INSIDER Chapter 96

Gao Yong and Tang Shizhe were still persisting, earnestly persuading Lu Chu. Lu Chu knew they meant well, trying to solve his single status, but he truly couldn’t accept it.

A gust of wind blew in from outside, and suddenly, Gao Yong and Tang Shizhe, who were still trying to persuade Lu Chu, felt a chill at their necks as if an icy blade was held against them, about to behead them. The extreme cold and fear rendered them speechless, their pupils contracted, and their legs trembled.

The entire classroom was enveloped in a thick, suffocating cold, yet only Lu Chu seemed unaware of the anomaly.

Seeing them silent, Lu Chu thought they were waiting for his response. He looked at them seriously and said, “Thank you both for your concern. But, I have a lover.”

As soon as the word “lover” left his lips, the eerie atmosphere vanished, and the life-threatening crisis disappeared instantly.

Tang Shizhe and Gao Yong looked at Lu Chu in a daze, as if waking from a dream.

Lu Chu thought they were shocked by his words, so he emphasized again, “I have a lover.”

“Ah? Ah!” Tang Shizhe regained his senses, still a bit slow to react, “You have a lover…”

“Yes,” Lu Chu’s lips curved into a gentle smile at the thought of Seven, “We are very happy together.”

“That’s, that’s good,” Gao Yong rubbed his still-chilly neck, took a moment, and then asked, “How come we’ve never seen them?”

Tang Shizhe, now fully recovered, thought he must have been imagining things earlier, and asked, “Is it a long-distance relationship?”

Lu Chu tilted his head, thinking, “You could say that.”

Gao Yong patted Lu Chu’s shoulder, “Bring them to meet us if you have a chance.”

Lu Chu nodded and smiled, “Sure.”

“But I’ve already signed you up,” Tang Shizhe said awkwardly, “How about you come with us as a family member?”

Thinking about going with Chen Hong and his girlfriend, Lu Chu agreed to Tang Shizhe’s proposal, “Alright.”

Seven had eliminated the female ghost that was entangling him, but this “game” was not over, indicating that the main ghost of this “game” was someone else, or perhaps there was more than one ghost. This made Lu Chu very interested in Chen Hong, who had been tainted with yin energy, and his girlfriend, who had been a frequent topic in Tang Shizhe and Gao Yong’s conversations.

His intuition told him that Chen Hong was the breakthrough point, and so far, Lu Chu’s intuition had never been wrong.

“Alright,” Tang Shizhe clapped his hands, “It’s settled then, let’s head out!”

Lu Chu picked up his backpack, “What about my bag and books?”

Gao Yong waved his hand, “Don’t worry, on the way to the restaurant, we’ll pass by our school’s supermarket. You can store your bag in a self-service locker there and pick it up on the way back.”

“Okay,” Lu Chu nodded, “Let’s go.”

“Let’s go!” Tang Shizhe rubbed his hands, very excited, and turned to be the first to step out of the classroom, but lost his balance and fell flat on the ground.

“Hahaha… Are you an idiot hahaha…” Gao Yong pointed at him, laughing heartily. After laughing, he took two steps forward to get a closer look at Tang Shizhe’s sorry state, and then he also tripped and fell.

This time, it was Tang Shizhe’s turn to mock him, “You’re no better.”

In a daze, Lu Chu seemed to hear Seven’s cold snort.

——————

The place for the gathering was chosen by Chen Hong and his girlfriend. It was a small private venue specifically for parties, equipped with a kitchen, dining room, private bathroom, as well as KTV, pool hall, and other entertainment facilities.

The participants included not only the four roommates but also a few friends who were on good terms with them.

When Lu Chu and his friends arrived, Chen Hong and his girlfriend were already there.

A few pretty girls with delicate makeup were singing with microphones, occasionally laughing sweetly or brightly, though it was clear they were somewhat reserved, keeping their voices at a moderate volume. Nearby, four guys were playing pool, occasionally glancing at the girls, with one deliberately speaking loudly to show off, while another posed moodily with a cigarette, hoping to catch a girl’s attention. On the other side, some were drinking and playing cards, laughing loudly whether they won or lost.

A few girls were preparing food, looking very skillful and capable. However, some were genuinely skilled, while others were just pretending, thinking they could cook simply because they could make instant noodles, and boasted about their supposed culinary talents.

At a glance, it was an atmosphere Lu Chu didn’t like.

Lu Chu chose an empty corner of the sofa and sat down, pulling out his phone to kill time.

Tang Shizhe came over with two cans of drinks, tossing one to Lu Chu, “Catch!”

Lu Chu caught it, opened it, and took a couple of sips.

Tang Shizhe asked, “Bored?”

Lu Chu: “It’s alright.”

Tang Shizhe drank his drink and sighed, “You really are a good kid.”

“Whether I’m good or not, I don’t know,” Lu Chu said, “I just don’t fit in.”

They chatted for a while, then Lu Chu stood up and asked, “Where’s the restroom?”

“Over there,” Tang Shizhe pointed.

Lu Chu followed the direction he pointed and found the restroom.

