Chapter 38

Hu Pang's office was in the Academic Building. If someone inside raised their voice, the classroom next door could catch most of it.

By evening, the story had spread through every class group chat at Nancheng No.7 Middle School.

[Wang Luan'an: In the nick of time! The moment Ding Xiao's mom charged up, the top student reacted fast! Stepped up! Blocked in front of Yu Fan and smacked that woman's bag away, then said in a cold, cool, low voice—'My desk mate, you're not touching him.']

[Zhang Xianjing: And then?]

[Zhang Xianjing: Then Ding Xiao's mom questioned the top student, and Yu Fan, who hadn't said a word, suddenly stood up excitedly! Pointing at Chen Jingshen with one hand and at Ding Xiao's mom's nose with the other, he said arrogantly and flamboyantly—'He's my bottom line. You can scold me, but you can't scold my desk mate. My desk mate is number one in the world, way better than your son.']

[-: Bullshit. Who made up that story?]

Yu Fan sat at the desk, wiping his hair while replying. Because he was poking too hard, his Mobile Phone screen made a pitiful thumping sound.

[Wang Luan'an: That's how it is. Class Twelve next to Hu Pang's office heard it with their own ears, then they told Class Nine, Class Nine told Class Eight, and Zuo Kuan told me.]

[Zuo Kuan: So is this real or fake? I asked you this afternoon, and you wouldn't say.]

Isn't that obvious?

Would he ever say something like 'You can scold me, but you can't scold my desk mate'?

[-: Leaving the group.]

[Wang Luan'an: Hey hey hey, don't. Let's talk about going out tomorrow.]

[Zhang Xianjing: The top student hasn't even shown up, what's there to discuss.]

[Wang Luan'an: I asked him in private. The top student said whatever we arrange is fine with him.]

Yu Fan leaned back with the towel on his shoulder, watching them lively discuss tomorrow's plans.

His phone buzzed.

At nine, Chen Jingshen sent a problem-solving video on time.

Yu Fan stared at the hand visible on the preview for a few seconds, then typed—[Don't send these anymore, I'm not studying.]

After typing, his finger hovered over the send button for two minutes.

While he hesitated, the other person sent two voice messages.

'I've picked harder questions recently. See if you can keep up. Yu Fan, next monthly exam, let's aim for top six hundred in the grade.'

Who wants to aim for top six hundred?

Who's 'we' with you?

Yu Fan opened the next one.

'I bought the advanced version of "Ben Fei", want me to bring it tomorrow?'

'...'

Bringing a study guide on a day out?

'Get lost.' Yu Fan pressed the talk button: 'Try bringing it, and I'll make you sit on the curb and finish it yourself.'

-

When he woke up the next day, Yu Fan leisurely checked the itinerary they'd discussed last night.

Zuo Kuan and Zhang Xianjing also said they'd come. After hundreds of messages, they finally settled on first going to a newly opened themed escape room with great reviews, then having dinner together.

The meeting spot was set at that themed escape room.

Because of that voice message, Yu Fan's first reaction upon seeing Chen Jingshen was to check if he was holding anything suspicious.

Luckily, empty-handed.

'Sorry, traffic was bad,' Chen Jingshen said.

'No worries, we agreed on three anyway, it's not even time yet,' Wang Luan'an immediately said. 'Come, top student, take a look at what theme you want to play? The new themes here are all pretty famous.'

Yu Fan leaned against the counter with little interest, playing Snake Game, and felt that faint mint scent getting closer.

Chen Jingshen was wearing a white tee and black pants today; the cargo pants made his legs look long. At school everyone wore loose uniforms so it wasn't obvious, but the boy's shoulders were lean yet broad. When he stood there, Zuo Kuan and Wang Luan'an beside him looked shorter.

Chen Jingshen naturally walked over and stood next to Yu Fan, glanced at the escape room brochure in Wang Luan'an's hand: 'I'm fine with anything.'

Wang Luan'an then looked at Yu Fan. Without looking up, Yu Fan said, 'Whatever.'

He had zero interest in this stuff.

'Then let's play the scariest one!' Zhang Xianjing pointed at the poster occupying the center spot on the wall. 'This one!'

Yu Fan glanced at it. In the center of the poster was a sinister woman in a red veil sitting on a wedding bed, with large blood-red characters beside her—Ghost Wedding Scenario.

