Chapter 77: The Spirit by the Lake

Tan Wenbin stepped into the discount shop while Runsheng and the others were still busy checking inventory.

He headed toward the drink shelf, intending to grab a bottle of something, but remembered that after changing into gym shorts, he hadn’t put any money in his pockets. Not wanting to cause trouble, he walked over to the counter, picked up a big enamel mug, and gulped down several mouthfuls of water.

“Need a hand?” he asked.

Yin Meng, notebook and pen in hand, shook her head. “No need. We’re almost done. There’s a ton of stuff.”

“As expected.”

She pointed to the shelves with household supplies. “Before the new semester starts, we still need to stock up on more essentials.”

Aunt Sun smiled. “Same as every year.”

Yin Meng continued, “We should bundle things like mats, mattresses, quilts, basins, cups, and towels into one set and hang a discount tag on them to sell together.”

Aunt Sun paused, intending to flaunt her seniority, but suddenly didn’t know what to say.

Tan Wenbin shrugged. “Not bad. Looks like you’re really getting into the groove.”

Yin Meng sighed. “Normally, you’d get a bunch of second-hand stuff when students graduate. Clean it up a bit, and you can sell it to the freshmen for cheap. Didn’t collect any at the end of last semester?”

Aunt Sun shook her head. “We’ve never done that before.”

“Then let’s start doing it. Most students come from ordinary families.”

Tan Wenbin leaned on the counter and teased, “See? The coffin shop was holding you back.”

“If I’m going to do it, I’ll do it right. I’m even planning to set up a hot food section here—throw in some hot pot base, meatballs, tripe, and cook them on-site. Sell it skewer-style, like hot pot sticks.”

“Great idea. Just don’t cook it yourself.”

Yin Meng gave him a defiant look.

Tan Wenbin said seriously, “This is a school. If you cause a food safety incident, it’s a big deal.”

Yin Meng didn’t argue. She just twirled her pen and said, “Alright, I get it.”

Runsheng finished unloading the goods at his feet, clapped his hands clean, and looked at Tan Wenbin. “Went fishing again?”

“Yeah.”

“Catch anything?”

“Ran into someone by the lake calling out to me. But when I turned around, no one was there.”

Runsheng raised his eyebrows. “For real?”

Aunt Sun asked, “The lake on the west side? Lots of people jog there, and couples hang out too.”

Tan Wenbin got curious. “Aunt Sun, you’ve been here a while. Heard any campus ghost stories?”

“Ghost stories?”

“Yeah, we’re kind of into that stuff.”

“There’s nothing like that—just people shooting the breeze. If you’re talking about actual deaths, then sure. Plenty of people have died on campus. Every semester—jumping off buildings, drowning, ODing, even choking to death.”

Once the population hits a certain threshold, someone dying isn’t exactly rare.

But that wasn’t what Tan Wenbin wanted to hear. He pressed on.

“No places that are a little... spooky?”

“Spooky places?” Aunt Sun chuckled, covering her mouth. “This is a school. Where would something spooky be? Though a while back, my cousin said strange things happen around General’s Mountain at night.”

“General’s Mountain?”

“Just rumors. Don’t take them seriously.”

“Alright then. Runsheng, Yin Meng—carry on. I’m heading back. Little Yuan’s still alone in the dorm.”

Tan Wenbin walked back toward the dorm building. Passing by the dorm manager’s office window, he saw Aunt Ran inside, scribbling something while nibbling on a sponge cake.

“Aunt Ran.”

“You brat, you scared me.” She and Tan Wenbin already knew each other—he’d helped her carry some things before his night jog earlier.

She picked up a piece of sponge cake and handed it to him.

Instead of taking it, he opened his mouth wide. “Ah…”

Aunt Ran laughed and popped the cake into his mouth.

“What are you working on?” he mumbled through the crumbs.

“Writing a letter to my daughter.”

“Why not just call her?”

“Phone calls are expensive.”

“Just use the office phone.”

“Huh?” Aunt Ran blinked, then got the joke and scolded, “You little punk—talk like you’ve done this a lot at home.”

“Unjust accusation! My dad’s all about principles. I used to beg him to drive me to school in a police car when I was a kid, and he never did it. Not once.”

“Sounds like a good dad. Really.”

“Of course. Look who raised me.”

“Heh.” Aunt Ran put down her pen and rubbed her wrist. “Phew… Finished. Actually, even if I made a call, there wouldn’t be much to say once I picked up the phone.”

“Here, let me check it for typos.”

“Get lost. Go back to your dorm.”

“Good night, Auntie.”

“Good night, brat.”

After Tan Wenbin left, Aunt Ran pulled out a matchbox, struck a flame, and lit the envelope. Once it burned halfway, she dropped it into a large enamel mug at her feet.

Beside the mug sat a shoe box with torn packaging, revealing a pair of black high heels inside.

…

“Clack!”

Tan Wenbin flicked on the light after entering the room and saw that Li Zhuiyuan was already lying in bed.

He quickly turned the light back off.

“Binbin, you’re back.”

“Did I wake you, Little Yuan?”

“I wasn’t asleep.”

“Oh. You turned in early tonight.”

“It’s not early. Look at the time.”

“Alright, I’ll come back earlier in the evenings from now on.” Tan Wenbin picked up his basin and towel, planning to wash up at the outdoor sink.

They’d already washed there earlier that evening.

There were showers on campus, but they were far and currently closed. Even if they opened, Tan Wenbin doubted he’d bother. This was a guys’ dorm, after all. Just grab some water, splash it on, and strut back naked—much more satisfying.

As he reached for the door, he noticed a talisman stuck to it.

“Little Yuan, what’s this?”

“It came.”

“Huh?”

Tan Wenbin immediately raised the basin in one hand and gripped the towel in the other, going on alert.

“It ran off.”

“Oh.” He relaxed. “What was it, bro?”

“Too fast. Didn’t see.”

“From now on, I’ll try not to go out at night. I’ll protect you.”

“I’m going to sleep.”

“Mm.” Tan Wenbin opened the door and shuffled down the hallway in big slippers, their slaps echoing sharply. “Screw night jogging. Better to guard Little Yuan. Tch. He’s the spookier one, really.”

The next morning, Li Zhuiyuan woke up.

He instinctively turned his head and saw Tan Wenbin still snoring away.

The contrast was... considerable.

Li Zhuiyuan got out of bed, picked up his basin, and headed to the sink. While washing up, someone entered, humming.

“Whoa, little dude, are you starting college too? Hahaha.”

“Mm.”

“Uh…” The guy hesitated. “You’re seriously a college student?”

“Mm.”

“No way…”

After finishing up, Li Zhuiyuan packed his things, turned, and left without another word.

The other guy craned his neck while brushing his teeth and watched Li Zhuiyuan head into the innermost dorm room before returning to his business.

Back in the room, the boy set his basin down and had just sat at his desk when Tan Wenbin stirred, groaning as he reached down to grab the blanket he’d kicked off during the night.

“Sleeping in a coffin would be easier. No worries about kicking the covers off.”

He got out of bed and stretched. “Little Yuan, I’ll wash up and grab you some breakfast.”

“No need. Let’s go find Runsheng and the others later. We should hang out while we can—once the semester starts, they’ll be too busy running the store.”

“Good point.”

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