Lu Ji was wearing the Shengying School’s girls’ uniform.
The white and gold-edged uniform exuded an air of pure and vibrant youth when worn by high school girls, accentuating their innocence and energy. Yet, when Lu Ji donned it, an inexplicable sense of unease arose, as though the darkness he carried would soon engulf the pristine white fabric.
It could only be said that Lu Ji’s inherently gloomy aura was so overpowering that even the finest attire couldn’t conceal it.
Chai Yingying sighed inwardly. Lu Ji was undoubtedly a big shot, but her brooding, dark presence made her seem like a villain destined to bring disaster to the world.
Fortunately, Miss Gu Jiu had managed to “tame” her. When in a relationship, the intimidating Lu Ji turned into a lovesick, clumsy, and adorable fool in front of her, making it easier to overlook the discomfort she caused.
“Ah Jiu, you’re here.”
Lu Ji, with her long legs, closed the distance in a few quick strides. Her gaze locked onto Gu Jiu, completely ignoring everyone else.
Chai Yingying reminded her, “Lu Ji, I’m here too.”
Lu Ji gave a dismissive grunt, so perfunctory that it made Chai Yingying want to punch her.
“Ah Jiu, are you tired? Let’s head to the dorm for some rest.” She grabbed Gu Jiu’s hand, leading her towards the dorm. “It’s 3:10 now; we can still rest for two and a half hours.”
Until six o’clock, Shengying School was safe, offering players time to rest.
Trailing behind, Chai Yingying nearly got hit in the face by the door Lu Ji swung shut.
She yelled, “I haven’t even come in yet!”
She shoved the door open and, noticing the disappointment in Lu Ji’s eyes, felt immensely smug. Deciding to be an unrelenting third wheel, she resolved not to leave.
The dorms at Shengying High School were more like luxury apartments, featuring two bedrooms and a living room, offering impressive comfort.
As someone who woke up every day at 2:45 PM in the dorm, Lu Ji had the privilege of her own room. Chai Yingying and Gu Jiu weren’t as fortunate, so they decided to freeload in her dorm whenever possible.
Chai Yingying woke up every day in a pavilion in one of the school’s gardens. The mere thought of it made her feel bitter. Reset to wake up there daily, she had to endure lying on the cold stone without shelter from the elements. If it happened to be raining, she’d wake up soaking wet.
By comparison, Gu Jiu, who woke up in the classroom, had it much better.
Gu Jiu and Chai Yingying went to shower first.
Girls loved cleanliness, and with no time to shower in the evenings, they had to seize this opportunity during the day.
After their showers, they changed into Shengying High School uniforms.
One of the school rules stipulated that all students must wear uniforms while on campus. Even the unruliest delinquents had no choice but to comply.
This rule applied not just during the day but even more strictly at night.
To avoid accidentally breaking the rule, players naturally chose to wear the uniforms. While it didn’t make them look more like students, it at least allowed them to blend in somewhat.
Lu Ji took some small cakes and caramel puddings out of the refrigerator and placed them in front of Gu Jiu.
Chai Yingying shouted, “Lu Ji, where’s mine?”
“None for you.”
“…”
Faced with such blatant favoritism, all Chai Yingying could do was grind her teeth. She pulled out her own dessert from her bag, eating while watching the couple flaunt their affection across from her. Her mood grew increasingly sour.
Single dogs truly have no rights—constantly force-fed dog food.
The three lingered in the dorm until 5:30 PM. Seeing that it was about time, they finally left.
Dinner time was at 6 PM every day, and they needed to head to the cafeteria for their meal.
As they passed the dormitory entrance, the dorm supervisor, an older lady, stood there, watching them with a dark expression.
The setting sun was sinking beyond the campus horizon, casting a long, distorted shadow of the dorm supervisor. Her shadow flickered as though it might dissipate at any moment.
When her shadow disappeared, she would transform from a person into a ghost.
This was why players couldn’t find any ghosts during the day. The ghosts were indistinguishable from humans during daylight hours.
Gu Jiu and Chai Yingying smiled at the dorm supervisor—one with a gentle elegance, the other with a dazzling charm—both exuding the same audacious arrogance. Their actions nearly made the dorm supervisor’s lips curl in frustration.
Shengying High School, being a prestigious institution, wasn’t particularly strict in its management—at least during the day.
However, the nighttime Shengying High School followed an entirely different set of rules, far more stringent.
Every day at 6 PM, these nighttime rules would come into effect, marking the time when ghosts appeared. All living beings in the school—students and teachers alike—would transform into ghosts.
Today marked the fourth day of the players’ entry into the game world.
Over the past three days, they had gradually figured out the differences between daytime and nighttime Shengying High School, as well as the designated safe periods when players could truly rest.
6 PM was both dinner time and the start of nighttime. All players and on-campus students were required to gather in the cafeteria for their meal.
Shengying High School primarily catered to day students, with only about a hundred students staying on campus.
By the time they arrived at the cafeteria, most of the students were already there.
At 6 PM sharp, the cafeteria serving windows opened, and students began queuing for food.
Gu Jiu and her group easily spotted the players mixed in with the students. It wasn’t hard to tell them apart—most of the players looked distinctly like adults. Their attempts to disguise themselves as students were painfully awkward and out of place.
There were a total of 30 players in this iteration of the Reincarnation School.
Unfortunately, during the first three days of exploration, four players had died, leaving only 26 players now.
