Chapter 67: Unexpected Encounters and Lingering Doubts

Embracing the thought that she wouldn’t be discovered anyway, Yu Yinlian slipped into the dormitory. No sooner had she stepped inside than a figure flashed past her, darting into the shower room.

Yu Yinlian was thoroughly startled, nearly jumping right back out of the room.

A splash of water echoed—

“Woo-hoo—”

The sound of water resonated from within the shower room, followed by a peculiar shout that brought to Yu Yinlian’s mind images of humanity’s primordial ancestors…

‘Could this truly be Zhong Tian’s boyfriend…?’

She quickly strode past the shower room door, entering directly into the dormitory.

By the bed, Zhong Tian was in the process of removing his shoes and socks.

He carefully placed his shoes and socks by the bed, slipped into Li Jianren’s slippers to wash his hands, then returned to his bed to begin eating lunch.

Zhong Tian possessed impeccable habits; even with no one around, his table manners remained exemplary, and he ate with a steady, unhurried pace. It was, in a word, a pleasing sight.

Yu Yinlian sat beside him, and for a fleeting moment, she wished to return to the real world, to exchange a few words with Zhong Tian.

However, if she were to reveal herself now, it would undoubtedly startle her immensely, and she might even resent Yu Yinlian for intruding and prying into their private lives…

‘Perhaps it was best to simply observe and then leave.’

Clang—

Just as Yu Yinlian was thinking, a young man, his lower body clad only in a towel, burst out of the shower room and promptly dove onto the bed.

Had Yu Yinlian not dodged swiftly, she might have been knocked flying by him.

The young man tumbled on the bed, clutching the duvet, all while emitting a peculiar, almost inhuman cackle…

……

‘How could Zhong Tian possibly be involved with someone so… well, so *energetic*, almost like a monkey?’

Yu Yinlian scrutinized the young man before her, concluding that aside from his rather pleasing looks, there seemed to be nothing else particularly appealing about him…

“Did you dry yourself properly? Don’t get the bed wet; we still need to sleep here later…”

Zhong Tian, who had been eating, was also nearly hit by Li Jianren’s sudden dive. He shifted his rice bowl and moved slightly aside, effectively making space for Li Jianren.

“Of course I dried myself!” Li Jianren declared, still clutching the duvet and showing no sign of getting out of bed. “I don’t want to eat; I just want to go straight to sleep, you know?”

“……Eat. You mustn’t waste food.”

“Oh, come on, just this once!”

“Later this afternoon, you’ll undoubtedly complain about being hungry again, and then you’ll have to go to the convenience store to buy snacks…” Zhong Tian stated. “Even if you have money, it’s not meant to be squandered like this.”

“Everyone needs to be a little willful once in a while, right?”

“If you consider such trivial matters to be your moments of willfulness in life, then your entire sixteen years have been nothing but a continuous spree of willfulness.” Zhong Tian, already eighty percent full, spooned the remaining food into Li Jianren’s bowl. “Eat quickly. I’ll be going to sleep in about ten minutes.”

“Just finish it for me!” Li Jianren exclaimed, reaching out to snatch the bowl lid and slap it on top. “Could you please put it aside for me?”

“……Why are you rushing to sleep? What did you do last night?”

“Cough, cough……”

“Playing mobile games?”

“Everyone needs to be a little willful once in a while, right? Haha.”

Zhong Tian turned and delivered a light tap to his head.

“Remember to rest well. If you don’t take care of yourself now, who will you cry to when your body starts giving you trouble?”

“Don’t worry, my constitution is excellent! Remember at the start of school, I pulled an all-nighter and then ran all the way here. Even that couldn’t kill me. What can a mere night of staying up late do to me?”

“…If you ever die suddenly from staying up late, I’ll be the first to kick you twice to prevent you from resurrecting…”

As Zhong Tian spoke, he helped gather the bowls, placing them on the large table opposite the bed.

“Alright, alright, alright,” Li Jianren said, swiftly burrowing under the duvet. “Then I’m going to sleep.”

“Mm.”

“Oyasumi—”

“It’s clearly noon right now……”

“What about a midday nap, then?”

“Just go to sleep.”

Zhong Tian sat by the bed, took out his phone, intending to watch some videos, and would only sleep once his full feeling subsided.

Although he had already slept for quite a while today, a midday nap had become an ingrained habit. Without one, a strange, inexplicable drowsiness would inevitably creep in.

Yu Yinlian sat on the chair opposite Zhong Tian, silently listening to his conversation with Li Jianren.

The way these two interacted bore no resemblance to a couple at all; instead, it was more akin to siblings or even a mother and son…

‘…Could they truly be siblings, or something similar?’

‘Yet, they didn’t look like siblings either.’

Yu Yinlian felt a pang of doubt, but without any means to confirm it, she chose to let the thought go, and simply continued to observe Zhong Tian.

She stood up, shifting her position to observe his face from different angles.

‘He truly was a beauty with no bad angles……’

With crimson lips and pearly teeth, his skin was fair, tender, and smooth… His eyelashes were so long that it felt as though one could balance a mechanical pencil lead upon them…

Moreover, not only was he handsome, but his personality was also pleasant. It was unlikely any boy could remain unmoved by Zhong Tian.