The owner snapped his fingers. 'Great taste, miss. This is our scariest theme—heavy horror chase scenario, and it's exactly a five-person room! Not a single person who's tried it wasn't scared. Absolutely thrilling and fun!'

Wang Luan'an's legs went weak. 'No thanks, actually I think that fairy-tale cozy puzzle room next to it is pretty good. "The prince lost in the forest can't find Sleeping Beauty, what should he do? Everything depends on us to adventure and solve the mystery"...'

'Go help the useless prince find her yourself.' Zhang Xianjing rolled her eyes. 'Alright, those two don't care, so the three of us vote. It's 1-1 now. Zuo Kuan, what do you say? Which one do you want to play?'

Wang Luan'an thought it was ridiculous. In tenth grade they secretly played The Ring on the class computer, and Zuo Kuan stood outside the window watching, screaming louder than him. After watching, for a long time they were practically glued together—every time they went to the bathroom they went together, and sometimes they even dragged Yu Fan along—

'Is that even a question?' Zuo Kuan walked up to the poster, patted Ghost Wedding Scenario, wiped his nose with his thumb, and looked at Zhang Xianjing. 'Only cowards play fairy tales. Real men definitely play the toughest. Of course I'm picking the same as you.'

Wang Luan'an: '.'

The five of them were thus led to the entrance of the escape room.

The staff asked them to put on blindfolds and enter with their hands on each other's shoulders.

Yu Fan walked first. He was led left and right into a room.

When the broadcast told them to take off their blindfolds, they realized it was pitch black all around. In this ancient-style room, there were only the four of them.

'Ahhh!!!!' Zuo Kuan's screams came faintly from far away. 'Help! I can't! Why am I alone—don't play this music I'm gonna pass out ugh...'

He was so loud that the staff outside used the intercom to inform them: 'Um, in this segment one person has to be separated. Do you need to switch roles?'

Wang Luan'an cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted back: 'Zuo Kuan—it's not that your bro won't help you—it's that your bro is scared too—'

'We don't want to switch,' Zhang Xianjing picked up the intercom and replied. 'That guy just likes showing off. Bro, go ahead and scare him hard.'

Annoyed by the noise, Yu Fan rolled his eyes. He was about to say he'd go over when his shirt was suddenly tugged from behind.

Chen Jingshen stood in the dark. When Yu Fan turned around, he could only see his vague silhouette.

'Yu Fan.' Chen Jingshen looked at him. 'I'm scared too.'

'?'

Yu Fan frowned. 'If you were scared, why didn't you say so earlier?'

Chen Jingshen said, 'I didn't want to lose face in front of you.'

'...You're losing face even more now.'

'Can't help it,' Chen Jingshen said flatly, holding his shirt. 'It's too scary.'

'...'

Another miserable scream from Zuo Kuan came from outside.

Yu Fan looked at the person behind him with a 'useless' expression for a few seconds, then remembered that in this environment Chen Jingshen probably couldn't see it.

'Coward.' He withdrew his step and said word by word.

Chen Jingshen hummed. 'I am.'

'...'

Zhang Xianjing was about to ask what they were whispering about when the door was kicked open by an NPC in the room.

A person in ancient groom's clothes, face pale with red blood around his mouth, stumbled in and tried to get in each player's face: 'She wants to kill me! She wants to kill me—'

Yu Fan felt his shirt being pulled tighter. Chen Jingshen seemed to be stepping back in fear.

'This NPC is a head shorter than you, what are you scared of??' Yu Fan instinctively reached back, patted Chen Jingshen's wrist, signaling him to let go.

The shirt loosened.

Yu Fan was about to pull his hand back when the hand behind him suddenly slid up along his fingers and grabbed hold.

Chen Jingshen's palm was slightly cool, and he held on a bit tightly.

The NPC heard him and rushed to Yu Fan's face, screaming: 'Show some respect—ah, she wants to kill me!'

Yu Fan stared expressionlessly at the ghost face. His fingers, held in the grip, were a bit numb. He shook Chen Jingshen's hand. 'Chen Jingshen, step back.'

Chen Jingshen shook his hand back. 'Can't step back, I don't dare open my eyes.'

'...'

For a moment, Yu Fan suspected Chen Jingshen was faking it.

