I'm Actually Panicking Because My Heart Doesn't Beat (GL) - Chapter 34
“You’re going to help me?”
Guan Xiaoxuan looked at Bai Zhiqi in surprise, her voice tinged with doubt. “But you’re not allowed to leave this dorm building. How exactly are you going to help me? Besides, I don’t really have anything to thank you with right now.”
Bai Zhiqi said calmly, “I don’t need your thanks. Just think of it as a favor you owe me. I’ll ask for it back someday. As for not being able to leave the girls’ dorm, I have a way around that.”
She looked at Guan Xiaoxuan, a faint smile curling her lips. “I may not be able to leave here on my own, but that doesn’t mean someone else can’t take me away. Go prepare a mirror, then smear your own bl00d on it. Bring it to this place to find me. After that, you don’t need to worry about anything else.”
Guan Xiaoxuan had heard many ghost stories about mirrors—they were often used as portals or communication tools to other worlds.
Though she wasn’t sure what Bai Zhiqi planned to do, Guan Xiaoxuan felt that if she didn’t find a strong ally now, Haohao might keep coming back for her. Eventually, he might drag her into that other world, and she might never return.
Thinking this through, Guan Xiaoxuan didn’t hesitate anymore. At least Bai Zhiqi had shown goodwill so far. If she wanted to harm her, she’d have had plenty of chances. So Guan Xiaoxuan trusted her—for now.
“Since you’ve thought it through, bring the mirror to me tomorrow night,” Bai Zhiqi said, waving a hand as she added, “See you tomorrow, Guan Xiaosong.”
Guan Xiaoxuan: “…”
When the colors around her returned to normal, Guan Xiaoxuan sighed helplessly.
She was being cautious, not scared!
Around 6 PM, Xing Tianqing finished work and drove to Guan Xiaoxuan’s school to pick her up.
After getting in the car, Xing Tianqing glanced at her and asked, “Did that little boy come looking for you today?”
Guan Xiaoxuan buckled her seatbelt while nodding. “I saw him at noon, but I ran fast, and he didn’t show up again after that.”
“Did he do anything to you?”
“Not really. He just threw a ball at me. I listened to you and didn’t touch it, then ran away.”
Xing Tianqing thought for a moment and nodded. “You did well. That little boy is very sneaky—he always tries to trick you with words and tempt you to take his things. As long as you don’t fall for it, you’re safe.”
Then Xing Tianqing took a small box out of her bag and handed it to Guan Xiaoxuan.
“What’s this?” Guan Xiaoxuan opened the box, which looked like a jewelry case. Inside lay a small golden lucky pouch, shimmering with threads of gold. Embroidered on it were two characters: —“Explosion.”
Xing Tianqing looked at the pouch and said, “The prop I applied for yesterday was approved today. That’s why I was a little late. Although the Explosion is a one-time-use item, it’s very effective against supernatural beings. Under normal conditions, it can instantly eliminate all eerie creatures within a ten-meter radius. If you’re trapped in the other world, it can even tear the space apart, helping you escape from desperate situations.”
Guan Xiaoxuan remembered this item. Xing Tianqing had said she exchanged 20 points for it in the Supernatural Bureau’s system. It was a B-level item.
“This is such a valuable thing. Are you really giving it to me?” Guan Xiaoxuan felt the pouch was heavy in her hands. She knew 20 points meant 2,000 yuan—probably the total points from a whole supernatural case. To trade that for a one-time-use item and give it to her made her feel a heavy weight in her heart.
“Items are meant to be used,” Xing Tianqing smiled gently. “Besides, if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have gotten involved in this case. I only considered that you could help us and applied for you as an external agent. I never thought about your own safety. That was my oversight.”
Xing Tianqing said helplessly, “If something really happens to you, I would feel uneasy.”
Guan Xiaoxuan’s heart skipped a couple of quick beats. She blushed a little, feeling a bit embarrassed, and nodded. “I’ll keep this. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Xing Tianqing smiled. “It’s about time for dinner. Let’s eat out before heading back. I know a good restaurant nearby. I’ll make a reservation.”
Guan Xiaoxuan had no objections and nodded, “Sure, anywhere is fine.”
After dinner, they went home. Guan Xiaoxuan expected that Haohao might come looking for her late at night, but the whole night she slept soundly, without even dreaming once.
She got up early and started rummaging through the house. Except for the bathroom wall, there weren’t any mirrors at all. Before Xing Tianqing knocked, she gave up and decided to look for a mirror at school, maybe at the supermarket or the convenience store.
After Xing Tianqing dropped her off at school, he left, promising to pick her up around the same time in the evening.
Guan Xiaoxuan watched his car drive away before turning to enter the campus.
No sooner had she stepped in than Zhang Wen appeared from beside a flowerbed, grabbed Guan Xiaoxuan, and pulled her aside.
