Zeng thanked him profusely.

　　Lin stood by the bathroom entrance, waiting for Zeng to finish.

　　Each stall had a thin shower curtain providing a semblance of privacy.

　　The only sound in the bathroom was the steady drumming of water hitting the floor.

　　"Why won't it come off?" Zeng's voice suddenly broke the silence, laced with panic. "The blood... it won't come off."

　　"What's wrong?" Lin asked, a knot of unease forming in his stomach.

　　"It won't wash off..." Zeng repeated, his voice tight with terror. "It's covered in blood."

　　Lin peered towards Zeng's stall.

　　Despite the dim lighting, he could clearly see a steady stream of bloody water flowing from under the curtain, swirling down the drain.

　　Even if Zeng had been covered in blood, it shouldn't have taken this long to wash off.

　　Something felt wrong.

　　"It just keeps coming..." Zeng's voice grew more desperate.

　　"Don't worry about washing anymore," Lin urged. "Just come out."

　　Zeng fell silent.

　　A beat of silence, then the shower curtain was suddenly pulled aside.

　　Lin saw Zeng standing there, and in an instant, he understood why the blood wasn't washing off.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

　　Clinging to the showerhead above Zeng's head was a mangled, fleshy lump.

　　It resembled the corpse of an infant, blood trickling down its limbs, a gruesome, macabre showerhead raining gore onto Zeng.

　　No wonder he couldn't wash the blood off.

　　"Stop washing, get out here now!" Lin yelled, his voice laced with urgency.

　　Zeng, seeing the horror etched on Lin's face, scrambled out of the stall, grabbing his towel but forgetting to even dress.

　　As he darted out, the fleshy mass on the showerhead slowly lifted its head.

　　Lin, not daring to look any longer, spun around and fled the bathroom.

　　They ran straight into Nan, who was standing outside in the hallway.

　　Zeng, still naked and dripping with blood, presented a rather disturbing sight.

　　"What were you two doing in there for so long?" Nan asked, his voice a mixture of amusement and confusion.

　　"I was watching him bathe!" Lin blurted out, his mind still reeling from the gruesome scene he'd just witnessed.

　　Nan's expression turned strange.

　　"...You certainly have some kinks."

　　"That's not what I—" Lin stopped himself, sighing in exasperation.

　　He quickly relayed the bathroom incident to Nan.

　　Nan glanced at the shivering, traumatized Zeng and said, "Go get changed. Don't catch a cold."

　　Zeng, still reeling, nodded and scurried off to his room.

　　Nan watched him go, his expression unreadable.

　　Lin, thinking he was deep in thought about the implications of the incident, was about to speak when Nan suddenly blurted out, "That was... underwhelming."

　　"Huh?" Lin looked at him, confused.

　　"Nothing. Let's go to sleep." Nan turned and headed towards their room.

　　It took Lin a moment to process Nan's words, and when he did, his face contorted in disgust.

　　"You're a girl! Why were you staring at his..."

　　"Exactly," Nan said in a low voice, "And for the record, this girl packs more than you. You should be ashamed."

　　Lin: "..."

　　He had to admit, hearing such crass words coming from Nan's beautiful face was a uniquely unsettling experience.

　　Nan, seemingly unfazed by his own words, simply shrugged. "Come on, let's go. It's getting late, we need to sleep."

　　They entered their assigned room and lay down on the cramped wooden bed.

　　The room was oppressively small, the walls seeming to close in with every breath.

　　 Lin could practically touch both sides just by stretching out his arms.

　　 The grimy ceiling felt like it could cave in at any moment.

　　Nan, as always, fell asleep easily.

　　He often described it as closing his eyes and it being nighttime.

　　Lin closed his eyes, eventually succumbing to a restless sleep.