This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 250 was penalized, but it was a meritorious act.

The winter sun always carries a touch of stingy gentleness.

On a leisurely weekend morning, the area outside the Dongyuzhenfu residential complex where the sun shines is becoming more crowded.

Lin Mengqiu was standing in the morning light, basking in the warm sunshine of eight or nine o'clock.

When Chen Shi'an rode over on his bicycle, he spotted her immediately.

As the quietest and most aloof girl in the classroom, she always wore a plain blue and white school uniform, and even her temperament carried a touch of detached coldness.

But today is different.

She wore a rare dark brown knit sweater paired with a caramel-colored skirt that just went past her knees, revealing her calves encased in black stockings. This made her legs appear long and shapely, adding a touch of intellectualism and gentleness rarely seen in her daily life.

This was the first time Chen Shian had seen her wear casual clothes other than school uniforms and sportswear, even though he had known her for so long.

There are also little skirts and tights. I guess he's the only one in the class who has the honor of seeing the class monitor dressed like that.

Whether it was because the class monitor was too beautiful today, or because the winter sunlight falling on her was too dazzling, Chen Shi'an felt a sudden brightness in his eyes, waved to her from afar, and stopped his bicycle in front of her.

The wind from the bicycle whipped her fine, flowing hair around her neck.

Noticing Chen Shi'an's gaze fixed on her, Lin Mengqiu seemed a little uncomfortable and subconsciously tugged at the hem of her dress.
"Why are you staring at me like that..."

"The class monitor looks so beautiful today."

"~~~~~~"

Upon hearing this, the girl became even more embarrassed, a faint blush crept into the corners of her eyes, and she lowered her head, averting her gaze to look at his and the bicycle's shadows on the ground, whispering:
"I already showed it to you last night..."

"The class monitor only showed me new clothes yesterday, but what I see today is you wearing new clothes. You look so good."

"~~~~~~"

Lin Mengqiu felt that the wind was soft, the light was soft, and the cotton knit sweater was warmed by the sun, making her heart pound.

"Has the class monitor been waiting for a long time?"

"...not long after, it was just the right time to bask in the sun."

"Has the squad leader had breakfast yet?"

"Ah."

She paused for a moment, then asked, "And you?"

"I ate it."

Chen Shi'an looked at her again, pointed to a large canvas tote bag slung over her shoulder, and asked, "Is this the class monitor's drawing board?"

"Ah."

"Can you show it to me?"

"..."

Lin Mengqiu didn't say anything, but took off the canvas tote bag and handed it to him.

Chen Shi'an opened it and looked inside. It contained a folded easel, drawing paper, paintbrushes, and the paints he had given her before. It looked like she was fully equipped for a sketching trip.

"So, after we go to the haunted house, we won't come back to get our stuff, okay?"

"I'm not coming back. I'm going straight to climb the mountain."

"it is good."

Chen Shi'an nodded; it was another week of tightly scheduled activities for special forces soldiers…

"Let me carry it for you, and give me the class monitor's bag too."

"……Thanks."

Lin Mengqiu hesitated for a moment, but still handed over all her belongings to him.

Chen Shi'an hung all his belongings in front of him and carried them on his back, holding onto the handlebars with both hands and supporting himself on the ground with his legs.

"Squad leader, get on the bus."

"Do you know how to get to the haunted house...?"

"I don't know. Where is it located?"

"...I'll send you the address."

Lin Mengqiu sent the address of the haunted house for which she had booked tickets through a group purchase to Chen Shi'an. Chen Shi'an opened the address and saw that it was not far from Yunqi Mountain. The bicycle navigation showed that it would take more than forty minutes.

Of course, it won't actually take that long.

Chen Shi'an hung his phone on the car's front bracket for navigation. A soft force came down on his waist. He looked down and saw that the girl's fair hand, peeking out from the sleeve of her knitted dress, was already wrapped around his waist.

"Is the class monitor cold?"

"not cold."

Your hands look so cold.

"...This is what winter is like."

Lin Mengqiu didn't know how Chen Shi'an could tell that her hands were so cold, even though she was hugging him through her clothes. But she had to admit that even through her clothes, she could feel the warmth of his body emanating from them.

The girl was afraid of the cold. Although she was dressed in what looked like light clothing, it was all made of high-quality warm fabric, so she wasn't cold overall. Her hands were cold, which was unavoidable. Ninety-nine percent of girls experience cold hands and feet in winter.

Now that she was holding this warm, smelly Taoist priest, Lin Mengqiu felt even less cold. She even secretly fantasized about what it would feel like to put her icy little hands inside his clothes. She wondered if it would be so warm that she would want to rub them together comfortably...

