Xiaomuyu immediately turned and looked through the window into the classroom, only to see the girl walk straight to Liu Ya and sit in the empty seat beside her without hesitation.
Liu Ya, who originally had a wooden expression, instantly broke into a smile, her eyes sparkling, staring intently at the girl as if she had become a different person.
“They know each other,” Xiaomuyu whispered, clearly negating Zuo Tiantian’s speculation.
“That’s her seat,” Shen Qingqiu frowned, scanning the classroom. Several people had seen the girl sitting there, but no one seemed to find it unusual.
“Lin Xue, you finally came back. I thought something happened to you too,” a girl behind Xiaomuyu greeted Lin Xue. Despite her seemingly concerned words, her tone was sarcastic.
Liu Ya turned to look at her, the light in her eyes replaced by a dark glint.
Even Xiaomuyu felt a chill in her heart. How could a high school student have such a fierce gaze?
After watching for a while, the three didn’t linger. As they reached the end of the corridor near the restroom, Xiaomuyu spoke, “Luo Zihao jumped just a few hours ago. There’s no way they could’ve removed his desk and chair so quickly, and there are no empty spots in the classroom.”
“The girl named Lin Xue sitting there naturally, combined with everyone’s reaction, indicates that it’s her seat. So, where is Luo Zihao’s seat?”
Zuo Tiantian was also puzzled, “When I first entered the instance, I was sitting in the classroom. At that time, Luo Zihao hadn’t jumped yet. I don’t remember how many seats were empty, but no one had moved any desks or chairs.”
Xiaomuyu fell silent, frowning deeply in thought.
Zuo Tiantian wanted to ask more, but Shen Qingqiu raised her hand, signaling her to be quiet, and then just watched Xiaomuyu quietly.
Unfortunately, the bell rang soon.
Xiaomuyu took a deep breath and muttered, “This identity is both our means to investigate the truth and a hindrance.”
Shen Qingqiu understood her meaning. Students had to attend classes, and even Zuo Tiantian was warned by the system for skipping class.
However, Shen Qingqiu smiled, moved closer to Xiaomuyu, and winked, “But as a bad student, skipping classes should be justified. We have two more classes this afternoon and evening study sessions. If we stay in class all the time, we’ll have to rely on Chen Kaijie and Su Jin to clear the instance.”
Xiaomuyu thought for a moment and nodded. Su Jin, being a teacher, had more freedom but still had to teach.
Chen Kaijie’s actions were directed by the police, so he wasn’t completely free. Letting Shen Qingqiu skip class was indeed the best solution.
“Alright.”
Seeing Xiaomuyu nod, Shen Qingqiu stretched lazily and frowned, “Finally, I don’t have to sit in class and listen. It’s been ten years since I graduated from high school, and I don’t want to revisit that knowledge. You guys continue with your classes; I’m out of here.”
She waved at Xiaomuyu as she laughed and walked backward.
As she turned, Xiaomuyu tossed her a card. Shen Qingqiu caught it steadily, and upon seeing it, she turned back in surprise.
“Keep it. Contact me if anything happens.” The “Family Together” card would become invalid after Chen Kaijie left.
There was no immediate danger in the classroom, but Shen Qingqiu was different. No one knew what might happen to her.
Shen Qingqiu accepted the card, nodded, and was about to leave when Xiaomuyu called out a final warning.
“Be careful.”
When Shen Qingqiu turned back to respond, Xiaomuyu had already walked away quickly, leaving the words echoing like an illusion.
“So stubborn. When will she speak to me gently?” She muttered to herself, chuckling as a tender smile replaced the defiance and indifference in her gray eyes.
But thinking of her task, Shen Qingqiu’s expression turned serious. She didn’t need to worry about Class 7 with Xiaomuyu there.
Re-living as a high school student, Xiaomuyu realized how busy students were. Aside from meal times, they spent almost all their time in the classroom, with night study sessions lasting until ten.
During this time, Xiaomuyu had a few simple chats with her classmates, especially the girl behind her, who she now knew was named Huang Meng.
From Huang Meng, Xiaomuyu finally found a clue to why everyone behaved so strangely about Luo Zihao’s jump.
It wasn’t the first incident in Class 7. Since the start of the semester, including Luo Zihao today, three students had died.
Rumor had it that Class 7 was cursed, and any student in it could meet with an accident at any time. Luo Zihao’s fall intensified this fear.
Xiaomuyu wanted to ask more, but everyone was tight-lipped about it. Strangely, they also didn’t know why a desk and chair were missing, leaving her with nothing.
