Chapter 11: Goodbye Qington

For Xueqiu, this should’ve been a sunny morning returning to school, fighting the countdown to the college entrance exam—less than eighty days away.

Instead, she was dragging a suitcase, stepping alone into the old elevator of her apartment complex.

She was about to leave Qingtan City.

Until seven days ago, Xueqiu’s life had run mechanically, as it had for the five years since her parents’ death.

But with the tentacle monster and Xia Yin’s appearance, she couldn’t even cling to that ordinary life anymore.

Dragging her luggage out of the building, Xueqiu glanced around.

The complex was the same complex, and she was still herself—just a different gender.

Before leaving, she’d checked her bank card balance.

Including the compensation from her parents’ death, she had 514,831.97 yuan left.

Since her eighteenth birthday, her card no longer needed a guardian’s link.

Not that she had a guardian anymore.

Xia Yin had mentioned her grandma’s affairs last Tuesday before they parted.

She was killed by a Shadow Ghost, which typically doesn’t appear in the real world.

He’d said the Academy would send someone to handle it, so she shouldn’t worry.

Xueqiu noticed then that when she mentioned death, Xia Yin’s face lost its usual breezy nonchalance.

His expression was like a lake suddenly frozen, or a chilled stone scorched by fire, revealing a rough, cold core beneath the melted surface.

Just outside the complex, Xueqiu saw a car parked by the road.

A Wuling Hongguang with scratches on its black body, faintly gleaming in the sunlight.

By the car, a familiar boy waved at her.

Gone was the gray jacket; he now wore a loose white shirt and a baseball cap.

Beside him stood two men in long black trench coats.

The white shirt and black trench coats clashed so starkly that Xueqiu paused, her beige suitcase halting with her.

“Can’t walk? Missing home before even leaving Qingtan? If you’re gonna miss it, why’d you agree to go?”

Seeing her hesitate, Xia Yin strode over and grabbed her suitcase.

“Don’t just stand there—get in! Time’s ticking, and it’s a half-day drive to Ting’an.”

Xueqiu nodded but stopped again as she passed the two trench-coated men.

They clearly weren’t like Xia Yin.

The temperature had risen since last week, hitting 23°C today, yet they wore identical black trench coats.

“Don’t keep staring. If it’s love at first sight, at least fall for an outstanding senior like me!” Xia Yin teased.

Xueqiu’s luggage was light—just a few undergarments Xia Yin bought her and some cheap women’s clothes she’d ordered online.

Xia Yin tossed the suitcase into the trunk and quickly stepped between her and the two men, forming a slim barrier.

“She’s this year’s freshman?” one man asked, wearing sunglasses and a faint smile.

“Yup, early admission. Official freshmen come in September. This one’s handpicked by Professor Chen,” Xia Yin said, masking his emotions as he addressed the square-faced man.

“Shao Sheng, we should go,” the other trench-coated man said, his square face expressionless.

“The board’s taking Javier’s mess seriously.”

Xueqiu didn’t catch who “Javier” was.

Facing Xia Yin, who’d opened the car door for her and even bowed slightly in a “milady, please” gesture, she got in.

The driver was still the foreign-looking young man with blond hair and blue eyes.

Xueqiu remembered his name: Carlos.

“Let’s go, Carlos. Destination: Ting’an City, Ping’an Street, 369 Convenience Store. Adjust seat comfort.”

Xia Yin grinned, as if the Wuling Hongguang would actually adjust seats on command.

“No need to order me like I’m Chang Yi,” Carlos said.

“I barely use Chang Yi, okay? You’re thinking of your old flame, Ou Ziyun, breaking rules with it. Whatever, let’s not badmouth President Ou,” Xia Yin shot back.

The eight-seater minivan smelled of lemon—a scent absent when Xueqiu rode in it a week ago.

She glanced out the window.

The car had left the complex, passing the high school where she’d spent two years and six months.

“Xueqiu~”

Lost in thought, Xueqiu heard a soft call.

She looked at the left seat.

At some point, Xia Yin had been staring at her with interest.

“Nickname or pet name? I remember your classmate called you that, right?” he added.

Xueqiu nodded lightly, unsure of the difference.

Even now, she felt trapped in an unreal reality.

Saying goodbye to family, friends, and school happened in a flash, as if she was fated to leave today.

Glancing out the window again, the Wuling Hongguang was on the highway to Ting’an.

She’d missed her chance to even say goodbye to Qingtan.

“Oh, Xueqiu, you probably don’t know about the exam yet,” Xia Yin said, pulling the black straight blade from beside his seat like a magic trick.

“Carlos, wanna explain?”

“She’ll understand when we get to the Academy,” Carlos replied.

Carlos never said much, making Xia Yin feel like he was stuck with two rusty robots.

“No need to hide it. It’s like a driver’s license test—subjects one, two, three, four. You usually just need to pass one through three. Four comes later,” Xia Yin said.

Xueqiu turned from the window, not entirely curious about the entrance exam.

After staring outside for a while, she felt dizzy.

She didn’t recall ever getting carsick.

“I’ve never taken a driver’s test,” Xueqiu said honestly.

“Doesn’t matter. Think of it like a video game with stages, like Soul Knight’s…”

“What’s that?” Xueqiu asked suddenly.

“What? You haven’t played it? It’s not that old. Didn’t they release a prequel last year or the year before? If you haven’t, I can use another game as an example,” Xia Yin rambled.

But he soon realized Xueqiu wasn’t asking about the game.

She was pointing at something outside the minivan.

For the past two minutes, she’d felt something off.

Goosebumps prickled her skin, and a strange buzz filled her ears.

At first, she thought it was carsickness.

But the sound grew louder, like a drill piercing the silence of a library.

She glanced out the window and froze at the sight.

The highway was now dilapidated, the sky a crimson haze.

Visibility ahead was nearly zero.

The buzz in her ears sharpened.

Where are we?

“Floor it, Carlos! How’d you drive us into Youdu?!” Xia Yin shouted at the driver, his dead-fish eyes wide, like peeled lychees.