With a paper due in a week, Gu Qiqi had no choice but to set aside this bizarre encounter for the time being and throw herself into intense studying. As the saying goes, "sharpening the spear on the eve of battle makes it dull but still usable." In the days that followed, Gu Qiqi poured all her restless youthful energy into the library and her notebooks.
Life followed its usual two-point routine: during the day, she attended classes and researched at school; at night, she went home to write her paper. Qiqi technically had a dormitory at school, but the power was limited there. If she needed to pull an all-nighter, she'd have to go to the all-night classroom, which was somewhat inconvenient. More importantly, Qiqi had to stay home as a potential holdout resident. To blend in with the neighbors and prevent any surprise demolition raids as much as possible, she went home to sleep almost every night.
Researching materials, flipping through books, comparing human skeletal specimens... Gu Qiqi wished she could hang that specimen she borrowed from school on herself twenty-four hours a day, touching and looking at it constantly, almost to the point of living and dying with the bones. Some classmates joked that they wished they could strip off all their flesh, label each part, and then they wouldn't even need to look up references for their papers—just flip through their clothes to see the names. Others said their eyes had turned into X-rays, seeing through clothes and skin of any handsome guy or beautiful woman, straight down to the stark white bones.
After a week of chaos, the paper was finally finished. Regardless of the grade, at least she could breathe a sigh of relief.
That day when she got home, Gu Qiqi first collapsed onto her bed for a deep, sweet sleep. When she woke up, the feeling was like a liberated serf finally free!
Humming a tune, she made plans with her friend Zhuang Ruotong to celebrate at a hotpot restaurant near the school. When they arrived, it was peak dining time, and the place was packed, with queue numbers reaching triple digits. Luckily, the restaurant knew how to do business—waiting customers could play cards, crack sunflower seeds, or get manicures for free. So Qiqi and Zhuang Ruotong waited while getting their nails done.
Qiqi chose a French manicure with white tips, while Zhuang Ruotong picked a bright red, perfectly matching her bold personality.
The two chatted as they got their nails done.
On the wall behind them hung a greasy TV, drawing a crowd of waiting customers.
Before their nails were finished, a commotion suddenly erupted behind them—
"Look, look! That guy is so handsome!" a young woman exclaimed.
"Wow, I've never seen anyone so good-looking..." a man said, his eyes turning into hearts as he flicked a pinky.
"Hmph! What's the use of being good-looking? Can't you see he's a psycho?" the man's boyfriend said with a dark face.
"Exactly! Killing such a cute little animal—how twisted!" the woman's boyfriend chimed in.
...
Curiosity piqued, Gu Qiqi and Zhuang Ruotong turned around in unison.
It turned out the TV was airing a news report—
"Child Kidnapped in Park, Security Guard Injured in Brave Struggle with Perpetrator.
Around 3 p.m. yesterday, on a lawn in People's Park, a man in strange clothing suddenly attacked a ten-year-old child and snatched away the pet rabbit the child was raising. The man killed the rabbit on the spot, with methods so cruel and a scene so bloody it was shocking. A security guard in the park bravely fought the man but was unfortunately injured. After the public called the police, the perpetrator was apprehended. However, according to experts, the man is suspected of being a severe mental patient and is currently undergoing further evaluation and treatment at a hospital. Witnesses claim the man called himself Rong Yi at the time... The man's characteristics are... Anyone who knows the man's family or friends, please contact the TV station immediately..."