Chapter 760: Who

The school bell rang through the campus, the sunset painting the skyscraper-filled city in red.

Wei Yuan and Bao Yun did not leave; instead, they sat side by side on the railing of the main building's rooftop, watching half the library bathed in sunset light. Against the backdrop of crimson clouds, their silhouettes seemed destined to accompany each other until the end of time.

Behind them, Xiao Kongque crouched in the corner, holding a cigarette, frowning at it, then gathering courage to take a drag—only to choke and burst into coughing.

He did not give up; instead, he leaned against the wall, squatting, smoking intermittently.

If he turned his head, he could see the two sitting together. Xiao Kongque had not thought his current state was unusual, but since Bao Yun appeared, he found himself spending more and more time alone.

Just like now—the closer those two figures drew, the lonelier he felt. Xiao Kongque suddenly realized he had grown up: happiness and misfortune alike were revealed through contrast.

"The view is beautiful," Bao Yun murmured, leaning against Wei Yuan, who wrapped his arm around her waist, his hand naturally slipping beneath her shirt.

Bao Yun let out a soft laugh, lifting her arm to grant full access. Wei Yuan fumbled for a long time but could not map the contours of her body, distracted and flustered, only able to marvel.

Bao Yun said: "The gym or the grove?"

Wei Yuan pulled his hand back and said: "Not yet. We need to deal with a disgusting guy first. Let's go to the restroom."

The two quickly descended the stairs and vanished. Xiao Kongque was left alone on the rooftop, unable to believe they had simply abandoned him there. Watching the nearly set sun, he hurried downstairs and sprinted toward the school gate.

Staying on campus after dark was extremely dangerous; those who had done so in the past later became strangely altered.

At this moment, the teaching building was pitch black; some corridors were utterly dark. Only a few lights remained on, many broken, flickering erratically.

Wei Yuan pulled Bao Yun into the restroom, ignoring gender, and pushed the door open. Then he stood before the mirror, studying his reflection.

The mirror revealed a somewhat delicate boy, still youthful in appearance, yet his eyes held a calmness and steadiness utterly incongruous with his face. Beside him, Bao Yun remained radiant, her eyes full of light. The two looked barely compatible, mostly because Wei Yuan's body was lacking.

"Are you staying here? Time is running short."

As she spoke, Bao Yun braced her hands on the sink, leaning forward, lifting her head to gaze into the mirror, her school skirt flaring high behind her.

Wei Yuan reached beneath her skirt, pulled out a lighter from a side pocket, and said: "Wait. First, deal with that annoying guy."

Then Wei Yuan lit the lighter and began burning his left little finger. The searing pain surged through his entire body; his right hand desperately wanted to pull the lighter away, but Wei Yuan suppressed all bodily movement with sheer willpower, his mind serene, continuing the burning.

The agony made Wei Yuan's whole body tremble; he seemed to hear a cry from deep within. But even as his fingertip blackened and charred, the cry never came again.

The lighter grew scalding hot, about to explode; Wei Yuan finally turned it off.

Bao Yun had watched him the whole time and asked: "Didn't succeed?"

Wei Yuan said: "It has no escape route, so it's in its final frenzy. Burn a little longer and I can force it out—but then my little finger is ruined. Not worth it. Let's try another way. Help me."

"As much pain as possible, but minimal damage?"

"Yes."

"I'm not good at that."

"It's fine. Night is long. Let's find a target first to practice on. I heard there's a teacher on duty in the teaching building. Let's look—we should find one."

"Alright, let's go."

Wei Yuan and Bao Yun exited the restroom and saw the corridor nearly pitch black, with only a single light glowing at the far end staircase. The entire building was silent; outside the windows, night was utterly black, no stars, no lights.

The two moved in silence; the building was so quiet they could almost hear their own heartbeats, yet strange sounds occasionally echoed.

At the staircase, a noise suddenly came from above. Wei Yuan looked up, prepared to climb—but halfway through lifting his leg, his body returned to its original position on its own!

Wei Yuan pulled out a pen and plunged it straight into his thigh, half the barrel embedded! The intense, sharp, sudden pain made another cry echo from deep within his body.

Wei Yuan pulled out the pen, leaving a bloody hole in his thigh; the pain persisted. This time, when he climbed the stairs, there was no resistance.

The two followed the sound upward, reaching the floor above.

The sound came from a storage room at the corner, filled with rows of metal cabinets covered in plugs. Between the two rows sat a girl with long hair. She was the same girl Wei Yuan had seen that afternoon entering the library, inexplicably reappearing in the teaching building. Now she hugged her knees tightly, weeping softly.

"Why does everyone blame me? I… I didn't want this either! They lied to me! What should I do now? I'm still young—I don't want this baby…"

Wei Yuan and Bao Yun watched for a while; she remained buried in tears, unaware of them.

Wei Yuan shook his head: "This one isn't suitable for practice."

Bao Yun nodded. As they turned to leave, footsteps sounded in the corridor outside, and a voice called: "Where are you? Didn't I tell you to come to my office?"

