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Capítulo 12

It wasn't until after midnight that the three of them, exhausted from the fear, finally collapsed onto their beds. Zhuo Jiasi took a deep breath of the wafting floral scent, feeling her eyelids as heavy as lead, and finally drifted off to sleep.

She hadn't been asleep long when Zhuo Jiasi felt someone gently patting her shoulder. It was Mu Xiang. Her face filled with terror, her finger trembling as she pointed to the ceiling, and she whispered, "Jiasi, the marbles are playing again."

Zhuo Jiasi initially intended to ignore the sound, just like she had done the previous days, but then she saw Zuo Feifei suddenly sit up. She bit her lip, not daring to respond to Mu Xiang's words. Zuo Feifei, with her usual cold expression, slowly walked towards Mu Xiang, reaching for her neck. In this critical moment, Zhuo Jiasi finally pushed Mu Xiang away, shouting, "Feifei, what are you doing now?"

Mu Xiang was pushed to the dormitory door before she saw Zuo Feifei slowly walking towards her. Ignoring the pain, she ran towards the door. Zuo Feifei seemed to have completely lost her hearing, but still followed Mu Xiang out. Zhuo Jiasi hurriedly climbed out of bed, trying to wake Tao Hua, but Tao Hua was fast asleep and didn't respond for a long time. Helpless, she had no choice but to put on her coat and follow her out alone.

The corridor was empty, the dim light casting a hazy, flickering glow on the floor. Zhuo Jiasi felt the coldness in her feet and realized she wasn't wearing shoes, but the dormitory door was locked. She had no choice but to walk barefoot to the end of the corridor. The only sound on the entire floor was the rattling of the public restroom door; Mu Xiang and Zuo Feifei must be there.

"Muxiang..." Zhuo Jiasi's voice trembled slightly, "Feifei, are you inside?"

The door to the public restroom was ajar, and no one could be seen through the crack; only the sound of dripping water could be heard. Mu Xiang seemed to be in the inner stall, repeatedly calling out in fear, "Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!" Then there was the sound of kicking the door; it must have been Zuo Feifei kicking the restroom door.

Zhuo Jiasi took a deep breath and finally rushed in with her eyes closed. But as soon as she entered, she heard a loud crash, and a drawing board fell in front of Zuo Feifei. It was that same drawing of a girl committing suicide in a bathtub!

Mu Xiang had intended to knock her unconscious with the painting and then run away with Zhuo Jiasi, but she discovered that Zuo Feifei had no intention of chasing after them. Zuo Feifei threw away the knife, squatted down, and repeatedly touched the painting with her hands, from Xia Youcai's smiling lips to the black cat's resentful green eyes, and even laughed uncontrollably. When she reached her bleeding wrist, Zuo Feifei began to cry violently again, banging her head against the canvas with extreme force, her expression twisted in agonizing pain.

Zhuo Jiasi wanted to rush forward and hug Zuo Feifei, but she suddenly stopped, then pulled out a knife from her pocket and glared at the two of them menacingly. Zhuo Jiasi had no choice but to stop and shout, "Feifei, what are you doing? Put down the knife!"

Section 71: Chapter Eight - The Cat's Screams (4)

Zuo Feifei didn't answer, her eyes growing even colder. She started laughing again, leaning against the easel, gently rubbing the knife against her wrist, and mumbling, "Xiao Chuhan, wait for me. I'm coming to keep you company, don't be afraid." With that, she closed her eyes and viciously slashed at her wrist with the knife. Mu Xiang, however, had a sudden inspiration and picked up the easel, smashing it against Zuo Feifei's head. The knife fell to the ground, and Zuo Feifei, staring at the painting, clutched her head and fainted.

Fortunately, the knife only grazed her wrist and didn't damage any veins. Zhuo Jiasi and Mu Xiang helped Zuo Feifei up and hurried towards the dormitory. However, Tao Hua was no longer there; only the sound of marbles rolling back and forth remained. Zhuo Jiasi put Zuo Feifei down and saw many marbles rolling at the dormitory entrance. She said worriedly, "Mu Xiang, watch over Feifei for a while; I need to go find Tao Hua."

Tao Hua appeared to have gone out wearing wet slippers; a row of watermarks from her shoes stretched down the corridor to the rooftop. Zhuo Jiasi's heart skipped a beat. They had fallen for a diversionary tactic. If the murderer really was Wu Qiuyang, then her true target was Tao Hua! Without daring to think further, she hurriedly ran up to the rooftop.

