Chapter 73
Chapter 73
After the four of them regrouped, Shang Yan dumped the troublesome Ghost No. 14 halfway along the road, while Qiao Yu gained two little tails behind him.
The main reason was that following Qiao Yu was just too good a deal. On the rare occasion a ghost popped up, the ghost was the one who took a detour, not them. How could that not be appealing?
And that guy was even running up the stairs.
No. 16 pointed at the bouncing figure ahead of them and looked at Luo Yunmeng as if lodging a complaint.
Luo Yunmeng pressed down his trembling finger and smiled. “Calm down.”
After all, how would a ghost wall dare let Qiao Yu inside? It would be lucky if it could hide from him in time.
Just like that, they followed Qiao Yu straight to the sixth floor.
[Principal’s Office]
Unlike the other floors, this place was eerily quiet. An unknown light source cast an arc of illumination in front of the Principal’s Office, while everything around it was pitch-black, as if a tray of ink had been overturned. The thick darkness swallowed the outlines of the corridor.
Qiao Yu stepped forward and pushed open the half-closed door to the Principal’s Office, then reached out and pressed the switch on the wall.
Unexpectedly, the lights came on.
The room was very tidy, without the slightest trace of fire damage.
The four of them slowly walked into the silent Principal’s Office, staring curiously at the mirrors covering the walls. “Why are there so many mirrors? And the way they’re arranged is so weird.”
“This looks like… a Wealth-Gathering Array?” Luo Yunmeng’s voice carried a trace of uncertainty.
Qiao Yu abruptly turned to look at her, displeasure in his eyes. “Didn’t you say you weren’t good at feng shui?”
“I’m really not,” Luo Yunmeng said. “That’s why I’m confused too. Look into my eyes.” She pointed at them. “Don’t they have those two words written in them?”
Qiao Yu narrowed his eyes. “No. I see eight words: I’m making this up, blah blah blah.”
Luo Yunmeng: “……”
Fine. Be that way!
Qiao Yu took a few steps forward and arrived before the simple, ancient Bronze Mirror standing in the center of the floor. Slowly, he reached out his hand.
The mirror’s surface was icy cold, covered in crisscrossing scratches. It felt a little rough under his fingers.
A mirror like this could only reflect a blurry figure. It couldn’t even show facial features clearly.
Just then, No. 16 suddenly cried out in surprise, “Gourmet Encyclopedia?”
Qiao Yu withdrew his fingers, walked over to the desk, and took the book No. 16 handed him. “Was the principal a foodie or something?”
No. 16: “……If you hadn’t said that, I almost wouldn’t have thought of it.”
Qiao Yu casually flipped open the gaudy, colorful picture book and immediately landed on a familiar species.
[Bloodsucking Fish]
Cooking method: Delicious when simmered into soup. The soup is milky white, and the meat is fresh and tender.
Rearing method: Bloodsucking Fish dislike sunlight. Due to their high destructive capability, they are not suitable for aquariums; a pond is recommended. They like red and feed on blood.
Weren’t these the weird fish they had seen in the Punishment Room?
So the free soup served in the cafeteria was made from this stuff??
Qiao Yu tossed the book back to No. 16, then began rummaging through the office area of the Principal’s Office with practiced ease.
The drawer was locked.
No problem. He had Small Wire.
Ignoring No. 16’s shocked expression, Qiao Yu took a stack of documents out of the drawer.
The first folder… a divorce agreement from ten years ago.
Signatures: Lai Xinrong, Lu Ying.
The second folder… Lu Ying’s death certificate from 2022.
The third folder… an agreement to change Lu Ruan’s custody rights.
The fourth folder… Class F Teacher Work Summary.
Inside were several sheets of A4 paper.
The first page was the work summary submitted by Liu Yuxin, also known as Head Teacher Liu. It emphasized signs that student No. 60, Lu Ruan, was being bullied by her classmates, as well as an application to issue No. 56 a warning punishment.
Approval: Rejected.
Second page work summary: None.
The third page was the work summary submitted by Tong Hua, the head teacher of Class F. Like the previous one, it clearly stated that No. 60, Lu Ruan, was being bullied and requested that No. 56 be placed in confinement, while No. 60 be sent to the Psychological Clinic.
Approval: Rejected.
The fourth page was still a work summary submitted by Tong Hua, the head teacher of Class F. The content was identical, but the wording was much more forceful.
Approval: Approved.
The fifth page was Tong Hua of Class F applying for a recommendation for outstanding teacher qualifications.
Approval: Deferred.
Sixth page work summary: None.
So this Lu Ruan was No. 60, the principal’s daughter?
No wonder she said she wasn’t favored. She was being bullied, and her own father didn’t even bother to step in.