The restroom here was also the family type, with two stalls. Originally mixed-use, they were now marked with “Male” and “Female” signs by the students. The restroom had solid doors and was spacious and bright inside. First, there was the sink and mirror, and a few steps to the right was a raised platform with squat toilets.

After using the restroom, Lu Chu was washing his hands when he looked up and saw Seven standing behind him through the mirror’s reflection.

Lu Chu’s heart raced but then calmed down. He didn’t turn around and smiled at the mirror, “You startled me.”

Seven’s body had fully materialized, and apart from his slightly pale skin, he looked no different from an ordinary person.

Seven stepped forward, his arms wrapping around Lu Chu, hands resting on the sink in front of Lu Chu, his chin on Lu Chu’s left shoulder, looking as if he was hugging Lu Chu from behind.

His jet-black hair was messy, the stray bangs partially covering his deep eyes. In a soft voice, he asked, “Why did you come here?”

Lu Chu let him rest his chin on his shoulder, turning to look at him, explaining, “I was a bit concerned about Chen Hong and his girlfriend. I feel the ‘game’s’ main plot is related to them.”

“Mm,” Seven responded softly.

Taking advantage of Seven’s presence, Lu Chu asked, “Was the female ghost that appeared in my dream a ‘bug’ in the ‘game’?”

Seven lifted one arm from the sink, gently wrapping it around Lu Chu’s waist, “No, why would you think that?”

“I know you’ve always been protecting me while training my survival skills, so you rarely intervene personally.” Lu Chu explained, “This was the second time I’ve seen you take action.”

The first time was in the previous ‘game’ to kill the giant ball monster to protect Lu Chu; the second time was now, but Lu Chu’s situation hadn’t reached the point where he needed protection to survive. It wasn’t until Seven killed the female ghost that Lu Chu even met her face to face.

Therefore, he speculated that the female ghost might be one of the “deviations” Seven had mentioned, which the “cleaners” were responsible for eliminating from the ‘game.’

Seven understood his confusion and answered, “I just wanted to kill her.”

With Lu Chu’s observational and detective skills, in a few days, he could have found out the female ghost’s cause of death and killed her without any harm.

However, she had tried to marry Lu Chu in his dream, so Seven killed her first.

He killed her because he wanted to.

Lu Chu understood, though he didn’t quite get it, he didn’t ask further.

After a moment, Lu Chu said, “I should go out now.” Otherwise, Tang Shizhe might come looking for him in the restroom.

Seven released Lu Chu. He had just rested his head on Lu Chu’s shoulder, without exerting any force, so Lu Chu didn’t feel any discomfort.

Lu Chu adjusted Seven’s bangs, “I’ll head out now.”

“Mm,” Seven replied, then looked down at Lu Chu, “I’m your lover?”

Lu Chu was stunned, then realized Seven had overheard his conversation with Tang Shizhe, so he smiled warmly, his expression firm, “Of course.”

Everything felt so natural, by the time he realized it, they were already together.

Upon hearing this, Seven’s aura softened. He leaned down and gently kissed Lu Chu’s eyelid, then vanished.

Lu Chu composed himself, opened the door, and walked out.

.

When he returned, those responsible for cooking had already set several dishes on the long table.

Because there were so many people at the party, they had ordered takeout from a restaurant. Cooking was just for fun. Now, a few guys carrying the takeout boxes returned.

The food was laid out, crates of beer were ready, and the party officially began.

Girls could choose to drink soda, but the guys had to drink beer—who set this rule was unknown.

Lu Chu was about to pour himself some soda but was stopped by a guy next to him who filled his glass with beer.

Tang Shizhe quickly intervened, “My roommate can’t drink.”

“A man who can’t drink?” The guy, extremely high-spirited, declared, “Tonight, no one leaves sober!”

Lu Chu shook his head and told Tang Shizhe, “I can drink a little, it’s fine.” In reality, he wasn’t unable to drink, just didn’t like it.

The party went on with lots of drinking and little eating.

As the dinner reached its peak, someone brought out a spinning wheel and started a game of Truth or Dare. Everyone sat around the table, passing the microphone. When the host called “stop,” whoever had the microphone had to choose between answering a potentially embarrassing question or spinning the wheel for a dare.

After several rounds, many people were tricked into embarrassing situations, but Lu Chu never lost.

After a long while, with almost two cases of beer gone and most girls having drunk a bit, everyone’s spirits were at their highest. One guy stood up, slurring, “We’ve been playing for so long, it’s boring. Let’s do something more exciting?”

Someone asked, “What’s more exciting?”

The guy gave a mysterious smile, “Spirit summoning.”

The girls reacted with mixed emotions, some scared and saying no, others excited, finding it thrilling. The guys all joined in the excitement.

At this point, Chen Hong’s girlfriend checked the time and suggested, “If we’re going to play, let’s make it more thrilling. Tomorrow’s Saturday, no classes, so let’s play at midnight.”

Alcohol emboldened everyone. Regardless of their usual fear of such things, half the girls and almost all the guys agreed to her proposal.