"Ah!" Just as Zhang Chen and the other two were lounging comfortably in deck chairs, chatting and enjoying nature, a girl's scream came from the first floor.
"Go!" Zhang Chen sprang to his feet, called Tan Fei and Er Wa over, and headed downstairs. In the middle of the second floor, they ran into the students from No. 1 High, who were also following the scream.
Following the sound, everyone found the dance studio opposite the dining hall. Zhang Chen took the lead and pushed open the door first.
The room was huge, its walls covered in mirrors made specifically for dancing, making the already spacious room seem even larger. The floor was laid with pale wooden boards, and aside from the mirrors and ballet barres, there was nothing else inside. It looked extremely empty.
After everyone rushed into the room, they found a girl with waist-length hair sitting on the floor, her right arm stretched out as she pointed at her reflection in the mirror.
The girl was from No. 1 High. Though she was not especially pretty, she had a very curvy figure. When the students from No. 1 High saw her like this, they hurried over and helped her up.
"Qiutian, what happened?" another girl with short hair asked.
"I... I heard there was a dance studio here, so I wanted to come take a look. It was also my first time seeing such a big dance studio. It was much bigger than the place where I trained. So..." As the long-haired girl spoke, she began to cry.
"Go on," Jia Xin said from the side.
Jia Xin's words seemed to help her. She gradually stopped crying.
"So I wanted to dance here. I slowly repeated the dance moves I had learned before. The room was so big, and I was the only one here, so I gradually got completely absorbed in it. Then I accidentally fell to the floor. I looked down and saw that it was only a minor injury, nothing serious, but..." Her eyes filled with fear.
"But what?" Jia Xin asked with a frown.
"But when I raised my head and looked at the mirror in front of me, my reflection was still dancing, without pausing at all. And the me in the mirror actually... actually smiled at me."
As soon as those chilling words came out, the two girls supporting her covered their mouths and looked fearfully at the mirror.
"You two should take Qiutian upstairs to rest first. The car ride probably tired her out. She'll be fine after resting," Jia Xin said.
The girls beside Qiutian nodded and helped her out. At that moment, Wang Yizhi and Dai Xu had also finished showering and come downstairs. Seeing the dazed long-haired girl being helped away by her classmates, they hurriedly asked,
"Zhang Chen, what happened here?"
"Nothing. That girl in the middle learns dance. She came here after showering to dance and accidentally fell. She's fine." Naturally, Zhang Chen would not tell the two girls about something so terrifying. Tan Fei, on the other hand, looked very excited and wanted to tell Dai Xu to scare her and create an opportunity for himself, but Zhang Chen stopped him.
Gradually, everyone returned to their rooms first.
Only Zhang Chen and Jia Xin remained in the dance studio.
"Can you draw it out?"
Zhang Chen asked after closing the door. In truth, the moment he entered, he had sensed something strange about the room. There was clearly a faint aura in the mirrors that was about to disappear, and Shen Qiutian also carried a similar aura. But after Jia Xin walked over and made a small pulling motion with his right hand, the aura on her vanished.
"The timing isn't right right now. It'll be much easier if we come back tonight. Anyway, I'll give it a try."
After saying that, Jia Xin took a small compass from his waist. Zhang Chen saw that the wooden needle on it was spinning counterclockwise without stopping.
Jia Xin watched it for a long time, then shook his head.
"Even the Spirit Guiding Needle can't seem to sense it. Let's come back tonight." Jia Xin put away the small compass without hesitation.
Zhang Chen nodded as well and said,
"Let's meet in the lobby downstairs in half an hour. We can introduce ourselves and get to know each other."
"No problem."
After that, both of them returned to their rooms on the second floor.
Half an hour later, everyone gathered around the circular sofa in the lobby and sat down. The long-haired girl seemed much calmer now and was chatting happily with her friends.
"How about this? There are a lot of us, so let's start with our class. Qiutian, you go first." Jia Xin pointed at a lean man sitting at the very edge.
"My name is Hong Yi. I'm fifteen. I like reading, watching movies, and playing basketball."
"My name is Gong Yuanwu. I'm sixteen. I like wrestling, working out, and playing games." The one speaking was the sturdy boy who had picked a fight on the bus earlier.
"My name is Jia Xin. I'm fifteen. I like shopping. That's it."
As soon as he said that, not only Zhang Chen's group, but even the students from No. 1 High could not help laughing.
"My name is Xiao Lan. I'm fifteen. I like reading, listening to music, and watching anime." This time, it was the short-haired girl speaking.
"My name is Shen Qiutian. I'm fifteen. I like dancing, music, and shopping." The long-haired girl put special emphasis on the word "shopping," making the hidden meaning in her words obvious.
"My name is Miao Shuangshuang. I'm fifteen. I like boxing." The curly-haired girl was actually a violent type.
"My name is Dai Xu. I'm fifteen. I like Korean dramas, playing cards, and not studying." Big-mouthed Dai Xu was always like this.
"My name is Wang Yizhi. I'm fifteen. I like reading and mountain climbing."
"My name is Tan Yaoguang. I'm fifteen. I like reading, listening to music, and exercising." The moment he said that, everyone, including Zhang Chen, looked at him disdainfully. Yet Tan Fei still wore an innocent expression, shameless beyond belief.
"My name is Hu Dazhi. I'm sixteen. I like adventures, solving mysteries, and playing games." Er Wa looked like a proper gentleman.
"My name is Zhang Chen. I'm fifteen. I like cycling, running, and scary things."
"Now that introductions are done, let's settle the cooking arrangements. Anyone who can cook, step forward," Jia Xin said.
