Early in the morning, sunlight drove away the gloom enveloping the world, forcing the darkness to huddle into unseen corners. The weather today was exceptionally fine, bathing everything in gentle warmth. The students walking through the school gate brimmed with youth and vitality.
A beam of sunlight streamed in through the high window on the side wall of the gymnastics hall, landing on a stack of tumbling mats. Bao Yun leaned back onto them, her long hair spilling across the padding like a blossoming flower.
Wei Yuan looked up at the descending shaft of light and asked, "Is it too bright?"
Bao Yun hooked her leg—clad in a white school uniform thigh-high stocking—around Wei Yuan. "I want you to remember every single detail. Remember it forever!"
The white stockings issued by the school were surprisingly high quality, exceptionally thin and slick, like a second skin. Wei Yuan was tilted off-balance by the pull, and when Bao Yun grabbed his collar and tugged, he tumbled down on top of her.
The sunlight did not want to miss such picturesque scenes, yet gazing upon sights beyond imagination made it bashful, compelling it to cover one eye and peek solely through the gaps between its fingers. Science told the sunlight that looking at people with just one eye lost depth perception—without those subtle, relative rises and falls, many details would be missed.
In the darkness beyond the sunlight, some felt heartbroken and grieved, some wept in silence, and some felt an ache so sharp they could barely breathe. Unable to see, they could only fill in the blanks from those strange sounds.
Bao Yun's voice was truly enchanting.
She did not hold back in the slightest, crying out as loud as the sensation demanded, shattering hearts all over outside the walls while stirring up waves of guilt inside.
"Keep it down; people outside can hear us—" Wei Yuan could not help saying.
"Letting them hear is the whole point. It multiplies the fun."
The school's electric bell was broken today, and the chime signaling the start of class failed to sound for the longest time. A crowd of boys was left to endure lingering misery, while the girls continued excitedly discussing the details.
Li Tianci stood outside the entrance of the gymnastics hall. Several times he wanted to leap up and kick the door down, only to stop just short of the final blow. In agony, he tore at his hair, only to get red dye all over his hand. He had just dyed his hair yesterday and never expected the color to come off at a mere touch.
Finally, the small door of the gymnastics hall opened. Wei Yuan and Bao Yun emerged chatting and laughing, only to freeze when they saw the dense crowd gathered before them.
Wei Yuan knew about multiplying pleasure, but he had never expected so many multipliers. This wasn't just fun anymore; it was front-page news!
A female teacher wearing glasses, whose uniform could barely contain her curves, walked over and asked, "You two, didn't you know there's gymnastics class first period this morning?"
Wei Yuan genuinely didn't know. He had never seen a class schedule, nor did he know if this teacher was just improvising her own drama.
Li Tianci suddenly rushed forward, grabbed Wei Yuan by the collar, and roared, "She's the girl I'm after! What did you do to her?!"
Wei Yuan felt there was no need to explain what had been done—everyone had heard it anyway—so he shut Li Tianci's mouth with a punch. The blow made him stagger and drop to his knees, yet surprisingly didn't knock him flat. Wei Yuan realized this body was truly weak: it lacked strength to begin with, and on top of that, he was now sore all over. His arms, having spent an extended period essentially holding a plank, could barely be lifted.
Li Tianci roared and charged forward.
Yet without the interference from the body's original consciousness, Wei Yuan's combat skill was now fully restored. He took a step forward, stepped firmly on Li Tianci's foot, and pivoted aside. Li Tianci slammed his own face directly into the ground. Had Wei Yuan not lifted his foot at the very last moment, the boy's ankle would have snapped.
Bao Yun tossed her hair, her golden strands trailing like silk fringe in the sunlight. Seeing that bright blonde hair, Li Tianci's lackeys backed off at once. A transfer student with dyed hair was not someone they could afford to offend.
The girls, meanwhile, acted as if they had discovered a whole new world. They crowded around and chattered over each other:
"Why doesn't your hair bleed color?"
"Where did you get it dyed? Tell us!"
With great difficulty, they shook off the crowd and made it into the library. The library was quite spacious and nearly deserted. At the sight of shelves full of books, Wei Yuan's eyes lit up, and he hurried over.
He had just stopped before the first row of bookshelves, not yet having a chance to read anything, when Bao Yun dragged him forward all the way to the space behind the final row.
Wei Yuan looked up and around; there didn't seem to be any of those things called cameras here. And so, sweet, bizarre sounds began echoing through the library once more.
