Fang Yuan found Tao Bing'er and the others and quickly grabbed a meal at the "Hao Kou Fu" fast food chain. Everyone was feeling a bit tired after their morning's fun. While she didn't know what Blind Man Shen had said to the other three girls during their dream interpretation, she could tell Tao Bing'er and Xu Zhaodi were in good spirits. Considering Blind Man Shen's interpretation of her own dream, she suspected their emotional distress had been alleviated. However, the usually innocent and delicate Qin Yanping seemed a bit glum; it was unclear what she was thinking.
The four of them returned to the medical school and to girls' dormitory 441. Su Ya wasn't there, which wasn't surprising; it would have been strange if she had stayed there. Everyone went about their own business: some sleeping, some surfing the internet, some listening to music. Fang Yuan was well aware of her current situation. After a short rest, she went to visit her homeroom teacher, Qin Yue, alone.
Qin Yue, unmarried, lived alone in the faculty dormitory at the medical school. Her one-bedroom, one-living-room apartment was small, but comfortable. Fang Yuan had no trouble finding her place. When the doorbell rang, Qin Yue, freshly awakened from a nap, opened the door and let Fang Yuan in.
Qin Yue's bedroom was simply furnished. A large, pale green bed, topped with a soft, comfortable Simmons mattress, took up most of the space. Next to the bed sat a dark red dressing table, antique in style. Ironically, a Great Wall computer sat near the headboard. Judging by its placement and orientation, Qin Yue was surfing the internet while lying in bed. The only other larger item was the color TV opposite the bed.
Qin Yue felt a little embarrassed. "Just sit on the bed. The room's too small."
Fang Yuan smiled. "So, you like surfing the internet, too, Teacher."
"Haha, I'm not much older than you." Qin Yue didn't put on airs, treating Fang Yuan like a younger sister. "By the way, what's the matter with you? Is it about what happened in girls' dormitory 441?"
"Not exactly," Fang Yuan paused, then thought to herself. "Since you want to know, I'll tell you what happened in girls' dormitory 441 yesterday."
Fang Yuan recounted to Qin Yue a series of strange events that had occurred since she entered girls' dormitory 441. She spoke slowly and carefully, including the ghosts of different genders she and Xu Zhaodi had seen, the nightmares all five girls had, four of which were of Cheng Li, the woman who had committed suicide by jumping from a building, and even the details of their visit to Blind Man Shen this morning to interpret their dreams.
Qin Yue casually took out a small notebook and wrote down a few words from time to time. She listened attentively, not interrupting to avoid interrupting Fang Yuan's thoughts. After Fang Yuan finished, she asked a few questions to confirm she had heard a few key details correctly.
"So, there's something strange going on in girls' dormitory 441, and those terrifying rumors aren't groundless?" Qin Yue pondered. Fang Yuan and the others were her students, and she had a responsibility to care about their lives and thoughts.
Qin Yue pondered for a moment, still unsure what to think. She asked, "Fang Yuan, what do you think?"
Fang Yuan had anticipated Qin Yue's question and, confident in her thoughts, replied, "Teacher, I believe that demons are born from within. These strange happenings in girls' dormitory 441 are more or less related to the suicide of Cheng Li. Can we start the investigation by examining the cause of Cheng Li's death? If we can thoroughly investigate the entire situation and resolve everyone's concerns, those rumors will be refuted."
"Cheng Li's cause of death? She didn't commit suicide?"
"But no one knows if she truly committed suicide. Even if she did, why did she do it? The medical school hasn't given a clear explanation yet."
"That's true." Qin Yue knew the medical school had been keeping the cause of Cheng Li's suicide a secret and hadn't released it publicly.
"So, I'd like to ask the teacher for help with the investigation. After all, I'm just a student, my abilities are limited, and my student status makes it difficult to obtain relevant information."
Qin Yue nodded. "Yes, this is much easier for me to do than you. Fang Yuan, you're quite thoughtful."
After saying this, Qin Yue checked the time. It was 2:20, and she had ten minutes until work. It was the beginning of the new semester, and there were a lot of chores waiting for her to deal with in the classroom.
