Vol. 1 Chapter 20.1 – Fresh Flowers Scorched Earth Campus. (20)

Most of the time during the night, Yin Liuming wore a cold, serious expression, always looking like he had a terrible temper—even the soft and cute bear pajamas couldn’t soften that icy demeanor.
Now, he suddenly smiled, and his already striking features bloomed like a delicate rose. Chu Dong, across from him, and Ning Yuanyuan beside him both froze in surprise.
Chu Dong came back to her senses and tilted her head slightly. “Teacher Yin, how do you plan to complete the mission?”
“The main mission asks us to help Class 3 of the third senior year pass their exams. But in reality, most of them can already pass on their own,” Yin Liuming said. “The only exceptions are Yan Hang and his group… and Qi Xiaobei.”
Ning Yuanyuan nodded slightly.
That was the information they had gotten earlier.
“With such little time, tutoring them through the exams isn’t realistic. We’ll have to find another way. As for Yan Hang, the method he thought of was stealing the exam papers. If this dream really belongs to Qi Xiaobei, then that actually makes sense.”
Yin Liuming flexed his wrist a little and looked at Chu Dong. “But if you’re the dreamer… would a good, obedient and well-behaved student dream something like this?”
Chu Dong smiled and said, “How did you come to suspect me, Teacher Yin?”
Yin Liuming gently pointed toward the archive room. “Because of him.”
“Qi Xiaobei?”
Yin Liuming said, “I suspect Qi Xiaobei is fake—or rather, he doesn’t exist at all.”
Ning Yuanyuan turned toward him in shock.
Chu Dong blinked and said nothing.
“I bandaged Qi Xiaobei’s wounds twice, but after that, I couldn’t find any student wearing bandages anywhere. And today, I searched through the ivy flowerpots and still didn’t find the one that’s supposed to represent Qi Xiaobei.”
Chu Dong’s smile slowly faded.
“In this dream, everyone has a flower that represents them. Qi Xiaobei doesn’t. There are two possibilities—one, he has a special identity; two…” Yin Liuming said slowly, “He doesn’t exist.”
Qi Xiaobei was entirely a illusion created by Chu Dong, a decoy meant to mislead the players.
Ning Yuanyuan couldn’t help glancing at Yin Liuming.
Chu Dong remained silent, then abruptly smiled again. “I believe he’s real. I only created a pair of eyes for him, so he could walk normally around the campus.”
As Chu Dong spoke, a pair of charred black hands timidly reached out from the archive room door, and half a scorched head peeked out.
The head was as blackened as the hands, with gray dust flaking off it as he moved. Only the eyes appeared normal, like a real person’s.
When those eyes looked at Yin Liuming, they even held a faint trace of kindness.
Yin Liuming glanced at ‘Qi Xiaobei’ and suddenly asked, “That night or rather, tonight, were you also one of the victims when Yan Hang set the fire?”
The expression on Chu Dong’s face froze, as if she were wearing a smiling mask. In the dim corridor, it looked eerie and unnatural.
After a long pause, she said calmly, “Why would you think that, Teacher Yin? I’m clearly alive and well.”
“Being alive doesn’t mean you aren’t a victim.”
Yin Liuming looked up. “There’s something I’ve been wondering. Someone like Yan Hang—reckless, lawless, doesn’t even respect teachers—would he act gentle and respectful like a normal person around a girl he likes?”
Chu Dong lowered her head.
After a long while, she replied quietly, “No.”
Yin Liuming didn’t say anything else.
Ning Yuanyuan had figured it out, and her eyes flashed with anger. “Scum!”
Chu Dong unexpectedly turned to look toward the staircase.
The sound of footsteps echoed from the staircase.
Soon, five or six ‘people’ came up from below. Leading them was none other than Yan Hang, who had earlier walked to the other end of the corridor.
Yin Liuming felt as if a soft but unbreakable wall of air had formed in front of him—just like that day at noon when he’d watched Qi Xiaobei being bullied.
Yan Hang climbed the stairs, holding a cigarette in his left hand. With his right, he yanked another version of Chu Dong by the hair, dragging her up and throwing her in front of the others.
The Chu Dong from the scene looked terrified, sitting on the ground and crawling backward, clutching her school uniform collar tightly as if that could protect her from what was coming.
