Translator: AlfredoPoutineSoup Editor: DesTheSloth
Ever since she came in, Zhang Qingrui had been in an absent-minded condition. However, the sudden inquiry about the cabinet, especially the ball inside, stupefied Teacher Wang.
“Zhang, what’s wrong with the ball?” The female Teacher Wang asked inquiringly.
Zhang Qingrui shook her head abruptly, “Oh, nothing, just feel that it’s not a suitable place to put a ball here.”
It made absolute sense since the cabinet was full of all kinds of diplomas and medals. So it was weird to place in an old-looked ball.
Teacher Wang didn’t seem to care about it but questioned curiously, “Was there a ball in here originally? I wouldn’t have paid attention to it if you didn’t mention it at all.”
With her words, Teacher Wang came to the cabinet and opened the glass door, taking out the ball. She gave it an inquisitive glance, then turned around and moved her attention away, “All right, the several ways to deal with your matter have been stated just now. If you have any questions, just come to talk to me. The university will try to respect your opinions.”
Luo Qiu nodded.
Zhang Qingrui looked at Luo Qiu and saw his expressions didn’t change; therefore, she didn’t say anything more.
Teacher Wang let the two students go back, before returning to her chair. She scrutinized the ball carefully and became a bit absent-minded after staring at it for a while.
Teacher Wang pinched between her forehead, turning around casually, “Old He, have you seen this ball? In the cabinet of the meeting room… Are you in?”
As she turned fully around, she saw there was no one behind the office table. She gaped, thinking that her colleague might go out for some issues.
“Have both of you left?”
She looked around the office, there was only herself with the four tables. Teacher Wang glimpsed the wall clock, it was 4 in the afternoon.
She shrugged, hiding the ball under the chair, turning on the computer and starting to absorb herself in work.
However, the ball on the floor rolled without any sound… until it finally rolled out from the office.
…
…
Ms. Zhang was in a spaced-out state ever since she came out of the office.
She thought about the ball and the weird moment… she suspected that she saw something dirty again.
Why ‘again’?
After she came back from the underground palace, for all this time, some ‘people’ had emerged in her view.
To be more accurate, they were ‘people’ that others could not see. It was as if she opened a door to a new world, regardless of whether she was at home or on the way to Gu Yue Zhai.
There were not many, sometimes she couldn’t even see one in two successive days.
Yet quality was more important than quantity. She was always frightened once she met them. Even up until now, Ms. Zhang wasn’t clear about how those ‘people’ whom she couldn’t see in the past came into her sight.
The only reason she could think off was that she’d been possessed in the underground palace.
Zhang Qingrui looked around, fearing that the little girl patting the ball would appear again. However, what she could only see was Luo Qiu’s back—thereupon, Ms. Zhang realized the fact that she became absent-minded after leaving the office and followed Luo Qiu here subconsciously.
It might be assumed that she followed him in silence … though they walked down through the same stairway, it seemed to be a little awkward.
He was not supposed to see that little girl… as an ordinary person.
Zhang Qingrui breathed slightly, “Luo Qiu, what are you going to do? I mean the schedule, change major or…?”
“If changing major, it’ll be troublesome if we don’t go to classes. Similarly, if a new teacher comes, the management may not as loose as what the former professor used to do.”
That was true.
Zhang Qingrui had no reason to raise a dispute as she made the decision to enjoy the remaining days in the tower of ivory, thus she was a direct beneficiary of being able to skip classes.
“Let’s see how the new teacher is first.”
“All right.”
Zhang Qingrui responded to him casually.
It had turned totally dark outside. Going down from one floor to the other, it got even darker. Zhang Qingrui walked with a heavy heart, feeling that the long stairway from 5th floor to the first one was a bit too long.
She couldn’t remember how many times she had turned, but they hadn’t reached the end yet. Zhang Qingrui looked up at the floor number unconsciously.
It showed… the 4th floor on the blue board.
Zhang Qingrui was stunned, grabbing the stair handrail, “How many floors have we been through?”
Luo Qiu stopped, watching the board showing the 4th floor, “Should be 10 and a half floors.”
“What?” Ms. Zhang opened her lips slightly, with an inconceivable look, “How come… 10 and a half, so we’re now under the ground?”
“To be more accurate, it should be that we’re strolling between the 4th and 5th floor back and forth.” At the same time, Luo Qiu changed his direction, going from coming downstairs to heading upstairs,
“Where are you going?” Ms. Zhang shuddered and was slightly nervous.
“Since we can’t come down, we go up.” Luo Qiu watched the stairs above, “Maybe we’ll get the answer.”
“But… it’s too weird. Aren’t you afraid?”
“That’s OK.” Luo Qiu said coolly, “You can stay with me here. Don’t worry about anything… You’ll forget it later anyhow.”
Even though hypnotizing the same person many times and implanting some fake memory might contribute to the imbalance of individuals and mental disorders, but if it was one’s second time to receive it, that should be OK.
This idea generated in the brain of the club’s boss when he was walking down the stairs.
Ms. Zhang gave a start because she seemed to hear the same words from somewhere else. As she was about to clarify it, she heard a sound.
Pa, pa, pa, pa…
At this moment, continuous sounds were heard one by one from the stairway. It turned out to be an old red ball rolling down and bouncing on the stairway again and again.
Pa, pa, pa, pa…
Without realizing it, the ball ran to Zhang Qingrui. She caught it with her hands without thinking. Once she held the light ball, Zhang Qingrui became absent-minded suddenly.
When she came back to herself, she found only herself at the same place—platform of the stairs on the 4th floor.
Looking up and down.
There was nobody else there.
“Luo Qiu… Luo Qiu? Are you there?”
Zhang Qingrui felt that her limbs became cold. She stretched out to see through the handrail, yet it was like an endless spiral, she couldn’t find the end.
So she had to look up, but the scene was filled with apprehension! Shuddering with fear!
That little girl with a sewn mouth, was now standing at the top of the stairway!
She stretched out her hand, opening the mouth faintly, trying to say something but couldn’t due to the seam.
Zhang Qingrui took one step back by instinct.
But she missed her step, falling down in an instant. After a burst of dizziness, darkness came over her eyes at once.
…
…
The empty stairs.
Luo Qiu looked around just now. Since the ball fell, his vision seemed to be transferred into another realm. And Zhang Qingrui suddenly disappeared from his sight.
He frowned, walked up the stairway, and went along the aisle on the 5th floor.
It was very quiet. Luo Qiu tried to open some doors, but found that there was no one in every office.
Now, a figure came out from the dean’s office.
The one holding several documents in her arms was Teacher Wang, who’d been talking to him a second ago. This teacher was very surprised when she saw Luo Qiu, “Dear student, is there anything I can help with?”
Every office on the 5th floor was empty. However, Teacher Wang who was working in the dean’s office was still here.
Luo Qiu answered, “No, I forgot something in the office.”
Teacher Wang nodded, “Really? Then come to take it. I need to send some documents right now. All other teachers have gone out. Take your things quickly, I’m going to lock the door.”
“Thank you.”
Luo Qiu nodded, walking into the office. He glanced at the cabinet… and found the ball had vanished.
Yet, when he turned around, Teacher Wang had disappeared too.
Like Zhang Qingrui, who vanished from his side.
Luo Qiu could not help but frown.
