Chapter 22: He Yuzhu Scared Out of His Wits

"Oh, Teacher Ran, hello, hello, is your bike broken?" He Yuzhu smiled as he stepped forward to strike up a conversation with Teacher Ran, who was squatting on the ground watching the master repair her bike.

"Ah, the rim is warped. Who might you be?" Teacher Ran stood up in a hurry, a smile on her face.

To tell the truth, in He Yuzhu's heart, Teacher Ran was the partner most suited to him—well-read and polite, gentle and refined, with outstanding temperament and a mild temper; she was far better than the others.

Furthermore, she was a teacher. If he worked hard to maneuver things, perhaps he could get her transferred to his own alma mater in Handong. By then, hehe, Houzi?!

Living a second life, aside from what should be cherished, it was nothing more than those few unfinished little obsessions from his previous life.

"Me? I'm Jia Geng's uncle. You see, Jia Geng was arrested for arson, and now that he's just been bailed out, I wanted to ask you: the school won't make things difficult for him, will it?" He Yuzhu asked, appearing casual.

"Ah? Jia Geng was arrested? When did this happen?" Teacher Ran looked astonished; no wonder she hadn't seen that troublemaker Jia Geng lately.

"So you didn't know? It's my fault for having a loose tongue, my fault for having a loose tongue. I was just worried about the child's future, look at this mess, you see." He Yuzhu wore a look of annoyance and kept lightly patting his own mouth.

"It's fine, it's fine, don't hit yourself. I know you meant well, but I really didn't know about this. Teacher Yan too, not saying a word about such a big matter. No, I have to go tell the principal. Oh, but my bike..." Teacher Ran thanked him in a flurry, walked a few steps, then walked back, looking at her bicycle with a troubled expression.

"Uh, is it really that important? If not, why don't you ride my bike? I'll watch yours for you, and when you have time, we can swap back. How about that, Teacher Ran?"

"Really? Then I truly thank you, but where is your bike?" Teacher Ran didn't state the specific reason, just kept thanking him.

"It's fine, you wait here. I'll go get the bike right now, it'll be quick. I live in the same Siheyuan as Bang Geng and the others, I'll be right back."

"I'll go with you, I feel too embarrassed otherwise."

"That works too. Teacher Ran, don't be so formal with me. Calling me 'you' (formal) makes me feel awkward. Haha, my name is He Yuzhu, I'm a Deputy Director at the Rolling Mill. Just call me Brother He."

"Hi, so you're actually a leader. Then I won't stand on ceremony. Thank you, Brother He. It works out well, I was going to pay a home visit to Jia Geng's family anyway."

"Then you mustn't sell me out! I really let that slip by accident." He Yuzhu looked annoyed and bowed with cupped hands, which made Teacher Ran laugh out loud, and she agreed repeatedly.

Teacher Ran followed He Yuzhu all the way to the Siheyuan. He Yuzhu pointed to Qin Huairu's pitch-black room, then tiptoed to move his own bicycle to the side, pointed outside, and quietly walked out; he had to go watch Teacher Ran's bike.

Teacher Ran nodded knowingly, revealing a faint smile, while a trace of curiosity about He Yuzhu surfaced in her heart.

Shaking her head, Teacher Ran stepped forward and knocked on Qin Huairu's door: "Hello, I am Jia Geng's homeroom teacher. Is anyone home?"

The wooden door creaked open from the inside, giving Teacher Ran a start. Then, a fishy, foul stench wafted from the room. By the light in the Courtyard, Teacher Ran saw Qin Huairu with disheveled hair, an expressionless face, and blood-red lips.

Qin Huairu's voice was somewhat hoarse as she said: "Teacher Ran is here, please come in."

Then she stepped to the side, stood by the wooden door without turning on the light, and stared at Teacher Ran in silence.

At this moment, Teacher Ran felt her legs were as heavy as ten thousand catties; she couldn't lift them at all, and her heart began to pound.

Managing to squeeze out a smile, Teacher Ran asked: "Why not turn on the light so late, Jia Geng's mother?"

"Hehehe, forgot to pay the electricity bill, the power is out. Come in." Qin Huairu chuckled, turned her head, and walked into the darkness.

Teacher Ran let out a sigh of relief and, enduring her fear, walked inside.

Just two steps into the room, there was a *whoosh* sound, and an orange light flared up in front of her face, illuminating Qin Huairu's blood-red, pale, oval face behind it.

Teacher Ran was scared out of her wits, cried "Mom!" and ran out. She didn't even care about riding He Yuzhu's bike, kept turning her head as she ran, and even lost one of her shoes.

Along the way, Teacher Ran endured the pain in her feet, wiped her tears, and ran non-stop to the Repair Shop. She threw herself into He Yuzhu's arms and began to tremble, unable to stop saying "Th-th-this..."

