Chapter 10
After crossing the overpass, walking past the lotus pond, passing through the tunnel, and going past the library, before entering the dormitory for the final oxtail soup serving, Dr. Pun first led everyone into a special room that was limited to this year.
There are many eerie stories on campus, with ten being the most widely circulated. However, due to limitations, only about half of them could be recreated at the freshman orientation. Fortunately, the art department had a lot of leftover props for this year's event, so Pandora borrowed a few from them and had the students decorate this "Red-Eyed Dormitory."
Rumor has it that during renovations in the dormitory area, a peephole was installed on the door of each room. However, due to a mistake, one girls' dormitory had it installed backwards, turning the privacy screen into a means of spying. A girl living in this dormitory had a suitor who, after discovering this, would secretly watch her every day. One day, a pair of blood-red eyes suddenly appeared in the peephole. The suitor was terrified and immediately ran away, thinking he had been discovered. However, a few days later, to find the missing girl, the school opened the dormitory door, only to find her hanged in her room several days prior. According to the forensic examination, the day she committed suicide was the very day the blood-red eyes appeared!
"Ah!" A student in Iris's class leaned forward to look through the peephole and, sure enough, saw a pair of terrifying red eyes. He screamed in fright, and the other girls huddled together tightly, too afraid to look any further.
Zhuang Zhuoyuan nudged Iris's arm, urging her to take a look, but Iris pouted, looking like she was disgusted that this part was unoriginal. She leaned close to her boyfriend's ear and whispered, "There must be a sticker behind this reversed privacy screen. Ella and I used this trick to scare people on Halloween when we were eleven."
Zhuang Zhuoyuan patted her head and laughed, "Then will you still be able to get candy?"
“Of course,” Iris said with a look that condemned Zhuang Zhuoyuan’s contempt, “we’re so cute, of course we make a fortune every year.”
They thought they'd leave after looking through the peephole, but the student council president opened the dormitory door, revealing other decorations inside. Iris looked at the rope hanging in mid-air and the soft red light from the desk lamp, marveling at the ambiance. There was a notebook with writing on it on the desk, and curious to see what it contained, she took out her flashlight and knelt on one knee on the chair to examine it.
This pressure caused a problem; the mirror on the wall immediately lit up with a bright light, and a ferocious red-eyed female ghost appeared in the mirror.
"ah!"
"ah!!!"
This jump scare made Iris drop the flashlight and hide in Zhuang Zhuoyuan's arms. She thought she had screamed loud enough, but the screams from the students behind her were three octaves higher.
Zhuang Zhuoyuan immediately understood the principle behind the scary device. He patted his girlfriend's back and comforted her in a gentle voice, "It's OK, it's just a one-way mirror, don't be afraid, okay?"
Iris was no longer afraid; her mind had analyzed the situation thoroughly the moment she calmed down. She was now burying her face in Zhuang Zhuoyuan's chest simply because she felt embarrassed by her earlier reaction.
Zhuang Zhuoyuan noticed her subtle movement and instantly understood what Iris was thinking. He glanced at Pandora, whose lips were slightly upturned, and guessed that this special room was probably set up especially for his girlfriend. He then put his arm around Iris, freeing one hand to bend down and press the seat. The lights came on again, and the female ghost reappeared. Those who knew the reason listened again and exclaimed "Wow!"
Unfortunately, Zhang Zhanchao was also kept in the dark. He hadn't seen Iris trigger the mechanism the time, but this time, he had been watching Zhuang Zhuoyuan's every move and had seen everything clearly. "Oh my god! Brother Yuan, what, what's going on?"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan nudged Iris, but the ostrich clung tightly to his waist, refusing to answer. He, the "boss's husband," had to step in: "This is a one-way mirror. As the name suggests, it's a mirror that allows you to see from one side to the other. It's usually placed inside a wall, and there's often space on the other side. Whichever side has stronger light, that side can be seen. Like now, when the light behind the mirror isn't on, our side is illuminated by red light, making the light stronger than on the other side, so we see a normal mirror. On the other side, they can see our side clearly. If the light inside the mirror is on, it's the exact opposite."
"So that's how it is!" Zhang Zhanchao tried pressing the chair surface again, and the mirror changed exactly as Zhuang Zhuoyuan had said. He wanted to press it a few more times, but a group of freshmen had already rushed out of the room screaming. The flickering light looked more like an evil spirit appearing! He innocently shrugged, planning to play with it a few more times when they dismantled the device later, and followed the group out the door.
Only Iris, Zhuang Zhuoyuan, and Pandora remained in the room. Zhuang Zhuoyuan dug out his girlfriend's face and gestured for her to turn around: "Your lesbian seems to have something to say to you."
