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墨書 Inktalez
Ruan Hongmei continued to stare fearfully at the staircase. She trusted her instincts; it was definitely not her imagination. The breath that had blown on her neck was chillingly cold, completely unlike the warmth that a living person should exhale. No matter how cold the weather, a person's breath is always warm, but that breath felt more like something a dead person would have.
Thinking about the possibility that something not human had been standing behind her just moments ago filled her with dread, and her body began to tremble involuntarily.
Su Jin'er looked at the panic-stricken Ruan Hongmei and wrapped her arm around her shoulders, saying, "It's okay. Since there's nothing here, let's just leave."
Chu Feifan nodded but still shone his flashlight around to check for any overlooked areas. After finding nothing unusual, they all left the basement together.
Since Chu Feifan and Su Jin'er were heading to the countryside the next day, they returned to their dormitory early. Sitting on the bed, Ruan Hongmei was still thinking about what had just happened. Because of her grandfather, she had always believed in the existence of another species in the world—one that existed in a special way, invisible and intangible to normal people. This species was what people commonly referred to as "ghosts." Although she had never seen what a ghost looked like, human imagination is limitless. Movies and television often portrayed ghosts in terrifying ways. Even though no one had truly seen one in reality, the unknown is ultimately the most frightening thing; a person's imagination can drive them to madness.
Su Jin'er noticed Ruan Hongmei's still pale face and asked, "Are you still thinking about what happened?"
"Yes, I swear it was definitely not my illusion," Ruan Hongmei said seriously.
"Well, it could have been the wind!" After saying this, Su Jin'er felt that the possibility of it being wind was slim. If it were really wind, both she and Chu Feifan should have felt it too. She only remembered how low the temperature had been at that moment, but there was definitely no wind.
Ruan Hongmei gave her a strange look and said, "You don't really think it could be wind either! Even if it were wind, why did I only feel it on one spot on my neck?"
Su Jin'er paused, unsure how to respond. No matter what had blown on her neck and then vanished at the staircase in an instant, even Olympic Champion Liu Xiang might not be able to do that!
Despite these thoughts, she simply couldn't explain it as—seeing a ghost!
However, Ruan Hongmei seemed more inclined to believe that ghosts truly existed in this world.
Su Jin'er patted her shoulder and said, "Trust me, ghosts do not exist. If they did and could kill people, humanity would have gone extinct long ago. This world would be a ghostly realm. Although there are many claims about ghosts, no one has truly seen one. Even those who say they have only witnessed some unusual occurrences. People tend to label unexplainable or unanswered events as supernatural phenomena; in reality, what’s truly terrifying is human nature."
Su Jin'er's words surprised Ruan Hongmei. Looking at her calm expression made Ruan feel that there was some truth in what she said. However, she still replied, "You're right; I've always thought those were just superstitions. But just like you said earlier—if ghosts really existed, humanity would have perished long ago. Even if ghosts can't directly kill people, they could scare someone to death or drive them insane, right? If they only come out to frighten people instead of killing them, that's still very terrifying."
Just when Su Jin'er didn't know how to respond and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward, her phone rang at the right moment. She let out a light sigh; she had always avoided discussing this heavy topic, and she never expected to encounter it again today.
The call was from Chu Feifan, and for some reason, her heart inexplicably raced the moment she answered the phone.
"Hello! Jin'er, are you in your dorm?"
"Yes, I am."
On the other end of the line, Chu Feifan's breath was hurried and mixed with concern.
"What's wrong?" She tried her best to suppress her racing heart and asked calmly.
"Zuo Yi has a lead. Although we haven't found him, we did find something he was carrying."
Su Jin'er asked excitedly, "Where are you now?"
"Captain Xing will be here soon. I'm heading to the school gate now. If you're worried, you can come over!" Chu Feifan said anxiously. Even though they had found a clue about Zuo Yi, the situation didn't seem very optimistic. He initially didn't plan to tell Su Jin'er but feared that she would blame him later if she found out, so after much consideration, he decided to inform her.
"Okay, I'll be there right away."
After hanging up the phone, Su Jin'er rushed outside. Ruan Hongmei called out to her eagerly, asking if they had found a clue about Zuo Yi.
Su Jin'er nodded, and Ruan Hongmei followed her downstairs, looking even more nervous than Su Jin'er.
When they arrived at the school gate, Chu Feifan was anxiously pacing back and forth at the entrance. It seemed that Captain Xing had not yet arrived.
"What did they find?"
"It's the jade pendant that Zuo Yi had with him. It's a family heirloom, and he has always kept it on him," Chu Feifan said, his expression somewhat serious.