"Sit tight?"

"Um……"

As soon as he finished speaking, the bicycle started moving leisurely, gradually increasing its speed.

Lin Mengqiu was amazed to discover that even though Chen Shi'an was riding so fast, she, sitting sideways behind him, didn't feel any wind at all.

So much so that when I close my eyes, I feel like I should ride very, very slowly, but when I open my eyes, the street scene in front of me is rushing past.

Surely it's because he was hiding behind me and completely blocked the wind, right?
Does this conform to objective physical laws?!
Lin Mengqiu was too lazy to think about it anymore.

The arm around his waist was warmed by his body heat, and her originally icy hands became warm. So, after her frozen hands thawed, they began to playfully tug at his fabric, her fingers subtly moving to feel the curves of his waist and abdomen...

At first, it was fine, but seeing Chen Shi'an's indulgence, she became bolder and bolder. Until she tried to tickle him to see if he was ticklish, Chen Shi'an finally couldn't help but free his hand and lightly patted the back of her hand.

Just like that, so gently.

The mischievous little hand immediately became obedient.

He stood frozen, not daring to move.

The girl hiding behind him blushed crimson and didn't dare utter a sound.

As expected, the class monitor is the most honest one. Last time when Xiao Zhi did that, she even yelled back: "[Taoist priest, why are you hitting me?]"
After cycling for a while longer, the class monitor, who was still feeling extremely embarrassed, finally calmed down and selectively forgot about what had just happened.

“I saw the wood carving you gave me yesterday.”

The sudden sound from behind startled Chen Shi'an, who had assumed Lin Mengqiu would ride without saying a word the whole way.

"Does the class monitor like it?"

"like."

"How much do you like it?"

"..."

The girl behind him fell silent again.

After a long while, so long that Chen Shi'an thought she wouldn't answer, she finally said, "I like it very much."

"As we agreed, when we climb the mountain and do sketching this afternoon, the class monitor should give me the painting he drew of me."

"……it is good."

……

Haunted house thrills, though a niche entertainment activity, are very popular among young people.

Human beings' curiosity is always so strange. Even though they are terrified, they still have to go and find out what's going on. Moreover, the more terrifying the haunted house, the better the business.

Chen Shi'an was naturally not afraid. He wasn't afraid of the real thing, so why would he be afraid of a living person in disguise?

Of course, almost everyone thought the same thing before coming: that it was all fake and couldn't possibly scare people. But the number of people who could actually walk out of the haunted house without batting an eye was actually very small...

About half an hour later, Chen Shi'an drove Lin Mengqiu to their destination: the haunted house.

The haunted house is located in a remote area near Yunqi Mountain. Its exterior is an abandoned 'township hospital', and its theme is the paranormal events inside the 'hospital'.

Upon hearing this, timid people would immediately conjure up images in their minds and begin to feel uneasy.

For example, Lin Mengqiu.

At this moment, the class monitor looked somewhat stiff as she stared at the 'abandoned building' hidden among weeds and wild trees in the distance. She was so engrossed that she couldn't move her feet, feeling that there might really be something terrifying inside.

"We've arrived. Is this the place?"

Chen Shi'an looked at the map navigation, then at the building in front of him that 'didn't look like it was run by anyone.' For a moment, he felt a little insecure. It wasn't that he was afraid of anything inside, but he was afraid that he had gone to the wrong place.

"..."

Lin Mengqiu took out her phone, looked at the photos in the group-buying information, then looked up at the building in front of her before nodding and saying, "This is it."

"Is the squad leader scared?"

"...Who's afraid? It's all fake. What's there to be afraid of?"

"Hehe. Let's go, let's go over there."

"Um……"

It wasn't until they got closer to the building that more tourists appeared in front of them. Many of them were preparing to go in, just like the two of them, while others looked visibly frightened and were helped out by their companions, who were laughing loudly.

However, compared to when she arrived, Lin Mengqiu was noticeably calmer now. After all, there were many people around, and wherever there were many people and the atmosphere was lively, she wasn't afraid at all.

"Do we have to queue to get in?" Chen Shi'an glanced at the long queue and estimated that the wait would be very long.

"I bought VIP tickets, let's go over there..."

"VIP tickets? Is that an even scarier option?"

"...No need to queue, and you can unlock all the scenes." "Interesting, class monitor. What's inside? If it's a hospital, is there a morgue? And what else..."

"...How would I know?"

Chen Shi'an spoke calmly, but Lin Mengqiu felt goosebumps all over. The further they went in, the more chilly it felt.

