Chapter 2

Yanjing University was officially established in 1916, initially named Peking University. Its predecessor was three American missionary schools in Beijing, which included a theological college, a law school, and a medical school, with nearly 20 departments in total. Although it was nominally a missionary school, after American president John Leighton Stuart took office, it did not emphasize Christian education but instead promoted liberal education, making it one of the more famous universities in China at the time. It was also the only university that did not relocate after the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War in 1937.

Yanjing University was located on the main road leading from the Summer Palace to the city, just five kilometers from the city. Opposite was Tsinghua University. The layout of the campus was traditionally Chinese, with the east-west axis facing the pagoda of Jade Spring Hill. From the Alumni Gate, through the stone arch bridge and the ornamental pillars (taken from the ruins of the Old Summer Palace), the main courtyard featured the Mu Building and the Minzhu Building, both with nine-bay hip-and-gable roofs. The Beigong Building (administrative building) with a歇山顶 (gable and hip roof) stood at the front, flanked by the religious building and the library. Continuing east along the central axis, it reached the Siyi Pavilion on the shore of Weiming Lake, with the Boya Tower and the Linhu轩 (lake pavilion) nearby. The eastern part of the campus, divided by Weiming Lake, included the northern male dormitories and the southern female dormitories. The male dormitories included the De, Cai, Jian, and Bei buildings, as well as the Hua Gymnasium. The female dormitories were arranged along a north-south axis, with the Shi Building, the North and South Pavilions, the female dormitories, and the Bao Gymnasium.

Chen Jiayao was a student in the 36th class of the Medical School at Yanjing University. She returned to her dormitory around midnight last night, and due to the incredible events she had experienced, she did not get much rest. This morning, her eyelids were noticeably dark. She and a few classmates were on their way to class when her best friend, Wang Fang, noticed her preoccupied look and asked, "Jiayao, are you feeling unwell?"

She smiled and said, "No, just a bit tired." Her eyes subconsciously scanned the surroundings and saw Ouyang Yun, dressed in a suit and holding a bag, smiling at her from a distance. She was taken aback.

Ouyang Yun had been lingering there for a while and now said with a smile, "Good morning, Chen Jiayao!"

Before she could react, Wang Fang and the other roommates exchanged glances and smiled coyly. Wang Fang leaned in and whispered, "When did you meet this young master? Hehe, he's even handsomer than your Brother Chu."

Her face immediately turned red, and she glared at her good friend before walking up to Ouyang Yun and said, "Hello." She noticed his clothes looked familiar and asked curiously in a low voice, "Mr. Ouyang, do you live nearby?"

Ouyang Yun laughed, showing a row of white teeth, and whispered, "I never left." He blinked and asked, "How do I look in this suit? Pretty handsome, right?"

His words were very modern, quite ordinary in his time, but in 1935, they sounded a bit shameless.

Chen Jiayao covered her mouth, her eyes wide, and her face turned red. She giggled, "Very handsome."

He proudly flicked his hair, forgetting that he had cut it short after enlisting, and said confidently, "Chen, can you do me a favor?"

"You saved my life, of course I can."

"Here's the thing," Ouyang Yun took out a gold bar weighing about half a kilogram from his pocket and said, "I don't have any money, only this, but I don't know the exchange rate. Can you help me exchange it?"

He had brought one gold bar and one silver ingot, which were his entire activity fund.

Chen Jiayao looked at the golden bar and smiled, "I didn't expect you to be a wealthy man."

Handing the gold bar to her, Ouyang Yun smiled even more confidently. The thought of "a young man with money" crossed his mind, and his smile became even more radiant.

"Jiayao, is this your friend?" A gentle voice asked. Chen Jiayao and Ouyang Yun turned to see the gentle Pan Meiren. Meeting the gaze of the "wealthy young man," her face turned a gentle shade of red.

Chen Jiayao glanced at Ouyang Yun, noticing his eyes brighten like a lamp with a strong current, and thought, "Another one charmed by her." Recalling some of Pan Meiren's past, her eyes curved into a crescent moon as she introduced them, "My classmate, Pan Meiren, this is Ouyang Yun." She put the gold bar away and said, "I'll take care of this."