Who the hell would be so scared they'd randomly hold someone's hand?

But as soon as the NPC left, the lights came on.

Wang Luan'an was hugging Zhang Xianjing, his face buried in her shoulder. Zhang Xianjing patted his back with a disgusted expression. 'It's okay, it's gone... It's really gone, why would I lie to you?'

Wang Luan'an: 'Wuwuwu...'

Yu Fan: '...'

He shook Chen Jingshen's hand and said coldly, 'Loosen up, don't hold so tight.'

Halfway through the escape room, Zuo Kuan finally joined them.

His face was pale with fear. Even holding Wang Luan'an's arm, he was still scared, so he turned to ask his other good buddy: 'Yu Fan, want to hold hands too?'

Yu Fan was pulling Chen Jingshen, holding a lamp in his other hand. The light from below cast his face in a fierce shadow. 'Get lost.'

Zuo Kuan: '.'

The NPC returned to the control room panting, lifted the 'talisman' on his face, and it turned out to be the owner who had greeted them outside.

The owner watched the monitor and briefed the staff who would go out to scare them later—

'They're about to do the solo mission. Come, let me analyze it for you.' He pointed at the screen. 'This girl and this scary-looking guy don't need to be scared. These two have guts. Mainly scare the other three... especially this tallest one. He's been hiding behind the other guy the whole time. I didn't scare him much. Later, work hard and scare him to death!'

Solo mission. Each player had to walk alone to the end of the corridor to retrieve an item, while the others waited inside the room.

Everyone else had finished. Even Zuo Kuan had stumbled back. Only the last coward remained—

Chen Jingshen stood at the door and suddenly turned back to ask: 'If I don't come back, will you come find me?'

Yu Fan: 'No.'

'Can you keep talking to me? If I can't hear your voice, I'll be scared.'

'No.'

'Will you stand at the door and wait for me?'

'You're playing a game, not going to war.' Yu Fan had had enough. 'Are you going or not? If not, I'll kick you!'

Chen Jingshen went.

The owner stared at the monitor and excitedly called the staff: 'Quick quick quick! Scare him! First scare him back once, force him to come again!'

Just as Chen Jingshen was about to touch the mission item, the female ghost NPC in a bride's outfit suddenly appeared, crawling toward him like a spider, screaming miserably: 'Yaa—'

The person in front of her didn't react.

The female ghost NPC thought she hadn't performed well, so she screamed again: 'Yaa—'

The boy picked up the item and gave her a cold look.

Then turned and walked away.

As he walked, he looked down at the floor, changed his step, and avoided her work clothes.

Female ghost NPC: '?'

Owner: '???'

At the corner, Chen Jingshen suddenly turned back. 'Excuse me, could you scream one more time?'

Female ghost NPC: '...Yaa—'

In the room.

Zuo Kuan covered his ears in pain. 'Why the hell is it screaming again??'

'Why isn't the top student back yet? Not a sound.' Zhang Xianjing said. 'He didn't really get caught, did he?'

Yu Fan stood at the door and waited a few more seconds, then clicked his tongue in annoyance. 'I'll go find...'

Tap tap tap.

Rapid footsteps came from the end of the corridor.

Yu Fan called out tentatively: 'Chen Jingshen?'

'It's me.'

From the other side of the corridor, Chen Jingshen ran back. Yu Fan stood at the door and instinctively reached out a hand toward him.

Chen Jingshen directly lunged over and hugged him. Just like after running three thousand meters.

Yu Fan was slightly stunned, and before he could react, he was let go.

Zuo Kuan: 'Top student, did that woman jump on you too? Were you scared?'

Chen Jingshen put the item on the table, glanced at him coolly, and said, 'Yeah. Scared me to death.'

The owner, who had watched the whole thing on the monitor: '????'

Scared you to death? Really???

He'd only ever seen girls pretend to be scared to cuddle with their boyfriends. You're a grown man, what are you pretending for? And if you're pretending, why not jump on that pretty girl? Why jump on a guy??

Yu Fan couldn't figure it out either.

He found this escape room especially tiring. He was holding a coward's hand, and the NPCs kept getting in his face, refusing to give up.

The final task required pairing up to take turns performing a ritual to send the female ghost to the afterlife. Only one person could stay in the room and wait to coast to victory.

