The infirmary was thick with the metallic scent of blood.
A tall figure wearing a white mask entered the infirmary, leaning on a crutch. If Xia Miao were still here, she would have recognized him immediately—he was the lead actor from the videotape, the terrifying chainsaw murderer.
Not long ago, he had stepped out to use the restroom. When he returned, the man lying on the adjacent bed was no longer recognizable as human.
Ding Renlu seemed to have suffered brutal beatings and torture, lying on the bed covered in blood, barely breathing. The man who had come to the infirmary to recover had only grown worse—pitiful, really.
The tall man limped toward his own bed, accidentally crushing a phone on the floor without noticing. Once settled, he pulled out a photograph from his pocket.
It was a picture taken a few years ago during the school festival, a group photo with a girl from the journalism club.
Behind the mask, his eyes fixated on the girl in the photo, unmoving. Given how badly he was injured, surely she would come to see him, wouldn’t she?
With hopeful anticipation, he waited from morning till night. Even after his broken leg healed and his injuries vanished, the girl he secretly loved never came.
Unbeknownst to him, Xia Miao and Lu Yan—that despicable pair—had truly done their worst.
Ruan Zhizhi hadn’t been dragged into the game these past few nights, which was a stroke of luck. But every time she walked with Leng Yeting, her mind involuntarily replayed the moment he had used someone else as a human shield.
Part of her admired Leng Yeting’s strength and reliability, finding it undeniably attractive. Yet another part of her couldn’t shake a creeping unease—what if she became the next one he sacrificed?
That night, as she walked back to the dormitory, she suddenly noticed two figures ahead. Recognizing the boy wrapped in bandages as the terrifying killer from the game, she hastily hid behind a tree, her heart pounding in fear.
The girl standing before the killer was Xia Miao!
Ruan Zhizhi watched as the killer reached out toward Xia Miao, her breath catching. Was he going to gouge out her eyes? Stab through her chest and rip out her heart?!
But instead, his hand clamped onto Xia Miao’s arm, yanking her toward him. She collided with his chest, swallowed by his shadow, before he leaned down, lowering his head.
From her hiding spot, Ruan Zhizhi could only see Lu Yan’s back, but as an adult, she could guess exactly what they were doing.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she clamped a hand over her mouth.
Over there, Xia Miao didn’t seem to be struggling at all. In fact, she even reached up to touch the killer’s face!
"Try sneaking another kiss on me!" Xia Miao retracted her fist, glaring fiercely.
Lu Yan clutched his left eye where her punch had landed, his gaze flickering away as he muttered weakly, "You get to kiss me, but I can’t kiss you?"
He grumbled under his breath, "Unfair."
Xia Miao grabbed his hand and lifted her chin with a haughty "Hmph." "Since you helped my deskmate, I won’t deduct points from you today."
Lu Yan quickly interlaced their fingers, a spark lighting up his eyes. "Oh."
The longer Xia Miao spent with him, the more she realized how clingy he was. Every time they held hands, he either insisted on interlocking their fingers or completely enveloping her hand in his.
Maybe because she’d been in a good mood lately—rarely deducting points—his behavior had grown bolder. Sudden kisses had become more frequent.
Now, him walking her back to the dorm had become routine.
Xia Miao stole a glance at him, only to catch him doing the same. Their eyes met, then both quickly looked away, feigning innocence as they stared at anything but each other.
As Xia Miao often said, dating was a battlefield. If one side revealed they cared more, they’d be at the other’s mercy forever.
But despite her words, their hands remained tightly clasped, neither willing to let go.
Dark clouds suddenly blotted out the night sky, the moon vanishing as a light drizzle began, the chilly wind adding to the cold.
Before Xia Miao could even complain about the cold, the boy abruptly lifted the hem of his shirt and stuffed her inside.
She froze for a moment before struggling. Even on tiptoe, she couldn’t peek out from the collar while he stood straight.
Lu Yan watched the lump in his clothes wriggle uselessly, unable to emerge. A low chuckle escaped him, amused rather than helpful as he took joy in her predicament.
Xia Miao’s brows shot up. She stomped on his foot.
"Ow!" Lu Yan yelped.
As she raised her other foot to stomp again, he quickly hoisted her up, lifting her off the ground. Half her face finally emerged from his collar, her hair disheveled, her eyes blank—like a doll tucked inside his clothes.
Lu Yan seemed to realize how entertaining this was. Resting his chin atop her head, he peered down at her, blinking occasionally before adjusting his grip with a quiet, gleeful "Hehe."
"Short st—"
A fist to his face cut him off.
Xia Miao commanded, "Take me back."
Lu Yan: "Oh."
Ruan Zhizhi, still hiding in the distance, dared not approach. Her mind reeled—how could a butcher and a survivor be together? What was Xia Miao thinking? Wasn’t she afraid he’d kill her?!
Come to think of it, every time Xia Miao appeared, she drew the attention of countless boys. Even Leng Yeting had noticed her back then. In other words, Xia Miao’s beauty aligned perfectly with conventional standards.
In an environment where death lurked at every corner, wasn’t beauty just another weapon to exploit?
Ruan Zhizhi frowned, an instinctive distaste rising for Xia Miao.
As a woman of principle and dignity, she despised Xia Miao’s shameless behavior—relying on men instead of her own strength to survive. What a disgrace to women!
Still cradling Xia Miao like a stuffed toy, Lu Yan carried her all the way to the dormitory entrance. Shielded inside his clothes, she stayed mostly dry, while he ended up drenched, his bandages soaked.
Xia Miao stepped out once he set her down. After unlocking the door, she suddenly turned back.
"It’s raining outside. Do you want to come in and rest?"
Lu Yan froze for a moment. Then, steam-like mist began to rise from his entire body. He turned away, first plunging his hand into his own chest to crush the heart threatening to leap out, before finally facing her again—his ears burning crimson.
After holding back for what felt like an eternity, he finally blurted out a single word: "Yes."
