Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

It was exactly 10 p.m.

Building 3, North Campus, Room 404.

The four girls had finished washing up and were each curled up in their beds.

Xie Wanyin sat cross-legged against the headboard, hugging a Pikachu plushie and scrolling through her phone. Suddenly, a wave of sadness washed over her: "Tomorrow is military training. We assemble at six. Six o'clock! I haven't gotten up at six in three years of high school."

Shen Qingci, sitting on the opposite bunk with a face mask on, mumbled, "Don't even mention it. I heard they invited a retired instructor from a certain unit, a notoriously ruthless and incompetent man."

Xie Wanyin gasped, "An iron-faced Yama?! Does that mean I'm dead before I even started writing?"

"Don't worry," Shen Qingci said coolly, "you're just a drafter at best; even the King of Hell wouldn't bother with you."

"...Thank you, I feel comforted."

Gu Zhiwan, lying diagonally across from me on the bed, held her phone up to her face and suddenly said, "By the way, after class meeting today, I met a pretty interesting person in the hallway."

Xie Wanyin's gossip radar instantly activated: "Who? Male or female?"

"Male. Directing major." Gu Zhiwan's voice was languid, but a smile played on her lips. "Good-looking, and with a sharp tongue. I almost laughed out of anger after exchanging a few words with him."

Xie Wanyin perked up and tossed the cushion aside: "Pretty? How pretty?"

"It's that kind of face—the kind where you think, 'It's a shame this person isn't an actor,' at first glance. But he insisted on becoming a director, saying he 'likes hiding behind the camera and directing others,' and even said—'Let me play a femme fatale who brings ruin to the country.'"

Xie Wanyin slammed her hand on the bed: "What did he say?! He wants you to play a vixen?!"

"Yes." Gu Zhiwan laughed. "I almost slapped him. But then I thought his expression was too serious—he wasn't flirting with me, he genuinely considered that 'this role is perfect for her.'"

"Who is this person..." Xie Wanyin muttered.

Shen Qingci pondered: "Directing major, handsome, sharp-tongued, and daring..."

Before she could finish speaking, Su Zhiyuan, who had been quietly looking at her phone, suddenly moved.

She slowly put down her phone, slightly raised her eyelids, and asked in a calm voice, "Directing major? What's your name?"

All eyes in the dormitory turned to Su Zhiyuan.

It's worth noting that this aloof school beauty rarely speaks in her dorm room—she's as quiet, elegant, and has a very low profile.

Gu Zhiwan sensed the awkward atmosphere and looked at her with interest: "What? You know her?"

Su Zhiyuan's expression remained unchanged, and her tone was indifferent: "I don't know. Just asking."

For Su Zhiyuan, this reaction was already considered a violent emotional fluctuation.

Gu Zhiwan tilted her head, her smile deepening: "Lin Yuan."

Su Zhiyuan's eyes flickered slightly.

Xie Wanyin immediately noticed and sprang up from under the covers: "Zhiyuan! You know Lin Yuan?!"

Su Zhiyuan pursed her lips.

Shen Qingci also sat up: "Quickly, tell me, what's the relationship?"

Su Zhiyuan was silent for three seconds, then lowered her eyes and said in an extremely flat tone, "The neighbor next door."

"Next-door neighbors?!" Xie Wanyin's voice rose eight octaves.

Shen Qingci narrowed her eyes: "Just neighbors? Or—"

"Neighbor." Su Zhiyuan interrupted coldly.

"Physical distance does not represent psychological distance," Gu Zhiwan pointed out incisively.

Su Zhiyuan looked up at her, her gaze carrying a rare hint of wariness.

Gu Zhiwan didn't press further, but simply smiled meaningfully, leaned over from her bed, and whispered, "Zhiyuan, if you don't hurry, I might just take you down."

Su Zhiyuan's eyelashes trembled slightly.

"Please go ahead."

The voice was very calm.

It was so calm that there was no ripple at all.

"Fine—" Xie Wanyin drawled, "Then I'll wait and see how long you can keep up this act."

Shen Qingci added insult to injury at the opportune moment: "Paper Kite, do you know what this is called? 'Being near the water tower, one gets the moon first,' but you insist on tearing the tower down."

"It's called maintaining a sense of boundaries," Su Zhiyuan said expressionlessly.

Gu Zhiwan looked at Su Zhiyuan's perpetually cold face and smiled.

Although she had only known Su Zhiyuan for a short time, she had already figured her out—cold on the outside but warm on the inside, with a sharp tongue that could break bricks, and a soft heart that could be squeezed to the point of being soft.

"Fine," Gu Zhiwan rolled over, her tone casual, "Pretend. Keep pretending. I want to see if you've actually demolished this building or not."

At 11:00 AM sharp, dormitory 602 entered its "post-lights-out soul-searching time".

Four upper bunks, four cell phones, four eerie blue lights, like four lonely ghosts dancing on graves.

"Guys, are you asleep?" Zhou Zixuan's voice drifted down from the top bunk, as excited as if he'd just finished three Americanos. "Those who aren't asleep, perk up your ears and review the key points of today's class meetings."

"The main point is that the counselor is quite handsome," Qian Zhuangzhuang mumbled vaguely, "more handsome than the male lead in the new anime I'm watching."

