novelraw Chapter 110: That kid is really a player, right?
Chapter 110: That kid is really a player, right?
That was a boy who looked very honest and simple, with a physique more robust than his peers. Despite his young age, he gave off a faintly reliable and sturdy feeling.
Seeing that it was [the Writer] who brought the person back, the other seemed to subtly breathe a sigh of relief.
He pulled the door open a bit wider, stepped forward himself, and ran towards the birthmarked boy, murmuring, "Xiao Yong..."
"I thought you were going to be in trouble tonight, Xiao Le has been worried..."
The door opened most of the way, revealing another girl and boy inside the room.
Xiao Gui'an recognized the girl; she was the one who first looked up and secretly glanced at him in the cafeteria. She had beautiful, sparkling eyes and looked very well-behaved.
The Xiao Le mentioned by the honest boy was indeed that girl. She trotted out, checking the birthmarked boy's condition up and down, her brows filled with worry.
After confirming that the other seemed safe and sound, she gave a slight bow of thanks to [the Writer]. "Thank you, Teacher Yan."
[The Writer] gave her a slight nod.
The other boy in the room didn't come forward. Half of his body was shrouded in darkness.His gloomy eyes watched the situation outside and happened to meet [the Writer]'s gaze.
Xiao Gui'an saw the wariness and vigilance in the other's eyes with perfect clarity. The other immediately averted his gaze, saying with a hint of impatience, "Hurry up, it's almost time."
"Okay, got it—" Seemingly accustomed to his temperament, the children present all acted as if this was normal.
The honest boy looked extremely practiced as he supported the birthmarked boy named 'Xiao Yong', said goodnight, and then walked inside.
Due to his height, Xiao Gui'an had a broader field of view.
From his angle looking down, he could just see a faint shadow on the back of the honest boy's neck above his collar, like a bruise.
His gaze paused slightly, then he looked away as if he had seen nothing.
The girl Xiao Le was not in the same room as the boys.
Her room was on the second floor. She had only waited in the boys' room until now because she was worried about her friend.
"Rest early!" Xiao Le and the remaining girl from the group that made the mistake held hands and ran up to the second floor. As they left, they waved to [the Writer] and the others. "Goodnight, Teacher Yan!"
"Goodnight—" Xiao Gui'an watched them leave. He had always liked polite children.
As for Cheng He and Xu Zisheng's rooms, they were on higher floors, the fifth floor.
Xiao Gui'an casually glanced up at the clock hanging nearby.
Fifteen minutes left. Plenty of time.
After sending Xu Zisheng and this child back to their rooms, he could go back and rest too!
Being a ghost NPC at his core, he could choose whether to complete player tasks, so the rule about having to be in bed before eleven didn't really affect him.
What he feared was something else terrible happening after eleven, so staying in his room was safer.
Cheng He wasn't alone; someone was waiting for him too.
Xiao Qing stood at the stairwell landing. Her black hair hung down, she wore a white dress, and held a doll with an eerie smile in her arms. She looked down at the group coming upstairs from above, just like the beginning of a horror movie.
Now was not the time for Yang Qianqian and [the Writer] to interact. Cheng He rushed up the steps two or three at a time, directly grabbed the other's arm, and said quietly and shyly, "Goodbye, teacher."
The small body of the boy with thick glasses seemed to burst with surprising strength for a moment, directly pulling the girl away by force, leaving a faint drag mark on the floor.
By the time he and Xu Zisheng climbed to the fifth floor, they only heard the sound of a door closing, with no trace of anyone left.
Xiao Gui'an narrowed his eyes.
So, this child named 'Xiao Ke' really is a player, right?
That girl 'Xiao Qing' is probably his teammate.
Actually, he hadn't been suspicious when the meal tray was first overturned; it was during the later storytelling session that he noticed something was off.
For a child so young wearing such thick glasses, Cheng He's actions of adjusting his glasses seemed somewhat unnatural.
Someone with severe nearsightedness should be constantly aware of their glasses, but that boy didn't seem to care much.
He also hardly had the habitual squinting or head-tilting movements. Perhaps he relied more on other senses than his eyes.
Moreover, when he sneakily looked around and spotted the girl holding the doll, Xiao Gui'an saw it clearly.
Xiao Gui'an got to experience what it means that a teacher standing on the platform can really see the students' little movements with perfect clarity.
Although the analogy might be a bit inappropriate, for Xiao Gui'an, it was indeed like that.
And their acting skills still need improvement, these children all—
Xiao Gui'an judged with a highly professional eye.
If full marks were ten, then Cheng He would probably score around seven, Xu Zisheng around eight and a half. In short, they all still have room for improvement.
Xiao Gui'an glanced around and then followed behind Xu Zisheng.
"Creak—" The thin, small youth gently pushed the door open. Surprisingly, Xu Zisheng lived alone. The small room felt somewhat empty at the moment.
He wondered if he could shamelessly stay here for the night. The orphanage environment nearing midnight felt creepy, and he thought it would be safer to stay with Xu Zisheng for the night.
It would be great if [the Writer] could stay or something.
Or, if he could provide some cover later when he sneaked out for a night stroll.
Should he ask?
Xu Zisheng hesitated internally.
The room's owner showed no intention of kicking the guest out, and the guest smiled leisurely, showing no sign of leaving either.
Why wasn't Sir moving?
Xu Zisheng looked up at [the Writer], who was also looking down at him gently. The meaning was already quite clear.
He had thought [the Writer]'s earlier remark was a joke. After all, given the current situation, it wasn't suitable on the surface for him to go alone to [the Writer]'s residence.
Though now [the Writer] 'entering his chamber' wasn't much different.
Was the other really going to be a guest in his shabby little room? Xu Zisheng looked around and suddenly felt it was a bit too crude and dirty.
"Sir, you wait a moment..."
"Mhmm—" [the Writer] responded, seeming not to mind.
Xiao Gui'an examined the old room. He was in a soul state now; later when resting, turning into a cloud of mist or something should be possible, right?
It wouldn't take up space or disturb Xu Zisheng or anything.
Great, let's rest first tonight.
When the time comes, deal with anything tomorrow! Conserving energy is the way to go!
Xu Zisheng stepped into the bathroom behind the room and gently closed the door. The broken mirror reflected the thin, small youth, seeming somewhat distorted.
He lightly raised his hand. The Blood Book slowly materialized before his eyes, and a blood-red crystal slowly rose from the opened pages of the Blood Book.
Inside the blood-red crystal was a miniature, blurry figure, exactly resembling the thin, small youth in the bathroom, which was Xu Zisheng's current transformed appearance.
Back then, he was suddenly sent into this eerie instance by the curse mark, and he entered with his physical body, making him quite an anomaly.
Fortunately, he landed in this room where there was only one ghost youth, so he had to use some 'small methods' to replace the other.
The face of the thin, small youth outside the mirror began to distort, his skin cracking bit by bit, revealing several deep blood marks. Bones were exposed, as if unable to be suppressed from growing and enlarging.
Several black nails faintly appeared at his joints. Xu Zisheng expressionlessly pressed those nails back into his flesh and blood. The bones made a grating sound from the friction.
After Xu Zisheng dealt with his physical condition.
And thought about how to ask questions and discuss the current situation with [the Writer], he took a deep breath, clenched his hand, then released it, and finally stepped out of the bathroom.
"Mr. Yan..."
The gentle, jade-like black-haired youth had vanished. In his place was a mass of dark, seemingly untouchable mist floating in front of him.
Xu Zisheng: ???