43: Chapter 43 You call this a dormitory? This is more like a warehouse!

After bidding farewell to the three rather strange dining companions in the first-floor lobby, Jiang You carried his snake-skin bag, stepped on the creaking wooden stairs, and arrived at the male dormitory area on the second floor.

The vibe here was completely different from the bright and glamorous main campus outside.

The light bulbs in the corridor were those old-fashioned tungsten ones, with unstable voltage, flickering on and off, stretching Jiang You's shadow into long and short shapes.

The paint on the walls on both sides was peeling off, revealing the red bricks underneath, and the air was filled with a musty, aged smell and... the scent of instant noodle seasoning packets?

"201... 201..."

Jiang You used the dim light to slowly search for his dormitory on the left side of the corridor.

"Hmm, the environment is a bit run-down, but at least it's quiet." Jiang You comforted himself, "And looking at this level of decay, I doubt the counselor would even dare to come up here for inspections; it's perfect for living in seclusion."

Finally, he found the room with half a doorplate hanging on it at the end of the corridor.

The door wasn't locked; it was left ajar.

From inside came the crisp "clatter-clatter" sound of abacus beads, accompanied by a highly intoxicated hum.

"Big gold chain, little watch, three small barbecues a day..."

Jiang You raised an eyebrow, kicked the door open, and walked in.

As soon as he entered, Jiang You was stunned by the scene before him.

How does this look like a student dormitory? This was clearly the back warehouse of a street stall wholesale market!

What should have been a four-person dorm had its space utilized to the extreme.

The two beds on the left, though empty, were kept relatively clean, with a whetstone on one bed and a huge hand gripper hanging on the head of the other.

But the area on the right was completely occupied by mountains of cardboard boxes.

The boxes were plastered with various handwritten, and somewhat rule-breaking, labels:

[Second-Order Strength Pill (Near expiration, discounted, won't kill you)]

["School-Wide Beauty Directory" Top Secret Edition (Includes some height and weight stats)]

[Explosion-proof shield (Second-hand, 90% new, use this to defend yourself, can withstand the aftermath of a Grandmaster's strike)]

[High-imitation limited edition sneakers (Put on these sneakers, feel like you're flying)]

Behind a table by the window sat a male student wearing gold-rimmed glasses, sporting a slicked-back hairstyle, and looking like a complete refined scumbag.

He was clattering away on an old-fashioned abacus, muttering to himself: "Sold three packs of spicy strips to 202 next door today, net profit 15 yuan... Purchased protein powder for Xiang Batian, commission 20 yuan..."

Hearing the movement at the door, the bespectacled man suddenly looked up.

The moment he saw Jiang You, the eyes behind his lenses lit up instantly; it was the look of a merchant seeing a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

"Oh my! A newcomer?"

The bespectacled man slid over to Jiang You with a practiced motion that made one's heart ache.

He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and revealed a professional fake smile:

"Greetings, brother! Welcome to the prime real estate of Class F, 201!"

"Let me introduce myself, I am your roommate, Class F's only logistics manager, the school's biggest middleman, Gou Fugui!"

"As the saying goes, 'If you get rich, don't forget your friends.' Since you're here, do you want to get a Freshman Move-in Gift Package?"

"Only 998, and you can take home the Class F Survival Guide! It also comes with a blessed pair of red underwear! Essential for your zodiac birth year!"

Jiang You took half a step back, looking up and down at this shrewd roommate.

"Gou Fugui? That's a lucky name."

"But I don't have any money."

Gou Fugui's smile stiffened for a moment, but he immediately regained his enthusiasm:

"No money? That's okay! You can use credits to offset it! Or..."

His sharp eyes instantly locked onto the pitch-black zixiao thunder bamboo in Jiang You's hand:

"I see this bamboo of yours is quite nice, although it's charred black, there's faint lightning flowing through it, looks like lightning-struck wood? How about using it as a down payment?"

Jiang You immediately hid the thunder bamboo behind his back, looking vigilant:

"You're overthinking it."

"This is my clothes drying pole, not for sale."

"This is my bed, right?"

Jiang You pointed to the only empty wooden bed in the corner, which had only a thin straw mat laid out.

"Yes, yes, yes, by the window, good ventilation," Gou Fugui introduced enthusiastically, "And it's close to me, so if you want to buy anything, just call me anytime. Place your order at the head of the bed, receive your goods at the foot of the bed!"

Jiang You sighed and threw the snake-skin bag on his shoulder onto the bed.

"Clang!"

With a dull, loud thud, the bed frame shook three times.

Gou Fugui was startled, his eyelids twitching wildly:

"Brother, what do you have in that bag? It sounds like a bag of iron ingots!"

"Nothing much, just some personal belongings."

