Bad Premonition

"What a shame, just one point short! One point!" Zhuge Yun had been muttering about it all the way back to school since the match ended.

"Yeah," Zhao Luzheng couldn't help but agree, "We lost by just one point!"

It was simply unbearable!

Xiao Xiao didn't join the two in their complaints. His thoughts were a bit scattered. When the final whistle blew, Polytechnic University naturally erupted in cheers, and the basketball players were even more excited, shouting out loud.

Amidst the commotion, Yang Yi's gaze shot directly at Xiao Xiao, who wasn't expecting it. Xiao Xiao raised his eyebrows and met his gaze without a flicker of emotion, then naturally looked away. They weren't close, thank you very much. Besides, she wasn't a beauty, so he had no interest in exchanging meaningful glances with a guy.

Xiao Xiao had a feeling Yang Yi wanted to come over and talk to him, but he was just pulled away by his excited teammates. He took the opportunity to quickly drag Zhuge Yun and Zhao Luzheng away. As for Eldest Brother, he naturally went with the basketball team and didn't walk with them.

"Third Brother, Third Brother!"

"Third Brother!"

"Hm, what is it?" Xiao Xiao stepped back a few paces, moving out of the way of the overly close Zhuge Yun.

"I wanted to ask you what's wrong, why are you spacing out?"

"Don't tell me you've taken a liking to some girl?"

"No." Xiao Xiao denied it outright, but to those who were paying attention, it sounded like he was trying to hide something.

"Don't be shy, come on, tell me and Second Brother will give you some advice."

Amidst the banter, Xiao Xiao conveniently pushed the matter of Yang Yi to the back of his mind.

They were just strangers to begin with.

The Gu was dead, and their interaction had ended there.

Honestly, Xiao Xiao was a bit resentful at first for not teaching Yang Yi a lesson, especially since that guy had helped monsters hunt humans! It was simply unforgivable!

But thinking about it later, Yang Yi had actually received his lesson. Moreover, the culprit who ate people had been brought to justice. As for the accomplice, Xiao Xiao didn't have any sense of justice or hatred for evil. As long as he didn't act foolishly again and bring about his own demise, Xiao Xiao naturally wouldn't bother with him anymore.

The whole matter should have come to a close here.

On this day, Yanjing welcomed its first snow of the year.

Everyone who woke up early pulled open their curtains and was unexpectedly greeted with a grand gift—a world covered in silver.

The snow must have fallen during the night, and by morning, it had accumulated thickly.

Under an exceptionally clear and bright sky was pure white snow, exuding a reserved and elegant beauty unique to medieval poetry.

A chilling cold permeated the air, creating a contrasting charm with the seemingly fluffy and soft snow.

Many people couldn't resist the temptation and grabbed a handful of snow. The soft texture quickly turned their hands red from the cold, but even so, it did nothing to diminish their enthusiasm for playing in the snow and their joy at seeing the first snowfall.

Xiao Xiao was forcibly dragged from the embrace of Morpheus by Zhang Bo's loud shouting early in the morning.

"It's snowing!"

Covering his head, Xiao Xiao, wrapped in his quilt like a silkworm, slowly turned over. Actually, his head didn't hurt anymore. After all, the Monster Compendium was very effective, especially after the Ling Yao had eaten the Gu雕. The energy fed back to the Monster Compendium and then to him, the pleasure of the warm current flowing through his body was addictive.

However, even though his body and mind were soothed and he didn't feel tired, the world still had something called morning grumpiness.

And Xiao Xiao had a severe case of morning grumpiness.

Before, the other roommates all woke up later than him. Later, when he looked unwell and didn't go to class early, they thoughtfully made no noise to wake him. However, now that Xiao Xiao's complexion had returned to normal, they had no reservations.

Originally, it didn't matter that Zhang Bo and the others always woke up late. But this morning, when Zhang Bo came back from the restroom, he suddenly had a brainwave and pulled open the curtains to take a look. The "tragedy" happened just like that.

Xiao Xiao had always been a good-tempered person. Even though his heart was filled with morning grumpiness, his outward appearance remained as calm and unruffled as ever, though his tightly pressed lips appeared even more stern and cold.

A low-pressure aura permeated his entire being. Even the thick-skinned Zhang Bo wisely shut his mouth, let alone Zhuge Yun and Zhao Luzheng.

Uh, Zhuge Yun glanced at Xiao Xiao, whose expression seemed normal, then touched the goosebumps on his arm and silently swallowed the words he had half-spoken.

Zhao Luzheng awkwardly swallowed a few times. He had actually sensed that Xiao Xiao had morning grumpiness, but he hadn't expected it to be so severe. He decided that from now on, he would definitely not wake up earlier than Third Brother. Even if he did wake up earlier, he would absolutely not make a sound.

The scenery of Yan University has always been highly praised, and after the snow, Yan University was even more breathtakingly beautiful.

Unfortunately, Zhang Bo and the other two were in no mood to appreciate it.

Xiao Xiao's low-pressure aura was still surrounding them.

Zhuge Yun saw Zhang Bo and Zhao Luzheng constantly signaling him and couldn't help but think: Are your eyes twitching? Besides, why should it be him?

But then he thought, it really could only be him. Eldest Brother? Forget it, he'd probably just add fuel to the fire. Fourth Brother? Judging by his appearance, he probably couldn't even speak coherently.

Fine, Buddha said: If I don't go to hell, who will?

Zhuge Yun put on an expression of righteous determination, but his tone was quite carefully chosen: "Third Brother, it's snowing."

Zhang Bo, Zhao Luzheng: ...

Xiao Xiao glanced at Zhuge Yun expressionlessly, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. Actually, seeing Eldest Brother and the others like this was quite interesting.

He wasn't as angry as they thought; it was just that his lingering morning grumpiness had built up inside, making him disinclined to speak.

Moreover, the tranquil beauty of the campus in the snow was more suited for quiet appreciation.

Listening to the "crunch, crunch" of his footsteps on the accumulated snow, his mood brightened along with the crisp sound.

Xiao Xiao narrowed his eyes, gazing at the teaching building hidden behind layers of trees. White mist flickered in and out of view, possessing a unique, secluded, and ancient charm.

Suddenly, a silver glint flashed past the corner of his eye. Xiao Xiao stopped. The silver glint wasn't conspicuous on the bright snowy ground, yet Xiao Xiao immediately recognized its true identity.

Silvery-gray fur, always appearing and disappearing mysteriously around campus—wasn't it an Ear Mouse?

Xiao Xiao's impression of this little monster wasn't bad. Even though he saw it on campus often, he had never heard of any incidents where it harmed people. Furthermore, it had protected him before. Even if it was bound by the Monster Compendium, he was still grateful.

He suddenly remembered that just before Lin Zhenzhen's incident, he had seen the Ear Mouse through the classroom window. Later, one thing led to another, and he gradually forgot about seeing the Ear Mouse.

Now, just as he was about to forget it again, this little monster appeared before him once more.

Although his impression of the Ear Mouse was not bad, he always felt that nothing good happened when he saw it. Both the Qin Yuan incident and the Ban Zhen incident occurred after he had seen the Ear Mouse, even though both incidents actually had nothing to do with the Ear Mouse.

Perhaps he was overthinking it. It was all just a coincidence.

Even as he told himself this, a few faint wrinkles appeared between Xiao Xiao's brows. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but Xiao Xiao always felt a sense of foreboding.

To borrow a classic line from a certain trio of cannon fodder from a rocket team: What a hateful feeling!