PTYS Chapter 57

Although the few words exchanged seemed to convey little information, they stirred a strange feeling in Xiao Muyu’s heart. Old Sang knew the inside story.

So she carefully asked, “Old Sang, Director Qu said she was just temporarily filling in as the director. What about the former director? Where did he go?”

Old Sang’s expression instantly became stiff and wooden, but the anger in his eyes was unmistakable. He coldly spat out two words: “He died.”

Xiao Muyu keenly noticed that when he said this, his gaze was not on them but on the storage room where the body was kept. The suspicion that needed confirmation in her mind became clear—Old Sang had given them a lot of information.

However, Old Sang’s stiff expression changed as he looked at them, his face showing a strange, uncontrollable look. He muttered, “You need to be careful at night. Things in there are… not clean.” After saying this, he left like a wooden figure, completely different from the Old Sang who had first entered.

After Old Sang left, Shen Qingqiu went in to check and found the refrigeration unit locked. They didn’t discuss it further and instead busied themselves with preparing the meal since time was running short.

The spoiled meat had to be parboiled first to remove the foul smell, and then they added more seasonings to cover the taste.

Xiao Muyu could indeed cook. Even though she had never cooked for so many people before, she managed quite well. Despite the poor-quality ingredients, the aroma was still enticing.

This put Yang Rui in a state of mixed feelings, feeling nauseous one moment and hungry the next.

At 12:15 PM, the dishes were ready. Two vegetable dishes and a potato stew with meat—though it smelled delicious to Xiao Muyu, none of the three in the kitchen had any appetite for it; just thinking about it made them nauseous.

The dishes were served, waiting for the others to come and eat. Xiao Muyu looked uneasily at the kitchen behind her. Shen Qingqiu asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

“Old Sang’s warnings… I think it’s not just about us knowing eight people died here,” Xiao Muyu said, her brows furrowed, her expression serious.

“What do you mean?” Yang Rui asked, confused.

“His fear was genuine, not about us. He said they were restless souls. If the man spying on us that night was one of those eight, then he is already dead.”

Xiao Muyu’s words sent chills down Yang Rui’s spine. She understood. “Miss Xiao, you mean they’ve become ghosts, but we haven’t encountered them directly yet.”

“And his last words before leaving, it felt like more than just a casual remark; it was a warning,” Xiao Muyu continued.

Shen Qingqiu said nothing, turning to enter the storage room again. After a while, she came out with an uncertain expression. “We overlooked something, we were too careless.”

“What?” Yang Rui’s heart tightened at Shen Qingqiu’s expression.

“Old Sang only locked the storage room, he didn’t open the two freezers where the bodies are kept.”

Xiao Muyu was taken aback. Shen Qingqiu took a breath, “If he was afraid of us discovering it, he would have checked, but he didn’t. I think it’s because he couldn’t open them.

When Qu Muxi asked us to cook, Old Sang acted strangely, which means it wasn’t expected. This morning, Qu Muxi was fine, but asking us to cook was out of character.”

Yang Rui recalled, “Indeed, her mannerisms had changed. I thought it was because the real plot had started, and they were showing their true selves, no longer being polite but making us work.”

Xiao Muyu closed her eyes in slight frustration. “I was really confused. From the looks of it, Qu Muxi isn’t the one harming the children, so she and the eight men aren’t in the same group.

That means she should also avoid us finding the bodies, not blatantly bring us to the kitchen.”

“Maybe she was unaware, which would clear her of suspicion,” Yang Rui quickly added.

Shen Qingqiu coldly said, “Qu Muxi has been in the orphanage for so long; the bodies are rotting. She must have been in the kitchen and known.

Moreover, if she didn’t know, what about Aunt Jiang? As someone who cooks, she must know, but she’s not a suspect. If she isn’t the culprit but turned a blind eye, she’s an accomplice. Who made her an accomplice? Old Sang? Unlikely.”

“And Shen Qingqiu, remember I said I smelled smoke on her?” Xiao Muyu added.

Shen Qingqiu nodded, her gray eyes lowering, her expression tense.