Chapter 64
Chapter 64
“What do you mean, the Yucai Academy in the mirror?” Luo Yunmeng asked when she didn’t understand.
Seriously? And she still wanted to get a PhD!
Qiao Yu looked at her like he was looking at an idiot. “Because we’re in the archives right now! The layout of the fifth floor has the Psychological Clinic on the left and the school’s archives on the right. In the mirror, it’s reversed, so after we came back, we ended up in the archives. And the most important point is…”
It took Luo Yunmeng a moment to process what Qiao Yu had just said. In disbelief, she pressed, “So what is the most important point?”
“The most important point is that the Painted-Skin Ghost wouldn’t lie to me. The door on the left being safe was indeed correct, but that was based on the timeline she was in.”
“Then can we do the recap now?” Luo Yunmeng was so overjoyed she nearly jumped. She genuinely couldn’t stand staying here another second.
Qiao Yu shook his head.
“Why? Is there still something we need to add?”
Qiao Yu glanced at her. “I haven’t had enough fun yet.”
With that, he pushed open the door and left. Before Shang Yan followed him out, he glanced at the frozen Luo Yunmeng and let out a soft laugh. “If he hasn’t had enough fun, then I’ll play with him.”
Luo Yunmeng: “…”
Listen to that. Was that even human language?
So running into a couple and being force-fed their public displays of affection wasn’t the scary part. The scary part was that both of them were hopelessly love-brained!
**
By the time they reached the cafeteria, it was right at mealtime. Qiao Yu and the other two got their food, found a random table, and sat down to eat.
Today’s dishes were broccoli and sweet-and-sour pork bites. Unsurprisingly, the “pork” bites were still made of chicken.
Qiao Yu was fairly satisfied with the meal. The only downside was that it was a little salty.
“Soup’s here. Students who want soup, line up now.”
The woman at the serving window was handing out soup again. No. 23 had just stepped into the cafeteria when he heard her, and he shot toward the window like a gust of wind, bowl in hand, lining up with a face full of longing.
Qiao Yu watched the figure sprint past him and sniffed.
He wondered to himself, Had No. 23 put on cologne?
It smelled surprisingly nice. Qiao Yu sniffed again, then picked up a mouthful of rice with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth with an ah-mmph.
Mm. The rice was cooked pretty well too, neither too soft nor too hard. Just right.
Seeing Qiao Yu eat with such relish, Shang Yan’s peach-blossom-bright eyes curved slightly. He set down his chopsticks and watched him for quite a while.
As Qiao Yu ate, his nose twitched uncomfortably. Without even looking up, he asked in a rather unfriendly tone, “Why are you staring instead of eating?”
“At you. I’m not eating because you’re feast enough for the eyes.”
Luo Yunmeng: “…Ew.”
These two were disgusting.
She wanted to make a few more snide comments, but when she noticed members of the Execution Squad looking their way, she immediately shut her mouth like an obedient child.
Just then, No. 23 came trotting over with his soup and set the bowl down on their table.
There were four seats at the table, and one was still empty.
No. 23 naturally took it.
Humans were social animals. Especially when eating, they instinctively gathered together.
“No. 03, weren’t you in solitary confinement?” No. 23 picked up his soup, took a delighted sip, then asked in a low voice.
Luo Yunmeng frowned at him and asked, “You can’t drink the free soup. Didn’t you know?”
No. 23 took another sip and smiled, his face full of satisfaction. “I’ve heard that, but I didn’t know on the day I first came in. It’s already too late not to drink it now. Besides, this is just ordinary fish soup. It tastes incredibly fresh. Want to try some?”
Luo Yunmeng shook her head warily. “No thanks. I don’t eat fish.”
“You really don’t know what you’re missing.” He sighed softly, then swallowed, unable to wait any longer as he lifted the bowl and drained the entire thing. Finally, he stuck out his tongue and licked the bottom of the bowl, looking as if he still hadn’t had enough.
“Not to be that guy, but I heard all those Additional Clauses you saw were handwritten in, so whether they’re even real is still up for debate. And the way I see it, as long as you’re not making me eat human flesh, I can eat pretty much any kind of meat~”
As he spoke, he suddenly sensed a gaze that felt almost tangible landing on him. Instinctively, he slowed down, his voice lowering as he followed that stare back to its source.
Standing across from him was No. 18-the big shot named Qiao Yu-staring straight at him.
How should he put it?
It was… kind of uncomfortable.
Those black pupils held scrutiny, assessment, and… hunger??
Just then, Qiao Yu picked up a bite of food with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth.
The entire time, that gaze remained fixed on him without shifting in the slightest, as if… as if Qiao Yu hadn’t eaten in eight hundred years.
Still staring…
Still staring at him!
No. 23 felt uncomfortable all over under that look. And that wasn’t even the worst of it-the man beside No. 18 was also staring straight at him, his eyes filled with displeasure.
No. 23: “…”
He truly felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He quickly shoveled the food into his mouth, and before he’d even swallowed, he grabbed his tray and mumbled, “I’m done eating. I’ll head out first.”
Then he fled in a panic, as if a ghost were chasing him.
Qiao Yu stared at his retreating back and swallowed.
Before he could snap out of it, a figure shifted into his line of sight. Shang Yan stood there with that resentful, abandoned-wife expression on his face and snorted. “What? Changed your taste now? You like ugly ones better?”
Qiao Yu: “…Not exactly.”
“Then why were you staring at him the whole time?”
Why had he been staring at him?
Qiao Yu frowned. He didn’t know what had come over him just now either.
Looking at No. 23 had made him feel… greedy?
Like he wanted… wanted to eat him!
The moment that thought surfaced, Qiao Yu felt cold sweat break out all over his body.
He couldn’t be some latent pervert who loved eating human flesh, could he?!
“Qiao Yu?”
Seeing a fine layer of sweat suddenly bead on his forehead, Shang Yan couldn’t help calling out to him in concern.
He reached out and touched it. The sweat was like freshly thawed snowmelt, cold to the bone.
“Qiao Yu! What’s wrong?”
Qiao Yu came back to himself and looked up at the person beside him. As if seeking confirmation, he sniffed lightly.
Thank goodness. Thank goodness. For now, he didn’t have any urge to eat Shang Yan.
So what exactly was special about No. 23?
While Qiao Yu was still utterly baffled, one of the streamers left the table, carrying his tray and soup bowl toward the dish return area. As he passed Qiao Yu, he brought with him a faint waft of fragrance.
Qiao Yu’s neck stretched out beyond his control, his head turning forty-five degrees with it, and then he took a deep breath.
That was the smell. He wanted to eat it!
Qiao Yu glanced at the soup bowl stacked on the other person’s tray and frowned.
He was certain what he craved wasn’t the soup, but… the person.
Qiao Yu forced himself to turn back around.
Then he kept swallowing, struggling to suppress the parched thirst in his throat.
Shang Yan hadn’t gotten an answer. Anxiously, he leaned closer, wanting to ask what was going on.
But Qiao Yu suddenly shot to his feet with his tray in hand, his voice so cold it seemed devoid of all emotion and warmth.
“I’m done eating.”
Shang Yan froze. By the time he came back to himself, Qiao Yu was already gone.
His back was stiff, as if… as if he had once again become that boy trapped in self-loathing.
Lonely, stubborn… and impossible to approach.
The hand Shang Yan had braced against the table slowly clenched into a fist. In that instant, his heart felt as though someone had stabbed it with a knife.
It hurt terribly.