The next morning.
Xin Linhua stands in front of the dark metal door like he wants to run.
Fear. Anxiety. Panic. He doesn’t do those emotions...he has never really experienced them. But in a span of twenty hours, he has managed to experience every single type of emotions known to mankind and it’s all thanks to none other than Phantom.
"Well, I’m the one who did this to myself." raises his hand "I might as well face it."
He knocks softly, despite having received a key card from the security who had been informed beforehand.
A soft noise comes from within the room. Something falling to the floor, someone shuffling in footwear. Footsteps approach the door and the metallic object swings open.
"Hello." Xin Linhua waves with a smile.
__Bam!
The door slams shut in his face. His hands stiffen in the air.
"I’ll allow that." His smile widens.
He rummage through his bag, pulling out the key card he has discarded. He swipes it across the door lock. The door beeps softly, the lock clicks open.
Without so much as a word, he starts moving his stuff into the room, humming softly to himself like the death glare directed at his is nothing but his imagination.
"According to the message I received this morning, they’re two rooms here." Xin Linhua drops the last box "I’ll take the other one."
His companion ignores him, sliding on his hoodie and preparing to leave.
"Hey." Xin Linhua blocks him "I understand the whole cold act and nonchalant shit, but I can’t keep calling you ’hey’ or phantom or something. What’s your name?"
The youth finally stops. A new expression crosses his face, confusion.
"You don’t know your name?" Xin Linhua arches an eyebrow.
"Call me whatever you want." The youth finally speak.
"Not gonna work for me." Xin Linhua shakes his head.
"Everyone does it."
"I’m not everyone." Xin Linhua counters "If we’re gonna live together, the most you can do is tell me your name."
The rooms goes quiet. The youth stares at him for a long while and Xin Linhua stares back.
"Rong Yizhan."
Xin Linhua falters. Rong Yizhan. Rong? From the same Rong family? Or another?
Rong Yizhan seems to have exhausted all his patience just now. He walks around Xin Linhua, turning the door handle.
"Don’t touch any of my things."
The door slams shut behind him. Xin Linhua stands in the same position for a few seconds.
"He’s related to Rong Yufei?" He mutters "Damn! I was pining for a C-Rank, now I got a defective triple S-Rank with multiple personalities and a possible disorder. Just great."
After digesting the new information, he quickly get to work. He finds his room, complains about how bland and empty the entire dorm is and takes down notes on how to make it less...moody.
"All done." He fixes the last book on a shelf " Now, what’s next–"
His phone pings with a notification. He pulls it out, his brain goes blank.
"I’m definitely not stupid and I know how to read, but this better be a prank."
He stares at the reminder notification for a while.
Elective Class
Lecture room 101
Time: 13:00pm
"How did someone so stupid and brain dead like Xin Linhua get into Zhongjing University!?" He pulls his hair in frustration "I’m not attending any lectures."
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Apparently, Xin Linhua has a CGPA of 4.89 and he doesn’t miss his classes. So, unwilling as he was, he still went to class.
Standing in front of the faculty building, Xin Linhua can feel an incoming headache.
He never attended college or university. High school was the end of it. That’s as far as the organization is willing to go for their ’employees’ and he wasn’t an exception. Every other thing is self taught.
Biotech. Of all the majors he could have picked, he went for this. He never taught someone like Xin Linhua could exist; stupid yet intelligent. Foolish yet book smart.
"Well...what doesn’t kill you...doesn’t kill you." Xin Linhua steps into the faculty.
He was wrong. Dead wrong. He couldn’t keep up through the lecture, he just kept writing down everything the professor said. Two hours of lecture...two hours of educational torture.
It’s an elective class– Xin Linhua had no reason to sign up for it, but then again, he needs to maintain his CGPA so he’s taking on every class necessary and available.
Did he never stop to think that he could die one day and a new soul will take over!?
"What wouldn’t I give to be knee deep in a mission right now." Xin Linhua slumps on a table.
He’s been sitting there for an hour now, trying to digest his notes and keep his CGPA afloat...and maybe his sanity while he’s at it.
"Xin Linhua!"
The voice is strange yet familiar. Still slumped against the table, Xin Linhua raises his head.
A youth sits across from him, bright blue hair and a radiant smile. A whole head shorter than Xin Linhua but he screams danger in some way.
"Ah Xi." Xin Linhua blurts out before he can stop himself.
"Linhua." Zhao Xi leans in "You ignored my calls all through the weekend."
"Sorry, I had a lot going on." Xin Linhua swings straight into character.
Zhao Xi. A normal human civilian and a trouble magnet. He’s one of the few people like Ao Ren who talks to Xin Linhua regardless of his status or Rank. Zhao Xi is also the only one who knows about his identity of being a guide.
The institution rules; no normal civilian should be aware of their identity or connection to the institute. As long as they want to live normal lives, they should have normal identities.
"What happened to you?" Zhao Xi waves his hands before his friend’s eyes "You look like you went through a turbulence."
"I need to be in a plane first to experience that." Xin Linhua swats his hand away "And yeah, my weekend is equivalent to a turbulence. Damn Rong Yizhan..."
"Mm?" Zhao Xi tilts his head "If you’re done with your classes for today, wanna–"
A loud noise cuts him off. An alarm– loud, shrill and urgent.
"ATTENTION, ALL CIVILIAN!!! A RIFT HAS BEEN DETECTED! PLEASE EVACUATE THE SCHOOL GROUNDS AND STAY AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE!"