Chapter 46: Orphan Resentment (Part 6)

The four men thought back to what had just happened in the cafeteria. Shen Qingqiu had finished Xiao Muyu’s meat for her, and Zhang Yangfeng did the same for Yang Rui. Now they were all sharing rooms. They had a basic understanding there were two close pairs in this instance. They couldn’t help but wonder at the odds of that.

They quickly picked their rooms. Liu Pei and Huang Junfeng shared one room, while Hou Liang and Jia Wenlong shared another. Due to safety reasons, all four rooms were on the right, next to each other.

There was no clock in the dorm, and they couldn’t bring in their real-world watches, so they could only estimate the time for now.

When they entered the room, Xiao Muyu closed the door and looked at Shen Qingqiu. Casually, she asked, “Are you feeling any discomfort?”

Shen Qingqiu glanced at her hand, about to say something, until she realized Xiao Muyu was asking about her reaction to eating the meat. She smiled and shook her head. “No, I feel fine. Don’t worry.”

Xiao Muyu inhaled deeply and blandly denied, “I’m not worried. I need to know what might happen tonight.”

“That’s why I told you not to worry. I’ll be vigilant.” Still smiling, Shen Qingqiu chose not to call her out.

Xiao Muyu didn’t say anything more. After a moment of thought, she walked to the door and opened it.

“What’s wrong? Need to do something?” It was close to seven o’clock, and everything outside looked dark and gloomy because of the rainy weather. The only light in the orphanage was a dim streetlamp at the main gate. It illuminated a small area while the rest was shrouded in shadow. It was not the right time or place for anyone to move around alone.

“I’m going to get our clothes back. We’ll be here for several days. It’s better to wear our things,” Xiao Muyu said, leaving Shen Qingqiu speechless. However, she knew Xiao Muyu could be particular about things. Xiao Muyu didn’t seem like the type to be headstrong without a reason. So Shen Qingqiu replied, “I’ll go too. I have no idea where my clothes went.” The thought of it made her feel ill at ease.

The two daring women went downstairs to the first floor. They found that Old Sang hadn’t lied about staying on the first floor. His room light was on.

Shen Qingqiu knocked on the door. When Old Sang saw them, his expression changed, and he scolded them sternly, “Didn’t I tell you not to wander around?”

Xiao Muyu pursed her lips before saying softly, “It’s almost time to wash up. We wanted to wash our clothes. Could you take us to where they are, please?”

Old Sang looked momentarily surprised but didn’t say much. He went back into his room for the keys. His room was tidy, with only a bed and a small table. On the table was an old-fashioned flashlight and something that looked like a baton, likely his patrolling gear.

While he was getting the keys, Xiao Muyu noticed a row of keys hanging on the wall, varying in size and design. Two rings of keys stood out on the outer side, both of similar size and design, like the kind a school dorm supervisor would have. She counted and saw that each ring had ten keys.

With her keen eyesight, Xiao Muyu noticed that each key ring had a small label. One was marked with a ‘2’ and the other with a ‘3’. She quickly made the connection and guessed what areas those keys might open.

She glanced over the row of hooks and noticed one empty, as if a set of keys hadn’t been returned.

Old Sang took one of the key rings. As he approached, Xiao Muyu noticed each key had a small label. Faded from age, they were hard to read.

When Old Sang opened the laundry room door, they could finally make out the faint letters spelling ‘Laundry Room’ on one key label.

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu returned to the second floor with their dirty clothes, but not before Old Sang reminded them again to be careful.

“I’m more convinced that teaming up with you was the best decision I ever made. There are probably very few in Skynet World with minds like yours.” Shen Qingqiu had found it odd that Xiao Muyu wanted to get the clothes at that moment, but it all made sense once they went.

“Picking up some clothes has nothing to do with being clever.” Xiao Muyu pretended not to catch Shen Qingqiu’s meaning.

Shen Qingqiu didn’t press her but smiled as they passed the locked washrooms on the second floor. Lifting her head as Xiao Muyu had done earlier, she shrugged and said, “We don’t have a clock to tell us if they’ve finished washing up yet, and we can’t hear a thing from here. Should we go up and check?”

Xiao Muyu glanced at her wordlessly. She directly opened the door to the second room on the right. After Shen Qingqiu entered, Xiao Muyu raised the stopwatch in her hand and said concisely, “I started timing when we left the cafeteria. It’s been twenty-eight minutes now— almost time.”

Shen Qingqiu gave her a thumbs-up.

After they closed the door, they could faintly hear Hou Liang and Jia Wenlong talking in the next room. This old building had less than stellar soundproofing. The sounds of doors closing and someone coughing were distinctly audible.

When Shen Qingqiu also noticed this problem, her expression cooled slightly. She lowered her voice and said, “Looks like we’ll have to whisper if we don’t want to get overheard.”

Xiao Muyu gave no response, knowing she didn’t need to say anything for Shen Qingqiu to understand.

A few minutes later, once it was almost time, the two women went upstairs together, carrying their dirty clothes to wash. Before long, Yang Rui joined them.

The three stopped at the doorway instead of rushing in. They instinctively took a moment to observe the interior layout. A cement platform about thirty centimeters (one foot) high by the entrance served as a makeshift bench for changing shoes, like ones found at some entryways.

Two showerheads were inside, not modern ones, but rusty iron pipes sticking out. Each shower stall was separated by a single wall, providing no privacy.

On the right side of the room was a washing area with five faucets, while the left side housed the toilets. There were three stalls, each with a wooden door. The floor was covered in water stains, suggesting recent use.

“Someone was definitely here,” Yang Rui commented as she observed the water stains on the floor. She looked at the two women beside her. They both had unexpectedly maintained their composure since the very beginning. From their expressions, her comment didn’t stir any reaction.

