Because of Li Xiaozhen’s gaze, Hua Qi’an unconsciously touched her own hand.
Her body temperature was always on the cool side, so even when she touched herself, there wasn’t much warmth.
Was there something wrong with her hand?
It looked perfectly fine to her.
Why was Li Xiaozhen looking at her like that?
Thinking of how Li Xiaozhen had been acting strange since last night, Hua Qi’an naturally remembered what Li Xiaozhen had “seen” the previous evening.
Could it be related to that?
Did Li Xiaozhen see something last night that could be connected to her…
But clearly, Li Xiaozhen had no intention of explaining things to Hua Qi’an in detail.
After saying that, she didn’t even bother to wash up and immediately climbed into bed.
Maybe she felt that talking about it any further would just bring more bad luck.
Hua Qi’an was at a loss for words.
They were the ones who insisted on playing the Spirit of the Pen game, yet now they were the ones scaring themselves—how did that even make sense?
As for what Li Xiaozhen said about “going to the Si Miao to have a look,” that actually fit well with what Hua Qi’an wanted.
It wasn’t that Hua Qi’an was frightened by the Spirit of the Pen last night.
She had planned to visit a Si Miao or Dao Guan when she had time, even before last night.
She’d been having all sorts of strange dreams lately, so much so that she couldn’t get a good rest.
Though she didn’t really believe in supernatural forces, it couldn’t hurt to seek some psychological comfort.
It was probably because her job at haunted houses had left too strong an impression on her that she kept having weird dreams.
Maybe, with some psychological suggestion, she’d actually stop having nightmares?
Thinking this, Hua Qi’an opened the map app on her phone to look up the nearest Si Miao.
Her schedule really was jam-packed these days…
Hua Qi’an got up and headed to the bathroom.
Since she wasn’t planning to leave the dorm again tonight, she could wash up, change, and go straight to bed.
And she still needed to change the dressing on her bandages…
While planning out her daily schedule, Hua Qi’an started washing up and getting herself organized.
When she saw the dirty clothes in her basin, Hua Qi’an blinked.
Might as well wash them too while she was at it.
By the time she finished everything, half an hour had gone by.
Hua Qi’an had just stepped out of the bathroom when she heard Zhao Yingying’s voice.
“Ah, you just had a phone call.”
“No one answered, so it hung up on its own.”
Hua Qi’an nodded, not thinking much of it.
Most of the calls she got were telemarketing spam, so missing one wouldn’t make much difference.
She’d already deleted almost everyone from her contacts, and anyone she’d met in college just messaged her through social apps.
She didn’t have parents or anyone from the older generation who would call her…
So basically, every time her phone rang, it was a spam call.
She was holding her freshly washed clothes and didn’t have a hand free to check her phone.
Yawning, she hung the clothes out on the balcony and then strolled slowly back to her seat.
She picked up her phone and glanced at the missed call.
She thought it was just another spam number, but when she saw the name in the contact note, Hua Qi’an actually shuddered, blinking in disbelief.
Her drowsy brain instantly snapped awake.
Lin… Lin Yanqiu?
Who saved Lin Yanqiu’s number in her phone?
It seemed it was her, herself.
Her hand moved faster than her mind as she immediately dialed back.
As the dial tone played, her thoughts were in chaos.
She did have Lin Yanqiu in her contacts, but it was always Hua Qi’an who contacted Lin Yanqiu; Lin Yanqiu had never reached out to her first.
So Hua Qi’an never expected this call to be from Lin Yanqiu.
What did she want?
She remembered that after dinner, the two of them had gone their separate ways, and Lin Yanqiu didn’t seem to have anything particular to say at the time…
This must be the first time Lin Yanqiu had ever called her.
After two rings, the call connected.
Even though it had only been less than two minutes, Hua Qi’an had already gone through all the possible reasons why Lin Yanqiu might be calling.
Once the call connected, there was silence on both ends.
In the end, it was Hua Qi’an who spoke first.
“Um… Sorry, I was just doing laundry and didn’t hear the phone.”
But only the faint sound of breathing came through the receiver, making Hua Qi’an feel a little uneasy.
She glanced at her phone, looked around the dorm, and was about to step into the bathroom to take the call, but Zhao Yingying beat her to it.
“I’m going to wash up, you should take your call somewhere else.”
Though she said that, Zhao Yingying just stood in the bathroom doorway, arms crossed, watching Hua Qi’an.
She looked like she was ready for some juicy gossip.
Still on the phone, Hua Qi’an didn’t have much to say, so she simply walked to the balcony.
She closed the balcony door behind her to block the sound.
“Elder sister, what’s up? Did something happen for you to call me out of the blue?”
Separated by the phone, Hua Qi’an couldn’t gauge the other person’s expression or guess Lin Yanqiu’s mood at the moment.
“Have you returned to your dorm?”
Lin Yanqiu’s voice was even, giving no hint of emotion, sounding like she was just casually checking in on Hua Qi’an.
“I’m back.”
“I see.”
“I heard there was some commotion in the Jiao Xue Qu tonight… so I thought of you.”
It should’ve been a caring question, but Lin Yanqiu’s tone still felt off.
“I’ll add your social media account later, make sure to accept it.”
“Since it was always you calling me in the past, as your guardian, I should show some concern for you as well.”
“Just calling on the phone is too limiting.”
It was Lin Yanqiu who had always insisted they only communicate by phone…
Yet now she was breaking her own rule.
But of course, Hua Qi’an wouldn’t say that out loud.
“It’s nice to know you care about me, elder sister. That makes me happy.”
Even though the other person couldn’t see her through the phone, Hua Qi’an still curled her lips into a smile that looked genuinely happy.
It wasn’t that Hua Qi’an was truly touched by Lin Yanqiu’s concern—she just needed the right expression to convey the right emotion in her voice.
Since she was acting, she couldn’t just rely on her voice alone.
She was surprised by Lin Yanqiu’s concern, but not quite happy.
Yet in the eyes of others, she definitely looked like she was falling in love.
A strange silence came from the other end.
Hua Qi’an, at a loss, felt her smile fade as she frowned slightly at her phone.
She couldn’t see Lin Yanqiu’s expression, and, conversely, Lin Yanqiu couldn’t see hers.
So why, when she tried to show “happiness,” did Lin Yanqiu get so quiet?
This whole call felt strange from start to finish.
It was as if Lin Yanqiu had something to say but was refusing to say it.
“I’ll ask one more time, have you really returned to your dormitory?”
Lin Yanqiu’s voice sounded a bit gloomy through the receiver.
Hua Qi’an couldn’t keep up the act anymore, and she furrowed her brow. “Why do you ask?”
If she wasn’t in the dorm, where else could she be?
A sigh came through the phone, followed by Lin Yanqiu’s impatient voice.
“It’s just that there’s been a woman laughing non-stop on your end—it’s really noisy.”
“Tell your roommate to keep it down.”