Chapter 3

The next morning, around seven o'clock, the bright sunlight had already flooded the eastern wall of the second dormitory building at Nan Yue University. Early-rising students were already mounting their bicycles and leisurely heading off to pick up their crushes.

But not everyone could wake up so early. Most of the dorm rooms were still tightly shut, showing no signs of activity.

Dorm 506 was no exception. The curtains were drawn so tightly that not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate, making the room as dark as night. The air conditioner emitted a faint cold air, mingling with the lingering smell of alcohol and Lei Zhen Tian's snoring, which sounded like a tractor engine, making it seem like a good time to sleep!

Jiang Yuan, however, was different from Lei Zhen Tian and Fang He Xu, who slept like pigs. He was a typical diligent student who never skipped classes. If it weren't for Shi Yun, he wouldn't have been willing to go to the internet cafe yesterday.

So, at around 7:20, when his phone vibrated on the pillow, Jiang Yuan rubbed his eyes and woke up.

As usual, he got up early, went to the toilet, and then brushed his teeth. After that, he came to Yang Yan's bed, raised his left hand, and patted the edge of the bed, mumbling, "Wake up, Yanzi, it's the big demon's thesis proposal class this morning..."

The dorms at Nan Yue University were four-person rooms with the standard upper bed and lower desk layout. However, Jiang Yuan wasn't as tall as Lei Zhen Tian, so he couldn't see the situation on the bed.

After calling out several times with no response, he instead woke up Fang He Xu, who was connected to Yang Yan's bed.

Fang He Xu poked his messy head and skinny upper body out of the blanket, looked around with sleepy eyes, and glared at Jiang Yuan irritably.

The air conditioner in the dorm was set to a low temperature, so Fang He Xu pulled the blanket up to cover himself, rubbed his eyes, and yawned, saying, "Jiang Yuan! What are you yelling about so early in the morning? Yanzi... Yanzi isn't even in bed, okay?"

"Yanzi isn't in bed?" Jiang Yuan pulled out his toothbrush, looking surprised at Fang He Xu. His mouth was full of foam as he mumbled, "How is that possible? I was the first one to wake up! Yanzi isn't in the toilet either..."

"What's going on? You're making so much noise early in the morning... It's giving me a headache..." Lei Zhen Tian was also woken up by the noise. He lifted his heavy head, frowned, and complained. He was still half-asleep and even started speaking in Northeastern dialect.

A few minutes later, Lei Zhen Tian let out a thunderous exclamation from outside Dorm 506: "Damn, did we leave Yanzi behind last night?"

The corridor was left with a white, empty railing as the birds scattered.

...

Yang Yan, who had just been remembered by these pitiful brothers, was still lying in a soft and "comfortable" pile of garbage. Last night, after he fell asleep drunk, he had a rather arduous dream: at first, it seemed like he had traveled back in time and become a lonely warrior...

Like a samurai at sunset, he wore wooden sandals and carried a broadsword, walking through a desolate and barren desert. He was very thirsty, but the desert stretched endlessly, and he walked for a long time without finding an oasis to drink from.

Later, Yang Yan didn't know when it started, but he found himself holding a small, helpless kitten in his arms. Yang Yan didn't mind and instinctively protected it, fighting with one hand while holding the sword against the monsters that attacked in the desert.

Gradually, the desert turned into a swamp, making it difficult for Yang Yan to move. The swamp was so stagnant that it made him dizzy and nauseous, but he didn't give up. He continued to struggle, holding the kitten in his arms...

This dream continued for a long time until a hand touched Yang Yan's face and nose, and then, in a half-awake state, someone gently shook his shoulder.

"Ugh... Ugh..." Yang Yan finally woke up, his nose snorting and his eyebrows furrowed as he opened one eye groggily.

The sky was bright, with a few lazy clouds floating by...

Two trails of dissipating smoke, the marks left by passing airplanes...

Closer, there were mottled walls and swaying branches...

His eyes gradually focused, and finally, they landed on a beautiful face.

Although the person was stern and didn't smile, and wasn't the typical V-shaped face or pointed chin of an internet celebrity, Yang Yan was still stunned.

First, the short hair that reached her ears gave her a neat and free-spirited look. She had no makeup or embellishment, and without it, she lacked the delicate charm that could captivate hearts, but her eyes, clear and pure like a spring, were still bright and made his heart race.

Yang Yan looked at her dumbly, his muddled head like a computer that had crashed, unable to react.

The person couldn't help but frown and stared at him like a suspect, asking sternly, "Comrade, I am a police officer from Shaping Street Police Station. I received a report from the public... Why are you and the child lying in this pile of garbage? Do you need any help?"

Yang Yan had already come to his senses when she frowned, because he wasn't blind. When his eyes moved from her face, he saw her in a blue-black police uniform, and the crowd of onlookers surrounding them...

Men in suits with briefcases, workers in utility uniforms, elderly men and women with shopping bags, and a boy with a tigerish face being pulled by an elderly man...

They were buzzing with discussion, and Yang Yan's head was a bit dizzy, so he couldn't hear clearly.

