Chapter 81: Transmigrated as a Fraudulent Male Streamer (5)
“Was your high school life really that enjoyable?” Cen Yu asked, staring at the painting in front of him.
Pei Hengyun stood by his side. Being slightly taller than Cen Yu, he gazed at the image on the wall with eyes full of nostalgia. “It was alright.”
“I just really miss this particular year.”
This year?
Cen Yu looked down at the date inscribed on the painting. “2012?”
Pei Hengyun nodded.
Cen Yu tried to recall his own high school memories, only to find them completely blurred—leaving behind only scattered fragments of cram school sessions and exam halls. It was almost as if the main System hadn’t bothered setting up a detailed backstory for an extra like him.
“What happened in 2012?” Cen Yu asked out of curiosity. “To make you miss it this much.”
The year 2012 happened to be exactly ten years ago, right around the time Pei Hengyun and his classmates graduated from high school. Counting back, Pei Hengyun would have been in his senior year at the time.
In the original novel, Pei Hengyun got admitted into a prestigious university right after graduation. Could that be the reason he missed his senior year so much?
Cen Yu couldn’t help but feel there was more to it. After all, the horror novel had explicitly mentioned that the entire class reunion was one giant trap, with every single person already entangled in it.
Cen Yu wasn’t the first person in the story to die.
The earliest victim was a rich second-generation heir who was found dead at home on the very first night of the reunion.
The most terrifying part was what happened the day after the group gathered: a sudden mudslide struck the area. By a sinister stroke of luck, the debris blocked their only way out, turning the location into a completely isolated island.
Before the roads could be cleared, they had no choice but to wait on-site for rescue.
Some suggested leaving early, as the rising body count made it impossible for anyone to endure staying in that godforsaken place any longer.
Yet those who tried to venture out seemed to end up lost in the mountain forests, never to return.
The novel concluded with a rescue team finding an unconscious Pei Hengyun by the roadside. Upon waking, Pei Hengyun urgently informed the rescuers that there was still another survivor nearby.
Looking in the direction he pointed, the team spotted a figure lying at the bottom of the slope.
The novel ended right there on an open note, leaving readers in the dark about who that final survivor actually was.
Cen Yu deduced it was likely one of the male leads.
Given that the protagonist had placed such heavy emphasis on 2012, it was bound to be a major narrative flag in the original text. Something must have happened that year, triggering the events that brought this group back to their hometown for a class reunion—only to meet their demise one by one.
As Cen Yu stood there lost in thought, Pei Hengyun’s phone suddenly vibrated.
Pei Hengyun stepped a few paces away from him to answer the call. After a moment, he nodded, hummed a few responses, and hung up.
Turning back to Cen Yu, he said, “The class monitor said everyone’s been contacted.”
Pei Hengyun smiled warmly at Cen Yu. “Besides us, there are eight others—all former classmates from back then. Everyone happened to be free to join the reunion.”
By the time they arrived at Siping Village, Pei Hengyun’s hometown, it was 6:00 PM on July 18th.
Cen Yu suffered from severe carsickness. The moment the vehicle pulled over, he bolted to the roadside and began dry-heaving… When he finally managed to look up, he saw Pei Hengyun holding out a bottle of mineral water.
“…Thanks.” Taking the bottle, he rinsed his mouth and caught sight of a man standing at the entrance of the village.
Dressed in a T-shirt and beach shorts with sandals on his feet, the man immediately called out the moment he spotted Pei Hengyun—
“Little Pei, over here!”
“Jiang Tuan?” Pei Hengyun put on a look of surprise. “You came all the way to the village entrance to meet us?”
Jiang Tuan possessed a rugged, wild sort of handsome look. He had a scar near the corner of his mouth and wheat-colored skin, clearly indicating a life spent outdoors. The delighted expression on his face froze for a second upon hearing the word “us,” his gaze shifting past Pei Hengyun to settle on Cen Yu beside him.
The smile on his face dimmed considerably.
“Who’s this?”
