Chapter 21

Pei Xingzhi looked at the scene before him, then turned to Chu Ling beside him, and asked in a questioning tone, "Is this our dormitory? This should be my bed, right?"

"Yes." Chu Ling nodded and helped Pei Xingzhi into the dormitory. Pei Xingzhi's entire weight was on him, and he looked like he was about to faint. "The dormitory supervisor just called me about this, but you were drunk and didn't have time to tell you."

Pei Xingzhi's drunkenness had dissipated the moment he entered the dormitory. He stood by the bed, looking left and right, and finally believed that this was indeed his bed.

"How could this happen?" Pei Xingzhi slumped into a chair, exhausted. He seemed to have experienced too many unexpected events recently, and his mental resilience seemed to have increased accordingly. Just like now, he was even able to calmly ask about the cause of the incident.

“According to the dorm supervisor, it’s probably because of my machine…” Chu Ling stopped mid-sentence, immediately lowering her head, unable to look at Pei Xingzhi any longer. “I’m sorry, it’s probably because it’s still a work in progress, so the machine started its own program, and then… and then it broke the bed…”

"I'm sorry, why don't you sleep in my bed for now? I just asked the dorm manager, and since it's not the school's responsibility, changing the bed will require some procedures and it will probably take about a month to get it fixed."

Chu Ling's apology was very sincere. Before Pei Xingzhi could reply, he directly moved Pei Xingzhi's blanket to his own bed.

"If I sleep where you are, where will you sleep?" Pei Xingzhi grabbed Chu Ling's hand to stop him. The two looked at each other and sighed helplessly. "It's not your fault. After all, you gave me the machine out of kindness."

“I’ll sleep downstairs tonight. I’ll ask the teacher for help tomorrow. You’ve already changed dorms once; it won’t be so easy to change again.” Chu Ling’s dark pupils behind his glasses looked at Pei Xingzhi firmly, stubbornly insisting that Pei Xingzhi sleep in his room. “Check if there’s anything damaged; I’ll compensate you.”

"There's nothing valuable here, so don't bother moving it. Let's squeeze in tonight if you don't mind sleeping with a Beta."

Seeing his firm attitude, Pei Xingzhi was afraid that if he refused again, he would hurt his pride. He certainly couldn't let an Omega sleep on the floor. He could only compromise and find a moderate solution to get through the night. As for what to do tomorrow, he would deal with it tomorrow.

After Pei Xingzhi finished speaking, Chu Ling's arguing actions visibly paused for a moment. He lowered his head and rolled his eyes fiercely—the eyes were meant for Xie Nanyi.

He only dared to say that because Xie Nanyi assured him he wouldn't have to worry about the aftermath, but that bastard still hasn't sent a single message. Shouldn't he be appearing by now? How did he, a mere wingman, suddenly get so much screen time?

Seeing that Xie Nanyi remained silent with his head down, Pei Xingzhi pressed him for another question. Chu Ling took a deep breath and decided to give Xie Nanyi one last chance. He had already spoken, and if he refused now, Pei Xingzhi would definitely notice something was wrong.

He couldn't possibly share a bed with a Beta. If Xie Nanyi didn't show up soon, he would have no choice but to expose her.

"Chu Ling, are you feeling unwell?"

"I……"

Pei Xingzhi's death knell sounded again. Chu Lingxin steeled himself and prepared to confess directly, but he was interrupted by Pei Xingzhi's prompting voice after only uttering one word.

Pei Xingzhi turned on the device, glanced at the display, and subconsciously pursed his lips. After tapping the screen for a few seconds, he looked up at Chu Ling, apologized, and then turned to walk to the balcony to answer the phone.

"Why do you always call me in the middle of the night to bother me?" Pei Xingzhi was in a bad mood, and he vented all his frustrations on Xie Nanyi instead of Chu Ling.

The wind was strong on the balcony, and Pei Xingzhi's voice, carried by the wind, had completely lost its domineering aura by the time it reached Xie Nanyi. It sounded more like a wronged child complaining to his family about why they wouldn't stand up for him.

"Xiao Zhi isn't happy?"

"No, you must have misheard me. I'm very happy." Pei Xingzhi's words were firm, but his tone had unconsciously softened a lot.

"You can still laugh even though Xiao Zhi's bed collapsed? You must have a very strong mentality." Xie Nanyi looked at Pei Xingzhi with a smile, resting her chin on her hand. The screen showed the layers of gauze wrapped around his wrist.

