Chapter 53: TOGETHER.
The dorm room was quiet, save for the low buzz of the lamp still shining between the two beds. Zinchen Liu lay on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling, the same scene playing over and over in his head like a looping film. The corners of his eyes were heavy, but sleep wouldn't come.
"When will you turn that thing off?" came a groggy voice from the next bed. Wuhao Li rolled over, shielding his eyes from the light with his arm. "It's practically burning holes through my eyelids."
Zinchen didn't respond. He wasn't even looking at the lamp. His mind was far away, still stuck in the shadows behind the cafeteria building—where he had seen them. That men. That camera. That girl.
"There could be more," he murmured, almost to himself.
Wuhao peeked from under his arm. "What?"
Zinchen sat up, elbows on his knees, fingers steepled in thought. "That footage... that camera—it wasn't a one-time thing. If there's one, there could be more. We might be being watched. Monitored. Every step."
Wuhao groaned and buried his face in his pillow. "Are you still talking about that busted CCTV camera you found in the trash? I told you to throw that junk out."
Zinchen ignored the jab. "I have to report it. Headmaster Jian is the only one with enough authority to investigate this further."
Wuhao turned his head, voice sharper now. "Have you lost your mind? Do you even hear yourself?" He sat up slightly, eyes narrowed in disbelief. "You want to walk into Jian's office with that rusted scrap and say, 'Hey, someone's spying on us'? You'll get suspended before you can say surveillance. He'll bury the whole thing and you along with it—for hiding it this long."
Zinchen only smirked.
"What?" Wuhao asked warily. "You're smiling. That's not a good sign."