Supernatural and Paranormal Research Society

He muttered to himself, a vague unease creeping into his heart.

"You didn't close the balcony door after you showered, did you?"

Li Lingyun didn't even turn his head, staring at the screen: "Push the tower! Push the tower! We won!"

The door wasn't closed?

Chen Haoran turned his head to look and saw that the glass door to the balcony was indeed left a crack, and the night wind was blowing in.

He got up to close the door, but paused for a moment as his hand touched the doorknob.

It was pitch black outside, and the balcony lights were off.

Only his blurry reflection and the computer screen behind him were visible on the glass.

With light and darkness intertwined, he seemed to be isolated from the bright world.

Chen Haoran shook his head, trying to put the eerie feeling out of his mind.

He pulled the door back forcefully, and the latch clicked shut, slamming it shut.

Return to your seat and continue the game.

The two fought until midnight.

"I can't take it anymore!"

Li Lingyun yawned and stretched: "The old hag's class tomorrow morning, if I stay up any longer I'll really die from exhaustion. Time for bed."

Chen Haoran nodded and turned off the computer.

The dormitory lights went out, and darkness descended.

Chen Haoran lay down and closed his eyes.

Exhaustion washed over him like a tide, but he knew he wouldn't sleep too soundly.

Three o'clock in the morning.

Chen Haoran was awakened by the cold.

He sat up in bed, and as if possessed, took out his phone, opened the selfie camera, and took two pictures of the back of his neck.

The moment Chen Haoran saw the scene in the photo, he jumped out of bed and rushed into the bathroom!

The tap was running loudly.

Chen Haoran gripped the sink tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning white.

The boy in the mirror had sunken eyes, and the bluish-gray fingerprints around the back of his neck gleamed with a damp, dark light under the cold white lamp.

Like the roots of some living thing, they are burrowing into the flesh and blood along the skin's texture.

"Hiro?"

The sound of Li Lingyun's slippery footsteps came from outside the door, accompanied by an impatient urging: "Did you fall into the toilet? Hurry up, the cafeteria's meat buns are almost sold out!"

Chen Haoran shuddered and came to his senses.

Before I knew it, the pitch-black sky had become bright.

He took a deep breath, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water hard on his face.

The icy water splashed down his jawline onto the tiles, and the biting cold cleared his muddled mind a little.

He twitched the corners of his mouth and practiced his usual, slightly roguish smile in front of the mirror.

"Are you trying to kill me?"

He opened the door, his tone so casual that even he almost believed it: "I'm washing my face."

Li Lingyun leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, her gaze sweeping over his face, her eyebrows slightly raised:

"Why does your face look like it's been plastered with putty? Are you really okay?"

"What could possibly be wrong?"

Chen Haoran grabbed a towel and wiped his face with a quick and decisive motion, deliberately bumping his shoulder into Li Lingyun.

"The air conditioning was too low last night, I'm freezing. Let's go, I'm starving."

He squeezed through the door, his steps seemingly light, but only he knew that his legs felt like they were treading on waterlogged mud, each step feeling unsteady.

The fingerprints on the back of my neck were pressed against my collar, emanating a chilling aura that I couldn't warm up no matter how I tried.

……

The two walked downstairs and through the tree-lined path, which was slightly cool in the early morning.

The cafeteria was bustling with noise, and the steam from the steamers mixed with the aroma of soy milk wafted through the air.

Chen Haoran sat down with his tray, and Li Lingyun took a bite of a meat bun and mumbled:

"But seriously, that mark on your neck..."

Chen Haoran's hand holding the chopsticks stiffened almost imperceptibly.

"What's there to be nervous about?"

Li Lingyun swallowed the steamed bun and waved his hand dismissively:

"Maybe you went exploring the cemetery the night before last and accidentally bumped into a tombstone or scraped it with a tree branch. Bruising usually turns purple at first and then blue; it will fade away after a few days as it metabolizes."

Chen Haoran's taut shoulder line loosened almost imperceptibly by half an inch.

He lowered his eyes and nodded blankly: "Yeah, I guess so. Don't say anything more."

He didn't want to hear it.

It's as if as long as you don't respond or admit it, it's just a common bump or bruise.

It was as if as long as he pretended well enough, life could continue on its original track.

After breakfast, the two went back to the classroom together.

The school bell sounded as if it were coming through frosted glass, blurry and indistinct.

Chen Haoran sat in his seat with his back ramrod straight, forcing himself to stare at the geometric auxiliary lines on the blackboard.

Focus your attention.

He silently recited it in his heart.

The progress made yesterday must be made up today.

The "tap-tap" sound of chalk hitting the blackboard gradually lengthened and changed pitch, mixing with the chirping of cicadas outside the window, weaving a drowsy web.

His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and the formulas in his vision began to distort and overlap.

"whee."

A very soft laugh.

It was pressed against my earlobe, with a damp, cool sensation.

Chen Haoran's scalp tingled instantly. He jumped to his feet, the chair legs scraping against the tiles with a sharp, grating sound: "Who?!"

The entire class fell silent.

The math teacher gripped the set square, his brow furrowed in a deep frown, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Chen Haoran, what's your problem with my class?"

Chen Haoran stood frozen in place.

He was just looking at the blackboard a moment ago, why did he suddenly stand up?

"...No. I'm sorry, teacher, I was daydreaming."

His throat was dry, and his voice was hoarse, like sandpaper being rubbed.

"Distracted?"

The teacher sneered, "I think you're out of your mind. Go stand at the back and clear your head!"

……

During break, Li Lingyun suddenly grabbed his shoulder, the force so strong that he stumbled.

"Hey Hao, you've been causing trouble in that old hag's class for two days in a row. Aren't you afraid of getting your parents called in?"

Chen Haoran twitched the corner of his mouth but didn't reply.

He only felt cold.

The cold seeped from the bone marrow.

Li Lingyun sensed something was wrong and grabbed his wrist, comparing it to her own arm.

The movement suddenly stopped.

"Holy crap..."

Li Lingyun gasped, her eyes changing: "When did you bleach your skin?"

The two used to play basketball together, and both had a healthy tan, with Chen Haoran even being half a shade darker.

But now, his arms are pale and bloodless, with the veins under his skin clearly visible and an unhealthy bluish-gray tinge.

"I didn't get much sun."

Chen Haoran withdrew his hand, his tone so calm it felt unfamiliar even to himself: "Live streaming all night, avoiding the sun."

Li Lingyun stared at him for two seconds, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but found that Chen Haoran's gaze had already passed over his shoulder and landed directly on a certain point in the void.

His pupils were somewhat dilated, and his breathing was so light that it was almost imperceptible.

"Hiro?"

Li Lingyun patted his back forcefully.

Chen Haoran shuddered, a look of bewildered panic flashing across his eyes: "...What's wrong?"

"You look like you've lost your soul!"

Li Lingyun's tone turned serious: "Honestly, you've been in terrible shape these past two days. Hallucinations, absent-mindedness, paleness... You should go to the hospital for a checkup."

"It's really nothing."

Chen Haoran rubbed his temples and forced a smile: "I just didn't sleep well. Don't make a fuss."

……

The last English class was a group oral practice session.

Li Lingyun and Zhang Xiaowen had finished their conversation when they turned around and found Chen Haoran still with his head down, his fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the book pages.

He had already crumpled the paper into deep creases.

"Hiro?"