DSMC Chapter 131

“Yandere types are unreasonable existences. This time the kitten is probably going to get hunted down by Qu-laoshi.”

“I don’t believe Qu-laoshi would hunt Kitty Baby. He just saw Kitty Baby’s true form! What if the kitty form could heal him?”

“How is that possible? It’d already be lucky if he doesn’t snap Kitty Baby’s neck! We’re watching from the cat’s perspective, but from other players’ perspectives, it’s a completely different style. Healing? No way that happens with an unstable yandere teacher. Don’t be naïve. Besides, Kitty Baby can barely survive the instance, and you want to ask him to heal a yandere teacher? What are you thinking?”

“I just looked up what ‘yandere’ means. Turns out it’s a kind of unhealthy psychological condition, possessive and obsessive, with extreme behavior. Somehow… that hits me right in my preferences. Ah, Qu-laoshi, I’m in love~ I want to see all kinds of indescribable things happen between him and Kitty Baby next~”

“Qu-laoshi is really obsessed with whether students obey him. If Kitty Baby doesn’t calm his anger, will he strangle it next time they meet? Just imagine experiencing Qu-laoshi’s beautiful, obsessive love.”

“Sister above, what kind of terrifying thought is that… but now I want to see it too! I can already picture it: Qu-laoshi’s slender fingers gently stroking the black cat, then suddenly tightening—”

Meanwhile, Yan Jiyun was thinking about one thing and one thing only: run the moment he sees Teacher Qu again. Who would’ve thought that escaping class would trigger a mission ?

Well, it made sense. He ran out as soon as class started and didn’t return. Of course he’d be remembered.

After going downstairs, he didn’t leave immediately. It was dismissal time. Outside were either NPCs or players.

As school ended, the campus broadcast began playing dismissal music.

For a moment, Yan Jiyun felt like he had returned to his high school days. The realism of the game was almost frightening.

But no matter how realistic, the dismissal music still sounded eerie.

The school looked peaceful, but among thousands of NPCs who looked no different from ordinary people, it wasn’t easy to find familiar players.

Yan Jiyun still didn’t know where to find Gu Wenzhu and Qiu Xi. They probably wouldn’t casually use their cards, but Gu Wenzhu’s leg was easy to recognize.

Right now, it was dinner time. Where was the cafeteria?

No matter the instance, he would never miss a meal.

There were many students on the stairs. Before the crowd arrived, he used a Human Form Time Card, blended in, and headed to the cafeteria, quickly finishing his dinner.

Even eating in the cafeteria yielded some gains. He overheard players exchanging information, which he quietly absorbed.

It turned out players weren’t only in the arts classes; they were distributed across regular classes throughout the school.

Every player’s first class in the game was an exam. If caught cheating during the exam, the system would reduce their game time!

In other words, while others might have 7 days to explore, cheaters would have less. And since the afternoon exam results hadn’t been announced yet, there might be further penalties.

After leaving the cafeteria, Yan Jiyun found a secluded corner and turned back into a cat, then lazily lay on an old tree to rest.

Though the game was unfair, it never skimped on food. As long as players stayed alive, the meals were always decent.

From the tree, he observed passing NPCs and players.

The roles in the school were fairly standard, with teachers, staff, support personnel, logistics staff, and so on.

In terms of importance, aligned with the game, the hierarchy seemed to be: students, teachers, support staff, and school leadership.

Picking out the “chosen one” of the instance from thousands of NPCs was no easy task.

So slowly filtering candidates wouldn’t work. He had to approach it from notable events instead.

There were many students with good voices, but truly exceptional talent might only be one or two.

Even though he was placed in an arts class, the system never said the main character had to be in one.

Among the people he’d encountered, teachers were unlikely to be the “mermaid,” so it had to be a student.

Han Ruibai was the first NPC tied to an event. Teacher Qu praised his singing, but only as a good student. Others who sang well were also praised and guided, so he wasn’t particularly outstanding.

The old tree Yan Jiyun sat on was at a crossroads of four paths: toward the school building, dormitories, the sports field, and the library.

All students wore uniforms labeled “Mingya High School.”

It was a fully closed boarding school with no day students. Students could only go home on weekends, and seniors often only had one day off, sometimes just half a day. Since this instance lasted 7 days, he guessed all players were assigned as senior students.

Yan Jiyun’s greatest asset was patience. From the flow of people, he gathered quite a bit of information.

On the path to the dorms, there was a small supermarket. After dinner, students often stopped there to buy snacks like ice cream.

They chatted while eating and walking.

Boys who had just finished playing basketball also liked to stop by the nearby shop to buy drinks.

