World Occult User Guide

Lin An met Ruan Ruyun during the freshman admission season.

At the call of their senior sister, the international students from Long Country added each other in green bubbles. However, Ruan Ruyun was studying in the College of Science, two shuttle bus stops away from the College of Humanities, and the two of them basically had no contact with each other.

"Little sister, it's not safe to stay in a place like this so late at night."

"What country are you from?"

"It's too boring to be alone, let's play with my brother~"

Ruan Ruyun looked at the faces approaching from all directions, her heart pounding. She pressed against the wall tightly, trying to unlock the phone with her fingers, looking for the emergency call button based on her memory.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

The gangster was stunned. Ruan Ruyun couldn't help but follow the sound and saw a young man with black hair standing under the street lamp, his upper body shrouded in shadow.

"Boy, don't meddle in your mother's business! Is she your pawn?" Seeing that the person who came was not good, the gangster hurriedly put on a fierce look.

"That's my girlfriend." The young man showed no fear and took out a shining silver weapon, "So hurry up and get out."

The car lights in the distance were bright and dim, reflecting the luster of metal products, like sharp knives.

"What do you want to do?" The bully gangsters were instantly frightened.

"It's a date." The young man sneered, "I'm already five minutes late. If you don't get out, I can only make my girlfriend wait a few more minutes."

He raised the cold fruit knife, and the little gangster felt more and more confused. Thinking of the recent unrest rumors, he cursed and left.

"Damn it, bro, you're not that rare."

When they disappeared around the corner, Lin An walked out.

"You, you... don't come here..." Ruan Ruyun's face was white and his whole body was trembling.

Seeing that she was in shock, Lin An held the "blade" with his bare hands, turned it upside down like a magic trick, and inserted it into a brand new cake box. The so-called fruit knife turned out to be just a spoon and said in Chinese.

"Do you want to eat the chestnut cake you just packed?"

Ruan Ruyun couldn't laugh or cry for a moment, but he didn't expect those gangsters to be scared away by the handle of the spoon.

She breathed a long sigh of relief and took out her mobile phone. She had just clicked randomly and didn't know which page she had reached. Ruan Ruyun clicked on the green bubble and found the profile picture of the familiar person in front of her.

"Lin An...Senior Lin?

……………

The main colors of the restaurant are red and green. The floor is covered with a red carpet, covered with the grease of the feet of guests and chefs. The walls are covered with pictures of dishes. The orange tree covered with small red envelopes is extremely joyful.

"The whole family celebrates the New Year with great joy

Congratulations to you, may you be strong and blessed

I also wish you to celebrate your promotion this year

Have lots of laughter morning and night and a bright future..."

Ruan Ruyun looked horrified as he listened to the continuously playing songs.

"Xiao Ruan, what are you doing? It's too dangerous for a girl to be alone in the street."

The woman with almond-shaped eyes and willow eyebrows wiped the dining table and chattered endlessly. She wore a clean single ponytail and was completely bare-faced. Although she was young, she was quite agile in her work skills.

"I, I just want to..."

Ruan Ruyun was speechless and asked Lin An for help with her eyes. The latter understood and helped her divert the fire.

"Senior, I'm hungry."

"Have you reincarnated as a starving ghost? Xiao Lin, first explain why you ran to Xiajie?"

Fortunately, an energetic shout came from the kitchen in time.

"Qingqing, come here and help!"

"Okay, Mom, we'll be there soon!" the senior sister responded crisply, then turned to the two of them and said, "I'm going to work first, and I'll make you two bowls of pig's trotter rice later. Xiao Ruan, don't leave after you finish. I'll take you to the bus stop; Xiaolin, please take my shift."

"No problem, senior."

The busy figure of the senior sister entered the steaming kitchen. Lin An and Ruan Ruyun looked at each other coldly and quickly looked away.

"You've been busy studying lately."

"We're all done. Where is Senior Lin?"

"It's not bad. I only have a few final exams left."

"Me too, almost."

"..."

In the awkward silence, Ruan Ruyun couldn't bear his temper and took the initiative to speak: "Senior Lin, do you want to ask me what I am doing in Xiacheng District like my senior sister?"

Lin An used a takeaway spoon to cut into the chestnut cake.

"Want a bite?"

The light brown sweets exuded an alluring aroma. Ruan Ruyun reluctantly waved his hand and said, "Actually, I'm just lost."

"Where did you originally want to go? Let Senior Sister Zhou plan a reliable route for you."

"No, I got lost in Xiajie..." Ruan Ruyun's voice was trembling, "But that place is no longer important."

As she spoke, fear surged into her heart, and she suddenly covered her face and began to sob softly.

"Wow, this is so stupid...I almost got..."

Lin An forced the spoon into her hand.

"Everything is over, Senior Sister Ruan. What you need most is to cheer up, but it doesn't hurt to have a little sweet every now and then."

"Wow--!"

Ruan Ruyun grabbed the spoon and cried loudly. He couldn't help but cough from the bread flour, but his speed did not slow down and he finished the chestnut cake in three strokes.

After everything was cleared up, Ruan Ruyun seemed to be in a much better mood.

"I'm sorry, Senior Lin. I'll treat you to a small cake next time."

