“So… there’s a rule-based paranormal phenomenon haunting this place too?”
Inside Li Yan’s room, the two sat facing each other in the living room.
Xiyin, however, was clearly wary of Li Yan, maintaining her transformed state.
“Ah, yes, artifacts are just that eerie… The last one I saw…”
“Hold on, hold on…”
Xiyin waved her hand, a slight headache beginning to throb.
In her experience, demons, intelligent or not, always resorted to fighting upon meeting.
Yet, this particular one, for reasons unknown, was exceptionally chatty in her presence.
“I appreciate the information you’ve shared, but I cannot let my guard down until you state your intentions.”
Crossing her arms, she tentatively put some faith in him, but then immediately pressed on with a crucial question.
“Have you been with her all these past few days?”
“Ah, that’s right…”
He began recounting his experiences over the past few days to Xiyin, though for some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was embellishing his story, constantly portraying himself as heroic while depicting Qi Yue’an as naive and in need of protection.
‘You scoundrel… how dare you misrepresent her…’
Xiyin muttered, a hint of ferocity flashing across her face before she quickly sighed.
She had not expected the person who had been with Qi Yue’an for days to be quite like this.
“Ah, never mind.
Thank you for looking after her these past few days.
But what’s her situation now?
Why does she look so exhausted?”
Recalling how Qi Yue’an had been in her arms that morning, looking so vulnerable, Xiyin couldn’t help but ask.
“Oh, her?
She’s been investigating around here for days, pulling all-nighters to explore the campus after 11 PM.
Yesterday, after we investigated the sixth floor and the graveyard, she apparently went to your room to comfort the substitute for half a day before finally sleeping.”
“Not long ago, the replica went berserk and tried to attack her, and I was the one who saved her.
Yet, tonight, she returned to that very room.
Speaking of which, she seems quite devoted to you, even the replica.”
Upon hearing Li Yan’s explanation, a warmth spread through Xiyin’s heart, her lips curving into an uncontrollable smile.
To mask her expression, she looked up, feigning an air of nonchalance.
“Of course.
I promised her we’d be teammates for life…”
Seeing the mix of smugness and slight awkwardness on her face, Li Yan offered a knowing smile.
“It’s good that you two have such a strong bond, unlike those others who are all riddles.”
Xiyin felt a flicker of confusion at his words, but then, realizing he was likely referring to people he knew, she decided not to press the matter further.
“But speaking of which… are you the one who previously asked An’an to exorcise your home?
And you even called yourself a perverted lolicon…”
“Uh… I just said that casually, don’t mind it… really, don’t mind it…”
Li Yan’s smiling expression immediately froze.
He hadn’t anticipated such a ‘dark history’ spreading so quickly throughout their entire circle, and he recalled the residents of the fifth floor apparently calling him “Mr. Minnow” and “Mr. Lolicon” before.
Struck by her scrutinizing gaze, he remembered what the person who had instructed him before he came here had said: every room and resident here was a projection of fate.
‘Could his destiny truly be like this? Oh, please, no…’
“Pfft-hahaha…”
Xiyin’s expression finally shed its wariness.
She laughed, dispelling her transformed state.
“Alright, everyone has their embarrassing moments.
Relax.
An’an might have said that, but her intentions are good.
Still, I’m surprised you’ve been in contact with her for so long, and that you’ve been collaborating with her tirelessly and even saved her several times during this time…”
“Consider it a kind of fate, I suppose.
As she told you, I was entrusted by someone, but I bear no ill will towards any of you.”
He shrugged nonchalantly, settling casually onto the sofa, his expression conveying, “No need to thank me.”
After that brief interlude, the tense atmosphere that had initially hung between them dissipated.
He shared information and the events of the past few days with her, interspersed with more casual conversation.
“By the way… even though you claim you were entrusted by someone, your interactions and concern for her seem a bit excessive, don’t you think?
Could it be that you have ulterior motives?”
Xiyin adopted a somewhat gossipy expression, as if probing into a close friend’s love life, yet beneath it lay a contradictory hint of wariness.
For some reason, Li Yan was startled by her words.
He glanced around to confirm they were alone before turning back to her, as if she had uttered something utterly damning.
“Miss Star, you shouldn’t just blurt things out like that.
She’s absolutely not my type.
While her appearance is undeniably attractive, she’s a bit short, and her personality can be challenging for me to deal with.
