“The library?” Le Jun asked in confusion. “Didn’t we say we were going to the cafeteria to grab food first?”
“Do you really think I can stomach food right now?” Ye Li shot him an exasperated glare, her gaze shooting daggers brimming with murderous intent.
Le Jun was rendered speechless.
Sure enough, all that pitiful vulnerability earlier was just his imagination!
Even so, after heading downstairs, Ye Li still stopped by a vending machine to buy a large bottle of mineral water.
She had noticed last time that anything carried on their persons remained intact even past six o'clock, neither rotting nor disappearing.
Like the watch on her wrist and the chocolate in Le Jun’s pocket; both had stayed intact.
Eating was out of the question for now, but taking in a bit of the source of life was still necessary.
Having spent so long vomiting earlier, her mouth tasted awful.
On the way to the library, Ye Li gave Le Jun a rough summary of what had happened afterward.
When he heard that the person she met was Qi Yezhou, Le Jun’s expression turned noticeably peculiar.
“What is it?” Ye Li asked, keenly catching his shift in mood.
“Nothing...” Le Jun shook his head. “We just had some friction before. It’s not really a big deal.”
Seeing that he didn't seem keen on elaborating, Ye Li didn't press the matter.
Both were prominent figures at school, both in the proud and willful throes of adolescence. Clashing like flint and steel, it was only natural for some friction to exist between them.
The school library was on the third floor of the comprehensive building, built with an open-floor design and an expansive layout.
Right past the entrance was the circulation desk, where a teacher on duty handled book loans and returns.
Beyond that lay the reading area, where eight rows of long tables were arranged side by side with facing seats, capable of accommodating roughly a hundred students.
The back half of the floor was the stacks, lined on both sides with rows of wooden bookshelves crammed with books. Without even checking, one could guess the vast majority were study materials.
When Ye Li and Le Jun arrived, there weren't many students in the library—only about twenty or so, scattered in twos and threes at the reading area's long tables.
Students who showed up at this hour were usually planning to stay straight through until closing time at eight-thirty.
The school permitted students to skip evening self-study in their homerooms and remain in the library to study, provided they registered with their academic representative beforehand.
“He’s over there.” Le Jun spotted their target immediately and pointed him out to Ye Li.
Just as he was about to head over, the girl behind him stopped him. “Wait!”
Le Jun turned back, puzzled. “What's wrong?”
“Something’s off.” Ye Li’s brows furrowed slightly.
Right now, Qi Yezhou was sitting at a long table in the third row of the reading area with a stack of books before him. He had his head down, scribbling away in a notebook, looking entirely engrossed in his studies. No matter how one looked at him, he didn't resemble someone about to face death.
This wasn't right!
“Let’s find a seat first,” Ye Li murmured, heading toward the stacks in the back, deciding to wait and see what would happen.
Having noticed the abnormality as well, Le Jun hurried to follow.
Both grabbed a random book from the shelf and sat down at the last row of long tables.
There was a clock in the library, mounted on a wall beside the reading area.
Right now, the minute hand had already passed the 10, leaving less than ten minutes until six o’clock.
Ye Li casually propped the open book on the table, pretending to read, but her attention remained fixed on Qi Yezhou.
She had never seen Luo Jiajia, and Le Jun didn't know her either. With a dozen or so girls present, it was impossible to tell who she was, so she could only focus on keeping watch on the top student.
Seconds ticked by, and Qi Yezhou remained quiet the entire time.
It was not until the minute hand pointed to the 11 that the hand holding his pen suddenly froze, and he jerked his head up.
As if abruptly waking from a dream, his expression froze for an instant!
And at the exact same time...
Not far from him, a girl wearing thick glasses suddenly jumped up from her seat and dashed toward Ye Li and Le Jun without a word.
Seeing this, Qi Yezhou’s face changed drastically.
He scrambled to his feet and bolted after her.
One after the other, they rushed right past Ye Li and Le Jun, diving into the labyrinth of bookshelves.
“Let’s go!”
Ye Li’s eyes flickered, and she sprang into motion, immediately gesturing for Le Jun to follow.
The girl sprinted all the way to the very back of the stacks, yanked open a door there, slipped inside, and swung the door shut behind her.
Hot on her heels, Qi Yezhou reacted just as quickly, instinctively thrusting his foot into the crack of the door.
A surge of searing pain made Qi Yezhou let out a muffled groan, but he successfully blocked the door from slamming shut.
“Luo Jiajia, open the door!” he barked in a low voice, pushing against the door with both hands.
“I won’t!”
The girl named Luo Jiajia refused to give up, throwing her entire weight against the door from inside in an effort to force it closed.
Her voice was resolute, brimming with fury. “If someone has to die, you die! I’m never trusting you again!”
Their commotion had already drawn the attention of others, with several students craning their necks to peek over.
Ye Li and Le Jun, having caught up, stood off to the side watching the drama unfold, showing not the slightest inclination to help.
Interest even sparkled in Ye Li’s eyes.
A little infighting was rather entertaining, after all!
“You don’t have to go this time! There are two other people—they’re right here!” Qi Yezhou tried to persuade her.
Startled by his words, Luo Jiajia peeked out through the crack of the door and indeed saw two people standing behind him.
Yet she still hesitated.
Beside them, Ye Li spoke up at just the right moment, her expression completely indifferent. “Leaving it closed is fine too. Time is almost up anyway. Worst comes to worst, we all die together and start over.”
And when that time came, there was no telling who would run faster!
Those words clearly hit Luo Jiajia’s weak spot. Biting her lip, she finally relented. “Then have them go. Once they’re done pushing, I’ll open the door.”
“Then ease up first! How am I supposed to leave when my foot is trapped?!” Qi Yezhou gritted out through clenched teeth, his face pale from pain.
Only then did Luo Jiajia ease up slightly, allowing Qi Yezhou to yank his foot back.
“There’s no time! Le Jun, come with me!”
Qi Yezhou’s face was as grim as could be. Spitting out the words in a rush, he limped off as fast as his injured foot could carry him.
“I’m heading over then,” Le Jun whispered to Ye Li before jogging after him.
With no intention of following them, Ye Li stepped forward and knocked on the door. “They’re already gone. You can open the door now.”
With a creak, the door opened a crack.
Luo Jiajia peered through the gap. Seeing only a petite girl left outside holding nothing more than a large water bottle, she hesitated a moment before finally opening the door.
Ye Li glanced inside. It was merely a storage room, not very large at roughly ten square meters, filled with discarded, worn-out books and three damaged bookshelves.
She immediately stepped forward and stationed herself right in the doorway.
On the other side, Le Jun followed Qi Yezhou all the way back to the reading area.
“Wait for me here!”
The moment they stepped out of the stacks, Qi Yezhou tossed out the instruction and dashed back to his seat to pack his backpack.
But just as he barely finished packing, the death-knell chime of the clock echoed in his ears—dong... dong... dong...
Qi Yezhou’s face drained of color. Slashing the backpack onto his shoulder, he sprinted back, shouting at the top of his lungs:
“Quick, knock the bookshelves over! Push them down!”
Catching on instantly, Le Jun whipped around and threw himself against the nearest bookshelf, shoving it with all his might.
Rate on N.U.