Jiang You explained casually, then began to slowly take things out in front of Gou Fugui.

The first item: that bottle of zixiao thunder liquid, which was purple to the point of being black, packed in a mineral water bottle.

Gou Fugui pushed up his glasses: "What's this? Grape juice? Expired, right?"

Jiang You: "Toilet bowl cleaner, very strong, cleans well."

Afterward, Jiang You took out the two torn pages of the "Rich Woman Strategy" and carefully tucked them under his pillow.

Gou Fugui stretched his neck to see: "I know this! Is this a martial arts manual? A remnant scroll?"

Jiang You looked profound: "No, this is my dream. A shattered dream."

Gou Fugui looked at this pile of strange "junk" of Jiang You's, his mouth twitching.

He mentally labeled this new roommate: [Poor guy + Scavenger + Brain might have some issues].

"Looks like this business deal won't go through."

Gou Fugui shook his head in disappointment and sat back down to continue calculating his accounts.

After tidying up the bed, Jiang You felt his face was a bit oily.

"Uh, Brother Fugui, I'm going to go wash my face."

"Go ahead, go ahead, the washroom is out the door, turn left, and walk to the end." Gou Fugui didn't even look up, "Be careful, the faucet sometimes leaks electricity."

Jiang You took his basin and towel and walked out, swaying slightly.

The corridor was quiet, with only that broken light bulb making a "zizzing" electric sound.

Jiang You arrived at the washroom and turned on the faucet.

"Whoosh—"

A stream of icy water gushed out.

"Phew... refreshing."

Jiang You cupped the water and splashed it on his face, feeling much more awake.

After washing his face, he closed his eyes and habitually reached out to touch the towel he had placed on the counter.

He felt left, he felt right.

He felt nothing.

"Huh? Where's my towel? I clearly put it here just now." Jiang You muttered with his eyes closed.

Suddenly.

An icy, pale hand, seemingly without body temperature, silently handed a towel to his side.

The movement was gentle, even somewhat thoughtful.

"Thanks."

Jiang You subconsciously took the towel and wiped his face.

Halfway through wiping, his movements suddenly froze.

Wait!

Gou Fugui was in the room calculating accounts.

In this corridor... there was clearly only me here just now!

Not even a ghost in sight!

Who handed me the towel?

A chill shot straight from the soles of his feet to his scalp.

Jiang You opened his eyes abruptly and looked at the mottled mirror in front of him.

In the mirror, apart from his own face still dotted with water droplets, it was still empty.

There was no one behind him.

"Have I... seen a ghost?"

"In an old building like Class F... it's normal for it to be haunted, right?"

Jiang You felt spooked, and the towel in his hand felt a bit scorching hot.

Just then.

The image in the mirror suddenly twisted eerily.

Behind him, the air rippled like water waves, slowly revealing a thin figure wearing grey pajamas.

That person looked as if they had been standing there the whole time, perhaps even for a long time, quietly watching Jiang You wash his face.

"Holy shit!!"

Jiang You was so startled that his whole body shuddered, and his hair stood on end.

Subconsciously, he threw a punch backward without even thinking with his Brain, striking directly behind him.

The thin figure that had just appeared was scared by Jiang You's sudden movement, shrank back, slipped, and almost fell into the mop sink.

"Don't... don't hit! I'm human! I'm a living person!"

The person hugged their head, trembling, their voice smaller than a mosquito's, filled with grievance.

Jiang You withdrew his fist, looking at the boy who looked plain, even a bit transparent, still shaken: "You... you're human?"

"If you're human, why don't you make a sound? What kind of horror movie are you playing in the bathroom!"

The boy stood up aggrievedly, his figure still flickering, as if he might disappear into thin air at any moment:

"I... I'm called Mo Wu."

"I live right next door in 202."

"I've been brushing my teeth right here the whole time... you just didn't see me when you came over."

"I saw you couldn't find your towel, so I kindly handed it to you, why would you want to hit me..."

Jiang You: "..."

He looked carefully; the person did indeed have a shadow, although it was very faint.

And this temperament of having zero presence was simply outrageous!

Just now when he came over to wash his face, he hadn't even sensed that a living person was standing right next to him?

This Class F... really is full of hidden talents.

"Uh... Student Mo Wu, right."

Jiang You patted his chest, trying to save face:

"Sorry about that, I have a bit of neurasthenia and can't handle being startled."

"In the future, please cough, or hold up a sign."

Mo Wu nodded aggrievedly, then shrank back and went back to 202 without a word.

Jiang You watched his disappearing back, not even knowing how he had left.

"One unscrupulous merchant, one invisible person..."

Jiang You wiped the water off his face, looked at himself in the mirror, and sighed helplessly: "Looks like it's going to be hard to get a good night's sleep from now on."