Chapter 17 Bubbles (1) Sure enough, Diqiu University has gained another student...
[A shocking twist: The Joker is actually the righteous force seeking revenge!]
[The forum's earlier guess was correct; it is indeed a story of cruelty and perversion (a foundation abusing orphanage children under the guise of funding), gory magic (a head-swapping magic trick), and a mass celebration (those who don't might get their heads chopped off by a clown). It has all the elements.]
[It looks so terrifying, yet it's a work of redemption literature.]
Good riddance to the old guard!
Good riddance to the old guard!
...
[The audience was just a bit unlucky...]
[They underestimated the citizens of Diqiu. They were all quite calm at the police station, and many of their accounts were very organized, like they were giving a work report.]
[It's a pity the clown kidnapped Ah Tan halfway, my date with my crush was ruined, sob sob]
[It's good to take a walk. Ah Tan looks so bored. He overslept before the show started. I can only watch Lu Lu to pass the time.]
[Haha, that look in his eyes is like a cat observing a human it can't understand. A-Tan's inner monologue: Is it really that good-looking? What's so good-looking about it? Humans are so hard to understand.]
[I'm a CP fan, and I'm going to spread rumors! Can't it just be that Atan is captivated by Lu Lu's face?!]
Although considering Ah Tan's personality, the comment above is absurd, but thinking of Lu Lu's face, it seems like only human nature.
[Especially her eyes...they're so beautiful, like amber or the twilight. I was captivated by Lu Lu's eyes when she first appeared.]
Xie Tan was subtly a little depressed, even though the forum readers would fill in the blanks with his own imagination and, following the atmosphere he created, complete his persona as a mysterious and unfathomable figure.
But they inadvertently discovered a bit of the truth... He was indeed looking into Lu Jinzhao's eyes.
Although Atan found it boring, he didn't cause any trouble at the orphanage. He didn't fall asleep and even cooperated by going on stage! Hello, cat.
That's because they needed to use the Joker, so they gave him some face.
[They said they'd ask for help, which was very polite, but it really was just a notification, haha. Besides, Ah Tan has special tickets, so it feels like an evil deal is already on its way.]
[It might be related to the main storyline!]
Ah Tan just casually picked up his head and said, "You dropped something." At that moment, I felt Ah Tan was scarier than a clown. Who knows...
[That's just Ah Tan's vibe. Well, he's not exactly a villain, but he has that weird, intimidating aura that makes him seem like he doesn't even care about villains. It's captivating.]
What does "water overflowing" mean? Does it have any deeper meaning? This interpretation is indeed the most complex.
I don't know, but it's so eerie, and inexplicably makes me a little sad. Or maybe the atmosphere created by the swordsman is just too good.
Xie Tan paused for a moment, not really meaning anything, but just because the boy had asked, he answered casually.
What profound meaning is there in death?
However, many people on the forum mentioned this sentence and believed that it must have a deeper meaning.
When Lu Lu went to the basement and saw the mirror, I laughed. This time I was sure.
It's you guys again, Jingjing! I knew it was you guys causing trouble. You're back to being helpful prop sellers, aren't you?
[The circus tent and the orphanage are mirror images of each other, so they can perform at the same time? How thoughtful of us mirrors!]
[There's even a paranormal consultation service, haha! The shaman in the ghost story is definitely a member of the cult. Pass this down—the Miller Cult monopolizes the metaphysical industry in the world of Strange Tales!]
[Our teacher and our Black Goat team, though they've declined and are now in their twilight years, are still legends!]
[Never mind who it is, hurry up and bring it up, isn't our main storyline about to begin?!]
[It's almost here! Didn't the clown come knocking at the door at the end? The favor he did might actually be related to the main plot!]
[Didn't some of you guess that Atan is a student at Diqiu University? Shouldn't the next story be a campus arc?]
Looking forward to the campus, the main storyline, and the youthful male-dominated university life (just kidding)!!
After reading the forum, Xie Tan used Chekhov's gun and witnessed firsthand how the old traces of his admission notice, leave of absence application, and expired documents were gradually replaced with his name and photo.
