Chapter 3: Bro, Save Me

After leaving the train station, Li Banfeng went to board a subway train.

By taxi, the trip to the train station from the university had only taken half an hour. However, Li Banfeng took over an hour to get back by subway.

He lived in Dormitory Building 6, which was a fair walk from the university entrance. When he finally got back to his dormitory building, the old man guarding the entrance looked at him in surprise.

The old man raised his eyebrows and asked, "You haven't left yet?"

Li Banfeng lifted the corners of his mouth and gave the old man a wooden smile before heading straight upstairs.

The university hasn't even issued a notice to drive out the remaining students. What is it to you whether I stay or leave?

The residents of Dormitory Building 6 had just graduated. It appeared most of them had already left, leaving the building flooded with silence.

Li Banfeng climbed up to the sixth floor and opened the door to his room, only to find it was very dark inside. According to the rules, lights-out wasn't until 11 PM. It wasn't even 9 PM yet, but that old man had already cut the power.

Dorm Gramps sure is enthusiastic about saving electricity for the university.

Li Banfeng's roommates were all gone. Those who had found jobs had left to start work, and those who were still jobless had gone home to wait until they found employment. He Jiaqing hadn't found a job, so he and his girlfriend went home. Now, only Li Banfeng remained in the dormitory.

Li Banfeng couldn't get a job because he had a history of mental illness. However, unlike his peers, he did not have a home he could return to. It wasn't like he could move back into the orphanage where he had grown up.

How am I supposed to live from now on? Should I go back to doing hard labor on a construction site?

Then Li Banfeng thought about the bright prospects he had for his future, and his furrowed brows relaxed. The corners of his lips raised into a small smile.

This time, he

was

actually smiling because he was emotionally unstable, but anyone would have had a hard time staying calm if they had been in his shoes.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

There's another job fair tomorrow. I'll go try my luck again.

Tonight, I've got the room all to myself. At least I'll get a good night's sleep.

Li Banfeng went to the communal bathroom and had a cold shower. Just as he was about to get into bed and play a game on his cell phone, he remembered something. He had to give He Jiaqing a call.

What if he really wets his pants? And what if he catches a chill because of that and then comes down with a cold? That would be terrible.

So, Li Banfeng made the call. It rang for a long time, but no one picked up.

It seems he really did fall asleep.

Li Banfeng called again. After another long wait, the call was finally answered.

—Banfeng...

He Jiaqing's voice was deep and husky, like he still wasn't fully awake.

"Jiaqing, time to get up and pee!"

He Jiaqing sounded utterly confused.

—Pee? Pee where? Where am I...?

Where am I? You slept really peacefully, huh!

Li Banfeng didn't say anything else; he just hung up.

In the dark room, he groped his way toward the bunk bed and climbed up the ladder to his bed. However, just as he reached the top, he noticed his blanket wasn't lying flat on his bed. Instead, it looked like it was wrapped around a person.

There's someone under my blanket...? Is there really someone there?

Li Banfeng lifted the blanket.

There really

is

someone there!

The person was lying completely silent with their back to Li Banfeng.

Who the heck is sleeping in my bed?

Then Li Banfeng caught a strong whiff of alcohol lingering on the person's clothes, suggesting they had been drinking heavily.

Even if you're wasted, you can't just crash on someone else's bed!

"Get up! Who are you?? Get the heck up!"

Li Banfeng pushed the person, but they didn't react at all.

The window curtains weren't drawn, so the moonlight shone through, dimly illuminating the person lying on Li Banfeng's bed. Despite only seeing a faint outline of the mysterious person, Li Banfeng suddenly realized they looked rather familiar.

Li Banfeng grabbed the person's shoulder, making them lie on their back instead. But the moment he saw the person's face, he nearly fell off the ladder.

Jiaqing!?

Just an hour and a half ago, Li Banfeng had sent He Jiaqing off at the train station.

And now he's lying in my bed!

"Jiaqing, what's wrong? Jiaqing, wake up."

