"How do you define a smart person?" Ye Chu had no objection to his idea. After all, staying alive came first here.
Pei Yanchuan tilted his head and puffed out his cheeks. "Someone with brains, who doesn't panic when things happen, who's got some guts... Ah, maybe I'm asking for too much."
Ye Chu said nothing, and Pei Yanchuan continued, "Hey, Ye Chu, which is better, Tsinghua or Peking University?"
The sudden change of subject caught Ye Chu off guard. Before his brain could catch up, the words were already out:
"How could Tsinghua possibly compare to Peking University?"
Once Ye Chu realized what he'd said, he gave a light cough. "Are you planning to apply to Peking University?"
"Maybe." Pei Yanchuan laced his hands behind his head. "As long as nothing goes wrong on the college entrance exam, I should be able to get in."
Ye Chu was a little surprised. His impression of Pei Yanchuan had been that of a rebellious high school student. With his highlighted mullet and ripped jeans, he looked like a delinquent. Ye Chu hadn't expected him to be a prospective Tsinghua or Peking University student.
Ye Chu inwardly reproached himself. How could he judge someone by stereotypes?
"I don't actually like studying that much," Pei Yanchuan said, lowering his head to look at his shoes.
"Nobody likes studying just to meet a specific goal." Ye Chu wasn't sure what prompted him-perhaps guilt over his stereotyping, perhaps a senior's desire to encourage a younger student-but he reached out and patted Pei Yanchuan's head.
Pei Yanchuan stiffened and looked up, surprise still in his eyes.
Ye Chu withdrew his hand. "I think what you dislike is exam-oriented education, not learning itself."
"Yeah," Pei Yanchuan agreed. "I like rock music!" His eyes sparkled when he mentioned rock, as though a light had suddenly come on inside them. "But my mom won't even let me play it at home. She says if I love rock so much, I can roll right out the door."
Ye Chu chuckled. "You can pursue what you love. Once you get into university, you'll be able to do all kinds of things. You can enjoy rock music, or start a band."
"Aww..." Pei Yanchuan drew the sound out. "So I still have to get into university first?"
"Of course. You need the ability to stand on your own before you can have freedom. Otherwise, you'll always be at someone else's mercy. Like how your mom won't let you pursue rock music."
"Fine, then. Looks like I'll still have to grind practice questions to raise my scores when I get back."
Ye Chu didn't know why he'd said so much to him. Perhaps he just wanted to encourage a student in his final year of high school.
[Ahhh, this is so heartwarming!]
[Why does he have so much to say to No. 8? Hahaha, No. 1 demands justice!]
[No. 1: We both got whacked with a stick. Why does he get special treatment?]
But afterward, Ye Chu suddenly felt something was off. One moment he'd thought Pei Yanchuan was a lunatic, and the next he saw him as nothing more than a kid.
He carefully went over their conversation, from the initial change of subject to the lowered head and show of vulnerability afterward. He suspected Pei Yanchuan had deliberately brought up those topics to draw them closer and make him lower his guard.
Ye Chu frowned. Wasn't that another stereotype? What if the kid was simply stressed out by his final year of high school and needed someone to talk to?
Still, he was no saint. He kept that possibility in mind and became a little more wary of Pei Yanchuan.
"Ye Chu, look at this." Pei Yanchuan jogged a couple of steps ahead and pointed at a half-bare tree, his eyes full of wonder. "Wow, what genius did this?"
Ye Chu shook his head to show he didn't know. "Since someone left a clue, let's follow it."
They headed in the direction the branches pointed. Ye Chu walked ahead, oblivious to the way Pei Yanchuan's eyes darkened as he watched his back, his expression unreadable.
The fog in the forest grew thicker and thicker. Ye Chu guessed dawn was approaching. He quickened his pace. He had to gather more clues tonight, or he'd be at too much of a disadvantage during the day.
Soon, he stopped in his tracks...
Ye Chu spotted Player No. 2. Yes, the little girl with twin ponytails. She was casually pulling branches to one side, muttering, "Are those dumbasses dead? I've left such obvious clues, and they still haven't come looking for me."
Ye Chu: ...
Pei Yanchuan: ...
As though sensing something, Wu You turned around. The sight of them made her jump. "H-hello, you two."
Ye Chu: ...
Pei Yanchuan: ...
"Hi, Wu You," Pei Yanchuan said, the first to break the slightly bizarre atmosphere. "What are you..."
Can't you tell? I'm leaving clues, damn it!
Wu You rolled her eyes inwardly, but aloud she said, "I'm leaving clues."
[You have a vial of poison. Would you like to use it?]
Ye Chu narrowed his eyes. "No."
"It's almost dawn." As the fog before them thickened, Ye Chu looked at Wu You. "Did you run into anyone else?"
Wu You blinked her big, innocent eyes. "Nope."
"Who did you check tonight?" Ye Chu asked bluntly, fixing Wu You with a stare that made her uneasy.
"I... I..." Wu You turned to Pei Yanchuan. With her back to Ye Chu, he couldn't see her expression. All he could see was Pei Yanchuan's eyes curving into a smile.
"Ye Chu, you're scaring Wu You."
"Am I?" Ye Chu tightened his grip on the stick. "Feeling guilty?"
Pei Yanchuan seemed to smile even more brightly, revealing a small pointed canine. "No, seriously. You looked like you were about to kill someone just now. It really was scary."
"Then why aren't you scared?" Ye Chu glanced at him before fixing his eyes on Wu You again. "Who did you check last night?"
"No. 4. No. 4 is a wolf."
"Another wolf result?" Ye Chu raised an eyebrow. "You're that lucky? You find a werewolf every time?"
"I..."
Pei Yanchuan stepped forward, placing himself in front of Wu You. "Ye Chu, Werewolf is a game of logical deduction. You need to back up what you say with logic."
"Why do you keep taking her side? Are you two working together? You didn't have any contact last round, and you've been with me this whole time. Why do you keep speaking up for her?" Ye Chu took two steps forward, closing the distance between them.
Pei Yanchuan didn't move away. He simply looked at him.
Pei Yanchuan was a little taller than Ye Chu. Looking down, he could see Ye Chu's long eyelashes fluttering gently whenever he blinked.
"Ye Chu, are you... jealous?"
Ye Chu: ???
He'd only meant to question Pei Yanchuan. He had no idea how Pei Yanchuan had arrived at that conclusion. For a moment, he couldn't process it, and his gaze turned bewildered. "What?"
"This has nothing to do with Wu You. I just don't want us to misjudge a good player..."
"Do you consider her a smart person?"
Pei Yanchuan wasn't annoyed at being interrupted. After giving it two seconds of serious thought, he nodded. "She is."
Wu You looked at Ye Chu on her left, then turned to look at Pei Yanchuan on her right.
Seriously, guys, what are you two talking about?! Have you noticed there's another person here?!!
What do you mean, a smart person? Is it that hard to explain yourselves?!!
[I'm dying, hahaha. I saw No. 2 clenching her fists.]
[With No. 2's fighting ability, I'm starting to doubt Nos. 7 and 8 will survive the night. Literally.]
[But does nobody else think this push and pull between Nos. 7 and 8 is so thrilling? Ahhh!]
[Help, I'm kind of shipping them!]
Before you continue