The girl visibly trembled at the sound.

Bao Yun tugged Wei Yuan's sleeve; they hid behind the cabinets. No sooner had they concealed themselves than the door opened, revealing a short but heavily built man. His hair was messy, his beard unshaven for days, and he wore thick black-rimmed glasses.

"This one works," Wei Yuan said.

"Why?"

"He doesn't look like a good person. Besides, who else would still be here at midnight?"

Bao Yun looked at Wei Yuan: "You just dislike him, don't you?"

Wei Yuan admitted: "Yes. I only play with good-looking people."

Bao Yun looped her arm around Wei Yuan's neck and kissed him hard.

Then Wei Yuan appeared behind the man like a ghost, casually plucking a cable from a nearby cabinet.

The man stepped before the girl and snarled: "The school forbids early romance and pregnancy. I'm expelling you!"

"Director, they lied to me…"

"They have power and money—what do you have that's worth lying for? They'd never waste time on you! Come to my office!!"

The man reached for the girl—but his body suddenly hung in midair. Wei Yuan had looped the cable around his neck and hoisted him to the ceiling. During this, Wei Yuan's body resisted again, leaving another bloody hole on his arm.

Wei Yuan ripped open the principal's shirt and said to Bao Yun: "I'll test. You record."

"I can test too."

Wei Yuan shook his head: "He's too filthy. I don't want you touching him."

That night, the teaching building echoed with an especially shrill scream; countless shadows trembled in fear.

After a long time, Wei Yuan lay naked on a desk and said: "Come."

Bao Yun held a thin, needle-sharp yellow hair—just plucked—and said: "If you can't hold on, tell me."

"Impossible to hold on."

The yellow hair, straight as a needle, pierced Wei Yuan's fingertip, sinking deeper. Wei Yuan kept his eyes open, calmly watching the ceiling, yet his body writhed as if rats scurried beneath his skin, muscles twitching.

When the hair reached its end, Bao Yun pulled it out and inserted it into another finger.

Wei Yuan suddenly grunted, and a worm the size of a finger shot from his nostril. The worm tried to flee, but Wei Yuan seized it.

Wei Yuan opened his palm—the worm had turned to a pulp of flesh, upon which a boy's figure appeared, terrified and venomous, screaming: "I've suffered enough! Why treat me like this?"

Wei Yuan said: "I'm smarter than you, harder-working than you. Even the simplest act of enduring pain, you can't match me. So I can treat you however I please. Whether you suffer—what's that to me?"

"You all bully me! I—I won't stay in this country anymore! I'm leaving abroad!"

Wei Yuan smiled: "You're a waste here. You'll be a waste abroad too—still just someone to be bullied."

"Impossible! Once I leave, I'll become better!" The boy was nearly hysterical.

"But you can't leave."

"I will leave! This is my youth—my fate is mine to decide!"

Wei Yuan wiped the flesh pulp from his hand and flicked it onto the floor. The boy lunged at Wei Yuan—but could not move an inch from the pile.

"Since your resentment is so strong, I'll say a few more things—so you die with even greater regret. Look at yourself: poor, cowardly, only daring to vent on those who treat you well, bottom of the class, fighting, skipping class, just dreaming. Going abroad? Do you even have money for that?"

The boy pointed at Bao Yun: "She's my girlfriend! She'll give me money to go abroad!"

Wei Yuan pulled Bao Yun close and kissed her cheek.

The boy went mad: "Don't touch her! I'll kill you!" But he could not escape the pulp.

Wei Yuan laughed: "When we were kissing earlier, I blocked your perception—weren't you furious? Now I'm not blocking you, yet you perceive nothing at all."

Bao Yun coldly said: "Am I your tool?"

Wei Yuan froze—this was hard to answer. But before he could respond, Bao Yun took his hand and pressed it to her chest: "If yes, use me more!"

The boy screamed and thrashed wildly; his figure gradually turned pure black.

Wei Yuan said: "I avenged you, I studied for you, yet you tried to kill me and steal my fortune. So your downfall is entirely your own doing. Never mind the rest—just being last in your grade, you have no one to blame but yourself."

"Someone has to be first, someone has to be last! It just happened to be me! It's not my fault!"

Wei Yuan slightly shook his head: "You've learned plenty of sophistry. Fighting, skipping class, early romance, abortion—that's your youth, not mine, not ours. Youth belongs in classrooms, in libraries, in striving and physics."

As he spoke, Wei Yuan lit the lighter: "We still have to roll desks. No time to waste with you. Goodbye, master of this youth."

The lighter arced through the air, igniting the flesh pulp, flames roaring and illuminating the entire school. The boy's scream echoed repeatedly: "... I'll come back!"

Wei Yuan spread his hands: "I never intended for you to leave so soon—you haven't even finished reading the book!"

Bao Yun had stood quietly beside him. Now she asked: "You seem to really like physics."

Wei Yuan nodded: "Yes. I've found that when trying to convince others, physics works better than reason."

(End of Chapter)