Chapter 7: Fools Rush In
"Dammit, I should've brought more bottles..."
It was after the last class of the day, and Bai Zhi was heading back to his apartment, holding a glass vial barely two fingers wide in his hand. Looking at the clear fluid within, he sighed regretfully.
The chemistry lab session had been uneventful. Since the lab was well-stocked with various reagents, Bai Zhi had planned to whip something up and bring it home with him, but alas, he did not have the necessary authority to take any chemicals he pleased.
It was true, "Bai Zhi" had earned his place at the university by virtue of his excellent academic performance, but so did many of his peers, and in this much bigger pond, he had been surpassed by a few of his classmates. Besides, "Bai Zhi's" grades had tanked, owing to his addiction to video games. Could someone without the privileges of being top student be allowed to freely access the school's resources?
Preposterous.
"Hmm... I have no choice but to reinstate myself as one of the academic elites as soon as possible. That way, I can also secure some funding from scholarships..." Bai Zhi stroked his chin thoughtfully as he laid down plans for the immediate future.
"...Huh?"
While he was deep in thought, he ended up at the empty lot in front of the Teachers' Residence, where he noticed something.
A schoolboy carrying a bag, who looked like they had just been let out of school, seemed to be chasing his own shadow and making a thoroughly fun game of it.
Bai Zhi thought it all childish, but gave the kid a wide berth anyway, just in case the kid stepped on his shadow*.
At that very moment, not far from Bai Zhi, Lin XiaoYi was hiding in a corner diligently writing the words "Young At Heart" into a notebook.
Next to Lin XiaoYi, her involuntary companion Xia Wen buried her face into her hands as she lamented, "XiaoYi… I think you're taking this too far."
"If people ever found out that we were stalkers, nobody will want to marry me, not even in my next life..."
"Who says we're stalking?" Lin XiaoYi spoke with all seriousness, waving the ball-point pen in her hand around for emphasis. "This is just run-of-the-mill reconnaissance, my dear.
"Besides, I already told you, Bai Zhi is a higher being who protects this school while completely hiding his abilities and true identity! The truth is the world is full of monsters, and if not for Bai Zhi, the school would long since have been overwhelmed by a ton of supernatural incidents!"
"But—Just— No matter how you look at him, that guy is a complete reprobate! I bet you made everything up because you're obsessed with him!"
Xia Wen was practically pulling her hair out as she glared wildly at her best friend, who seemed hopelessly lost to her.
"All that about another 'me' who went with you to the cafeteria, that guy saving you from this other 'me's' attack, how that useless video game addict was secretly some kind of monster-busting guardian angel... You must have read too many of those webnovels on your phone and become delusional, right?"
"No, I get why you'd think that," Lin XiaoYi responded with calm assurance as she tapped the pen lightly on her notebook. "That's why I brought you along to prove it! Seeing is believing, after all.
"I would never have believed such urban legends either, if I hadn't experienced it for myself. But I did! And now I know the hidden truth about the world. Us normies are always threatened by ever-present danger, and it's thanks to people like Bai Zhi who selflessly hold back the darkness without revealing their identity that we are able to go on living our lives," she declared.
Finally, she added, "My deduction is flawless. The world is getting increasingly dangerous, and I may not know when or how I might die, but I know it's coming. I don't want to have my head buried in the sand when it happens!"
"Okay, okay, even if what you're saying is all true, then what?" Xia Wen shrugged helplessly. "You sure you want to turn around and win that guy over? Just think about what would happen when the news gets out—your reputation as campus belle will be totally ruined! Please reconsider, O Lady Lin!"
"So be it! As if I, or anyone, cares about that! All those boys fawning over me need to get a life. Can't they take a leaf from Bai Zhi's book and do something important instead?"
Lin XiaoYi quirked her mouth in annoyance, but quickly turned morose.
"If only it were that easy to win him over... He literally just rejected me, and quite firmly too. That's why I need you, to be my wingman, you know?"
"Ah... Whatever do you mean?" Xia Wen answered in a deadpan voice, her face devoid of any expression. "You are the beautiful and brilliant campus belle. If you make the first move, any man should be over the moon with joy. I've seen just how persistent that guy used to be when he was after you.
"You just need to believe in yourself, go right up to him and confess. Even if he takes advantage of you, it won't be physically, but financially. I'll be waiting with open arms when you come crying back, hon."
"Shut up, you're teasing me." Lin XiaoYi rolled her eyes at Xia Wen as she pocketed her ballpoint pen. However, she soon looked thoughtful.
"Oh... actually, what you said might just work..."
"No way! You're really going to give yourself up just like that? I was being sarcastic!" Xia Wen exclaimed agitatedly.
"You can't trust a man before he's shown you his heart! What if he turns out to be worse than the rumors? I don't wanna have to see you crying and wailing at the abortion clinic!"
"Oh fuck off, you're exaggerating now!" Clearly irritated, Lin XiaoYi aimed a chop at Xia Wen's head with her notebook, but at the same time, there was a hint of self-doubt in her voice. "He was my knight in shining armor, but you had to turn such a romantic figure into a revolting creep. He's not the brute you think he is! Do you want me to slap some sense into you?!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, already defending your lover so soon? Haven't you heard, 'only fools rush in'?"
Xia Wen looked disappointed as she nimbly dodged another attack from the indignant Lin XiaoYi.
"What folly is love, that makes fools of even the wise— Hey, no fair, ambushing me like that! Foul! Foul!"
---
Chapter 8: Swept Along
It was almost autumn, but the temperature remained as high as ever, and walking home under the glaring sun was enough to make Bai Zhi sweat buckets.
