Rulebook

The A4-sized page contained only this one rule.

Shen Yu turned to the third page——

"2. Our children are very well-behaved. If you see them in the middle of the night, please do not answer any of their questions, as the children are sleeping in their rooms."

The fourth page——

"3. The Director only comes on weekends. If you see the Director at any other time, please immediately stay away and do not let him discover you. If you are unfortunately discovered, immediately hide in the children's rooms; the Director will not enter their rooms."

The fifth page——

"4. When unnecessary, do not approach the well. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences!"

The sixth page——

"5. You can trust the janitorial staff wearing orange uniforms."

The seventh page——

"6. This welfare institution only has eighteen dormitory rooms. If a 19th room appears, please ignore it and do not approach it."

The eighth page——

"7. Please do not let a situation arise where everyone violates the rules!!! Otherwise, "it" will appear and take away a teacher!!"

The ninth page——

"8. Do not leave the welfare institution without permission!!"

The tenth page——

"9. We do not guarantee your safety at night; please protect yourself."

The eleventh page——

"10. Please remember, our welfare institution only has 44 children."

That was the end.

Shen Yu closed the work handbook.

Yu Cheng Yi also closed his handbook.

Shen Yu let out a soft breath, looking down at his hands, which had become slightly cold.

Yu Cheng Yi exhaled in gasps, raising his hand to wipe the sweat from his temples with his sleeve.

His back was also damp with a thin layer of cold sweat.

"Shen, Shen Yu, I've finished reading," Yu Cheng Yi swallowed, looking at Shen Yu.

Shen Yu nodded, pointing to the large words on the cover of the book. "This is very useful; you must remember it."

He said.

Yu Cheng Yi was almost convinced by Shen Yu's calm demeanor. He shook his head in disbelief, giving Shen Yu a thumbs-up. "Shen Yu, I'm starting to doubt if you're really new here."

"Your skill, I truly..."

He paused. "I deeply admire it."

Shen Yu chuckled.

But he didn't say anything.

Yu Cheng Yi looked muscular, but his膽 (guts) were actually small. Goosebumps covered his exposed skin. He couldn't help but lower his voice and ask Shen Yu, "So what do we do now?"

"Don't we have the work handbook?" Shen Yu shook the book in his hand at him.

Yu Cheng Yi's eyes darkened. Before Yu Cheng Yi could speak, Shen Yu reminded him, "But, these are rules set by 'it.' Rule number nine says they don't guarantee our safety at night. If no one violates the rules, this sentence is superfluous, indicating that there are still unknown rules here, and this requires us to discover them ourselves."

Yu Cheng Yi was silent for a long time. "But, how do we discover them?"

Shen Yu stood up, turned around, and tucked the work handbook under his pillow. "I don't know."

He spoke the truth.

Yu Cheng Yi: ...

"Or rather, I'm not entirely sure," Shen Yu added by way of explanation, then turned and walked out the door.

Yu Cheng Yi was an athlete and a fitness trainer. His mind might not be quick, but he was certainly capable of physical tasks. In any case, he seemed to be the type with a simple mind and well-developed limbs.

He scratched his head, chasing after Shen Yu. "Shen Yu, I don't quite understand."

Shen Yu's speculation wasn't good news, and perhaps Yu Cheng Yi shouldn't have said it today. He didn't want to say it to scare Yu Cheng Yi further.

It wasn't entirely out of concern for his emotions, but also because people, when scared, do many irrational things, thereby implicating their teammates or friends.

"I'll tell you tomorrow morning." Shen Yu's words left an opening, also letting Yu Cheng Yi know that he didn't want to talk now.

Yu Cheng Yi still recognized the expression and the meaning in his words. He wisely kept silent.

The two followed Director Bi's instructions; they had to gather in the front yard.

Everyone else also arrived one after another, perhaps having read the work handbook, as the atmosphere among them and their expressions were not very good.

Tang Gao saw Shen Yu from afar. He stared at Shen Yu as he approached. Yu Cheng Yi stroked his chin, unable to resist teasing, "He's interested in you."

Shen Yu glanced at him: ?

Yu Cheng Yi immediately patted his chest seriously. "Anyway, I'm a fitness trainer. Every community has its own way of seeing things. He's definitely..."

"Gay!" Yu Cheng Yi said triumphantly.

Shen Yu: ...

Shen Yu: "Then what community do you think I belong to?"

He had asked casually, not expecting Yu Cheng Yi to answer seriously. Unexpectedly, Yu Cheng Yi observed him intently.

He stared so hard that Shen Yu felt very uncomfortable.

"Not like his community, but also not like he'd like girls..." Yu Cheng Yi's voice grew softer and softer, less and less confident.

Alright, he couldn't figure this person out.

Shen Yu seemed to have no emotions. At least, since they met, Yu Cheng Yi had never seen him show any overly strong expressions.

Shen Yu smiled. "I like men."

"!"

Yu Cheng Yi's eyes widened.

"Oh my."

Shen Yu didn't understand the meaning of Yu Cheng Yi's expression and words, but now was not the time for them to chat. Everyone had arrived. Tang Gao rushed to Shen Yu, asking after him warmly. Yu Cheng Yi was pushed aside.

Director Bi slowly walked out.

He glanced at them, looked down at his watch, then slowly opened his mouth: "Alright, our children are about to arrive. You all go to the entrance and wait for them to come back."

Director Bi's voice was unpleasant, hoarse, as if something was stuck in his throat.

"Let's go," Tang Gao stopped, waiting for Shen Yu.

The view at the entrance was not clear, as about twenty meters away was a thick fog. The fog didn't disperse, so even if they wanted to escape, they wouldn't know which way to go.

They didn't wait long at the entrance before a standard green school bus sped through the fog and rushed in.

Shen Yu had never seen a school bus drive so fast.

He noticed the driver was not the same one who had brought them there.

The driver wore a uniform and looked like a real school bus driver.

The bus stopped steadily in front of them. Very quickly, the sound of children's laughter emerged. The bus door opened, and they stood outside, waiting for people to get off.

Unexpectedly, the door opened, but no one came down.

The bus curtains were tightly drawn; without going inside, they truly wouldn't know what it was like. But in this situation, probably no one dared to go in and look.

Suddenly, a very clear voice came from inside: "Are no teachers coming to pick them up?"

"Where are you all?" He asked two questions consecutively.

"What do we do now?" Someone among them asked fearfully.

Lu Wei pushed up his rimless glasses and politely said to the person inside, "Hello, we are new teachers and are not yet familiar with the rules. Does this require every teacher to go in?"

There was a long silence inside, and even the children's laughter gradually subsided.

"New teachers?" He asked again. Without waiting for the people outside to reply, someone stepped out from inside the bus.

His height was the first thing they noticed, followed by his handsome face. His black hair was made softer by the warm light inside the bus. His face was of the aggressively handsome type, like an ancient Greek god, as he stood on the bus and swept his gaze over them.

Disdain.

His attire was just that of an ordinary person, but his aura made people highly wary.

"Forget it, I'm afraid I'll scare them." His eyes were very sharp, his brows slightly furrowed. One hand rested on the bus door, the other casually pointed at a few people: "You, you, you, and also..."

His last finger had originally paused on Yu Cheng Yi, but his voice stopped. His finger stiffened in mid-air, then shifted towards Shen Yu, the corner of his narrow, long eye lifting as he slowly said:

"You..."

"The four of you, go in."