This location was a common route for most students. Yan Jiyun overheard gossip, from romantic relationships, tensions between teachers, and even students discussing ghost stories and supernatural events as night fell.

That part didn’t excite him, but he had to listen. Many stories begin with school horror legends.

He filtered out unimportant details and recorded the rumors.

He overheard one from a young couple.

The boy seemed to want a nighttime date and, driven by typical male psychology, tried to scare the girl a little to make her rely on him more.

Yan Jiyun lay above them, tail loosely hooked around a branch. If his tail were longer, he’d have liked to separate the clingy couple.

Being lovey-dovey in front of him was bad enough. But why were they eating ice cream too?

Boy: “Babe, have you heard the school ghost stories?”

Girl: “What kind of ghost stories? Are they scary?”

Boy: “Like the rumor that someone sings in the piano room at midnight? Yan Heng and the others want to check it out after evening study, see who’s pretending to be a ghost. Want to go?”

Girl: “Are you going?”

Boy: “Of course I am. Your hubby isn’t scared.”

Girl: “I knew you were brave. Then I’ll go too. You have to protect me tonight.”

Boy: “You’re my girl. Of course I’ll protect you.”

Girl: “Shameless~”

Up in the tree, Yan Jiyun expressionlessly urged them in his mind to leave already. Ugh, couples were the worst.

Students exploring the piano room tonight. This might be an important plot point.

Just as he was thinking this, the system sent a notification.

[Player Yan Jiyun’s music theory score: 90.]

[Congratulations, player has successfully passed the music theory test with a high score.]

[(Public channel) Players who did not pass must return to the classroom at 7 PM for evening self-study (19:00–21:00). Players who passed may return to the dorms to rest.]

Yan Jiyun thought to himself that he hadn’t actually earned that score as he copied them. The real top student was Han Ruibai.

If he wanted to score high in the upcoming music-related tests, he would have to build a good relationship with Han Ruibai. Hopefully there won’t be any more exams. Those weren’t difficult for regular academic-class players, but for him in the vocal class, they were torture.

Evening self-study was probably meant to trap players who failed to reach the passing line in the classroom, reducing their time to search for clues. It should be mandatory, and players likely couldn’t escape even if they tried. That being the case, during normal classes, as long as there weren’t special restrictions from NPCs, it was generally possible to slip out and investigate.

But he had just learned that singing could be heard from the piano room at night. It seemed he would have to go check it out.

The sky was dimming. This was the perfect time for him to act.

Just as Yan Jiyun was about to climb down from the tree, he spotted Han Ruibai hurrying toward the classroom with books in his arms. He had wanted to ask where the dormitory was. Normally, schools would have a dorm check at night.

He was about to transform back into a human and jump down when he saw Han Ruibai suddenly approach a male student walking toward him.

The boy had a buzz cut, held a basketball, was tall, wore a jersey, and had that edgy teenage “cool” vibe.

“Xue Ping, wait.”

The student walking with Xue Ping told him to go ahead to the cafeteria, while Xue Ping stayed behind.

He looked impatient. “What is it? I told you not to call me that at school.”

Han Ruibai said, “I just wanted to ask if you’re going home this weekend.”

Xue Ping replied coldly, “No. If you want to go, go by yourself.”

Han Ruibai: “But you haven’t gone home for a month. Uncle¹T/N: HRB used 叔叔, so it’s either a paternal uncle or an unrelated man around his father’s age.) said—”

Xue Ping pushed him. “Mind your own business. Whether I go home or not has nothing to do with you.”

Han Ruibai stood in front of him. He had a slender build, the type of obedient top student. Judging from his concern for Xue Ping, he really did seem quite gentle.

Could they be stepbrothers in a blended family?

Xue Ping ran off to catch up with his basketball teammates. When Yan Jiyun looked after them, he thought he saw a boy who resembled Qi Feng.

He shook his head. He must have been spending too much time with Qi Feng, seeing his shadow in every good-looking boy.

In the Peak Competition, the item shop could be accessed, but in instances it was different. After entering, the pet system and prop store were completely disabled, so he couldn’t see Qi Feng’s status at all.

Putting that aside, he had gathered another piece of information: Han Ruibai’s family situation was complicated.

But could he be the protagonist?

If he was, wasn’t he a bit too ordinary? Then again, if it was a romance-related dungeon, his family background fit the trope.

Yan Jiyun’s thoughts began to wander.

The male lead, neglected at home by a stepbrother, needing salvation from the female lead. Together they fight against those who bully them at school. That would naturally lead to a romance, typical for a mutual healing story.

Right. He remembered that when Han Ruibai was bullied in the restroom earlier, a girl was involved!

Could that girl be the so-called female lead?

Had he really gotten lucky this time?

