The Night Adventure Begins

We met under a streetlamp beside the school wall. Though it was billed as a night adventure, the atmosphere hardly felt nocturnal.

Despite the school’s location on the city’s outskirts, with only scattered lights and a few streetlamps flickering with a faint yellow glow, visibility remained surprisingly clear. The city’s perpetual illumination had long blurred the lines between light and darkness. ‘How many years had it been since I last saw the stars?’

Yu Tianman was dressed in her casual clothes today, exuding a distinct street style. She wore hip-hop-inspired wide-leg pants with cinched ankles.

A belly-baring camisole adorned her torso, and over it, she had draped an off-the-shoulder bolero jacket. A fanny pack was secured around her waist.

“Isn’t this outfit a bit too mature for you?” Dorothy remarked, eyeing her up and down with a hint of exasperation.

“Is it? These are my dance clothes. I see all the modern dancers wear outfits like this,” she countered. She activated her phone’s camera, re-examining her attire. “It clearly suits me,” she concluded. “What about you? You’ve tied your hair in a ponytail and you’re wearing such a loose hoodie, it looks like you’re not wearing anything on the bottom.”

“Huh?” she retorted. “I’m wearing hotpants underneath, alright? The oversized top just covers them.”

“Of course, I know that design, but you usually don’t wear styles like this. Don’t you always say that ‘so-called fashion is just some worldly…something or other.'”

“Tsk, you’re such a nag, Yu Tianman,” she grumbled disdainfully. “I asked my nanny to buy some cool summer clothes, and she took it upon herself to buy these, understand?”

It seemed our school truly was in a remote area; it wasn’t even eleven yet, and not a single car was in sight. Aside from the incessant chirping of cicadas, the entire campus was eerily silent.

Though the student dormitories were visible in the distance, their lights had already been extinguished. Personally, I thought a 10 PM lights-out was a bit too early. Given Gao Qinghong’s situation, the boarders should still be full of energy at this hour.

“Hasn’t Mei Ruolan arrived yet?” I inquired.

“Mei Ruolan said she has work today.”

“How did you ask her?” Dorothy asked, hands tucked into her pockets.

“I told her we had an event tonight and asked if she wanted to join.” She frowned. “I couldn’t exactly tell a disciplinary committee member that we were sneaking into school tonight for an adventure, could I?”

“I definitely had to trick her into coming first. Once it’s a done deal, with her as an accomplice sharing the blame, she wouldn’t say a word.”

“You’re truly despicable, Yu Tianman,” Dorothy stated without reservation. “Aren’t you afraid Yi Chang will dislike you for being so cunning?”

“How is this considered cunning? Besides, Yi Chang wouldn’t just dislike me for this, right?” Her tone was firm, yet her eyes betrayed a hint of panic and uncertainty. “He wouldn’t dislike me, right?” she asked again.

‘It didn’t really matter either way.’

“I don’t care.”

“See?” she declared proudly. “Yi Chang is a magnanimous man; he wouldn’t judge someone based on such trivial matters!”

“Haha, magnanimous? Isn’t that just an empty heart?” She chuckled playfully, glanced at me, then closed her eyes. “Alright, let’s just get this over with. Once I’m done with this escapade with you, I’m going straight back to sleep.”

“Oh, not scared anymore?”

“I was never scared.” Her expression remained composed. “After all, it’ll probably just be some abandoned mannequin or a globe, covered with a sheet and mistaken for a ghost.”

Our school wall stood approximately three meters high, a formidable barrier by any standard. A pedestrian path separated the wall from a line of greenery, a distance normally impossible to scale.

However, along a rarely used path, a tree bowed with a graceful, sloping branch. It was the only one without a supporting brace, allowing it to grow wild and unconstrained.

Perhaps the workers had simply forgotten to install a brace, or it had broken unnoticed. This tree had once served as a convenient route for countless boarding students to sneak back in after all-nighters at internet cafes.

Yet, with the passage of time, most students now possessed phones and laptops, rendering the tree’s purpose obsolete.

We gazed at the tree, as if looking at an old photograph. In comparison to its past, it had grown thicker and more robust, appearing far more reliable.

A gentle breeze rustled through its leaves, creating a soft, whispering sound. We decided to interpret this sound as its invitation.

“Yi Chang, you go first.”

“I can,” I replied. “But why?”

“What’s there to ask ‘why’ about?” she retorted, annoyed. “I just don’t want you watching me from behind. Hurry up and climb.”

I shrugged. My feet found purchase on the ancient bark, its weathered crevices, composed of dead cells, providing steady footholds.

As I ascended slightly, the tree’s incline grew steeper, soon requiring no effort from my legs. My hands gripped the surrounding branches, while beneath my feet, I felt the broad, solid texture of the tree.

I surveyed our surroundings. It seemed a bit too early for the security guard’s patrol, though I could spot the headlights of a teacher’s car in the distance, likely heading home after working late. I leaped down.

“No anomalies.”

Somehow, the words just slipped out.

“Alright, Dot, you follow.”

From the other side of the wall, I heard their conversation.

“Why do you get to go last?”

“I need to prevent you from losing courage and running off midway.”

“Hmph,” I heard Dorothy’s canvas shoes scuffing against the tree, accompanied by a faint, strained grunt. “Is this tree stable? It won’t break halfway, will it?”

If it could support my weight, there was no reason it couldn’t support Dorothy’s.

Soon, I saw her head emerge over the wall. When our eyes met, she glared at me.

“Can you make the jump, Dot?” Yu Tianman asked. “From down here, I can see inside your top. You’re wearing a pink camisole today.”

“Don’t look!” she yelled. “And don’t rush me!”