His heart was filled with mixed feelings for a moment, as if he had gradually replaced another person's trace in this world, which made him feel somewhat...uncomfortable.
The cat appeared, its golden eyes blinking, cute and bright. Its fluffy head rubbed against his hand, and he strangely calmed down.
Other information also changed accordingly; the time was changed to last year, the age when he should have been in college.
Taking a year off from school fits in perfectly.
It's like he dropped out of school after his first year and is now going back to repeat his first year.
The reason for the leave of absence is acute stress disorder with transient psychotic symptoms, including hallucinations, anxiety, and frequent insomnia.
Considering this is Fidoo City, if it's not a mental illness, then it must be a ghost.
This reason also made it easy for him to use it as a perfunctory excuse to the school, and perhaps it would allow him to delve deeper into the story.
Along with the leave of absence application, there is also a certificate of recovery from illness, which clearly states "able to participate in normal learning activities," and can be used directly.
His major is art history, which he doesn't know much about.
Xie Tan logged onto the school's official website. He had previously joined a freshman group and gathered a lot of information to prepare for this moment.
The login account was the student ID number, and the original password was the same. After logging in, sure enough, Diqiu University had added him as a student.
He browsed his own information and, under the pretext of having a new phone number, added his advisor's contact information.
Jiang Linji (Counselor): [Okay, do you have time tomorrow?]
.at: [Yes]
Jiang Linji (Advisor): [Okay, I won't be here this morning. Come find me in room 203 on the second floor of the library this afternoon.]
.at: [Good]
Xie Tan felt that the instructor's name looked familiar. Had it appeared in a previous series?
Di Da is often haunted, and as the instructor, she may have appeared once or twice in the background of the story.
The next afternoon, Xie Tan, led by Cat No. 7, arrived at the library with ease.
He received permission and pushed open the door to enter.
There was only one teacher in office 203, reviewing documents. She had thick, short, curly hair and was wearing a dark gray business long skirt suit.
She looked up at the sound, her delicate features possessing a poetic melancholy quality, like a Hong Kong or Taiwanese actress from the 1980s or 90s.
Xie Tan had checked her information beforehand; she was not only a counselor but also a university Chinese language instructor and a librarian at Diqiu University.
"Teacher Jiang."
"You're here, have a seat."
Jiang Linji inquired about his health and, after confirming that he was indeed much better and in a condition suitable for returning to school, had him fill out a return-to-school application form.
Xie Tan filled out the form, and Jiang Linji explained the follow-up procedures to him. It would take about two weeks for the review to be completed. Since his original class had already moved up to the second year, he would have to be transferred to a new first-year class and his records would be transferred.
They also did some ideological work with him, including addressing the pressure of returning to school, adjusting to being back on campus, and the progress of his academic credits.
She spoke softly but clearly, without any unnecessary words, and her concern was genuine.
It was raining outside the window, and her voice blended into the rain, becoming one with it. Although Xie Tan didn't listen very carefully, he wasn't annoyed. He knew this was her job.
"I understand, thank you, teacher." Xie Tan snapped out of his reverie, but the rain outside the window was pouring down harder and harder.
"Remember to get your director's signature on the application form. Don't go today; this rain isn't going to stop anytime soon. Did you bring an umbrella?"
"No."
The weather forecast says it will be cloudless today.
However, the weather forecast for Dichi City is not very reliable and is occasionally affected by unnatural factors.
"That's just how the weather is in Diqiu, so unpredictable. Why don't you stay in the library for a while? You can read to pass the time."
Jiang Linji handed him an umbrella: "Keep going until the rain gets lighter, and go home as soon as possible. I heard that people have gone missing on rainy days recently."
"Then, teacher, what about you?"
“I still have an umbrella. Your director lent it to me. It’s perfect. He’s going out of town tomorrow. You can go to the Reef Art Museum on Thursday to get his autograph and return the umbrella to him.”
"OK."
