Wan You waited on the ground for dozens of seconds, but no NPC came forward to help him up.
"Classmate, do you need us to call the school doctor for you?"
He looked up at the boy who spoke. The other was dressed in a clean, crisp white shirt with a reception badge hanging on his chest. His handsome features made Wan You feel inexplicably uneasy.
The boy’s gaze was calm and indifferent, and behind him, five other NPCs were also staring at Wan You.
But their eyes didn’t hold the mindless infatuation or obsessive admiration he was used to. Instead, it reminded him of the way the top scorer in provincial exams would look at the one who ranked last—aloof, restrained, with a hint of pity for the weak.
He had long grown accustomed to NPCs in the game world fawning over him, driven to madness by his charm. This kind of look only filled him with resentment.
Chao Musheng walked up to him, bending slightly to offer a hand. "The infirmary is nearby. I’ll take you there."
"No need, I’m fine." Wan You avoided the white-shirted boy’s hand and stood up on his own, instinctively tilting his slender neck to emphasize his delicate demeanor. "Please, carry on."
In school-themed game scenarios, the infirmary was often a hotspot for incidents. Moreover, the NPCs in this instance didn’t seem particularly obsessed with him, so he didn’t dare wander off alone.
"Then let’s continue. If you feel unwell at any point, please let us know immediately." Seeing that the classmate was perfectly fine, the senior turned away without hesitation and resumed leading the group. "Everyone, look to your right. This is Qingyue Lake, built over eight hundred years ago. Among all university campuses, it’s the oldest surviving artificial lake..."
Neither the guiding NPCs nor the random passing students spared Wan You a single glance.
Following the group of players, Wan You watched as one student after another greeted the guides warmly. A faint anxiety crept into his heart—why weren’t these NPCs looking at him?
Impossible. His "allure" had even ensnared dungeon bosses. How could these minor characters resist it?
Was there something wrong with this scenario, or was the system’s overseer deliberately targeting him?
"This No. 4 dormitory building will be your residence for the next ten days." The senior biology student leading the reception team gestured toward the building. Among the six guides, Chao Musheng was the youngest, mostly there for support.
"The school’s accommodations are modest, but behind the dormitory is the famous Swan Lake. You can watch the swans dance for you in the mornings." Though the senior spoke humbly, his eyes brimmed with pride.
Their university’s living conditions were renowned nationwide, the envy of all.
Seeing the visiting students’ expressions grow solemn, as if genuinely worried about being mistreated, the senior’s polite smile dimmed slightly.
Couldn’t they recognize a humble brag when they heard one?
How rude.
The players stared at the bright red "4" hanging above the dormitory building, unable to muster even a forced smile.
With a number like that, this place was practically a death trap.
"Female students will stay in Unit 1, male students in Unit 2." The senior turned to Chao Musheng and a junior-year female student. "You two, please take them upstairs and assign their rooms. We’ll regroup here in half an hour."
"Understood." Chao Musheng collected the room keys from the dorm supervisor and led the male students toward the elevator in Unit 2.
As he pressed the button, he kindly reminded them, "We can take the elevator today, but if you’re not in a hurry, I’d recommend using the stairs most of the time."
The players noticed he pressed the button for the 4th floor.
No. 4 Dormitory, 4th Floor—this scenario really didn’t want them to leave alive.
Still, this NPC was oddly considerate, warning them about the elevator’s hidden dangers.
"Why shouldn’t we take the elevator normally?" a baby-faced player asked cautiously. "Has there been an accident here before?"
"Not at all." The elevator reached the fourth floor. Chao Musheng held the door open until everyone stepped out before following. "Right now, it’s class hours, so there aren’t many students waiting. But once you start attending lectures tomorrow, squeezing into an elevator won’t be easy."
The fourth floor wasn’t high enough to justify the wait—stairs were faster.
The players: "..."
…What?
That was the reason?
"The school has arranged Rooms 404 and 402 for you." Chao Musheng opened the doors to two adjacent dorm rooms, both spotless with bedding sets neatly placed on the beds.
"There are eight of you, so four per room." He opened the windows to air out the rooms. "Except on Fridays and Saturdays, lights-out is at midnight. Try to finish washing up before then. If you encounter any issues, you can message us in the group chat, and we’ll contact the school for assistance."
"Thank you." The baby-faced boy, Zhang San, flashed Chao Musheng an ingratiating smile. "This is my first time studying at such a prestigious institution. Could you share more about the dorm rules here?"
"There aren’t any special rules. You’re all outstanding students recommended by top universities—just act as you normally would." Chao Musheng handed out the school handbook provided by the dorm supervisor. "Let’s make the next ten days pleasant for everyone. Learn together, improve together."
The players were disappointed. This NPC was good-looking and spoke gently, but he refused to divulge any useful information.
"Handsome, I don’t know how to make the bed." Wan You stood by the window, eyes glistening with unshed tears, his tone a mix of pleading and reproach. "Could you help me?"
"My surname is Chao. You can call me Xiao Chao." Chao Musheng tapped his phone a few times, pulled up a tutorial video, and handed it to Wan You.