"It's okay, it's just fun for 8.99 dollars."

"Uh..." Ruan Ruyun wiped the tears and corners of her mouth with a napkin, and peeked at Lin An's face, "Senior Lin, thank you for saving me today."

"Listen to my senior sister. Ditli City is not very safe to begin with, and accidents have been frequent recently."

"I made an appointment with a few friends, but they all gave me a pass. Alas, for some reason, I stood at the crossroads and suddenly became obsessed with thinking about that urban legend..."

"What legend?" Lin An asked with interest.

Ruan Ruyun repeatedly confirmed that the senior sister was still in the kitchen and lowered her voice: "Senior, I'm telling you secretly, don't laugh at me! Please!"

"What's so funny about urban legends."

"You swear not to laugh." Ruan Ruyun twirled his fingers, "Because I'm too... I obviously grew up under the flag and was a staunch materialist fighter, but I believed in it like a fish out of nine!"

It seems that "legend" is very tempting.

Ruan Ruyun's voice became lower and lower, and his head almost touched the tablecloth.

"Legend has it that after 8 o'clock every Friday, a strange newsstand will appear in Lower Street. When you enter, please confirm that the stall owner you see is a woman from Lower Tung Chau before talking."

“While selecting records and magazines, casually reveal to the stall owner, ‘I want to be like the woman on the cover,’ and she will invite you into the newsstand and ask you what part of your body you are dissatisfied with.”

"You need to pay a fee of 500 dollars to change one area. After both parties reach an agreement, the woman will touch your skin with her hands and inject magical power. It will melt fat and eliminate fat..."

Lin An's mouth twitched.

The girl looked so sneaky. He thought this urban legend was so evil and terrifying.

Is this a mystic or a plastic surgeon?

The description sounds more like a liposuction doctor.

"Senior Lin, you really laughed! Wow, I'm a fool for believing in this kind of thing!" Ruan Ruyun hit his head on the table and stared straight at the wall, "My heart is dead and I will never see it again in this life. There is joy and sorrow.”

"No, I thought of something happy." Lin An quickly comforted, "Who told you this legend?"

"I don't know, my friend said it, and she heard it from others." Ruan Ruyun pretended to be a robotic voice and said, "I think it is spread among students."

"About when did the rumors start?"

"Uh, October... or around September. I just entered school not long ago, so I don't know for sure."

Can't find the source?

Lin An pondered: "Has anyone ever succeeded?"

"Hey, it's true." Ruan Ruyun perked up, "Several girls claimed that they relied on 'newsstand women' to slim down their legs, waist, and belly, so I believed it - then again, I've never seen those with my own eyes. People!”

Lin An feels that there is an increasing probability that there is a mysterious person behind this matter.

After spreading the word about her abilities in a short period of time, isn't this woman afraid of attracting the attention of the St. Annilov Foundation?

Either she doesn't understand the Foundation, or she... isn't afraid of being contained?

A mysterious person with a backer?

Since the foundation's creed is to "keep ordinary people away from mystery", women can only come from the forces hostile to them, the "mysterious liberals" headed by [The Witch of Bavomet].

Lin An felt the need to meet this mysterious man.

"Hurry back to the university after dinner." Lin An said, "Besides, there is no need for you to be anxious."

"How is that possible? My weight has reached three digits..." Ruan Ruyun muttered.

"How tall are you?"

"1.67 meters."

Lin An had no idea about a girl's weight. If a 1.7-meter man weighed only 50kg, no one would say, "Brother, he has a good figure." Instead, he would say in his heart, "Damn, bamboo pole!"

"Almost everyone gets fat because of the Eagle Country diet."

"That's why." Ruan Ruyun pursed her lips, "The most important thing is to want to blend in. That party requires girls to weigh less than 100 pounds..."

"Doris is hosting that this weekend?"

"That's right, Ann Arbor's most popular party. I thought that this way I could blend in with the locals and enjoy the real college life." Ruan Ruyun smiled self-deprecatingly, "Now that I think about it, the Dragon Kingdom circle is still suitable for me."

"Don't jump to conclusions." Lin An shook his finger, "'Eagle Life' and 'Dragon Life' are all labels. The more you think about labeling them, the more restricted your behavior will be."

"What's the meaning?"

"It's extremely difficult to be a human being in this day and age. I mean a flesh-and-blood person, not a bunch of things put together. Ignore those labels like 'nerd, party butterfly, glutton,' let It’s like picking from a vending machine.”

Ruan Ruyun looked at the smiling Lin An, as if he saw the dawn gradually lighting up from the sky.

This light has always existed in her heart, in the days and nights when she was fighting for her dreams in high school. However, she has been confused recently and has gradually dimmed.

Until these words dispelled the gloom.

"I almost forgot, I didn't come to Ann Arbor University to attend a party." Ruan Ruyun flipped up the broken hair beside her ears, "but I was interested in the university's science projects. When I get home, if I don't copy the periodic table a hundred times, I’m sorry, Patriarch Mendeleev!”

"Okay, school girl, I support you." Lin An gestured with his thumbs.

"Here comes the pig's trotter rice!" Ruan Ruyun's eyes sparkled brighter, "I haven't eaten rice for a long time, and my stomach is feeling uneasy."