Chapter 73 Something happened
In the golden autumn of October, the annual "Hundred Regiments Campaign," the most bustling club recruitment event on the A University campus, arrived as planned. Colorful tents were set up on the playground, adorned with eye-catching banners and posters. Loudspeakers blared inspiring music and club slogans, and members of various clubs pulled out all the stops, diligently recruiting new members. Freshmen, in groups of three or five, curiously wandered from booth to booth, their faces brimming with curiosity and anticipation for college life.
Chu Yan, hands tucked into his jacket pockets, strolled leisurely through the bustle. He had no enthusiasm for joining a club, nor any specific goals. He viewed club activities as little more than a way to kill time and cultivate insignificant relationships. His requirements were simple: few activities, no mandatory requirements, and ideally, earning academic credits.
He took in a fleeting glance: the cosplayers from the anime club struck a pose in their gorgeous costumes; the members of the hip-hop club improvised dances to powerful music, drawing rounds of applause; the seniors from the debate club spoke eloquently; even the astronomy club, seemingly the most "academic," displayed its expensive telescopes to attract attention...
"Students, come and see our hip-hop club. We'll teach you everything, even if you have no basic skills!"
"Junior, the debate team needs people like you to hone your eloquence and logical thinking!"
"Would you like to know more about the Hanfu Club? They regularly go on tours and take beautiful photos!"
Chu Yan walked around a few classmates who were trying to stuff flyers into his hands, shaking his head silently. Too noisy, too tiring, too stressful.
After wandering around most of the playground, he still couldn't find a club that met his "slacking off" standards. Just as he was about to turn around and try his luck on the other side where there were fewer people, a familiar voice called out to him.
In the sunshine, a boy wearing a clean white sweatshirt and jeans stood not far away, his eyes sparkling. It was Lu Chen.
Chu Yan turned around and put on a polite smile: "Hello, Senior Lu." He had a good impression of this senior who was a bit shy and had a handsome appearance.
Lu Chen felt a little embarrassed when Chu Yan called him "senior". His ears turned slightly red and he subconsciously touched the back of his head.
"What a coincidence," Lu Chen smiled, his eyes fixed on Chu Yan's gaze, and asked, "Are you looking for a club?"
Chu Yan nodded and said concisely: "Just take a look."
Lu Chen's eyes lit up slightly, as if he had found his target. He asked with a hint of anticipation and a bit of embarrassment, "Are you interested in our club?"
"What club?" Chu Yan raised an eyebrow, a hint of interest. Judging from Lu Chen's demeanor, he didn't look like someone who would join a noisy club.
"The Supernatural Society." Lu Chen lowered his voice, as if he was talking about a secret organization, with a mysterious glint in his eyes.
Chu Yan's eyebrows twitched slightly. This club's name sounded like it perfectly suited his requirements—it sounded like there wasn't any serious work involved. It was probably just a bunch of people getting together to tell ghost stories or go on some pretentious "adventures," which was plenty of fluff.
He calmly asked the most crucial question: "Are there many club activities? Are they mandatory?"
"Not much, not much!" Lu Chen quickly waved his hand and explained, "Our club is very flexible. Basically, we organize a themed event every month, such as watching horror movies, sharing ghost stories, or going on adventures to some place that's said to be a little bit weird..." He touched his nose a little guiltily at the end. "But it's all voluntary, there's absolutely no force, and there aren't many miscellaneous activities on a regular basis."
Very good, absolutely perfect. It was like a "holy place for slacking off" tailor-made for him.
Chu Yan nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, then I'll join."
Lu Chen didn't expect him to agree so readily. A huge, surprised smile instantly spread across his face. He quickly pulled out a neatly folded registration form and a pen from his canvas bag and handed them over attentively. "Great! Here you go! Just fill in the basic information!"
Chu Yan took the form and quickly scanned it. Club name: A-Day Paranormal Research Club. "Lu Chen" was clearly printed in the president column.
It turned out to be the club president himself, recruiting new members. Chu Yan understood. It seemed the club was indeed quite quiet. Without asking any more questions, he neatly filled out his name, student ID, and contact information on the form and handed it back to Lu Chen.
"Welcome to the Supernatural Club!" Lu Chen put away the registration form like a treasure, a smile on his face. He then took out his phone and waved it: "I'll add you on WeChat first, and then invite you to the group. I'll notify you of any activities in the group."
"Okay, thank you, senior." Chu Yan smiled and took out his mobile phone to open the QR code.
"Um... Chu Yan," Lu Chen called out to him again, his cheeks slightly red as he added, "Just call me by my name in the club from now on. There's no need to always call me senior, it seems distant."
Chu Yan readily agreed: "Okay, Lu Chen."
Lu Chen's face turned even redder, and he nodded vigorously as if he had received some great reward.
Chu Yan left the still bustling recruitment scene. Having completed a task, he felt good.
That evening, Chu Yan and Gu Xu had a video call. Gu Xu seemed to have just finished a meeting, leaning back in his office chair with a slightly tired look on his face. But when he saw Chu Yan on the screen, his eyes softened.
