Beside the school's main gate stood a massive stone monument. In the blood-red afterglow of the setting sun, four large characters, painted in vermilion, were reflected across its face.

Five men and women of different ages and genders stood before the monument.

"Awakened-class Haunted Realm: Yu Cai Middle School." A red-haired teenager, hands shoved in his pockets, stared at the monument and slowly read out the name of the entity.

Lowering his eyes, his jaw moved a few times as he chewed his gum, then he blew a bubble.

Beside him stood a tall woman with long black hair, her face hidden behind a mask. Her voice, muffled and low through the fabric, was husky.

"Yucai Middle School was completely cleared by the 'Secrets Unraveler' in January this year. All the rules of this haunted realm, along with the correct method to clear it, have already been fully posted on the forum. Anyone who hasn't read them yet, or is still unclear Speak now."

A man in his thirties or forties slowly raised his hand. He was wiry and tanned from long years under the sun, his rough hands cracked and chapped in several places.

When he spoke, his Mandarin was thick with a rural accent and far from standard. "I... I... I know. I've seen it... but I can't remember."

The man rubbed his hands awkwardly. From his appearance, it was clear he wasn't from the same social class as the others—most likely a migrant laborer from a construction site or the fields.

The long-haired woman did not look down on him. Calmly, she said, "Stay close to us. I'll remind you when needed."

The remaining two were a prim-looking woman in her thirties wearing black-rimmed glasses, and a burly man in his twenties with a body full of corded muscle.

They had barely exchanged a few words at the school gate when a head poked out from the guard booth, shouting, "Students, get inside already! The gates are about to close!"

Then, muttering under his breath, "These students... run off faster than anyone when it's vacation, but when it's school, they drag their feet like it's the end of the world."

At the guard's urging, the five of them hurried toward the school.

Just as they reached the gate, the red-haired teenager stopped at the window of the guard booth and grabbed the migrant worker by the arm.

The man looked at him blankly as the teenager, with practiced ease, fished a battered pack of cigarettes from the man's worn pocket.

Lowering his head to take a look at the cigarette brand, the red-haired teenager handed the pack to the security guard in the gatehouse.

"Uncle Guard, what's today's date again? Ah, this holiday's got me a bit muddleheaded."

The guard accepted the cigarettes, his tone still scolding but his face noticeably softer.

"Coming to school with cigarettes, huh? You're not studying properly, but you've picked up plenty of smoking and drinking skills — today's September tenth."

"Anyone else carrying contraband? Leave it here—don't take it inside. If the dean catches you, you'll all get a demerit."

He tapped the desk in front of him.

The group produced their phones and other electronic devices, placing them on the guard's desk.

The red-haired teenager grinned at him. "Uncle Guard, you'll give these back to us, right?"

The guard gave a short, amused snort. "You don't trust me? Just come here to claim them when you're leaving school."

"Then thank you, Uncle."

The red-haired teenager's eyes swept over the shelves behind the guard, filled with all manner of phones, tablets, and MP3 players.

"Oh, right, Uncle, my phone's been dead for two days. Could you charge it for me? I don't want to go home on break and find it's still dead."

He pouted slightly, muttering under his breath, "Not even sure how many days we'll have class this time, or when the next break is."

"You students never think about studying—always about vacation!" The guard had already lit one of the cigarettes, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"Soon. The schedule's short this time—you'll be off on September twenty-fifth."

The red-haired teenager beamed. "Thanks, Uncle Guard."

After chatting, he pulled the migrant worker along into the school.

As they walked, the red-haired teenager chewed his gum and said, "The rules for clearing this haunted realm had long since been made public. We just need to leave Yucai Middle School on the day students are dismissed, and we're out."

The migrant worker looked startled. "So we have to stay in this damned place for fifteen days?"

"That's right." The long-haired woman adjusted her mask, voice cool. "But we're lucky—it's not October in the school right now."

"October?" the man asked, puzzled.

"In October, the school holds its sports meet. Then, the haunted realm's difficulty more than doubles."

As they spoke, a young man in a white coat strolled out of the infirmary with a teacup in hand, leaning lazily on the second-floor railing.

A pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on his refined nose. Through the lenses, his gaze settled on the newcomers, and the corners of his mouth curved into a subtle, unreadable smile.

Students passed along the corridor, instinctively lowering their heads and lightening their steps as they neared him.

The students politely greeted the newly appointed school doctor. "Hello, Teacher Jiang."

Only when he gave a slight nod did they dare move on.

"Ah, a new work environment really is nicer," the young man said, watching the students leave. He lifted the cup of tea in his hands and took a sip, his expression lazy and content.

"Educated students really are far more polite than unlettered villagers." He thought to himself that if he'd known from the beginning, he should have skipped that remote little village and taken the school doctor position.

While the long-haired woman, the red-haired teenager, and the others were talking, a young female teacher approached them, holding a rolled-up banner.

"What are you all standing here for? If you've got nothing to do, help me hang this banner at the school gate."

One of Yucai Middle School's rules: students must not talk back to teachers and must complete any tasks assigned by them on time.

Unexpectedly, their first task came right upon entering the school.

The red-haired teenager, taking extreme care, worked together with the long-haired woman under the teacher's supervision to carefully hang the banner on the stone monument at the school gate.

On the unfurled banner, a line of gilded characters boldly read: "Warmly Welcome Entrepreneur Ms. Wan to Visit Our School!"

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