To ensure the terrifying atmosphere is not disrupted, the number of visitors allowed to enter each time is limited.

Lin Mengqiu showed the VIP tickets to the staff for verification. After asking the two whether they had a history of heart disease or similar conditions, the staff led them inside.

We first went into a small room. It was broad daylight outside, but inside it was as dark as night.

"Watch our documentary first, and then staff will come to help you enter."

"A documentary?" Chen Shi'an asked.

"Yes, it's all true," the staff member said seriously.

Lin Mengqiu: "..."

That might fool Chen Shi'an, but who would believe it? She certainly didn't!

It's fake! It's fake! It's fake!

The girl kept repeating this sentence in her mind.

After the staff left, only Chen Shi'an and Lin Mengqiu remained in the room.

The girl looked tense, but Chen Shi'an was relaxed as if watching a movie. He casually found a chair to sit down and even thought the lighting was too dim, so he looked for a switch to turn on the lights in the room.

I searched for a long time but couldn't find the switch, so I guess it was deliberately made to be so dark.

Seeing that Chen Shi'an was actually watching this ghost movie, which was deliberately designed to create a scary atmosphere, with great interest, Lin Mengqiu was impressed and thought to herself, "Just don't get scared and fall into my arms later!"
The room was chilly, and the girl secretly moved closer to Chen Shi'an until their arms touched and she felt warmth, at which point she relaxed a little.

She naturally didn't watch the movie. Not only did she not watch it, she also took out noise-canceling headphones, plugged her ears, and looked down at her phone.

"Isn't the squad leader going to watch the film?"

"...I won't look, it's fake."

"It looks quite realistic to me."

"……Shut up."

"Squad leader, take a look. You'll regret it if you buy a ticket and don't watch it."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu could only secretly glance up.

On the screen, a blood-soaked woman dressed in white, looking like a madwoman, lunges fiercely out from a dark corner.

"what!"

Lin Mengqiu was startled, almost jumping off her chair, and her heart pounded uncontrollably.

Chen Shi'an was also startled by her, and looked speechlessly at the still-shaken girl.

Okay, I knew our class monitor was a scaredy-cat; even watching a movie can give him a huge fright...

To risk everything just to scare him, what kind of mentality is that?

Seeing Chen Shi'an's gaze, Lin Mengqiu blushed slightly, tidied her hair behind her ear, and stubbornly said, "I wasn't paying attention, she suddenly jumped out..."

"Yeah, it's really scary."

"×!"

When you say that, could you at least pretend to be scared too?

Lin Mengqiu refused to look at the screen again, no matter what.

Soon, after watching the documentary for more than ten minutes, the staff did not knock on the door, but instead pushed it open abruptly.

Lin Mengqiu was startled again.

Chen Shi'an: "..."

He thought to himself, "Should I persuade the class monitor to give up?"

Everyone else gets into the zone after watching the documentary, but you, class monitor, got into the zone without even watching the film!
"You're together, right?"

"Correct."

"Please come over here with me, there are some things I need to tell you."

The staff member, with a serious expression, whispered instructions that sounded very strange and suggestive...

Chen Shi'an was quite impressed with how the staff managed not to laugh out loud, while Lin Mengqiu, standing to the side, wished she could plug her ears.

Even so, the class monitor showed no sign of backing down. Even though she was offered a refund of half the ticket, she gritted her teeth and refused.

"Good luck to you."

The staff finally smiled, but it was a somewhat eerie smile.

After the staff left, Chen Shi'an and Lin Mengqiu set off.

He had nothing else in his hands but a dim flashlight that was about to run out of power.

The huge building was eerily silent. As soon as you stepped into the hospital lobby, a strong smell of disinfectant mixed with musty odor hit you.

The ceiling lights were reduced to a few bare wires dangling, and the emergency lights emitted a ghastly green light, making the yellowed slogans on the walls appear grotesque and distorted.

A rusty hospital bed was piled up in the corner, with tattered white sheets hanging on the iron railings. When the wind blew, it looked like someone was beckoning from the shadows.

Lin Mengqiu grew increasingly frightened as she walked, unconsciously pressing herself very close to Chen Shi'an. She reached out a small hand and grabbed the hem of his clothes, but her big eyes remained wide open, capturing every subtle movement around her.

"I heard this used to be a maternity hospital. Thirty years ago, a nurse disappeared with a newborn, and ever since then, people have been hearing babies crying..."

"Shut up."

"Oh."

Just as we were talking about the baby crying, a faint but clear cry suddenly came from the end of the corridor, like a needle piercing the silence.

