It was another night of pouring rain. This kind of damp weather inevitably made people feel gloomy. Even the usually noisy male dormitory was unusually quiet. Everyone was holed up in their own beds playing on their phones, and no one spoke.

Chen Shu came out of the bathroom after a shower and habitually glanced at Duan Chengcai's bed. As expected, it was empty. He had already forgotten how long it had been since the other had returned to the dorm; a layer of dust had settled on the sheets. He asked the others, "Where's Duan Chengcai? I just saw him come back this morning."

Chen Shu used to be an invisible person in the dormitory, but recently, his rapid progress in all his courses had turned him into a top student in the teachers' eyes. Although his personality was still as indifferent as before, it inexplicably made people not dare to look down on him. His words carried more weight than the dorm leader's.

Yu Hui slept on the bunk above Duan Chengcai. He lifted the bed curtain and glanced down, cursing, "Who the hell knows where he ran off to. He came back this morning to change, all dressed up like a tart, saying he was going to some birthday party. The dorm inspectors have already written him up several times. If this keeps up, he might as well just drop out!"

Yu Chuan, who was playing games at his desk, also complained, "Exactly. He's gone all day, every day. Who knows what he's up to. He can't be working a part-time job outside like Chen Shu, right?"

Chen Shu worked part-time at Yu Hui's family store, a fact everyone knew. But Duan Chengcai often wouldn't return to school for two or three days at a time, and he was always dressed glamorously. No matter how you looked at it, he didn't seem like he was working to earn money. Some people had already noticed something was amiss.

The dorm's biggest gossip, Hu Jinyan, looked around and suddenly lowered his voice to the group, "Let me tell you guys something. Gan Qingyu from the next department said he went to a bar last time and saw Duan Chengcai working as a male model there. I don't know if it's true or not."

His news was like dropping a bombshell in the dorm. Everyone except Chen Shu immediately looked over in unison, their shock unconcealable. "Holy shit! For real?!"

Hu Jinyan said smugly, "I'd say it's ninety percent true. Duan Chengcai's closet is full of designer clothes. Even the cheapest ones cost several thousand apiece. Where would he get that kind of money?"

"Are you so sure what he's wearing is genuine?"

Chen Shu spoke up out of the blue, startling Hu Jinyan. Feeling inexplicably guilty, Hu Jinyan stuck his neck out and said, "They don't look fake to me. Look at how provocatively Duan Chengcai dresses every day. Maybe he really is out there..."

Bang—

Chen Shu had been looking for clothes in his closet. Hearing this, he suddenly slammed the closet door shut. He turned his head to look at Hu Jinyan. Although his gaze was a half-smile, it was inexplicably terrifying. "You've never worn the real thing, so how can you be sure his clothes are fake?"

Hu Jinyan's face turned red. "But Gan Qingyu said..."

Chen Shu retorted coolly, "You believe whatever he says? Are you his dog?"

Hu Jinyan stood up in a rage. "You!"

Although Hu Jinyan's family was local, their circumstances weren't actually good, only slightly better than someone like Chen Shu who came from the backwoods. He often flattered rich young masters like Yu Hui, but in front of Chen Shu and Duan Chengcai, he frequently put on an air of superiority and bad-mouthed them behind their backs.

In his past life, Duan Chengcai might not have necessarily reached the point of suicide. It was Hu Jinyan who had heard from somewhere that he was working as a male model and spread the news all over school, causing a huge uproar. Coupled with the fact that Duan Chengcai was also suffering from a romantic setback at the time, he couldn't think straight and slit his wrists. In the end, he was forced by the pressure to drop out and return to his hometown.

Chen Shu had no time to play the hero, but he hated gossips, especially those who gossiped right in front of him.

Hu Jinyan's face was flushed with anger. He glared viciously at Chen Shu, looking ready to start a fight at the slightest disagreement. Seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, Yu Hui patted the edge of his bed and stepped in to smooth things over. "Alright, that's enough out of you. We're all in the same dorm. Don't you think it's ugly to fight?"

Hu Jinyan's family was of average means; he had never worn those luxury goods, at most having seen them online. Yu Hui, however, wore them often. He could tell at a glance that Duan Chengcai's clothes were most likely genuine. However, after glancing at the indifferent Chen Shu, he swallowed his words and said nothing.

