"Room 404..."
"This is the place..."
Just as the old gatekeeper had said, Room 404 was easy to find—because it was the only apartment along the entire corridor with clutter piled outside its door. On the dark brown wooden door, grime covered most of the gold "404" on the number plate, leaving it looking dull.
Knock, knock... Ning Ran and the others, who had arrived first, knocked on the door.
Through the wooden door, which offered almost no soundproofing, they soon heard hurried but steady footsteps approaching, along with a woman repeatedly calling, "Coming, coming..."
With a creak, the wooden door cautiously opened just a crack. A pair of eyes appeared in the gap, darting over the players outside.
"You are...?"
Ning Ran was about to introduce herself when the door suddenly swung all the way open. "Oh my..."
A woman appeared before them:
She was of medium build, slightly plump, with her hair casually tied behind her head and a few stray strands hanging loose. The collar and cuffs of her clothes had worn pale, and the apron she had yet to take off was covered in grease stains.
Her sallow face bore plenty of marks left by the years, but as she looked at the players, it broke into a delighted smile. "Oh, it's the teachers..."
She quickly wiped her hands on her apron and stepped aside, clearing the doorway. "Please come in, teachers!"
Bo Yi followed the others and slowly entered the apartment.
Perhaps because of the height restrictions of the entire corridor-style apartment building, the ceiling was very low, making the room feel oppressive. At least the big man named Xiong Qianshan had hunched over uncomfortably as soon as he entered, keeping his head lowered. There was only one narrow window in the living room, and