Looking at Iris's flushed cheeks, Pandora smiled smugly: "Shishi, I promised you I'd give you a great experience, and look, I did!"
Iris could only manage a wry smile. Chinese-style horror is the scariest thing ever!
Pandora left, and Zhuang Zhuoyuan, who was intentionally lagging behind, kissed Iris's lips, still holding her and asking, "Were you really scared?"
"In an instant." Iris snuggled against her boyfriend, taking the opportunity to act coquettishly. She couldn't say she liked this experience, but she definitely loved hugging Zhuo Yuan.
Zhang Zhanchao peeked out from the doorway, and only dared to call out to the two men after seeing that there was no R18 content: "Boss, Brother Yuan, let's hurry up and leave, or we won't be able to find the next room."
Zhuang Zhuoyuan suddenly felt that the assistant Iris had hired was quite competent.
The welcome party officially ended after the oxtail soup was finished. When Zhuang Zhuoyuan got his car and left the school gate, he checked the time and it was already 1:30 AM. He was alright; under the Flying Tigers training, even sleeping only a few hours for three days wasn't a problem. But Iris had early classes, and he was especially worried that she wouldn't be able to get up.
"BB, do you want to sleep for a while? I can carry you home when we get there." They had already agreed that she would stay at Zhuang Zhuoyuan's house tonight, so as to avoid wasting a lot of time going back and forth to take her.
Iris blinked her big eyes: "Do I look like I want to sleep? Usually at this time, I'm still writing my novel."
While adjusting to the time difference and writing articles, Zhuang Zhuoyuan tentatively asked, "BB, are you really not considering staying at my place for a while to adjust your sleep schedule? I can even make you some soup!"
Iris gave an ambiguous answer: "I'll think about it."
However, when Zhuang Zhuoyuan called her three times the next morning without any response, Iris, who was finally forcibly dragged out of bed, no longer wanted to consider any other options. She changed her clothes and washed up like a ghost, then floated to the dining table like a ghost. After saying good morning to Zhuang Zhuoyuan, her first words were: "Sister, can I stay here on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights from now on? I have early classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. With A-Yuan driving me, I can sleep a little longer in his car."
Zhuang Zhuohua looked at her younger brother, who was quite calm, as if he had expected this outcome. Zhuang Zhuoyuan poured milk for Iris before reporting to Madam Zhuang: "When I was 'excavating' this person just now, she was already regretting why she was so persistent in pursuing a degree. If she were just an auditor, she could be late and leave early without any restraint."
"Oh." Zhuang Zhuohua looked knowing.
When Iris realized her embarrassing moment had been exposed, she immediately retorted, "I'll definitely study hard! I'll definitely get an A on the final exam! But if I'm late, it's the driver's fault!"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan continued calmly, "Then you should consider staying at home on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays as well."
"Waaah, big sister, Yuan bullied me!" Iris cried, turning to Zhuang Zhuohua to complain. Madam Zhuang, who had already finished breakfast, wiped her mouth, picked up her plate, and prepared to go into the kitchen: "Iris, if Yuan really bullied you, I'll definitely help you teach him a lesson, but if it's just the two of you playing games, then don't worry about me. And, you're really going to be late!"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan promptly offered a facade of cooperation: "BB, we're really going to be late!"
"You naughty Yuan! You stinky Yuan!" Iris sped up her breakfast, and seeing Zhuang Zhuoyuan also putting his plate away in the kitchen, she made a new decision: "No goodbye kiss today!"
"Then let's have a breakfast kiss." Zhuang Zhuoyuan took Iris's handbag from the room, walked up to her and threatened her with a love-filled lunch, "If you don't give it to me, you won't be able to be envied by others today."
Iris swallowed back her words, "Do I need that one more bite of food?" She buried her head in her food, trying to ignore Zhuang Zhuoyuan, but he remembered it and waited for her to fall into his trap in the kitchen. Iris had just put her plate in the sink when she turned around and was trapped in front of the refrigerator by Zhuang Zhuoyuan: "Baby pig, breakfast time isn't over until you give me a kiss."
Iris crouched down, trying to escape, but Zhuang Zhuoyuan's arm caught her around the waist. He didn't even need to think about outrunning Fei Hu in terms of speed or strength. Zhuang Zhuoyuan scooped Iris up in his arms. She initially cried out "Help!" but after being touched on the waist and feeling the tickle, she quickly begged for mercy: "Okay, okay, I give up. Mmm, where do you want to kiss me?"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan pressed his advantage: "Will there be a goodbye kiss later?"
Yes, yes, yes.
Zhuang Zhuohua, who had already reached the door, listened to the sounds coming from the kitchen, sighed, and shook her head. If Iris was late, Zhuang Zhuoyuan would definitely bear a lot of responsibility.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
