Sorry

Outside the corridor.

"Sorry, Qiye, I'm really sorry!" Li Yifei stood there with his head lowered, apologizing over and over. "I was just too scared at the time. I... I didn't think that much about it. I just ran...

I left you and Jiang Qian there, and I even got her...

I don't expect you to forgive me, but we're classmates after all. I still wanted to apologize to you!

I'm sorry!"

Li Yifei did not dare meet Lin Qiye's eyes, but his words were deeply sincere.

Only after he had finished did Lin Qiye slowly speak.

"Running for your life first when danger strikes is only human. There's nothing wrong with that." Lin Qiye patted him on the shoulder. "Besides, if it had been me, I would've run even faster than you."

Li Yifei: ...

Li Yifei scratched his head, seeming to recall something. "Oh, right. Did you sign that confidentiality agreement too?"

Lin Qiye froze for a moment. After hesitating briefly, he nodded.

It seemed Zhao Kongcheng had not lied to him. They really would not do anything to witnesses. Li Yifei had escaped from the monster that night, and after being discovered by them, it was only natural that he had been made to sign a confidentiality agreement.

If Lin Qiye's guess was correct, Liu Yuan had signed the same agreement as well.

Although Lin Qiye had not signed one yet, it was only a matter of time. If he told Li Yifei that he had not signed it yet, it would be harder to explain.

"Even if they hadn't made me sign it, I wouldn't have told anyone." Li Yifei sighed. "That scene... I never want to remember it again for the rest of my life...

Besides, if I violate the agreement after signing it, I'll rot in prison. I don't want to bury my own future with my own hands."

Li Yifei rested both hands on the corridor railing and looked down at the bustling campus below, a trace of longing appearing in his eyes.

"Actually, I kind of wish I could join them."

Lin Qiye spoke in surprise. "You want to join them?"

"Yeah. I brought it up when I signed the agreement. I was willing to give up school and join them, but unfortunately... they didn't want me."

"Why do you want to join them? Your grades may not be great, but aren't you about to be admitted to the Sports Academy as an exception?"

"What's so interesting about being an athlete? No, I should say... what's so interesting about being an ordinary person?" Li Yifei's eyes gradually lit up.

"Join a mysterious and powerful organization, quietly fight enemies hiding within human society, earn countless merits... and when it all comes to light one day, the world will remember my name!"

Li Yifei slowly clenched his fists and said excitedly, "This is every man's dream! This is what a meaningful life is!"

"You're imagining it too beautifully." Lin Qiye mercilessly shattered his fantasy. "Maybe you'll die on your very first mission, get torn into eight pieces by a monster, and be buried anonymously in some remote mountain. Your parents might not even learn of your death, and you'll leave this world all alone."

Li Yifei: "..."

"Qiye, isn't that imagination a little too bloody?"

"That isn't imagination." Lin Qiye shook his head. "What you just said was."

Li Yifei sighed helplessly. "Anyway, they don't want me, so there's no need for me to think about all this. From now on, I just need to honestly take this secret to my grave."

"Mm." Lin Qiye checked the time. "We should head back. Class is about to start."

The two returned to the classroom. Lin Qiye could feel that compared with before, Li Yifei was noticeably more relaxed. It seemed his guilt toward Lin Qiye and Jiang Qian had truly placed enormous pressure on him.

They had both run away, yet Li Yifei and Liu Yuan had made completely different choices.

Lin Qiye had no interest in specifically seeking out Liu Yuan to cause him trouble, but if he got the chance in the future, he would not mind teaching him a lesson along the way.

After a full day of classes, Lin Qiye slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed home.

The deaths of Wang Shao and Jiang Qian over the past two days had caused the school quite a bit of trouble. Under pressure, the school had no choice but to cancel evening self-study and send the students home early.

What surprised Lin Qiye somewhat was that the Night Watchmen truly seemed to possess tremendous authority. Normally, after two students had died in succession, people like Lin Qiye and Li Yifei, who had been with the victims, would definitely have been questioned by the police.

Yet two days had passed since the incident, and no one had come looking for them.

It seemed the Night Watchmen had completely taken over the case. Their authority was high enough to make the local police keep silent about it.

As he walked, the sky gradually darkened, and a light drizzle began to fall.

It was only a little past six, yet the sky had already become dim and lightless.

Lin Qiye frowned. He had not brought an umbrella, so he could only quicken his pace toward home.

The rain grew heavier and heavier. By the time Lin Qiye hurried home, he was soaked to the bone. But the instant he opened the door, a rich aroma of cooking rushed toward him, washing away every negative emotion in his heart.

"Oh! Little Qiye, how did you come back drenched like this?" His aunt, who was busy in the kitchen, hurried over when she saw him.

"It was raining pretty heavily outside, and I didn't bring an umbrella today." Lin Qiye smiled.

"If you didn't bring an umbrella, then find somewhere to take shelter, or call your aunt so I can pick you up. What if you catch a cold from getting soaked all the way home?" His aunt scolded him halfheartedly.

Lin Qiye scratched his head with a grin and said nothing.

"Hurry up and dry yourself off. Oh, right, your teacher came looking for you just now. I had him wait in your room." His aunt seemed to remember something.

"Teacher?" Lin Qiye froze.

"Yes, your PE teacher. He said he had something to discuss with you. Go see him quickly. Don't keep him waiting too long."

Holding a towel, Lin Qiye blankly wiped his hair.

What the hell? The PE teacher wanted to see him? He had only transferred here a few days ago and hadn't even attended a PE class. What did the man want with him?

Could it be...

A thought flashed through Lin Qiye's mind. He tossed aside the towel, hurriedly opened the door, and entered his room.

A familiar middle-aged man was lounging in a chair, holding a teacup and smiling at him.

Lin Qiye frowned slightly. "You? How did you find my home?"

Zhao Kongcheng smiled faintly. He picked up the emblem on the table and gave it a shake. "After you ditched me that night, I got wiser. Last night, I slipped this into your pocket. It can track your location."

Lin Qiye locked the door and walked straight to the bed, where he sat down. "I told you, I won't join you."

"I know. That's not why I came this time."

"Then you came to make me sign a confidentiality agreement?"

"Not that either." Zhao Kongcheng shook his head. "I reported to the others that you had gone missing. Since I decided to let you go, I can't have you sign an agreement. Otherwise, once they find out you never went missing, they'll send someone else to persuade you in person.

"They... won't be as easy to brush off as I am."

Lin Qiye froze. "Then you came here to..."

Zhao Kongcheng took out a roll of parchment from his pocket, placed it on Lin Qiye's desk, and slowly unrolled it...

"The Night Watchmen's benefits are much better than you think. I've worked for so many years—I've still got quite a bit of savings," Zhao Kongcheng rambled as he opened the parchment.

The instant it was unfurled, Lin Qiye's gaze sharpened.

Inside was a thick stack of cash.