Chapter 28: If I Go Bald, Will You Still Love Me? (28)

Bu Zhongyao had never tried running at full speed before. Even in gym class, she would avoid running whenever she could. This was the first time she ran with all her might, her heart set on a single goal.

When she reached the projection room, she didn’t hesitate—she raised her foot and kicked at the door. At that exact moment, the door opened from the inside, and her kick landed squarely on the boy who was about to walk out.

Gu Yueshu hadn’t even realized what was happening before he was kicked to the ground. Clutching the spot between his waist and thigh, he thought he heard a sound like eggs and chickens smashing together.

“Gu Yueshu!” Bu Zhongyao crouched down, grabbed his shoulders, and shook him furiously. “What do you mean by this? You sent me away just so you could die by yourself?”

“Say something!”

“Don’t you dare stay silent!”

“Gu Yueshu!”

A girl’s voice spoke up from the side, “Um... maybe you should let him catch his breath before talking? It looks like you’re about to shake him to death.”

Bu Zhongyao stopped and looked at Gu Yueshu again. His face was pale from the pain in that unspeakable place, and he was dizzy from being shaken so hard. It wouldn’t have taken much more for him to start foaming at the mouth.

She quickly let go.

With a thud, Gu Yueshu collapsed weakly onto the floor again, the sound of his body hitting the ground making everyone wince in sympathy.

Curled up, he took a long time to recover before gasping out, “I wasn’t killed by the ghost girl, but you’re certainly going to do it... Bu Zhongyao, do you care nothing for your own happiness in the years to come?”

Bu Zhongyao, looking like a child in trouble, gingerly helped Gu Yueshu sit up. She stole a glance at the spot where she’d kicked him, and seeing his blank expression, she whispered, “Don’t worry, if it comes to it, I’ll be on top from now on. And...”

She lifted her head to look at Bai Yao, and in an instant, her gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by a sharpness. “Why are you still here?”

Bai Yao was unbothered. “I’m here to watch the show.”

Bu Zhongyao glared at Gu Yueshu. “You sent me away just to watch a movie with her?”

Gu Yueshu protested, his face twisted in misery, “She’s been crouching here this whole time. I didn’t invite her!”

Bai Yao said, “It’s past midnight. Shouldn’t you two go get some rest?”

Bu Zhongyao glanced at the clock on the wall—it was already 12:15. She turned to Gu Yueshu, her excitement barely contained. “You made it past the seventh day! The curse you were supposed to inherit is gone! Gu Yueshu, you don’t have to die!”

Overcome with relief and joy, she threw her arms around him and smothered him with kisses.

Gu Yueshu, his face smeared with lipstick, managed to remain calm. “Since you knew the curse had to be passed on, why did you come looking for me?”

Bu Zhongyao looked away, a little embarrassed. “I came to collect your remains. Is that not allowed?”

But if she’d only come for that, she wouldn’t have run so fast.

Tears welled up in Gu Yueshu’s eyes as he tackled her to the ground. “Zhongyao! You do care about me!”

Bu Zhongyao panicked. “Wait, not now! You didn’t bring any protection!”

Gu Yueshu replied, “I just borrowed one from Bai Yao!”

Bu Zhongyao blurted out, “What?”

Outside the now-closed door, Bai Yao stood in the hallway. She raised the disc in her hand, letting it glimmer coldly in the dim light.

Earlier, she and Gu Yueshu had watched a movie for over an hour. At first, the woman on the screen was just brushing her hair in front of a mirror; later, she squatted down and started singing “Weaving the Flower Basket.” It was no different from the first time Bai Yao had seen the film.

Even when midnight struck and Gu Yueshu’s seventh cursed day had passed, nothing happened.

It was very late now, and the streets were deserted.

Alone under the streetlights, Bai Yao felt not the slightest twinge of fear. Instead, she pulled out her phone and messaged her boyfriend: [Do you want to sleep with me tonight?]

His reply came instantly: [Yes, yes, yes!]

In the art studio of the old academic building, Shen Ji was hunched over his math workbook. Double-digit addition and subtraction were so hard—he didn’t have enough fingers and toes to count. But Yao Yao had told him if he didn’t finish his assignments, he couldn’t go see her. So he could only scribble away, desperate.

The moment he received Bai Yao’s message, he tossed his pen aside, opened the window, and put one foot on the ledge, about to jump out. But just as he moved, he sensed something and stopped, turning to look at the door.

Song Ming entered, flashlight in hand. He’d come alone to the abandoned academic building in the middle of the night, fear gnawing at him, but the guide on the forum had made it clear: only at midnight did the missing art studio have the highest chance of appearing.

He’d bragged before that he’d come here and make a wish in the art studio. He’d put it off for days, and his friends had mocked him for it. So no matter what, he had to come tonight.

Sure enough, at the far end of the fourth floor, he saw the room with the “Art Studio” sign on the door. Overjoyed, he thought luck was finally on his side!

He worked up his courage, walked forward, and pushed open the door. The room was pitch black, and he could barely make out a shadowy figure standing near the fluttering curtains.

Song Ming dropped to his knees at once. “You... you... you must be the immortal from the legends, the one who can grant wishes to humans!”

The figure stood with his back to the moonlight, his silhouette sinister and strange in the cold wind. But it seemed he gave a soft chuckle. “What is your wish?”

Without hesitation, Song Ming said, “I want my family to be the wealthiest and most powerful in this school!”

The shadow yawned, utterly uninterested in such an unimaginative wish.

Song Ming continued, “And Bai Yao. I want Bai Yao.”

The yawning figure froze, tilting his head slightly. “Did you just mention Bai Yao?”

Song Ming could barely contain his excitement; everything he desired seemed within reach. With a god before him, he felt no need to hide his longing. “Yes, I want her to love me. I want her to put me above all else. Everything about her should be under my control—I want her to become completely dependent on me!”

He wanted to crush the dignity of that untouchable girl, to see her utterly stripped of pride and clinging to him for everything. He wanted revenge for all the times she had looked down on him.

The shadow asked, “You know there’s a price to pay for making a wish to me, don’t you?”

A faint scent of burning filled the air, and the room grew noticeably warmer. Song Ming chalked it up to his own excitement. Hearing the word “price,” fear flickered in his heart, but he quickly suppressed it. “No matter what the price, I’m willing.”