Jiang Linji gave him another transparent plastic folder to prevent rain from getting the documents wet. Xie Tan read for a while on the first floor, and left with an umbrella when the rain subsided.
It was getting late, but he still decided to go to the teaching building to see if the director was there.
Everyone was in class at this time, and it had just rained heavily again, so there were hardly any people on the road. Xie Tan asked Maomao to lead him along a secluded road, where there was even less of a person.
Some people share his thinking, but they don't also prefer fewer people; instead, they want to do something discreet.
As he passed the swimming pool, a group of people ran away from the opposite side entrance, some with umbrellas, some with their coats over their heads, laughing and joking as they ran off, splashing raindrops.
What should have been a vibrant and youthful scene was tainted by that arrogant laughter, giving it an eerie feel.
Xie Tan stood in the rain, and the cat wrapped itself around his shoulder and nuzzled his neck.
He touched the little guy's round cat ears and walked into the swimming pool.
It was still cloudy outside, and the swimming pool lights were off, casting a dark, bluish hue.
The tiled ground from the entrance to the poolside was covered in dirty clay, like a bunch of kids who had played in the mud and then been turned into a muddy mess by the splashed pool water—a truly pitiful sight.
A pair of glasses and a cell phone lay on the ground, both filthy, and the cell phone screen was cracked.
Xie Tan picked up the phone; it wasn't locked, so it had probably been forcibly unlocked.
The screen lit up, showing a video of a male student being stripped naked by a swimming pool.
Xie Tan recognized this person; he was one of the children taken away by the clown, a classmate of Lu Jinzhao's friend, and the one who asked him "What is death?"
He switched to the other end of the screen, and the video had already been sent to three or four contacts.
I don't have many contacts to begin with, and they are probably people I have to add, like roommates and class monitors.
Some people cursed at him, some blocked him, and some replied with "hahaha" and forwarded it to more people. Only one person with the contact name "senior" made many calls, asking what happened and expressing concern for his situation.
Even further away, the pool water remained a deep, penetrating blue, without a single movement.
Xie Tan didn't put away his umbrella. He walked to the poolside, and the only sound in the quiet swimming pool was his footsteps.
He stopped at the edge of the pool, and suddenly a pair of hands emerged from the water, their arms covered in bruises, gripping his trouser leg tightly.
A person struggled to the shore from the bottom of the pool, delirious and coughing incessantly, but clinging to it like a lifeline, he cried out: "Please...save me, devil, Mr. Devil, I'll do anything..."
Xie Tan: ?
Xie Tan looked down at him expressionlessly.
This is the boy in the video, the owner of the glasses and the phone.
He took a step back, and the pulling sensation in his palm brought the male student back to his senses.
Sun Enze struggled to climb out of the pool, his hands bracing against the muddy tiles as he spit out water, looking utterly disheveled.
He was now awake and realized there was another person in the swimming pool, or perhaps not a person at all. He didn't have his glasses and had come out of the water, so he couldn't see his surroundings clearly.
That last bit of courage he had shown to the devil had vanished; all he wanted was to crawl back to the bottom of the pool: "I'm fine, I can walk by myself, don't worry about me..."
He didn't even look up, burying his face in his hands and numbly muttering those familiar words.
The swimming pool was quiet and there was no response.
After a long while, Sun Enze looked up, but the person was gone, as if it were just a hallucination caused by oxygen deprivation in his brain.
He relaxed, but then felt disappointed. Don't be silly, even the devil won't respond to you.
He frantically searched for his glasses, put them on, and his vision cleared again. He picked up his phone and ran outside, only to find a brick-red umbrella at the door.
It was that person who held the umbrella!
He was startled, hesitated before picking up the umbrella, and looked around, but there was no one in sight.
Amid the sound of rain, he picked up his phone. Sure enough, the only senior who cared about him had sent many messages and was already on his way to the swimming pool.
He was about to reply when he noticed an unsent draft displayed in the file transfer assistant. Clicking on it revealed: "Umbrella, Thursday morning at 10:00 AM, Reef Art Museum, Director Wu."
A note from the author:
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