Until dinner, Xiaomuyu hadn’t seen Shen Qingqiu, and the “Family Together” card had expired.
Zuo Tiantian, while eating, noticed Xiaomuyu was distracted and couldn’t help asking, “Has Miss Shen contacted you?”
Xiaomuyu responded with a simple “Hmm,” continuing to eat, seemingly unconcerned.
“This is a supernatural instance, but apart from the legend, I haven’t felt any scary atmosphere or encountered anything paranormal. It’s unsettling.” Zuo Tiantian had been tense all along. This A-level instance felt far more real than a B-level one.
Xiaomuyu paused eating, looked up slightly, and said, “I saw a ghost in red when Luo Zihao fell. Also, a desk and chair disappearing isn’t supernatural enough?”
Zuo Tiantian was at a loss for words. She was trying to hint that Shen Qingqiu might be in danger, though Xiaomuyu clearly worried but wouldn’t admit it.
Zuo Tiantian found classes boring and, not being real classmates with the students, only engaged in occasional conversation to gather information, spending most of her time observing.
She noticed Xiaomuyu often looked outside, likely not waiting for Su Jin’s literature class.
“She won’t be in trouble, right?” Zuo Tiantian asked.
Xiaomuyu glanced at her, “Haven’t you seen her skills? If any ghost tries to mess with her, it’s hard to say who will be in trouble.”
Zuo Tiantian laughed, “True, I’ve seen many skilled players in instances, but none as calm and smart as you or as fierce as Miss Shen.”
Most people get scared by ghosts, but Shen Qingqiu could scare the ghosts themselves. She vividly remembered her swift, efficient ghost-slaying skills.
“But I’m worried that as we go on, the ghosts will get tougher, and brute force alone might not suffice,” Zuo Tiantian said, concerned.
Xiaomuyu slowed down, then put down her chopsticks, “I’m done. I’ll go look around for more clues.”
Zuo Tiantian was surprised but quickly ate a few more bites. Eating normal meals in an instance was a rare treat.
The evening study sessions were physics and literature. By nine, Su Jin had entered the classroom with exam papers but no sign of Shen Qingqiu.
Su Jin exchanged a brief glance with Xiaomuyu and Zuo Tiantian before checking the exam papers.
There was no way she would actually do the exam. When Su Jin looked at Xiaomuyu’s paper, she saw a single sentence written in the essay section: “Have you seen Shen Qingqiu?”
Su Jin nodded slightly and wrote a few words in return.
Xiaomuyu’s lips tightened as she read, her fingers clenching slightly.
Su Jin patted her hand reassuringly.
The hour dragged on, and when the bell finally rang, students who had been bowing their heads raised them with visible fear.
It seemed the bell signaled something ominous rather than a break.
Some students turned pale as soon as it rang.
Xiaomuyu noticed that Liu Ya and Lin Xue looked relatively calm, while Zhang Zhu, sitting behind them, handed in his paper, kicked his chair, and sneered at the visibly frightened students, “Scared by some ghost stories, pathetic.”
He glanced at Liu Ya, smirked, and left. His words left the class in stunned silence.
Su Jin just watched Zhang Zhu leave and then urged the class to hand in their papers.
The situation was becoming increasingly confusing. If they were truly cursed, why were the teachers, school, and parents indifferent?
But Xiaomuyu’s immediate concern was that Su Jin said Shen Qingqiu was injured.
The “Family Together” card not activating might mean Shen Qingqiu was seriously hurt, unable even to contact her.
Holding her paper, Xiaomuyu, along with Zuo Tiantian, followed Su Jin to the teacher’s quarters.
The students of Class 7 walked in groups towards the dormitory under the dim streetlights.
Xiaomuyu watched them, noting that out of the three routes to the dormitory, only Class 7 students took the left, winding, dimly lit path.
The other paths were well-lit and straight, but Class 7 seemed bound to this eerie route, making them stand out from the other students.
This scene was so unsettling that Zuo Tiantian and Su Jin felt a chill.
“Is Class 7 a ghost class?” Zuo Tiantian speculated, horrified.
Xiaomuyu’s eyes darkened, “Unlikely. We know they were normal before Luo Zihao’s fall, and Chen Kaijie would’ve noticed if they were ghosts. But the curse might be real.”
Zuo Tiantian realized her mistake but was too shocked to retract her words.
Xiaomuyu quickened her pace, leaving behind the eerie scene. If the students were alive, they were just like her, lambs to the slaughter in this instance.
The author’s note: Today I procrastinated again and need to write more. I wake up too early, even a bit of light wakes me. So annoying. Shout out to the little angel who wrote a long comment with great guesses, thumbs up!