Sure enough, Tao Hua sat expressionlessly on the rooftop railing. She had taken a rose from somewhere and was tearing off the petals one by one, muttering fearfully, "She hates me, she doesn't hate me. She hates me, she doesn't hate me..."

Zhuo Jiasi dared not make a move, fearing that Tao Hua would jump down if she went forward, so she pretended to be calm and asked, "Tao Hua, what are you doing sitting there?"

Tao Hua suddenly raised her head, gripped the railing tightly, and said nervously, "Xiao Chuhan, you really came. Don't come any closer. Don't come any closer, I didn't kill you. It wasn't me!"

Zhuo Jiasi was extremely nervous, afraid that Tao Hua would accidentally fall, so she pretended to smile and said, "Tao Hua, it's not your fault. I'm Xiao Chuhan, and I've never blamed you. But if you don't come down, I'll be very angry!"

"Really?" Tao Hua asked excitedly. "Then hurry and call Fei Fei here. I'll explain everything to you. Hurry, hurry..."

Zhuo Jiasi knew that Tao Hua was completely out of control, and perhaps she could only try to coax her down using other methods. She hurriedly said, "Okay, okay, I'll go get Feifei right now." With that, she ran quickly back to the dormitory. But before she even reached the dormitory door, she heard Tao Hua scream. She turned around alertly, only to see a fleeting shadow swaying down the stairs. It was too late to chase after it, so she had to return to the rooftop.

Thankfully, Tao Hua was unharmed. It seemed someone had pushed her, causing her to fall to the center of the rooftop. Zhuo Jiasi frowned. Clearly, this person was trying to save Tao Hua, but why wouldn't they confront them directly?

Zuo Feifei's wound had been bandaged, and Zhuo Jiasi and Mu Xiang had coaxed Tao Hua to sleep. Exhausted, the two decided to take the two to the hospital the next day and then went to sleep.

48

The next morning, Zhuo Jiasi and Mu Xiang got up exceptionally early, wanting to take Zuo Feifei and Tao Hua to the hospital for a check-up over the weekend.

Strangely, both of them seemed to have forgotten what happened in the middle of the night. As soon as Tao Hua woke up, she cried out, "Oh dear, my back hurts so much, it feels like I fell down." Zuo Feifei, on the other hand, just felt very dizzy and kept her head covered by the blanket, refusing to get out of bed.

Could it be hallucinogenic drugs again? Zhuo Jiasi sensed the horror of the situation; someone in the dormitory could so easily poison them. Of course, she couldn't hide it from them anymore. She pulled Tao Hua and Zuo Feifei up and recounted the events of the previous night in detail.

Section 72: Chapter Eight - The Cat's Screams (5)

Tao Hua and Zuo Feifei stared at her in disbelief, their hearts filled with doubt and fear. But when Zuo Feifei raised her hand and saw that there were indeed cuts on her wrist, they finally believed that what Zhuo Jiasi had said was true.

Wu Qiuyang left, but the fear persisted. Tao Hua stood up agitatedly and said angrily, "That ugly hag has moved to the third floor, and she still wants to harm us! I'm going down there to teach her a lesson!"

Zhuo Jiasi went to great lengths to stop Tao Hua. She said earnestly, "Listen, we don't have any evidence right now, so all we can do is protect ourselves."

The words had barely left her lips when Mu Xiang emerged from the bathroom. Her face was pale as she said, "Jia Si, that painting is gone again..."

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Jiasi ran to the bathroom in disbelief. After finding Tao Hua yesterday, she and Mu Xiang clearly took the painting back to the dormitory. Zuo Feifei, somewhat frightened, shrank under the covers, trembling as she said, "Tao Hua, didn't you say that painting was Su Mu's 'death curse'? Is it really that evil…?"

"Pshaw, I don't believe it!" Even though Tao Hua had said it, she herself didn't believe it. "That's just people at school talking nonsense. That ugly girl must have stolen the painting; I'm going to get it back!"

Zhuo Jiasi stopped Tao Hua again, calmly saying, "Everyone's saying room 514 is haunted. I think we should leave this room!"

"Leave?" Tao Hua said unwillingly, "Then where will we go? Jia Si, are you scared?"

"Let's go to your house." Zhuo Jiasi had already come up with a plan. "Didn't you say the day before yesterday that Wu Qiuyang had been taken home by your father? If these strange things still happen if we sleep at your house, then it must be her who did the hallucinogenic drugs. Besides, we can catch her more easily at your house!"

