After ninety-nine online romances, I finally met my ex in person when school started.

Wen Yiqing pressed the intercom.

Suddenly, an extremely sharp electrical hum echoed through the previously silent abandoned building.

Immediately afterwards, at the top of the dimly lit corridor on the first floor, several long-broken incandescent light bulbs suddenly began to flicker. The pale, cold light flashed in and out of the corridor, casting a gloomy and eerie glow on the peeling paint on the surrounding walls.

"Meow—"

A piercing, stray cat's cry suddenly erupted from the depths of the corridor, the sound loud and shrill.

The two sophomores carrying flashlights were so frightened that their legs trembled, and the beams of their flashlights swayed wildly against the wall.

Gu Qinghan's breathing became erratic instantly. She gripped Zhu Xunchuan's hand tightly, her palms damp with sweat. Even though she was a high-ranking counselor at Peking University, the deliberately created atmosphere of terror made her instinctively tremble.

Just then.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud suddenly came from the abandoned ventilation vent above.

A dummy head, with disheveled hair and a pale, blood-stained face, swung down from above the door frame, aiming precisely at Zhu Xunchuan and Gu Qinghan's faces.

The strands of hair from the wig were almost touching Gu Qinghan's glasses.

"what!"

Gu Qinghan let out a short gasp in fright. Her seven-centimeter red-soled high heels stepped on a pebble, her ankle twisted suddenly, and she lost her balance and fell to the side.

Zhu Xun Chuan's eyes remained calm. He had experienced real life-or-death battles in the Dragon Fang Brigade, so this level of fright was nothing to him.

His left hand shot out with lightning speed. His five fingers spread wide, and he grabbed the mannequin's neck. The terrifying prop, dangling in mid-air, froze instantly.

At the same time, he nimbly stretched out and swept with his right arm.

He firmly held Gu Qinghan's slender waist, which could be encircled by one hand.

With a surge of strength, Zhu Xun Chuan scooped up Gu Qing Han's slightly limp body from fright and pressed her directly into his broad, warm chest.

Gu Qinghan's cheek bumped against his shirt button, her nose filled with the man's clean and extremely aggressive scent.

Zhu Xun Chuan held the mannequin head in one hand. He glanced at the bloodstains on the prop in the light of his flashlight, then turned and handed the mannequin head to Wen Yi Qing, who was standing in front, ready to watch the show.

"Vice President Wen," Zhu Xun Chuan said with a composed smile, "the props are made of silicone, colored with blood, and with facial features molded. They are indeed quite realistic. However, the damping design of your hanging ropes is too poor; the falling speed is too fast and could easily injure someone."

Wen Yiqing frowned as she looked at the dummy head he handed her.

She had originally calculated that this trap would embarrass Zhu Xun Chuan. Who knew that this man was not only oblivious to fear, but also had an absurdly fast reaction speed.

Not only did it not scare him, it gave him a legitimate opportunity to hug his counselor.

At this moment, Gu Qinghan was still nestled in Zhu Xunchuan's arms.

After the initial shock, her senses returned. She then realized just how provocative their current position was.

Wen Yiqing was standing in front of her, with two second-year male students beside her. She, a dignified counselor in the School of Literature, was actually being held in the arms of a freshman, her body as limp as water.

Gu Qinghan's cheeks burned. She pressed her hands against Zhu Xunchuan's chest, trying to break free and stand up straight.

A sharp pain shot through her ankle, making it impossible to exert any strength. To make matters worse, Zhu Xun Chuan's large hand, which was gripping her waist, showed no sign of loosening its grip.

The beam of the flashlight shone in front of them, while their sides were in a dark blind spot.

Under the cover of night, Zhu Xun Chuan's fingers slid through the thin fabric of Gu Qing Han's trench coat to the most sensitive soft flesh on her waist.

The fingertips deliberately apply more pressure, gently rubbing and pressing.

A strong tingling sensation shot up my spine and straight to my brain.

Gu Qinghan's body trembled violently, and she almost let out a soft moan. She bit her red lips tightly, forcibly swallowing the shameful sound.

She dared not speak up to stop it. If she opened her mouth, her trembling voice would give away her unusual state, and the students in front would immediately notice the inappropriate relationship between the counselor and the freshman.

This extreme sense of immorality and crisis made Gu Qinghan's breathing rapid.

She could only secretly extend two fingers, pinch the soft flesh of Zhu Xun Chuan's lower back, and squeeze it hard as a silent warning.

Zhu Xun Chuan remained unfazed, even deliberately tensing his waist muscles to dig into her fingers. His hand around her waist lifted her even more brazenly.

"Ms. Gu just sprained her ankle." Zhu Xun Chuan looked at Wen Yi Qing, his tone serious. "I'll help her for a while."

Gu Qinghan turned her face into the darkness, her ears already burning red.

Wen Yiqing pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses. A hint of resentment flashed behind the lenses.

She could tell that Gu Qinghan had indeed sprained his ankle, but the way they were pressed so closely together made her feel that something was off. Her proud personality prevented her from swallowing her anger.

"This is just an appetizer." Wen Yiqing snorted coldly, turned and walked towards the stairwell. "Zhu Xunchuan, if you think this is easy, the main event is on the second floor. Stay close."

Two second-year male students swallowed hard and followed Wen Yiqing with gritted teeth.

Zhu Xun Chuan half-embraced Gu Qing Han and started walking.

In the narrow stairwell, light and shadow intertwine.

The beam of a flashlight swept across the wall, the peeling plaster distorting in the shadows. High heels and leather shoes echoed dully on the concrete steps, each sound a dull thud against the empty stairwell.

Gu Qinghan completely gave up struggling. The pain in her ankle, coupled with the eerie surroundings, caused her to shift most of her weight onto Zhu Xunchuan.

Feeling the strong, powerful hand around his waist, Gu Qinghan's fear miraculously subsided, replaced by an indescribable sense of security.

After climbing the last step, everyone stepped onto the landing on the second floor.

Wen Yiqing stopped in her tracks. She took out her walkie-talkie, preparing to notify the members lying in ambush on the second floor to activate the next mechanism.

Just then.

A sound suddenly came from the depths of the second-floor corridor, which should have been dark and quiet.

"Sizzle—sizzle—"

That's not a synthesized sound effect played from a speaker.

It was an extremely realistic sound, the friction of some heavy object being slowly dragged across a rough cement floor.

In this desolate, abandoned building, the sound was particularly jarring.

Wen Yiqing's expression changed instantly.

Her hand holding the walkie-talkie froze in mid-air. This wasn't part of the paranormal club's testing plan at all. The club member on the second floor, responsible for playing the ghost, should be hiding in the restroom at the far end right now.

The sound was getting closer and closer.

In the darkness, a dragging sound accompanied by heavy, shuffling footsteps approached the stairwell step by step.