Chapter 5: Jealousy (4)

Room 204B, Dormitory Building 4. Song Qingxiu followed the formal procedure, and they successfully obtained the form and stood before the door.

The man with the small braid in the group stepped forward and knocked. A muffled "Hold on" came from inside, followed by a flurry of frantic, clattering noises.

The people outside exchanged glances, waited obediently for half a minute, then simply turned the key that was still in the lock and pushed the door open.

"Are you sick? I told you to wait! Are you in such a hurry to rush to your reincarnation? Psychos!"

The bespectacled man, who hadn't finished tidying his locker, cursed angrily while frantically shoving a small iron box into the cabinet.

Zhang Dali, the dormitory head, possessed the face of an honest man. He scratched his head and apologized to Song Qingxiu and the others, "Sorry, seniors. Monkey is just a bit impatient."

Everyone knew that people from the Student Union were not to be trifled with. Zhang Dali did not want to sour relations with them, so his tone held a touch of sycophancy.

The bespectacled man nicknamed Monkey rolled his eyes in annoyance. He walked over to another student, kicked his chair, and snapped, "Get lost, you're in my way."

The boy sitting in the chair shrank his neck, lowered his eyes timidly, and stood up briskly by the desk, staring fixedly at his own fingers.

Song Qingxiu’s gaze swept lightly over the fingers the boy was incessantly picking at. He smiled and raised the list in his hand, "It’s our fault. We were just worried you might be hiding prohibited appliances."

This was a valid excuse. Zhang Dali felt his heart settle halfway, and he grinned, "Let's be flexible. We're all students; no need to make things difficult."

Song Qingxiu smiled without a word.

Normally, the three dormitory members should have left by now, but since Song Qingxiu didn't mention it, they didn't take the initiative to leave.

Taking advantage of the time the four players behind him were searching the room, Song Qingxiu turned to look at the boy who kept his head lowered, picking at his fingers with increasing intensity and speed. "Why so nervous, classmate? Are you hiding something you shouldn't be?"

The words caused the boy to freeze. As if to cover up his guilt, he abruptly dropped his hands and stammered, "N-no, I’m not nervous... It’s just, it’s just a personal habit."

Glancing at Zhang Dali, who was secretly exhaling in relief, Song Qingxiu nodded as if he understood, "I see."

He was no fool; how could he fail to notice the strangeness in the room?

Hearing the boy's words, Monkey let out a snort of laughter.

Seeing the gazes of his roommate Zhang Dali and the boy turn toward him, Monkey shrugged without a hint of fear, "If you haven't done anything wrong, you don't fear a knock on the door at night. Who knows if things are clean here."

Song Qingxiu seemed not to catch the subtext in Monkey’s words. He stood quietly beside Zhang Dali, his eyes scanning the room until they finally landed on the bed in the corner.

Noticing Song Qingxiu’s gaze, Zhang Dali’s heart, which had just settled, leaped back into his throat. He was terrified that Song Qingxiu might hear his racing heartbeat.

The more one fears something, the more likely it is to happen.

"Are Song Wu’s things still here?" Upon hearing Song Qingxiu’s words, Zhang Dali nearly bit his tongue off. He hurriedly said, "Yes, they are. But it’s been so long, and his bed hasn't been tidied. Senior Song, there’s no need to look."

Song Qingxiu, who had stepped forward, raised an eyebrow. He turned to look at the woman who was carefully organizing items in Song Wu’s cabinet and curled his lips with an inscrutable expression, "There’s no need to pull the bed curtains so tight. It’s worse if it doesn't let the light in, isn't it?"

As the question fell, Song Qingxiu reached out to pull back the opaque curtains, but his hand was sharply swatted away by Zhang Dali.

"Smack!" The crisp sound caused everyone in the room to turn and look, including Jiang Shengsheng.

She took in the expressions of everyone present without leaving a trace, forming a faint hypothesis, though she still felt some parts didn't add up.

Zhang Dali hadn't expected Song Qingxiu to actually make a move, and in the heat of the moment, he had struck out through gritted teeth.

Looking down at the swollen red patch on the back of his hand, the smile on Song Qingxiu’s face faded. A subtle aura of pressure made Zhang Dali break into a cold sweat.

"What? Is there something hidden inside? Is it so shameful that it cannot be seen? Hmm?"

Song Qingxiu’s voice was slightly hoarse, the tail end rising upward. The vague sense of oppression was palpable. Zhang Dali subconsciously darted his eyes toward the people behind him.

Monkey and the timid boy were both behind Song Qingxiu, making it difficult to tell who he was looking at.

"How could that be..." Zhang Dali knew he couldn't hide it anymore; his face turned pale and ugly.

Noticing the commotion, Jiang Shengsheng hurried to Song Qingxiu’s side. Her eyes were fixed on the bed curtains, and she didn't see the look Song Qingxiu cast at her face.

In the end, they pulled back the curtains.

The scene that met their eyes made Jiang Shengsheng clench her fists in anger, her delicate brows furrowed.

Song Wu’s bed was littered with trash. They certainly knew how to be "sanitary"—only by throwing away their own dirty socks, empty snack bags, and even used tissues.

Based on what she saw with her own eyes, it was hard for Jiang Shengsheng to believe the words "harmonious" and "no conflicts" written on the form.

It wasn't until her wrist was gripped by a hot, firm hand that Jiang Shengsheng, who had been boiling with rage, calmed down.

Now calm, she felt an indescribable sense of regret and helplessness.

Since the three people present treated Song Wu this way, it was easy to imagine what Senior Liao, who was lying in the hospital, had done.

The filthy sewer seemed to have rotted from the very source.

The pungent odor filled the dormitory. Zhu Dan and the others covered their mouths, barely holding back the nausea rising in their throats.

Among the prohibited items, they found a pot, as well as the small iron box Monkey had hurriedly hidden earlier.

However, they couldn't open the iron box before they left. Monkey was surprisingly stubborn, refusing to open it no matter what: "What could a palm-sized box hold? It’s a precious item sent from home; I have to keep it safe."

Regarding his unreasonable bickering, Song Qingxiu gave him a silent look and led the Student Union members out of the dormitory.

Not long after they left, Monkey crossed his arms and looked at Wang Dali, who was pacing back and forth, unable to hide his panic, then swept a glance toward the withdrawn boy.

"Hey, Liuliu, stop looking at me like that." Seeing Liuliu raise his head, his cold, sinister eyes locked directly onto him, Monkey rubbed the tip of his nose. "We didn't harm Song Wu. At most, we just isolated him. What are you afraid of?"

After saying this, he paused, surveying the two of them with suspicion: "Could it be... you actually did something...?"

The unspoken words were swallowed back under Liuliu’s intimidating gaze. Monkey shrugged and took out the iron box again.

He skillfully slid the password, and the box opened.

Inside lay a black smartphone, sealed tightly in a transparent vacuum bag.

"Give it to me." Liuliu shed his timid, cowardly facade from earlier and snatched the bag, his voice icy.

Monkey was curious about what was on the phone, but due to an animal-like keen intuition, he kept his mouth shut and handed it over.

Liuliu caressed the phone, his eyes unreadable: "This is... big trouble."

Forget it. He wasn't the one who wanted Song Wu dead anyway. Debts have creditors; it wouldn't come back to them.

As for Ah Liao... well, he was the one who acted as the contact person.