Li Banfeng shook He Jiaqing a few times, but to no avail. Then he suddenly pulled his hand back.

Hang on, something's not right! I just talked to Jiaqing on the phone. Isn't he on the train right now? Isn't he supposed to be going to pee? If the person sleeping here is Jiaqing, then who picked up the phone?

Li Banfeng broke out in goosebumps. The hot, stuffy room suddenly felt rather chilly.

Is this man really Jiaqing?

He turned on his phone's flashlight and shone it at the man's face for quite a while.

It really is him!

He Jiaqing was Li Banfeng's closest friend at university. There was no way Li Banfeng would mistake someone else for him.

Bam! Thud!

Li Banfeng fell off the ladder, knocking over the trash can on the floor. He calmly got to his feet, set the trash can upright, and quickly exited the room.

After closing the door behind him, he leaned against the corridor wall and stood there in silence.

It appeared the building's voltage supply was quite unstable. The dim yellow lights in the corridor flickered constantly.

Li Banfeng forced himself to calm down. He took out his phone and rang He Jiaqing's number again. The suffocating silence on the line lasted for more than ten seconds, then a woman's voice cut through.

—Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable.

Li Banfeng called the number several more times, but no one picked up.

Should I try calling Lu Xiaolan?

However, Li Banfeng didn't have Lu Xiaolan's number. They had never really spent much time together after all.

The corridor was completely silent. It seemed like all the residents of this floor had already left.

Li Banfeng turned back to look at his room door, trying to figure out what he should do next.

Is the person lying in my bed really Jiaqing?

Moments ago, Li Banfeng had been perfectly certain it was He Jiaqing. Now, he wasn't so sure.

Should I go back and check again?

No, that's nuts. If I'm going back in there, I should first find someone from another floor to help me! But where am I going to find anyone right now?

Well, worst-case scenario, I could call Dorm Gramps up here. But what's the point of that? He won't be able to help. He'd only get in the way. In that case, I might as well just do it alone!

Li Banfeng was arguing with himself. Any normal person wouldn't dare go back in there alone.

However, Li Banfeng wasn't normal. He had been assessed at the hospital. He wasn't clinically insane, but his mental state wasn't exactly normal either.

Li Banfeng's lips lifted slightly into a small smile.

Despite his unstable emotions, he was now pretty cheerful. This was because Li Banfeng had a special way of regaining his composure. He came up with a perfectly reasonable explanation for the situation in his room.

A hallucination. It has to be a hallucination!

I have a mental disorder. It makes total sense for me to hallucinate from time to time.

I'll walk back into that room right now. As long as I stay aware that it's not real, I definitely won't see Jiaqing in there again.

Li Banfeng opened the door with a smile and stepped back inside.

A hallucination. It's just a hallucination.

Yet, the closer Li Banfeng got to the bunk bed, the stronger the smell of alcohol became, as if warning him that this was no hallucination.

Once again, Li Banfeng climbed the ladder, raised his phone, and shone its flashlight at his bed. He Jiaqing was still lying there. His eyes were shut tight, and his face was deathly pale.

Li Banfeng patted He Jiaqing's face. It was warm. He then placed his finger under He Jiaqing's nose to check if he was breathing. He was. However, his breathing was very weak and irregular. Li Banfeng climbed down the ladder and decided to call for an ambulance.

After informing the emergency services of the situation and his location, Li Banfeng ended the call and waited quietly for the ambulance to arrive. As he stood beside the bunk bed, he looked up at He Jiaqing—his dear friend who had somehow appeared out of nowhere and was now lying unconscious in his bed.

An uneasy silence settled over the room.

Ka-da-da~

It was broken by a notification sound from Li Banfeng's phone. He had received a new text message. It was from He Jiaqing.

Li Banfeng had been watching He Jiaqing this whole time. He was sure He Jiaqing couldn't possibly have sent it. Yet, he had indeed received a text message from He Jiaqing.

It contained only three words:

Banfeng, save me!