Chapter 22: Hesitation

“A tentacle blocked the attack for me,” Xueqiu said.

“A tentacle? What tentacle?”

Xia Yin froze, his chopsticks hovering midair. “I don’t think there’s a Contract related to tentacles. I mean, I barely passed Contract Management and Research with a 61 last semester, but… are you sure you didn’t see it wrong?”

Xueqiu replayed that night in her mind and shook her head, uncertain.

She clearly remembered the tentacle monster stabbing her through the chest, but when Xia Yin found her, the wound had healed completely.

And Xia Yin himself seemed unaware of it.

Or was he aware and hiding it, just like Professor Chen’s “we’ll wait for the board’s decision”? Xueqiu wondered.

“If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving,” Bing Shi Nagi said abruptly from across the table.

He hadn’t spoken a word until now, like a statue.

Xia Yin’s arrival didn’t faze him, nor did Ou Ziyun’s departure.

Only when he decided to leave did he mutter that single line.

“Leave then. But honestly, you hanging out with Ou Ziyun and a freshman is pretty rare,” Xia Yin said, unfazed.

Xueqiu looked up, locking eyes briefly with Bing Shi Nagi’s dull, gray pupils.

Before she could look away, he stood and left.

“Boss, no lie, you two look like rivals from some novel…” Chang Mu scratched his hair. “Not like competitors, more like… love rivals?”

“Yeah, yeah, we both pine for the same unattainable girl, only for her to marry someone else. Happy now?” Xia Yin joked, shoving food in his mouth.

“Actually, married women are…” Chang Mu started, only to get a light smack on the back of his head, swallowing the rest of his nonsense.

The afternoon’s leisure was short-lived.

Minutes after returning Xueqiu to the dorm, Xia Yin had to leave—full afternoon classes.

“Stay in the dorm if you can. Don’t wander. If you do, don’t go to the library. And if you end up there, don’t look for Bing Shi Nagi—you know, the guy from lunch,” Xia Yin nagged like a parent to a child.

Only after Xueqiu nodded, dazed, did he pull a Youdu Geology book from his packed shelf and dart out with a whoosh.

Xueqiu wasn’t sure why he restricted her movements, but she didn’t want to leave anyway.

If Xia Yin was the first person she met at this school, this dorm was her only “safe” haven.

Or… a home?

Memories of her parents and grandma flooded her mind.

When she snapped back, she realized she’d slumped beside Xia Yin’s bed.

How long can I stay here?

She couldn’t help but wonder.

These past days, she’d tried countless times to accept the reality of Shadow Ghosts and a school built to exterminate them.

Whether it had other motives, she had no clue.

“What’s the other goal?” she murmured, recalling a line from Professor Chen’s morning talk.

She realized she was starting to believe them—Shadow Ghosts, the Spiritual Academy, Contracts as superpowers…

Yet her heart felt hollow.

So, Xueqiu decided to explore—within the dorm.

Xia Yin had said it was meant for both of them, back when she wasn’t… like this.

But his words clashed with Professor Chen’s attitude that they’d known* she’d become a girl.

She approached Xia Yin’s laptop.

Whether due to haste or habit, he hadn’t shut it down, leaving even his QQ chat window open.

His blank avatar surprised her.

She’d pegged him as an ACG enthusiast like Jiang Cheng, but judging by avatars was too shallow.

On another note, did this mean Youdu had internet, or some other tech—or something not quite “tech”?

As Xueqiu’s thoughts wandered, a new message popped up in Xia Yin’s chat, from “Su Xi.”

[The president hopes you’ll convince the freshman. The student council really needs early-admission recruits.]

The brief message froze Xueqiu in place.

She hadn’t meant to snoop—one glance was “careless,” two was “accidental,” three was “clueless,” but…

She’d seen it, and Su Xi’s words carried weight.

The “president” was surely Ou Ziyun.

Xia Yin later told Xueqiu she was a no-nonsense student council president and Carlos’s girlfriend.

At lunch, Ou Ziyun only shook her hand, but Xia Yin’s words implied the council was eager for her to join.

Xueqiu wasn’t prioritizing that, especially since Su Xi’s message continued.

[Will her rank be “S,” like yours?]

Xueqiu didn’t know what ranks meant, but she’d gleaned that the entrance exam would determine hers.

And Xia Yin’s rank was S?

She was stunned.

[I’m back tonight. The professor said she’s staying with you… Don’t bully the freshman!]

[I thought she’d be my roommate, but I hear it’s another early-admission girl from Japan… Hope she speaks Chinese.]

Xueqiu’s eyes darted between the messages.

This wasn’t just snooping—if Xia Yin were here, he might throw a punch.

“Another freshman…” Xueqiu muttered, putting the laptop to sleep and pacing the room.

They’d said this year had three freshmen, including her.

One was Chang Mu, the other a girl Carlos brought from Japan, per Xia Yin.

What kind of girl would she be?

Lost in thought, Xueqiu realized she was pondering this.

Just a day ago, she hadn’t fully trusted any of this—not Contracts, not the Spiritual Academy.

But…

But…

Xueqiu forced herself to stop thinking, her gaze drifting to Xia Yin’s bedside.

There, still, stood a blade.

“Mist Cutter,” Xia Yin called it, left by someone—a weapon that could kill “ghosts.”