Yan Hang laughed sleazily. “Xiao Dong, it’s already come to this—don’t be stupid.”
The guys behind him jeered along. “Exactly! Having Brother Hang like you is your blessing!”
“Do you even know what Brother Hang’s dad does?”
Chu Dong’s face went pale. She bit her lower lip and clutched her collar so tightly that her knuckles turned white. “I-I don’t…”
“Xiao Dong, if you don’t agree, then I’ll have to use force.” Yan Hang flicked away the half-smoked cigarette, squatted down, and patted her cheek suggestively. “You wouldn’t want your first time broadcast live in a place this cold for all my brothers, right? Haha!”
He tilted his chin up, scanning Chu Dong’s body wrapped in her school uniform with a disgusting look. “You’re still a virgin, right?”
Chu Dong’s face turned almost translucent, and she backed away two steps in fear.
Just then, a shaky male voice came from the bottom of the corridor. “If… if you don’t leave, I-I’m calling the police…”
Yan Hang froze, then stood up and turned his head, letting out a mocking “Heh.”
At the corner of the stairs stood a short boy in a dirty school uniform. His legs were shaking, but he tried to lift his head high to make himself look braver.
Yan Hang jerked his chin upward, and one of his underlings immediately dragged Qi Xiaobei out from the corridor, twisted his arms, and pinned him to the cold ground.
They didn’t care about holding back. Qi Xiaobei winced in pain, his face scrunched up, but he kept saying, “I called the police, I really did…”
“You poor loser, you don’t even have a phone—how the hell are you calling the police?” Yan Hang kicked Qi Xiaobei so hard that he rolled twice, then sneered, “I already planned this. Tonight, all the teachers are either off-duty or stuck in pre-exam training. No one’s coming here—how else do you think I’m getting my hands on the exam papers, huh? Hahaha!”
While rolling, a carefully crafted dried ivy bouquet fell out of Qi Xiaobei’s pocket. Yan Hang stomped on it, crushing it flat.
Qi Xiaobei’s face turned pale. He struggled and gasped, “You… you can’t do this…”
He tried to say more, but a lackey punched him in the mouth.
The lackey pulled back his fist and laughed. “Brother Hang, what should we do with this guy?”
Yan Hang pretended to think for a moment, then said, “Lock him in the archive room. Tell him to bring us a copy of the exam we need.”
He turned to Qi Xiaobei and said, “If you’re quick, I’ll let both of you go.”
Qi Xiaobei suddenly stopped struggling. His eyes lit up with hope.
However, when Qi Xiaobei actually brought out the exam paper, Yan Hang kicked him back into the room, slammed the door shut, and smashed the lock with a wooden stick.
The lock dented inward immediately.
Ignoring Qi Xiaobei’s shouting from inside, Yan Hang picked up the crushed dried ivy and sneered at Chu Dong. “Xiao Dong, you gave this to him? So cheap… But as your boyfriend, I’m jealous now.”
Chu Dong couldn’t take it anymore. Tears streamed down her face as she shouted, “You’re not my boyfriend! Let us go!”
Yan Hang let out a cold laugh, lit his lighter, and set the crushed ivy on fire.
Then he casually tossed the burning bouquet aside. “You won’t cry till you see the coffin, Xiao Dong…”
Yan Hang roughly yanked at Chu Dong’s collar, but just as he did, one of his underlings shouted in panic behind him, “Brother Hang! Fire! Fire!”
Yan Hang spun around and saw that the nearby curtain and old desk were already on fire.
“Sh*t!”
He stood up, looked around, and after a brief thought, gave Chu Dong a cold smile. “I’ll let you off this time.”
With that, he called out to his underlings, “Let’s go!”
Chu Dong stayed frozen on the ground for a while before pulling her collar together and struggling to her feet.
By now the fire had spread. She rushed to the archive room door, hands shaking as she turned the handle. “Qi Xiaobei! Come out! There’s a fire!”
But the smashed lock was stuck solid—there was no way a high school girl could break it open.
Desperate, Chu Dong banged on the door, tears falling nonstop. “Qi Xiaobei!”
A muffled voice came from inside. “Chu… Chu Dong, run…”
Chu Dong froze.
“I… I don’t mind…”
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
Chu Dong shouted back, wiped her face, and gritted her teeth. “I’ll go get help! You try breaking the door with a chair!”