Wait, what did the police officer say just now? Garbage pile?

Yang Yan finally smelled the nauseating odor coming from behind him... It wasn't a swamp he needed to challenge, but a real garbage pile, just as the police officer said. He was sleeping in a garbage pile!

It was still reality, but...

Sleeping in a garbage pile?

How did I end up sleeping in a garbage pile?

What's going on?

Without sorting out his confused thoughts or understanding what had happened, and without paying attention to the surprised and mocking gazes of the onlookers, Yang Yan hurriedly got up.

He used his free right hand to brush off some of the garbage on his body and kept his head down, not daring to look directly into the beautiful eyes of the female police officer.

Yang Yan felt his face burning, and he wished he could dig a hole and hide in it.

However, this shock made his thoughts clearer, even though his head was still a bit dizzy. He thought, "That's not right! Why am I sleeping here?"

Yang Yan didn't notice that he was mumbling out loud.

The female police officer heard him and, seeing his confused state, frowned slightly and said in a serious tone, "That's exactly what I asked you just now. Why are you sleeping on the street with a child?"

Child?

Yang Yan was still a bit dazed.

At this moment, the noisy voices of the onlookers also reached his ears.

"He must have been drinking. You can smell the alcohol from far away."

"Taking a child out to drink, that's so irresponsible!"

"Is there a father like him? If my son-in-law did this, I'd break his legs immediately..."

"The child is so pitiful, to have such a father."

Father? Child? (O_O)?

Yang Yan was stunned. He looked down and realized that his left hand, which had been holding a cat, was actually holding a swaddled baby, with a small face peeking out...

Child! (#?Д?)

Yang Yan looked at the baby in his arms, whose face was unusually flushed, with thin eyelids and a small mouth that seemed lifeless. His slightly clearer mind immediately became a mess again.

After all, Yang Yan was still dazed, thinking he was just holding a kitten. So, he had been holding the baby in the same way as the lonely warrior in his dream, just cradling it in his arms!

Now, the dumbfounded Yang Yan didn't dare to make such a dangerous move. He was afraid of dropping the baby or hurting it, so he quickly used both hands to hold it, as if handling a bomb that might explode at any moment, trembling and at a loss.

He had never encountered such a situation before!

How could a child suddenly appear in his arms?

Yang Yan's muddled mind didn't know what to do.

Fortunately, when he raised his eyes, he met the gaze of the female police officer.

Hand it over to the state!

"Police officer, please help me..." Yang Yan held the swaddled baby with both hands, as if it were a priceless antique, and approached the female police officer, both helpless and cautious.

The female police officer, caught off guard, instinctively reached out her hand, and Yang Yuan handed over the swaddled baby. However, he was still a bit worried, so he kept one hand supporting the bottom of the swaddled baby.

"What are you doing?" The female police officer, now aware of the situation, frowned and rebuked him in a clear voice.

Yang Yuan quickly withdrew his left hand, scratched his head awkwardly, and said in a hoarse voice, "No, police officer, please listen to me... I don't know what's going on with this child! I'm not a kidnapper, I was just drunk... Yes, I remember, I was drinking last night..."

The female police officer was confused by Yang Yuan's words. She frowned, trying to make sense of what he said, but when she looked down at the child he had handed over, she became angry and demanded, "What do you mean? Are you being irresponsible?"

Before the female police officer could finish, an elderly woman with a shopping bag couldn't help but remind them, "Young lady, young man, look at the child! When someone called the police, I noticed the child had a fever. Lying outside for so long, with such a red face, it's serious, it could cause brain damage..."

The elderly woman's worried words made Yang Yuan and the female police officer stop their argument.

Yang Yuan also looked down at the child he had just handed over to the female police officer. He hadn't noticed before, but the baby's small face was slightly wrinkled, with long, beautiful eyelashes, but the closed eyelids and pale, dry lips made his heart ache.

As the elderly woman said, the baby seemed to be sick!

Yang Yuan became anxious. He looked up at the female police officer and said urgently, "Police officer, let's call the police... No, no, let's call 120!"

The clear eyes of the female police officer, which had left a deep impression on Yang Yuan, made it hard for him to look at her directly. In his panic, he became incoherent and scratched his head awkwardly.

"Calling 120 is too late..." The female police officer shook her head and looked at Yang Yuan suspiciously.

Yang Yuan's evasive gaze and the genuine concern on his dirty face were clear to the female police officer, and a hint of doubt arose in her mind.

But now wasn't the time to investigate. After the elderly woman's reminder, she knew the child's condition couldn't be delayed.

"What do we do?" Yang Yuan asked stupidly.

"My car is in front." The female police officer glared at Yang Yuan and said irritably, "What are you waiting for? You hold the child, I'll drive, quickly, to the hospital!"

The female police officer, who had been serious, now showed some of her true personality in her urgency.

The baby's condition was urgent, and Yang Yuan understood. He nodded and reached out to take the swaddled baby from the female police officer.

Yang Yuan had slept in the garbage pile all night, and although no one had thrown garbage on him, he still smelled. As he got closer, the