El hibisco como pintura

Capítulo 17

"Yes, that's right, you're all very handsome." Lu Yao's face suddenly turned red when she said this.

Gao Xiaoyuan suddenly realized that Chen Shuai was so popular with girls, so she quickly tugged at his clothes, signaling him to ask him for help. Chen Shuai, however, pretended not to understand, making various puzzled gestures. Gao Xiaoyuan, annoyed, turned her head away.

Chen Shuai smiled at Gao Xiaoyuan, then turned to Lu Yao in an elegant and handsome manner: "Lu Yao, you are a lovely girl. Because many people say that I look a lot like Deng Zhuofan, I want to know about Class 0 of Grade 1. I heard that you seem to know Lin Nana from Class 0 of Grade 1?"

Upon hearing the name Lin Nana, Lu Yao's body trembled involuntarily. She then instinctively retreated to the corner of the wall, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked around in a panic.

Looking at Lu Yao, Gao Xiaoyuan recalled how nervous she was when she and Wang Qin appeared in Class 0 of the first year of high school that night. She believed that there must be something between Lin Nana, Wang Qin and Lu Yao.

"Lu Yao, what exactly is your relationship with Wang Qin and Lin Nana? Why did you go to Class 0 of the first year of high school? Why did you put out the star-shaped candies? And why did Wang Qin die? What are you afraid of?" Gao Xiaoyuan asked a barrage of questions.

After hearing this, Lu Yao suddenly sat down on the ground against the wall and started crying. "I...we really didn't do anything...we just scared her...we just wanted some pocket money...we really didn't hurt her..." Lu Yao seemed to remember something and continued, "Oh right, Wang Qin hit her, but I didn't! I was just Wang Qin's little follower, I really didn't hit her, it's just that Wang Qin made me ask her for money..." Lu Yao continued to cry.

Gao Xiaoyuan stared blankly at Lu Yao, speechless. Now she understood: Wang Qin and Lu Yao were female bullies on campus, specifically targeting female students; they had once robbed Lin Nana.

"So... does Lin Nana like to eat candy?"

“She likes to eat star-shaped candies…” Lu Yao wiped away her tears in fear.

Gao Xiaoyuan took a deep breath and then asked, "Why...why did you go to the classroom of Class 0 in the first year of high school?"

“We didn’t want to go, it was her! She made us go!” Lu Yao’s eyes were filled with fear.

"Her?" Gao Xiaoyuan didn't understand what Lu Yao meant.

"You're talking about Lin Nana, right?" Chen Shuai asked with certainty.

Lu Yao's body trembled more and more violently, her eyes searching around in the dark night: "Her ghost must be nearby. She killed Wang Qin. It was her! It must be her!"

"How could you think it was Lin Nana?" Gao Xiaoyuan couldn't understand it at all.

"Because it was her, she left a piece of candy, and the wrapper said she was coming back for revenge! She wanted revenge!" Lu Yao burst into tears, clutching her head.

"Did you see Lin Nana? Is she still wearing her school uniform?"

Upon hearing Gao Xiaoyuan's words, Lu Yao suddenly shouted, stood up, and ran into the courtyard.

"Lu Yao! Lu Yao!" Gao Xiaoyuan pounded on the courtyard gate desperately, but Chen Shuai reached out and grabbed her arm. "Don't call anymore, she won't come out again."

Gao Xiaoyuan looked at the courtyard gate with disappointment.

"You...have met Lin Nana before?" Chen Shuai blurted out casually.

“I told you I’ve seen her,” Gao Xiaoyuan said as she walked forward with her head down.

"I mean you saw Lin Nana later, right?" Chen Shuai followed up and asked cautiously.

Gao Xiaoyuan lowered her head and remained silent. Now, she couldn't tell who the real Lin Nana was, or who was telling the truth. If Lin Nana was telling the truth, then the girl she saw sitting on the swing wasn't Lin Nana. So who was that girl? And why was she doing things related to Lin Nana? What was that girl's purpose?

Nine girls wearing school uniforms

Early in the morning, Gao Xiaoyuan was walking around the campus when she seemed to hear a beautiful song. She couldn't help but look up and look around.

Students hurried into the campus, while teachers performed their duties.

