Forbidden Land – CH 042

Upon seeing Bai Qiu, the two went to the grassy lakeside behind Baisha. Zhang Chao noticed that Bai Qiu seemed much better, although her face was still pale and lacked color, as if she were malnourished. However, overall, she seemed happier than before.

The two sat on the grass and chatted for a while. Bai Qiu asked, “How come there’s a black cat in your dorm?”

Zhang Chao laughed and said, “This black cat is the one we met a few days ago. I don’t know why it came to my dorm. I gave it some good food and water, and now I can’t get rid of it.”

Bai Qiu smiled and said, “You’re quite kind-hearted.”

Zhang Chao smiled and said, “Actually, that black cat looks fierce, and I was a little afraid of it at first, but once I gave it food and water, it became incredibly docile. Next time, I’ll bring it over so you can hold it.”

Bai Qiu quickly shook her head: “No thanks. I’m not interested in cats or dogs; they are all so furry and disgusting. Besides, your black cat seems hostile towards me; I wouldn’t dare let it near.”

Zhang Chao laughed heartily, saying, “It isn’t just hostile towards you; it’s hostile towards Lin Yi’ang too. You probably disturbed its meal earlier; that’s why it was so fierce.”

Bai Qiu smiled slightly, glanced at the lake, then turned to look at Zhang Chao’s face, and asked, “Do you really love me?”

Zhang Chao replied directly, “Of course, I love you! If I don’t love my precious darling, who else would I love?”

Bai Qiu smiled contentedly, then asked, “So, are you happy when you’re with me?”

“Like this?” Zhang Chao smiled contentedly. “Of course I’m happy. Being with you is the happiest thing.”

“Yes, happy, that’s good.” Bai Qiu seemed to have regained her usual expression, her tone calm and even, her voice without inflection.

Zhang Chao asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly asking about this?”

Bai Qiu lowered her head slightly, seemingly pondering something, then looked up again and said, “Are you happier with me? Or…happier with Chen Rong?”

Zhang Chao was startled. So Bai Qiu was jealous. He quickly said, “Of course, I’m happier with you. Chen Rong is just my counselor. You haven’t been coming out lately, so we are studying together. Please don’t overthink it.”

Bai Qiu gently shook her head, her eyes seemingly crystal clear, and slowly said, “No, that’s not what I meant. I mean, as long as you’re happy when you’re with me, that’s enough. I don’t care who you live with.”

“Live with?” Zhang Chao said, “What do you mean? Of course, I’d live with you.”

Bai Qiu said, “I want to, but I’m sick…”

Zhang Chao asked in surprise, “You…you know you’re sick?”

Bai Qiu smiled. “I’ve always known; I just didn’t tell you. I’m afraid my illness won’t get better.”

“How could that be!” Zhang Chao thought to himself. The fact that a mentally ill person knew they had a mental illness and could calmly say it meant there were signs of recovery. Only those who refused to admit their illness were the most difficult to treat. Hearing her say this, Zhang Chao became excited and said, “You’ll get better. I’ll stay with you and wait for you to get better.”

Bai Qiu shook her head slightly and smiled. It was hard to tell what she was really thinking. She simply lay quietly in Zhang Chao’s arms, without saying a word.

Zhang Chao silently held her slender hand, quietly enjoying this warm moment.

It was almost 11 o’clock, and the dormitory lights were about to be turned off. Zhang Chao then escorted Bai Qiu back to her dorm. When he returned to his room, he opened the door, turned on the light, and suddenly his gaze fell on the corner of the wall. He had only been gone for less than half an hour, and now a wind chime had appeared on the wall.

Zhang Chao walked over step by step and quietly stared at the wind chime hanging on the wall.

The door wasn’t closed, and a wisp of cold wind blew in from outside, making the wind chimes tinkle, which seemed especially eerie in the night.

Bei Bei showed no unusual reaction, simply lying lazily in the corner, watching its owner with sleepy eyes.

Zhang Chao said, “Bei Bei, who came in?”

Bei Bei heard its name, only perked up its ears briefly, then drooped them again. This cat, of course, wouldn’t know who had come in.

The wind chimes swayed slightly, their tinkling sounds echoing intermittently, sounding particularly lonely in the desolate dormitory.

Zhang Chao examined the wind chimes closely; the more he looked, the stranger they seemed. Where had he seen these wind chimes before?

His mind drifted into memories.

That’s right, these wind chimes belonged to Bai Qiu!

Two years ago, he and Bai Qiu went to Wushan Square together. Bai Qiu thought these wind chimes were pretty, and Zhang Chao bought them on a whim.

He had been to Bai Qiu’s dormitory before; this wind chime hung on their balcony (the girls’ dormitory at Baisha had balconies, but the boys’ dormitory did not).

Now, this wind chime, perfectly fine, why was it hanging in his own dormitory? And who hung it there?

Thinking about it, he hurried next door to find Lin Yi’ang and pulled him into his own room.

Lin Yi’ang said with a disgruntled expression, “You didn’t even buy me instant noodles; why did you drag me here!”

Zhang Chao said, “Someone broke into my dorm. Look, when I went out, there was nothing on the walls. Less than half an hour later, when I came back, a wind chime was hanging there.”

Lin Yi’ang finally quieted down, looking at the room suspiciously, and asked, “Was anything stolen?”

Zhang Chao said, “Everything’s the same, except for the wind chime.”

Lin Yi’ang asked, puzzled, “That doesn’t make sense. If they had your dorm key, they would have taken your laptop, not left you a wind chime.”

Zhang Chao said, “The strange thing is, this wind chime belongs to Bai Qiu.”

“Ah, Bai Qiu’s wind chime?” Lin Yi’ang said, “But didn’t you go to see her just now? How come her things are in your dorm?”

Zhang Chao hesitated for a moment, then said, “Do you think someone might have threatened or hinted at something?”

Lin Yi’ang asked, “What threats or hints?”

Zhang Chao said, “Could it be some sleazy guy who likes Bai Qiu, the one who’s been messing with me lately, threatening me that if I continue to be with Bai Qiu, she’ll be in danger?”

Lin Yi’ang scoffed, “If you’re worried about Bai Qiu, why don’t you just stop being with her?”

Zhang Chao retorted, “What kind of talk is that? I called you here to give me some advice, some ideas.”

Lin Yi’ang scratched his head and said, “Since the person didn’t steal anything from you, just put up a wind chime. The situation is a bit strange, but I don’t think it might be malicious.”

Zhang Chao chuckled coldly, “Not malicious? If it wasn’t malicious, why would that person mess with me so many times?”

Lin Yi’ang sighed, seemingly helpless, and said, “I really can’t give you any advice on this. If you want to know, just ask Bai Qiu yourself where the wind chime is.” With that, he turned and walked out.

Seeing Lin Yi’ang leave like that, Zhang Chao seemed to feel a little strange, but he couldn’t figure out what was going on for a while. So he washed up, took the “medicine” Chen Rong gave him, and went to bed.