Wei Yuan discovered that Bao Yun's voice had a wide variety of tones, shifting back and forth to match different moods.
The class bell finally rang, though not at the normal time. Whenever something in the school broke, repairing it always took far longer than common sense dictated, yet things broke down faster than knowledge itself.
Static crackled through the square speakers mounted in the classrooms, followed by Bao Yun's soft, sweet voice: "Attention, students: the bell just now was a test after repairs. Um, the exact time for class will be announced by your teachers— Ah! That's all—"
***
The Dean of Students' Office.
The dean's hair was more disheveled than ever. He slammed his desk hard, knocking one side of his thick, black-rimmed glasses askew. Straightening them with a flick of his hand, he barked at Wei Yuan and Bao Yun, "You two, write a proper self-criticism! Three thousand words each, right here on my desk! I'll be back to check it shortly."
With that, he hurried out of the office, though his movements were still somewhat uncoordinated.
Wei Yuan glanced at the desk and felt it needed a wipe first—there seemed to be something left on it.
***
The bell signaling the end of class rang, and many students headed down the stairs. Li Tianci was flanked by his entourage of lackeys, looking listless. He didn't know why he was in such a foul mood. Could it really be because of that transfer student?
While lost in thought, he was violently shoved from behind. Losing his balance completely, he tumbled all the way down the stairs. At the top of the staircase, Wei Yuan stood watching, saying as if to someone who wasn't there, "Did you see that? This is how it should be done."
Wracked with pain all over, Li Tianci couldn't get up for the moment. Baffled and furious, he shouted, "Are you crazy?! I didn't even provoke you!"
Wei Yuan said in all seriousness, "If your lackeys cross me, I'll beat you. If anyone else crosses me, I'll still beat you. From now on, I'm only hitting you. As long as you're in this school, you'd better watch your back. As long as I'm alive, you're bound to die sooner or later."
"You lunatic!"
***
It was almost time for school to let out again. The dean of students stood in the middle of the hallway, facing a frail girl with long hair who was trembling slightly. The dean's voice was cold and menacing: "Come to my office after school—"
"All right."
The dean nodded with satisfaction. Just as he turned to leave, he glanced back and saw Wei Yuan leaning against the wall, quietly watching him.
"Wh-what are you doing?" A dull throb suddenly flared up across the dean's body.
Wei Yuan gave a faint smile and said, "Nothing much. I just wanted to look at you. Keep my eyes on you constantly."
The dean of students began to tremble as well, struggling for breath as if strung from the ceiling once more. A sudden realization dawned on him, and he hastily stammered, "I-I'm clocking out the moment my shift ends!"
Wei Yuan smiled and turned to leave.
***
The setting sun dyed a blossoming sweet osmanthus tree crimson.
Wei Yuan and Bao Yun stood at the school gate as departing students walked past them one by one, disappearing into the bustling city.
The athletic senior girl appeared once more. She paused as she passed the two of them and said, "Next time you come, there will be new books in the library."
New books? Wei Yuan suddenly recalled that there were still so many books he hadn't had time to read; he had spent all his time following Bao Yun around every corner of the school. He hurriedly retrieved his textbook from his bag and flipped it open, only to find that most of the pages were blank, leaving him stunned.
Bao Yun chuckled softly. "In an academic slacker's youth, what would there ever be inside books? What matters are these people, this life, this world."
Wei Yuan immediately thought that made a lot of sense. The more he pondered it, the more he felt there was a great deal worth uncovering.
"When did you wake up?" Bao Yun asked.
"Wake up? Wake up to what?" Wei Yuan asked blankly. "I just have a feeling I'll be returning somewhere, but how to go back or why, I haven't a clue. What that place is even like, I don't know either."
"You're not awake yet? Then how did you—"
"I just did a few things I thought ought to be done! These little troubles in school aren't hard to resolve, are they? I really don't understand what these guys are brooding over day in and day out."
"All right, then. Did you remember all the details from today?" Bao Yun asked.
"Of course! Give me a little more time, and taking first place won't be an issue at all."
"Good. Once we're back over there, you can compare and see what the differences are. No getting anything wrong!"
Wei Yuan's heart suddenly raced.
Facing the setting sun, Bao Yun spread her arms wide. Her long hair danced in the wind, every tip seemingly graced with a bright, leaping sprite.
The wind brushed down a shower of sweet osmanthus blossoms, falling like rain from the stars.
The two walked out through the school gates, and vanished from sight.
Chapter 762