Tang Yu stood on tiptoe, hanging the wrung-out bedding on the drying rod.
As his arms lifted, the hem of his shirt rose too, revealing a flash of glaringly white waist.
Water droplets trickled down from the quilt, and the gentle sunlight shone on Tang Yu’s body. Soaking in the clarity and warmth, he couldn’t help but lean on the railing, quietly enjoying the peaceful morning on campus.
Suddenly, his dark brows twitched with nervous tension. His startled gaze fell on a familiar figure standing below the dorm building.
Bathed in golden morning light, Shen Junxing looked as though he were rimmed with a divine glow. He waved at Tang Yu with a bright smile on his handsome face. From his lip movement, he seemed to be saying—
“Good morning, Little Yu.”
Tang Yu instinctively ducked behind the damp bedding, hiding in the moist shadows beyond the reach of the sun, as if that could shield him from the creepy sensation of being watched.
Ding-dong!
Tang Yu’s heart pounded at the sound of the message notification—he could barely breathe.
Hadn’t they agreed to take some time apart?
Or did Shen Junxing think just one night of distance was enough?
Ding-dong!
The message tone kept ringing like dripping water.
Shen Junxing: “I made breakfast for Little Yu.”
Shen Junxing: [Image.jpg]
The photo showed a strong, slender hand holding a lunchbox.
Tang Yu quickly replied: “Just leave the lunchbox downstairs.”
Shen Junxing: “What if Little Yu throws away the breakfast I made?”
Shen Junxing: [Crying puppy GIF]
Tang Yu had no choice but to reply: “I won’t.”
Shen Junxing: “But Little Yu threw away the gifts others gave without hesitation.”
…Because those people were creeps. They stalked him, secretly photographed him, and harassed him.
Tang Yu: “I wouldn’t treat a gift from a normal person like that.”
They had clearly agreed to give him some space—was Shen Junxing now trying to test his boundaries this way?
Tang Yu: “Those weren’t gifts from normal people.”
Tang Yu: “No one would want those kinds of ‘gifts.’”
The next second, a new message popped up from Shen Junxing:
Shen Junxing: “Then does Little Yu like the breakfast I made?”
Tang Yu could almost picture Shen Junxing’s smiling face, as if he were hearing something amusing.
…Too much.
What kind of answer was he trying to get?
Why did he have to push, even now, when Tang Yu was nervously trying to maintain the peace in their friendship? Why did Shen Junxing, the one at fault, not feel guilt or remorse, and instead keep prodding like this?
Tang Yu’s fingers moved quickly, letting his rationality guide his anger:
Tang Yu: “No. I don’t like it.”
The moment he hit “send,” it felt like all the strength left his body.
Ding-dong!
Tang Yu’s eyelashes fluttered violently—he didn’t dare look at what Shen Junxing replied.
He took several deep breaths before finally glancing down.
Shen Junxing: “I’ve left the lunchbox. Remember to eat it while it’s warm, Little Yu.”
One second. Two seconds. No new messages came.
Tang Yu held his breath and cautiously peeked outside. The area below the dorm building was busy with students, but Shen Junxing was nowhere in sight.
Had he really left?
The chatter below felt like it came through a layer of water. Leaves trembled in the wind. A girl rode by on a shared bike, ringing the bell. Groups of boys jogged out of sight. An older teacher passed by talking on the phone. The sunlight stretched everyone’s shadows out long and thin.
Tang Yu began to feel dizzy—perhaps because he hadn’t slept well last night.
Sunlight poured down like water, filling the space beneath the dorm. Everyone’s voices and figures seemed submerged, indistinct and blurred.
Countless vague faces, countless blurry stares, countless flickering shadows.
Tang Yu stumbled off the balcony, legs weak, and opened the door.
In the next second, he froze, staring blankly at the lunchbox on the ground.
It looked exactly like the one in Shen Junxing’s photo.
He had thought Shen Junxing left the stuff downstairs at the dorm building.
How did Shen Junxing manage to deliver it upstairs in just a few seconds?
…Monster.
He only cursed that once in his heart before, as if guilty of some misdeed, Tang Yu quickly glanced around the corridor. The corridor was utterly empty, yet it felt as though a hidden gaze from the shadows swept across him, carrying with it a chilling aura that made Tang Yu’s heart lurch in panic.
He didn’t know whether he was afraid of Shen Junxing, or of the staircase monster that might be lurking on the fifth floor.
Class was about to start soon. How was he supposed to get down?
Tang Yu instinctively turned back, looking toward the bed draped with long white curtains.
Was Li Sheng still asleep?
Tang Yu paced to the bedside, hesitating before whispering softly: “Senior?”
No response came from behind the curtain.
It seemed Li Sheng had really gotten up and left early.
Just as Tang Yu was thinking this, a pale hand suddenly stretched out from within the white curtain. The hand was bony, with long, slender fingers, and it made no sound as it emerged, nearly making Tang Yu jump out of his skin.
Dangling from its bloodless fingertips was a keychain. As the keys swayed slightly, Tang Yu caught sight of the bluish tinge beneath the nails.
