Xuye Cheng stood under the eaves. Outside, the rain poured harder. He sighed helplessly, gazing at the damp ground. His mood sank again.

He was soaked through and through.

Xuye Cheng tugged at his dripping clothes. A chilly sensation spread across his skin. The soaked fabric clung to him. He never expected the rain to be this heavy.

He was drenched like a drowned rat.

At this thought, irritation flared in his chest.

He needed to return to his dorm to shower and change. Pulling out his phone, he checked the time. Only half an hour left before his shift.

Xuye Cheng suddenly didn’t want to go.

But he had no money. He had to go.

Just then, the rain intensified.

Xuye Cheng’s gaze grew hazy. He wrung out his clothes. His hair stuck to his forehead. He didn’t bother fixing it. Head down, he stared at his phone, praying inwardly for the rain to ease.

After a few minutes, the downpour lessened. Xuye Cheng was about to dash back to his dorm when a tap landed on his shoulder.

He turned around. He saw that calm face. He Xiaohan’s deep-set eyes met his, his nose high and straight. The corners of his eyes lifted slightly, a smile forming.

“Brother Cheng, share my umbrella,” He Xiaohan said.

Xuye Cheng froze for a moment. He Xiaohan moved closer, his hand resting on Xuye’s shoulder.

“I’m soaked through,” Xuye Cheng warned.

“No problem,” He Xiaohan replied, stepping forward. Xuye belatedly followed.

“Weren’t you gone already?” Xuye Cheng asked, puzzled.

“Yeah. Saw you had no umbrella. Came back for you,” He Xiaohan answered. He lowered his voice slightly, his tone gaining a rhythmic cadence.

“Too late. I’m already drenched,” Xuye Cheng joked with a laugh.

Perhaps due to He Xiaohan’s natural charm, Xuye always saw him smiling at everyone. Though it might be fake, it genuinely lifted his mood.

After all, He Xiaohan wasn’t hard to look at.

“But better than walking back in the rain, right?” He Xiaohan added.

“Thanks,” Xuye Cheng said after a pause.

“Back to the dorm?”

“Yeah,” Xuye Cheng replied. “Where else? I’m soaked like this.” Helplessness flickered in his expression.

“We could take a romantic stroll on the sports field. Very fitting. Don’t you think it’s romantic?” He Xiaohan teased.

Xuye Cheng couldn’t fathom his thoughts. “What’s romantic about two grown men?”

“Romance is an atmosphere. A state of being—free, poetic,” He Xiaohan explained patiently.

Xuye Cheng chuckled again, realizing it was a joke.

“If you get soaked too, I’ll join you.”

“No thanks. I just changed my clothes,” He Xiaohan refused earnestly.

“That’s hilarious,” Xuye Cheng laughed.

Admittedly, this banter eased his gloom considerably.

“Hurry up. If the rain picks up again, it’ll be bad,” He Xiaohan reminded.

“I think I have longer legs,” Xuye Cheng said, quickening his pace.

He Xiaohan was most useful at times like this.

Xuye Cheng mused inwardly. His mood grew complex again.

He Xiaohan… if he didn’t see his fickle side, Xuye truly thought there was nothing to fault about him.

Xuye Cheng returned to the dorm. Zheng Wenxuan and Liu Xianlin were about to leave. Hearing the door, they looked up. Seeing Xuye drenched like a drowned rat, they froze.

“You forgot your umbrella?” Zheng Wenxuan asked blankly.

“Yeah. Didn’t notice when I left,” Xuye Cheng said. He walked to his wardrobe, opened it, grabbed clothes, rolled them up, and headed to the bathroom.

That night, Xuye Cheng didn’t fall asleep until midnight. But he still set his alarm for seven a.m.

Fewer people would be around then.

The alarm rang. His head felt foggy, but his body sat up. Exhaustion weighed him down. His mood was in shambles, like a chicken coop ravaged by a weasel.

He ran a hand through his hair. The dorm was dim. His three roommates slept soundly. Zheng Wenxuan and Liu Xianlin’s snores rose and fell.

He slipped out of bed quietly. Changed out of his pajamas. Grabbed the mask and slipped out.

Xuye Cheng glanced at the soft ruler in his hand. He yawned lazily, wondering how long it had been since he woke this early.

Their campus was large. Xuye Cheng walked everywhere. Having a bike like He Xiaohan would be nice, but bikes cost money. So he didn’t buy one.

He passed through the small grove. Usually crowded with couples, now only sparrows fluttered from the branches.

The early morning campus was serene. Xuye Cheng strolled slowly on the cobblestone path. Near the teaching building, sunlight hit the fountain, casting rainbow glimmers.

At the path’s end, a cleaning lady set down her broom. She sat by the green belt, lifted her water cup, and took a sip.

Xuye Cheng’s irritation melted away. His mood calmed with the scene.

He slipped into the lab building. Climbed the stairs. The silence was eerie. Unbidden, ghost stories from short videos flickered in his mind.

He didn’t believe them much. But the mask in his hand was supernatural proof. Ghosts might exist.

A chill ran down his spine.

Each footstep echoed in the stairwell.

Better finish fast and leave.

Xuye Cheng climbed a few more floors. He peered down the pitch-black corridor. A pale white figure at the end made his scalp tingle.

He focused. Just a human skeleton specimen.

Damn. Who left this at the door?

Xuye Cheng breathed a silent sigh of relief. He plunged into the restroom.

The lighting was slightly better here. He entered a stall in the men’s room. Put on the mask. His clothes instantly loosened and sagged.

“What a hassle…” Xuye Cheng sighed. His voice came out clear and melodious, like a skylark’s song.