drenched my back.