Tao Hua thought it was a good idea and nodded in agreement. Mu Xiang and Zuo Feifei naturally followed suit.

The four of them packed their things and prepared to go to Tao Hua's house to stay, but as soon as they arrived at the dormitory, they saw Lu Shiliu already waiting downstairs. Zuo Feifei happily rushed over, asking in a sweet voice, "Shiliu, what brings you here? We were just about to go to Tao Hua's house to play!"

Lu Shiliu tapped her forehead, pretending to be angry, and said, "Didn't you say yesterday you wanted to come to my school? So I came to pick you up first thing this morning!"

Zuo Feifei suddenly remembered that she had indeed said that yesterday and quickly apologized to Lu Shiliu. Zhuo Jiasi naturally understood and said, "Feifei, since you're not feeling well anyway, why don't you not come with us to Tao Hua's house? Go and have fun with Lu Shiliu."

Seeing Zuo Feifei's happy expression, Tao Hua couldn't resist teasing her, "Feifei, don't get so carried away that you forget about home!"

Zuo Feifei playfully stuck her tongue out at Tao Hua, then smiled and said, "Have fun at Tao Hua's house, but remember to be careful. Sixteen, you wait downstairs for me, I'll go back to the dorm to get some things."

They didn't wait for Zuo Feifei to come down, only instructing Lu Shiliu to take good care of her, before leaving together. However, Mu Xiang kept asking worriedly, "Jia Si, can we really trust Lu Shiliu with Feifei?"

Zhuo Jiasi took her hand and said with a smile, "Muxiang, after everything we've been through, we should believe in Lu Shiliu's feelings for Feifei, right?"

Tao Hua followed, looking envious, and said, "Yeah, Mu Xiang, you wouldn't believe it, I ate with them the other day, and it tasted like the food was all sugar! I was such a third wheel!"

Mu Xiang stopped talking and kept walking with her head down.

Section 73: Chapter Eight - The Cat's Screams (6)

49

Tao Hua's home was luxuriously decorated, but because of her mother's passing, the rooms were quite messy. However, Tao's father was very hospitable, completely setting aside his status as vice principal, and even wore an apron to cook for them in the kitchen. This made Zhuo Jiasi and Mu Xiang feel very embarrassed, and they became extremely uncomfortable playing in the living room, so they ran to Tao Hua's room to play.

Wu Qiuyang's room was right next to Tao Hua's. The door was slightly ajar, and you could vaguely see that there were very few things inside. The cool color scheme made it seem unusually gloomy. Tao Hua's room, on the other hand, was completely different. All kinds of dolls were piled up all over the floor, and beautiful flowers bloomed on the warm-colored curtains.

Mu Xiang's expression was unnatural, and she looked at everything in the room with envy. Zhuo Jiasi felt a pang of sympathy. In fact, Mu Xiang's background was even more humble than Wu Qiuyang's. At least Wu Qiuyang had a mother to raise her and wasn't beaten or scolded by her adoptive father. She suddenly felt a sense of admiration for Mu Xiang's strong will. Growing up in such an environment, her personality was still gentle and transparent.

Zhuo Jia remembered the purpose of coming to Tao Hua's house, so he pressed down on Tao Hua's hand that was clicking the mouse and said unhappily, "Tao Hua, stop just playing around. Have you forgotten why we came here?"

Tao Hua finally realized what was happening, shut down the computer, and said with a silly smile, "I didn't forget, I didn't forget. But Wu Qiuyang hasn't come back yet. According to her usual routine, she usually doesn't get home until after seven o'clock in the evening."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Mr. Tao pushed open the door and came in, smiling broadly, saying, "Dinner is ready, please come and eat."

The three of them went to the dining room for lunch, and strangely, Tao's father had placed an extra bowl of rice there. Mu Xiang couldn't help but ask, "Will Wu Qiuyang be back later?"

Mr. Tao's face flushed slightly as he scratched the back of his head and said, "It's for Tao Hua's mother; she eats with us every day!"

Zhuo Jiasi was stunned. She used to think that such scenes were just feigned infatuation, but she never expected that this kind of situation actually existed in reality. She then saw the huge family photo in the living room, which must have been taken after Wu Qiuyang arrived. All four of them looked very unhappy. Especially Wu Qiuyang, whose eyes were filled with a sinister light, instantly reminding Zhuo Jiasi of the eyes of a black cat. Her heart skipped a beat, and she lowered her head to eat, no longer daring to look at that cold, gray family photo.