"Mr. Ouyang, hello," Pan Meiren said shyly, lowering her head.

"Meiren?" What a domineering name!

Chen Jiayao knew he had misunderstood and explained, "It means 'charming.'"

"Oh."

Chen Jiayao took out her wallet and was about to say, "Here's some money for you to use," but was interrupted by a loud shout from behind Ouyang Yun.

"It's him!" The voice was familiar; it was the class president, Fan Wei. Wearing only shorts and a shirt, he was shivering in the cold, his limbs red from the cold, and his nose running. There was a scratch on his left cheek, and his hair was disheveled with a few blades of grass. He looked quite disheveled. He stormed over, followed by a dozen boys, some of whom were holding clubs.

Fan Wei was very upset, and the consequences were serious. No wonder Ouyang Yun's clothes looked so familiar; they were Fan Wei's. Chen Jiayao and Pan Meiren recalled the fight that had occurred between Yanjing University and Tsinghua University six months ago and felt worried for Ouyang Yun.

The fight was a typical love triangle incident, caused by Pan Meiren dating two people. One of them, Fan Wei, was furious and brought a group of friends to challenge the other. They had a fistfight in Peace Alley, which ended with Fan Wei's opponent being beaten up.

There were rumors that Fan Wei was a master of Baguazhang, so despite the larger number of Tsinghua students, Yanjing University won.

However, how could such a strong person lose his clothes?

Fan Wei had been robbed of his clothes by Ouyang Yun near the fence and was now leading a group to search for him. Seeing this thief flirting with Pan Meiren, he became even angrier and rushed over with his friends.

"Fan Wei, what are you doing?" Chen Jiayao, fearing Ouyang Yun would be at a disadvantage, protectively stood in front of him like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

"This guy stole my clothes!"

"It's not stealing, it's borrowing," Ouyang Yun said, touching his nose in a gentlemanly manner.

"Making excuses!" Fan Wei began to puff up his chest, his face turning red, though it was unclear if it was from anger or from the cold. He extended his palms in a very Baguazhang-like pose.

Chen Jiayao was alarmed, "Don't do anything rash, he's my friend! Ouyang, give him back his clothes."

Ouyang Yun had initially only wanted to borrow the clothes, but Fan Wei, claiming to be a Baguazhang master, was not easy to deal with and ended up throwing him to the ground several times. Not wanting to cause trouble, Ouyang Yun took off the clothes, revealing his camouflage uniform, and handed them back to their original owner, saying sincerely, "I'm sorry."

"Is an apology enough?" One of Fan Wei's friends shouted, looking indignant.

The others looked curiously at the camouflage uniform, which was quite unusual but also very stylish, making the thief look quite spirited.

Pan Meiren's eyes lit up.

"Fan Wei, I apologize on his behalf," Chen Jiayao said.

"Fan Wei, let it go, he didn't mean to," Pan Meiren said gently.

Fan Wei's face changed, his teeth grinding, making a creaking sound, though it was unclear if it was from anger or the cold.

"Let it go?" Some of his friends, perhaps softened by Pan Meiren's gentle voice, tried to persuade him.

Fan Wei grunted and took the clothes, walking away without a backward glance, but he was determined to find his senior brother at noon to help him get revenge.

By the shore of Weiming Lake on the Yanjing University campus, Chen Jiayao and Ouyang Yun were chatting. Ouyang Yun carefully fabricated his background—he was a young overseas Chinese who had studied medicine and returned to serve his country.

Chen Jiayao believed him and, upon learning that he had no relatives in the country, offered to lend him a courtyard in Xiaomazi Alley as a way to repay his kindness. The courtyard was originally bought by her father as a warehouse but had been abandoned for a year due to ghostly activity, resulting in several deaths. No one dared to live there, so it would be a good deal for Ouyang Yun.

As a young man from the 21st century, Ouyang Yun was an atheist and not afraid of ghosts, so he reluctantly accepted her offer.

