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The school suddenly fell into a tense atmosphere of suspicion as Ziya and her friends heard a repulsive piece of news. The deceased was actually a local woman, a madwoman who had been wandering around. That night, she had been assaulted and suffered a horrific fate involving organ removal.
Who was responsible for this terrifying incident? The police questioned all the male students at the school one by one, but there were no leads. Instead, those boys and girls who usually hung out at Pomelo Grove to smoke and play were so frightened that they had to change locations, opting to smoke in the bathrooms instead. Ziya had seen a couple of third-year Senior Sisters in the bathroom twice, puffing away while one kept watch and the other smoked, switching roles as needed.
Ziya really wanted to tell the teacher about the text message she received before the incident that night, but she feared it might just be a prank from her classmates. So she secretly planned to investigate the owner of that unfamiliar number. She hadn’t mentioned this to Sun Meng, who had changed completely since losing her beloved; she seemed more mature now, her face lacking the previous playfulness and instead marked by melancholy.
Since the murder incident, Pomelo Grove had become increasingly eerie. With summer approaching, the leaves of Huangguoshu spread out, making the branches even more lush.
Ziya had nearly asked every classmate with a phone about that unfamiliar number, but no one claimed it. “Ziya, you’ve been acting strange lately. What do you need your classmates' phone numbers for?” After class, Zhiqing didn’t leave but came directly to Ziya and Sun Meng’s spot, curious.
When Ziya first asked him for his number, Zhiqing had secretly felt pleased, thinking someone liked him enough to ask for his contact information. However, later Wang Yuan told him that his number had also been requested by Ziya, making him feel like he had misread the situation. That’s why he specifically came to inquire.
“Uh… it’s a secret I can’t just share,” Ziya said quietly to Zhiqing while making a shushing gesture.
“What are you two whispering about?” Sun Meng asked as she packed her books. Seeing Ziya and the class monitor communicating in what seemed like code made her feel they were hiding something from her, prompting her to ask seriously.
“Nothing much; don’t overthink it,” Ziya replied with a smile as she pulled Sun Meng along to leave.
Zhiqing stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds before instinctively flaring his nostrils and thinking to himself: Ziya is so mysterious; she gives off an air of aloofness and has such an avant-garde way of speaking. Perhaps it was precisely this that piqued Zhiqing's curiosity—curiosity was like a tempting magic box that made people want to unravel its secrets.
“To be honest, I wasn’t scared when I saw that corpse. I’m going to be a doctor in the future; I’ll face countless dead bodies. This is nothing,” Sun Meng declared confidently.
“Wow, didn’t expect you to have such a morbid taste! You’re not afraid of such a bloody scene? That’s insane!” Ziya exclaimed as she looked at Sun Meng as if she were some kind of monster.
"I don't know if it's because I've seen too much death or for some other reason, but death doesn't seem as terrifying to me as you might think. Perhaps death is just a part of life; without death, there is no life," Sun Meng said thoughtfully, suddenly striding away from Ziya.
Ziya knew that at this moment, Sun Meng was thinking about her mother again. Not wanting to say much, she could only follow behind her toward the restroom. The restroom was near Junior Class Three, and the Senior Sister's Buddy class had not yet finished their lesson; they were busy reviewing for a mock exam.
As Ziya and Sun Meng entered the restroom, they found it mostly empty, filled with unfamiliar faces. With thousands of students in the school, it was impossible to recognize everyone from different classes.
Meanwhile, under the basketball hoop at the New Playground, Wang Yuan, Zhi Qing, and a few other boys were chasing after a basketball. Zhi Qing hugged the ball tightly and looked at Wang Yuan, saying, "Wang Yuan, aren't you supposed to be quite capable? Why didn't you get any news about that crazy woman who died last time?"
"Come on, that's different. My dad's friend said this whole thing is really strange. How did that crazy woman end up at our school? Some people even say it’s related to our school..." Wang Yuan whispered into Zhi Qing's ear.
Seeing that they had lost interest in playing ball, the other classmates dispersed with disappointed expressions.
"That can't be true! You can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say anything. You didn't even see what that crazy woman looked like; there's no way she would do something like that. I wouldn't believe it even if you beat me," Zhi Qing expressed skepticism about Wang Yuan's gossip.
"Believe it or not, I heard they even called her in for questioning," Wang Yuan replied as he took the basketball Zhi Qing handed him. "I have a new task for you: find out what really happened..."
Zhi Qing leaned closer to Wang Yuan and began whispering again.
"Ugh, disgusting."
"What?" Ziya followed Sun Meng's gaze and caught sight of Zhi Qing rubbing against Wang Yuan's cheek. She felt surprised and a hint of disgust washed over her as she turned to leave.
Zhi Qing and Wang Yuan looked up and exchanged glances at the retreating figures of Ziya and Sun Meng, sharing a moment of puzzled contemplation before breaking into faint smiles of disbelief. They shrugged their shoulders in confusion over the opposite sex.
"Our school is really interesting; we have ghosts, murderers, and even alternative types," Sun Meng said with a laugh, covering her mouth.
"Don't be ridiculous, you brat. Watch your words; if someone hears you, I'll report you to the teacher, and you'll be done for," Ziya shook her head and quietly warned Sun Meng.
"Ziya, I want to talk to you seriously. Don't mess with me."
"Go ahead." The two leaned against the post of the corridor, sheltered from the sun under the shade of the Huangguoshu tree. From here, they could easily observe a corner of both the old and new playgrounds as well as the school gate.
"Did that girl who committed suicide in Pomelo Grove really kill that crazy person?"
"Stop talking nonsense. Who told you that?"
"I heard it from that woman selling Western Pants outside. What do you think of my new shorts?" Sun Meng shook her brand-new pair of capris at Ziya.
"Not bad. How did the woman selling pants come to mention this to you?"
"I don't know. She asked me how the investigation into that crazy woman was going, and I said I didn't know. Anyway, another death in Pomelo Grove wouldn't matter."
"You... you're going to get yourself killed. How can you say such things to others? Let's go back to class." Ziya felt dizzy; Sun Meng was so carefree that she lacked any judgment and just blurted out whatever came to her mind.
"Hey! Where are you two going?" Wang Yuan suddenly jumped out and blocked their path, asking mysteriously.
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