She wiped away her tears and ran down the stairs as fast as she could.
……
Chu Dong quietly watched the scene unfold. Tears streamed down her face as hatred, fear, and disgust twisted across her expression.
Yin Liuming frowned, relaxed, and was about to speak when a strange laugh echoed from the other end of the corridor.
“You ran away! You ran away! You never went to get help at all!”
Yin Liuming looked over.
At the other end of the corridor, the real Yan Hang pointed at Chu Dong, letting out a sharp, inhuman laugh. “You killed him! You’re the one who killed him!”
Chu Dong’s face went pale. She stepped back and leaned against the door. “I didn’t!”
Yan Hang clung to that idea like a drowning man grabbing driftwood. He looked pleadingly at Yin Liuming, then at the charred figure standing by the archive room door. His fingers trembled as he shouted, “If you’re looking for someone, go after Chu Dong! It’s not my fault!”
The scorched Qi Xiaobei stood silently at the door, staring at Yan Hang.
Yan Hang took a fearful step back.
Yin Liuming said calmly, “Chu Dong didn’t go back on her word. She really did go get help.”
Yan Hang’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Chu Dong quietly wiped her tears and asked in a hoarse voice, “How do you know?”
Yin Liuming reached into his pocket, pressing a finger onto the illustration book. “The person you brought… it must’ve been Director Jiang, right?”
Then, Director Jiang’s figure appeared right in front of them.
Chu Dong’s eyes flew open, her voice trembling. “D-Director Jiang…”
Suddenly, her body gave out and she collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. “I’m sorry, Director Jiang… I’m sorry, Qi Xiaobei… It’s all my fault. If it wasn’t for me… If it wasn’t for me…”
Yin Liuming let out a soft sigh.
After Chu Dong ran downstairs, she found Director Jiang, who was still on duty. He rushed up to save them—but maybe the fire was too fierce, or the smoke was too thick, and he couldn’t get Qi Xiaobei out. Both of them perished in the flames.
This dream didn’t belong to Qi Xiaobei, who died after being bullied and burned. It belonged to Chu Dong, tormented by regret and pain.
On one hand, she hated Yan Hang, the root of all this. On the other, she hated her own helplessness, believing that if it weren’t for her, neither Qi Xiaobei nor Director Jiang would have died.
Her hatred and regret wove together into this cycle of life and death inside the dream.
Thus, in this dream, everyone had their own flower. But Chu Dong knew clearly—Qi Xiaobei and Director Jiang, who were already dead, had none.
The students of Class 3, who usually ignored and treated Qi Xiaobei with indifference, shifted between life and death depending on Chu Dong’s changing perception of them.
The source of everything—Yan Hang and the others—became the targets of her fury, burned to a crisp by the Flames of Rage and Regret.
As for their main mission…
Yin Liuming looked at the collapsed Chu Dong.
As Chu Dong cried, the air around them turned scorching hot. Flames bloomed from the walls in the shape of roses—each one delicate and beautiful, but radiating an ominous sense of death.
When Yan Hang saw those Flames of Rage and Regret, he scrambled toward the stairs, crawling and stumbling. “Don’t come near me! Stay away!!”
The flames swarmed him, plunging into his body. A deafening boom and a shrill scream followed—then he exploded into pieces, leaving behind a pile of scorched, stinking ash.
More Flames of Rage and Regret drifted toward Yin Liuming and Ning Yuanyuan, like snakes eyeing their prey.
Yin Liuming heard Ning Yuanyuan mutter a curse under her breath.
She was cursing Ding Pei’an.
If it weren’t for that bastard Ding Pei’an, they would’ve gotten out already.
Yin Liuming calmly activated Director Jiang’s scorched earth lost soul skill: Teaching.
“Chu Dong,” Director Jiang said, “This isn’t your fault.”
Chu Dong sat on the ground with her head down, hugging her knees, trembling nonstop.
“It was Yan Hang who bullied you. It was Yan Hang who tried to force you. It was Yan Hang who locked up Qi Xiaobei. It was still Yan Hang who started the fire.” Director Jiang’s square face softened with a sigh. “What did you do wrong?”
Chu Dong still kept her head lowered and whispered, “But… if I didn’t exist, none of this would’ve happened.”
