Aufbau einer harmonischen Lieddynastie

Kapitel 5

At this moment, Li Sixia was unusually cheerful, and smiled, "It's nothing. I should be the one apologizing; about what happened at noon… I really troubled you."

"It's alright, I understand." Zhuo Jiasi then took out a stack of letters and handed them to him, saying, "I've brought the letters, take a good look at them. Perhaps this will give Xia Youcai justice!"

Li Sixia took the letters and read them carefully, one after another, her brows furrowed tightly. Zhuo Jiasi was also very nervous; she was afraid it was Xia Youcai, but also afraid it wasn't. It seemed that no matter the outcome, there would be suspense.

After a long pause, Li Sixia said with a puzzled look, "Some of the artworks inside are indeed in Xia Youcai's style, but the handwriting is completely from someone else."

Another person? Zhuo Jiasi was stunned. Who else would use Su Mu's name to get to know her? Li Sixia, however, deliberately laughed loudly: "Zhuo Jiasi, could it be that someone in this school has a crush on you?"

Section 27: Chapter 3 The Girl in the White Dress (6)

Zhuo Jiasi hadn't expected Li Sixia to say something like that, and her face immediately turned bright red. She said embarrassedly, "How could that be? By the way, please apologize to Xia Youcai for me. I didn't realize I'd really wronged her."

"Hehe, thankfully it wasn't her." Li Sixia turned her head and said, "But since that's the case, she should know who wrote the letter to you, right? I'll go ask her for you later."

After exchanging only a few words, they fell silent. But Zhuo Jiasi felt a serene beauty in this silence, as if sunflowers were blooming in her heart, as if she were bathed in quiet sunlight. She couldn't help but softly ask, "Su Mu…do you really love drawing sunflowers in the afternoon sun?"

Li Sixia's eyes immediately filled with sadness, and she sighed, "Yes. Before he died, we often drew sunflowers together on this rooftop. Those were truly beautiful times. We were classmates from elementary school all the way to university, but I never expected him to suddenly have such a moment of despair and jump off the building. Perhaps, it was my fault too..."

Actually, Zhuo Jiasi really wanted to know about their past, but then she thought, why would Li Sixia tell her, a complete stranger, such things? So she casually asked, "So, do you love Xia Youcai?"

Li Sixia stared at her blankly, remaining silent for a long time. Just as he was about to speak, his phone rang. It seemed like a very ominous sign; Li Sixia's face grew increasingly pale, his pupils dilated rapidly, and even his lips began to tremble involuntarily. Hanging up the phone, he completely ignored Zhuo Jiasi's presence, grabbed his easel, and ran out of the rooftop.

Zhuo Jiasi called out anxiously, "Li Sixia, where are you going? What happened?" But the slender figure never turned around, leaving her standing there blankly, not knowing what had happened. The letters "Su Mu" had written to her were scattered on the ground in the wind. Suddenly, she felt a throbbing pain in her eyes, as if tears were surging and escaping from her eyes.

Feeling utterly dejected, Zhuo Jiasi lost all interest in going to evening self-study. The dormitory was empty; she lay helplessly on her bed, only to discover to her surprise that the picture of a girl committing suicide in a bathtub had returned.

Didn't I already return it to Li Sixia? How could it be back?

Zhuo Jiasi rubbed her eyes hard in disbelief. Yes, it was that picture of a girl committing suicide in the bathtub again. She couldn't help but lean closer to examine it, and the blood in it seemed increasingly real, as if it were surging and choking her chest. Just as she was about to vomit, she heard the sound of running water from the bathroom. Alarmed, she asked, "Who's in there?"

There was no response, only the sound of rushing water. Zhuo Jiasi nervously walked over and gently pushed open the door, only to find Zuo Feifei standing under the showerhead. She was naked, her eyes strangely eerie, water splashing all over her body, as if she were crying and saying, "Xiao Chuhan, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mocked you all the time, please forgive me." As she spoke, she slashed her wrist with a knife, blood mingling with the water and instantly spreading throughout the bathroom.