That spot was finally given to Zuo Kuan.

Yu Fan took Chen Jingshen to the 'ancestral hall' to 'perform the ritual' for the female ghost.

On the way, the surrounding lights were a bit brighter, at least enough to see teammates' faces.

In the narrow artificial alley, Yu Fan turned his head to look. Chen Jingshen still had his usual expressionless face.

He suddenly felt a bit curious—what expression did Chen Jingshen make when he was scared?

A few seconds later, Yu Fan looked away and shook Chen Jingshen's hand. 'No one's here. Let go, my palm is sweating.'

Chen Jingshen glanced at him and let go.

When turning a corner, Yu Fan slowed his pace, deliberately falling a step behind Chen Jingshen.

Then he reached out and poked Chen Jingshen in the waist—

Almost at the same time, the 'female ghost's' scream suddenly rang out. Yu Fan was startled, looking at the 'female ghost' charging toward them, thinking—

He didn't have time to think.

Before the lights went dark, he saw Chen Jingshen turn around.

Yu Fan was about to grab his hand and run, but the next moment, his feet suddenly left the ground—

He was picked up.

And it was that kind of hold—one arm under his knees, the other supporting his back—a princess carry.

Yu Fan was stunned for a moment and shouted several times: 'Chen Jingshen! Chen Jingshen!'

Chen Jingshen didn't answer. He ran fast, and the path was narrow. A mountain of curses had already piled up in Yu Fan's mouth, but the jolting and survival instinct made him instinctively hook his arms around Chen Jingshen's neck.

He looked back and made eye contact with the female ghost NPC for a few seconds.

When suspended in the air, a person's psychology becomes a bit more fragile than usual.

So he tightened his grip on Chen Jingshen's neck. 'Run faster, didn't you eat?? Wait, where are you going? This isn't the way back to the room—'

Yu Fan looked ahead and saw a red wedding sedan with curtains drawn in the courtyard scene.

Yu Fan thought, no way? Would any idiot dare to go in there? Going in would just be sitting inside waiting to be scared??

The next second, Yu Fan was carried inside.

Yu Fan: '...'

The space inside the sedan was even narrower than he imagined.

An 185 cm guy holding a 180 cm guy sitting inside—there was almost no extra space.

Yu Fan was half-curled up, his shoes on the side of the sedan, his entire back pressed against the back.

Yu Fan caught his breath and said through gritted teeth: 'Chen Jingshen, you—'

'A ghost touched me just now.' Chen Jingshen's voice was slightly hoarse. 'You weren't scared, were you?'

'...' Yu Fan's anger died down instantly.

Wait, it was just a poke. No way he'd be that scared, right?

Yu Fan was about to say something when the sedan shook gently, and then someone outside scratched the sedan body hard with their fingernails.

He could only shut up and stay still, playing along with the outside performance.

To guard against the NPC rushing in to scare them, Yu Fan kept staring at the sedan curtain.

After a moment, he frowned, sensing something, and looked up.

The sedan was pitch black, almost nothing visible.

Except for the curtain dyed an eerie dark red by the light, and Chen Jingshen's clear black eyes.

Chen Jingshen had one hand on his knee and the other pressed against his back, separating him from the sedan, watching him silently in the dark.

After running a while carrying someone, Chen Jingshen's breathing was a bit heavy, warm against Yu Fan's ear. Their bodies were pressed intimately together, and he could feel every breath Chen Jingshen took.

Yu Fan felt enveloped by the mint scent.

His heart was beating too fast. Yu Fan unconsciously curled his fingers. 'Watch the curtain. It's definitely going to burst in.'

'I don't dare look,' Chen Jingshen said.

'...Who told you to run in here like an idiot?'

Chen Jingshen thought for a moment. 'I was too scared.'

More noise outside. Yu Fan stiffly turned his head to the side and continued staring at the curtain.

A few seconds later, he couldn't take it anymore. He raised his hand, found Chen Jingshen's eyes in the dark, and roughly covered them. 'Don't look at me.'

Chen Jingshen hummed lowly, his breath brushing against the side of his hand.

Yu Fan's entire skin tingled, from his neck to his ears burning hot. He gritted his teeth, raised his other hand, and pinched Chen Jingshen's nose. '...And stop breathing.'

Chen Jingshen: '...'