My childhood friend is in her mature, sophisticated form again today. - Chapter 5

Lin Jiqiu followed the group into the building.

The corridor was long, with white walls on both sides and fluorescent lights humming overhead. The floor was covered with light gray tiles, which were so clean that they reflected blurry figures.

The young woman walking at the front wore a navy blue uniform with a name tag pinned to her chest that read “Teacher Chen”. Her posture was very professional – her back was straight, her steps were even, and her expression was gentle yet aloof.

“Welcome to the Renewal Growth Camp, everyone.” Her voice wasn’t loud, but it echoed in the corridor, and everyone could hear it clearly. “Over the next seven days, you will spend a special time here. We will help you let go of external distractions and focus on your inner exploration.”

“Your mobile phones have been collected and stored. Now please hand over all your electronic devices—tablets, computers, smartwatches, and anything that can connect to the internet.”

The girls started taking things out of their bags. Some pulled out a tablet, some took off their watches, and some took out an old-fashioned MP3 player.

Xiao Yi put her pink phone into a sealed bag, a hint of reluctance flashing across her face, but it was quickly replaced by excitement. Xiao Yu moved slowly; she took out an old black phone from a compartment in her backpack, stared at it for a few seconds, and then handed it to the staff member.

Lin Jiqiu handed over the spare phone—not the one in the hidden compartment, but another, older, and less conspicuous one. The staff put it in a sealed bag, labeled it, and placed it in a large box.

“Alright,” Teacher Chen said with a smile, “Now please follow me, everyone, let’s assign rooms first.”

At the end of the corridor was a staircase. The group went up to the second floor and entered a narrower corridor. There were doors on both sides, each with a number plate.

“Two people per room.” Teacher Chen stood in the middle of the corridor. “Those whose names are called, come with me.”

The tablet in her hand displayed a list, which she read aloud one by one.

“Lin Qiu and Xiao Yu share a room. Room 203.”

Lin Jiqiu glanced at Xiaoyu. Xiaoyu also glanced at her, her eyes filled with something indescribable—not hostility, but more like… nervousness.

“Let’s go.” Lin Jiqiu nodded to her.

Room 203 is located in the middle of the corridor. Pushing open the door, you’ll find two single beds separated by a bedside table. The sheets are white and neatly folded. The light blue curtains are drawn, letting in soft, ambiguous light.

There was a desk by the window, with a notebook and a pen on it. A sheet of paper on the wall listed the “camp rules”—what time to get up, what time to eat, what time to start class, and what time to turn off lights. Nothing was too small.

Xiaoyu placed her backpack on the bed near the door, sat on the edge of the bed, and put her hands on her knees. She didn’t speak or look around; she just kept her head down, lost in thought.

Lin Jiqiu put his backpack on the bed by the window, then walked to the window, pulled back a corner of the curtain, and looked outside.

The view from the window wasn’t very open—opposite was another building with gray walls and curtains drawn in all the windows. Below was a small courtyard, paved with tiles and furnished with a few benches. No one was there.

She noted the scene down and then drew the curtains.

“Are you alright?” She turned around and looked at Xiaoyu.

Xiaoyu looked up and forced a smile: “It’s alright.”

“Is this the first time you’ve been away from home for so long?”

“Mmm.” Xiaoyu nodded. “And you?”

“Me too,” Lin Jiqiu said. “I’m a little nervous.”

Xiaoyu glanced at her, seemingly trying to determine if she was telling the truth. Then she slowly nodded.

“Me too.”

There was a knock at the door. Xiao Yi poked half her head in, grinning, “You guys are in this room! I’m in 205, right next door!”

She pushed the door open, stood in the middle of the room, and turned around: “This room is nice, better than I expected. I thought it would be one of those large dormitory rooms with bunk beds.”

“Have you participated in this kind of activity before?” Lin Jiqiu asked.

“No,” Xiaoyi shook her head. “It’s my first time. My mom told me to get out and about, instead of staying cooped up at home all day. I thought it sounded interesting, so I signed up.”

As she spoke, she plopped down on Xiaoyu’s bed. Xiaoyu’s body stiffened slightly, but she didn’t say anything.

“And you?” Xiaoyi asked Xiaoyu. “Why did you come?”

Xiaoyu remained silent for a few seconds.

“I want to… clear my head.”

“That’s true,” Xiaoyi nodded. “With so much academic pressure these days, it’s good to come out and relax.”

A whistle sounded outside.

“Let’s gather!” Xiao Yi jumped up. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

The three people left the room and followed the crowd downstairs.

There were already more than a dozen people standing in the hall. Teacher Chen was standing at the very front, holding a microphone.

“Students, before the official start of the camp, let me briefly introduce the schedule for the next few days.” Her voice was gentle and calm. “The mornings will be meditation and introspection classes, the afternoons will be group counseling and spiritual exploration, and the evenings will be free writing and sharing sessions. The schedule for each day will be posted on the bulletin board, so please remember to check it.”

“In addition, please abide by the camp rules during the camp period. Do not leave your room after lights out, and do not enter areas that are not permitted without permission. If you have any questions, please contact the teacher immediately.”