"No!" Zhuo Jiasi screamed almost hoarsely, watching as blood slowly flowed over, staining her white sneakers red. Zuo Feifei, however, lay smiling in the pool of blood, as beautiful as Xiao Chuhan's last smile before death, her wide-open eyes filled with pale despair.

Zhuo Jiasi was almost completely captivated. She covered her eyes and ran out of the bathroom. The sound of water seemed to fade away. She cautiously released her hands, only to see the girl from the painting walking towards her, a dazed smile on her face, slowly raising the knife towards her…

Section 28: Chapter 3 The Girl in the White Dress (7)

18

"No, no!" For some reason, Zhuo Jiasi seemed to have entered a completely dark space. Xia Youcai stepped out of the painting, chasing after her relentlessly with a knife in hand, the blood on her wrist seemingly never-ending, spreading behind her like an endless river. Finally, she mustered her last strength and shouted, "Xia Youcai, get away from me!"

The words had barely faded when light returned. It seemed to be morning, and Mu Xiang, Tao Hua, and Zuo Feifei were watching her with concern. Zhuo Jiasi was terrified by the surreal scene and threw herself into Mu Xiang's arms, crying, "Xia Youcai is going to kill me! She's coming to kill me!"

No one could stop her fear. Finally, Mu Xiang grabbed her shoulders and shouted, "Zhuo Jiasi, what you saw was just a dream. Xia Youcai is dead; she couldn't possibly be here to kill you!"

Dead? Zhuo Jiasi's head was buzzing; it was a complete shock. She finally woke up from the nightmare, only to find that the picture of the girl committing suicide in the bathtub wasn't there at all in the dormitory. How could Xia Youcai be dead? Zhuo Jiasi grabbed Mu Xiang's wrist tightly, asking urgently, "How could she be dead? How could she be dead…"

Mu Xiang appeared unusually calm and said peacefully, "Her body was found in a hotel outside the school; it's said she committed suicide by cutting her wrists in the bathtub."

What a coincidence! Zhuo Jiasi recalled the painting again, and murmured absentmindedly, "Xia Youcai is dead. She really did die by cutting her wrists." A desperate and terrifying scene seemed to appear before her eyes: icy water spread over Xia Youcai's body, her empty eyes stared at the endless points of light, and she finally revealed a strange and bewildering smile, picked up a knife and slashed her wrists hard, the blood spreading wildly like a river.

The other three were completely unable to comfort Zhuo Jiasi and could only stand there anxiously. Suddenly, as if remembering something, Zhuo Jiasi immediately grabbed Zuo Feifei's hand tightly, scrutinizing it repeatedly. Zuo Feifei, in unbearable pain, cried out and broke free. But Zhuo Jiasi breathed a sigh of relief, smiling as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and said, "Thank goodness, Feifei is alright."

Zuo Feifei, unaware of what had happened, stared wide-eyed at Zhuo Jiasi. After a long while, Zhuo Jiasi's emotions gradually calmed down. Mu Xiang then asked hesitantly, "Jiasi, what happened to you last night? We found you sleeping on the balcony when we got back."

Was everything she saw yesterday just a nightmare? Zhuo Jiasi didn't want to bring it up again, so she forced a smile and said, "It's nothing. I'm fine now, go get ready for class."

They all looked at Zhuo Jiasi with puzzled eyes, but didn't ask any further questions, and went to their respective classrooms.

For the entire morning, Zhuo Jiasi hadn't calmed down for a moment. Not only was she shaken, but the discussions around her were too. Xia Youcai's death seemed to have shocked the entire school; everyone was talking about her, their words a mixture of horror and regret. Was it really the "beauty effect"? Zhuo Jiasi gave a bitter smile, recalling Li Sixia's panic yesterday afternoon. Perhaps he rushed to see Xia Youcai one last time; he seemed to care about her deeply, he must have loved her very, very much.