“What’s going on?” Guan Xiaoxuan asked, curious. “Why were you hiding in the flowerbed for no reason?”
Zhang Wen looked at her, snorted, and said, “Tell me, what’s really going on? That little boy is after you, right? Is it connected to that weird team captain?”
“You mean Xing Tianqing?” Guan Xiaoxuan feigned surprise. “How can you think that? Captain Xing saved both our lives.”
Zhang Wen looked uneasy and fidgeted. “Captain Xing did save us, but she’s different from us. We’re just regular college students, still not graduated. How can we compare to her?”
She looked at Guan Xiaoxuan. “And I always feel like the way Captain Xing looks at you isn’t right. Be honest — are you two dating?”
Guan Xiaoxuan glanced at her and forced a laugh. “What nonsense are you talking? There’s nothing between me and her.”
“I’m not some old-fashioned person. I don’t care if you like guys or girls. It’s just that Captain Xing’s job is special,” Zhang Wen said with worry. “She’s like a narcotics cop—always risking her life and even endangering her family. If you want to be with her, you better think it through.”
Guan Xiaoxuan knew Zhang Wen meant well. Maybe they hadn’t been close before, but ever since she saved Zhang Wen’s life, Zhang Wen had been sincere and open.
Honestly, it touched Guan Xiaoxuan.
But despite the warmth, Guan Xiaoxuan really wasn’t dating Xing Tianqing. To avoid trouble, she had to make it clear.
“There’s no way between me and Xing Tianqing. Stop imagining things,” Guan Xiaoxuan said helplessly. “And don’t say stuff like that around Captain Xing, or it’ll be super awkward for both of us.”
Zhang Wen finally relaxed a bit, patting her chest. “I saw Captain Xing bringing you to and from school these past two days. I thought you two were together.”
“Let’s not talk about that,” Guan Xiaoxuan cut her off and asked, “Do you know where we can buy a mirror on campus?”
“A mirror?” Zhang Wen looked puzzled. “Why would you want a mirror for no reason?”
Guan Xiaoxuan smiled. “Never mind that. Just tell me where to get one.”
Zhang Wen took out a small makeup mirror from her bag and handed it over. “I have one right here. You can have it. I have a few more in my dorm—came with makeup purchases.”
Looking at the tiny mirror in Zhang Wen’s hand, Guan Xiaoxuan smiled with bright eyes. “Thanks, I won’t be shy to take it~”
After class, Guan Xiaoxuan pretended to follow Xing Tianqing home. Then, around 10 p.m., after making sure Xing Tianqing wasn’t home, she finally left her neighborhood and took a taxi to school.
The campus was deserted late at night. No one was around. The girls’ dorm lights went out at 11 p.m. After waiting more than 20 minutes for the floors to go dark, Guan Xiaoxuan snuck in through the first-floor bathroom window.
She went up to the second floor and could still hear sounds of washing and chatting in the dorms. Her fear eased a bit. She called out into the air, “Bai Zhiqi!”
Soon, the world outside the corridor grew hazy. A gray-white mist wrapped around the buildings in the dark. Guan Xiaoxuan saw vague figures in the fog and knew she had entered the “inner world.”
Following her memory, she walked to Bai Zhiqi’s dorm. Bai Zhiqi was picking out clothes. Hearing Guan Xiaoxuan enter, she turned around holding two dresses. “Which do you think looks better on me—the white dress or the red one?”
Guan Xiaoxuan was speechless.
Sis, we’re here to catch weird spirits, not go to a party. Why are you choosing clothes?
Though she thought this, she still looked carefully at both dresses.
She pointed to the white one. “The white one looks better.”
Bai Zhiqi smiled happily. “I agree. White suits me.”
Watching Bai Zhiqi change, Guan Xiaoxuan’s eyes fell on the red dress. She couldn’t help but remember the woman in the red dress behind the bus stop. Still, the white dress looked kinder.
After Bai Zhiqi changed, she asked Guan Xiaoxuan, “Did you bring the mirror?”
“Yes.” Guan Xiaoxuan took out the makeup mirror Zhang Wen had given her. A patch of bl00d was smeared on the glass, making it look eerie.
Bai Zhiqi examined the small mirror carefully, seeming quite pleased. She nodded, “Not bad. Not too big or small, just right. Are you sure this bl00d is yours, not someone else’s? If it’s someone else’s, that would be trouble.”
“It’s mine.” Guan Xiaoxuan raised her hand, showing a small scar on the pad of her pinky finger. “Anything else you need? I’ll get it right away.”
“For now, this is enough. You wouldn’t be able to get more anyway.” Bai Zhiqi waved her hand, then started to fade away. In just a second or two, she disappeared completely.
Looking into the mirror, Guan Xiaoxuan expected to see her own reflection, but saw nothing. Instead, a white-dressed Bai Zhiqi stood inside the glass and playfully winked at her.