After he met Yu Jian, all the puzzles behind this door would be solved. But more importantly, Yu Jian once actively interacted with the ghost fetus before; they had shared the same body for a long time, and he understood the ghost fetus better than anyone else.

  The moment he stepped into the school, Chen Ge used his Yin Yang Vision. He memorized the faces of all the students, not letting one slip from his eyes. The bell rang for class, and Chen Ge filed into class rather unwillingly.

  “I heard you didn’t return home yesterday. What happened? Ran away from home?” Du Ming passed him a note. Chen Ge looked at it and crumpled it up. Even now, he had not understood the habit of passing note with dudes. The kid waved his fist at Chen Ge, but the latter ignored him and lowered his head to focus on the timetable taped on the desk. “English class is the third class, so I will have to stay in class for the first two periods, huh? That is such a waste of time.”


  Chen Ge formulated a plan for himself. He tossed it over to iron out the details and loopholes. After he made sure he was ready, he glanced at the clock on the wall. “How come only ten minutes has passed?”


  The world behind the door was made from his memories. Chen Ge suspected that this happened because he often spaced out in class and kept wishing for the school to end, so it created this impression of a long school day. That feeling that turned into reality behind the door.

  “Does this mean that time will move faster once school is over?”


  Carrying his backpack, Chen Ge wondered if the teacher would be angry if he just walked out like that. “There’s no reason to get in trouble with the school. Next time, I should just find an excuse to take leave from school.”


  It was math class, but Chen Ge’s table was filled with English homework. He was prepared for the third period already.

  “Hey.” Du Ming passed him another note. “What kind of club do you plan to join? Both of us are loners, so why not we join the same club? With a club activity, I’m sure we won’t be completely isolated.”


  “Club?”


  “Yesterday, after school, I saw some seniors giving out flyers. Some of the clubs even came to individual classes to get more members.” Chen Ge attended a private high school, so the system was rather different from public schools.

  “You can go to the classes if you’re promoting a club?” The fatty did not realize he had triggered an idea in Chen Ge’s mind. “I can use that as a cover to openly check every class then.”


  “How about chess club? There’s no physical exercise, and you can sit there and space out—isn’t it perfect?” Du Ming was not on the same wavelength as Chen Ge, but somehow, they managed to keep the conversation going. Finally, the period was over. Chen Ge grabbed the backpack and rushed out from the classroom. “I mustn’t waste the time during break. For someone who doesn’t have many friends, Yu Jian wouldn’t go anywhere and most likely stayed in class.”


  He ran through the first and second floor, but when he prepared to get up to the third floor, the bell rang. Chen Ge did not care for it and continued to look for Yu Jian. There were no students in the corridors. Chen Ge was like a teacher, carrying his bag, using his Yin Yang Vision, ‘floating’ through each classroom.

  “Stop right there! Which class are you from?” When Chen Ge reached the fourth floor, he was stopped by a middle-aged man. The man appeared to be the discipline teacher. He was the one who had introduced Zhang Ya to the class.

  “I am going to the toilet.”


  “Why are you carrying your bag to the toilet? You’re thinking about skipping class again, aren’t you?” The middle-aged man had a stern face. “Wait, what is inside your bag? Why is there a sharp corner? Open it now and let me check!”


  Chen Ge did not mind being caught being late, but he did not know how to explain the things in his backpack. The high heels were one thing. Even though they were bloodied, they looked expensive and sexy. Chen Ge could say that they were a gift; that should be a reasonable excuse. But how could he explain the hammer? A hobby? A way to defend himself? No matter how he looked at it, the explanation was lacking.

  “Well? Quickly open it!” The middle-aged man felt he had caught Chen Ge. He reached out to grab the bag. Chen Ge stared at the man’s balding head, wondering if he should end this interaction with a whack of the hammer. After dealing with so many murderers, Chen Ge had mastered the tricks of hiding a body to a certain degree. “With this one whack, this high school romance drama will officially turn into a mystery thriller.”


  Even though this was a world behind the door, Chen Ge had his own principles. He did not make his move but turned and ran. In a bizarre turn of events, Chen Ge, who was often chased by Red Specters behind the door, was now being chased by a balding middle-aged man.

  “I can’t resort to violence. Perhaps that is what the ghost fetus or Yu Jian want me to do. They wish to push me step by step toward the deep abyss.” The more he thought about it, the more he believed that. Chen Ge ran very fast, but the middle-aged man was fitter than he looked. He was running up to a dead end when a familiar voice came from the corner.

  “Chen Ge? Mr. Si?” Zhang Ya stood at the door to the teacher’s lounge, her eyes were filled with surprise. “What are you guys doing?”


  “Miss Zhang! Quick! Help me stop him! This is too much!” The middle-aged man gasped heavily for air. He held his back for support. It did not feel like much when he was doing the chasing, but when he stopped, it was as if his lungs were burning.

  “He wants to check my bag.” Chen Ge hid behind Zhang Ya. “I just wanted to go to the toilet, but he insisted on stopping me.”


  The middle-aged man heard Chen Ge. “You’re at school to learn! There must be something unrelated to school in your bag! If you’re innocent, let me check it!”


  Neither backed down, and it placed Zhang Ya in an awkward situation. “Please calm down, both of you. Mr. Si, you’d better slow down and catch your breath. Chen Ge might be naughty, but he’s not a bad kid.”


  Then she turned to Chen Ge. “You’d better go back to class now, and pay attention in class.”


  Zhang Ya was obviously giving Chen Ge a way out. This angered Mr. Si. “You’re not going anywhere! What’s inside your bag? How come you ran so fast once I said I wanted to check it?”


  One could not say that Mr. Si was wrong. He was just a stern teacher and felt responsible to the students.

  The atmosphere was tense. Zhang Ya did not know what to say. She whispered to Chen Ge, “Why don’t you tell me honestly if there’s anything illegal inside the bag?”


  “Teacher Zhang! Stop wasting time! Based on my years of teaching experience, there must be cigarettes inside the bag. Search it. I swear you will find some!” Mr. Si was so angry that the little hair he had left was standing upright.

  “I don’t have any cigarettes on me! I’m not even a smoker!” Chen Ge whined.

  “Why do you refuse to let me see it then?” Mr. Si walked toward him, and Zhang Ya turned toward Chen Ge.

  “Fine, if you want to know to see it so badly, I’ll let you see it!” Chen Ge pulled the zipper open and pulled out the red high heels and hugged it in his chest. “After my mom passed away. This is the only thing she left me. I just want to carry them with me because they remind me of her!”


  Keeping his head lowered, Chen Ge hugged the heels tighter, and he continued in a shaking voice. “I know how strange this looks. I am afraid that the other kids will make fun of me, but I just want a piece of her by my side. Have I done anything wrong?”


  Tears squeezed out from his eyes. Chen Ge shoved the heels back into his backpack and turned to run away. Zhang Ya and Mr. Si were frozen to the spot. They had complicated expressions, and neither chased after Chen Ge.