Since only his left hand was injured, Lin Qing’s daily life wasn’t affected.

After returning home, he carried on with his usual routine as if nothing had changed.

If there was one difference...

When he woke up early that morning, Lin Qing first checked the injury on his palm to see if it had started bleeding again.

If the wound had gotten worse, he’d have to go back to the hospital.

Luckily, though the wound was deep, it hadn’t gotten any worse.

The pain had only grown stronger with time, constantly reminding Lin Qing of everything he’d been through.

The nurse murdered over love. Su Yao, who wouldn’t leave him alone.

And that very strange red skull.

Like tangled thorns, they covered the path in last night’s dream, forcing Lin Qing to tread heavily on them with bare feet. Blood ran freely, yet he couldn’t escape.

Fortunately, the nightmare didn’t last.

Halfway through the dream, the familiar Black-Faced Man and the cage appeared again, and Lin Qing actually felt a little comforted.

Then, when he woke, everything quickly faded away.

He was back in reality.

He’d left the hospital two days ago. In the meantime, Lin Qing had found some time to visit the police station. He turned down the police’s offer of a public commendation at school, took the reward money and certificate, and left.

There was no need for all that empty ceremony.

He cared more about what was practical.

With these five thousand yuan coming in, he wouldn’t have to worry about the next few months.

At least he wouldn’t go hungry.

Since the wound on his palm hadn’t gotten worse, it was time for him to go back to school.

School wasn’t as peaceful and wonderful as he’d imagined, but Lin Qing didn’t dislike going.

He liked the lively atmosphere in his class, too.

And he’d get to see Su Yao.

At the thought of Su Yao, Lin Qing felt his heart beat a little faster. His expression grew excited, and his eyes gleamed beneath his black hair.

Lin Qing still disliked Su Yao, but he was also deeply curious about her.

To be precise...

He was curious about the skull above her head.

Lin Qing had seen plenty of skulls floating above people’s heads. They were either white or black, with no exceptions.

But now, there it was!

It was like finding a problem in your own field of expertise. The surprise made it all the more fascinating, and you couldn’t help wanting to solve it.

Still, Su Yao’s unusual nature wasn’t the only thing he needed to keep an eye on.

Though she’d failed to kill him at the hospital, she’d revealed that something was wrong with her.

And “wrong” wasn’t a compliment.

It was an insult.

Something was wrong with her, yet she could regain her senses.

Then go right back to pretending she was an ordinary person.

But even a sane madwoman was still a madwoman.

She couldn’t become an ordinary person.

How much longer could Su Yao keep herself under control?

What would change after she actually killed someone?

Lin Qing didn’t even dare think about things like that. He could only do his best to keep Su Yao from killing anyone.

If she killed, he’d stop her.

And if he couldn’t stop her, he’d deal with that then.

“According to our reporters, the number of missing children in this city has risen into the double digits and continues to climb. The police have dispatched additional…”

As he thought about all this, the sound of the TV brought Lin Qing’s thoughts to a halt.

He watched the news, quickly finished the slice of bread in his hand, then immediately turned off the TV. It was time to go to school.

Lin Qing didn’t want to draw attention to himself. He just wanted to get on with a quiet school life.

But after he’d been hospitalized for suddenly convulsing and passing out, he was now back at school with his hand wrapped in bandages...

That was bound to draw some attention!

But then he remembered how little anyone noticed him in class, and figured he was probably overthinking it.

At most, his annoying deskmate would make fun of him.

Thinking of his deskmate, Wang Fanran, Lin Qing sighed quietly. He’d already left home, so he picked up his pace and soon reached the school gates.

It was the morning rush, so the school gates were crowded with students. Most of them only glanced curiously at Lin Qing’s bandaged hand before hurrying off to their classrooms.

No one paid him much attention.

Everyone went on copying homework or chatting with their classmates.

Everything was orderly.

Lin Qing quietly took his seat and looked at the cheerful scene in the classroom. His mood lifted along with it.

It was like the wind had swept the clouds away, letting sunlight spill over the earth again.

Lin Qing relaxed, too, and slumped softly over his desk.

It was bliss.

“Su Yao, come look at this bracelet! Isn’t it pretty? I made it myself~”

But the moment Lin Qing heard Su Yao’s name, he sat up straight.

He looked up at Su Yao as she entered the classroom. She was as beautiful as ever, her perfect proportions—slender waist and long legs—tracing a figure that was hard to look away from.

Su Yao seemed like a queen by nature, effortlessly drawing everyone’s gaze, as if she entered the room beneath a dazzling aura of nobility.

But Lin Qing only cared about what was above her head.

Among the ten skulls, the red one hadn’t disappeared. It still floated motionless in midair.

It stood out sharply against the other nine, impossible to miss.

Nine days had passed, and the red skull still hadn’t disappeared.

It seemed it wasn’t going to disappear anytime soon, either.

That only made it more and more intriguing.

“It’s really pretty.”

As Su Yao spoke, her attention was on Lin Qing. When she saw him staring straight at her, she gave him a light wink.

Lin Qing had been gone for two days without a word, and now he’d suddenly come back to school.

What a delightful surprise~

The corners of Su Yao’s lips lifted as she winked. It was definitely a prank.

“Oh my god, was the goddess Su just winking at me? My heart hurts—that’s what falling in love feels like!”

“Bullshit! She was obviously looking at me!”

“In that split second, I even picked out names for our future kids. I’ve never felt so fulfilled!”

“Guys are so gross. What are you even thinking?”

Hearing the commotion around him, Lin Qing quickly looked away. He didn’t dare keep staring at Su Yao.

Aside from Su Yao’s personality, she was also the center of attention in their class—the kind of person who could easily attract trouble.

For now, he was relieved that Su Yao hadn’t come straight over to him. At least she was keeping her promise from the hospital.

Before seeing her, Lin Qing had been a little worried she’d do something reckless.

“Hehe, Su Yao’s gorgeous, isn’t she? But no matter how much you look, she’ll never be yours. Keep dreaming.”

Just as Lin Qing was thinking about all this, a familiar voice suddenly sounded beside him.

Lin Qing instinctively frowned. He’d managed to avoid the trouble that was Su Yao, but there was no escaping his deskmate, Wang Fanran.