Chapter 12
Cao Sheng, yawning lazily, stepped out from the black shadows with his bag on his back, a hint of displeasure showing on his lazy face.
"Ah, that's because I'm a day student, teacher."
Gu Qingming paused, and under Chu Zhongyuan's surprised gaze, he spoke first.
"I just transferred here and I'm not very familiar with the school. The South Gate is closer to my home, and I'm timid... so... I asked a classmate to walk this road with me. Unexpectedly, we were not familiar with this place, and we got lost..."
Gu Qingming showed a timid expression and spoke regardless of Chu Zhongyuan's stiff body.
"……oh?"
Cao Sheng's gaze swept across the two young men and finally fixed on Gu Qingming's calm brown eyes.
"I see. It's so late, why don't you go home quickly?"
A silent atmosphere spread in this remote corner of the campus. When Chu Zhongyuan couldn't help but speak, Cao Sheng suddenly laughed.
"Turn out here and go straight, and you will reach the south gate of the school. Be careful and go home early."
Cao Sheng waved his hand, turned around, then seemed to remember something, turned back, and winked at the two of them.
"Oh, by the way, although the rumors outside are a bit bizarre, this is just a forest and dormitory building that have been abandoned for many years. You don't have to be so scared. Don't be nervous."
He walked over with a gentle tone, patted their shoulders and comforted them, as if he thought that the two had lost their sense of direction and got lost because they were scared by the rumors.
Afterwards, without watching the two students' next move, he turned around and walked deeper into the forest.
"Well...Boss Cao, this is..."
Chu Zhongyuan raised his eyebrows. He watched Cao Sheng's figure disappear in the direction of the old dormitory building and was a little surprised by the result.
"Is it my illusion? I always feel that the reason he gave us that warning was not entirely because he thought we were scared by the legend of the old dormitory building, but because..."
Gu Qingming pushed up his black square-framed glasses and continued.
"He seems to know some inside information related to strange events?"
"Besides, he is a new teacher. Why did he ask us to leave so late at night and run to a place where ghost stories are prevalent? That place has been abandoned for a long time..."
Chu Zhongyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, he also noticed that something was wrong with this teacher.
"Could it be that Emperor Zhang has gone so crazy that he held the grade meeting in the woods?"
"Then do we need to... go over and take a look?"
Gu Qingming raised his eyes and looked at Chu Zhongyuan.
Although there were many suspicious points about Teacher Cao, there were those terrifying giant rats in the dormitory building. Even he and Chu Zhongyuan, two people with superpowers, had a hard time killing one. If Teacher Cao was an ordinary person and encountered that kind of thing...
"Let's go, after all, he is our math teacher."
Chu Zhongyuan smiled bitterly and took the lead to walk towards the dangerous place.
But when the two used their special powers to rush back to the old dormitory building as quickly as possible, Cao Sheng's figure had already disappeared.
"How is it possible..."
Chu Zhongyuan looked at the empty old dormitory building in front of him. The evening breeze was still blowing bleakly, bringing the coolness of autumn at the end of summer.
Everything around remained the same, and there was no sign of Cao Sheng.
A green snake-shaped wind appeared on Gu Qingming's hand. He closed his eyes and tried to get more information through the chalk mist, but still got nothing.
"Here... there is no sign of Teacher Cao."
Noticing Chu Zhongyuan's gaze, Gu Qingming shook his head. He gathered the green wind in his palm and explained.
Although the two were in disbelief and risked their lives, they walked around the old dormitory building twice, but still did not see any trace of Cao Sheng. Fortunately, they did not encounter that kind of rat again.
As a last resort, the two of them had no choice but to give up.
The deep blue night extended to the end of the sky. Gu Qingming walked out of the school from the south gate and was about to rush back to the address sent by Uncle Lu Ze to pack his things, but he was stopped by a familiar figure at the door.
Because the South Gate is very close to the grove and the "ghost building" old dormitory building, not many students pass by it. What's more, Gu Qingming and Chu Zhongyuan have been delayed in the old dormitory building for so long.
At this time, except for the students who were on duty and therefore left late, no one should appear at the South Gate. However, the young man in front of him stood in front of Gu Qingming with his arms folded, with a proud smile on his face that Gu Qingming was very familiar with.
Gu Qingming clearly remembered that it was not Luo Dong's duty today.
The boy who stopped Gu Qingming had slightly long hair and delicate features like a doll, and looked very mixed-race. He wore a pair of silver-rimmed glasses, and his eyes under the silver-rimmed glasses looked a very light blue, beautiful and noble.
"Long time no see, Gu Qingming."
Luo Dong raised his chin slightly, and when he was silent, he looked like a noble and elegant blue-eyed ragdoll cat. He exuded a natural temperament of a young master.
He looked at the boy in front of him whom he had not seen for a long time. His father had been friends with the other party's parents for many years. As Gu Qingming's childhood friend in a sense, he was deeply impressed by this bad boy who was even more difficult to deal with than Chu Zhongyuan and fought every day.
Unexpectedly, by the time he reached high school, he had become such a... standard good boy. The contrast was so great that he almost didn't recognize him.
"Long time no see, Luo Dong... Thank you very much."