Yan Jiyun watched Han Ruibai standing there looking dejected, wondering why he didn’t go find the female lead. She would surely comfort him.

But if Han Ruibai wasn’t the protagonist, then it must be another direction.

After everyone left, Yan Jiyun jumped down from the tree.

Instead of guessing here, he might as well look for more clues to support his theory.

It was warm during the day, but at night, as darkness fell and the autumn wind picked up, many students heading to classrooms put on jackets.

Now that his body was smaller, Yan Jiyun could slip into corners more easily without being noticed.

He wondered if other players had also discovered the school rumors. At this time, could he find clues?

Probably not. Without the right timing, the plot wouldn’t trigger. Better to wander around campus before evening study began.

Mingya High School had excellent landscaping, allowing him to move freely through the greenery.

He ruled out the sports field for now. The dorms were probably empty, so no need to go there yet. The cafeteria hadn’t revealed anything special either. That left the chapel building and the sports facilities.

After eliminating options, Yan Jiyun chose to investigate the school building to look for information about teachers and students.

Hopefully he wouldn’t run into Teacher Qu again.

Since it wasn’t class time, there weren’t many students in the teaching building. Many classrooms were still dark.

Yan Jiyun followed behind Han Ruibai.

But Han Ruibai didn’t return to the classroom. Instead, he sat alone on the flag-raising platform, staring into space.

Teenage lovesickness?

Yan Jiyun hadn’t planned to follow him, but since Han Ruibai had helped him pass the entrance exam, he got curious.

Not that he was worried, just confused. 

Since sitting down, Han Ruibai had already sighed three times.

Phones weren’t allowed in classrooms. He didn’t seem to have one, only a watch on his wrist to check the time.

Was he upset about being rejected by Xue Ping?

Honestly, Yan Jiyun thought Xue Ping’s attitude was pretty annoying. If it were his own brother, he wouldn’t bother. Jusst let him do whatever he wants.

Just as Yan Jiyun was about to stop watching and head back to the teaching building, he stepped out of the bushes, and saw several people rush out behind Han Ruibai.

If he remembered correctly, these were the same guys who bullied Han Ruibai in the restroom.

The flag-raising platform was dimly lit. They quietly approached while Han Ruibai was distracted. One of them covered his nose with a cloth.

Han Ruibai struggled briefly, then passed out.

“Take him to the piano room. Let him stay there tonight and get eaten by mosquitoes!”

“Tsk, let’s see if he dares mess with Cheng Su again.”

“How dare he flirt with Saozi²sister-in-law, specifically your older brother’s wife.? Shameless.”

The scarred boy sneered, “Just like his mother. Both are shameless trash.”

The three carried Han Ruibai toward the teaching building. Yan Jiyun was glad he had followed, otherwise he would’ve missed this.

Why did Han Ruibai’s storyline feel so significant? Could he really be the protagonist?

That seemed too lucky.

Maybe it was just a coincidence. Minor conflicts between boys were normal. If he were the protagonist, shouldn’t it be even more tragic?

He decided to observe further.

Yan Jiyun followed the three boys.

They carried Han Ruibai openly through the school. When encountering teachers or students, they casually explained that he had fainted from overstudying and they were taking him to the infirmary.

Yan Jiyun felt they had planned this in advance. Even from a distance, he could smell the strong scent of ether coming off Han Ruibai.

These high schoolers were really doing illegal things out of boredom.

At night, there were no classes in the music building, so there were no lights.

The three boys carried Han Ruibai upstairs. The school was stingy enough to shut down the elevator, forcing them to take the stairs.

Yan Jiyun kept a safe distance.

The third floor… wasn’t that where he had vocal class earlier?

Could the piano room be Teacher Qu’s classroom?

At this hour, the building was empty and was eerily quiet.

The three carried Han Ruibai inside and placed him on the piano bench. They were also nervous and didn’t dare linger.

“Let’s go, let’s go. Haven’t you heard the school rumors?”

“You mean the one about someone playing piano at midnight?”

“Stop it, stop it. Let’s just go. I’m getting goosebumps.”

“Cowards. We’re men so we’ve got strong yang energy. Why should we be afraid of that stuff!”

“Let’s go. Whether we’re afraid or not doesn’t matter. What matters is whether Han Ruibai will be scared to death when he wakes up.”

“If he dies here, he deserves it. Who told him to mess with Cheng Su.”

Yan Jiyun slipped into the classroom unnoticed, and soon after, he heard them close the door.

He was also feeling uneasy. Being alone in this huge classroom late at night was terrifying. He hadn’t felt that way during the day when he was in class, but now that it was quiet, it was really scary. Han Ruibai was alive but fainted, so it was still as if Yan Jiyun was alone here. 

