CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 5: QING UNIVERSITY’S "FORBIDDEN ZONE

On the day Mu Yunchu left school, she had foreseen that Zhao Qingqing might encounter trouble in the near future, so she specifically left a warning to come find her if anything seemed amiss.

But this phone call seemed to come much earlier than she had imagined.

The journey from the shop back to school was almost like going to Shangyan City.

She calculated the time and aimed to finish this business quickly, at least before the next broadcast.

Considering both speed and cost-effectiveness, she chose the bus for 20 per person.

It was over an hour faster than coming back here.

And it was direct.

Compared to when Mu Yunchu left, Qing University was quieter now, with few students left on campus.

Yet unexpectedly, even in such a setting, she encountered an old acquaintance.

"Mu Yunchu?"

The first voice was a tentative probe.

After seeing Mu Yunchu stop, he called out again, with confirmed delight.

"It’s really you, Yun Chu."

In fact, in this school, few people would call Mu Yunchu so intimately.

Because she wasn’t close with anyone to that extent.

When she turned around, it was Xu Qiu, who had pursued her for a long time.

The other seemed extremely happy to see her there, his cheekbones lifted high, as he jogged over.

"I heard you left school to intern, how’s it going, is everything smooth?"

"I wanted to contact you but didn’t have your contact info."

He scratched his head awkwardly, looking like an innocent boy without any guile.

If Mu Yunchu didn’t know his true nature, most people might really be deceived by him.

"By the way, we’ve spent several years in university together, now that we’re parting, how about I treat you to a meal? Right now."

Mu Yunchu glanced at him lightly, already knowing he was standing at the campus gate waiting for someone.

And unsurprisingly, he was likely waiting for his girlfriend.

She sighed a little helplessly.

Then spoke: "Senior."

"Hey!" Xu Qiu responded excitedly.

"I suggest you treat your girlfriend well."

Xu Qiu: !!!

"Otherwise you might face the consequences." Her eyes were serious, and there was no hint of intimidation in her tone.

The consequences were meant exactly as stated.

Yet Xu Qiu clearly didn’t understand.

His eyes panicked for a moment, then quickly rushed to explain.

"Yun Chu, you might have misunderstood!"

"Did you see me with a girl outside the school?"

"That person is just my distant cousin."

"Please don’t misunderstand!"

Mu Yunchu shook her head on her own, thinking this person was beyond saving.

So she didn’t want to waste time, simply and directly interrupting him.

"Senior, I have some things to do, so I’ll be going."

"Ah..." Xu Qiu looked at Mu Yunchu’s departing silhouette regretfully, wishing he could slap himself several times on the spot.

He assumed Mu Yunchu had heard from dorm mates that he had a girlfriend.

Since Mu Yunchu enrolled, Xu Qiu pretended to be single to pursue her, never letting his girlfriend come to school.

Last week he found out Mu Yunchu had left, and his girlfriend was making a fuss, so he brought her over.

Unexpectedly, it was so coincidental!

Letting Mu Yunchu find out.

But thinking another way, does this mean she’s interested in him?

He was so absorbed in his thoughts, he didn’t at all notice his girlfriend approaching and patting his back, startling him.

"What are you looking at so intently?"

"What’s your relation with that pretty female student from before?"

Xu Qiu was first stunned, then casually explained: "A junior from our school, she was just asking about graduate studies."

"Oh~"

His girlfriend nodded with a thoughtful look.

Though she didn’t express doubt in Xu Qiu’s words, she took a deep glance in Mu Yunchu’s direction.

A woman’s sixth sense let her detect something wasn’t quite right.

Moreover, this person... seemed a bit familiar.

*

Mu Yunchu went upstairs, and Chen Wanjun and Yu Lan crowded around her.

For some reason, despite the former being just like them, university students, standing next to Mu Yunchu gave a sense of inexplicable security.

"How long has Qing Qing been in this state."

Mu Yunchu greeted them as she usually does, then stood by Zhao Qingqing’s bed.

The once lively girl now lay pale on the bed, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, occasionally muttering words like a nightmare.

Chen Wanjun recalled: "The fever started yesterday morning, we had planned to eat out together, but when it was time to get up, Qing Qing was still in bed."

"Yes, at first we thought she was being lazy, but going over, we found she actually had a fever." Yu Lan supplemented beside her.

If it was a low fever it wouldn’t matter much, but when measuring her temperature, it was nearly 39 degrees, so they took Zhao Qingqing to the campus doctor immediately.

They thought after getting medication and a drip everything would be fine, but she’s still burning hot today.

They thought of Mu Yunchu, hurriedly made the call.

After speaking, Chen Wanjun and Yu Lan exchanged glances, the former gathered courage to ask: "Yun Chu, what’s wrong with her?"

"Is it possible she’s been haunted?"

They didn’t want to be superstitious, but Zhao Qingqing’s symptoms were indeed a bit eerie.

Under their expectant gaze, Mu Yunchu frowned in puzzlement, "She does have unusual yin energy."

"But there’s no trace of ghost attachment."

Thinking for a moment, she suddenly asked: "You said the fever started yesterday morning, did you do anything unusual the day before?"

Unexpectedly, a simple question turned their expressions instantly guilty.

"We..."

"We..."

Chen Wanjun opened her mouth, but couldn’t say a word.

With Mu Yunchu staring, she was as nervous as if she had done something bad.

"What did you do?"

Mu Yunchu asked again.

Under intense pressure, Chen Wanjun gritted her teeth and revealed the truth.

"The night before, we went to the old teaching building."

They were so tense because this old campus area was practically a ’forbidden zone’ for Qing University students.

Whenever a building is old enough, its tales multiply unabated.

Qing University is no exception.

Since their enrollment, they heard seniors talk about numerous ghost stories regarding the old campus.

Including but not limited to, tales of seniors who failed their graduate exams and hung themselves, or seniors committing suicide for love, and even ghosts like new-borns smothered after being born secretly...

The stories were bizarre, ten people could tell ten versions, and finding duplicates proved difficult.

Though called the old campus, it was actually more accurately an ’old dormitory’—the place where previous students resided.

Though they didn’t believe in ghosts there, they saw no need to enter.

Therefore, Mu Yunchu was slightly surprised when Chen Wanjun spoke.

"What did you go there for?"

Chen Wanjun recounted that the group had gone out for a gathering, drank some alcohol, then someone suggested they play a truth or dare game.

"At first things were normal, everyone eating, drinking, doing penalties, answering questions, quite happily."

At this point, Mu Yunchu remembered.

The night before, Zhao Qingqing did text her, asking if she wanted to return to school and join the gathering, but she refused.

"But later, someone thought it wasn’t fun enough and suggested those losing should explore the old district again."

Unfortunately, Zhao Qingqing became this particular lucky charm.

Yu Lan added to the narration, "It was already late, we advised her not to go, but knowing Qing Qing’s temperament, the more she’s told not to do something, the more she insists..."

They couldn’t stop her at all.

Her voice trailed down to a near whisper.