Gu Qingming took a deep breath, and was somewhat unable to connect the dignified and elegant Luo Dong in front of him with the unruly, willful, and crybaby little master in junior high school in his childhood memory.
Time is the most unreliable thing, but it can still easily change people.
The moment we met our old childhood friend, we both sighed in our hearts that the other person had really changed.
"But, don't say that, father doesn't want to hear you thank him, big brother doesn't want to, I, I don't want to either!"
Luo Dong, who originally had a certain condescending attitude, was stunned for a moment when he heard Gu Qingming no longer mock him as he did when they were children, but instead thanked him. Then he quickly became furious and started to cover up his mistake.
However, Luo Dong reacted quickly. He knew why Gu Qingming came to Lantai City. A strong sense of worry touched his heart. Although the young master was arrogant, he also knew what a terrible reality Gu Qingming would face.
"What happened in Dezhou City... I know you are not someone who needs sympathy. Anyway, no matter what happened, welcome to Lantai No. 1 Middle School. Your Uncle Lu Ze... If it really doesn't work out... you can live in my house. My house is so big anyway, one more person won't make a difference."
Luo Dong extended his hand to Gu Qingming somewhat awkwardly.
“Luo Dong, I appreciate your kindness, but I have troubled my uncle a lot. But don’t worry, Uncle Lu Ze treats me very well.”
Gu Qingming knew what the young master in front of him was worried about. He was worried that the "Uncle Lu Ze" whom he had never met was not a qualified guardian. In that case, he might as well go to their house.
Luo Dong's father and Gu Qingming's father are old acquaintances. As soon as Gu Qingming's parents got into trouble, Luo Dong's father lent a helping hand and helped Gu Qingming to understand the first-hand rescue situation on the front line at all times.
But even so, the car that Gu Qingming's parents were riding in was still thrown into a bottomless cliff by nature's turbulent mudslide. The reality cannot be changed, and there has been no news of rescue until now.
Gu Qingming sighed.
He had almost accepted this cruel fact, but sometimes he couldn't help but question fate, why did his parents have to encounter a landslide... such a natural disaster.
There is no possibility of escape from death.
"Since you insist... then fine. I... Dad misses you very much, and big brother is also worried about you. He was very happy to know that you transferred to Lantai City from Dezhu No. 1 Middle School. Remember to come to our house more often when you have time."
Luo Dong originally wanted to say something, but when he saw Gu Qingming's determined gaze, he could only sigh.
Gu Qingming does not need pity. Even if he encounters such a terrible change, he only thinks about his future and tries his best not to cause any trouble to his friends and elders who are kind to him.
The young man is like a strong bamboo growing in a strong wind; although it may tilt, it will never fall.
"It's almost lights out, I'm leaving now."
Luo Dong looked at the valuable watch on his wrist and frowned slightly, deciding to end the conversation with his childhood friend.
"You are actually a boarding student? I thought——"
Gu Qingming was a little surprised. He thought that with Luo Dong's personality, he would definitely disdain to live on campus. After all, although Lantai No. 1 High School is a key high school, its infrastructure would never be acceptable to a young master like Luo Dong.
"I was a little crazy about my photography career before, and my dad kicked me out to reflect on it. By the way—"
Luo Dong explained a few words to Gu Qingming with an annoyed expression. Before waving goodbye, his cat-like light blue eyes suddenly looked at Gu Qingming seriously.
"Don't perform the luck-changing ritual in the group for any reason, and..."
He paused, as if hesitating, and finally spoke.
"Be careful of Cao Sheng."
After saying that, the young man took out a black notebook from his bag, waved it in front of Gu Qingming, then walked around the old dormitory building and ran quickly towards the dormitory building.
Gu Qingming was stunned. He saw clearly that the notebook his good friend Luo Dong had just taken out was exactly the same as the one his mother and grandfather Chu Zhongyuan had.
What does this mean? Could it be that Luo Dong also——
He was about to turn around and chase after him, but he stopped abruptly.
Luo Dong's words were confusing. This young master never spoke like this. He always liked to be straightforward. But now it was as if... he was being cautious about something.
Gu Qingming quickly looked towards the south gate, and saw a young man with a low ponytail and wearing a fox mask leaning against a lamppost outside the school gate, throwing something around in boredom.
Gu Qingming understood instantly that Luo Dong was simply using the excuse of being careful with Cao Sheng to remind him to be careful with the fox mask.
He was calm and composed, as if he didn't see the fox mask, and walked straight towards the address Uncle Lu Ze sent him.
It was not until he turned the corner and entered a dim alley at the back street of Lantai No. 1 Middle School that the noisy sounds of the crowd behind him seemed to be blocked by the dark alley entrance and suddenly moved away that he breathed a sigh of relief.
That lingering fox mask...actually appeared again around Lantai No. 1 Middle School.
He is so passionate about Lantai No. 1 Middle School, could it be that... the luck-changing ritual and the monster in the old dormitory building were also his work?
Messy thoughts filled Gu Qingming's nerves, and his solar plexus hurt so much that he stopped struggling to filter it all out and quickened his pace, wanting to see Uncle Lu Ze as soon as possible.
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