In comparison, talking to you, Miss Star, is much more relaxed; you’re more my preferred type.”
“Huh?”
His abrupt words etched a bewildered expression onto Xiyin’s face, as if she couldn’t comprehend why he would say such a thing.
“What in the world are you talking about…? And An’an is quite cute, isn’t she?
Also, what’s with this ‘Miss Star’ business?”
The other person merely smiled without speaking, and Xiyin, in turn, gave up on arguing further.
As mature adults, they efficiently steered the conversation back to the main topic.
“I previously inquired with Miss Cat here, and she mentioned that ‘Mr. Demon King’ is coming down.
She said he holds the highest authority among them and has a particular fondness for Miss Moon.
This environment is largely constructed based on some of Qi Yue’an’s memories.
While there are slight deviations from reality, I suspect the sixth floor, where he resides, must contain something even more crucial that can allow us to leave this place.”
His expression returned to normal as he laid a school map, drawn at some unknown point, and a feather shimmering with an unusual light on the table.
The map delineated the areas of the academic buildings and dormitories.
“Following Miss Cat’s hint, I found this in the academic building.
Combining this with the paintings I saw on the doors earlier, and Qi Yue’an’s previous message to me about finding a small, crown-like object beneath the graveyard, I deduce that the key to unlocking this place lies in four items: a Flower, a Feather, a Crown, an Hourglass, and a Chalice.
The first three are accounted for, but I’m unsure about the exact locations of the Hourglass and Chalice.”
He had grown serious now, his words exceptionally logical as he connected the complex puzzles of the past few days.
“I suspect they’re all related to the elements they symbolize…”
While he was still speculating, Xiyin inexplicably found the concept familiar.
After a moment of thought, she realized its pattern was identical to a certain item in a very famous online game.
“So… the last two are related to space and time?”
Li Yan’s gaze snapped towards her, a hint of confusion in his eyes, wondering how she had arrived at that conclusion.
“Ah… that’s just a guess of mine.
After all, you only obtained that crown from beneath the ground after 11 PM…”
She gestured for him not to overthink it, but upon hearing this, Li Yan appeared somewhat pensive.
“In that case… I also found the feather by searching the classroom during non-class hours.
Perhaps the chalice truly is related to space?”
As they discussed, a sudden knock echoed from outside the door.
Xiyin went to open it, revealing Qi Yue’an standing at the threshold.
She appeared to have gotten up in a hurry, faint dark circles visible beneath her eyes, a clear indication of sleep deprivation.
“Xiyin, I heard you arrived this morning, so I came over.
You’re not hurt, are you…?”
Qi Yue’an’s face was etched with a slight worry, yet also a hint of complexity.
“This morning, ‘Mr. Demon King’ came down from the sixth floor.
He said… he came to see me.”
She lowered her head slightly, her thoughts seemingly far more intricate than her words suggested, prompting Xiyin to lower her voice and lean closer.
“His appearance… it’s ‘him,’ isn’t it?”
“Mm.”
Qi Yue’an hummed softly, her heart heavy with complex emotions.
She should have realized it sooner: the person who had occupied such a significant portion of her life’s trajectory could not possibly be absent from this place.
Since he was not present on the first five floors or in the dilapidated version of the sixth floor, he had to be in this true sixth floor.
Prior to this, she had attempted to reach the sixth floor before 11 PM, but each time she stepped into the ascending stairwell’s shadows, she would inexplicably find herself back on the fifth floor upon emerging, caught in an endless loop regardless of how high she tried to climb.
“How is he now?
Did he hurt you?”
Xiyin asked, her face etched with a resolute expression, her heart determined to stand before Qi Yue’an no matter how powerful the other person was.
However, Qi Yue’an’s next words were utterly unexpected.
“No… not only did he not hurt me, but he was incredibly gentle with me, even more so than before…”
****
An hour earlier, Qi Yue’an had been jolted awake by her phone’s alarm.
Residual sleepiness made it hard for her to focus, but the moment she saw Li Yan’s message: [The real Xiyin has arrived], her drowsiness vanished instantly.
She almost sprang up, haphazardly slipped on her shoes, and, without bothering to tidy her slightly disheveled hair and clothes, rushed out.
However, she had barely taken a few steps out of her room when she solidly collided with a broad chest.
“Mm!”
The anticipated fall never came.
