Chapter 11: The person who tied the bell must untie it

Only the one who tied the bell can untie it.

“Everyone, don’t worry about me. I’ll get to the bottom of this and give you all an explanation. Sorry, but I need to take the day off and leave early.”

Sakiharu Wen said this, squeezed out from the circle of concerned seniors and juniors, and left the kendo dojo.

Once she was out of sight of her companions, her whole body suddenly trembled. 

She leaned against the wall and took several deep breaths.

She felt suffocated and heartbroken, her mood sinking, and she was overwhelmed with discomfort.

Despite her dashing appearance and decisive actions, Sakiharu Wen was actually quite fragile inside. 

Her mind went blank, her consciousness wavered, and she was nothing like those tough delinquent girls with nerves of steel.

“Whew~” 

After resting for a moment, Sakiharu Wen adjusted her mood, and her gloomy expression returned to normal.

Although her mentality was weak, she was quick to recover and continued on her way.

Sakiharu Wen’s destination was the infirmary.

But as soon as she arrived, she ran into the beautiful nurse, Teacher Chen, dressed in black stockings and a white coat, who was just about to leave.

“Teacher Chen?” 

Sakiharu Wen called out.

“Sakiharu? What’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?” 

Teacher Chen asked.

The two were old acquaintances, after all. 

As a member of the Kendo Club, injuries during daily practice were inevitable.

“Teacher Chen, I’m not hurt. I just wanted to ask if a boy wearing an eye patch came to you for treatment yesterday morning?” 

Sakiharu Wen asked.

“Yes, what’s the matter?” 

Teacher Chen replied instantly.

Her quick, unhesitating response made it clear she wasn’t lying and had no reason to.

“I want to know if he was here the whole time for treatment. Was he here around ten in the morning?” 

Sakiharu Wen pressed further.

“Ten in the morning? He was brought in at eight, his whole arm dislocated, beaten badly. He stayed here until noon before leaving,” Teacher Chen answered.

Upon hearing Teacher Chen’s reply, Sakiharu Wen suddenly froze, her face filled with disbelief.

“Are you sure, Teacher Chen?” 

Sakiharu Wen asked anxiously.

“Absolutely sure. He was the only patient all day, lying in the bed until noon,” 

Teacher Chen replied.

Sakiharu Wen fell silent.

This meant that that scumbag really wasn’t the one who peeped into the Kendo Club girls’ changing room yesterday.

She had truly wronged him, and then even beat him up.

But she noticed a blind spot and asked, “Was his dislocated arm the right one?”

“Yes, though I don’t know how it happened,” Teacher Chen thought for a few seconds and confirmed.

Sakiharu Wen suddenly felt her brain starved of oxygen. 

She staggered back several steps, nearly fainting on the spot.

“What’s wrong? Sakiharu, are you feeling unwell?” 

Teacher Chen quickly stepped forward to support her, helping her sit down on a bench.

Sakiharu Wen’s pupils trembled, her small hands shook, utterly defeated by a sense of guilt, her conscience quivering.

She remembered saying that if she caught him again, she’d beat him to death.

Every harsh word she’d ever spoken replayed in her mind.

She also remembered attacking Li Zuhao’s already injured arm.

Faced with her silence, her wrongful accusations, and her blame, he hadn’t even bothered to explain much, only showing a look of utter despair.

These memories made her conscience ache even more.

If he really committed suicide, it would definitely be her fault!

“Jihuang Academy has really been plagued with misfortune lately. Violent incidents keep happening, but most people who get bullied can only swallow their anger. Just yesterday, another student attempted suicide. I’m about to visit him at City Central Hospital. Sorry, Sakiharu, I can’t stay here with you. Take a good rest,” Teacher Chen said.

“Wait, Teacher Chen, please let me go with you,” Sakiharu Wen suddenly snapped out of it and pleaded.

“Why?” 

Teacher Chen asked.

“Teacher Chen, you always look after us in the Kendo Club. It’s been pretty chaotic outside lately. I can protect you,” Sakiharu Wen made up an excuse on the spot.

“That’s true,” Teacher Chen didn’t doubt her much.

The two left Jihuang Academy and took Teacher Chen’s small car to City Central Hospital.

The scene shifts, and we instantly arrive at City Central Hospital.

Kaixin Min, using the excuse of visiting a classmate, got Li Zuhao’s ward number from the hospital front desk.

Carrying a plastic bag with two apples inside, she bravely headed straight in.

Kaixin Min originally planned to hide outside the door and observe in secret for a bit.

“Hello, student, are you here to visit a patient?”

But as soon as she paced back and forth near the ward entrance, she was “arrested” by the nurse on duty.

“Uh, I, um, that…” 

Kaixin Min stammered, her words a mess, unable to explain herself.

“Don’t be shy, little girl, go check on that kid.”

“He really looks so pitiful. He won’t even respond when we talk to him.”

“He even tried to sneak out without a word earlier. We were afraid he’d try to kill himself again, so after we caught him, we won’t let him leave the ward.”

“That poor child, he’s covered in injuries.”

“Who knows who bullied him? How heartless could they be?”

The nurses all sighed, chattering like gossiping aunties by the roadside, their curiosity piqued.

Listening to their talk, Kaixin Min felt her scalp tingle, speechless and unable to offer any comment.

Not to mention that she herself had a hand in some of his injuries, and his suicide attempt might very well have been pushed by her.

But how could so many people feel sorry for that scumbag?

A person like that deserves to die!

As she thought this, the nurses ushered her into the ward.

But the moment she entered, Kaixin Min immediately understood why the nurses were so heartbroken over that boy.

Li Zuhao was sitting on the hospital bed, propped up by a pillow, hair disheveled, looking utterly lifeless.

His left eye was covered by an eye patch, his right arm wrapped up like a mummy, lying motionless on the white blanket, and there was a clear mark of strangulation on his neck.

His remaining eye was dull and gray, as if seeing nothing at all.

He did look truly pitiful, like a soulless body quietly waiting for death.

But Li Zuhao was just spacing out.

This was his most distinctive ability as a mental patient, which could be understood as Meditation.

Because he had spent most of his time locked up in a psychiatric hospital without freedom, he’d learned to pass the time by thinking.

So even without any entertainment, he never felt bored.

Li Zuhao’s soul had changed, but his face was still the same, though his entire aura was completely different.

To start with, Li Zuhao wasn’t bad-looking—in fact, he was very handsome, with flawless skin.

However, his previous behavior had been so outrageous and off-putting that no matter how good-looking he was, women still found him repulsive.

But now, that foul-mouthed, arrogant playboy was gone.

In his place was a quiet, melancholic mental patient, and suddenly his looks and aura stood out.

For a moment, Kaixin Min was stunned, unsure how to even begin speaking.