She paused, then looked around.

“Most importantly—put aside external noise and focus on yourself. These seven days belong to you.”

The girls listened quietly. Some nodded, some seemed thoughtful, and some remained expressionless.

Lin Jiqiu stood in the middle of the crowd, observing each person calmly.

Teacher Chen, around thirty years old, speaks gently but with tact, as if she has training experience.

The security guard at the gate was in his forties, burly, and had a wary look in his eyes.

There are at least three security cameras in the corners, covering the main area of ​​the hall.

The door at the stairwell was closed; you needed to swipe a card to get through.

She has already written down this information.

Cheng Ran’s voice came through the earphones, very softly, only she could hear it.

“I can’t see the camera footage, but judging from the signal strength, it should be real-time monitoring. The storage device is probably somewhere in the building.”

Lin Jiqiu did not respond, but simply took a soft breath—this was the secret signal she and Cheng Ran had agreed upon, indicating that she “understood”.

“After the afternoon classes, I’ll try to hack into their system,” Cheng Ran continued. “I’ll need your help to find the location of the monitoring room then.”

She took another breath.

“Be careful.” After Cheng Ran finished speaking, silence returned to the earphones.

——

The afternoon classes were held in the multi-functional hall on the first floor.

The room was large, with wooden floors and heavy blackout curtains drawn over the windows. The lighting was dim, with only a few wall lamps emitting a yellowish glow. Yoga mats were laid out on the floor, spaced about a meter apart.

The girls each found a cushion to sit on. Some sat cross-legged, some knelt, and some lay down.

Lin Jiqiu chose a spot against the wall and sat down cross-legged.

A man wearing a white robe walked in.

He was around forty years old, with his hair neatly combed, a kind face, and a smile on his lips. He walked to the front of the room, sat cross-legged on a slightly raised cushion, and placed his hands on his knees.

“Hello, students.” His voice was very low, as if it came from his chest, with a strange magnetism. “I am your mentor, you can call me ‘Teacher Mingyi’.”

The room fell silent.

“This afternoon, we won’t lecture, we won’t talk, we’ll just… quiet down.” Teacher Mingyi closed his eyes. “Focus on your breathing. Inhale, exhale. Feel the air entering your body and leaving your body. Don’t think about anything else, just feel your breath.”

The girls did as instructed.

Some people closed their eyes, some stared blankly with their eyes open, and some secretly glanced at the people next to them.

Lin Jiqiu also closed his eyes.

But she wasn’t feeling her breathing.

She was listening.

Teacher Mingyi’s breathing was very steady, almost inaudible. But she could hear his heartbeat—Lin Jiqiu’s hearing, after structural deformation, was much more sensitive than that of ordinary people. It was sixty-two beats per minute, a little slower than normal, indicating that he often practiced meditation or something else.

His fingers were tapping lightly on his knees, rhythmically, as if it were some kind of habit.

His feet were moving slightly, as if adjusting his posture, but the movement was very small.

These are all details. They may be useful, they may not, but she wrote them all down.

“Very good.” Teacher Mingyi’s voice rang out again. “Now, imagine a beam of light shining down from above your head, passing through your body, and illuminating you. Feel this light; it’s warm and safe…”

Lin Jiqiu sneered inwardly.

Standard hypnotic induction techniques: Relax your body, build trust, and then gradually introduce suggestions.

She wasn’t surprised.

“This light is asking you—who are you?”

Teacher Mingyi’s voice became even softer, almost like a whisper.

“Don’t rush to answer. Let the answer emerge from your heart. Who are you? What is your true identity? Cast aside the name your parents gave you, cast aside the labels society gives you, cast aside those voices telling you ‘you should be’—who are you?”

The room became quieter.

Some people’s breathing became rapid, and some began to sob softly.

Xiaoyu sat diagonally in front of Lin Jiqiu. Lin Jiqiu slightly opened his eyes and saw that her shoulders were trembling slightly.

“Don’t be afraid.” Teacher Mingyi’s voice carried a strange gentleness. “No matter who you are, it’s safe here. You can cry, you can laugh, you can stay silent. No one will judge you. Here, it’s just you.”

Lin Jiqiu closed his eyes.

She could hear a faint static in her headphones—Cheng Ran was listening in.

She didn’t speak, but just took another breath.

——

The class lasted an hour and a half.

At the end, the lights came on, and Teacher Mingyi stood up, put his hands together, and bowed slightly.

“Today is just the beginning. In the coming days, we will go much deeper. Thank you for your trust.”

The girls stood up one after another. Some rubbed their eyes, some stretched, and some stood there in a daze.

Xiao Yi jumped up from the mat and ran to Lin Jiqiu’s side: “Don’t you think it’s amazing? When I closed my eyes, I really felt a beam of light!”

“Mm.” Lin Jiqiu nodded.

“Teacher Mingyi speaks so well, it’s like hypnosis, I almost fell asleep.”

“Me too,” Lin Jiqiu said.

Xiaoyu stood up from the mat, head down, without saying a word.

Lin Jiqiu walked to her side: “Are you alright?”

Xiaoyu looked up, her eyes a little red.