Xiaomazi Alley was about a fifteen-minute walk from Yanjing University. The Chen family courtyard was indeed abandoned, as evidenced by the rusty lock on the gate. The courtyard was large, about 600 square meters, which would be considered a mansion in Beijing in Ouyang Yun's time. The buildings were typical siheyuan structures, with three rooms in the front and back, a kitchen on the left, and two slightly lower rooms and a toilet on the right for the servants. The presence of a toilet particularly pleased Ouyang Yun, as he had a bit of a cleanliness obsession from his medical background and was worried about the lack of a toilet before his time travel.

Chen Jiayao, eager to get back to class, led him to the gate, left a set of keys, and hurried off. Unlike the students of the 21st century, who prided themselves on skipping classes, the students of that era were very diligent, truly linking their education to serving the country. This is why Ouyang Yun's words about "serving the country" immediately earned him respect from Chen Jiayao.

The students of that era were really pure and good.

"If it were a female ghost, that would be nice," Ouyang Yun thought as he toured the courtyard.

The courtyard was mostly empty, with only a few scattered trees. It appeared to have been abandoned for at least half a year. However, his years of special forces training quickly revealed some inconsistencies. He found a toilet with a drying chamber pot and no spider webs, indicating recent use. The main rooms in the back were not as dusty as the front rooms, and the left room, though locked, had a neatly made bed and a qipao and a dress hanging on a rack, suggesting someone was living there.

"Strange!" he muttered, "Did Chen Jiayao lie to me? This is clearly her bedroom, but she told me to stay here. No, that's not right; she didn't enter the courtyard just now. Could it be that she doesn't know someone is living here? Or is this the ghost's room, a female ghost?"

None of the keys worked on the lock, so he stopped trying and entered the right room.

The right room was unlocked, with a bed covered in a sheet and dust everywhere. He decided to stay there, cleaned it thoroughly, and broke a sweat. He stretched, thinking he should take a nap. He hid his backpack under the bed, closed the door, and placed a bowl of water against it before lying down and quickly falling asleep.

In a daze, he felt a damp sensation. Was it raining? Ouyang Yun wiped his face and opened his eyes.

It was already evening, and the dim light made the room dark. What he saw was a trembling tongue, only a few inches from his face, attached to a pale face with blood streaming from the eye sockets and long white hair. The tongue was about half a foot long—was it a ghost? Ouyang Yun gasped, his heart nearly stopping.

The ghost, dressed in a loose floral robe, reached out with long, sharp nails, clearly a female ghost.

There really was a ghost in this house, a female ghost who had hanged herself?

If it were anyone else, they would likely have fainted from fear. But Ouyang Yun, with his years of special forces training, was far more resilient than the average person. Though he was startled, he did not panic.

The female ghost, with her hands outstretched like claws, lunged at his shoulders. Her head lowered, her mouth opened to reveal two fangs, and her blood-red tongue licked his face, feeling slimy, as if preparing to devour him.

Ouyang Yun clenched his teeth, sat up, and grabbed the ghost's wrists, shouting, "Where did you come from, little ghost!?" The ghost's wrists were warm and soft, similar to a human's.

The female ghost had only intended to scare him, but was surprised by his bravery and was herself startled, instinctively letting out a scream and struggling to break free.

The scream was human, not ghostly. Ouyang Yun felt relieved and laughed, "Looks like a cowardly ghost!" He suddenly released her wrists, grabbed her tongue with his right hand, and kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying. He then jumped out of bed and turned on the light.

The female ghost, after being kicked, rolled on the ground, covered her face with her hands, and quickly fled through the door and out of the courtyard.

Looking at the ghost's face with the red tongue, Ouyang Yun laughed, thinking, "Ghosts are born from the mind," and pursued her, but saw a shadow leap over the wall and disappear. Her wall-walking skills were far superior to his climbing abilities, so he gave up the chase, thinking, "Not bad acting, and not bad basic skills. No wonder she could successfully pretend to be a ghost. Hehe, too bad she met me, the ghost catcher."

Back in the room, he smelled a faint fragrance and smiled, "Even a ghost can be vain."

He returned to the room, and the story continues.