On the No. 1 High side, only Shen Qiutian, Miao Shuangshuang, and Jia Xin stepped forward. Zhang Chen's side had Wang Yizhi and Dai Xu, while Zhang Chen stepped forward as well. After hesitating for a long time, Tan Fei also stepped out.
"Alright. Including me, there are seven people who can cook. We'll handle the cooking from now on. But that doesn't mean the other four have nothing to do. You'll be responsible for washing vegetables, cutting vegetables, and doing the dishes."
After Jia Xin said that, no one had any objections, and the cooking arrangements were settled.
Zhang Chen could tell that it was not only Shen Qiutian who listened to Jia Xin. Their entire class treated Jia Xin as their leader and basically obeyed everything he said. Zhang Chen's group, on the other hand, were simply good friends, with no one above or below anyone else. Comparatively, Zhang Chen preferred the atmosphere in his own class.
"Since it's settled, let's meet in the kitchen at five this afternoon to prepare dinner."
Tan Fei and Er Wa came over and said to Zhang Chen,
"Brother Chen, we found swim trunks and swimsuits prepared for us in the swimming pool on the first floor. Go get the two girls from our class, and let's go swim in the lake behind the villa."
Zhang Chen had been worried about not having swim trunks. Hearing this, he immediately pulled Wang Yizhi to the swimming pool on the first floor to find swimsuits and trunks.
The water in the pool seemed to have just been filled. It was crystal clear. Sunlight shone along the water's edge, reflecting off the ripples and making the Indoor Swimming Pool look exceptionally beautiful.
"Why don't we just swim here? Wouldn't it be too dangerous outside?" Zhang Chen was still worried about swimming in the lake.
"Brother Chen, when did you become such a coward? Look, those guys from No. 1 High are already in the water. And if the girls can't swim, aren't there swim rings here?" Tan Fei picked up a swim ring from the corner and pointed outside the window.
"Alright, alright. Let's go check how deep the lake is first. Huh? Where's Er Wa?" Zhang Chen suddenly realized Er Wa was gone.
"Second Brother knew we were going to the lake, so he went back to change into proper gear. He's really professional about it."
So Zhang Chen and the other four headed to the lakeside first.
Only when they got closer did they truly see how huge the lake was. The water was also incredibly clear, something truly rare in the country these days. There was even a faint mist drifting over the distant surface of the enormous lake, making it seem as though some lake monster lurked beneath it.
"Yizhi, you're not very good at swimming, so you should wear a swim ring first, right?" Zhang Chen looked at Wang Yizhi, who had changed into her swimsuit, and his heart began pounding rapidly.
Wang Yizhi nodded and hugged the swim ring tightly in her arms.
Everyone entered the water. Even Er Wa had changed into professional gear and jumped straight in from the small wooden bridge by the shore.
Standing on the bank, Zhang Chen stretched and warmed up. He remembered how he had cramped up the moment he entered the water while trying to save that man in black and had nearly drowned. This time, he had to prepare properly.
Tan Fei was short and chubby, but in the water, he moved as nimbly as a little ball, constantly circling around Dai Xu, who was wearing a swim ring. Er Wa, meanwhile, had dived far away by himself and seemed intent on going even deeper.
"Why aren't you going in?" Zhang Chen walked over to Jia Xin, who was sitting on the wooden bridge.
"It's not safe when people are in the water. If something happens, it'll be troublesome."
"If you're not going in, then I'll go first. Make sure you keep an eye on me." Zhang Chen cracked a joke and jumped straight into the lake.
Everyone was having a great time in the lake. Hong Yi from No. 1 High even found some fishing rods not far away, solving everyone's problem of finding meat.
Time passed quickly. At five in the afternoon, everyone reluctantly climbed ashore, still not having had enough fun. Er Wa also swam back from far away.
"Second Brother, hurry up! We're waiting for you!" Everyone slowly headed into the villa. Even Tan Fei abandoned his good buddy and eagerly followed Dai Xu inside.
Just as Er Wa was about to reach the shore, his whole body suddenly sank underwater. Judging by his movements, he was clearly not diving. It was as if something had forcibly dragged him down. And Er Wa was not someone who would make that kind of joke.
Zhang Chen knew something had happened. He immediately leaped into the lake and swam toward Er Wa. Fortunately, they were not far apart. In less than five seconds, Zhang Chen saw Er Wa struggling underwater.
Something seemed to be tangled around his foot. Zhang Chen initially thought it was water grass, but when he swam closer, he saw a large mass of black strands tightly wrapped around Er Wa's left foot. What else could it be but hair?
Beneath the hair was a creature that looked like a woman. Its head had a woman's face, but its body was covered with many glittering fish scales.
The creature seemed to notice Zhang Chen as well. Another mass of hair shot toward him, trying to entangle him too.
With a thought, Zhang Chen scattered the hair shooting toward him. Meanwhile, Er Wa seemed to have swallowed a great deal of water and was nearly done for. Zhang Chen could not use his fingernails in front of him.
"No choice. I'll give it a try." Zhang Chen concentrated his thoughts and compressed the water into a blade, shooting it toward the hair wrapped around Er Wa's heel.
Slash! It worked. The hair was cut apart, and Er Wa instantly felt relieved of a huge burden, desperately swimming toward the surface. But the thing underwater seemed unwilling to let him go and swam toward Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen was running low on energy himself, so he swam toward the shore in the opposite direction. However, the scaled woman behind him was incredibly fast in the water. Just as she was about to catch Zhang Chen, a silver needle shot into the water from outside and pierced straight through the fish woman's brow.
"Ah!" The thing did not seem to die, but it had suffered a severe injury. It immediately gave up on Zhang Chen and swam toward the dark depths below, where nothing could be seen...
Before you continue