"How did you know?!" Pei Xingzhi raised his voice, turning his head to look around. "Did you install surveillance cameras on me?!"

This guy must be insane! Not content with harassing him normally, he went so far as to install surveillance cameras in his dorm! No wonder he was so kind as to offer to change dorms; this was what he was up to. What's the difference between him and a criminal?!

"Pfft." Xie Nanyi didn't expect Pei Xingzhi to make such a connection. It's amazing that someone can be so interesting no matter what they do. He really likes Pei Xingzhi more and more.

"You're still laughing!" Pei Xingzhi was even angrier when he saw him smirking. He pointed at the virtual screen and shouted that he would definitely make him pay.

"Shh." Xie Nanyi put his index finger to his lips, and the light above his head flickered violently in sync with his movement, creating a momentary, eerie feeling, like a male ghost seeking revenge. Pei Xingzhi was startled by this and instinctively moved the equipment further away.

“I don’t have the power to install surveillance cameras in the dorm. It was the dorm supervisor of Xiaozhi’s dorm building who was reporting your situation to the school leaders, and I just happened to be passing by and overheard it.” With a slight throbbing in her glands, Xie Nanyi shifted to a more comfortable position, propping her chin up and leisurely sizing up Pei Xingzhi.

"Xiao Zhi, would you like to move in with me? I happen to have a spare room here."

Why should I move in with you?

"I happen to have a spare room here." Xie Nanyi's eyes crinkled with a smile. "It's perfect for you to stay here. You won't have to worry about getting glared at by the teacher anymore."

"Even if I get the cold shoulder, I won't live with you." He and Xie Nanyi haven't even had a real relationship yet, and the rumors are already rampant. If they live together, he can't even imagine what kind of rumors will develop. "You and I have nothing to do with each other."

"Does Xiaozhi want to develop some kind of relationship with me by saying that?"

"Think what you want."

Chu Ling's probing gaze kept coming from inside. Pei Xingzhi was afraid he would worry. Anyway, Xie Nanyi didn't have anything important to do. Pei Xingzhi made a face and then immediately turned off the video.

"Is something the matter? You seem to be in a hurry."

Chu Ling had just been peeking at him, but when Pei Xingzhi came out, he pretended nothing had happened and slowly turned his head away from his chair.

"I have something to do and need to go out for a bit. You go to sleep first. I won't be back tonight." Pei Xingzhi nodded in response, put on the coat he had just taken off, and left the dormitory without waiting for Chu Ling's reply.

Although Chu Ling didn't give a direct answer, his attitude clearly indicated he didn't want to sleep with him. While Chu Ling bore some responsibility for this, he had meant well but ended up causing a problem.

Pei Xingzhi didn't want to make things difficult for others. Since one person was going to be uncomfortable anyway, he figured he might as well just leave.

There are many hotels near the school, so he randomly picked one to stay for the night, and would deal with the bed repair and specific accommodation issues tomorrow.

Pei Xingzhi had a good plan, but reality was far from as perfect as he had imagined.

Most hotels near the school require advance booking, and the prices of hotels that offer direct check-in are beyond Pei Xingzhi's budget. Pei Xingzhi searched from nine o'clock until almost ten o'clock, but still couldn't find a place to stay.

Pei Xingzhi sat down on a roadside bench. He regretted leaving the dormitory a little; even sleeping on the table would have been more comfortable than sleeping on the street in the middle of the night. Fortunately, he had come out on his own initiative. He didn't know what dangers might have occurred if Chu Ling had gone out in the middle of the night. Even he thought the hotel was expensive, so Chu Ling would certainly not have chosen it.

A cold wind blew by, and Pei Xingzhi wrapped his coat tighter around himself. The coat still smelled of alcohol, which was not pleasant at all.

Several passersby walked past him, probably mistaking him for a drunken vagrant, and deliberately took a detour. Pei Xingzhi suddenly remembered the vow he made when he returned, and he didn't expect it to come true so quickly.

Sitting on the roadside makes him easy to be mistaken for a scoundrel, and Pei Xingzhi didn't want to affect the city's appearance, so he searched for nearby internet cafes and decided to spend the night there.

The entertainment venues near the school are not cheap, but these expenses are much better than staying in a hotel or sleeping on the streets.

Even so, Pei Xingzhi didn't have enough money to choose a nice place, so half an hour later, Pei Xingzhi successfully trapped himself in a small alley under the guidance of the navigation.

