The players split into groups and searched every male dormitory building, but none of the rooms showed signs of a fire.
With no progress in their mission, the short-tempered players took out their frustration on the girl who had the premonition dream.
The female player felt wronged—she had only meant to help by sharing the clue. "Nothing ever stays exactly the same. A premonition isn’t the same as something that’s already happened. Maybe someone or something changed the original course of events..."
The angry players shot back, "Who knows if things really changed, or if someone’s just trying to take advantage?"
The argument escalated, and in the end, they parted ways bitterly.
"If they’re already at each other’s throats now, working together later will be next to impossible," Zhang San muttered, stomping his numb legs. "Brother Shang, hasn’t Chao Musheng called us to help watch the performance costumes yet?"
"That was just an excuse so I wouldn’t feel guilty about him borrowing books for me," Zhao Shang checked the time. "He won’t call us before dinner."
"Right, he has so many friends and classmates. Even if he really needed help, he wouldn’t need us." Zhang San suddenly understood, his emotions turning complicated. "If only..."
If only they had met Chao Musheng in the real world.
"Let’s go."
"Where to?"
"The cafeteria for lunch."
At the No. 8 counter of the fifth cafeteria, Zhou Yi was once again serving food today.
When it was Zhang San and Zhao Shang’s turn, Zhou Yi gave them an extra glance, his golden favorability meter shining above his head as he heaped generous portions of meat onto their plates.
Zhang San was pleasantly surprised—not only did Zhou Yi’s hands not shake this time, but their favorability with him had skyrocketed from 15 to 70, faster than a helicopter’s ascent.
Zhou was truly a saint!
[Ding! Congratulations, players. Consuming a nutritious meal grants +1 Health Point (HP).]
Hearing the system prompt, Zhao Shang looked up at Counter No. 8.
For the past few days, whenever Zhou Yi was working there, they had made a point to get their meals from him. But this was the first time their HP had increased without Chao Musheng present.
Even if it was just a measly +1, it proved that health point (HP) fluctuations were directly tied to NPCs.
"Brother Shang, where are you going after this?" Zhang San asked quietly. "Should we look into that fire from the dream again?"
"I want to spend some time in the library," Zhao Shang shook his head. "Chao Musheng isn’t going to class this afternoon, so we can’t be late."
His instincts told him that without Chao Musheng around, he and Zhang San needed to be extra careful.
Just thinking about the incomprehensible major-related lectures gave Zhang San a headache. "Half a day without Brother Chao, and I already miss him."
Meanwhile, the object of their longing, Chao Musheng, was changing clothes in his dorm.
"Look at our Old Fourth, so dashing in that white shirt."
"Right? Who says computer science majors only wear plaid shirts and black-framed glasses?"
"This is the face of our department."
Used to his roommates’ banter, Chao Musheng fastened his cuffs and adjusted his hair in the mirror. "What do you guys want to eat this weekend?"
"Lemon chicken feet!"
"Fried fish!"
Pinning on the reception badge given by their advisor, Chao Musheng crossed his arms. "How bold of you to demand food from the face of the computer science department. You deserve execution."
"Your Majesty, this loyal subject would never betray you! The real traitor is him—I’ll throw him in the dungeon right now!" Second Brother shoved Old Third into the bathroom, then leaned out the door with a dramatic outstretched hand. "Your Majesty, don’t forget my lemon chicken feet!"
"Wait, you guys have lemon chicken feet?!" Heads popped out from the neighboring dorm rooms.
Faced with a corridor full of hungry eyes, Chao Musheng quickened his pace without looking back, heading straight for the elevator.
These people were bottomless pits—he couldn’t afford to feed them all!
The elevator doors opened, revealing Zhou Yi carrying a lunchbox and two bread rolls. When he saw Chao Musheng waiting outside, he paused mid-step.
"Old Zhou?" Chao Musheng’s eyes locked onto the food in his hands, gleaming with hunger.
"You haven’t eaten yet?" Zhou Yi handed him one of the bread rolls.
"Just finished morning classes and got dragged to the advisor’s office. Some guests might arrive early," Chao Musheng took the bread and devoured half in two bites. "Had to rush back to change—no time for lunch."
"I’m off." Chao Musheng dashed into the elevator, waving the half-eaten bread at Zhou Yi. "Thanks for saving my life, Old Zhou!"
As the doors closed, Zhou Yi’s lips curved slightly. But after just a few steps down the hall, he ran into Chen Er.
"Bringing back cafeteria scraps again?" Chen Er blocked his path, smirking at his lackeys. "I hear country folks feed slop to dogs and pigs. Ever heard of that?"
The underlings chuckled awkwardly, but two other boys chimed in: "Yeah, yeah! Brother Chen’s right. Pigs and dogs love eating other people’s leftovers."
Zhou Yi stared silently at Chen Er.
After a few more taunts with no reaction, Chen Er lost interest. "Don’t think just because you’ve latched onto Chao Musheng that I won’t touch you—"
"Chen Er, why are you blocking the hallway?" Old Third stepped out with a bucket of laundry. "No one can get through with all of you standing here."
