Chapter Twenty-Three: Sudden Turn of Events

During class, Xiao Xiao was somewhat distracted. Thinking back on it now, it felt surreal that he had spent the entire afternoon talking to the Ling-Yao yesterday. Had he not been so hungry and the hour so late, he would have been truly reluctant to leave.

Perhaps because a spirit had been by his side last night, the Xiangshan sunset—a sight he had witnessed countless times—had seemed breathtakingly, soul-stirringly beautiful.

The sky was blanketed in crimson clouds, the Xiangshan mountains layered in fiery maples; heaven and earth blended into a single hue, the horizon between them blurring into nothingness. The grandeur and splendor of the world had felt all the more mysterious and ethereal because of the real, tangible spirit beside him.

Caught in that hazy, dreamlike atmosphere, he had been intoxicated and spellbound, drifting along as if he had forgotten the way home.

...

The atmosphere at university was always relaxed and pleasant. Outside the window, the daylight was just right. Xiao Xiao sat by the window on the fifth floor, where he could catch the faint, grassy scent carried on the breeze—clean, with a slight astringency and a lingering, subtle sweetness.

Huh? Xiao Xiao immediately straightened his somewhat lazy, slouched posture. His eyes widened slightly as he stared at the figure darting along the gravel path below, watching it race onto the wooden bridge until it vanished into the screen of trees.

An Ear-Rat?!

Xiao Xiao slowly relaxed his tensed body. It had been quite a while since he last saw one; he had assumed the little spirit had already left the campus.

To see it again was unexpected.

Yet, beyond that, there was nothing more to it.

For him, seeing a spirit no longer caused the same astonishment it had at the beginning. Perhaps before long, he would reach a point where he could remain calm and composed even if he suddenly encountered a spirit.

...

"Ah!" A sudden, piercing scream cut through the air like a blade, slashing across everyone’s eardrums and stabbing straight into their central nervous systems. Everyone jumped in shock.

The dull, quiet classroom plunged into a momentary freeze before erupting into chaos.

"What is it? What happened?"

"Damn, you scared the life out of me!"

"What's going on?"

...

"Zhenzhen, your face!" The sharp, high-pitched female voice continued, filled with such sheer horror that it seemed as if something unbearable had occurred.

"My face? What about it?" The girl addressed as Zhenzhen was puzzled by her friend’s terror and slightly rattled by the overreaction. She stood there, stunned, her face a mask of confusion and helplessness. One thought kept spinning in her mind: Had her mask fallen off?

Even as her mind remained muddled, her hands instinctively reached for her face.

The mask was still there.

Zhenzhen let out a sigh of relief. Her face really didn't look good right now; she couldn't let it be seen.

But since the mask was still on, she looked at her friend in confusion. Why was she screaming?

...

Just as she was filled with doubts, she thought, "So itchy... why is it suddenly so itchy?"

The sudden itching on her face caused the fear she had felt upon seeing her friend's horrified expression to immediately take root and spiral out of control. Panic sprouted and surged within her. Her hands began to tremble violently, beyond her command.

She ripped off her mask.

"What is this?!" Zhenzhen’s hands finally touched her own face directly. Beneath her fingers, the texture was not the smooth, delicate skin it should have been, with perhaps a few slight bumps—it was a dense mass of granules.

In that instant, she formed a vague, terrifying guess as to why her friend had screamed. She didn't want to believe it. No, this couldn't be real.

Her voice was weak, frantic, and trembling uncontrollably.

She refused to give up. Even with her hands shaking violently, she struggled to fumble blindly over her face. But granules—granules everywhere!

"Why are there so many? What is happening?" Zhenzhen clawed frantically at her face, the sensation beneath her touch filling her with despair.

The itching only intensified. "So itchy, so itchy..." Her voice, laced with tears, betrayed an obvious hysteria and madness.

She could not control the force of her hands. This wasn't right. How could her face turn into this?

"Zhenzhen, stop scratching... Ugh!"

...

Lin Zhenzhen was a delicate girl, possessing the gentle, refined air characteristic of someone from the Jiangnan region.

A few days ago, a few small granules had suddenly appeared on her fair face. They weren't very noticeable, and she hadn't taken them to heart. After all, girls sometimes broke out due to internal heat or lack of sleep. She had experienced similar things before; it was nothing major and usually cleared up in a few days.

However, this time was different.

Not only did the granules fail to fade, they multiplied and grew larger. Unlike typical red bumps, these were purple—a deep, dark purple that made Lin Zhenzhen’s complexion look quite horrific.

Panic set in. Fearing something was wrong with her face, she went to the hospital and registered for an appointment. After much trouble, it was diagnosed as a bite from some kind of insect. The doctor prescribed a pile of ointments and told her to apply them three times a day.

With the medication in hand, Lin Zhenzhen felt reassured.

Whether it was a placebo effect or the medicine actually working, she felt her face was improving; only a few small bumps remained.

So, after taking a few days off, she had come to class wearing a mask.

Who would have thought...

"A mirror, a mirror, I need a mirror!" Lin Zhenzhen’s voice was as taut as a snapping string—dry, hoarse, and strained. She felt a sense of weightlessness, as if she were suspended in a void, while various negative emotions vied to devour her.

She struggled to suppress it, to hold on.

A mirror—she needed a mirror!

...

At this point, the class was naturally interrupted. All the students gathered around. The girls were screaming, and the boys looked on, unable to bear the sight.

Even the teacher stepped down from the podium.

...

Lin Zhenzhen took the mirror someone handed to her.

The next moment, *clatter*—the mirror fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.

Lin Zhenzhen covered her face with both hands, burying her head deep, her entire body shaking uncontrollably.

Even for that brief instant, she had seen herself in the mirror.

It was a ghastly sight!

Her face was covered in purple lumps, and from the spots where she had scratched, yellow pus was oozing out.

It was absolutely repulsive!

A sob escaped her, and Lin Zhenzhen finally broke down in a wail of despair.

Her face! Her face!

What was she to do? What could she do?!

She was terrified, and she felt utterly helpless!

...

"Alright, everyone disperse! Don't crowd here. You two, quickly take her to the school infirmary." The teacher, being more composed, had managed to regain his senses despite being deeply shocked. He pointed to two students without hesitation, telling them to take Lin Zhenzhen to the infirmary immediately.

Lin Zhenzhen kept her hands firmly over her face as she was led away.

The remaining students stood there, the shock and even disgust still lingering on their faces.

For a moment, the classroom was silent.

A few minutes later, hushed whispers began to rise.

"My god, what happened?"

"It was so terrifying!"

"Will her face get better?"

"That's even worse than being disfigured!"

...