Tang Tianyu was subdued by security guards and taken to the affiliated hospital adjacent to the medical school. Doctors diagnosed him with schizophrenia and sent him to Qingshan Mental Hospital for treatment. Qingshan Mental Hospital's medical expertise is renowned nationwide. A year earlier, Xu Yan, driven insane by the sight of Cheng Li's corpse, was sent there for treatment and recovered within just six months.
However, Xu Yan is dead, and the cause of her death remains a mystery—the police concluded she committed suicide by jumping from a building due to a relapse of mental illness and hallucinations.
Fang Yuan watched helplessly as Tang Tianyu was bound and carried away by security guards. She kept hearing the word "madman" from the onlookers, and her eyes welled up. She remembered the first time she met Tang Tianyu; he was so cheerful and lively, his demeanor exuding a strong sense of self-confidence. She never imagined that in just a few days, he would succumb to the psychological pressure and become insane!
Tang Tianyu's inner self was far more fragile than he let on!
Fang Yuan felt a pang of sadness, as if she could hear a cry deep within herself. Perhaps this was the so-called "the grieving of the enemy" feeling.
The girls in Dormitory 441 were unaware of the relationship between Fang Yuan and Tang Tianyu, nor could they empathize with Fang Yuan's own feelings. They simply sensed Fang Yuan's sadness and distress, and not wanting to disturb her, they stood together on the stone bridge, waiting for her.
At this moment, the onlookers gradually dispersed. The four girls from Dormitory 441 stood on the stone bridge over Moon Lake, silent and conspicuous.
Zhang Ming didn't leave. He stared at the four girls curiously for a long moment before suddenly blurting out, "You're the girls from dorm 441, right?"
Tao Bing'er was already feeling frustrated, her anger simmering. "So what? It's none of your business! Go away! Can't you see we're getting upset?"
Zhang Ming felt a little embarrassed. He had always considered himself a scholar, introverted and pedantic, not the thick-skinned type. Even in his third year of college, he hadn't even had a single romantic relationship.
"You... don't get me wrong... I... I really have something to talk to you about," Zhang Ming stammered.
"What do you guys want from us, guys? Aren't you just looking for an excuse to get close to us? Tell me the truth, who did you have your eye on?" Tao Bing'er's eyes widened, her tone furious.
Zhang Ming dared not offend her again and quickly defended himself, "That's not what I meant... Listen, I'm in the Student Union's Arts Department..."
"So you think being in the Student Union is so great? And the Arts Department? You're a grown man, why join the Arts Department? You want to hang out with girls? You don't have any real manliness left in you. Aren't you ashamed?"
Zhang Ming was furious. "I'm not the kind of person you're talking about. I'm in the literature field!"
"Literature? You understand literature? Someone like you, with your level of skill, dares to mention the word 'literature'?" Tao Bing'er was also a literature enthusiast and enjoyed reading novels. Hearing Zhang Ming mention literature, she became even more excited.
Zhang Ming felt a little embarrassed. "I was wrong. I'm just an amateur, certainly not qualified to talk about literature. So, I'm looking for you!"
Tao Bing'er was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Zhang Ming's face was solemn. "There's a girl named Su Ya in your girls' dormitory 441, right?"
"Well, so what?"
"That's right." Zhang Ming breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm looking for her to ask for her advice. Of course, if she's willing to join the Student Union's Arts and Literature Department, we'd be more than happy to have her."
"Wait! You're saying you're looking for Su Ya to ask for her advice and to join the Student Union's Arts and Literature Department? Why her?"
"Huh, aren't you from girls' dormitory 441?"
"We are!" Tao Bing'er said firmly.
"Then—" Zhang Ming glanced at each of the four girls, a look of bewilderment in his eyes. "Su Ya isn't here, is she?"
"Yes."
At this moment, Fang Yuan also noticed Zhang Ming. She remembered that he had brought the security guards with him, that he had interrupted Tang Tianyu when he said the sight of blood had driven him mad, and now, for some unknown reason, he was looking for Su Ya.
Fang Yuan interrupted, "Hey, who are you?"