“You have to understand that just because the victim doesn’t exist doesn’t mean the criminal will stop committing crimes. Without you, it might’ve been another girl… another Qi Xiaobei. If it wasn’t a fire, it could’ve been… assault, robbery, or even murder.” Director Jiang also squatted down, gently patted Chu Dong on the shoulder, and said, “I’m not a politics teacher, so maybe I’m not saying it perfectly. However, as your teacher, I hope you’ll be someone who’s willing to take responsibility. If you really did something wrong, then don’t run from it. Yet, if you didn’t, then don’t carry that burden either. Also…”
Director Jiang paused for a moment, his voice carrying a gentle sigh. “In all this, you did nothing wrong—and if someone truly needs to be blamed… it’s us teachers, for not protecting you kids better. You were never supposed to be worrying about right or wrong, because this whole thing should’ve never happened.”
Chu Dong’s shoulders trembled slightly. She lifted her head and blinked, staring blankly at Director Jiang.
Beside her, the terrifying, completely scorched Qi Xiaobei also squatted down. He wanted to reach out and pat Chu Dong’s shoulder like Director Jiang, but when he saw his own pitch-black hands, he silently pulled back.
Director Jiang reached out and held Qi Xiaobei’s hand, letting out a sigh. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t get you out in time.”
Qi Xiaobei froze for a moment, then murmured, “It’s okay… I was never that attached to being alive anyway…”
At last, Chu Dong let out a loud sob and threw herself into Director Jiang’s arms. It was as if she had finally put down a thousand-pound burden. She cried her heart out without holding anything back, as though trying to release all her guilt and sorrow at once.
Ning Yuanyuan stayed silent for a moment, then sighed and lit another cigarette. “So that’s it?”
She turned and saw that Yin Liuming’s expression was still serious, his eyes locked straight ahead.
Ning Yuanyuan blinked in surprise. “What is it?”
“Don’t forget our main mission,” Yin Liuming said calmly. “Helping Class 3 of the third senior year pass their exam… isn’t something that can be done by resolving Chu Dong’s inner struggle.”
Ning Yuanyuan bit down on her cigarette, her gaze growing sharper.
She thought for a moment and said, “If Chu Dong is the dreamer, that means she’s not afraid of failing the exam. So for her, this exam actually marks a dividing line between life and death.”
Before the exam, it was simply a normal school life. However, after tonight—an office fire, destroyed exam papers, a student and a teacher dead—there was no way the exam still exists.
Chu Dong’s emotions and her whole life shifted with it.
What she really wanted wasn’t only for Class 3 to pass. Deep down… she wanted the exam to happen as it should.
Because that would mean Qi Xiaobei and Director Jiang wouldn’t die, and her high school life could go on like normal.
But in this dream, the day after the fire would never come. Any attempt by the players to reach the next day would be blocked by the dream itself.
Just like Ding Pei’an, who died tragically in the archive room, the same as those countless flowers swaying in the wind in the garden.
Because Chu Dong wanted to keep Qi Xiaobei and Director Jiang alive. And at the same time, she wanted to punish Yan Hang—as well as punishing herself.
This dream was her safe harbor, her escape from reality.
Which also meant, if they wanted to complete the mission, their final opponent would be…
Chu Dong wiped her tears and stood up. She looked at Director Jiang, then at Qi Xiaobei, and tried her best to smile. “Sorry for worrying you both.”
Then she turned to Yin Liuming, her pretty eyes flashing with something complicated. “Thank you, Teacher Yin. But I can’t let you complete the mission.”
As Chu Dong spoke, countless Flames of Rage and Regret gathered and swirled forward. The orange-red flame roses were stunning and mesmerizing, each one able to devour a human life completely. Their danger only made them more tempting.
Though it was pain that drove her to create this dream, within it, she could bring back the teacher and classmate who had died unjustly and trap the culprit in endless burning agony forever!
Chu Dong held the hands of Qi Xiaobei and Director Jiang, stepping back. “Once morning comes and the exam time passes, you’ll be free to go.”
Of course, that also meant their mission would fail.
For Ning Yuanyuan, a failed mission meant no rewards. However, for Yin Liuming, it meant being shut out of the Nightmare Game forever.
Yin Liuming gently bent his wrist. “I have another proposal.”
Chu Dong pressed her lips together and gestured the flames to move a step closer. “Teacher Yin, I don’t want to hurt you.”