Fourth Campus

Chapter 7

This is a private hospital room with snow-white walls and spotless sheets; it's very clean. My bed is next to the window, and the morning sunlight streams into the room through the glass. There's a bouquet of flowers on the bedside table.

I don't know how long I've been lying here. I tried to sit up, but my whole body was sore and weak, so I could only lie still. My arm, which had been stabbed by Ling Min, was now bandaged, and the pain had lessened considerably. I stared at the ceiling and began to recall what had happened.

What happened to Hu Xiaoli? Why did Lingmin stab me with scissors? What did they encounter? Could it be that terrifying woman who was chasing me—no, a female ghost?

I've never believed in ghosts. Even what happened with Reiko Maeda in the reading room didn't completely convince me. But now, I'm starting to believe. This time, it was so close.

As I was thinking, I fell asleep again.

When I woke up again, it was already noon, and my roommates Xu Zhifei, Zhao Jun, and Lin Duyu were sitting by my bed.

"You're awake. Are you feeling better? You've been asleep for two days and two nights," Xu Zhifei said. Only then did I realize how long I had been lying down.

"I feel much better, thank you all."

"Were you robbed?" Lin Duyu asked half-jokingly. "Can you move your hand now?"

I raised my arm. "I can mostly move it, but it still hurts a little."

"It's good that you're awake. Focus on recovering. We brought you some fruit." Zhao Jun pointed to the bag he was carrying.

"Thank you everyone." I suddenly felt a warmth, the warmth of friendship.

"By the way, who took me to the hospital?" I suddenly thought of this question.

"I don't know," Xu Zhifei said. "We only found out after hearing about it; at first, we didn't believe you were in trouble."

"And another thing, did you know that a woman went crazy?" Lin Duyu interrupted hastily.

"Crazy? Is it too sensitive?" I asked.

"Yes, yes, that's her," Lin Duyu continued, "and the dance team leader is also still in a coma and hasn't woken up yet."

Just then, there was a knock on the door: "Excuse me, is Lin Yuan in this ward?"

It was Meng Na's voice. I struggled to sit up in bed.

"Hehe, a beautiful lady is visiting, so we'd better leave for now." Lin Duyu made a face.

"Don't talk nonsense, we're just ordinary friends."

"Hehe, don't explain, it'll only make things worse. We should head back, we haven't had lunch yet," Xu Zhifei said.

"Get some rest and don't think too much. We're leaving." Zhao Jun was still the same, always so indifferent.

After Zhao Jun and the others left, Meng Na sat down next to me.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you? I just passed by the cafeteria and bought a boxed lunch." Meng Na said as she opened the heavy plastic bag.

"Oh, I can't accept this. You've gone to so much trouble." I said this, but I was secretly overjoyed.

Mengna smiled. "You're too kind. Can you move your hands? If not, I'll feed you."

"I can do it myself." I took the lunchbox with my uninjured hand.

"Mmm, it tastes really good," I said as I ate.

"Lin Yuan, I was the one who brought you here that day. Can you tell me what exactly happened?"

I was taken aback for a moment. "Meng Na, thank you first, but you wouldn't believe what happened that night even if I told you."

Mengna smiled. "I will believe everything you say, because we are all experiencing things that ordinary people cannot."

I put down my lunchbox, ready to recount everything that had happened that night, but just then someone knocked on the door again. A young policeman in uniform arrived.

"My name is Chen Yiming, and this is my identification," the policeman introduced himself, pulling out his badge. "I'm here to investigate the case of your stabbing." He glanced at Meng Na, then turned to me and said, "If it's convenient, I'd like to speak with you privately."

Mengna is the kind of girl who is very good at reading people. When she heard this, she smiled and said to me, "I have class this afternoon, so I'll go first. Call my dorm if you need anything." After saying that, she handed me a note and left.

"Damn cops," I cursed inwardly.

Chen Yiming closed the ward door and sat down by my bedside. "Alright, we can get down to business now."

"What do you want to know?" I asked, a little annoyed.

"I want to know how you injured your hand. Also, in your Youth League Committee office, one female student is unconscious, and another has gone insane. What happened? According to my preliminary investigation, you were together when the incident occurred."

I shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice into the trash can, then threw the lunchbox in. To be honest, I had no appetite at all; the presence of this policeman had seriously affected my mood. "Are you doubting me?" I asked curtly.

"I was just casually looking into the situation. I didn't say I had any doubts. Before things are cleared up, anyone can be suspected, including me." He smiled as he said this.

The Fourth Campus: The Woman in White (2)

"My arm was stabbed by Lingmin, the girl you mentioned who went crazy."

Why did she stab you?

"How should I know?"

"There were only the three of you at the time, right?" Chen Yiming pressed on.

I didn't answer. I didn't know how to answer, and I didn't want to answer. Even if I did, he wouldn't believe me. "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well and I want to rest," I said, beginning to tell him to leave.

Chen Yiming reluctantly stood up. "Okay, you get some rest. I'll come back in a few days. I hope you can cooperate with our work."

PART 4.

After a week in the hospital, my hand finally returned to normal. The day before I was discharged, my class advisor came to visit me. She was a woman about our age. Although she didn't teach classes, I had heard that she was a very knowledgeable female professor. I had seen some of her papers on genetics in academic journals. Although I didn't understand them very well, I had always admired her.

I remember when we first entered the school, we were so happy to have such a class teacher. She was around the same age, easy to communicate with, and very beautiful; she was practically the school's most beautiful teacher.