Some people were actually placing their suspicions on Li Sixia. A classmate nearby whispered mysteriously to another, "Xia Youcai's death is definitely related to that kid Li Sixia! According to Xia Youcai's roommate, she went to that hotel at Li Sixia's behest. That guy usually pretends to be so gentle, but now he's finally showing his true colors."

Section 29: Chapter 3 The Girl in the White Dress (8)

Another classmate scoffed, "What a Wenhe! I heard he not only plagiarized his good friend Su Mu's work, but also stole Su Mu's girlfriend. See? The woman he stole didn't please him; he really didn't end up well!"

Zhuo Jiasi grew increasingly angry as she listened, finally unable to contain herself any longer. She stood up, slammed her hand on the table, and roared, "Shut up! How can you spout such nonsense?"

Just as the two classmates were about to argue with her, they heard Li Sixia's voice from outside the door. Behind him were two policemen who asked sternly, "You must be Zhuo Jiasi? Please come with us!"

Zhuo Jiasi, unaware of what was happening, inexplicably followed them outside, sensing the growing murmur of gossip behind her. Once in a secluded spot, she learned the police had come to verify Li Sixia's alibi. All of Xia Youcai's roommates said they saw her excitedly getting dressed, saying she was going on a date with Li Sixia. Zhuo Jiasi naturally answered the questions truthfully, and the two policemen stopped pursuing Li Sixia's case, only instructing her, "Don't leave the school unless absolutely necessary; we might need to contact you at any time."

"Didn't you say... you were going to commit suicide?" Zhuo Jiasi asked tentatively. But Li Sixia's face was full of fatigue, and her eyes were pale and unfocused. She only said "Thank you for your help" perfunctorily, and then disappeared from her sight without looking back.

Back in the classroom, everyone started pointing and whispering about Zhuo Jiasi. There would definitely be more rumors circulating, she thought, pretending not to care as they talked, but secretly she overheard something. It turned out that although Xia Youcai committed suicide, she had taken a large amount of hallucinogenic drugs before cutting her wrists, so the police suspected it might be a meticulously planned murder.

No wonder Li Sixia looked so pale; Zhuo Jiasi suddenly felt worried for him. He must be blaming himself for not taking better care of Xia Youcai. Just as she thought this, a note was slipped to her. It was written by Yao Xiaomo: "Jiasi, everyone's saying that Li Sixia murdered Xia Youcai because he fell in love with you. You should stay away from him from now on."

Zhuo Jiasi was somewhat annoyed and wanted to vent her anger, but she tried her best to hold back. She glanced at the note again and gave Yao Xiaomo a grateful look. Yao Xiaomo smiled faintly, then lowered her head again to read the English carefully.

19

Just as get out of class ended, Mu Xiang was already waiting for Zhuo Jiasi at the classroom door. She pulled Zhuo Jiasi aside in a panic, saying worriedly, "Zhuo Jiasi, do you know what the whole school is talking about? They're all saying Li Sixia is the main culprit in Xia Youcai's murder, and you're his accomplice!"

In front of Mu Xiang, Zhuo Jiasi finally unleashed the anger she had been holding back, shouting, "They're not police officers, what right do they have to talk nonsense?" Clearly, many people around heard her, but they still ignored her and kept their heads down, whispering amongst themselves, leaving Zhuo Jiasi feeling helpless.

After listening to Zhuo Jiasi recount the events, Mu Xiang said thoughtfully, "Jiasi, it seems we absolutely must find 'Su Mu.' He might be the real murderer!"

"Su Mu?" Zhuo Jiasi said in surprise, "He...wasn't he dead a long time ago?"

"Silly girl," Mu Xiang tapped her head and said, "I'm talking about 'Su Mu,' the one who wrote you the letter. Think about it, you were about to find out his true identity from Xia Youcai, but Xia Youcai suddenly died. Don't you think he must be involved in this?"