The dimly lit alley was completely dark. Pei Xingzhi used a light source, but the faint light was quickly swallowed by the darkness. The alley seemed endless, and no matter which way he went, he couldn't find the exit. Despite the recent sunny weather, the ground was muddy, and Pei Xingzhi's shoes were covered in mud after only a few steps.

The howling wind amplified in the narrow alley. Pei Xingzhi bit his finger, his heart pounding. He tried calling for help, but there was no signal at all, as if the place was completely isolated. Pei Xingzhi tried many times but still couldn't contact anyone.

Is...is anyone there?

Is anyone there?

"Is there anyone who can help me?"

Pei Xingzhi's own voice echoed in the empty alley, and he was so frightened that he almost cried. He ran along the alley, and after running for an unknown amount of time, he finally saw a glimmer of light in the distance.

He ran towards the light, but before he even reached it, two menacing-looking men covered in tattoos emerged from the alleyway on the other side. Pei Xingzhi stopped in his tracks, held his breath, and retreated back into the darkness, cowering in a corner and spying on them.

Two men were carrying one man in each hand like he was a chick, with most of the man's body dragging on the ground. The man on the right, wearing a black T-shirt, turned the man around and pulled his head down, revealing his smooth neck.

Pei Xingzhi squinted and looked closely. The physical characteristics of the person being dragged were clearly those of an Omega. He didn't look very old, his glands were clean, and he hadn't been marked by an Alpha yet.

A group of Alphas bringing an unconscious Omega here late at night was definitely not for anything righteous. Pei Xingzhi covered his mouth with both hands, trying his best to suppress any sound he might make. He turned on the recording function of his device, trying to capture the faces of these people as clearly as possible.

The tattooed man turned to the side, revealing the three people opposite them. They were all wrapped up tightly, and Pei Xingzhi couldn't see their faces.

The tall, thin man in the middle raised the Omega's head, examined him for a moment, and then nodded.

Seeing this, the other man in green, who was holding Omega, pressed down on Omega's arm, forcing him to kneel on the ground in an extremely contorted position. The man in black pulled out a dagger and, with a swift stroke, cut off Omega's gland.

The still-active glands were throbbing. The Omega, whose glands had been cut off, let out a heart-wrenching roar. The man in black, probably finding him too noisy, turned his knife, still wet with blood, and plunged the gleaming tip straight into the Omega's throat.

Omega let out a final roar. The tattooed man spun the dagger, the sharp blade severing Omega's trachea. Blood flowed down Omega's chest, quickly pooling beneath him.

The tall, thin man clicked his tongue, seemingly mocking the man in black for being too rude. He took a handkerchief from his pocket, covered his mouth and nose, and lightly patted the hem of his clothes with his gloved hand.

The person next to him took the gland and put it into a box, then handed another box to the tattooed man.

The tattooed man weighed the box in his hand, nodded in satisfaction, picked up the already dead Omega, folded it a few times, and stuffed it into another large box he was carrying.

The transaction was complete, and both parties nodded in satisfaction. After what was said next, the tall, thin man gestured to his subordinate to hand the tattooed man a photograph. The tattooed man took the photograph, and after the two men looked at it, they took out lighters and lit it. The photograph, still glowing with flickering flames, fell into the pool of blood left by the Omega.

With the next transaction target determined, both parties left the alley one after the other.

The sounds outside gradually faded away, and the alleyway returned to its silent, all-encompassing darkness.

If it weren't for the still-wet bloodstains on the ground, Pei Xingzhi would have almost doubted that everything he had just seen was just a nightmare.

The strong smell of rust and the stench of decay rushed into Pei Xingzhi's nostrils. Pei Xingzhi squatted on the ground, his fingers digging into the ground as he tried to calm himself down.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he turned on the device and used the dim light to illuminate a small patch of land beneath his feet.

The dark reddish-brown soil reeked of blood, and Pei Xingzhi could no longer hold back, clutching his stomach and vomiting.

The mental torment was battling against his will. Before losing consciousness, Pei Xingzhi used his last strength to tap the screen a few times. A muffled voice came from the other end. Pei Xingzhi wanted to respond, but his body had no strength left.

He stared at the blurry virtual screen, and finally couldn't hold on any longer and fainted.

A note from the author:

How did it suddenly turn into a suspense film?

That's all for these few chapters, that's all~ It's just a sweet little story.

I've gotten used to the daily routine without rankings.