Shen Qingqiu kept her gaze on the showerheads and asked, “Do you want to shower?”

Xiao Muyu checked the time. It was only about twenty minutes past seven, so there was time for a quick shower. Shen Qingqiu walked over and turned on the faucet. Cold water cascaded over her hand. It took a while to finally warm up, and the temperature was acceptable.

“It’s warm now. You usually love to be clean, so you might want to shower.” Shen Qingqiu then frowned, glancing toward the entrance. The shower stalls had no doors—just small partitions that barely offered privacy. They were also in direct line with the doorway.

Xiao Muyu noticed her look. The shower area’s design was problematic indeed. If the main door was partially open or someone came in, anyone outside would have a clear view of the interior.

“Would Miss Yang like a shower?” Xiao Muyu turned to Yang Rui.

After considering it, Yang Rui nodded. It was a safe time, and with the door closed, a quick shower wouldn’t hurt. How could they manage for the next five days otherwise?

“You two go ahead, then. I’ll wash the clothes.” Shen Qingqiu locked the main door and filled the basin to wash clothes.

Truthfully, showering in a partially exposed area under unfamiliar conditions felt neither comfortable nor safe. However, bathing felt necessary after walking in the rain for a fair distance, especially for someone as particular about cleanliness as Xiao Muyu. But she intended to keep it brief.

Fortunately, even though the shower stalls had no doors, each stall was separated enough for privacy. Shen Qingqiu, meanwhile, had her back turned toward them. She was crouched and focused on washing clothes, behaving very respectfully. There was no need for modesty in this setting, so Xiao Muyu undressed and began her shower.

Soon, the sounds of two showers running filled the room. Shen Qingqiu glanced toward the door and around the room, confirming everything was normal and nothing seemed out of place.

As the warm water washed away their fatigue, they relaxed. The comforting heat eased Xiao Muyu’s mind. In this brief, mind-clearing moment, she was unconsciously watching Shen Qingqiu.

The faded oversized uniform concealed most of Shen Qingqiu’s graceful figure. But crouching made the lines of her back visible. Despite her usual insouciance, Shen Qingqiu had a surprisingly disciplined posture. Even while crouched and washing clothes, she moved methodically, almost like a soldier, which was unexpectedly pleasing to the eye.

It felt risky to take a shower in this tense and eerie environment. After all, anyone would scramble to react if something happened while they were naked. In the next stall, Yang Rui evidently shared this concern. The sound of her shower stopped after a quick rinse.

This sudden change jolted Xiao Muyu out of her relaxed state. She realized she’d let her guard down too much, and the reason for her relaxation was none other than the crouched woman scrubbing clothes over there.

Xiao Muyu frowned at this but abruptly looked up the next moment. The washroom’s door also had a window above it. There, behind the glass, was a deathly pale and rigid face. Its single exposed eye locked with Xiao Muyu’s gaze just as she looked up.

Shen Qingqiu also noticed the same ghastly sight she had seen that afternoon. Acting swiftly, she grabbed the clothes Xiao Muyu had hung on the hook. She wrapped them around her, unintentionally getting a look at Xiao Muyu’s bare torso.

Shen Qingqiu was already at the door before Xiao Muyu could react. Pulling the latch aside, she kicked the door open and dashed out.

Xiao Muyu could discern a soft thud amid the loud slam of the door. Something might have fallen, but it didn’t sound heavy.

Fearing the worst, Xiao Muyu hastily shouted, “Shen Qingqiu, don’t chase it!”

Shen Qingqiu had reached the stairway but stopped when she heard Xiao Muyu’s voice. She glared into the dark stairwell, her gaze as sharp as a blade. With a cold huff and a grim expression, she turned back.

Their sudden actions startled Yang Rui, who was about to get dressed. She hurriedly pulled on her clothes and asked panickedly, “What happened? Is there something outside?”

Shen Qingqiu’s face soured. “I’ll gouge their eye out when I get my hands on them.”

Yang Rui’s face paled in hindsight. “Was that thing trying to peep at us while we were bathing?”

Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu froze. They instinctively turned to look at the washroom door. Thinking of the pointless shoe-changing bench outside, they finally realized what was wrong.

The shower stalls positioned directly opposite the door was strange enough, and the window above the door was bigger than those in their dorm rooms, as the door was slightly shorter than the dormitory doors. Xiao Muyu frowned again; was she overthinking it?

This fleeting thought went unspoken. Xiao Muyu nodded and briefly recounted her sighting of the face outside the window, then quickly finished dressing.

It seemed impractical to take a shower after what just happened. Shen Qingqiu only splashed water on herself and wiped it down before washing the remaining clothes. Meanwhile, a scared Yang Rui was in awe of the two women’s composure.

Zhang Yangfeng, Liu Pei, and Huang Junfeng had also come up with them, but the men were much more cursory with their grooming. Yang Rui found they had all gone downstairs, hence, hadn’t come out in the commotion earlier.

Even though she hadn’t seen what happened, it was frightening enough that Yang Rui didn’t dare to go down alone. Moreover, her caution after clearing two instances made her wait for the other two.

The three moved quickly, and it was not yet eight o’clock. Although Yang Rui was scared, she kept her composure and asked, “Did you two get a good look at what it was?”

Xiao Muyu’s eyes narrowed slightly. She didn’t directly answer Yang Rui but turned the question to Shen Qingqiu. “Did you get a good look?”

Shen Qingqiu got the hint and shook her head firmly. “Only for an instant, but it wasn’t the one from before.”

Xiao Muyu took a deep breath, her tone grave. “Are there other men in this orphanage?”

Yang Rui’s expression changed. Were there perverts here as well?

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Author had something to say:

The pace is about to pick up.