She glanced at Li Jianren, who was already asleep behind Zhong Tian, and suddenly found herself imagining the two of them entwined in bed……

Cough……

Even though it was merely a thought, Yu Yinlian still felt a blush of embarrassment, and quickly reined in her mind, preventing it from straying further into such imaginings.

However, the harder she tried not to imagine it, the more persistent the images became in her mind.

‘…I’m sorry, Zhong Tian…’

Yu Yinlian, who had initially intended to enjoy the air conditioning a little longer, decided to leave and wait outside the dormitory for Zhong Tian to wake up.

****

Zhong Tian awoke.

He checked the time: one o’clock in the afternoon.

Afternoon classes began at one-thirty, so returning now to prepare would be perfect. He then nudged Li Jianren awake.

Li Jianren’s eyes snapped open, wide and round. His expression immediately brought to Zhong Tian’s mind Zhang Fei from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms……

“I… I’m hungry.”

“……I told you so.” Zhong Tian put on his shoes, stood up, quickly combed his hair, and tied it into a ponytail with a hair tie. “Go sort yourself out at the convenience store; I’m leaving now.”

“So sleepy……”

“If you’re really that sleepy, set an alarm and sleep a little longer.”

Zhong Tian exited through the back door onto the balcony, climbed over the railing, and headed back to the classroom along the path.

……

Yu Yinlian, who was sitting at the path’s intersection, heard footsteps. She immediately stood up, delighted, and stepped back into the real world.

“Zhong Tian!” She scurried over to him, her face alight with anticipation. “Do you still remember me?”

Startled by Yu Yinlian’s intensity, Zhong Tian could only nod blankly.

“That’s good……”

The heavy stone weighing on Yu Yinlian’s heart finally lifted. Zhong Tian was different from everyone else; even if she returned to the “Unobservable World” and then re-entered the real world, he wouldn’t forget her like the others.

However, if she wished to speak with Zhong Tian after this, she would have to step into the real world.

Alternatively, she could activate her ability on herself, just as she had last night.

“Is there something you need me for?” Zhong Tian inquired.

“Nothing in particular, it’s just……” Yu Yinlian pulled out a few dozen yuan in cash from her pocket and offered it to Zhong Tian. “Here’s your money back. I know it’s not enough, so please tell me how I can best compensate you……”

Zhong Tian looked at Yu Yinlian’s sincere expression, then paused in thought for a moment before gently pushing her hand, holding the money, back to her.

“I told you, the first time I help, it’s free.”

“But that’s not right… I spent so much of your money…” Yu Yinlian insisted. “And… you also seemed to suffer a pretty severe side effect from your ability because of me…”

“The money and the side effects are minor matters.”

Zhong Tian said this, intending to reassure her.

“But……”

“……Just pay me back when your finances are more comfortable in the future.”

“Comfortable… I don’t have any means of earning money…” Yu Yinlian sighed softly. “I can only step into the real world for ten minutes total each day… I can’t do any kind of job…”

“Not necessarily,” Zhong Tian said, looking thoughtful. “You can use your phone and computer in that world, so you could find some online work… like making videos or writing novels…”

Yu Yinlian listened to Zhong Tian’s words, a little dazed.

She had never considered earning money online before this.

‘I wonder if it would work……’

‘Because messages I send to friends in the unobservable world go unnoticed; they only discover them, and send back a question mark or a ‘Who is this?’, when I step into the real world.’

‘Novels and videos… perhaps they would be sent out, but no one would see them either……’

“It might… not work…”

Zhong Tian checked the time on his phone. “Mm… Let’s talk more after school. Class is about to start.”

“Alright.”

Yu Yinlian nodded, said goodbye to Zhong Tian, and, determined not to waste a single moment in the real world, immediately entered the “Unobservable World.”

Zhong Tian, still standing in place, suddenly looked puzzled, as if wondering why he had been standing there for so long.

Although Zhong Tian’s suggestion might not be feasible, it had inspired Yu Yinlian. She began to ponder what kind of work she could do, what kind of money she could earn, while in an unobservable state…

‘Hmm……’

‘I could collect scrap, or take on some handicraft work—as long as I communicate with people beforehand and keep written records. That way, even if they don’t remember me, just stating my identity and verifying it should solve the problem.’

‘What else……’

‘It also has to be something I can actually do……’

Yu Yinlian delved deeper into thought.

‘Fishing……’

Suddenly, the word popped into her mind, making her spirits plummet and a flicker of fear rise in her heart.

‘A fear of the ocean……’

But then she remembered the boat her parents had left behind.

‘……’

‘Perhaps, I could find my birth certificate, along with my ID, to prove my identity, legally inherit my parents’ boat, and then sell it……’

She shook her head, dismissing that option.

‘These things certainly can’t be done in ten minutes, and once I return to the “Unobservable World,” all my efforts would be for naught.’

‘Sigh… finding work in the real world is already hard enough, but now I have to make a living under these conditions; it’s truly too difficult……’

Although Yu Yinlian still felt somewhat lost, she believed she was better off than before; at least she had a general direction for her thoughts.

‘I’ll take it slowly……’

‘Until I find a way to support myself, I might have to rely on Zhong Tian for help……’

Thinking this, she returned to her dormitory and lay down on her bed.

‘If only I could spend more time in the real world……’