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

Chapter 251 The Class Monitor's Mother

With Lin Mengqiu, who was almost clinging to him and had her eyes closed, Chen Shi'an finally stepped out of the heavy door that marked the exit and isolated the eerie atmosphere inside.

The blinding winter sun poured down without any obstruction, instantly dispelling the chilly, musty smell of hospital disinfectant.

Chen Shi'an stopped again, maintaining his embracing posture, and looked down at the girl pressed against him.

Lin Mengqiu was just like a baby koala; even though they had already come out of the haunted house, she was still clinging to him without moving.

"Monitor."

"..."

"Monitor?"

"...Hurry up and go."

The girl mumbled something, then buried her face even closer into his neck.

She could feel the light outside and the warmth of the winter sun, guessing that the two of them had already come out. But precisely because of this, she was even more embarrassed and didn't know what to do...

Realizing that she was still clinging tightly to Chen Shi'an like a koala, with her arms around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist, the class monitor's originally pale face gradually began to turn red, all the way to her ears, and even her neck was tinged with a thin layer of crimson.

"It's already out."

"...Hurry up and go."

Where are we going?

"..."

Chen Shi'an found her appearance both amusing and somewhat adorable.

I knew our class monitor wasn't very brave, but I never expected her to be this timid! She looked so scared and clung to me, refusing to get off. Where was her usual aloofness?
The girl's slender and delicate body was easy to hold, and Chen Shi'an could easily smell her unique fragrance, like dew and lily of the valley.

The soft body temperature and tender yet rapid heartbeat of the woman in his arms pressed against his chest, so much so that after holding her like that for a while, Chen Shi'an felt his own heartbeat in rhythm with hers, and it inexplicably quickened as well...

Lin Mengqiu felt it even more clearly. She hadn't noticed it when she was nervous, but now that she had calmed down, she realized the position of his hands—

Those big, warm hands were supporting her bottom, and the warmth of his palms seeped through the pantyhose under her skirt, making her ears feel like they were about to burst into flames.

"Monitor."

"..."

"Can the squad leader walk by himself now?"

"..."

As soon as they finished speaking, the two of them almost simultaneously released their grip on each other.

Whether it was from being startled or from being too embarrassed by clinging to him for so long, Lin Mengqiu swayed as soon as her feet touched the ground and almost fell on her bottom.

Fortunately, Chen Shi'an reacted quickly and immediately reached out to support her.

"Hey, class monitor, be careful! We've already come out of the haunted house, don't slip and fall on flat ground now."

"..."

The girl's face was flushed red. She lowered her head, remained silent, and awkwardly adjusted the hem of her caramel-colored skirt, not daring to look Chen Shi'an in the eye.

"Who wants to fall flat on the ground..."

She tried to make her voice sound calm, but her erratic breathing and flushed face completely betrayed her.

Aaaaaah...!
The thought of how she had just clung to him like that, holding him so tightly, made her even more ashamed than if she had been scared in a haunted house…

But then again…

Ok……

amount……

Lin Mengqiu didn't know what to say, or even what she should think. The girl, whose image had completely collapsed in front of him, just wanted to find a quiet corner to hide in.

"Squad leader, where are you going?"

"……bathroom."

After saying that, the class monitor walked forward with his head down.

"Hey, that's the bathroom in the haunted house, there's something inside..."

"...!!"

Lin Mengqiu froze, then turned around and quickly walked towards the visitor restroom. As she walked, she started running as if fleeing for her life, her long hair and skirt fluttering behind her...

……

In front of the bathroom mirror, Lin Mengqiu washed her face with ice water, which finally reduced the blush on her face and allowed her stiff mind to function again.

As for being terrified by the haunted house and clinging to him like a koala, the class monitor has selectively forgotten about it, but he can't forget the feeling...

Looking back now, the horror of the haunted house is completely gone; all that remains is the unprecedented sense of security and attachment I felt when he held me.

Haunted houses are scary, but being hugged by a stinky Taoist priest isn't scary at all...

pity.

I didn't get to properly enjoy it for such a long time.

Even though it was only her first time, Lin Mengqiu felt like she was addicted.

As she savored the memory, her heart started racing again. She didn't dare think about it any longer and quickly left the bathroom.

When they came out, the sun was shining brightly, but they couldn't see Chen Shi'an anywhere.

Lin Mengqiu suddenly panicked. She knew where the exit was and how to get home, but at this moment she was like a lost little girl, anxiously looking around for him.

Just as I was about to take out my phone to call him, I heard Chen Shi'an's voice from behind me.