"Uh, Teacher Ran, although I know I'm excellent, isn't this a bit too fast for us?" He Yuzhu looked confused, while the old man at the Repair Shop smiled and opened his mouth, missing his front teeth.

"Ch-ch-ch-ch." Teacher Ran looked terrified, her teeth clattering together, unable to say a single word.

Seeing this, He Yuzhu hurriedly hugged her tightly and kept using his warm, large hands to give her strength. After a long while, Teacher Ran finally recovered.

"Teacher Ran, don't worry, what happened? Tell me slowly." On the side, He Yuzhu comforted her gently.

"Th-thank you, *huff*, there's something dirty. Qin Huairu, *gulp*, she... she... she isn't right." Teacher Ran swallowed hard, the fear in her eyes impossible to hide.

"Hi, that can't be, I saw her before I left. Are you overthinking it?" He Yuzhu laughed.

"No, it's not that. Believe me, her house isn't clean, there is definitely something dirty. Listen to me." Teacher Ran endured her terror and explained carefully to He Yuzhu.

*Clang. * A wrench dropped to the ground from the repairman, startling the two who were focused on the conversation. Then they saw the old man smiling, shaking his head, and walking into the shop.

The two had just sighed about how bold the old man was.

When they saw the old man come back out holding a bronze Buddha statue, muttering "Amitabha" constantly, and both were speechless again.

To tell the truth, regarding these things, He Yuzhu was more afraid than anyone else; otherwise, how could he explain his transmigration? This was also something he had been desperately avoiding thinking about.

He didn't expect Teacher Ran to point it out today, and suddenly, fear began to rise in his heart as well.

The unknown is what is most terrifying.

"Cough, cough, old man, is it really that serious?" He Yuzhu's voice had changed.

"Hehe, you two are still young and haven't been in Sijiucheng long. Have you heard the story of the No. 12 residence? Have you heard of the Dragon-Locking Well? Have you heard of the ancient soldiers passing through? Have you heard of the yellow weasel begging for a title? Some things are very sinister." The old man held the Buddha statue, looking mysterious.

He Yuzhu swallowed his saliva, forced a smile, and said: "How sinister? Old man, tell us, for example?"

Teacher Ran, while patting He Yuzhu, also looked at the repairman with curiosity while enduring her fear.

The old man's tone became even deeper and more mysterious, revealing a frightening smile, his eyes showing a strange green light, and then he said: "For example, you, the one in front of the screen, are currently holding your phone with one hand, lying on the bed with your legs crossed, or perhaps you are squatting on the toilet, *hehehe*."

He Yuzhu immediately scoffed; he had waited so long for this? He spat on the ground—an old charlatan.

Finally, after waiting a long time for the bike to be repaired, He Yuzhu paid with a look of disdain and took the frightened Teacher Ran back to the teacher's dormitory. After she turned on the light, He Yuzhu secretly left behind a fountain pen before leaving alone.

Along the way, feeling the gusts of cold wind, He Yuzhu shivered. Could it really be that sinister?

Only after carefully returning to the Siheyuan did He Yuzhu let down his guard, but as soon as he saw Qin Huairu's pitch-black room, he became afraid again.

What Teacher Ran said, combined with some horror movies he had seen in his later life, caused various scenes to surface in his mind, and cold sweat broke out instantly.

It wasn't that he was cowardly, it was just that he couldn't explain his transmigration—it was too miraculous! And the system, and the supernatural creatures!

If you say there are no gods, he really has his doubts. If there are gods, it means there are...

He didn't dare to think anymore. He Yuzhu used the light to go to the toilet. As soon as he squatted down, he felt as if he were sitting in someone's lap, and that person was holding him like a toilet.

Enduring his fear, He Yuzhu kept silently repeating that it was all an illusion, but the real sensation made his scalp tingle.

Finishing quickly, He Yuzhu left the toilet without looking back. Fortunately, he didn't run into anyone asking him for red toilet paper or green toilet paper, otherwise, he would have been scared out of his wits.

Feeling his way through the dark, He Yuzhu quietly entered Yushui's room, which was shrouded in darkness.

Enduring the urge to turn on the light, He Yuzhu neurotically laughed out loud twice in the room and then said to himself: "A real man faces things head-on! The best way to eliminate fear is to face fear directly. Let's go!"

Then he climbed onto the bed and curled his whole body into the quilt. Dirty things don't attack people in quilts; this is an international convention, everyone please remember.

After lying there for a while, He Yuzhu calmed his mood, feeling a bit amused by his own cowardice.

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew toward He Yuzhu's ear, and at the same time, an eerie "hee-hee-hee" sound rang out right beside his ear.

"Gah!" He Yuzhu rolled his eyes back and fainted.