I thought she would ask the same questions that damned policeman had asked, but she only cared about my injuries, telling me to take good care of myself and not worry about falling behind in my studies. She had always cared for and loved all of us students like an older sister. Several times I couldn't help but want to tell her everything that had happened recently, but each time the words got stuck in my throat. I truly dared not hope that anyone who wasn't involved would believe it all.

When I was discharged, I learned that Hu Xiaoli was in the next room, still unconscious. I hoped she would be alright, and I also wanted to know what had happened in the office that night. Her homeroom teacher told me that her condition was very serious; extreme shock had caused a myocardial infarction, and prolonged oxygen deprivation to the brain had caused severe damage. Although she had passed the critical period, it was hard to say whether she would wake up. Now, all I can do is silently pray for her.

Everything was back to normal, and I returned to my studies. I knew this peace was temporary, so I tried my best not to think about those upsetting things. But often, the things you try not to think about will find you. Gossip about me started circulating on campus. One weekend evening, while I was taking a walk, Maeda Reiko approached me again.

"Lin Yuan-kun, I'm so sorry I haven't been able to visit you. Are you feeling better?"

"I'm alright, basically fine now. You must have heard about what happened that day."

Reiko Maeda nodded. "Yes, I've heard about it. Although I don't know the specifics, I've guessed what's going on."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Reiko Maeda looked me in the eyes. "She came to see you that night, didn't she?"

Upon hearing this, I was reminded of the terrifying scene from that night, of that shadow, that voice, and that long hair, and I shuddered.

"Yes," I said, "I only saw long hair and heard a woman's voice, but I didn't see her body or face."

"She spoke to you?" Maeda Reiko's expression also turned somewhat fearful.

"No, she didn't talk to me; she was just talking to herself."

What did she say?

She said, "I killed myself."

Reiko Maeda's face turned pale again, just like that day in the reading room. "It's her, it really is her!"

"Nami Ikeda?"

She didn't answer, but nodded seriously, then shook her head.

"Is it yes or no?" I asked anxiously.

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, I can't be sure."

"Could it be that besides her, someone else has been watching our every move? And Nami Ikeda is dead. I don't believe in spirits, besides," I shouted at Reiko Maeda to mask my fear, "if she's a ghost, why does she have a shadow?"

"Lin Yuan-kun, don't get so agitated. Yes, the dead shouldn't have shadows, but don't forget the female ghost incident I told you about. I also had you investigate it, which is why you found Ling Min and encountered 'her'."

"Then tell me, is she a human or a ghost?!"

"Hayahara-kun, I really don't know. I don't know what she is, and I can't be sure if she is Ikeda Nami! Ikeda Nami didn't have long hair when she died; her hair was just shoulder-length! I'm terrified. I can't forget her hideous face to this day, do you understand? But I have to investigate." Maeda Reiko's eyes were filled with tears.

I gently patted her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Reiko."

She wiped away her tears. "It's okay." Then she looked up at me resolutely. "Lin Yuan-kun, we'll encounter many more similar incidents in the future. No matter what, let's trust each other, overcome difficulties together, and find out the truth, okay?"

"Yes." I was moved by Reiko Maeda's sincerity and nodded vigorously.

"You don't seem to be in a good mood today, shall we talk another day?" she said.

"good."

PART 5.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier. I lay on my bed in the dorm, listening to the rain outside the window, and felt annoyed again. Lin Duyu was sitting on the bed playing the guitar, and Xu Zhifei was drawing comics. I started to envy them.

"Lin Yuan, have you heard about the bad rumors circulating about you in class lately?" Xu Zhifei broke the silence.

I sat up, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag. "I know, but things aren't as they think."

As Xu Zhifei drew, he said, "I know that Du Yu and I both believe it's fabricated, but could you tell us what happened that night? If you don't want to talk about it, we won't force you, but if you can't explain it clearly, I'm worried you might lose your position as head of the student associations department."

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

Lin Duyu stopped playing his music. "Because these rumors will quickly spread throughout the school. One person went crazy, another fainted, and there were only the three of you there. You were stabbed by that crazy girl, and they didn't even say what happened. No wonder people will connect it to bad things."

The Woman in White (3) from "The Fourth Campus"

I took another deep drag of my cigarette. "What they think is their business. In any case, I didn't do anything to those two girls."

Lin Duyu asked, "Lin Yuan, would you consider us good friends?"

"Of course, I've always considered you all good friends."

"Since that's the case, tell us what happened that day. Don't hide it from us. You know, you've changed a lot lately. You weren't like this before, but you've been very quiet lately. Tell us what's on your mind; maybe we can share it together."

Before I could even speak, Xu Zhifei chimed in, "Yeah, ever since you met that Maeda Reiko, you've been acting strange. You didn't join the Séance Society, did you?"

"There are many things you cannot understand," I said.

Xu Zhifei stopped painting. "Yes, we can't know for sure, that's why we're asking you. Many things don't come from nowhere. Although I'm often a bit confused, I can still see this change in you."

Lin Duyu continued, "We've also heard rumors about the woods behind that iron gate we used to spy on, so please tell us so we can share in the burden."

"How did you know that what happened that night was related to that place?" I asked in surprise.

"A guess," Lin Duyu said. "First, we believe you couldn't have done anything inappropriate to those two girls; second, we've inquired about the girl who's still unconscious—she was extremely frightened, and the one who went insane was also extremely frightened; finally, what exactly caused their fright? It's very likely you were the one who frightened them, but we know it wasn't you."

"Why couldn't it be me?"

"Because," Lin Duyu paused, "that crazy woman once saw something unbelievable."

I took another deep drag of my cigarette, tossed away the nearly burnt-out butt, and asked, "You've already started the investigation?"