Once he got inside, he took a much-needed shower, then sat at his desk with the chemical reagents he had "liberated" from the school labs. He was about to use the chemicals to recreate his explosive formula—albeit with some improvements—but before he could begin, he heard a knocking sound at the door.
Hmm? Is the landlord here for the rent? So soon?
He frowned slightly, then lowered the vial in his hand. Then, carefully tiptoeing to the door, Bai Zhi looked through the peephole.
What he saw sent an involuntary ripple of astonishment through him.
Standing outside his door was a tall, thin, middle-aged man in a white shirt and black-rimmed glasses. His hair was perfectly coiffed, his expression alert but still. He carried himself with a certain air of unruffled elegance.
Bai Zhi recognized him—it was his chemistry teacher, and form teacher, Mr. Chen.
What had shocked him was not so much the fact that his teacher was looking for him, but... Mr. Chen had been his teacher from before he transmigrated! He was the one who, as a result of Bai Zhi's experiments in the chemistry lab, had unfortunately ended up in the ICU and had to be hospitalized for two weeks after. Somehow still able to forgive Bai Zhi for his blunder, Mr. Chen had even joked that the next time he heard news of Bai Zhi, it would be either through the papers or the television.
Seeing that very person standing outside his door led Bai Zhi to wonder... Had Mr. Chen transmigrated too?
He reeled at this new information, momentarily unable to react.
The figure outside was the spitting image of what Bai Zhi remembered of Mr. Chen. The same stillness, the same elegance, even the same tacky glasses... Ugh...
Bai Zhi stroked his chin and thought about it for a moment. Realizing that he needed to be prepared for things to get hairy, he quietly made his way back to the desk, where he grabbed the towel draped on the chair and placed it over his head instead. As he made his way toward the door, he toweled his hair as if he had just come out of the shower.
"Who's there? Who could it be... Oh my gosh, Mr. Chen?"
Bai Zhi opened the door and allowed his features to transform from irritation to surprise, then from surprise quickly into gladness.
"Mr. Chen, are you here to deliver my allowance for the month? Thank you so much for coming all this way."
"Naturally, why else would I be here?"
The teacher's expression did not show any sign of surprise, and he even struck up some friendly banter with Bai Zhi.
"Hey now, I've come all this way, as you know. Surely you wouldn't turn me away without so much as a sip of tea?"
"Of course not!" Bai Zhi stepped aside with a self-deprecating chuckle. "Come in, Mr. Chen, I'll make some right away, and as soon as I have the money, I'll go down, get us some snacks to go with the tea and we'll have a nice chat."
"Ah you cheeky brat, no need to splurge on snacks and such, I'm not here to mooch off you."
With that humorous little jab back at Bai Zhi, the teacher glided past him and into the apartment.
Bai Zhi followed closely behind, and quickly poured his guest a cup of tea. Then he stood before his guest and sheepishly put a hand to the back of his head.
"Uhh, well... about my allowance, Mr. Chen?"
"Of course, I wouldn't forget."
Mr. Chen put down the cup and retrieved an envelope from his pocket. As he handed it over, he said, "Remember, spend it wisely, but if you're in any trouble, you can come to me for help, alright?"
As he took the envelope, Bai Zhi secretly gauged its weight and thickness, before giving a few enthusiastic nods.
So far, nothing about the "Mr. Chen" standing before him seemed out of the ordinary. If he had not been absolutely sure that people from his past life would never show up in this world, Bai Zhi might have believed that this was the same Mr. Chen who had been so good to him before.
It remained to be seen if the money was even legal tender...
"Well then, Bai Zhi, let us discuss some proper matters." Mr. Chen's mouth widened into a smile as he nudged his glasses up along his nose. "You know, as your teacher, I—"
"Oh! Perfect timing, Mr. Chen. I actually had some questions about the assignments."
Before the teacher could finish his sentence, Bai Zhi clapped a hand to his forehead and quickly laid out several textbooks before the teacher, clearly eager to learn.
"Here, here and here. I'm having some trouble with these concepts, could you possibly offer me some guidance so I can properly understand, Mr. Chen?"
"Umm..." As he looked at the open books, "Mr. Chen" began to sense that things had somehow taken an unexpected turn.
"Let's start with this one, Mr. Chen. So, here's how far I got...
"Ohhh I get it now! Then, how about this one, Mr. Chen? Could you help me understand what's going on in this experiment?
"Oof, my apologies, Mr. Chen. The room is really messy, huh... I simply haven't had time... Here, hold this..."
Two hours later, after handing over an allowance, solving all the problems for his student and even helping tidy up the room, swept along by the sounds of Bai Zhi's sincere gratitude, a dazed Mr. Chen finally found himself once again standing at the doorstep. Except this time, he held two large garbage bags in hand as the chilly night breeze blew gently around him.
Looking down at the garbage bags, the creature sank into a profound silence.
It had come here to hunt, hadn't it?! How did things turn out like this...
The Face-Borrower was a rare entity in that it was the only vengeful spirit that had the ability to peer into the hearts of living humans. Naturally, such power came with a catch—it was almost completely determined by the degree of fear that its victims felt toward it, so its strength could fluctuate wildly. If its target felt no fear whatsoever, it was no more terrifying than a toddler.
By scanning Bai Zhi's mind, it had stolen an appropriate disguise, which it was sure perfectly mimicked a real person. Bai Zhi did not seem to have any supernatural abilities, so the creature could not understand how its plans had become so thoroughly foiled.
All it really needed to do was plant the seed of fear in Bai Zhi, and things would fall naturally into place, eventually trapping its prey just like last time. However, not only did it fail to instill any fear in its target, instead, it had been Bai Zhi's uncomfortably enthusiastic gaze that gave the Face-Borrower goosebumps...
There was something weird about this situation, something very weird indeed.