Tao Hua, like a little bird, chattered incessantly at the dinner table, somewhat annoying yet making everyone laugh. Just as the four were enjoying their meal, Wu Qiuyang pushed open the door and entered. Tao's father paused for a moment before smiling and greeting her, "Qiuyang, why are you back so early today? Luckily, we're eating right now. Come and join us."

Wu Qiuyang glanced at them but ignored them, going straight to the dining table and picking up "Tao's mother's rice bowl" to eat as if no one else was there. This attitude naturally infuriated Tao Hua, who slammed her hand on the table and stood up, yelling, "Ugly freak, are you tired of living? Put down my mother's food!"

But Wu Qiuyang ignored her and instead piled a lot of food into her bowl. Seeing Tao Hua about to rush forward, Tao's father grabbed her and said gently, "It's alright, it's alright, I'll get you another bowl of rice!"

Tao Hua shoved her father away, demanding angrily, "So you're saying this ugly girl is more important than Mom?"

Tao's father blushed and stammered, "Tao Hua, she's your only sister!"

Tao Hua said disdainfully, "Sister? I don't have such a shameless sister. Not only does she have a vixen mother who steals other women's husbands, but she also caused the death of my own mother!"

Section 74: Chapter Eight - The Cat's Screams (7)

With a sharp "crack," Wu Qiuyang broke her chopsticks. Her face instantly darkened, and she stood up, saying each word slowly and deliberately, "Tao Hua, my mother is not a vixen!"

Just as Tao Hua was about to explode, Zhuo Jiasi secretly pulled her back and comforted Wu Qiuyang, saying, "Qiuyang, Tao Hua has always had this bad temper. Don't blame her, just sit down and eat."

Wu Qiuyang glared at her, then casually pushed the bowl to the ground, the sound of shards breaking sending a shiver down her spine. She then quietly returned to her bedroom, while Zhuo Jiasi leaned close to Tao Hua's ear and whispered, "Tao Hua, just bear with it for now. We need to see what she'll do tonight."

Tao Huacai didn't pursue the matter further, and the entire meal fell silent. Tao's father stopped eating, sighing as he picked up the broken pieces from the floor, tears dripping onto them.

50

For the entire afternoon, Wu Qiuyang didn't leave the house. No one knew what she was doing; there was no sound from the bedroom, and the door was tightly locked. Meanwhile, Tao Hua deliberately spoke loudly in the living room, telling Zhuo Jiasi and Mu Xiang stories from her childhood, mostly about how good her parents were to her. She probably wanted to provoke Wu Qiuyang, but instead, it made Mu Xiang sad, and she cried uncontrollably in the living room.

Tao Hua hadn't expected this outcome, so she helped Mu Xiang into the bedroom, anxiously saying, "Mu Xiang, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..."

Zhuo Jiasi couldn't offer much comfort, only gently holding Mu Xiang's right hand, recalling Mu Xiang's past hardships. After finally calming Mu Xiang down, Tao Hua came up with a new idea. She searched Tao's father's room for a while, then pulled out Wu Qiuyang's photo, placed it on the wall, and deliberately raised her voice while holding a dart, saying, "Jiasi, this ugly girl's scars are too hideous. Watch me shoot them off with this dart; at least give her a beautification treatment!"

It was a simple black and white photograph. Wu Qiuyang was standing in a dilapidated old courtyard, holding a black cat. It was the first time Zhuo Jiasi had seen Wu Qiuyang's smile. Her gentle appearance blended perfectly with the ancient background, making her look just like a woman from the Republican era. Only the black cat's eyes emitted an eerie light, sending chills down one's spine.

Tao Hua threw her dart without hesitation, but it missed Wu Qiuyang's face and instead landed in the black cat's eye. At the same time, a pitiful meow came from Wu Qiuyang's room. The three looked at each other in bewilderment. Wasn't the black cat dead? Why was there a meow coming from her room?

Without much thought, Tao Hua rushed out of the bedroom, banging on Wu Qiuyang's door and shouting, "Ugly freak, didn't I warn you already? You're not allowed to bring that stinky cat back!"

After knocking for a while, Wu Qiuyang didn't open the door; instead, the sound of marbles clicking could be heard all over the room. The three of them recognized it clearly—it was the same sound they heard in the dormitory every night! They all tensed up involuntarily, except for Tao Hua, who was still sweating profusely as she knocked on the door: "Ugly freak, stop playing tricks and get out here right now!"

Another half day passed, and the sound of the marbles stopped, but there was still no response from inside. Zhuo Jiasi had no choice but to calm down and guess, "They must be asleep, right? Let's rest for a while; we're all thirsty."