In the cafeteria, the players exchanged brief glances before nonchalantly joining the line.
Gu Jiu’s group queued behind one of the lines.
The queue wasn’t very long, and soon it was their turn.
The cafeteria cook, a chubby man, served them plates of unappetizing food, sliding them across with a casual flick. His greasy thumb sank into the plate, soaking in the broth.
Even Chai Yingying, who wasn’t particularly picky, had the urge to slam the plate into his face—let alone the fastidious Gu Jiu.
The cafeteria worker noticed their hesitation and coldly snapped, “What? Is there a problem? Students should behave and stop being so picky!”
Chai Yingying let out a cold laugh. “Oh, there’s a big problem. We’ll talk about it later.”
Tonight, she vowed to deal with this fat bastard.
The cafeteria worker responded with a sinister smile, dismissing them with a wave, as if shooing away flies.
But before he could react, a plate of food came hurtling toward his face. The greasy chunks of meat and wilted vegetables slid off his head, splattering onto his body.
“Oops, my hand slipped,” Gu Jiu said with a sweet smile. “Would you mind serving us another portion?”
The cafeteria worker was stunned.
So were the other students and players.
They stared blankly at Gu Jiu, seemingly unable to process how she could be so audacious, daring to provoke school staff in a place like this.
Seeing no reaction from the man, Gu Jiu remained unfazed. She casually helped herself to some food, filled her tray, and left with Lu Ji in tow.
Chai Yingying followed a few steps behind, glancing back to see the cafeteria worker glaring venomously at Gu Jiu’s retreating figure. It was obvious that the young lady had just earned his hatred.
Not only him, but the other cafeteria workers also wore sinister, malicious expressions as they fixed their gazes on them.
Being watched by so many hostile ghosts made even Chai Yingying’s scalp tingle. It was worse for the students.
Some of the more timid students were on the verge of tears but didn’t dare cry out loud. Their eyes welled up, tears teetering on the brink but refusing to fall.
By now, everyone had received their food and was seated.
It was 6:10 PM.
The cafeteria was eerily quiet, and amidst the silence came the crisp clack of high heels echoing from the entrance.
Hearing this sound, terror painted the faces of every student. Their bodies shivered involuntarily, their hands trembling so much that some nearly dropped their chopsticks.
“Children, it’s dinner time again,” a voice, gentle yet chilling, rang out. “You must finish your food to have the energy for tonight’s heavy coursework, understood?”
The students didn’t respond, keeping their heads low as they quietly ate their meals.
Every single one of them bore expressions of numb compliance, not daring to show any sign of resistance or dissatisfaction.
To the students, all adults represented supreme authority, crushing them like a mountain they couldn’t fight against.
The players pretended to eat while sneaking glances. A woman in a black skirt suit and high heels entered. She was the Dean of Student Affairs, responsible for managing students’ lives at Shengying High School. She only appeared at night.
In short, this woman was a ghost.
Her hair was meticulously styled, and she was dressed conservatively, bordering on dowdy. Although she was barely over thirty and still young and beautiful, she made herself look like a woman in her forties.
Shortly after she entered, one of the cafeteria workers rushed over to her—it was the chubby man from earlier.
As he spoke to her, he kept shooting venomous looks at Gu Jiu. His malicious intent was obvious; there was no need to eavesdrop to know he was tattling on her.
For the students, the Dean of Student Affairs was the most terrifying presence.
She wielded absolute authority over them at night, and students had to obey her orders.
After hearing the worker’s complaint, the Dean indeed made her way toward Gu Jiu, stopping in front of their table.
Gu Jiu looked up at her and smiled. It was a sweet, obedient smile, the kind that elders adored.
The Dean, however, wore a look of displeasure as she fixed her eyes on Gu Jiu. “Why are you not following the rules?”
“I am following them!” Gu Jiu protested her innocence. “It was just a slip of the hand! Who hasn’t had a moment like that in their life?”
The cafeteria worker, who had been waiting to see her punished, nearly had his face twist in anger. A slip of the hand? Who in the world could “slip” so badly they slammed a tray of food into someone’s face?
The Dean pursed her lips, her stern gaze fixed on Gu Jiu. She had already pegged her as a rebellious troublemaker. In a cold tone, she said, “Now, finish your meal immediately and then report to the detention room for reflection.”
Gu Jiu pushed the tray away. “I’ve already finished my meal, but I’m not going with you.”
Before the Dean could respond, the cafeteria worker, who had been watching her closely, yelled out, “Liar! She didn’t eat anything!”
Dinner time had only just begun—there was no way she could have finished so quickly, even with a big mouth.
Gu Jiu pointed at the now-empty tray, her expression innocent. “But my tray is empty. I really did finish my meal.”
The cafeteria worker was left speechless: “….”
The observing players glanced at their own plates, then discreetly began dumping their food into their inventory bags.
None of them wanted to eat the undercooked, spoiled meat on their plates. It was greasy, reeking with a foul odor, clearly not fit for consumption. Looking around at the other students, they could see the kids eating miserably, their expressions full of suffering but too afraid not to eat. They were like pitiful little lambs.
For the past few days, the players had resorted to this strategy every mealtime.
The Dean, however, didn’t care whether Gu Jiu had eaten or not. To her, as long as students followed the school’s rules, they were considered good children and wouldn’t be punished.
Unfortunately, there were always disobedient bad kids.