“This is my good friend.” Pei Hengyun led Cen Yu over to stand in front of Jiang Tuan. “He happened to have free time, so he wanted to come along for a visit.”
“Is he a teacher like you?” Jiang Tuan probed.
After all, this class reunion was scheduled to last an entire week.
Unless someone took annual leave or was a teacher with summer breaks like Pei Hengyun, Jiang Tuan couldn’t fathom who else could afford such a long vacation all at once.
“Ah… no,” Cen Yu chimed in.
Wearing a T-shirt, he waved a hand at Jiang Tuan, making the angel tattoo on his arm clearly visible.
As he spoke, the tongue piercer on his tongue caught Jiang Tuan’s eye immediately. Because of this, a wave of instant distaste welled up inside Jiang Tuan, making him judge Cen Yu as a shady character right off the bat.
“I’m a freelancer.” Cen Yu naturally picked up on the rejection in Jiang Tuan’s eyes, but acted completely oblivious. “I heard your town is pretty interesting, so I came to look around.”
“Right, Little Yu shoots videos and streams online.”
“Shoots videos?” Who knows what crossed Jiang Tuan’s mind, but the disgust in his expression grew even more pronounced. “There’s nothing worth shooting around here.”
“Just don’t go exaggerating things and making stuff up when the time comes.”
Though he disliked Cen Yu, his attitude softened a bit when addressing Pei Hengyun. “I’ve got your room ready…” He hesitated briefly. “Though I didn’t prepare an extra one.”
He turned to Pei Hengyun and explained, “He Yongning also said he wanted to stay at my place.”
Jiang Tuan’s house was a newly built three-story property that had only undergone basic interior renovation. Setting up two guest rooms was already the maximum he could manage after cleaning up in advance.
“There’s an inn over in the township, though.” Jiang Tuan ignored Cen Yu entirely as he spoke. “If your friend isn’t used to staying here, he can go stay in town.”
“It’s fine,” Pei Hengyun smiled. “It’s my fault for not giving you a heads-up earlier.”
“Little Yu can just share a room with me.”
“The two of you in one room?!” Jiang Tuan’s expression instantly turned even sourer.
He threw a glare at Cen Yu, and after a few seconds, turned his gaze away as if his eyes were burning. “…I’ll fetch an extra quilt for you guys later.”
“Don’t let the summer fool you; it still gets pretty cold in the village.”
Hearing Jiang Tuan’s words, Cen Yu indeed felt that the village seemed colder than expected.
Was it because they were deep in the mountains?
Rubbing his arms, he felt as though the sensible temperature here was only in the low 20s… completely unlike the scorching midsummer heat typical of July.
As they chatted, another car pulled onto the road at the village entrance. Cen Yu squinted to take a look, noting that the vehicle looked remarkably expensive.
The car soon drew to a halt in front of them, and a man wearing a crisp dress shirt and casual suit trousers stepped out.
“He Yongning?” Seeing who it was, Jiang Tuan immediately waved a greeting.
Cen Yu’s gaze shifted to the story’s main male lead, He Yongning—
He observed that even in the dead of summer, this man hadn’t broken a single drop of sweat. His attire was utterly meticulous without a single crease in sight. Spotting Jiang Tuan’s group, he offered a polite, faint nod, though a flick of confusion crossed his eyes when his gaze fell on Cen Yu, seemingly unable to recall which classmate this was supposed to be.
What an utter pretender, Cen Yu thought to himself.
So, he intentionally plastered a brilliant, dazzling smile across his face—
“Oh my goodness! You must be CEO He—He Yongning!” Cen Yu lunged forward instantly, grabbing He Yongning’s hand in a tight grip. “I’m a streamer working under your platform, Apple Live! You can just call me Little Cen.”
“I never imagined CEO He looked handsome in photos, but even handsomer in person!”
He firmly held onto He Yongning’s hand, acting completely blind to how tightly the man’s brow furrowed—so hard it could crush a fly. “For the sake of your old classmate here, please take good care of me!”
