INSIDER Chapter 53

Because of Xu Yuan’s bathroom incident, Lu Chu couldn’t sleep. He lay back in bed but kept his eyes open.

Xu Yuan quickly got into bed after thanking the two, and soon, Lu Chu heard soft snoring from Xu Yuan’s side.

7 climbed into bed but didn’t lie down, instead sitting against the headboard. He knew Lu Chu wasn’t asleep yet and said to him, “Get some sleep to keep your energy up.”

Lu Chu knew he was concerned about him, so he responded softly, “Okay, you too.”

“Okay.”

“Then I’ll sleep now, good night.”

“Good night.”

Lu Chu closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep, but it took a long time.

7 waited until Lu Chu was asleep before lying down and closing his eyes.

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The next day, everyone in the dorm woke up early—Lu Chu and 7 out of habit, and the other three because they wanted to get home early and woke up naturally before their alarms went off.

Soon after, Teacher Lu came by for a dorm inspection. Seeing they were all awake, he said, “The school has announced a holiday for today and tomorrow. Those who can go home should do so as soon as possible.”

Xu Yuan and the other two quickly said, “We’re planning to leave shortly!”

“That’s good,” Teacher Lu said, then he asked Lu Chu and 7, “What about you two? Are you going home?”

Lu Chu replied, “Teacher Lu, may I ask if it’s just a two-day holiday?”

“It should be,” Teacher Lu said. “The school will resolve this issue quickly. High school coursework is already intense, especially for seniors facing the college entrance exams. We can’t afford to delay too long.”

Lu Chu politely said, “If it’s only two days, Li Bo and I would like to apply to stay in the dorms.”

“That’s fine,” Teacher Lu said. “Other classes also have students who don’t want to delay their studies and want to stay. If we can gather enough boys to fill three dorms and girls to fill two dorms, the school will agree. You just need to submit an application. However, I have personal matters today and won’t be on duty. If you have any urgent issues, you can find the teacher on duty or the dorm supervisor tonight.” Lu Chu and 7 nodded, “Got it, thank you, Teacher.”

By 9 AM, Xu Yuan and the other two had left, moving their beds back to the old boys’ dorm.

Five people moved into the dorm with Lu Chu and 7, occupying the remaining five beds. They introduced themselves and found that apart from Lu Chu and 7 being classmates, the others were from different grades and classes.

Lu Chu originally planned to check out room 604 in the girls’ dorm. He was very concerned about the rumors, the sudden illnesses of several girls, and what Meng Yu said about “seeing ghosts.” He had a strong feeling that it would be the breakthrough in this matter.

But now, living with so many people, the boys easily became familiar with each other. Even if he just got up to go to the bathroom, they would ask where he was going, so he temporarily gave up on the idea.

After the afternoon nap, a few people wanted to go to the classroom for self-study, but given the current situation, none of them dared to go alone, so they decided to go together.

Lu Chu breathed a sigh of relief and told 7 about his plan to visit the girls’ dorm. 7 naturally agreed, and the two left.

Due to safety concerns, the school had a rule for those staying overnight for the next two days: “No leaving the school grounds. If you’re in the cafeteria or classroom, you must return to the dorm by 7 PM, when the dorms will be locked.” Therefore, Lu Chu didn’t have much time to check the girls’ dorm. They also had to avoid being caught, as breaking into the girls’ dorm would surely be seen as perverted.

The girls’ dorm where Meng Yu and Liu Qian stayed was across from the old boys’ dorm, separated by a cafeteria. There weren’t many people left at the school, and no one would go to the cafeteria at this time. Lu Chu and 7 walked along the edge of the path, staying in the shadows of trees, until they reached the girls’ dormitory.

“Sure enough, it’s locked,” Lu Chu said, looking at the tightly closed door, as expected.

The dormitory was locked, and all the rooms and corridors on the first and second floors had burglar bars, so to get in, they needed to climb.

Climbing was no problem for 7. He had been through countless missions, sometimes relying on wits, sometimes on sheer force, making his strength and agility comparable to that of a highly trained special forces soldier.

However, for Lu Chu, it was very challenging. For the past twenty years, he had been blind and physically limited, only able to exercise with activities like walking and sit-ups. Most of the recent scenarios he encountered didn’t require high-intensity physical activity or dangerous moves.