Just as the atmosphere in the dorm became awkwardly silent, a series of footsteps suddenly sounded from the hallway outside. Duan Chengcai, drunk, pushed the door open and walked in. In that instant, everyone instinctively looked over.

Duan Chengcai leaned against the door and let out a drunken hiccup, his skin flushed red from the alcohol. Seeing everyone in the dorm staring at him, he asked in a dazed and strange tone, "What are you all looking at me for? It's not like my face is made of gold."

Hearing this, the others awkwardly averted their gazes, laughing it off and saying it was nothing. Only Hu Jinyan stared at him and asked with ill intent, "Duan Chengcai, where were you today?"

Duan Chengcai took off his suit jacket and hung it on the closet door, his speech a little slurred. "Didn't... Didn't I say? I went to a friend's birthday party."

Hu Jinyan sneered. "How come I've never heard you have any friends in this city? You're out wining and dining every day, and buying so many clothes. Don't tell me you've latched onto some sugar daddy?"

As soon as he said this, the expressions of the other dorm mates changed. The eldest, Yu Chuan, scolded him, "Hu Jinyan, what nonsense are you talking!"

Unexpectedly, Duan Chengcai didn't get angry. He looked down at his clothes and then chuckled, "Oh, you mean my clothes? They're all fakes. Two for a hundred yuan on West Street. If you like them, I can take you with me next time."

Hu Jinyan: "Bullshit! Where on West Street do they sell clothes like this!"

Not wanting to listen to them argue, Chen Shu went straight to the balcony to smoke. The night outside was vast and dark, with only the stadium lights still on. The downpour knocked plane tree leaves to the ground.

'What terrible weather, not at all suitable for a birthday party.'

Chen Shu narrowed his eyes in the smoke, thinking this to himself. He clearly didn't want to get involved with Zhuang Yihan, yet in the dead of night, he couldn't stop himself from guessing what the other man was going through, and he couldn't even figure out why.

[Because you are jealous.]

A deep voice suddenly rang out on the balcony, making one's heart skip a beat. A completely black snake had appeared at some point and was coiling up Chen Shu's wrist under the cover of night. It flicked its crimson tongue, its tone bewitching:

[You've been jealous since the day you bought the watch.]

Hearing this, Chen Shu's fingertips trembled uncontrollably. In that instant, it felt as if some secret thought had been exposed. He didn't even notice the burning ash from his cigarette scalding his hand. He narrowed his eyes coldly and asked back, his tone unreadable, "...Jealous of what?"

The Black Snake, enjoying the drama, said:

[Zhuang Yihan's love for Jiang Xi, of course. The love you wanted but could never get in your past life.]

Surprisingly, Chen Shu didn't get angry at this. He stared expressionlessly at the gloating Black Snake, his pupils appearing gloomy and morbid in the faint light and shadow of the balcony. He curved his lips in a sneer and said softly, word by word:

"If I can't have it, then I don't want it. It's not like it's anything valuable anyway."

[His love for Jiang Xi is indeed not valuable, but it can be exchanged for your life.]

The Black Snake felt this thought from the Host was a bit dangerous. Its tail swept lightly, and it did something unknown. A sharp pain suddenly shot through Chen Shu's fingertips, making him drop his cigarette. He looked down in shock, only to find that his once smooth arm had turned bluish and swollen, as if it had been soaked in water for more than ten days. The skin was peeled back, revealing the bright red flesh and stark white bone beneath, exuding the rotten stench of a corpse from the inside out.

"..."

Chen Shu's face was grim; he was so shocked he couldn't speak.

The Black Snake's playful voice seemed ethereal in the dark night, as if they had returned to that cold night at the bottom of the river: [Chen Shu, do you want to go back to being a corpse at the bottom of the river?]

[Since you don't love him anymore, why not think for yourself?]

[You don't have to do anything. Just kick him to the curb after he falls in love with you. He has a long life ahead of him. If he misses out on you, a new love will come along. You won't cause him any loss.]

[Stop hesitating, or else I won't be able to save you either, hmm?]

[Staying alive is the most important thing.]

It suddenly became exceptionally kind, each word silently piercing the most painful spot in Chen Shu's heart. After it finished, the air fell into a long silence.

Chen Shu lowered his head and gripped his arm tightly, so hard that his fingertips dug into his flesh. Perhaps he wasn't as carefree as he appeared on the surface; he had just forcefully buried his resentment and hatred deep in his heart. However, a beast cannot be caged. It would stir restlessly every dead of night, frantically ramming against its prison bars.