Zhang Ming then introduced himself. At Fang Yuan's questioning, he recounted in detail what had happened while he was caring for Tang Tianyu.
Fang Yuan asked, "So you don't know what he saw?"
Zhang Ming smiled bitterly. "How would I know? I'm just guessing. I've been scolded by doctors and school officials for his case. If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have taken on such a job."
"Why did the Student Union send you to take care of him?"
"Because everyone knows he and I are friends. If I don't go, who will?"
"You're friends with him? How come I don't know?"
Zhang Ming hesitated. "He and I are just ordinary friends. However, he has a close friend who's even closer to me."
Why was he being so cryptic?
Fang Yuan suddenly remembered that Xu Yan had told her that Cheng Li, besides Li Rong, had three close friends of the opposite sex, and Zhang Ming was one of them.
"Is the close friend you're talking about Cheng Li?"
"How do you know?" Zhang Ming was a little surprised, then a little embarrassed. "That's in the past, let's not talk about it."
Zhang Ming's expression was quite coy, and Fang Yuan, with a quick thought, had guessed something.
It turned out that, despite his plain looks, Zhang Ming possessed a noble spirit. He and Cheng Li were both in the Student Union's Arts and Literature Department, and both enjoyed writing short essays. After a few interactions, he developed a fondness for Cheng Li. Unfortunately, Cheng Li's feelings were unforgiving. With Cheng Li's circumstances, how could she possibly be attracted to the frail and introverted Zhang Ming? Of course, Zhang Ming was rejected. He was too concerned about his reputation to mention the matter.
"Then why did you come to Su Ya?"
Fang Yuan knew Su Ya's temper. Arrogant and cold wasn't the right word to describe her; only one idiom better suited her: arrogant!
Yes, she never cared about others, nor did she need their care. As for the boy, Fang Yuan still clearly remembered that she had used him and told him to get lost! No room for negotiation.
Zhang Ming thought for a moment, then seemed to suddenly realize: "So, you really don't know. Su Ya has profound literary attainments. She's incredibly famous online, known as a leading figure of the post-80s generation, even more so than Annie Baby!"
"Really? You're making it sound so mysterious?" Tao Bing'er asked, a little unconvinced. "Why haven't I heard of Su Ya?"
Zhang Ming smiled. "Of course not her online pen name."
Then he mentioned the name of a well-known online writer.
"Is it really her?" This time, Tao Bing'er rarely argued with Zhang Ming. "But how did you know?"
Zhang Ming smiled smugly. "It's a secret! Anyway, you can trust me!"
No wonder Su Ya was so elusive. It turned out she often went online to write novels. The question was, it was more convenient to go online in the dorm, so why would she go so far away?
"Ah!" Qin Yanping suddenly let out an odd cry, drawing everyone's attention. "Aren't you hungry? If I don't go to the cafeteria, I'll starve to death!"
The girls only then felt their stomachs growl. They smiled, left Zhang Ming bewildered, and walked arm in arm towards the fifth cafeteria.
It was almost time for class, and the cafeteria was already sparsely populated. The girls found seats, grabbed breakfast, and sat together, gossiping about Su Ya.
Indeed, they all had a bad impression of Su Ya; she was overly conceited. However, upon learning that she was a talented online writer, their impressions improved. It's said that those who study art can be a bit paranoid, especially those with talent. Take, for example, the brilliant painter Van Gogh, who cut off his own ear simply for a joke a lover made.
Of course, Su Ya hadn't reached that level of shocking behavior, but her usual behavior was certainly quite eccentric.
The girls chattered happily as they ate. Tao Bing'er, in particular, was already fond of literature. Unexpectedly, her roommate, Su Ya, was also an expert in the field. Naturally, she was excited, and her interest in her increased.
The only unhappy person was Qin Yanping. For some reason, she kept complaining about her right hand being unresponsive during dinner—this hand had been scratched by a black cat.
Qin Yanping had solemnly received a vaccination and bandaged the wound, and it was now almost completely healed. Only a very shallow scar remained, barely noticeable unless carefully examined. Even with this small scar, the doctor told her it would fade in a few days, so she had nothing to worry about.