"Is the class monitor looking for me?"

The winter sun shone on the girl's dark brown knit sweater, outlining her slender figure. The girl who had been trembling and clinging to him in the haunted house had now transformed back into the class monitor, who was a bit stubborn and aloof.

Lin Mengqiu breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing him.

"Where did you go..." "I waited for the class monitor for so long and he didn't come out, so I went to the restroom too."

"Oh……"

"Is the squad leader alright?"

"...What could possibly happen to me?"

"hehe."

"What were you muttering to yourself about in the haunted house earlier?"

"No, I just happened to save a soul, so I did a good deed."

"...What the hell?"

"It's not a ghost, the person isn't dead yet."

"???"

Seeing that Lin Mengqiu was getting more and more confused, Chen Shi'an smiled and didn't go into details. For a normal person, this kind of thing was too far beyond their understanding, and if he said it, it would only make people think that he had entered a haunted house.

"If you can see it, it exists; if you can't see it, it doesn't exist. Don't worry about it, squad leader. Let's go, it's almost eleven o'clock. Shall we find a place to eat first?"

"……it is good."

Lin Mengqiu didn't delve into the matter further and followed Chen Shi'an back to the bicycle with him.

……

Hop on a bicycle and ride under the warm midday sun, with the majestic Yunqi Mountain visible not far away.

Lin Mengqiu sat sideways in the back seat, her small hands wrapped around his waist, feeling more relaxed than ever before.

The fresh air and sunshine in the suburbs made Lin Mengqiu feel the brilliance of life. She would sometimes look at the Taoist priest at the table in front of her, and sometimes at the scenery along the way.

She, who was used to being quiet, found herself becoming more talkative without realizing it.

"Chen Shi'an".

She rarely called his name, and even less often called it to his face like this. So much so that when she uttered those three words, her arms around his waist tightened unconsciously, as if it were a real feeling she had never experienced before.

"Ok?"

"You are a Taoist priest."

"correct."

"Do you think... ghosts really exist?"

"...Why does the class monitor ask that?"

"I'm just curious... I want to know, when a person dies, is there really nothing left?"

Chen Shi'an remained silent for a while, without directly answering her question. He knew what Lin Mengqiu wanted to ask, and even guessed what answer she cared about. He finally understood why she insisted on coming to the haunted house.

"Is the class monitor afraid of ghosts?"

"..."

Lin Mengqiu didn't answer his question either, but instead asked in return, "Are you scared?"

"I'm not afraid."

"Why aren't you afraid..."

"They actually look just like us, they are just ordinary people existing in another form. Perhaps they are the people that others yearn to see but can never see again."

"Will they continue to exist in this way forever...?"

"will not."

"...So in the end, nothing was left behind."

There was a sudden, indescribable sense of loss in the girl's tone.

"...Does the class monitor miss his mother?"

The girl behind him remained silent for a while before softly replying, "Mm."

"What's your name, Auntie?"

"Ling Yingzhi".

It wasn't until he heard the name that Chen Shi'an finally realized that the [Ling] in the girl's WeChat nickname was not a misspelling of '林' (Lin), but rather the [凌] in her mother's name.

Realizing she had revealed her vulnerable side to him, Lin Mengqiu whispered:

"Don't overthink it. I'm just curious to hear your opinion on these things because you're a Taoist priest."

"Yeah. I know."

Chen Shi paused for a moment, then continued, “All things share the same origin and are subject to cyclical transformation. They have simply transcended time and space; the invisible ones have become part of the world that you can see. In places you cannot see, perhaps they have reincarnated several times, becoming the wind that blows across your cheek, the cloud that shelters you from the sun, or the bird that heralds the arrival of spring. You may not recognize them, but they are everywhere.”

Lin Mengqiu remained silent, gently opening her other hand which was resting on her knee.

As the bicycle moved along, the gentle breeze brushed against my palm, just like the caresses my mother used to give me.

She could clearly feel the wind, but when she clasped her hands together to grasp it, she only found emptiness.

"Will she come back to me and see me?"

Subconsciously, Lin Mengqiu blurted out what was in her mind.

Chen Shi'an was stunned.

"Of course, she may not have left many belongings, but the squad leader was definitely her most cherished and treasured possession."

The girl's eyes suddenly turned red.

She held back her tears, hugged Chen Shi'an tightly around the waist, and buried her face in his back.

(Thank you so much, Qiuqiu, for the generous donation of 100,000! May you be blessed with great wealth! Thank you so much for your continued support!)
(End of this chapter)