Chen Er turned, recognized Chao Musheng’s roommate, and after a glare, led his gang upstairs.
"Old Zhou, you’re back!" Old Third scurried over, voice pleading. "Can I borrow your Artificial Intelligence notes? Old Fourth isn’t here, and my survival in this afternoon’s class depends on you."
"Let me grab them." Zhou Yi returned to his room and handed over the notebook. "Just return it before class."
"You’re a lifesaver!" Old Third abandoned his laundry and sprinted back to his dorm, clutching the notes like a holy text.
Zhou Yi sat at his desk and opened the lunchbox.
The cafeteria auntie had packed it to the brim—steaming rice, glistening and plump, alongside fragrant dishes that made his mouth water.
"Brother Chen, so you live on the eighth floor?" The two boys followed Chen Er into his dorm, where two beds sat unused, piled with clutter.
Dozens of sneakers littered the floor. Unfamiliar with brands in this instance world, they didn’t dare compliment them blindly.
"What’s wrong with the eighth floor?" Chen Er kicked a shoe aside. "You two know how things work. Stick with me, and I’ll make sure you’re covered at school."
"Thanks, Brother Chen!"
One lackey picked up a designer backpack from the floor and gingerly placed it on Chen Er’s bed. "Brother Chen, Chao Musheng hasn’t come after us today. Maybe Zhou Yi didn’t snitch."
Chen Er pulled two cigarette packs from a drawer and tossed them to the boys. "You defending Zhou Yi now?"
The lackey hurriedly denied it.
"Brother Chen, dealing with a guy like Zhou Yi is easy," one of the boys said, unwrapping a cigarette. "Just say his food’s dirty, and he’ll be in deep trouble."
"What kind of terrible idea is this?" Chen Er exhaled a puff of smoke. "Do you think our school is like those rundown places you come from? The cafeteria has electronic surveillance running all day, from the kitchen to the serving windows. Are you trying to deal with him or trying to get me locked up?"
The two players didn’t dare talk back even as smoke blew into their faces. How were they supposed to know that a school in this instance world would manage its cafeteria so strictly?
If this were a real-world cafeteria, they’d definitely end up finding random things like hair, pebbles, or cabbage worms in their food.
And in other instance worlds, the cafeterias were even worse—fingers, eyeballs, and the like would practically leap into players’ bowls for free.
Ah, relying on past experience really was the death of them.
"Whatever. What can I expect from exchange students like you, coming from such small places?" Seeing them obediently lower their heads and stay silent pleased Chen Er. He stubbed out his cigarette. "Don’t worry. With me here, I’ll make sure your exchange program evaluations are outstanding."
These two were much more sensible than the lackeys trailing behind Chao Musheng.
As the top university in the country, Jinghua’s anniversary celebration drew attention from all sides. Even before the festivities officially began, the campus was already crowded with distinguished guests from various fields.
The celebrities invited to perform were all remarkably low-key, sitting quietly backstage as they got their makeup done, none of them fighting for attention.
In the presence of such high-ranking figures, the fact that they could even take the stage was entirely due to their clean public image and their agents’ strong connections.
Though the backstage area was packed, the faculty and student organizers ensured everything ran smoothly—almost every detail showcased the school’s poise and competence.
Chao Musheng and his fellow alumni stood beside Director Wang at the red carpet by the school’s main entrance, welcoming the important guests.
The atmosphere was warm and harmonious. Even the high-profile figures who frequently appeared on television were all smiles, treating the students with kindness and approachability.
Another car pulled up. As soon as it stopped, Director Wang stepped forward with a smile and opened the rear door himself. "Mr. Su, welcome! We’re honored to have you."
A man stepped out, wearing frameless silver glasses. His refined, noble air overshadowed even his striking looks, making people instinctively hesitant to stare.
"Director Wang, hello." He shook the director’s hand. "It’s an honor to be invited for your university’s bicentennial celebration."
"Not at all, not at all! Your presence is a tremendous privilege for our humble institution." Director Wang’s smile was radiant. "You must be tired from the journey—shall I escort you to the lounge to rest for a while?"
"I’ve long heard of your school’s beautiful scenery, but I’ve never had the chance to properly appreciate it." Mr. Su gave Director Wang a faint smile. "Today is such a lively occasion—I hope you won’t find it troublesome to assign a student to accompany me for a stroll around the campus."
For someone of Mr. Su’s stature, Director Wang couldn’t possibly just assign a single student as his guide, no matter how informal he tried to be. He glanced back at the young faculty members behind him, about to pick two to join him in accompanying Mr. Su, when the latter spoke first.
"Today is your school’s grand occasion, Director Wang. I wouldn’t want to disrupt your reception duties by making a fuss over me." Mr. Su looked toward the students, his gaze finally settling on the young man standing to the left. "Would you mind accompanying us for a walk?"
Chao Musheng quickly glanced to either side. Seeing everyone’s eyes on him, he confirmed the request was directed at him and immediately put on a polished smile. "It would be my honor."
Director Wang, who had been anxious just moments ago, relaxed completely once he saw which student Mr. Su had chosen.
Ah, it’s Student Chao. Then there’s no problem.