“I…I’m not feeling well.”

“Should we go talk to the teacher?”

Xiaoyu shook her head: “No, I’m just… a little tired.”

Lin Jiqiu looked at her but didn’t ask any further questions.

“Then go back and rest for a while. Dinner won’t be ready for a bit.”

Xiaoyu nodded and turned to walk out.

Lin Jiqiu followed behind her and noticed that her steps were much heavier than when she had arrived.

——

Dinner time, the restaurant is on the other side of the first floor.

The food was simple—rice, stir-fried vegetables, and a bowl of soup. Nothing special, but not bad either.

The girls sat at a long table eating; some chatted, some remained silent.

Lin Jiqiu sat opposite Xiaoyu, carrying a tray. Xiaoyi sat next to her, eating and talking at the same time.

“What do you guys think of Teacher Mingyi? I think he has a great presence.”

“It’s alright,” Lin Jiqiu said.

“I find it a little scary,” Xiaoyu suddenly said.

Xiao Yi was taken aback: “Scary? What’s scary about it?”

Xiaoyu bit her lip: “I can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s just… when he’s talking, I feel like he’s not thinking for me, but rather thinking for me.”

Lin Jiqiu glanced at her.

This feeling is very keen.

Xiaoyu’s intuition is correct.

“Maybe you’re being too sensitive,” Xiaoyi said dismissively. “They just have nice words to say.”

Xiaoyu didn’t say anything more and lowered her head to continue eating.

Lin Jiqiu noticed that she only ate a small half bowl of rice and didn’t drink much soup.

——

8 PM is free writing time.

The girls were asked to return to their rooms and write down “how I felt today” in their notebooks.

“Write whatever comes to mind,” Teacher Chen said. “Don’t show it to anyone, just write it to yourself.”

Lin Jiqiu sat at his desk, pen in hand.

The notebook was blank; the first page was empty.

She thought for a moment, then wrote down a line—

“I feel very tired today. I don’t know if I can make it through these seven days.”

Then she stopped writing.

It’s not because she doesn’t know what to write.

It was because she sensed something.

She turned her head slightly and glanced through the crack in the door—no one was outside. She then glanced at the curtains—they were drawn tightly shut. In the corner, by the air conditioner vent—there was a tiny red dot of light.

Camera.

It’s not an ordinary camera. It’s one of those pinhole cameras hidden in air conditioner vents.

It’s so small that you can’t even notice it if you don’t look closely.

Lin Jiqiu’s expression remained unchanged. She lowered her head and continued writing.

“Mingyi speaks very nicely, and it makes me feel at ease. But for some reason, I feel a little homesick.”

She wrote a few more lines of trivial words, then closed the notebook and yawned.

“I’m so sleepy,” she said softly.

Xiaoyu sat on the bed opposite, also writing. Her pen scratched slowly on the paper, as if she were carefully considering each word.

“Have you finished writing?” Lin Jiqiu asked.

“Soon.”

“I’m going to wash up first.”

“Um.”

Lin Jiqiu went into the bathroom and closed the door.

She turned on the tap, letting the sound of the water drown out the other noises.

Then she lowered her voice and said, “Air conditioner vent, pinhole camera.”

Cheng Ran’s voice came through the earpiece, equally low: “I saw it. I’m intercepting the signal.”

“Can you locate the monitoring room?”

Give me a few minutes.

Lin Jiqiu turned off the tap, picked up her toothbrush, and began brushing her teeth.

The face in the mirror was “Lin Qiu”—shoulder-length black hair, delicate features, and the kind of girl who “wouldn’t cause trouble.”

She smiled at herself in the mirror.

Toothpaste foam stuck to the corners of your mouth makes you look a little silly.

But this kind of “foolishness” is exactly what she needs now.

——

When I got back to the room, Xiaoyu was already lying down.

The lights were off, except for the small nightlight on the bedside table.

“Are the lights off?” Lin Jiqiu asked.

“Mmm,” Xiaoyu’s voice came from behind the blanket, muffled.

Lin Jiqiu turned off the night light and lay down on her bed.

She kept her eyes open in the darkness.

Cheng Ran’s voice came through the earpiece: “The monitoring room is at the very back on the first floor, at the end of the corridor. You need a card to enter. I intercepted a few segments of the signal and saw the surveillance footage—the corridor, the lobby, the multi-purpose hall, and…”

“what else?”

“dormitory.”

Lin Jiqiu’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The dormitory. Where they sleep.

Where is the image stored?

“Local hard drive. But the signal is also being uploaded, the destination of which is an overseas server.”

Can I delete it?

“Yes, but it requires physical contact,” Cheng Ran said. “Or you can get closer to the monitoring room, and I can temporarily disable their view by jamming the signal.”

How long will it take?

“Ten seconds.”

That’s enough.

Lin Jiqiu closed his eyes.

“Tomorrow night,” she said.

“good.”

The headphones went silent.

Lin Jiqiu lay in the darkness, listening to the wind outside the window.

From the next bed came the sound of Xiaoyu turning over and soft sobbing.

She was crying.

Lin Jiqiu did not move or speak.

Now is not the time.

But she remembered the voice.