The other person had firmly absorbed the force of her impact, their arms naturally and gently encircling her small frame.
Qi Yue’an was almost entirely enveloped in their embrace, her nostrils filled with a deeply familiar scent.
This scent caused a momentary daze, but the urgent need to confirm Xiyin’s safety immediately took precedence.
Instinctively, she pushed, attempting to break free from the embrace.
“Let go…”
From above her head came a very soft sigh, tinged with a hint of helplessness and indulgence.
“Miss Moon.”
The voice was low and gentle, as if capable of soothing her anxiety.
There was no trace of anger from being bumped, only genuine concern in his words.
“What has you in such a rush?
You didn’t even have time to watch where you were going?”
The arms around her loosened slightly, allowing her to look up, yet not releasing her entirely.
Qi Yue’an lifted her head, and upon seeing his face, her expression instantly froze.
That face… it was Lin Xiao!
He possessed the exact same features as the Lin Xiao she knew, yet the look on this face was utterly different from the deliberate aloofness and mysterious aura that had always characterized him in her memories since they had last met.
There was no shadow in his eyes, only complete focus and a natural concern, but the depth of emotion hidden within those eyes made her feel as though she was falling into an abyss of endless tenderness just by looking at them.
He leaned down slightly, meeting her gaze, his fingertips gently brushing away an unruly strand of hair from her cheek.
“I recall… didn’t you say you missed me greatly before?
Why are you in such a hurry to leave the moment we meet this time?”
Upon hearing his words, a resentful flame ignited within Qi Yue’an, whose mind had been somewhat overwhelmed by the sudden events.
Almost instinctively, she blurted out, the pent-up longing and the grievance of being kept in the dark surging uncontrollably to the forefront.
“How could I not miss you!
You’ve been gone for so long…”
Mid-sentence, her rationality abruptly returned.
She remembered she was in a school apartment, and the person before her was very likely a substitute.
She abruptly cut herself off.
However, the anticipated outburst did not occur; Lin Xiao merely tilted his head slightly, a puzzled expression on his face.
“For a long time?
Didn’t we just meet a few days ago?
That night, you even said…”
He paused, not continuing, his gaze growing softer, laced with a touch of concern as he looked at her.
“You seem a little strange today, and you don’t look well-rested.
Under your eyes…”
Qi Yue’an, understanding his implication, had no choice but to brace herself and play along.
“No, no!
It’s probably because I chatted with Miss Star too late last night…”
She tried her best to make her expression seem natural, diligently engaging in their conversation.
She discovered that, in this ‘Lin Xiao’s’ perception, their relationship appeared intimately close beyond imagination, far surpassing her actual relationship with Lin Xiao.
It seemed that, much like Xiyin and Bai Zhi, their substitutes’ affection for her might be higher than in reality.
From his words and demeanor, it was clear that the relationship between “Miss Moon” and “Mr. Demon King” was a level more intimate than that with Miss Star.
Just as she was racking her brain, trying to figure out how to explain her hasty departure towards Li Yan’s room without arousing his suspicion, ‘Lin Xiao’ seemed to already understand, a smile even tinged with indulgence gracing his face.
“Are you looking for Miss Star and Mr. Sun?”
He spoke naturally, though it was the first time Qi Yue’an had learned that this was Li Yan’s true codename.
“I know you all have a good relationship and often gather together.
Go on, I’ll wait for you.”
He gently kissed her cheek, which instantly left her stunned.
Seeing her adorable reaction, Lin Xiao secretly chuckled, patting her head, his eyes never leaving her face.
“No need to rush; important matters take precedence.
I can wait for you in your room.”
It took a moment after he left for Qi Yue’an to fully register what had happened, realizing her cheeks were burning from the recent contact.
However, once that inexplicable sensation faded, complex thoughts flooded back into her mind.
After days of investigation, she had largely confirmed that the layout of this place and the personalities of the substitutes seemed to be connected to something deep within her, as well as to some elusive fate.
Xiyin, Bai Jin, Bai Zhi, and others were important friends with whom she had promised to form a lifelong team; thus, their projections here were as they were.
So, what did the current behavior of Lin Xiao’s substitute portend or reveal?
She stood rooted to the spot, questioning her own heart, where something dark, already warped and tainted by time and change, surged—like resentment, like obsession, yet also containing a subtle but undeniable yearning.