Gao Xiaoyuan smiled bitterly, knowing that the voice she heard was just her imagination. Su Siyu was dead, and the dead cannot be brought back to life, but what the dead leave behind is unforgettable for the living, especially things related to Prince Qiu.

Where did Xu An go? He always seemed to disappear without a trace, like a mystery. Even now, Gao Xiaoyuan still doesn't know who left the message in the diary. The message seems to be related to Su Siyu, so who else could it be besides Qiu Wangzi? Li Wenbin, Lin Nana, and Deng Zhuofan are all alive, so could Qiu Wangzi also be alive? Perhaps the girl disguised as Lin Nana is also from Class 10 of the first year of high school, so who is she? Right, Deng Zhuofan is from Class 10 of the first year of high school, so asking him who else is in Class 10 might help guess who the girl is. Yes, find Chen Shuai and ask!

Gao Xiaoyuan breathed a sigh of relief and hurried forward when suddenly something fell from above, almost hitting her. Startled, she took a step back and looked down to find a star-shaped candy. Her heart skipped a beat, and she looked up, trying to figure out where the candy had come from.

A girl in a school uniform was standing on the roof of the teaching building, staring blankly ahead, as if she was about to jump down at any moment.

Gao Xiaoyuan covered her mouth in shock.

That's Lu Yao. Why is she standing on the roof? Is she trying to imitate Wang Qin?

"Don't jump!" Gao Xiaoyuan shouted sharply, her voice attracting the attention of the teachers and students around her.

"Someone's going to jump! Up there!" Gao Xiaoyuan shouted in a panic, pointing to the rooftop as she spoke.

The students and teachers looked up, but saw nothing. Gao Xiaoyuan was also surprised; she had clearly seen Lu Yao standing on the rooftop, about to commit suicide, but now there was no one there. Was it another hallucination?

"What's wrong with you so early in the morning?!"

"ill!"

"That student, get to class right now!"

"This is a school, not a place to joke around!"

Gao Xiaoyuan sighed. Perhaps too many things had happened recently. She thought she had just heard a song, and now she saw someone about to commit suicide. It seemed she really needed a rest. Gao Xiaoyuan shook her head and glanced at the rooftop. This glance made Gao Xiaoyuan shudder.

Lu Yao stood on the rooftop, raised one leg, and prepared to jump.

Gao Xiaoyuan quickly rubbed her eyes and looked up again.

Something fell down and landed heavily in front of Gao Xiaoyuan.

Lu Yao lay silently on the ground, her eyes wide open, blood trickling from her mouth and nose, her body trembling convulsively. Gao Xiaoyuan even saw a relaxed smile on her face.

Lu Yao is dead. She jumped off the roof herself.

All the teachers and students stirred and screamed, and the area in front of the teaching building was thrown into chaos.

“Lu Yao…” Gao Xiaoyuan stared blankly at Lu Yao on the ground.

Blood flowed from beneath Lu Yao's body, spreading outwards and increasing in volume. Lu Yao's body stopped trembling, but the corners of her mouth turned up in a strange smile. Her eyes were fixed on Gao Xiaoyuan, and at the same time, something rolled out of her hand.

It was a star-shaped candy.

Gao Xiaoyuan's lips trembled a few times. She slowly squatted down and picked up the star-shaped candy.

Lin Nana, are you the murderer?

6. Secret codes on the blackboard

Code word: Open Sesame!

The words on the blackboard

The campus was quiet. It was long past school dismissal time, but Gao Xiaoyuan still hadn't left. She silently climbed the stairs to the top of the teaching building.

There was no one on the rooftop, and the ground was flat. There was only a warning sign at the spot where Lu Yao had jumped off the building, which read: Do not approach.

A gentle evening breeze blew by, but Gao Xiaoyuan's body couldn't help but tremble, not from fear, but from sadness.

Wang Qin died, staring intently at Gao Xiaoyuan as she died, while Lu Yao also looked at Gao Xiaoyuan before she died. If Gao Xiaoyuan hadn't mistaken it for an illusion and had instead called for help in time, perhaps Lu Yao wouldn't have died. Although Lu Yao committed suicide, Gao Xiaoyuan always felt that she had killed her.

Gao Xiaoyuan walked forward blankly, stopping only when she reached the sign. Her body swayed slightly, and she subconsciously reached out to hold onto the sign in front of her.