Su Jin'er looked at his face and asked anxiously, "Is something wrong with Zuo Yi?"
Chu Feifan furrowed his brow slightly and replied, "I don't know either. Captain Xing didn't clarify; he just told me they found the pendant, describing it as looking like Zuo Yi's."
The weight in Chu Feifan's voice was evident, and both Su Jin'er and Ruan Hongmei could hear it. It seemed that Zuo Yi's situation was not good.
The waiting was ultimately painful. After about ten minutes, a police car slowly stopped in front of them. Although it was only a brief ten minutes, it felt like a century.
Before Captain Xing could get out of the car, Ruan Hongmei rushed over. She opened the door and pulled Captain Xing down, urgently asking, "Where is Zuo Yi? Where's the pendant? Let me see it."
Captain Xing was taken aback by the girl in front of him and after a few seconds of confusion, he understood: "Who are you? Why are you so emotional?"
Ruan Hongmei was stunned by Captain Xing's question. She took a few steps back and timidly said, "I'm sorry!" Then she looked up at Captain Xing and said, "Let me see the pendant."
Su Jin'er and Chu Feifan stood to the side in confusion, watching Ruan Hongmei suddenly become agitated. Chu Feifan's brows furrowed deeply, then as if he suddenly remembered something, he pointed at Ruan Hongmei and exclaimed, "You are—oh! How did I not realize this until now!"
Chu Feifan covered his forehead.
Captain Xing handed the pendant to Ruan Hongmei. She snatched it away and after just one glance said, "Yes, this is Ayi's pendant. Tell me where he is now!"
After saying that, she held the pendant to her nose and sniffed it, saying, "It smells bloody. Has Ayi gotten into trouble?"
Her words left Chu Feifan and Su Jin'er at a loss, and they rushed over to Captain Xing with a flurry of questions.
Captain Xing looked at their anxious expressions and sighed, "This jade pendant was found in a pool of blood. As for whose blood it is, we cannot be certain yet, so we cannot determine if Zuo Yi is in trouble."
Seeing their panic and sorrowful eyes, Captain Xing added, "I have already sent people to search the area where the pendant was found. We will notify you immediately once we have any news."
"Then Captain Xing, you didn't come here just to have us identify this pendant at such a late hour, did you?" Chu Feifan asked.
Captain Xing smiled and said, "Indeed, I also want to discuss the matter regarding Professor Zhang."
After a pause, he continued, "He was indeed scared to death. However, I came here to ask about the events from five years ago. I wonder if you know anything about it."
Su Jin'er and Chu Feifan exchanged glances, and then she slowly replied, "We have investigated the events from five years ago as well, but there was too little information available, so we are not very clear on what exactly happened."
"Yes, I have also looked into it. Your school underwent a large-scale change of teachers five years ago; even some old professors were replaced. Strangely enough, Professor Zhang was not among those replaced. That is quite odd!"
"Yes, I also asked Professor Zhang about it, but he refused to say much. He only mentioned that he had conflicts with a colleague at that time. This colleague not only stole his girlfriend but also attempted to set him on fire. However, he did not reveal who this colleague was."
Captain Xing frowned in confusion.
"Could it be that this colleague returned and scared him to death?" Ruan Hongmei suddenly interjected.
"It is not impossible; however, investigating who this so-called colleague is will not be easy. Since the school seems intent on concealing this matter, it won't be straightforward to find his information," Captain Xing said with some difficulty.
Chu Feifan chuckled and said, "I once approached the dean and subtly suggested that he reveal the whole story, but he never did. Perhaps tomorrow Captain Xing can personally ask him!"
Captain Xing nodded, "Then let's head to the Criminal Investigation Team first. Contact me if anything comes up!"
After sending off Captain Xing, Su Jin'er looked at Ruan Hongmei with confusion. Her reaction to Zuo Yi's news had been a bit strange; it seemed overly intense for someone she had never met.
"Hongmei, wasn't your reaction a bit... too much?" Su Jin'er asked.
"Uh! Was it?" Ruan Hongmei replied awkwardly.
"Showing so much concern and urgency for someone you've never met is indeed a bit excessive," Chu Feifan agreed with a nod.
Ruan Hongmei sighed, as if releasing a heavy burden, and said, "Alright! I'll just tell you the truth."
The group returned to the Pavilion. Due to the rain, the moonlight was not very bright, but it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the couples who were sitting together, wrapped in each other's arms and whispering sweet nothings.
"Actually, I am Zuo Yi's fiancée."
After Ruan Hongmei said this, time seemed to pause for a few seconds. Then Chu Feifan slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "I knew it! I guessed that was the case!"
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