Zhuo Jiasi agreed, but thinking of Xia Youcai's tragic death, she said uneasily, "Xia Youcai is already like this, I'm afraid if we investigate further, we'll also..."

Section 30: Chapter Three - The Girl in the White Dress (9)

Before she could finish speaking, Mu Xiang interrupted her, firmly taking her hand and saying, "Jia Si, we must get to the bottom of this. He spent three years luring you to Chujiang University; I believe his ultimate target is you."

Zhuo Jiasi broke out in a cold sweat, terrified. Mu Xiang's deduction was absolutely correct. Yes, who would waste time on someone else? There must be a premeditated plot hidden in these communications. She suddenly felt surrounded by terror, as if a bloodthirsty maw was lurking in the shadows, ready to devour her at any moment.

After their discussion, the two returned to their dormitory with unease. Strangely, the picture of the girl committing suicide in the bathtub was returned to the dormitory! Gazing at the suicidal girl in the bathtub, the two seemed to see Xia Youcai reaching out to them, luring them with a smile to another world.

Zuo Feifei interrupted their thoughts first, apologizing, "I'm so sorry. Li Sixia kept begging me to let this painting stay in dormitory 514 for seven days so that Xia Youcai could leave in peace. He was almost crying when he begged, and I felt bad, so I had no choice but to bring it back."

Tao Hua slammed her hand on the keyboard in a fit of anger, saying with disgust, "The person in the picture is clearly Xia Youcai. Why put a picture of a dead person in the dorm? Are we supposed to treat her as a memorial portrait? Feifei is really something, falling for a handsome man's charm so easily."

"No way..." Zuo Feifei muttered, "I just couldn't refuse their kind offer. Besides, Xia Youcai and Su Mu used to be a close couple. Isn't it remarkable that Li Sixia, the third party, made such a decision in the end?"

At this moment, Tao Hua said mysteriously, "Actually, let me tell you, Xia Youcai, that fickle woman, was definitely killed by Su Mu. Otherwise, why would he have painted such a cursed picture before he died? And, just like the way it was depicted in the painting, Xia Youcai committed suicide by cutting her wrists in the bathtub!"

"Tao Hua, don't talk nonsense here!" Zhuo Jiasi finally couldn't help but refute Tao Hua, arguing, "Didn't many people say that Su Mu was a very excellent and kind boy? Besides, he's already dead, how could he harm Xia Youcai!"

Tao Hua glanced at her disdainfully and said loudly, "Even the most outstanding and kindest people can do terrible things when they're desperate! There's a kind of witchcraft called 'death curse,' haven't you heard of it? I noticed it a long time ago; the word 'curse' was written in the corner of that painting. I've heard that if a person leaves all their resentment on their belongings before committing suicide, they will possess the most evil power!"

"Meow!" Suddenly, the black cat jumped off the bed and perched on Tao Hua's shoulder, scratching her face hard. Startled, Tao Hua quickly pushed the cat away and screamed. The other three, who had just been horrified, burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs. Zuo Feifei even gloated, "I think someone's cursing Miss Tao Hua."

"Go away, go away!" Tao Hua kicked the black cat hard, angrily saying, "That ugly thing, it never takes care of its cat properly. I really want to kill it, that damned ugly thing."

The black cat whimpered, clutching its belly, and glared fiercely at Tao Hua; its green eyes were chilling. Tao Hua was about to kick it again, but it immediately scrambled to its feet and ran quickly out of the passageway.

20

Wu Qiuyang still hadn't returned by dormitory closing time, nor had the black cat. Zhuo Jiasi listened to the breathing of the others as they drifted off to sleep, but she was tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Her gaze never left the picture of the girl committing suicide in the bathtub, as if she felt something was about to happen. The fragrance of flowers wafted through the midnight air again. Zhuo Jiasi gritted her teeth and pinched her thigh hard, determined to clearly see whether what she had seen last time was truly an illusion.