“Catch.” Li Sheng’s voice was as cold and clear as the sound of jade striking jade.
The moment the words fell, the keys slipped from his fingertips.
Tang Yu hurriedly stretched out both hands, barely managing to catch the icy-cold keys.
When Tang Yu looked up again, he saw that along with the pale hand being drawn back, there was also a long strand of black hair.
Long hair?
Tang Yu thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He blinked hard, trying to see more clearly, but the white curtain had already fallen shut, seamless once more, and that strand of jet-black hair seemed like nothing more than an illusion.
“Senior!” Tang Yu raised his voice slightly. He stared at the white curtain. The sunlight was beautiful today, spilling down from the balcony and lighting up the dust floating in the air, but unable to penetrate the curtain and cast the figure behind it. “…The fifth floor. Can I go down on my own?”
“You can.”
No further explanation—just those two words, yet they carried a weight of conviction.
Tang Yu wrapped the keys tightly in his palms. “Thank you, Senior.”
For an instant, the giant shadow beneath the dormitory building twisted.
…
Tang Yu carried the lunchbox to the classroom door. Adjusting his mask and the brim of his cap, he lowered his head and stepped into a classroom far noisier than usual.
“…Yeah, it was insane, they were still knocking on doors and crashing into rooms after four in the morning!”
“D*mn, I was speechless. Yan Lang barged into my dorm yesterday, rummaging through everything—he even dug out my unwashed socks!”
“At least She Qulin acts somewhat normal. No idea how he ended up hanging with that bunch.”
“But their names are really weird. Five characters, six characters—how did I never find that strange before?”
…What are they talking about? Why were his classmates naturally reading out the players’ names?
Tang Yu lifted his head in confusion—and saw that along with his usual classmates, the classroom now also held the same group of jubilant players from last night.
Players shook awake napping NPCs, trying to interact.
Players scrawled wildly across the blackboard.
Players shredded homework from the podium and hurled it out the windows to the NPCs’ shrieks.
Players dragged sacks around, collecting bottles from desks regardless of whether they were empty.
Then, the players noticed Tang Yu.
Yan Lang strode up to him, hand outstretched as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Tang Yu: “?”
Remembering how the players had crowded him last night demanding all sorts of things, Tang Yu hesitated—he didn’t have anything else on him now. After a moment’s pause, he handed over the lunchbox.
Yan Lang accepted it with satisfaction, tore the plastic bag open, flipped open the insulated container, and scooped up a spoonful of still-steaming porridge straight into his mouth. “Mmm… tasty.”
The next second, Yan Lang’s muttering cut off.
【You have consumed one spoonful of ???’s homemade lunchbox】
【You gain Shadow’s Protection for ten minutes】
“Holy cr*p, check Yan Lang’s status panel!” a passing player shouted in alarm.
Tang Yu’s eyes widened slightly. He saw a special icon suddenly appear in the upper right corner of Yan Lang’s panel:
A pitch-black silhouette.
What was that?
Before Tang Yu could react, an even more shocking sight unfolded—
Yan Lang suddenly clutched the lunchbox and devoured it like a starving ghost reborn. The other players, realizing something, all lunged toward him, scrambling madly for the food.
Tang Yu thought that scattering grain into a flock of chickens wouldn’t have produced such a spectacle.
“D*mn it, Yan Lang’s hogging it all!”
“This food gives a special buff!”
“Slurp, slurp!”
The porridge was devoured within moments, the bowl licked clean to the bottom.
Such behavior—like starving refugees—stunned everyone present who wasn’t a player.
The players who had eaten were giddy, excitedly examining their Shadow Protection, while those who hadn’t managed to get any beat their chests in frustration.
Suddenly, one player rushed up to Tang Yu, shouting, “Papa! Hungry! Food!”
Tang Yu instinctively stepped back, tucking his fingers deeper into his sleeves, lowering his blue eyes beneath the brim of his cap. He looked at the players swarming toward him, bewildered and uneasy.
“Got more? Got more?! I didn’t get even a grain of rice!”
“So that’s what Tang Yu’s favorability is for! How many points does it take to trade for a meal? Tell me!”
“Where did this lunchbox come from?! I want one too!!!”
Dozens of bright, greedy eyes fixed on him. Each player radiated such fervent energy that if those emotions could transform into tails wagging behind them, Tang Yu felt those tails would spiral straight into the sky.
But he also feared that if he didn’t answer, these players—who seemed like docile dogs now—would bare their fangs like wolves, ripping him apart just to find the truth.
Players saw it.
Players wanted it.
Players would… absolutely get it.
“…It’s from my friend,” Tang Yu muttered, voicing the name that filled him with such complicated emotions: “Shen Junxing.”
【New Quest: Investigate Shen Junxing】
【Quest Description: Dear players, you have discovered a mysterious power within this special lunchbox. This power is the same as the unknown force that influenced the Ghost Bus mission last time. Prepare to investigate the lunchbox’s creator, Shen Junxing.】
【Quest Difficulty: ???】
【Quest Rewards: ???】
