Chapter 20: If I Go Bald, Will You Still Love Me? (20)

Bai Yao slept soundly until dawn, and of course, Shen Ji was still clinging to her side. The first thing she saw upon waking was the boy’s radiant and sunny face.

Shen Ji smiled, “Yao Yao, morning kiss!”

Bai Yao reached out and pushed his face away. “Go brush your teeth and wash your face first.”

With a look of grievance, Shen Ji crawled out of bed and obediently walked into the bathroom to wash up. Ever since he started sticking around at every possible moment, Bai Yao had prepared a set of toiletries for him in her dormitory.

Bai Yao followed him into the bathroom a moment later. When both of them had finished brushing their teeth and washing their faces, Shen Ji bent down in front of her, lowering his head expectantly, his eyes bright with excitement.

He reminded Bai Yao of a large dog wagging its tail vigorously.

She cupped his face, leaned in, and gave him a kiss. “Good morning.”

Shen Ji mimicked her, kissing her back. “Good morning!”

He was never one for such rituals; he was the type content to muddle through. Bai Yao, however, was different. Her life was exceptionally refined, and she strove for perfection in everything.

Sitting at the vanity, Bai Yao began her skincare routine. No matter how many times Shen Ji had seen her do this, he could never remember the names or purposes of all those little bottles and jars. Bai Yao was already very beautiful, yet she insisted on applying so many products to her face.

Girls’ thoughts were truly hard to comprehend.

After tidying her hair, she finally clipped in a skull-shaped hairpin. Looking at herself in the mirror, she nodded in satisfaction. “Hmm, I’m beautiful today as well.”

Shen Ji, sitting beside her, propped his chin in both hands, and before long, was nodding off.

Suddenly, he felt something cool and fresh on his face. When he opened his eyes, Bai Yao was right in front of him. He hadn’t figured out what was happening, but instinctively squinted his eyes and smiled—a reflex whenever he saw someone he liked.

Bai Yao was applying moisturizer to his face. “The weather’s been sunny lately, and it’s so hot. Don’t go running around outside all day, or you’ll get sunburned.”

Shen Ji nodded obediently. “I won’t run around.”

Bai Yao followed up with sunscreen. Soon, she said, “All done.”

Shen Ji looked puzzled. “Yao Yao, I saw you put on five or six different things. Why do I only get two?”

Bai Yao replied matter-of-factly, “You’re a boy. Just a little will do.”

Shen Ji blinked, feeling as if his girlfriend was being a bit perfunctory.

At this hour, the dorm manager was sure to be guarding the entrance, so Shen Ji couldn’t leave through the main door. Agile as a monkey, he opened the window, waved to Bai Yao, and leapt out.

Bai Yao leaned out to watch him land safely on the grass below the fourth floor. He mouthed cheerfully, “Yao Yao, I’ll wait for you!”

After closing the window, Bai Yao left the dormitory and soon spotted Shen Ji waiting for her on the path. He came over naturally and took her hand, and together they went to the cafeteria for breakfast.

While queuing with Shen Ji at the window, Bai Yao glanced around the dining hall in puzzlement. “Why does it feel like there are far fewer people here for breakfast today?”

Shen Ji echoed her innocence, “Yeah, I wonder why?”

He had never been especially bright, and now he looked even less so.

After breakfast, Bai Yao and Shen Ji went to the academic building. At the classroom door, they parted ways. As soon as Bai Yao entered her own classroom, she noticed how much emptier it was.

The teacher explained that some students had fallen ill and taken leave, others had been called home due to family matters. In short, their class had lost seven or eight students overnight—all of them boys.

Lu Xiaoran leaned in and whispered, “It’s not just our class. Lots of students from other classes have disappeared too.”

She rubbed her arms nervously. “I heard that in some dorms, everyone was there before bed, but in the morning, roommates had vanished. Yao Yao… it’s so creepy!”

Wasn’t it just? Their school was usually extremely strict about students leaving campus. Even if someone was sick or had an emergency, families would claim it was to train their independence and wouldn’t take them home.

But now, so many people had suddenly been allowed to take leave and go home—truly unprecedented!

Lu Xiaoran continued, “And that popular supernatural post on the forum has been deleted. Yao Yao, do you think these disappearances are related to that post?”

Bai Yao patted her head. “If someone could kill with a single post, then with my words about curses rebounding, wouldn’t a whole crowd have died already? Enough, don’t scare yourself. Last time you said something happened to Zhao Yuan, but I saw him a few days later. Without concrete evidence, don’t keep suspecting something bad has happened.”

Lu Xiaoran felt much calmer after Bai Yao’s reassurance.

That’s true—a post couldn’t kill someone, could it? But their school was no stranger to strange events, and a trace of fear lingered in Lu Xiaoran’s heart. She resolved to be more cautious in the future.

In another corner of the classroom, two boys were whispering.

One of them asked quietly, “Are you really planning to look for that art room? So many from our class are missing today—aren’t you scared?”

“Of course I’m scared.” The boy speaking was Song Ming, the one who couldn’t help staring at Bai Yao in the art studio yesterday. This morning, he’d found his roommate gone. At first, he thought his roommate had just left early, but later learned he’d actually left school.

He recalled his roommate mentioning the forum’s popular post about supernatural events, but he’d been gaming at the time and never got around to reading it. Still, he had a gut feeling that all these departures were connected to the incidents described in that post.

His family ran a business, and the first lesson his parents taught him was that the greater the risk, the greater the reward.

He’d been skeptical of the rumors, but now he was increasingly convinced.

His deskmate asked, “Aren’t you afraid you’ll disappear too?”

Song Ming smiled. “If someone like Shen Ji can have his wish granted, why can’t I do better?”

He did not share Shen Ji’s modest ambitions—being safe from bullying and having Bai Yao as a girlfriend was enough for Shen Ji. But for Song Ming, absolute power was the goal; women were merely ornaments.

So he was determined to find the art room and wish for his family to be unrivaled at the top. Naturally, Bai Yao would have no choice but to seek his favor.

Suddenly, Bai Yao felt a chill run down her spine. She touched her neck, wondering which reckless fool dared covet her beauty this time.

At the very back of the classroom, Lu Zhizhi stared at a message she’d just received.

Wei Suo: [That legend must be true—the wishing art room.]

Lu Zhizhi’s gaze lingered on the words “wishing,” unable to look away.