SYLFS 45

Chapter – 45

A Ghost That Kindness Cannot Save

Jiang Su had assumed that since Lu Xuexi said she was meeting online friends, they were probably headed to some trendy café girls liked, or maybe shopping in a mall.

But the place they arrived at…
Was a deserted, abandoned school.

Aside from a girl named Chunchun, several other young men and women had gathered as well. It seemed they had all met through the internet. One of them introduced himself as “Young Master Xu from a real-estate company.”

“This school? My dad already bought it. It’s going to be redeveloped into a large amusement park. This building is supposed to be turned into an escape-room attraction. It’s still in the planning stage, but for now we can use it to play real-life CS. Cool, right?”

His name was Xu Nantu. In Haishi, his family held some influence, and he was known for enjoying new and unusual activities—not only games, but various experimental forms of entertainment. One such idea was hosting survival games inside this abandoned school.

The school had been plagued with incidents since the day it was built—students jumping off buildings, mental breakdowns, one tragedy after another. Just last year, a minor girl had become pregnant and tried to kill herself by jumping off the rooftop. Eventually, the parents had enough and the school was shut down. The government auctioned it off as a stigmatized property.

“My friend’s family runs a CS shop, so we’ve got all the equipment. We’ll split into two teams and start the match now. No objections, right?”

As Xu Nantu spoke, his gaze drifted toward Lu Xuexi.

Among the group, her elegance and beauty were striking. She didn’t need to do anything—just standing there drew the eyes of every guy present. Xu Nantu was no exception. In truth, the entire event had been planned mostly because of her.

Only… he hadn’t expected her to bring her younger brother along.

Lu Xuexi paid no attention to the stares. She smiled, already used to such situations, then turned to Jiang Su—who was visibly unhappy—and asked gently:

“小溯, what’s wrong? You love games the most, don’t you?”

But Jiang Su had absolutely no intention of playing.

Just looking up at the looming school buildings brought back the words Xuxu had told him earlier. A bad premonition tightened in his chest.

“You never said we were coming to a place like this. I’m not doing it.”

Jiang Su had always been stubborn. Even toward Lu Xuexi, if something displeased him, he said it outright.

Lu Xuexi’s face fell as though she were hurt.
“I… I thought Xiao Su would be happy…”

Her soft voice instantly drew backlash from the surrounding boys.

“How dare you speak to your sister like that!”
“If you don’t want to play, then don’t. No one needs you here anyway.”

Xu Nantu, irritated, snorted.
“What, kid? Scared? Want big bro to drive you home and tuck you into bed with a bottle of milk?”

The mockery was blatant. Jiang Su snapped.

“Scared? Me?! Fine! I’ll play! Later you’ll all be kneeling and calling me ‘Daddy’!”

Xuxu’s warning evaporated from his mind. All he felt was the burning urge to retaliate.

Meanwhile.

Xuxu returned to her rental place just as dusk was falling. But the moment she reached the door, a bad feeling surged through her.

She pulled the child-talisman from her pocket.

Before her eyes, it turned to black ash.

If the child-talisman had burned out, that meant the mother-talisman hidden in Jiang Su’s shoe had also been destroyed.

“So it really happened.”

A ghost that kindness cannot save.

She had initially thought: Let him learn the hard way.
But if something strong enough to instantly obliterate the mother-talisman was involved, things were far more serious. Within the lingering energy, she sensed a familiar type of dark aura.

After thinking for a moment, Xuxu changed direction and hurried back outside.

For the sake of Third Uncle and Third Aunt, she couldn’t ignore this.

She called Jiang Huai to confirm which driver had taken Jiang Su and Lu Xuexi, then rushed out again.

Midway, a familiar black Maybach appeared ahead, golden light spilling from its windows.

Without hesitation, Xuxu stepped forward and stopped the car.

“Big b— I mean, Young Master Chu, lend me your car.”

Chu Beihe: “…”

(These siblings really do intend to live off me, don’t they…?)

In the end, she climbed in as if it were perfectly natural, and told the driver to head straight for the abandoned school.

By the time they arrived, the sun was nearly gone.

Xuxu thanked Chu Beihe, stepped out, and immediately entered the school grounds.

The moment she did, her vision was filled with the sight of the abandoned building vomiting black energy into the sky.

She frowned.

This was worse than she imagined.
This level of dense Yin energy… A vengeful spirit at least a hundred years old had to be lurking here.

But why hadn’t she sensed anything from the outside?

Could it be… the school was under a barrier?

There was no time to think. Xuxu ran straight toward the building.

The instant she stepped inside, a flood of Yin energy crashed into her. Black mist churned as if it possessed physical form, swirling and clawing at her, trying to force its way into her body.

She flicked out a cleansing talisman.
The moment it flew forward, a sharp scream echoed down the corridor.

“Ghoooosts!!!”

Jiang Su’s voice.
From the fifth floor.

Xuxu sprinted, using a lightweight talisman to leap entire flights of stairs. In a flash, she reached the fifth floor.

The moment she stepped into the hallway, she saw—

Jiang Su, running for his life, a giant cocoon-like egg strapped to his back.

Behind him, countless threads writhed like serpents, surging after him, dripping with cold Yin energy.

His legs felt frozen, each step like wading through an ice cellar.

But still, he didn’t let go of the egg.

He was filled with regret—nothing but regret.

Xuxu had warned him.
Yet he’d still chosen to meet those online friends.
And worse—he had unleashed that thing on the rooftop.

His eyes burned with tears.