Should he take the gamble, or return to the bottom of the cold river to be a corpse?

Chen Shu panted softly, feeling as if that dampness was a shadow following him. His voice was strained as he finally gritted his teeth and forced out two words: "Alive..."

He wanted to live.

Since he couldn't have love, he would choose life. He wanted to live well, and live for a long time.

The demonic Black Snake had won after all. Chen Shu was never a good person to begin with; how could one expect him to become noble and upright after one rebirth? The dark mire suited him better.

When Duan Chengcai came out to the balcony, he saw Chen Shu smoking alone, a pile of cigarette butts at his feet. He casually closed the door, dragged over a small stool, and sat down, saying with some surprise, "I thought you didn't smoke. I tried to give you a pack at the bar before, but you refused it to the death."

Chen Shu ignored him. His cold profile was somewhat obscured by the smoke, his tone as indifferent as ever. "Your attendance rate for several classes has been very low recently. Come to class properly tomorrow."

Duan Chengcai didn't expect Chen Shu to say this. He was stunned for a rare moment. When he reacted, he surprisingly didn't try to brush it off as he used to. He nodded a beat later. "Got it. I'll come back to class tomorrow. I've pretty much earned enough for tuition anyway, so I won't be working at the club anymore."

Chen Shu inexplicably felt that this statement didn't sound like Duan Chengcai. He lifted his eyelids and looked over. "Why?"

Duan Chengcai scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "That night, after you and President Zhuang left, Young Master Chen requested me. He said the club environment was too messy and told me not to go to that kind of place anymore. If I was short on money, I should just tell him."

He paused for a moment before adding in a small voice, his ears red, "He's a pretty nice person. He told me to study hard."

Study hard?

It seemed Zhuang Yihan had also advised him like that in his past life.

Chen Shu slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, his dark eyes fixed on Duan Chengcai, his thoughts unreadable. It was as if he was trying to see his past self through him. He asked in a toneless voice, "Do you like him?"

Duan Chengcai was confused. "What?"

Chen Shu's voice was low, and even he felt his next words were extremely vicious:

"Don't mistake his sympathy and pity for love."

After he spoke, he silently waited for Duan Chengcai's shamed and angry reaction. But unexpectedly, the other man was stunned for a few seconds before suddenly bursting out laughing. He draped an arm over Chen Shu's shoulder, overcome with mirth. "Chen Shu, what are you thinking? Of course I know he pities me. How could a rich young master like him ever be with someone like me?"

Duan Chengcai laughed so hard he couldn't stand up straight. The smell of perfume on him mixed with the alcohol, creating an indescribably cloying scent that inexplicably reminded Chen Shu of the night he had slit his wrists. The entire dorm had been filled with the thick smell of blood, making it hard to breathe.

Duan Chengcai got up from the stool, rubbing his stomach which ached from laughing. "Don't worry, I won't fall in love with him."

After saying that, he looked down at Chen Shu, his smile gradually fading. His expression suddenly became exceptionally serious as he said two words in a low voice: "Thank you."

Shua.

Duan Chengcai turned and went inside. The balcony door opened and closed, and the air fell silent again.

Chen Shu sat where he was, frowning for a long time, unable to figure out what the other man had meant. In the end, he could only push it to the back of his mind. He stubbed out his cigarette, listening to the patter of wind and rain outside, and an unexpected thought surfaced—

Zhuang Yihan's call should be coming soon.

If his memory served him right, in his past life, today was the day Jiang Xi announced he had a fiancée, viciously stabbing a knife into Zhuang Yihan's heart.

Just as Chen Shu was silently pondering this, the phone in his pocket suddenly began to vibrate, the buzzing particularly urgent. The caller ID was an unknown number with no contact name, but Chen Shu recognized it at a glance as Zhuang Yihan's private number.

Chen Shu paused for three seconds before lightly tapping the answer button. The other end of the line had the same noisy sound of rain, yet it was permeated with an inexplicably alarming dead silence, like the dark, churning clouds in the sky, suffocating and oppressive.

Chen Shu spoke softly, "President Zhuang, is there something you need this late?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end, and then a man's hoarse, weary voice came through:

"...Where are you? I want to see you."