Hitchhiking

"Phew! We finally got through that!"

Gu Sheng loosened his collar and let out a sigh of relief. When all was said and done, the real world was where he truly lived. If he were caught breaking the law here, he had no connections or backing. By then, he would have no choice but to flee and live on the run.

"We need to leave, now!"

Gu Sheng poked his head out to check. After confirming that He-jie and Xiao Ya had really left, he exited the inpatient building, went out through the hospital’s back entrance, crossed to the opposite street, and bought a backpack.

After returning to the ward, he hastily gathered Tang Lie’s ashes, folded them up with the bedsheet, and put them in the backpack. He then placed Jade Azure Serpent Qing Ling, who was unaccustomed to the environment of the real world, inside as well before completing the discharge procedures with the doctor on duty.

There had been some complications during the discharge process. The door to Gu Sheng’s ward had been damaged, but fortunately, he later found a police officer at the scene to clarify that Gu Sheng was not responsible. Otherwise, it would have caused him yet another headache.

By the time everything was settled, the sky had already taken on a hazy yellow tint. It was probably around three or four o’clock.

"Vroom~~"

The faint sound of a car came from behind him. A black sedan then stopped in front of Gu Sheng. Its window rolled down, revealing the dashing He-jie and the youthful, lively Xiao Ya.

"Two officers, is there something else?"

Gu Sheng’s heart jolted. Could I have been found out? Nevertheless, he remained composed and greeted the two women naturally.

"Didn’t you say you study at West District University Town? We’re heading that way too. We can give you a ride!"

Xiao Ya waved enthusiastically at Gu Sheng. "Stop dawdling. Buses are hard to catch at this hour. Hurry up and get in!"

"Thanks! This is my first time riding home in a police car. Maybe I’ll become famous when I get back!"

Gu Sheng seemed a little restrained, but he still opened the door and sat in the back.

"Put on your seat belt!"

He-jie was driving and did not say much. After reminding him, she rolled up the window, stepped on the gas, and quickly drove out of the hospital.

Since rush hour was still some time away, the roads were not too congested. Still, in a major city, especially in the urban districts, it was impossible to drive very fast. After passing through several traffic lights, the car slowed down.

Gu Sheng and Xiao Ya chatted intermittently. As they talked, they exchanged contact information, adding each other on QQ and WeChat.

"Gu Sheng, who do you think is prettier, me or He-jie?"

Xiao Ya hit it off with Gu Sheng, and once they started talking, they chatted about everything.

"Sister Xiao Ya, you’re cuter, while Sister Qinghe has more of a mature woman’s charm. You have two different styles, so it’s hard to compare!"

Gu Sheng was surprisingly eloquent at that moment. Compliments came pouring out, and his answer was full of survival instinct.

"Really? You think I’m cute? That’s not what the girls at school say!"

Xiao Ya’s full name was Le Erya. Her personality and habitual way of speaking often made it easy for her to offend people. Yet women generally disliked openly falling out with each other, so she was somewhat ostracized at school and lacked confidence in her appearance.

"Of course it’s true!"

Gu Sheng smiled. "Sister Xiao Ya, you’re cute and look young. If you hadn’t said you were twenty-two, I would’ve thought you were only eighteen!"

"Hee-hee!"

Le Erya laughed happily.

"You’re wrong. No one says I have feminine charm. More people say I have too much of a manly air!"

He-jie, whose full name was Lin Qinghe, suddenly added in a distant tone while driving.

"Sister Qinghe, don’t listen to their nonsense. They just don’t know how to appreciate you!"

Gu Sheng hurriedly replied, "Sister Qinghe, that’s called being dashing and valiant. It’s very attractive. It’s just that your aura is too strong, so most men don’t dare approach you!

"The men who retreat at the sight of you are all timid cowards. A real man would only feel the desire to conquer you." Gu Sheng was not making that up. A beauty as dashing and valiant as Lin Qinghe possessed an unusual allure that was particularly captivating to men.

Le Erya suddenly giggled. "Hee-hee! A real man? Little brother, are you talking about yourself?"

"No! Of course not!"

Gu Sheng glanced at the expressionless Lin Qinghe and hurriedly answered, "I—I can be a spectator who retreats at the sight of danger, right?"

Le Erya still refused to let him off. "No way! Do you want to be a coward, little brother?"

Gu Sheng muttered, "Could you stop calling me little brother? It feels weird. I’m still a…"

"Hahahaha~~~"

Le Erya laughed. "Little brother is shy!" She continued teasing Gu Sheng. To maintain his persona as an inexperienced college student, Gu Sheng had no choice but to act restrained and bashful, making Le Erya and Lin Qinghe laugh. The entire journey was filled with cheerful laughter.

"Toot toot~~"

At the entrance of Hang City Electronic Technology College, the black sedan with a police light mounted on its roof stopped.

"Thump~"

After getting out with his backpack, Gu Sheng closed the door and turned to bid farewell to the two young women. "Sister Xiao Ya, Sister Qinghe, I’ll be going now!"

"Goodbye, little Gu! Remember to contact your big sister!"

Le Erya was very enthusiastic toward Gu Sheng, while Lin Qinghe merely lowered the window and gave him a slight nod.

"Creak~~"

The window closed again. A very faint voice came from inside. "He-jie, it’s already so late. Are we really going to Banshan Cemetery to investigate?"

"Enough nonsense. Get ready to work later!"

Following a sharp reprimand, the sedan started moving again.

"Banshan Cemetery!"

Gu Sheng paused, then continued walking toward the school gate. After showing his student ID to the security guard, he entered the campus. He passed the teaching buildings, then the cafeteria and the faculty dormitories, and finally returned to his own dormitory building.

"Creak~"

The door to Room 508 in Dormitory C Building was opened with a key, but the six people inside barely reacted.

"Little Six, weren’t you hospitalized?"

The person in the upper bunk directly opposite the door looked at Gu Sheng in surprise. The rooms ranked their occupants by age, from Big One to Little Six, with the ages descending accordingly.

Although everyone had gotten along fairly well at first, their relationships had grown more distant after two or three years. When Gu Sheng had been hospitalized, his roommates had all been busy with their own affairs. They had called once to ask about his condition, and that had been the end of it.

In the entire class, only the class monitor, the study committee member, and two classmates who were on good terms with Gu Sheng had come to check on him.

"It wasn’t a serious injury, so I didn’t want to waste money staying in the hospital!"

Gu Sheng shook his head, then frowned when he looked at his bed. "Fatty, what are you doing in my bed?"

"Hey! I’m only borrowing your bed for a nap. It’s not like you’ll lose a chunk of flesh. Why are you being so stingy? I came to find Big One. We’re planning to go work as interns tomorrow."

The person Gu Sheng called Fatty was no more than 1.65 meters tall, but weighed over 180 pounds. He was a genuine fatty. Hearing Gu Sheng question him, he impatiently crawled out of the blankets and stood up, sending the sour stench of socks straight into the air.

He lived in Room 509 opposite Gu Sheng’s dormitory and was close to Big One and Big Two from Gu Sheng’s room. His nickname was Little Fatty. His relationship with Gu Sheng was average—certainly not close enough to justify sleeping in the same bed.