She slowly stood up on the branch, her feet positioned one in front of the other, preparing to leap.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“Don’t worry about me,” she said. “Whenever my cat gets stuck in a tree, I’m the one who climbs up to get them. This height is nothing. Yi Chang, back up a bit so I don’t hit you.”

Upon her instruction, I dutifully retreated. Dorothy brimmed with confidence. Perhaps she only appeared to be a literature student, but secretly she was quite wild, climbing everywhere? Clearly, that wasn’t the case.

As Dorothy pushed off with her front foot, her back foot failed to follow through, slipping instead. Though she did jump forward, she lost her balance mid-air, letting out a startled shriek.

“Ah!” That cry came from Yu Tianman, who seemed to foresee the impending mishap and let out a wail of distress in advance.

Fortunately, I was below.

I caught Dorothy as she fell. Her weight settled into my arms, and my biceps barely registered the impact. Her eyes were wide, and she held her breath, seemingly still dazed.

I carefully examined her face and limbs, checking for any scrapes. The conclusion was none; instead, I noticed how her wide eyes made her features resemble a doll even more.

“Yi Chang, Dot, is she… is Dot alright?” Tianman’s voice was filled with panic from the other side.

“I caught her,” I said. “She’s not hurt.”

“That’s good,” she sighed in relief.

Dorothy in my arms took a moment to regain her composure. She stared at me without a word, her expression fierce, a mix of anger and disdain on her face, sparks dancing in her eyes. She abruptly raised her hand, and a childhood reflex made me close my eyes, bracing for a slap.

All I felt was a gentle tap on my forehead.

Opening my eyes, her hand was still poised in the flicking gesture, as if she intended to give me another one.

“Put me down,” she said coldly.

I bent down, allowing her pale, small legs to slowly reach the ground. As I withdrew my hands, she steadied herself by gripping my shoulders, her trembling legs a testament to her lingering fright. She averted her face, wiping away tears she’d almost shed from fear.

“I’m not going to thank you, you know,” she said. “You merely fulfilled your duty as a male club member, so I don’t appreciate it at all.”

I was indifferent to her words. I had never sought anything in return; my actions weren’t for her gratitude. Ultimately, who would have time to consider gains and losses when someone was in danger?

A light thud announced Yu Tianman’s successful wall-crossing.

“Are you alright, Dot?” she immediately asked, coming closer.

“I’m fine, a close call,” she replied. “Which way is the old school building? Let’s just get this over with.”

“Um, Dot,” Yu Tianman said, her face clouded with worry. “Maybe we should just call it a day… It wouldn’t be good if something happened…”

“Don’t be sentimental, don’t back out, don’t disgust me,” she snapped fiercely. “Since I’ve come this far with you, you have to see this through to the end. I hate stories without proper conclusions.”

Was she referring to the adventure, or their personal affairs? I wasn’t sure. Dorothy must cherish Yu Tianman as a friend, and she clearly enjoyed their time together, which was why she indulged her antics and participated in such childish acts. If Yu Tianman valued Dorothy as a friend, she had to respond in kind.

“Indeed, you’re right,” Yu Tianman said, breaking into a bright smile. “It’s rare for us to do something fun together; it would be too disappointing to give up now. My apologies, just disregard what I said earlier.”

“…That’s more like it,” Dorothy said, hands in her pockets. “So, which way is the old school building?”

****

Before us, unequivocally, stood the old school building from the photograph. It was situated at the end of a tree-lined path behind several other academic buildings, deprived of any illumination. The plaster on its walls seemed to crumble with every gust of wind, easily flaking into pieces with a mere touch.

“Looking at it now,” Yu Tianman murmured, “it’s truly unsettling.”

In this untrodden part of the school, weeds grew rampant, and the air was thick with the stench of mold. Everything before us was faded, and the creaking main door swung open with the slightest push. What greeted our eyes was an empty hall, its floor littered with fallen, cracked wall plaster. Above and around us, large patches of the walls were damp and moldy, and the constant drip of water echoed through the hall. Dorothy swallowed hard, taking a step forward, just as a hanging portrait crashed to the floor beside her, making her shoulders tense with fright.

We looked towards the sound. The person in the portrait appeared to be a former principal from the school’s history, but school history wasn’t part of our curriculum, so we weren’t very knowledgeable.

His wrinkled face and aged gaze stared directly at us, seemingly not wishing us good luck.

“W-well, it’s an old, dilapidated building, so things falling is perfectly normal…” She turned back to us. “Right?”

Many other portraits adorned the walls, also featuring figures from the school’s history. Hanging prominently in the center of the hall was a black-and-white photograph of a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit. Beside a wooden reception desk was a floor plan of the school building, showing the layout of the stairs and rooms. The old school building was a long, corridor-style structure, similar to the current dormitories and academic buildings, with some greenery and tables and chairs in the middle.

“The room in the photo should be on the third floor…” Yu Tianman examined the floor plan. “317. The ghost captured in the photo is in room 317.”

“So, we just need to go take a look at what’s in room 317, right?” Dorothy kept glancing around. Though her expression was calm, I knew she was very nervous.

“Oh, right.” She pulled three portable mini-flashlights from her fanny pack. “These are the batteries; each one lasts about half an hour.” She handed two to each of us. “That should be enough.”

“Alright, Idle Chat Club squad, let’s move out!”

Yu Tianman, brimming with excitement, led the way. Dorothy followed behind her, sweeping her flashlight around, constantly checking the indistinct objects, yet simultaneously afraid of actually illuminating something.

I brought up the rear, doing much the same as Dorothy: carefully surveying our surroundings to prepare for any eventuality. I needed to find anything that might be useful.

Because, just moments ago, I had indeed seen some rustling shadows within the old school building.