Qiao Yu frowned in confusion. “Could it be that father and daughter were separated for so long that they don’t have any feelings for each other?”
Luo Yunmeng shook her head. “A normal person, even if they don’t see their child very often, wouldn’t just stand by and watch their own daughter get bullied without reacting. That’s a father’s natural instinct.”
No. 16’s eyes held the same bewilderment as Qiao Yu’s. “I’m an orphan. My parents died when I was three, so I don’t really understand that kind of bond.”
Sympathy flashed in Luo Yunmeng’s eyes. “Let’s not talk about that. Maybe there’s more to it? Let’s look for other clues.”
Her change of subject was stiff, but No. 16 only smiled with easygoing grace. “It’s fine. In a way, the Instance fulfilled a dream of mine. At least now I’ve experienced being sent to school by a parent.”
Qiao Yu: “…”
This guy’s standards were way too low. Give him one pancake-faced dad and he was moved beyond words.
“But my ‘dad’ looked a lot like me. At the school gate, I almost lost it.” As No. 16 said this, he turned his gaze away, a faint sheen of moisture surfacing in his eyes.
Qiao Yu: ??
No. 16’s dad wasn’t actually pancake-faced?!
They were both parentless and homeless, so why did he get special treatment?!
For some reason, Qiao Yu seemed to catch the scent of a conspiracy. So he said nothing and instead bent down to turn on the laptop on the desk.
The computer required a password. Qiao Yu tilted his head and looked at the other three.
Before he could speak, the keyboard suddenly began moving on its own. In the next second, the screen switched rapidly and turned into a meticulously rendered landscape painting.
Qiao Yu blinked.
Had this thing become sentient or what??
No one noticed that the phone in Qiao Yu’s pocket suddenly lit up for an instant, then switched back to the lock screen in the blink of an eye.
Qiao Yu didn’t make a fuss either. He reached out and opened the chat app on the computer. The account had “remember password” enabled and could log in automatically.
Right at the top was the chat history between Lai Xinrong and the Dorm Superintendent.
[September 31, 2022.
Dorm Superintendent: Give me three million, or I’ll expose this.]
So the principal had some kind of dirt in the Dorm Superintendent’s hands?
The most likely thing was Lu Ruan killing No. 56.
But why would a father who didn’t dote on his daughter help cover something like that up for her?
Out of habit, Qiao Yu rubbed his palm with the pad of his finger. His gaze skimmed over the neatly placed nameplate on the desk, and his eyes lit up.
Lai Xinrong wasn’t just No. 60’s father. He was also the principal of Yucai Academy.
His own daughter committing murder-if that fell back on him, the consequences would be severe!
If this got out, the school would no longer be able to keep operating, and he might very well be removed from his position.
Qiao Yu looked at the unanswered chat box and formed a guess.
How could anyone hand over that much money just because they were told to? It seemed the two of them must have fallen out during negotiations.
Could that hundred-thousand-yuan salary have been meant to appease the Dorm Superintendent first?
No wonder… a Dorm Superintendent earned even more than the Painted-Skin Ghost, a homeroom teacher.
Qiao Yu closed the chat window and kept looking down.
There were still messages from many other people below. But before Qiao Yu could continue, Shang Yan produced a bottle of water from who knew where and handed it over, his gaze lingering on Qiao Yu’s dry lips. “Have some water?”
Qiao Yu took the mineral water and tilted his neck back to drink. His slender neck was as smooth as cream, and as he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. The person beside him turned his gaze away as if he’d been scalded.
Qiao Yu lowered the bottle, glanced sidelong at the tips of Shang Yan’s ears, which had turned completely red, and curved his lips into a faint, beautiful smile. “Where did the water come from?”
Shang Yan was still a little dazed. Only belatedly did he let out a confused, “Huh?”
Qiao Yu narrowed his eyes, danger showing in his gaze. “Didn’t you say you couldn’t open the Live Stream Room? So where did the water come from?”
Shang Yan: “…”
Qiao Yu tossed the bottle back to him, set his fingers on the keyboard, and stared at the screen. His voice dropped several degrees colder. “I’ll put it on your tab for now. Once we leave the Instance, I’ll settle accounts with you.”
Shang Yan: o(╥﹏╥)o
Seeing this, No. 16 burst out laughing, delighted to stir the pot. “Simp, simp. The more you simp, the less you’ll get.”
Shang Yan looked over expressionlessly.
And who the hell do you think you are, daring to mock me?
That was what he thought, but what came out of his mouth was infuriating enough to make a person drop dead. “Can’t help it. I’m good-looking, so I’m the exception. You can’t compare~”
No. 16: “…”
Both of them were seriously petty.