Section 31: Chapter Three - The Girl in the White Dress (10)

The fragrance of the flowers finally faded, and Zhuo Jiasi's drowsiness vanished instantly. Sure enough, the sound of marbles came from upstairs again, spreading from her left ear to her right, a lingering scent of fear seeping into her heart. Zuo Feifei was up again! Her eyes were strangely unfocused as she slowly walked to the painting, then squatted down, tears streaming down her face, as if mourning the deceased Xia Youcai. Did this painting truly possess a curse? Despite having experienced similar situations before, Zhuo Jiasi's heart still pounded fiercely. Just as she was about to get out of bed, she saw Mu Xiang sit up. She seemed to be awake, gesturing for Zhuo Jiasi not to disturb Zuo Feifei.

Strangely, this time Zuo Feifei didn't pull out a knife; instead, she searched for something on the ceiling. The sound of marbles continued incessantly, echoing in dormitory 514 as a flickering sense of dread. After a while, Zuo Feifei picked up the picture of a girl committing suicide in the bathtub, placed it in the bathroom, opened the dormitory door, and ran outside.

Zhuo Jiasi was still hesitating about whether to follow, but Mu Xiang ran over and pulled her along, saying softly, "Let's follow them and see what happened."

To their surprise, once they left the dormitory, they couldn't find Zuo Feifei anywhere; the corridor was eerily quiet and empty. They decided to search the communal restrooms and the rooftop. Staring into the dimly lit corridor, hearing only the faint sound of the wind, they suddenly felt a chill. Zhuo Jiasi guessed Zuo Feifei must be in the communal restroom, but Mu Xiang said, "Jiasi, let's check the rooftop first. There's this sound of marbles every night at midnight; who could be playing tricks up there?"

Thinking about this, Zhuo Jiasi also felt strange. How could she be so afraid without thinking of finding out the truth? So, the two of them walked towards the rooftop hand in hand.

The rooftop door was always locked, but unexpectedly it was loose. With a gentle push, the door opened.

There really was someone on the rooftop! It was a girl in a white dress, sitting on the rooftop railing, singing softly, the wind ruffling her hair. Zhuo Jiasi and Mu Xiang were both stunned, feeling that the girl possessed an ethereal beauty. Although they couldn't see her face clearly, they felt that she must have a beautiful appearance, and even forgot their fear from before.

After the song ended, Zhuo Jiasi, completely forgetting her current predicament, clapped excitedly. Mu Xiang was startled and quickly pulled her towards the stairwell, but the girl still saw her. She lightly jumped down from the railing, her white gauze skirt trailing on the ground, bathed in the moonlight. Both of them held their breath, watching the girl slowly approach. Who could be singing alone on the rooftop at midnight?

It was Wu Qiuyang! The two were even more incredulous. She always dressed in dark colors, never wore skirts, and rarely spoke.

The woman before them, though still bearing an ugly scar on her face, possessed a captivating beauty accentuated by her long dress. She completely ignored their astonishment, merely glancing at them indifferently before walking off the rooftop on her own.

Mu Xiang stood there dumbfounded, unsure what to do, while Zhuo Jiasi, trembling, shouted loudly into the stairwell, "Wu Qiuyang, just now... were you playing marbles?"

Wu Qiuyang slowly turned around, her eyes filled with deep resentment, and coldly replied, "I'm not a child, why would I play marbles?" After saying that, she turned around and went downstairs without looking back, leaving in a hurry without making a sound.

The two stared at the empty rooftop, puzzled, feeling the chill of the wind seeping into their bodies. Zhuo Jiasi squeezed Mu Xiang's hand and said helplessly, "Let's hurry down and check if Feifei is in the public restroom."

Section 32: Chapter Three - The Girl in the White Dress (11)

But just as the two entered the corridor, they heard the sound of marbles again. Zhuo Jiasi felt something rubbing and bumping under her feet. Looking down, she saw a marble rolling back and forth beside her. She bent down to pick it up, but felt Mu Xiang pull her back sharply.