Lin Mengqiu's face turned pale with fright, and she immediately reached out and grabbed Chen Shi'an's arm.

Chen Shi'an could feel the girl's shoulders trembling, so he slowed down and stopped trying to scare her. Instead, he comforted her, saying, "It's just the sound effect from the loudspeaker."

"Yeah, it's fake, it's fake..."

Further ahead is the inpatient department, and the doors to each ward are ajar.

As I passed by ward 302, the door suddenly creaked open automatically.

The two instinctively looked into the room. On the hospital bed lay a person covered with a white sheet. Suddenly, the silhouette beneath the sheet moved, and then a bluish-gray hand abruptly yanked it off, revealing a bloodless face with empty eyes staring straight at them.

"My child... Have you seen my child?"

The attack came so fast and suddenly that Lin Mengqiu's scream caught in her throat, and her blood seemed to freeze.

“Ahhhhh——!”

After a long while, her scream finally broke the silence. Her mind went blank, and her only reaction was to lunge towards the solid support beside her...

Chen Shi'an could clearly feel the impact when the girl threw herself into his arms. Her forehead bumped against his chest, and her soft hair brushed against his neck, carrying a faint scent of shampoo, which was completely out of place with the eerie atmosphere around them.

Lin Mengqiu hugged his waist tightly, her arms gripping him tightly. But that wasn't enough; she even wrapped her legs around him in fright. Her entire petite body trembled as she climbed upwards, burying her face in his neck until she clung to him like a koala before finally stopping…

Chen Shi'an: "..."

No!

This is just the beginning! Are you already scared like a quail?

"It's fake, is the class monitor alright?"

Lin Mengqiu was no longer concerned with maintaining her composure. She didn't even have time to enjoy Chen Shi'an's embrace. Chen Shi'an's words calmed her uncontrollable breathing slightly, but her voice still trembled with tears:

"Hurry, hurry, Chen Shi'an, take me away quickly..."

"Alright, alright, don't be afraid."

Seeing that the class monitor was really scared, Chen Shi'an was both amused and annoyed. Since she still refused to get down, he had no choice but to hold her and gently pat her trembling back as he continued walking with her...

Chen Shi'an's tight embrace and calm voice acted like a comforting balm, gradually calming Lin Mengqiu down.

She kept her eyes tightly shut, not caring where they were or what the surroundings were like. All she knew was that she was clinging to Chen Shi'an and being carried by him...

Shame mingled with fear, yet she felt an unprecedented sense of security, an overwhelming feeling of safety enveloping her. She buried her face in his neck, their cheeks pressed together, breathing heavily and rapidly. His unique scent of herbs and pine overpowered the stench of the haunted house, making her head spin...

At one point, Chen Shi'an's steady steps suddenly stopped.

Lin Mengqiu was confused, but she heard him talking to someone:

"Huh? What are you doing here? You don't look well."

[Can you see me?]
"Hmm, how long have you been like this?"

[I don't remember. I want to go back, but I can't find my way. Am I already dead...?]
"Not yet, but if you can't go back soon, you'll probably really die."

Chen Shi'an sighed. If this were some wandering soul that had been overlooked by the underworld officials, he would have easily given it a proper rite of passage. But the girl in front of him was a living soul.

I don't know what happened to her, but I guess she's become a vegetable; her body is still alive, but her soul has wandered off.

But this state is not a good thing. As time goes by, her soul power will weaken and she will eventually dissipate, at which point she will die and her soul will vanish.

With a flick of his finger, Chen Shi'an sent an unseen light into the girl's brow, causing her nearly dissipated soul to solidify.

The girl was unaware of what was happening, but she felt her body becoming increasingly full and powerful. Faintly, she seemed to sense a clear direction, a guide from afar leading her home.

[You, you... I, I'm...]
"I've replenished your strength, and you should be able to feel your body's guidance now. It's fate that we met. Go back now; your family must be waiting for you to wake up. After you return to your body, you will naturally forget everything that happened when you were a soul, but it won't have much of an impact. Just live your life well."

Thank you! Thank you!
Ha, I never expected that coming to a haunted house would actually do me a good deed.

Lin Mengqiu, who was still clinging to Chen Shi'an, was unaware of what had happened. She only noticed that Chen Shi'an had suddenly stopped talking to himself.

She grew a little bolder and secretly glanced in the direction he was talking to, but it was just an empty corner, nothing there...

Stinky Taoist priest...

He's deliberately trying to scare her!

One point will be deducted from your score!
(End of this chapter)