It was a photo taken secretly of the girl who was changing clothes.
The girl in the photo was none other than the Top Student Shen Mosi, the same one from the button phone.
A suspicion was gradually forming in her mind.
Could it be that the deceased Top Student Shen Mosi was taking revenge on Qi Dong and the others?
Then what role did her deskmate, who shared the exact same name and surname as Shen Mosi, play in all this?
And what about what happened at noon… she should ask Hanako after class.
……
“Achoo!!!”
Hanako, who had been lying flat and doing nothing in the toilet, suddenly sneezed, then felt a chill down her spine.
How strange, she thought. As a ghost, she shouldn’t be catching a cold, right?
……
No one paid attention as Ran Feng kept spitting out ink, looking like a giant squid.
The Chinese teacher finished the lesson, and a piece of chalk floating in the air suddenly arced through a parabolic trajectory and landed neatly inside the chalk box.
Then the teacher announced, “If there are no further questions, you all may discuss among yourselves after class.”
A gust of wind swept through, and with a bang, the classroom door opened and then closed again.
“Damn it! @#￥”
Ran Feng slumped over his desk, muttering weak curses.
Xunian rushed out of the classroom. Time was running out—she needed to find Hanako quickly.
Shen Mosi narrowed her eyes and watched Xunian’s retreating figure.
Her face darkened for a long moment, but she ultimately didn’t follow.
……
With a creak, the toilet door opened.
Someone was coming!
Action was about to happen!
The dim light flickered incessantly as Hanako crawled out, her entire body wet and dripping with black liquid, limbs twisted as she lunged toward the newcomer.
The girl standing at the door raised the dagger in her hand, the reflected light flashing in Hanako’s eyes.
The flickering light immediately brightened, even more than usual.
Hanako stopped mid-charge, a flattering smile on her face. “…Oh, it’s you. What do you want with me?”
Though she smiled sweetly, Hanako’s mind was cursing furiously.
She wished she had never come out.
Xunian gave what she thought was a friendly smile. “Don’t be afraid, I just want to ask you a few questions.”
Seeing Xunian’s cold, merciless sneer made Hanako even more terrified. She trembled as she said, “Y-you can ask.”
“What happened at noon?”
Hanako racked her brain, “I think there was a man and a woman arguing outside the toilet, then the woman screamed. I was about to go out and check… but a very strong force beat me to it, then I heard sounds of a fight outside.”
“That force—did you see who it was?”
If Hanako were human, she would have been sweating buckets.
She didn’t dare get a clear look but tried her best to recall; she thought she had sneaked a quick glance.
“Uh… um… a woman with golden hair?”
“I see.” Xunian turned and started to leave.
“Wait!”
“Anything else?” Xunian glanced at her coldly.
Hanako hurried to clarify, “No… I just wanted to say, the water on me isn’t from the toilet… it’s just ordinary tap water mixed with some mud and sand, don’t get the wrong idea!”
“Oh.” Xunian replied indifferently.
That expression clearly meant she didn’t believe her!
Hanako was furious but didn’t dare provoke Xunian; she was afraid Xunian would stab her again.
So she could only wait until Xunian left, then make a little paper doll with Xunian’s name on it and jab it with needles repeatedly.
Hanako crawled away, twisted and dark, watching Xunian leave.
She couldn’t understand how Xunian’s dagger could pierce her.
In truth, Xunian had only coated the dagger with a bit of saltwater, some black dog blood, and garlic—common protections against both Eastern and Western ghosts.
……
When Xunian returned to the classroom, Shen Mosi was gone—no one knew where she had gone.
Qi Dong immediately stopped pretending to be clueless and said to the others,
“Help me! I suspect that Shen Mosi is the same Shen Mosi who died in this classroom before. Please, you have to save me…”
At that moment, Xunian came in and heard this.
Qi Dong instinctively shut up when she saw Xunian, afraid the Shen Mosi ally would overhear.
“I’m not on her side,” Xunian said flatly. “If you want us to save you, you have to tell us exactly what happened between you and Shen Mosi.”
Qi Dong pretended to be clueless again, “She’s terrifying. I don’t know why she’s targeting me…”
Xunian pulled out the half photo pieced together from fragments and slammed it down in front of her. “Familiar?”
Qi Dong’s face turned pale but she insisted, “What are you talking about? What photo is that? Why is Shen Mosi in it…”
“We’ve never confirmed that this is Shen Mosi. How do you know that’s her in the photo?”
Qi Dong fell silent.
Ran Feng and Qi Ye exchanged doubtful glances.
So Qi Dong wasn’t that stupid after all…
Just when Xunian thought Qi Dong was smart, she finally heard what she wanted.
“Shen Mosi’s death really had nothing to do with me. She jumped off the building herself. What does her death have to do with me?”
“I didn’t threaten her to jump. I just don’t understand why, even after all this time, people keep holding onto those two words I said when bullying her. Was it really necessary? I wasn’t that cruel…”
Qi Dong said with an air of self-righteousness.
Xunian felt a wave of disgust churn in her stomach.
She not only didn’t want to save Qi Dong, but seeing this shameless attitude, she secretly hoped the day would come soon when the Top Student Shen Mosi would take her revenge.
A flash crossed her mind—the first time she entered the dormitory, she saw the girl by the window, covered in wounds, limbs twisted just like the deceased who had jumped.
On closer thought, that must have been the Top Student Shen Mosi. Her face was so bruised and battered it was hard to tell.
Outside school, Qi Dong appeared glamorous and radiant. No one knew she had driven a young girl to jump off a building.
The careless bully roamed free while the true victim struggled helplessly in hatred, never able to escape.
Ran Feng sneered, “If you don’t tell us, how can we help you?”
Qi Dong’s eyes darted nervously, and she glanced pleadingly at Qi Ye. Qi Ye, not paying attention, was still waiting for her answer.
What a fool.
Qi Dong hated that Qi Ye was so dull.
Xunian said indifferently, “If you won’t tell us, then just wait to die.”
Silence fell again before Qi Dong finally said, “Okay, I’ll talk.”
——————【Flashback】——————
Noon.
Lunchtime break.
Outside the toilet.
A man and a woman were arguing fiercely by the toilet entrance.
Yuan Shen complained to Qi Dong, “If it weren’t for you, how could she have killed herself? How could she come back now to settle accounts with us?!”
Qi Dong showed a look of disgust and pointed at him. “Do you think you’re innocent? She was bullied because of you. Didn’t we do all those things under your instructions?”
A voice, both strange and familiar, came from behind.
“Are you… looking for me?”
Their expressions changed, and they both turned to look behind them.
“Ghost! Ghost!!”
The black-haired girl was covered in wounds, her hands and feet twisted, her red eyes boiling with murderous intent as she slowly approached the two, as if crawling out from hell itself.