As long as it was within his power, Chen Ge would help these students find the memories that they had lost and fight to get them out of this place with him. Pa.s.sing the pavilion, the members of the supernatural phenomenon observation club gathered for the first time.
The members looked at each other, and a not so positive thought appeared in their minds. This club was like an orphanage where unwanted kids were abandoned.
"Mr. Bai, don't tell me that this is everyone from our club." Zhou Tu wanted to join the art club, but somehow, he found himself in this club instead. He felt scammed. The atmosphere was quite awkward. w.a.n.g Yicheng and Zhang Ju, who had physical disfigurements, moved their eyes away and did not dare speak. Zhu Long, though, appeared unfazed; if anything, his curiosity toward this club only grew.
"You are correct, but I suggest you watch your tone. In some time, you'll realize how lucky you are to have joined this club." Chen Ge's voice was laced with pride. "Every member of this club has been personally picked by me. Everyone here is distinct from others. My club does not need common people—only extraordinary students are allowed to join."
Zhou Tu could not help rolling his eyes when he heard that. If not for the fact that he had already signed the form, he would have left.
"I know that you have a hard time believing me now and doubt the purpose of our club." Chen Ge's eyes scanned the pupils. "I am not one who likes to use words to persuade others. When we begin the club activity, I will use the reality to recover the actual truth for you."
Chen Ge's expression was so serious that he did not appear like he was joking. The few students quieted down.
"Before I let you see the real world, I have a question to ask you. What kind of world do you think you're living in?" Chen Ge wished to know more about these students' past to try and find clues from their existing memories.
w.a.n.g Yicheng was the first to share. He retold the story of his past. Then, it was Zhu Long's and Zhang Ju's turns.
Zhang Ju had been a very normal child before he attended high school. He was a hardworking student, and he had managed to score enough for a good university. His life plan was laid, but the course strayed on the day of his high school graduation.
That night, he and his friends had gone to karaoke. When fire spread throughout the building, Zhang Ju and his friends had been trapped in the private room. When he had finally been rescued, his cheek and scalp had been severely singed, which had left behind a scary looking scar.
Zhang Ju had stayed at home for two months to receive psychological treatment. When his therapist thought that he was ready, he had chosen to face his new self and come to the university. The story was very inspiring, but Chen Ge heard some problems in it.
"Can you remember the days when you were receiving treatment at the hospital?" Theoretically speaking, this story should scar Zhang Ju deeply, but when he told the story, there was no visible change to his expression. It was like he was telling another person's story.
Regarding the days when he received treatment at the hospital, Zhang Ju stammered a lot. Chen Ge knew that he was not trying to hide the facts on purpose—the child simply could not remember the details.
Tragedy struck Zhang Ju during the last holiday of his high school years. When w.a.n.g Yicheng was telling his story earlier, that part of his memory was very vague as well. So was the case with Zhu Long.
Chen Ge looked at the students gathered before him, and a theory appeared in his mind. These few students did not really forget what had happened during that last holiday, but their actual date of death fell within that period.
Lingering spirits carried their memories with them, whether they were good or bad. Therefore, they would remember everything that happened before that holiday clearly but could not seem to recall the details of that holiday.
"Mr. Bai, are you feeling well?" Zhou Tu was a very astute person; he was a great observer of people. He noticed that Chen Ge's expression was not so perky after he heard the few students' stories, and so he asked, "How about we just postpone the activity today? You should go and rest."
"I've learned about their pasts. What about yours?" Chen Ge's expression swiftly returned to normal.
"I have led a very normal left. Normally, I spent time studying, drawing, eating, and sleeping. I haven't even been in a relations.h.i.+p before, so there is nothing interesting." Zhou Tu shrugged. He felt like he was the most normal member of this club.
"Didn't you tell me that you have been having this recurring dream recently?"
"Do I have to tell everyone that?" Zhou Yu did not believe that Chen Ge would expose that fact before so many people.
"I will not force you. If you wish to talk about it, go ahead. It's fine if you don't."
"Well, it's not really a secret…" Zhou Tu wished to rely on Chen Ge to get to art club. From his perspective, this strange club was just a means to an end. "I came to this school rather early. Since registering at the dormitory, I have had the same dream every night. In the dream, I sit inside a room filled with oil paintings. The atmosphere is strange. There are twelve other people sitting around me, and everyone is painting."
"Oil painting room? Thirteen paintings in total?" Chen Ge was instantly reminded of what he had seen at the night school's lab building. He realized that he had come across a valuable treasure. Zhou Tu could dream about the inside of the art room. So, this meant that he had probably been there before and was perhaps the painter behind one of the paintings. However, due to a certain reason, he had forgotten all about that.
"Yes, with each pa.s.sing night, the dream becomes clearer, like I have been there myself, but I have no memory of this at all." Zhou Tu slowly lowered his head. "This is a very horrible feeling. When I woke up every morning, I wanted to recover this dream, so I grabbed a brush and tried to paint the vestiges from my dream. However, I could not find the paint that I need, so I've been looking for the art club."
After hearing Zhou Tu's story, Chen Ge was silent for a while before saying, "If I said that I've seen the place in your dream before, would you believe me?"
"You've seen it?"
"Yes, it's right in this school!" Chen Ge said affirmatively. "If you want to, I can take you there, but you have to promise me one thing."
"What is it?" Zhou Tu's voice changed. Only he knew how important this dream was.
"From now on, you have to listen to my every order, and that is the condition for me taking you there."