Now, looking at the dormitory building, Lu Chu was reflective and asked 7, “Can you teach me some ways to train my body?”

He knew there would be more “scenarios” in the future, some involving running and competition, others life-and-death moments. If his physical condition didn’t improve, he might not make it through.

He wanted to live well.

7 had always intended to train him but hadn’t found the right time. Now that Lu Chu had brought it up, he nodded, “It’s time to start. From tomorrow, I’ll put you through intensive training, teach you some self-defense techniques, and basic movement skills. Once you’re proficient, I’ll teach you combat moves.”

Lu Chu was also looking forward to it. After all, what boy didn’t dream of excitement and martial arts?

With training decided, Lu Chu turned his attention back to the girls’ dormitory.

This dormitory was near the school’s back gate, with one side facing a food street and another dormitory building in front. Even though there weren’t many people at school, Lu Chu was very cautious. Small details often determined the success of a task. To climb to the third floor without being noticed, they had to go to the side of the dormitory, a blind spot in the school’s layout. Outside this blind spot was a wall, with tall, lush trees growing between the wall and the dormitory, blocking the view from outside.

Climbing from the side would bring them into a corridor, avoiding leaving traces in other girls’ rooms.

Climbing a building wasn’t difficult if you found the right footholds and had strong arms. It didn’t take long to get up.

7 demonstrated first, swiftly and smoothly climbing to the third-floor corridor window. He squatted on the window ledge, turned, and looked down, pointing out where Lu Chu should step and grab.

Following his instructions, Lu Chu climbed slowly but steadily up to the third-floor window.

7 jumped into the corridor, and Lu Chu held onto the window ledge. 7 reached out his hand, “You did well, come on.”

Lu Chu looked up at him, a faint smile on his lips, and put his hand into 7’s palm. With his help, he quickly climbed to the window and jumped into the corridor.

They climbed to the sixth floor and found room 604.

For easy dorm inspections, all the dormitory rooms in the school couldn’t be locked by students, even at night. Each door had a square window at about average height, so dorm supervisors could check if students were following school rules.

Lu Chu didn’t push the door open immediately but first looked inside through the window. In the afternoon light, the room looked neat and bright, with no sign of anything unusual.

He then opened the door and walked in.

The sound of the door opening was clear and made their hair stand on end in the quiet dormitory building with only the two of them.

Inside, Lu Chu carefully observed the room.

All dorm rooms had the same layout, with two bunk beds on each side. Room 604 was fully occupied, with signs of eight people living there.

Lu Chu walked around the room, then stood in the middle of 604, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and frowned.

“What did you find?” 7 asked.

Lu Chu opened his eyes, “I’m not sure yet.”

He organized his thoughts and explained, “I just smelled a familiar scent.” He paused, looking at 7, “I smelled this on Zheng Wei. Everyone has a unique scent, and Zheng Wei and I don’t cross paths, so I thought it was from someone who spent a lot of time with him. But now I smell it here—and I’m sure it’s not from someone who lives here.”

If the scent came from someone who often visited this room, with Zheng Wei’s antisocial nature, especially towards girls, how could he have such a strong, similar scent?

“Is it Zheng Wei’s scent?” 7 asked.

Lu Chu shook his head, “No, Zheng Wei’s scent is different.”

After checking around again and finding nothing significant, they looked at the time. It was time to leave for dinner; otherwise, they’d miss the dorm inspection.

Going down, they climbed out from the third-floor corridor window. 7 quickly got to the second-floor window and then jumped straight down, making Lu Chu’s heart skip a beat.

7 landed steadily and looked up at Lu Chu.

Following his earlier climb down, Lu Chu reached the second-floor window and steadied himself, ready to ask 7 what to do next when he saw 7 open his arms toward him.

Though both were around seventeen or eighteen, 7 was taller and more robust. Standing in the sunset, his expression was blurred by the warm orange light, yet it made Lu Chu feel inexplicably reassured.

Understanding his intention, Lu Chu smiled, “Is this to train my courage?”

Jumping from the second floor was a good start for parkour training.

7 stood with his arms open, voice steady and deep, “Don’t be afraid, come to me.”

Lu Chu shook his head, “I’m not afraid.”

Because I trust you.

He leapt from the second floor.

7 caught him, holding his entire world in his arms.