Deep Within the Living

Chapter 51: The Day Before

The Day Before the Graduation Exam

Cloudy, 27°C

[No. 1 Resettlement Neighborhood]

This was one of the earliest neighborhoods in Jupiter City, built almost thirty years ago for ordinary residents. Compared to Luo Di's No. 13 Resettlement Neighborhood, it was even older. Many of its buildings had already been marked for demolition due to structural instability, and only a few people still lived here.

Building Three, Unit 502

The apartment had two bedrooms and one living room, simply furnished with outdated furniture. Despite this, the place was meticulously clean.

A birdcage that should have hung in the living room sat empty, with no trace of its former occupant.

At midnight, the lights in the apartment were turned off, leaving only the dim glow from the streetlights outside to illuminate the space.

Inside the master bedroom, a woman in her forties sat at the vanity table. Expensive cosmetics, out of place in such a home, were neatly arranged on the table. Despite the late hour, when most people would be asleep, she was applying makeup.

As she carefully dabbed some powder onto her face and tugged at her skin, a warm, motherly voice emerged from her lips. Oddly, her mouth barely moved as she spoke:“Wenya~ you should get to bed early. Tomorrow is the most important day—your graduation exam.

All of our family’s hopes rest on you. You must perform exceptionally well. Otherwise, all of my hard work over the past decade will be wasted… wasted on raising a useless piece of trash like you.”

Her voice carried into the adjacent secondary bedroom, whose door was ajar, but no response came.

She continued plucking stray hairs from her nose and removing some debris from her mouth with tweezers as her tone softened:

“I’m sorry, my precious daughter.

I spoke too harshly earlier. I shouldn’t put so much pressure on you.

I should have realized long ago that with a worthless father like yours, you wouldn’t turn out much better. You must have inherited his flaws, which is why your grades are always so poor.

But don’t worry. Just go and take the exam boldly tomorrow. No matter how you do, Mom will always love you.”

Still, no response came from the adjacent room.

The woman picked up a razor and began shaving the hair from her legs and underarms. Her tone shifted again, becoming sharp and resolute:

“Mom has made up her mind.

Since you’re a complete failure, there’s no need for you to embarrass yourself.

Tomorrow, I’ll take the exam for you. While I’m at it, I’ll pick out an excellent student from your school—someone free of any inherent flaws—to gift to you.

That way, you can go back to being Mommy’s precious girl.”

The scene panned out from the master bedroom to the silent secondary bedroom next door.

Peeking through the slightly ajar door, a girl wearing No. 4 High School’s uniform could be seen hanging from the ceiling fan.

...

Late at Night

At a small new media company in Jupiter City, the network technician was still working overtime, trying to fix the company’s internet issues. Finally, at around 10 PM, he got everything running smoothly.

This technician, named Gong Xin, looked to be in his early thirties, but his hairline suggested otherwise. Years of sitting and avoiding exercise had left him with a significantly protruding belly.

After completing the repairs, Gong Xin grabbed a leave request form and headed to his boss’s office. But the moment he entered, he was met with a barrage of insults.

“It took you this long to fix the network? Do you realize how much money we lost because tonight’s live stream had to be postponed?”

“The network is stable now.”

“Of course, it is! Now get lost!”

“I’d like to take a day off tomorrow. It’s my old school’s graduation exam, and I want to go back and take a look...”

“What does the graduation exam have to do with you? Besides, you’re the only network technician in this company. What if something goes wrong tomorrow? You don’t get paid enough to justify the damage!

Absolutely not. Wait until everything’s stable in a few days.”

“Then may I resign?”

His boss, already furious, became even angrier. “Of course you can! But according to your contract, you’ll need to complete a two-week handover period. Tomorrow, you’re still required to work. Otherwise, I’ll mark you as absent without leave, and you won’t get your salary or severance pay!”

“Fine, I’ll take the day off. If I don’t bring any money home, my family will get upset.”

“Hey! Gong Xin! Are you deaf or just stupid?”

Without reacting to the boss’s outburst, Gong Xin calmly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his "belly."

The once-dominant boss froze in terror upon seeing what was beneath Gong Xin’s clothes. But having undergone mandatory physical education and systematic sports training, the boss quickly regained his composure and reached under his desk for a firearm.

What his fingers touched, however, wasn’t the cold metal of a gun but warm, moist flesh.

A second later... Crunch. Crunch.

The sound of writhing flesh was all that came from the office.

Gong Xin didn’t seem concerned about disposing of the body. Within two minutes, he walked out of the company holding the bloodstained leave request form.

He seemed utterly unconcerned about being caught, as if he was heading to a place tomorrow where no investigator could find him.