So the three of them dropped the idea. Tao Hua and Mu Xiang watched TV in the living room, while Zhuo Jiasi went online in Tao Hua's bedroom. She wandered aimlessly online, but then saw a post on the school forum where someone had compiled all of Su Mu's poems. The beautiful post was filled with lovely sentences. Some of the poems were even from his love letters to Xia Youcai. Zhuo Jiasi guessed that the poster must be either Mu Xiang or Li Sixia, so she decided to copy them to a USB drive to read later. She opened the folder, but a photo caught her eye: two lovely girls, holding hands and smiling in front of clusters of kapok flowers.

Section 75: Chapter Eight - The Cat's Screams (8)

"What are you doing?" Tao Hua suddenly appeared behind her, pretending to be angry, and said, "Oh, Jia Si, you're spying on my privacy!"

"No..." Zhuo Jiasi hurriedly closed the photo document, saying apologetically, "I wanted to save Su Mu's poems. But who exactly are these two girls?"

Tao Hua made an exaggerated expression and joked again, "No wonder Mu Xiang has been so down lately! Turns out it's you stealing her dream guy!"

What was said in jest was taken seriously. Mu Xiang's expression in the living room became extremely awkward, and she ran to the bathroom as if to avoid him. Tao Hua, however, started talking about the origin of the photos, laughing and saying, "This cutest doll is of course me, and that's my best friend from elementary school. We were so inseparable back then, always getting into mischief and playing pranks together, but for some reason, she inexplicably stopped going to school. Sigh, I really miss her."

Zhuo Jiasi jokingly echoed her, saying, "No wonder you don't care much about us junior high classmates; it turns out you've given all your kindness to your elementary school classmate."

Tao Hua deliberately pinched her cheek, and was about to retort when she heard Mu Xiang call out, "Come and drink your coffee, it won't taste good when it gets cold."

"Yes, sir!" Tao Hua said cheerfully. "By the way, thank you for preparing dinner tonight. My father has a dinner engagement and won't be able to come back!"

Cooking and stir-frying dishes were a piece of cake for Mu Xiang, who had been used to hardship since childhood. However, she was puzzled and asked, "Tao Hua, I said your family is quite well-off. Why don't you hire a maid? Your house is so big, and no one cleans it; it's a complete mess."

"We had maids, of course we used to," Tao Hua said, drawing out her words with a mischievous grin, "but... I got rid of them all. Haha, I don't like those women trying to steal my dad away; a little dirtiness doesn't matter."

Zhuo Jiasi retaliated by pinching her shoulder, pretending to scold her, "You little rascal. Your father has really had his share of trouble raising such a precious daughter."

"Alright, alright," Mu Xiang stood up, tied her apron around her neck, and said, "Then I'll go cook for the two young ladies."

Mu Xiang was indeed skillful; in no time, she had prepared several delicious dishes. Zhuo Jiasi hesitated before knocking on Wu Qiuyang's door, asking if she wanted to eat. But there was still no response from inside; instead, the sound of marbles made her feel uneasy.

The three of them then ignored it and happily began to eat together.

51

It was very late, and Tao's father still hadn't returned. The three of them had intended to stay up late, but after watching only two movies, Tao Hua and Mu Xiang fell asleep, exhausted. Zhuo Jiasi was left alone in front of the computer, trying not to laugh at the comedy films.

Her joy was abruptly interrupted by a QQ message—Su Mu's avatar was lit up again! Zhuo Jiasi's heart tightened, and she opened the message with trembling hands. The message read, "Jiasi, are you alright? I miss you."

Zhuo Jiasi was furious and replied directly to the message: "Who are you? Why did you lie to me?"

But the other person didn't answer the question. Instead, they casually sent a smiley face and said, "Jiasi, I'm coming to see you tonight. Remember to wait for me..."

Tonight! Who could be playing this prank? Zhuo Jiasi was practically going crazy. She stormed into the living room and drank some water alone. She hadn't been sitting down long when she suddenly saw a shadow flash past the window. She stood up alertly, her hands, gripping the cup, were sweaty. Just as she was about to open the window to see what was happening, she heard a cat meowing coming from Wu Qiuyang's room. She glanced at the closed door, not daring to disturb it, and quickened her pace towards Tao Hua's bedroom.

Section 76: Chapter Eight - The Cat's Screams (9)

But just as she reached the door, she saw a shadow hurriedly leave through the window, leaving a knife at Tao Hua's head.