Every player heard the cheerful voice from the video:
"Hey everyone! Today, I’ll teach you a super easy bed-making hack. Even a primary schooler can master it—let’s get started!"
The players: "..."
For some reason, this felt incredibly awkward.
Wan You’s smile froze, his tears forced back. "...Thank you, Brother Chao."
"You’re welcome." Chao Musheng shared the video in the group chat. "Rest for a bit. We’ll regroup downstairs in twenty minutes."
"Don’t worry, Brother Chao. We’ll be on time."
Once Chao Musheng left, the players eyed each other warily, none speaking first.
Wan You kicked the bedding twice, his face dark with suppressed anger.
The others ignored his tantrum, secretly relieved that this NPC was immune to Wan You’s charm.
They were all players fighting tooth and nail for points and items in these deadly scenarios. Who’d appreciate a delicate, pampered rival who coasted through on a boss’s favor?
"The next ten days—may the best man win." A stern-faced player spoke first. "I’m heading to the other room."
The dorm next door was Room 404, a place everyone avoided.
Seeing someone voluntarily head over, a few of the weaker players kept their heads down and stayed silent.
"Is this all the courage you have? And you still want to clear the dungeon?" Zhang San sneered before turning to follow.
"Brother Shang," Zhang San entered 404 and saw the man making his bed. He approached quietly and whispered, "I checked carefully—the hallways and elevators in this building are all under electronic surveillance."
Brother Shang's expression darkened. "This dungeon is different from all the ones before."
Zhang San: "Earlier, I used an item to check the NPCs' favorability toward all of us. The student who greeted us started at 25. That player who tripped on purpose was unlucky—the NPC's favorability toward him dropped from 25 to 22."
"But that student named Chao is a bit strange." Zhang San lowered his voice even further. "He has no favorability value."
"What do you mean?" Brother Shang paused while straightening the sheets.
"I can't see his data toward the players." Zhang San was equally puzzled. "Maybe he's just an unimportant background character. Some of the other students passing by earlier didn’t show favorability either."
Based on past experience, any NPC who interacted with players should have displayed relevant stats. He couldn’t understand why there were exceptions.
"We’ll keep observing carefully." Brother Shang finished making the bed, folding the blanket into a neat square. "Don’t act recklessly."
"I know, don’t worry."
"Musheng, come have some ice cream." A senior handed Chao Musheng a popsicle as he came downstairs. "Who knows what standards those other schools have, recommending all kinds of people to come study at our university."
His arrogance was evident in just those few words.
Chao Musheng accepted the ice cream. "Thank you, Senior."
"Earlier, when I escorted the four girls upstairs, one of them suddenly pulled out a bottle of weird-smelling perfume and started spraying it everywhere," complained the junior who had guided the female students to their dorm. "Then she asked if the school had any long-standing ghost stories."
What kind of lunatic does that?
With such a rare opportunity for advanced studies, instead of exploring the cutting-edge labs or checking out the rare archives in the library, all they care about is digging up horror stories.
What do they think Jinghua University is? The birthplace of ghost tales?
"Musheng, I saw you shared a bed-making tutorial in the group earlier," the senior said, puzzled. "What was that about?"
"Someone didn’t know how to make their bed and asked for help," Chao Musheng unwrapped the popsicle. "So I provided what assistance I could."
"Was it that guy who tripped over nothing?" The junior immediately thought of Wan You.
Chao Musheng nodded silently.
The other students: "..."
No wonder the school gave the referral privileges to the students handling the orientation—they were dealing with a bunch of weirdos.
Just as Zhang San and Brother Shang reached the doorway, they noticed the NPCs' favorability toward them drop from 25 to 24.
These NPCs just keep lowering favorability for no reason. Can’t they have some manners?
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Brother Shang gave a slight nod to the six of them before standing silently to the side with Zhang San.
"There’s still fifteen minutes before the gathering time. You came down so early?" Seeing the visiting students arrive, Chao Musheng quickly stuffed the rest of the popsicle into his mouth.
A senior handed him a tissue. Good-looking people could make even wolfing down ice cream seem elegant.
Brother Shang discreetly observed the six, his gaze eventually settling on Chao Musheng. Even though the bespectacled, lanky guy had done most of the talking earlier, he had a feeling the other five were more concerned about this "Xiao Chao" student.
By the time there were five minutes left before the gathering, everyone had come downstairs.
The senior announced, "Now, we’ll take everyone to visit the No. 1 Biology Lab."
When the players arrived, they found the lab so advanced it left them uneasy.
Where were the terrifying skulls?
The dusty storage rooms?
The eerie-colored specimens?
Why was everything just high-tech equipment with more buttons than they had brain cells?
"Three years ago, our biology department professor made a groundbreaking discovery using this very machine," the senior said, handing out gloves and lab coats. "Would you like to give it a try?"
The players: Huh? Them?
They had no idea how to operate this thing.
Seeing the visiting students hesitate, nudging each other but not a single one stepping forward to examine the prestigious instrument, the biology senior’s smile faded.
What a bunch of tasteless idiots!