...

The Day Before Graduation

Non-senior students were already on break, and senior students would leave school by 4:30 PM—except for those who lived on campus.

With only forty minutes left before dismissal, most students had stopped training. Instead, they gathered in small groups with their friends, exploring the campus and relaxing as much as possible.

Luo Di, uncharacteristically, wasn’t doing any last-minute training either. He sat in the classroom chatting with the class leader, Gao Yuxuan, and Li Xiaoying.

Among the four, Gao Yuxuan and Li Xiaoying were the most nervous:

Gao Yuxuan wanted to prove himself in non-academic fields, while Li Xiaoying hoped to achieve grades close to the class leader’s so she could go to the same place.

“I wonder what tomorrow’s draw will be like,” Gao Yuxuan said, trying to start a conversation. This update is available on novel⸺fire.net

The class leader, munching on snacks from the campus store, replied, “As long as I don’t draw Luo Di, it’ll be fine. Otherwise, no matter how well we perform, he’ll overshadow us.

Right, Luo Di?

You can take down impersonators with a survival rate of less than six months all by yourself now, can’t you?”

Luo Di answered cautiously, “It depends on their traits. I can’t draw conclusions without knowing more.”

“Tsk.” The class leader rolled his eyes at Luo Di before turning his attention back to his snacks.

“By the way, what are you planning to do after graduation?” Li Xiaoying mustered her courage to join the conversation.

Gao Yuxuan was eager to talk about future plans, or rather, to use the opportunity to inquire about the class leader’s situation. “Both Luo Di and I plan to head to the capital. I’ll likely go through the Research Bureau route, while Luo Di might directly join one of the major companies over there. What about you two?”

“I… I’ll have to wait for the final results before deciding,” Li Xiaoying replied, her gaze naturally shifting toward the class leader.

The class leader, caught off guard as she munched on her snacks, paused for a moment before licking the seasoning powder off her fingers. She then pointed to her nose. “Me? My family will decide based on my final scores. All I need to do is focus on the graduation exam. Maybe I’ll try to fight for a spot in the capital and meet up with everyone there. Of course, I don’t really have much say in the matter.”

Gao Yuxuan adjusted his glasses. “You can’t decide something like that for yourself?”

“Not at all. My dad’s part of the elite circle, and his vision is much broader. The decisions he makes often lead to better outcomes.”

Gao Yuxuan nodded in agreement. “That’s true. With your level, it’s only a matter of time before you head to the capital.

By the way, once we graduate, we should get together for dinner like we always do. Let’s invite Miss Anna as well.”

The class leader glanced at the snack bag in her hand again. “Let’s talk about that after the graduation exam. Good luck tomorrow, everyone.”

Time passed quickly in moments of leisure, and soon the dismissal bell rang. Non-boarding students left the campus in groups.

In the classroom, Luo Di had packed his bag and was about to leave when he felt a gentle tug on his sleeve.

Noticing the situation, Gao Yuxuan immediately made an excuse and slipped away. Li Xiaoying, who had planned to return to the dormitory with the class leader, also lowered her head and exited through the back door. She quietly waited at the building’s exit downstairs.

This left only two people in the classroom.

Before Luo Di could say anything, he felt something soft and warm press against his back.

At the same time, two arms wrapped tightly around him.

No words were spoken, no extra movements were made.

The embrace lasted for a full five minutes before slowly loosening.

“Luo Di, you have to be at your best tomorrow.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s just that I’m feeling a little sentimental before graduation. Maybe we won’t see each other as often after this. Go on back. I figure you’ll still insist on your nightly run tonight. Why not start earlier and get some rest?”

“Okay.”

Just as the class leader thought Luo Di was about to leave, his hand gently rested on her head. He didn’t pat or ruffle her hair; he simply left it there.

“See you tomorrow.”

…

[At the School Gate]

Gao Yuxuan waited beneath a tree outside the gate. Since the class leader lived on campus, the two of them had been commuting home together almost every day during the second semester of their senior year.

He expected to wait a long time, given the unusual circumstances. To his surprise, Luo Di showed up in less than ten minutes.

“That was quick. Didn’t you think to chat with the class leader for a bit longer? She seems to be under a lot of pressure, probably from her family too.”

“Vice Rep, you’re meddling a bit too much, aren’t you?”

Luo Di playfully slapped Gao Yuxuan on the back.

The latter immediately dodged and countered with a light punch.

Both used simple moves, dodging each other effortlessly before bursting into laughter.

In Luo Di’s eyes, there was a noticeable brightness, quite different from the look he used to have when walking home alone.