Qin Yue packed up her room and went out to work. As they reached the door, Qin Yue noticed that Fang Yuan's expression was a little uneasy. She hesitated, as if she had something she wanted to say but was too embarrassed to say it.
"Fang Yuan, what's wrong? Is there anything else?"
Fang Yuan's face flushed, and she hesitated before finally mustering the courage to speak. "Teacher, my family's financially struggling, so I'd like to find a part-time job to help me earn money for my studies. But I don't know anyone in Nanjiang City, so I'd like to ask for your help."
So that's what happened. Qin Yue patted Fang Yuan's head and smiled. "Silly girl, I thought it was something else. What's there to be embarrassed about? Let me think, how about a part-time position as a librarian at our medical school?"
"Great! Thank you, teacher." Fang Yuan almost jumped for joy. She had thought it would be difficult, but who knew it would be so smooth.
"Don't be so excited. It's not difficult to introduce you. I'm just worried you won't be able to stick with it."
"Teacher, don't worry. I'm not someone who can't endure hardship."
"It's not hardship, it's..." Qin Yue suddenly paused, as if trying to find the right word, but couldn't. "I can't really explain it. How about this? I'll write a note and you can give it to the librarian. I can't explain the details right now, so go and see for yourself."
Qin Yue took out a pen and paper, quickly wrote it down, and handed it to Fang Yuan. As they parted on campus, Qin Yue reminded her again: "No matter what you see, stay calm. It's okay."
At first, Fang Yuan thought Qin Yue was saying this because of the strange things happening in Girls' Dormitory 441. It wasn't until she met the strange librarian that she realized she had misunderstood Qin Yue.
The library of Nanjiang Medical College was not far from the teaching building. Walking along the beautiful Moon Lake and through the quiet woods, you could see it across the basketball court.
"Fang Yuan!" Someone seemed to be calling her, a boy's voice.
Fang Yuan turned and saw that it was Tang Tianyu, the smug, athletic boy, calling her from the basketball court, surrounded by several laughing and cheering teammates.
Fang Yuan ignored him. He was incredibly shameless, completely oblivious to the gazes of others, trotting over to her in front of so many people.
"Hey, Fang Yuan, don't you remember me?"
Fang Yuan glared at him and whispered, "Aren't you afraid of embarrassing yourself in front of your classmates?"
"Hehe, I'm not afraid. A gentleman loves a beautiful lady. Chasing a beautiful woman is nothing to be ashamed of."
"Boring!"
This kind of person, if you give him any attention, he'd dare to open a dye shop. Fang Yuan had no choice but to quicken her pace and head into the library.
Up to the third floor, she entered the reading room. It was quiet and peaceful. Occasionally, someone would move about, but their steps were gentle, as if to avoid disturbing the other students. Tang Tianyu, after all, was a medical student, so he didn't dare act too impolite in the reading room. He dropped his playful smile and followed Fang Yuan as quietly as possible.
Fang Yuan handed Qin Yue's note to a bespectacled administrator inside. After reading it, the administrator opened the door, let Fang Yuan in, and unceremoniously shut Tang Tianyu out.
"He's not here right now. You should wait for him in his lounge."
Who was the "he" the administrator was referring to? Was he the person Qin Yue had entrusted him to?
Fang Yuan said nothing more. She walked past the rows of bookshelves, entered the small room the administrator pointed to, and pushed the door. It was ajar, and she slowly walked in.
The small room contained a single bed, and otherwise, it was filled with books. Unlike the collection outside, the books here were almost entirely psychology and philosophy. Familiar names flashed before her eyes: Freud, Pavlov, Hegel, Nietzsche, and so on.
Fang Yuan pulled out a copy of Freud's "The Interpretation of Dreams" and quickly lost herself in its strange world.
Fang Yuan was so engrossed in her reading that she didn't even notice the passage of time. Then, as the light in the small room gradually dimmed, the words on the book finally became blurred, and she paused.
Then, she saw a pair of eyes. Their pale blue pupils were quiet and deep, devoid of any emotion. On such a hot day, the person, wearing a thick black windbreaker, stood silently in a corner of the darkness, like a stone sculpture.