Electrocuted at the Gate

After resolving the chaos in the classroom, I returned to the dorm.

In my previous life, the private bathroom in my dorm only ran cold water once winter arrived, forcing me to squeeze into the overcrowded public bathhouse.

I walked into the bathroom and twisted the shower knob.

A blast of icy water sprayed out, splashing onto the back of my hand and making me shiver from the cold.

From the neighboring dorm came the sound of hot water rushing, mixed with girls laughing and chatting.

As expected. It was happening again.

This time, I did not go argue with Mrs. Mercer as I had in my previous life. Instead, I took out my phone and turned on the video recording function.

I held up my phone, aimed the camera at the shower head, and took a close-up shot of it trickling nothing but cold water — the stream was thin and weak, not a wisp of steam rising from it.

Then I knocked on the door of the neighboring dorm.

A short-haired girl opened the door. She looked a little surprised to see me.

I put on a friendly smile. "Hi. I just moved in and wanted to ask, does the hot water in our dorm require swiping a card? Mine does not seem to have any hot water."

The short-haired girl, Nova Lin, was very warm and welcoming. "No card needed. Just turn it on. Maybe there is something wrong with the pipes in your room? Come try mine."

I followed her into her bathroom and turned on her shower. Hot, steaming water poured out instantly.

"Go ahead and use it," Nova said.

I nodded. "Could I trouble you with one more thing? Could you go to my dorm room and take a look, just to prove that mine really only runs cold water? I am worried that Mrs. Mercer will not believe me."

Nova looked confused but still nodded and went over.

In my previous life, I had only told Mrs. Mercer verbally, and she never believed me. This time, I wanted a witness.

It was not long before Nova came back, but what she said hit me like a thunderbolt.

"Your dorm room is fine, too. I checked. There's hot water."

"What? That is impossible!"

I rushed back to my room and reached out to test the water temperature. It was indeed scalding hot water.

I froze.

Unwilling to accept it, I turned off the faucet and turned it on again. That familiar icy chill surged out once more, cold enough to seep into my bones.

Nova watched me repeatedly turn the faucet on and off, her gaze growing increasingly strange.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "Are you under too much pressure?"

I refused to believe it and asked her to watch again with her own eyes.

However, the moment she stepped into the bathroom, the water turned hot. The moment she left, it turned cold again.

The bizarre phenomenon made my scalp go numb. I stared at the showerhead in collapse, almost wanting to rip it apart.

"Why? Why is it only targeting me?"

Seeing me muttering to myself like that, Nova looked at me as if she were looking at a madwoman. "You... you should probably get some rest early."

After saying that, she fled back to her own dorm as if avoiding a plague, locking the door behind her.

Before long, rumors that the new transfer student was mentally unstable spread through the dorm building.

"I heard she talks to the showerhead. Is there something wrong with her?"

"She looks so quiet and proper. Who would have thought she acts like a lunatic?"

"This is a school, not a psychiatric hospital. How can they accept just anyone?"

The gossip eventually reached Mrs. Mercer. She stood at the door of my dorm room with her hands on her hips, glaring at me with disgust. "Wynn, what nonsense are you stirring up again? It is the first day of school, and you are already causing chaos. If you do not want to live here, then get out!"

I pointed toward the bathroom, utterly unable to defend myself. "Ma'am, my shower really only runs cold water. As long as I am alone, there's cold water!"

Hearing this, Mrs. Mercer walked into the bathroom and twisted the faucet.

Thick steam instantly filled the space.

She put her hand under the stream, then glared at me even more impatiently. "Where is this cold water? Is this not hot? Other students live here just fine. Why is it that the moment you arrive, there are endless problems? Try causing trouble again, and I will report you to the school and have you written up!"