"Lu Yao, it's my fault. I shouldn't have gone to you. I shouldn't have failed to call for help. I'm the one who killed you!" Gao Xiaoyuan's voice choked with sobs. She covered her mouth with one hand, and tears streamed down her face.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind Gao Xiaoyuan, twisted her body around, and hugged her tightly: "Don't be afraid, I'm here!"

Gao Xiaoyuan looked up in surprise, her eyes filled with tears as she gazed at the other person.

It was Chen Shuai!

"Xiaoyuan," Chen Shuai gently wiped away Gao Xiaoyuan's tears, "Why did you come here?"

Gao Xiaoyuan was so sad that she couldn't speak.

Chen Shuai sighed softly and held Gao Xiaoyuan tightly in his arms, as if afraid that she would get hurt.

"It's all my fault. I should have been by your side this morning."

Gao Xiaoyuan was heartbroken, and she buried her face in Chen Shuai's arms and sobbed.

Chen Shuai patted Gao Xiaoyuan's back gently and comforted her, "It's all over now. Don't be afraid. I'm here. I'll always be with you."

Gao Xiaoyuan tried to turn around to look at that place again, but Chen Shuai held her tightly: "Xiaoyuan, don't turn around, please don't turn around! I don't want you to have nightmares!"

Chen Shuai… Gao Xiaoyuan silently said in her heart: Thank you, but it's a pity you're not Xu An…

Gao Xiaoyuan pushed Chen Shuai away, regaining her composure, though tear stains remained on her face: "I'm alright, thank you."

Chen Shuai raised an eyebrow slightly, but said nothing.

Gao Xiaoyuan turned and walked towards the spot where Lu Yao had jumped. Chen Shuai tried to reach out to her, but she refused, saying, "I want to know what Lu Yao was feeling when she stood there." After saying this, Gao Xiaoyuan firmly pushed aside the sign, walked to the edge of the building where Lu Yao had stood, and looked down at the scene below.

A wave of dizziness washed over her, and Gao Xiaoyuan quickly closed her eyes, but after only a few seconds, she slowly opened them again.

Chen Shuai looked at Gao Xiaoyuan silently without saying a word.

Gao Xiaoyuan stared straight down at the white line that was drawn on the ground, and if it weren't for that white line, no one would know what had happened there.

"Lu Yao, why? Was it because you were afraid?" Gao Xiaoyuan seemed to be talking to the air, or perhaps asking herself, "Why did you choose to die? Why..." Gao Xiaoyuan pulled out the star-shaped candy that Lu Yao had left behind before she died from her pocket. "You left this? Is it for me? Is your death also related to Lin Nana?"

Gao Xiaoyuan looked down at the ground again, and suddenly she noticed a girl standing where the white line was drawn on the ground. The girl was wearing a school uniform and was staring blankly at the white line.

Who is that? Gao Xiaoyuan wanted to see the girl's face clearly, so she instinctively took a step forward, but forgot where she was. Fortunately, Chen Shuai pulled her back in time.

"What are you going to do?" Chen Shuai looked at Gao Xiaoyuan nervously, thinking that she was also going to commit suicide.

Gao Xiaoyuan pointed anxiously down below: "She's down there! She's down there!"

"Who?" Chen Shuai asked.

"The female student who's impersonating Lin Nana is downstairs!" Gao Xiaoyuan said, looking down the building.

The white line under the moonlight looked somewhat eerie, but there wasn't a single person in sight beside it.

"Where is she? Just now she..." Standing on the rooftop, Gao Xiaoyuan quickly scanned the campus, and suddenly her gaze focused on the southwest side of the teaching building.

There was a blackboard there, and the students from each class would change the blackboard bulletin board every week. At this moment, the girl in the school uniform was standing in front of that blackboard drawing something.

Without saying a word, Gao Xiaoyuan turned and ran towards the stairwell.

"Xiaoyuan! Xiaoyuan! Huangmao, where are you going?" Chen Shuai called out anxiously.

Gao Xiaoyuan had already run away.

Chen Shuai stood on the rooftop and looked in the direction Gao Xiaoyuan had been looking: "So there really is someone there." Chen Shuai immediately turned around and ran towards the stairwell.