Song Yizhou

The Text and Image Information Center.

In short, the library.

Afternoon.

Fang Xian sat in a corner, reading intently.

For the past few days, whenever he had no classes, he had come to the library to look for information on strange tales and the Uncanny Tales Society.

"Record of Strange Tales from the Nine Provinces—like Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang, which I read a couple of days ago—records bizarre incidents people encountered in the past."

"But... they won't let anyone borrow Millennium Strange Tales."

"Almost none of these books mention strange tales outright."

Fang Xian set down the book and basked in the afternoon sun.

Then there was the Uncanny Tales Society, which left little Fang Xian unable to stand at attention.

Fang Xian had asked a teacher at the student clubs' association about it.

There was no such club anywhere in the university.

"Of course. Anything connected to strange tales is a strange tale itself."

Fang Xian pressed his lips together, feeling uneasy.

He had always appeared calm, but that did not mean he had no worries.

For one thing, during the "Going Home" strange tale, someone outside the pipe had tried to block it and kill him.

He had used his real name at the North Bank Residential Community.

If that person truly wanted him dead, they would come back and follow him to campus.

Beside the table.

Sunlight streamed through the glass. Xiao Jiu, the strange tale, lay asleep by the window.

Her little round face, as pale as his own, looked perfectly content. At some point, a snot bubble had appeared at her nose again.

Fang Xian looked away from his Pikachu.

Having a strange tale at his disposal gave him an overwhelming advantage over ordinary people.

But he could not rule out the possibility that whoever wanted to kill him wielded the power of a strange tale too.

Tsk.

What a pain.

That was what Fang Xian thought.

He got up to look for more books.

As an upstanding young man of the New Era, Fang Xian had always believed books could offer insight.

A while later, Fang Xian returned with an armful of books. Before he could sit down, he noticed someone across from his seat.

A girl sat there in a plain, belted linen-and-cotton dress. Her long hair fell over her shoulders, and black-framed glasses rested on her delicate nose. In the sunlight, she looked gentle and captivating.

Anyone would have found themselves saying, "What a beautiful girl."

She was the sort of untouchable goddess who seemed to embody all that was serene and lovely about campus life.

At the moment, she wore headphones and seemed to be reading while listening to music.

Why is Song Yizhou here?

Fang Xian frowned.

He neither liked nor disliked her.

He just found the situation troublesome.

Since that dinner, he had not spoken to Gao Lu or anyone else from her dorm. Now that they had run into each other here, did he still have to keep up the act?

The answer was no.

Song Yizhou really was beautiful.

Strikingly so, even.

But what did that have to do with him?

Fang Xian calmly sat down with his books.

He glanced at what Song Yizhou was reading across from him.

Kafka on the Shore.

Just what I'd expect from a literary girl.

Fang Xian put his thoughts aside.

He turned to his books.

Nearby.

Xiao Jiu slowly opened her eyes.

Her tiny body gave a start, and she looked around. When she saw Fang Xian was still beside her, she relaxed.

"Chirp."

Fang Xian paid her no mind. He simply took a lollipop from his pocket and slipped it into his backpack.

Xiao Jiu darted into the bag.

She began wriggling around.

Such is the life of an old father, Fang Xian thought with a world-weary air.

University life was good.

Life as a first-year student was even better.

In late September, every school held a welcome gala. Jiangzhou Normal University currently had eighteen schools, so their galas were generally scheduled on different days. Each school then selected performances for the university-wide welcome gala.

As a star of the School of Literature, Song Yizhou was naturally expected to perform onstage.

That left the clever Song Yizhou wondering what she should perform.

Music played through her headphones.

Maybe singing a song onstage would be a good choice.

Song Yizhou's eyebrows twitched.

Sensing someone across from her, she looked up.

Isn't he... that guy from the dinner?

Fang Xian?

Song Yizhou had a good memory.

Especially for someone as distinctive as Fang Xian.

He was pale to the point of looking sickly.

This time, though, he seemed rather distant, unlike when he had eagerly asked for her WeChat at the dinner.

His eyes were lowered in intense concentration, and there was something inexplicably compelling about him.

Song Yizhou found herself taking another couple of looks at Fang Xian and the books he had borrowed.

Folklore? The supernatural?

Does he like researching this sort of thing?

Song Yizhou had always believed every book had its value.

Anyone who loved reading could not be a bad person.

A faint smile touched her lips. Then she caught herself and gently raised the book in her hands.

It hid the half of her face that had been showing.

The sun sank in the west.

Night gradually fell.

The library was brightly lit.

Fang Xian read without looking up.

Song Yizhou, meanwhile, was getting a little tired.

All afternoon, she had been trying to read while fielding requests for her WeChat from students who approached her.

It had worn her out.

She pushed up her glasses with slender fingers and blinked her clear eyes.

Time for a break.

Song Yizhou opened her phone.

She was about to scroll through Tremble for a while.

She considered it mindless entertainment, but there was no need to take her objections too far.

Ding-dong.

Her dorm's WeChat group chat.

[Lü Yaoyao (No Cilantro, Study Mode): Zhouzhou, where are you? @Silence Is Zhou]

[Lü Yaoyao: Yu Feng asked me where you are!]

[Lü Yaoyao: He said he wanted to ask how your performance is coming along. He messaged you on WeChat, but you didn't reply.]

[Lü Yaoyao: I think Yu Feng is into you.]

[Song Yizhou: I'm reading at the library. I'll be back soon.]

Song Yizhou checked another message.

[Yu Feng: Song Yizhou, where are you?]

[Yu Feng: How is your performance for the welcome gala coming along? If you haven't decided on one yet, we could go over some ideas together at the student union office.]

[Yu Feng: (smiley face)]

Those messages were already an hour old. Song Yizhou did not check her phone often, so she had missed them.

Yu Feng was a second-year student and vice president of the School of Literature's student union. He was also president of the poetry club. Tall and always carrying a scholarly air, he was clearly a prominent figure in the school.

Now Song Yizhou was trying to find a tactful way to turn down the overly enthusiastic senior.

She opened Tremble while she thought.

The first video caught her by surprise.

[Girl who disappeared ten years ago finally found!]

[Her remains were hidden in a concrete culvert in the residential community for ten years.]

[The General Affairs Bureau has sealed off that area of the community!]

[According to rumors from people at the scene, a young university student discovered the remains after crawling into the concrete pipe at night.]

Song Yizhou's eyes shifted.

The video had been posted only a few hours ago, but it already had plenty of comments.

"Holy shit, crawling into a concrete pipe in the middle of the night? University students are something else."

"I know that community! It's next to my place—North Bank Residential Community."

Related search: North Bank Residential Community.

"That's terrifying!"

Song Yizhou paid little attention to the comments.

She pressed her elegant lips together, her gaze stirring.

Though his face had been blurred,

Song Yizhou still recognized the university student in the video.

Wasn't that...

Fang Xian, sitting right in front of her?