The two chatted casually about daily life, and Chu Yan mentioned that he had joined a club today.
Gu Xu was a little surprised when he heard this: "Club? What club?" He couldn't imagine what kind of club activities Chu Yan would be interested in.
"The Supernatural Society." Chu Yan answered casually while flipping through the professional book in his hand.
"The Supernatural Society?" Gu Xu's expression suddenly became a little subtle, and his brows frowned unconsciously, "How come I didn't know... that you were interested in this aspect?" The Chu Yan he knew was calm, rational, and seemed to have everything under control. He didn't look like someone who would be obsessed with ghost stories.
Chu Yan, of course, wasn't interested. He'd been on the verge of vomiting from dealing with all sorts of demons, monsters, and cursed evil spirits in the Infinite Quest world before. This little bit of "supernatural" in the real world was like playing house to him. Without even looking up, he said frankly, "I'm not really interested. Mainly because this club is laid back and the activities are voluntary, perfect for slacking off."
This reason sounded very "Chu Yan." But Gu Xu, whose detective instincts had become highly developed due to his recent open and covert struggles with Chu Yu, instantly detected something unusual. He narrowed his eyes, leaned forward slightly, and moved closer to the camera, his tone tinged with subtle scrutiny and jealousy:
"There are so many relaxing clubs out there, like the reading club, the film club, the Go club... which ones can't you join? Why did you choose the Psychic Club?" He paused, his voice lowered with a hint of danger, "Could it be... that some boy who's 'interested' in you deliberately dragged you in?"
Chu Yan's movements as he flipped through the pages of the book paused almost imperceptibly. He raised his eyes and looked at Gu Xu on the screen with a somewhat surprising expression, who had an "I've seen through it all" look on his face. This guy's intuition was quite accurate, wasn't it?
His expression remained calm, and he even nodded in agreement, saying in a tone that said, "Mr. Gu is indeed very perceptive. It was indeed a junior who invited me, and I felt embarrassed to refuse, so I joined."
"Senior?" Gu Xu's brows furrowed even more tightly, and the sourness in his tone almost overflowed the screen. "What's your name? Which department are you from? What's your personality like?"
Chu Yan felt that Gu Chen's probing attitude showed he had a natural talent for detective work. He shook his head helplessly, "His name is Lu Chen. I'm not sure which department he belongs to, but he seems quite honest and shy." He paused and deliberately teased, "Mr. Gu, are you checking his household registration? Do you want me to investigate his entire family for you?"
Gu Yu choked and realized that he had overreacted, but the discomfort in his heart still lingered. He snorted twice and was about to say something else, such as warning Chu Yan to stay away from those questionable seniors -
At this moment, his other private mobile phone on the desk suddenly rang sharply, breaking the delicate atmosphere in the video call room.
Gu Xu's brows knitted together instantly. A ring on his personal phone at this hour usually meant something urgent and difficult was happening. He gestured "wait a moment" to Chu Yan on the screen, picked up the phone, and pressed the answer button.
Chu Yan watched Gu Xu answer the phone. His expression was calm at first, but soon, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter, his lips pressed into a straight line, his eyes sharp and cold, and even revealed a rare sense of tension as if facing a great enemy.
Even through the screen, Chu Yan could vaguely hear the hurried and even panicked voices coming from the other end of the phone. Although he couldn't hear the specific content, the tense and crisis atmosphere was clearly conveyed.
Chu Yan put down the book in his hand and sat up straight. Something had happened. And it was definitely not a small matter.
"...I understand." Gu Xu's voice was low and suppressed, with a sense of impending storm, and he said to the other end of the phone, "I'll be right there."
A few minutes later, Gu Xu hung up the phone. He took a deep breath, raised his hand and pinched his brows hard. His face was clearly tired and a little gloomy. He raised his hand and pressed hard on his throbbing solar plexus before looking at Chu Yan on the screen. He tried to make his voice sound calmer, but the solemnity could not be completely concealed:
"Chu Yan, I have some urgent work that needs to be dealt with immediately. You should go to bed early today."
Chu Yan looked at the anxiety and coldness deep in his eyes that he hadn't had time to completely hide. He didn't ask any more questions, but just nodded: "Okay, don't be too busy, be safe, and call me anytime when you need me."
"Yeah." Gu Xu responded, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just looked at Chu Yan deeply and hung up the video in a hurry.
The screen went dark.
In the dormitory, Zhao Jian and Sun Miao were still arguing over the game controls, while Li Sizhe, wearing headphones, was immersed in his own world. Everything was normal.
Chu Yan looked at the black screen, tapped his fingers lightly on the table a few times, his eyes as calm as water.
[Tongzi,] he called the system in his mind, [Go check what happened to Gu Xu.]
[Understood!] The system responded immediately, its tone becoming more serious. Clearly sensing something was amiss, the data stream began to flow rapidly. [Whatever made Gu's face so grim must be no small matter. Host, please wait a moment. I'll go check their communication records and internal network.]
Chu Yan leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on the dark night outside the window. Peaceful days always seemed to be short.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
