Chapter 7

When I returned to the dorm that day, I bought some snacks for Bailu.

She was sitting at her computer, busy with something.

I approached quietly, wanting to surprise her.

But as soon as I saw her computer screen, the smile on my face froze.

She was researching… knots?

There were all sorts of intricate tying methods, more than enough to bind someone securely.

Hearing the movement, Bailu turned around and saw me. Looking startled, she slammed her laptop shut.

“Xianxian, you’re back?”

Her eyes were shifty, and she looked flustered.

My mind was a mess. I mechanically tossed the snacks into Bailu’s lap. “I bought these for you.”

Bailu set the snacks aside as if nothing had happened and took my hand. “Thank you…”

Though she was usually polite, this time, she made my skin crawl.

“You… just now…”

She blinked. “I was learning how to tie knots. The surgery professor just taught us, and I wanted to practice.”

“Is that so?” I struggled to maintain my composure.

Because those knots just now weren’t surgical knots taught by any professor.

Bailu grabbed my arm and changed the subject. “I happen to be hungry. Xianxian, come grab dinner with me.”

I stared at her back with a complicated expression, a bold suspicion suddenly forming in my mind.

Perhaps my dreams were just delusions.

But the traces in reality were being caused by Bailu.

The more I thought about it, the worse it felt. I couldn’t bear the thought of continuing to live with her. That very night, I submitted an application to the Counselor to change dorms.

The Counselor said the earliest they could give me an answer was next Wednesday, which meant I had to stay in the dorm with Bailu for another two or three nights.

Before bed, she handed me a glass of honey water as usual.

I poured it out while she was in the bathroom.

Late at night.

Out of nervousness, I lay in the darkness, staying alert.

Eventually, sheer exhaustion took over, and I drifted off to sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, it was already light out.

Bailu was dressed, her black hair draped softly behind her head. She said gently, “Xianxian, I’m going to the cafeteria. What do you want? I’ll bring it back for you.”

This was the first good night’s sleep I’d had in a long time…

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

I lay there, staring at the ceiling, and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed I had found the root of the problem: Bailu was drugging me.

As long as I stayed on guard, there wouldn’t be any issues.

For the next few nights, I avoided Bailu’s honey water and slept very soundly.

Bailu seemed to notice something. When she looked at me, her eyes were full of apology, and she even bought me snacks every few days to “make amends.”

Since there were some things I couldn’t reciprocate, I couldn’t bring them out into the open.

The only way out was to wait for the Counselor’s notification.