Chapter 46 Part 3

Oh, right… Because of the typhoon, he’d been stuck at school for two nights in a row.

Shen Yuze slept soundly behind him. Their mats were pushed together; his back pressed against the boy’s chest, the boy’s arm wrapped around his waist, palm resting on his abdomen through thin fabric. He was essentially cradled entirely in Shen Yuze’s arms.

Lu Ping’s face heated up. He carefully lifted Shen Yuze’s hand and slipped out of his embrace.

He was seventeen already, turning adult next year, yet scared like this by some low-tier school ghost story. Shen Yuze hadn’t said anything, but he must be secretly laughing at him inside.

Now that Lu Ping had calmed down, he wasn’t so afraid. Typhoons came every year growing up, especially in summer—every few weeks they’d get a typhoon holiday. This one was big, but he’d been through worse. He really shouldn’t be such a coward.

He returned to his mat, trying to brew some sleepiness, but without that warmth beside him, he tossed and turned, unable to drift off.

Grumpily, he scratched his head and sat up from the mat.

Fine… He’d just go take a leak first.

Lu Ping hesitated whether to wake Shen Yuze to go to the toilet together, but then thought better. How could he yield to fear? It wasn’t like he was one of those little girls, needing to hold hands to pee… Two guys going to the toilet together—what was that about? He didn’t need Shen Yuze holding it for him!

With that, Lu Ping bravely got up, put on his shoes, tiptoed past the sleeping classmates, and headed to the men’s toilet.

The teaching building’s corridors formed a loop shape. The design had one advantage: no matter where you started or which way you went, as long as you kept walking, you’d eventually reach your destination.

After finishing at the toilet, Lu Ping meant to return to the classroom but got turned around in his sleepy haze at night. By the time he realized, he’d passed the utility room door… And the next corner after that was the women’s toilet.

Lu Ping: “…” Turn back now, or power through?

Turning back would be smooth sailing, no drama—but the coward stamp would be forever branded on his back! How could brave man (?) Lu Ping admit his weakness?

No, no way!

“Two hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, two hundred thousand…” Lu Ping chanted the mantra in his heart and bravely stepped forward alone.

His phone had died long ago. He hadn’t brought a charger; the battery had barely lasted a day and night before giving out. So he had no light source and no idea what time it was.

The corridor windows beside him were taped over with massive “米” characters, their shadows twisting grotesquely on the floor. The howling wind and pounding rain battered the glass, the raindrops clinging and sliding slowly down like tears from the sky.

Two hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, two hundred thousand.

Lu Ping gritted his teeth and pressed forward. He was so stubborn and ridiculous like this—his legs were as soft as noodles, but he refused to admit he was scared.

Two hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, two hundred thousand.

As long as he turned this corner and saw the women’s toilet with his own eyes, the curse would be broken!!

The long hallway seemed endless, and Lu Ping had no idea how long he walked before the corner finally came into view.

He steeled himself and slowly turned—

Yes, there it was: the women’s toilet!

It really was the women’s toilet, just like the men’s. A light blue half-curtain hung over the door, emblazoned with a huge “女” character in red. It was eye-catching enough in the daytime, but in the flashing thunder and lightning of the night, that blood-red “女” burned itself onto his retinas.

The toilet door stood open. Like the men’s room, it was divided into an outer handwashing area and inner stalls.

It didn’t look any different at all.

Lu Ping slowly exhaled the stale breath he’d been holding in his chest. He mocked himself—brain supplements really were the scariest thing. There was no such thing as a white-clothed female ghost…

But before his heart could fully settle, the window behind him could no longer withstand the onslaught of the storm. It suddenly burst open! The glass pane taped with the “rice” pattern slammed violently against the wall. The gale carried torrents of rain pouring inward, instantly soaking Lu Ping’s back with icy water.

The roaring wind and rain blasted through the corridor straight toward the women’s toilet. The light blue curtain was blown apart from the middle, the fabric whipping in the wind, revealing everything inside without obstruction.

—There, suspended in midair, was a white human figure drifting about, long black hair hanging down and obscuring its face!

It was an impossible pose for any human. Its limbs twisted bonelessly as it rose with the wind, the black hair swaying like seaweed.

Lu Ping’s pupils contracted. For a moment, he forgot how to even scream, standing frozen in place, his limbs heavy as if under a petrification spell.

What to do… what to do… there really was a ghost in the school…

In that flash of lightning, a name surfaced in his mind. As fear enveloped him, that person’s name burst from his throat.

“…Yuze… Shen Yuze!!”

He thought his cry for help was just a drowning man’s straw, but as soon as the words left his mouth, the very person he’d been thinking of appeared in his line of sight.