Mu Xiang's face turned ashen with fright. Pointing at the public restroom at the end of the corridor, she shouted, "Zuo Feifei, don't come any closer!"

Zhuo Jiasi followed the finger, looking nervously towards the end of the corridor, but there was nothing there. She breathed a sigh of relief, gripping Mu Xiang's hand tightly, and said, "There's clearly no one there. You must have seen wrong."

"How is this possible?" Mu Xiang said in fear, "I just... I clearly saw Zuo Feifei walking towards me with a knife, and... and her wrist was bleeding!"

Hearing this, Zhuo Jiasi seemed to remember something and hurriedly pulled Mu Xiang, saying, "Hurry! Let's go back to the dormitory!"

As expected, Zuo Feifei returned to the picture of the girl committing suicide in the bathtub, holding a knife to her wrist, ready to strike. Her eyes were fixed on Xia Youcai's face, as if she had merged into Xia Youcai's world, her expression overflowing with intoxication. At this critical moment, Zhuo Jiasi rushed forward and snatched the knife from Zuo Feifei. The knife fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Mu Xiang turned on the light, and Tao Hua woke up. Zuo Feifei seemed to have just experienced a nightmare, staring blankly at everything around her. Listening to Zhuo Jiasi recount what had happened, Tao Hua couldn't help but shout, "Feifei, do you have sleepwalking disorder? How could you do something so terrible? Shouldn't you go to the hospital for a checkup?"

Zuo Feifei stood there helplessly, her ten fingers twisting nervously inside the hem of her pajamas. Zhuo Jiasi put her arms around her shoulders and said like she was coaxing a child, "Feifei, be good. Listen to me, no matter what, let's go to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow."

Zuo Feifei didn't know what to do either, so she just nodded blankly, went to bed quietly, hugged her knees, and fell asleep.

It was another night of terror. Zhuo Jiasi felt that since arriving at dormitory 514, not a single day had been peaceful. What terrifying sounds were lurking here? Also, Wu Qiuyang still hadn't returned, but the black cat's eyes were still gleaming with an eerie green light in the darkness.

Section 33: Chapter Four - Xiao Chuhan's Curse (1)

Chapter Four: Xiao Chuhan's Curse

twenty one

Finally, morning arrived; it was a rare weekend.

Zhuo Jiasi woke up early, got out of bed, shook Zuo Feifei awake, and whispered in her ear, "Feifei, get up quickly. Let's go to the hospital together."

Zuo Feifei looked pained, but still nodded heavily. Tao Hua, usually so self-absorbed, offered a rare apology: "I'm sorry, I promised Dad I'd come home for dinner today, so..."

Zuo Feifei said, "It's alright. Tao Hua, you go ahead and do your work. I have Jia Si and Mu Xiang to keep me company."

Zhuo Jiasi suddenly felt that Zuo Feifei had shown Tao Hua a rare favor. Such an arrogant girl, yet she was always humble and tolerant towards Zuo Feifei, and never complained.

Wu Qiuyang probably returned at dawn and was still fast asleep in bed. Thinking about the relationship between Tao Hua and Wu Qiuyang, Zhuo Jiasi felt a tightness in her chest. She always felt that Wu Qiuyang's heart was filled with loneliness and helplessness. Otherwise, why would she run to the rooftop in the middle of the night and sing so sadly that she wanted to cry?

After several nights of turmoil, Zuo Feifei looked extremely haggard. Zhuo Jiasi and Mu Xiang helped her to the hospital, neither of them mentioning the events of the previous night. The doctor kept Zuo Feifei alone while the others waited outside, as if they preferred that Zuo Feifei was simply suffering from sleepwalking.

Zhuo Jiasi paced anxiously back and forth. Mu Xiang, who had been quiet all along, suddenly spoke up: "Jiasi, do you think... after we went down the corridor yesterday, the person who appeared in the public restroom might have been Wu Qiuyang?"