The dorm lights flickered again.
Zhou Zhi had long since retreated to the library—his claimed reason was to "study," but everyone knew it was to escape the spiritual drama of Room 415.
That left Shi Mu and Fu Yunshen alone.
Again.
The room was quiet, except for the occasional rumble of distant thunder.
Shi Mu sat on her bed, legs crossed, hair still damp from a rushed shower. She was staring at a half-finished book—but not reading it.
Fu Yunshen, across from her, had a towel draped over his shoulders and a steaming mug in his hand. He wasn't reading either.
They both knew they were avoiding the same thing: each other.
The storm outside thickened, wind howling as rain lashed the windows.
The lights dimmed, then steadied.
Shi Mu closed her book.
"You can't sleep like this," she said, nodding at the flickering overhead bulb. "Power might cut."
Fu Yunshen didn't reply. Just glanced at the small emergency lantern resting beside his bed.
"I've dealt with worse."
"You always say that," she muttered.
"Because it's usually true."
She sighed, tossed the book aside, and got up. She rummaged through her drawer and pulled out a second blanket, throwing it over to his bed.
He caught it with a raised eyebrow. "What's this?"
"Insurance. In case the heater dies."
"I'll survive."
"You always say that too."
A beat passed.
Then, quietly, he said, "It's been quieter lately."
"You mean without the ghosts?"
"I mean… with you here."
She paused.
"I've been trying not to disturb you," she said.
"You're not a disturbance," he replied.
Her heart thudded once—loud and traitorous.
They stayed like that for a while.
Just sitting.
Drinking silence like tea neither of them knew how to sweeten.
Then she said, "I read the report on Lu Feng."
Fu Yunshen looked up.
"She wasn't trying to summon anything," Shi Mu continued. "She was trying to protect someone. The ritual wasn't about gain—it was about sacrifice."
He was quiet for a moment.
"Do you think you're doing the same thing?" he asked.
"What?"
"Protecting everyone else. At your own expense."
She didn't answer.
Because he wasn't wrong.
And that truth felt too sharp tonight.
Suddenly, thunder boomed loud enough to shake the walls.
The lights went out.
Total darkness.
Shi Mu blinked into the blackness.
"…Seriously?"
Fu Yunshen stood, fumbled for the emergency lantern, and clicked it on.
Warm, orange light filled the room.
And cast a soft glow between them.
"You hate storms, don't you?" he asked.
She hesitated. "Not the storm."
"Then what?"
"The stillness after."
He nodded slowly.
"Same."
[System Notification]
Emotional Resonance Increased – Shared Space, Shared Silence
Brotherhood Value +60 (Quiet Connection During Storm State)
Current Total: 1,870 / 1,000,000
Neither of them said anything else that night.
But when Shi Mu fell asleep, it was with the faint sound of rain—
—and the quiet comfort of knowing she wasn't the only one staying awake in the dark.