"Who told you to review the counselor's performance?!" Zhou Zixuan rolled over and lay face down on the bed, peeking half his head out. "There was a stunning beauty at the performing arts class meeting today! Just sitting there, she was the center of attention. Her name is Gu Zhiwan, even her name exudes an ethereal aura—"

Lin Yuan yawned, his tone as casual as if he were describing tomorrow's cafeteria menu: "Oh, Gu Zhiwan. I've had her WeChat for a while now, so what?"

The dormitory was silent for three seconds.

Then, with a muffled thud, Zhou Zixuan sat up abruptly from the bed, his head almost hitting the ceiling.

"What did you say?!"

"Gu Zhiwan's WeChat." Lin Yuan waved his phone, the screen gleaming brightly in the darkness. "We added each other in the hallway after the class meeting this afternoon. She even praised me, saying I'm wasting my talent by not going to the performing arts department."

"Impossible!" Zhou Zixuan's voice cracked. "I watched her leave with my own eyes, she didn't even glance at me!"

"Because she only has eyes for me." Lin Yuan sighed, looking helpless. "There's nothing I can do; good looks are a cardinal sin. I want to keep a low profile, but my abilities won't allow it."

Qian Zhuangzhuang poked his round head out, his face serious: "Brother Yuan, this is called 'cheating.' Rem said that cheating will get you wanted by the entire server."

"I'm different," Lin Yuan said seriously, "This is an official beta test account, I'm a paying player, I have VIP privileges."

Zhou Zixuan gripped the bed railing, almost sticking his whole body out: "Brother Yuan! No! Dad! Push it to me! I'll bring you breakfast for the whole semester!"

Lin Yuan shook his head, speaking earnestly, "I can push it to you, but have you thought about the consequences? Gu Zhiwan is someone special—the face of the performing arts department, a walking admissions brochure. What are you going to say in the first sentence? 'Hello, beautiful lady, I'm the one wearing the floral shirt sitting diagonally behind you today'?"

Zhou Zixuan looked down at his floral shirt and fell silent.

"Then they reply with an 'oh,' and you don't answer," Lin Yuan continued, adding fuel to the fire. "Then you scroll through their Moments, liking and commenting on every single post with 'So beautiful,' 'Amazing,' 'A fairy descended to earth.' Three days later they've blocked you, seven days later you send them a message, and there's a red exclamation mark."

Zhou Zixuan's face gradually paled in the darkness: "...Why do you talk about it as if you experienced it firsthand?"

"Because that's usually how simps end up." Lin Yuan rolled over. "Trust me, you'd be better off honing your acting skills. Once you become a movie star, she'll add you on her own."

Zhou Zixuan was speechless, sullenly shrinking back into the covers. After a long while, he muttered resentfully, "Practicing acting... By the time I become a movie star, Gu Zhiwan's kids will be old enough to run errands."

"Then let's go fight," Lin Yuan said with his eyes closed. "Maybe I can even get a role as the male lead's father."

"...I hate you."

Qian Zhuangzhuang added seriously, "Brother Yuan is right. An award-winning actor can accept a baby formula scandal, and the money from the baby formula can just be used to buy soy sauce—it's a logical loop."

Lin Yuan laughed and said, "Zhuangzhuang, it's a shame you're not studying screenwriting."

Chen Mo, sitting by the window, spoke calmly: "Screenwriters need to understand human emotions; their database only contains anime dialogue."

Qian Zhuangzhuang kicked his leg: "Brother Mo, shut up! So what if you have a girlfriend?"

"Hmm," Chen Mo said calmly, "it's quite remarkable."

"Let's get down to business," Lin Yuan interrupted, "Are you ready for military training tomorrow?"

Zhou Zixuan asked pitifully, "Brother Yuan, will the instructor be fierce?"

"It won't be very fierce."

Zhou Zixuan just breathed a sigh of relief.

"It will only be extremely fierce."

"..."

"To be honest," Lin Yuan pulled the blanket up, "one look from the instructor can make a performing arts freshman like you question the meaning of life."

Zhou Zixuan's face fell completely, and he let out a mournful wail: "I don't want military training anymore—"

Qian Zhuangzhuang enthusiastically suggested, "You could pretend to be sick and try taking laxatives."

Lin Yuan replied lazily, "Then you'd be so dehydrated you'd have to be carried into the infirmary, and become famous throughout the school? Zhuangzhuang, that's suicidal advice."

Qian Zhuangzhuang scratched his head: "Then... there's no other way."

Zhou Zixuan twisted into a writhing shape in despair: "I came to film school to act, not to stand at attention!"

"Your legs can't even get you up at eight in the morning, and you're still acting." Lin Yuan showed no mercy.

Zhou Zixuan buried his face in the pillow, letting out muffled sobs: "...All of you, all you do is bully me."

Lin Yuan laughed out loud: "Alright, everyone go to sleep. We're meeting at six tomorrow. Anyone who's late will have to do fifty push-ups."

"Six o'clock?!" Zhou Zixuan screamed, "I haven't gone to bed before midnight in three years of high school!"

"Then you've struck gold," Lin Yuan rolled over, "Now you're getting three years' worth of healthy lifestyle habits all at once."

Qian Zhuangzhuang yawned: "Goodnight. I hope my dreams aren't filled with military posture, but only with Rem."

The cicadas' chirping outside the window gradually subsided. All four beds sank into slumber.