The boy, who had arrived in haste, lunged toward the blown-open window. With all his strength, he slammed it shut again and secured the latch. Then he rushed to Lu Ping’s side, wrapped his arms around him, and pulled him into an embrace. “Pingping, it’s okay, don’t be scared… Calm down! Calm down!”

Lu Ping huddled in his arms, gasping in terror. In those brief dozens of seconds, cold sweat drenched his forehead.

Shen Yuze stroked his back rhythmically, pressing down with deliberate force, his palm scorching hot. With each reassuring pat, Lu Ping’s breathing gradually steadied.

He buried his face in Shen Yuze’s shoulder, clutching his clothes tightly like a startled little animal, unwilling to leave the safety of his embrace.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally mustered the courage to lift his head from Shen Yuze’s arms. He kept most of his face hidden, only peeking out with his eyes, peering past Shen Yuze’s shoulder into the women’s toilet—

—Holy crap! That “female ghost” was still floating in midair!!

Lu Ping’s head jerked back in horror.

Shen Yuze also glanced toward the women’s toilet. Once he got a clear look at the “ghost,” he let out a soft sigh.

Then, still holding Lu Ping, he walked toward the women’s toilet.

Lu Ping: “!!!” He was stunned. “What are you doing?”

Shen Yuze tossed out two words: “Exorcise it.”

Lu Ping clung to him desperately, not wanting him to do anything stupid. “Our rundown school’s district isn’t even worth much— even if you chase away the ghost, it won’t suddenly be worth two hundred thousand!”

But Shen Yuze ignored him completely and dragged Lu Ping right into the women’s toilet.

The “female ghost” floated silently in midair, head drooping, limbs and hair all hanging down. The two boys entering her domain didn’t provoke any attack from her.

They drew closer and closer… until they stopped right in front of the “ghost.”

Lu Ping had squeezed his eyes shut the moment they entered the outer area of the women’s toilet. He entrusted his life to Shen Yuze—if Shen Yuze led him by the hand, he followed tremblingly.

Now that they’d stopped, Lu Ping didn’t dare open his eyes. He whispered, “Is the two hundred thousand still there?”

Shen Yuze: “Open your eyes and see for yourself.”

Lu Ping: “…”

Shen Yuze softened his voice. “Pingping, open your eyes. It’s fine—I’m right here.”

Under those gentle calls, Lu Ping’s throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. Trembling, he cracked his eyes open just a sliver.

They were now in the inner area of the women’s toilet. All the stall doors stood open—empty and quiet, no one else around.

And the so-called “female ghost”—Lu Ping looked up to see an invisible clothesline stretched across the ceiling of the women’s toilet. Hanging upside down from it was a mop head and a set of white one-piece work overalls used for cleaning.

The long mop head and the folded overalls, dancing in the wind, had combined to form the “female ghost.”

Lu Ping: “…”

Lu Ping: “…………”

Lu Ping: “…………..”

Lu Ping: “This is the two hundred thousand???”

Shen Yuze held back a laugh. “This is probably worth about twenty bucks.”

Lu Ping thought of how he’d just been terrified by a mop and some overalls, stammering and burrowing into Shen Yuze’s arms—he felt like he was about to split apart from embarrassment! The only silver lining was that he hadn’t been scared to tears, preserving at least a shred of his masculine dignity. Otherwise, he might as well hang himself from that clothesline…

He immediately bounced out of Shen Yuze’s arms, putting a chasm between them, too embarrassed to get any closer.

He muttered, “So, so the so-called female ghost was just this thing… Then what about the women’s toilet disappearing?”

“No idea about that,” Shen Yuze shrugged. “Maybe like everyone else said—the girls were half-asleep and walked right past it.”

That explanation didn’t convince Lu Ping, but after all the shocks of the night, he didn’t want to dig any deeper. He just wanted to hurry back to the classroom and get some proper sleep.

With that thought, Lu Ping turned to leave the women’s toilet. But before he could take a step, a piercing sound erupted from the ceiling above.

It was like long fingernails scraping across metal… once, twice, three times…

Lu Ping froze in place, his teeth chattering as he tremblingly asked Shen Yuze, “Did I hear that wrong, or… or did you hear it too…?”

Shen Yuze didn’t answer, but his actions said it all.

He frowned up at the ceiling. The sound came from one corner of the women’s toilet ceiling, growing louder, closer…

—Until it stopped right above their heads.

Scraaaape… scraaaape… scraaaape…

Sharp nails raked across the metal panel, showering fine dust over them.

Damn it!

Lu Ping plastered himself to Shen Yuze’s side in an instant, wrapping his limbs around him like a koala.

In the face of two hundred thousand, who cared about masculine dignity!