Yan Jiyun jumped onto the piano lid and slapped Han Ruibai’s face hard.

One time— two times— three times—

Why is there no response?

Ten minutes have passed. If the chloroform concentration was not high, a typical boy his age should wake up within 10 to 30 minutes.

These high school students weren’t really at the point of murdering Han Ruibai. Their “pranks” were not that harmful, and their talk of death was probably just said in anger. If they really wanted to kill someone, they wouldn’t have carried Han Ruibai to this building in front of their teachers and classmates, since it would have been easily discovered through investigation.

Yan Jiyun patted Han Ruibai again, but the other showed no signs of waking up. He wondered if his strength had also decreased after he shrank.

Suddenly, his ears perked up; he heard a sound outside!

The three students who had just run out should have gone far away, but then they ran upstairs again, as if they had seen something strange.

All three of them had a tremor in their voices.

At the same time, Yan Jiyun also heard the clattering sound of leather shoes hitting the floor tiles.

The sound of these leather shoes is similar to that of Teacher Qu’s leather shoes, but it also seems a little different.

To Yan Jiyun, Teacher Qu’s shoes made a special clattering sound, but he could notice that because his hearing was excellent. In quiet environments, the sound would be exceptionally loud, so he could hear the differences. Normally, Teacher Qu’s shoes made a muffled thud when they hit the ground; but this person’s shoes made a much crisper sound instead. In conclusion, this person was probably not Teacher Qu.

Why did those three male students hide?

As the sound of leather shoes approached the classroom door, Yan Jiyun slipped behind the curtains and hid. To protect the piano from the intense sunlight, the school used thick curtains in the classrooms, so he could hide inside unnoticed. Besides, he was smaller, so there were even more places to hide; he could squeeze into even the narrowest spaces.

After hiding, Yan Jiyun left herself a small gap to observe the situation outside.

The classroom door creaked open a crack as someone gently pushed it open.

Yan Jiyun’s heart clenched. Had he discovered that Han Ruibai had been brought up by someone?

Who is this person?

The students mostly wear sneakers or loafers, which don’t make this kind of sound. 

And why was he allowed to leave the corridor lights off at night? A normal teacher would have turned them on.

The door opened wider and wider, and the person outside walked in.

They felt around for something by the door, but eventually gave up and walked towards Han Ruibai, who was leaning against the piano.

Yan Jiyun didn’t dare to breathe loudly. He was actually crouching under the curtains near the piano to avoid the light shining into his eyes and making them glow green. He used the piano to shield his body.

Hearing the sound of leather shoes approaching Han Ruibai, his heart was in his throat!

Who exactly is this person?

They also had shoulder-length hair just like Teacher Qu.

Could it be Teacher Qu who changed his shoes? Why would he come to the piano classroom at this time?

Yan Jiyun continued to hide, hoping the other party wouldn’t do anything bad to Han Ruibai, and that they would act as a Good Samaritan and rescue Han Ruibai.

The other person clearly couldn’t understand Yan Jiyun’s thoughts. He circled around the piano and then pinched Han Ruibai’s chin.

Their voice was as deep as a cello, “Such an unlucky kid, tonight is your turn.”

Yan Jiyun’s heart skipped a beat. ‘What did that mean?’

Judging from the voice, it was definitely not Teacher Qu. Was this man going to kill Han Ruibai?

What should he do? Should he save Han Ruibai?

However, he still doesn’t know what weapons the NPC has or what his combat strength is.

The man’s hand reached towards Han Ruibai’s neck!

Yan Jiyun was ready to jump and interfere with his opponent, preventing him from attacking Han Ruibai. After all, Han Ruibai was the one who helped him not failing his exam, and he couldn’t let him “die” like that.

Just as he was about to jump, a sound of familiar leather shoes approached the piano classroom again. This time he was right, it was Teacher Qu!

This mysterious man also heard the commotion. He withdrew his hand, which was about to strangle Han Ruibai’s neck, and then darted behind the curtains.

A short while later, the door to the piano classroom was opened again.

Yan Jiyun knew it was Teacher Qu, and also knew that he was quite cruel to his students. Could it be that the incident of someone singing in the piano classroom at night was related to him?

However, he shouldn’t be worried about whether Han Ruibai will be killed by Teacher Qu; he should be more concerned about himself.

Because at that moment, the man who had hidden behind the curtains was standing beside him. Most of the man’s face was covered by his long hair, so his features were not visible. He lowered his head and met Yan Jiyun’s gaze.

He’s been discovered! What… what should he do?

• 1
  T/N: HRB used 叔叔, so it’s either a paternal uncle or an unrelated man around his father’s age.)
• 2
  sister-in-law, specifically your older brother’s wife.