Chapter 62: Chaotic Sounds

In mid-March, Tan Zhu City was still clinging to the lingering chill of winter. The torrential rain poured down like frozen shards, pounding against the thin, soundless canopy above.

Most students were startled awake in the middle of the night, their terrified screams blending with the deafening thunderclaps.

The oppressive atmosphere instantly shattered the fragile mental defenses of these seventeen- and eighteen-year-old teenagers.

Chen Shu Yin rubbed her throbbing temples and propped herself up, staring drowsily at the seven or eight girls huddled together in front of her.

“What do we do? Are we going to die here?”

“I already wanted to transfer schools after everything that’s happened. And now they’ve dragged us into the depths of the mountains to play some ridiculous survival game? They can’t even guarantee our safety!”

“Stop talking… I’ve heard a legend. Entering a primeval forest without permission offends the mountain gods, and those who do will face retribution.”

Chen Shu Yin pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to reassure them. “I checked the weather forecast before we came. This is just a thunderstorm; it’ll pass soon. If you don’t believe me, count. If it doesn’t stop within ten minutes, I’ll do a headstand against a tree in broad daylight.”

As she spoke, she rummaged through her bag and pulled out a few stress balls, handing them over. “If you’re scared, just squeeze these.”

“When I was little, I was afraid of thunderstorms too. Holding these helped me feel better. It’s oddly soothing.”

The girls hesitantly listened to her and tentatively squeezed the soft, elastic balls in their hands. The sound of the rain hammering above them seemed to lessen.

Chen Shu Yin had always kept to herself, sitting quietly in the corner, never initiating conversations. The rumors about her had shaped their perception, but now, in the face of “life and death,” their views seemed to shift.

The girls exchanged glances before one of them stammered, “You… haven’t joined a team yet, right? Why don’t you come with us tomorrow?”

Chen Shu Yin hesitated before withdrawing into the shadows again. “Forget it. Our numbers are already over the limit. It’d make dividing the results harder for you.”

“Besides, I’m better off alone. I can earn multiple times the points. Why would I team up?”

They remembered she had always accumulated enough points alone to rival an entire group. Asking her to join would probably just slow her down. Since she put it so bluntly, they didn’t insist. “Alright then… but thanks for the stress balls.”

—

At dawn, the teachers roused the students to set off.

The rain from the previous night had turned the ground into a muddy mess. With each step, their feet sank into the sludge, and groans filled the air. Still, the teachers pressed them forward.

“Shu Yin, here—hold onto my shoulder.”

Chen Shu Yin pulled her left foot free from the mud and glanced over. Fu Wen Cheng had appeared beside her, hesitatingly extending a hand, waiting for her to take it.

It was just like last time. When she had been rescued before, half-asleep from the jostling, the only thing she had seen was the back of Fu Wen Cheng’s head.

Thinking back on it now, she still felt that faint, unsettling warmth trickling through her.

She reached out toward him—

But before their hands met, a blur of motion intercepted them with a loud smack.

“Teacher’s watching. You wanna get punished?”

Chen Shu Yin tilted her head up, only to see Pei Yu’s stern face wedging itself between her and Fu Wen Cheng.

His rigid expression was so exaggerated it made her laugh. She couldn’t resist curling her lips. “Then what should I do if I can’t walk anymore?”

“Pei, you’re overthinking. I was just offering a friendly hand,” Fu Wen Cheng sighed, stepping onto a nearby rock.

Pei Yu ignored him, hooking a wooden stick and handing one end to her. “Hold onto this. I’ll pull you along.”

“I’m not a cow.”

“Would you rather I carry you?”

“I’m not a pig either.”

“Chen Shu Yin!”

She stuck out her tongue mischievously but took hold of his wrist.

Annoying Pei Yu was unexpectedly fun. He was surprisingly cute, and so very amusing.

Fu Wen Cheng glanced at them before looking down at their clasped hands. He tugged the corner of his lips into a small, unreadable smile and quietly fell back into the group.

Meanwhile, Pei Yu stiffened, caught off guard by her repeated willingness to touch him. He turned his head away, gripping her wrist firmly in return.

Chen Shu Yin suddenly stopped walking.

Pei Yu pulled but found she wasn’t budging. He turned back with a frown.

“Why do you keep looking at me like that?” she asked playfully. “This is just helping a classmate, right? No other meaning?”

“Of course.” Pei Yu sniffed, slightly uneasy. “What else would it mean? You think I’m you?”

Chen Shu Yin blinked innocently. “What do you mean by that?”

“You—” Pei Yu hesitated, at a loss for words. He turned away in frustration. “You kissed me.”

“I didn’t.”

“Just admit it if you don’t want to.”

Chen Shu Yin grinned and hopped closer to his side. “You really want me to kiss you, huh?”

“Who—” Pei Yu began, only to stop mid-sentence. He looked at her warily. “Chen Shu Yin, are you trying to trap me?”

“Are you teasing me?”

“Do you like me?”

The two had fallen behind the group by nearly fifty meters. The space around them was so empty that his words echoed in her ears.

She had forgotten—Pei Yu wasn’t someone who just stood on the defensive.

Chen Shu Yin bit her lip and smirked. “Who likes who more?”

A long silence stretched between them. Pei Yu narrowed his eyes. “Chen Shu Yin, are you sure you didn’t take the wrong medicine?”

His cold, unwavering stare shattered the last bit of reckless courage she had. Her smile faded. “Maybe I did.”

She let go of his stick, grabbed onto a nearby branch, and quickly ran back toward the group, leaving Pei Yu behind.

—

Later, the students were given missions and left to complete them freely.

Chen Shu Yin moved alone, relying on her compass to navigate. She spent a long time searching for a thin red string with a copper coin, based on Pei Yu’s information from yesterday.

But there was no trace of it.

She sighed and decided she’d just lie to him about finding it—then go to a temple later and get him a new one.

Just as she reached for her compass, the needle spun wildly before stopping altogether.

At the same time, the forest around her fell eerily silent.

Her heart clenched. Checking her communication device, she saw flickering, unreadable signals, as if something was interfering.

She turned back the way she came but found no familiar markers.

Her phone lost its last signal. A large “X” flashed on the screen.

A chill ran down her spine. She backed up against a tree and curled up, trying to stay calm.

Suddenly—

“Chen Shu Yin!”

The desperate, hoarse shout jolted her.

She stood up in a daze. “I’m here!”

“Stay put. I’m coming.”

That voice…

It couldn’t be—

And yet, through the mist, a tall silhouette approached.

A moment later, Pei Yu’s hands gripped her shoulders, his damp warmth pressing against her.

“You ran off again. If I hadn’t noticed, the teacher would’ve taken everyone back by now. Do you realize that?”

His voice trembled with urgency.

Chen Shu Yin’s mind blanked.

“…Why did you notice I was gone?”

Pei Yu met her gaze and smirked faintly.

“Did I ever say I didn’t care?”