El hibisco como pintura

Capítulo 30

Xu An nodded: "This proves one thing."

"The place Xiaoyuan stayed in is an old place! There must be some secret there!" Chen Shuai continued, "We must find that place now."

Just as Xu An was about to say something, he saw Gao Xiaoyuan standing at the top of the second-floor staircase, and their eyes met.

Gao Xiaoyuan's brows seemed to reveal an indescribable sadness, and her gaze towards Xu An seemed to contain some unspeakable resentment.

Xu An didn't want to see that kind of gaze, so he turned his head to the other side, deliberately avoiding it.

Chen Shuai pretended not to see anything and said, "Where could this plaster be from?"

“Um…” Gao Xiaoyuan held up the photo in her hand: “Chen Shuai, where was this photo of Principal Chen taken?”

Chen Shuai glanced up at the photo in Gao Xiaoyuan's hand: "That should be a photo of my mother taken when she was young at her alma mater."

Upon hearing this, Gao Xiaoyuan rushed down the stairs to Chen Shuai and exclaimed, "I've seen the background of this photo before!" Chen Shuai and Xu An were stunned. They both stood up and asked Gao Xiaoyuan, "Where have you seen it?"

Gao Xiaoyuan didn't look at Xu An, but said to Chen Shuai, "That door, that key..." Gao Xiaoyuan took out the key from her pocket and continued, "I used this key to open that door. I remember that door. It's the same door as the one in this photo."

Chen Shuai was stunned. He looked at Xu An, who was completely frozen in place.

“I’m telling the truth. That door really is the same as this one, just much older,” Gao Xiaoyuan added.

Without saying a word, Chen Shuai suddenly picked up the phone and quickly dialed several numbers: "Nana, Biqi, could you come to my house? My house is..."

Gao Xiaoyuan raised an eyebrow. Nana and Biqi? Could Chen Shuai be talking about Lin Nana and Li Biqi? They're not dead? How did Chen Shuai contact them? Gao Xiaoyuan's gaze unconsciously turned to Xu An, but Xu An's gaze was fixed on her. After staring at each other for a few seconds, they both turned their heads away.

Lin Nana and Li Biqi sat quietly on the sofa, while Gao Xiaoyuan sat on the sofa opposite them, staring straight at them.

Lin Nana suddenly laughed, then looked at Gao Xiaoyuan and said, "You don't really think the two of us are ghosts, do you?"

Gao Xiaoyuan nodded, then quickly shook her head: "I've already heard from Chen Shuai and the others."

Lin Nana suddenly looked at Gao Xiaoyuan apologetically and said softly, "I'm sorry, we took advantage of you before, but we had no choice."

"I understand," Gao Xiaoyuan said with a smile, and the three girls looked at each other and smiled.

Chen Shuai handed the water glasses to everyone and said, "I've come to you to confirm something."

Lin Nana and Li Biqi looked up at Chen Shuai.

Xu Anze was already fast asleep, curled up in the corner of the sofa.

Gao Xiaoyuan would occasionally glance at Xu An, but she would only glance at him briefly before immediately looking away.

"Could you describe the place where you two were imprisoned for a year again?" Chen Shuai asked.

Lin Nana and Li Biqi exchanged a glance, a hint of fear showing on their brows. Neither of them wanted to talk about what happened that year, but in order to find the answers, they often had to confront it.

“I’ve mentioned that place several times already; it’s very old and dilapidated, and the plaster on the walls is peeling off,” Lin Nana said.

“Yes, and the Spider King too. I really don’t want to talk about that place.” Li Biqi couldn’t help but shudder.

"So, would you like a classroom there?" Chen Shuai's words startled Lin Nana and Li Qibi. They looked at each other, then lowered their heads, deep in thought.

Chen Shuai did not ask any more questions, but quietly watched the two of them.

Gao Xiaoyuan didn't even have time to catch her breath; she was also waiting for their reply.

“I remember now…” Li Biqi looked up at Chen Shuai and Gao Xiaoyuan: “I remember there was a piece of broken black glass on the wall of the room where I was locked up. Now that I think about it, it might have been a blackboard.”

"Although I can't remember anything, the room was probably about the same size as a classroom," Lin Nana added.

A glint flashed in Chen Shuai's eyes. He and Gao Xiaoyuan exchanged a glance, and just then Xu An's voice rang out.

“That school still exists! We need to find this classroom now.” Xu An picked up a photo of Principal Chen when he was young. The background of that photo was the very green door that Gao Xiaoyuan had once pushed open.

All eyes were on Xu An.

6. Searching for the old school building

It was nine o'clock, and the sky was already quite dark.

Grandpa Liu yawned, holding a flashlight, humming a song from who-knows-when, as he strolled around the campus, looking very relaxed and not at all serious.

At the corner of the school building, Chen Shuai peeked out and looked at Grandpa Liu with disdain: "He's really just wasting my mother's money here."

Gao Xiaoyuan peeked out from under Chen Shuai, looked at Grandpa Liu, and whispered, "Is this really useful?"

Lin Nana peeked out from under Gao Xiaoyuan again: "Even if it's useless, we have to try. It's better than not trying at all."

Of course, the fourth person to peek out was Li Biqi. She blinked and said softly, "Uncle Liu should know something. It's a woman's sixth sense."

Xu An stood beside the four people, coldly watching them: "If you're still chatting here, I think Grandpa Liu has probably already gone far away."

The four remained silent. Xu An ignored them and ran in the direction where Grandpa Liu had left.

After patrolling the campus, Grandpa Liu went into his little hut in front of the gate.

Chen Shuai let out a long breath, straightened his clothes, and said, "Now it's up to me. You guys wait for my good news." After saying this, Chen Shuai carried a large cardboard box and strode to the front of Grandpa Liu's hut. Then, he turned his back and gave Gao Xiaoyuan and the others an OK sign.

"I hope everything goes well," Gao Xiaoyuan murmured to herself.

Xu An looked at Gao Xiaoyuan without saying a word.

Chen Shuai knocked on the door a few times, and Liu Daye's voice immediately came from inside.

Who is it?

"I am Chen Shuai."

"Chen Shuai?" Grandpa Liu's voice sounded a little puzzled. He opened the door, looked Chen Shuai up and down, and then said, "It's you. Is there something you need so late?"

With a beaming smile, Chen Shuai held up the paper bag in his hand and said, "Uncle Liu, this is for you."

Grandpa Liu took the paper bag and looked inside. Inside was a bottle of fine liquor, and some shredded tofu to go with it.

"Why are you suddenly being nice to me? Coming here in the middle of the night, what about Principal Chen? I haven't seen her at all."

“My mother… Uncle Liu, actually, I came to see you today because I have some things I'd like to ask you.” Chen Shuai still maintained his charming smile.

Chen Shuai knocked on the door a few times, and Liu Daye's voice immediately came from inside.

Who is it?

"I am Chen Shuai."

"Chen Shuai?" Grandpa Liu's voice sounded a little puzzled. He opened the door, looked Chen Shuai up and down, and then said, "It's you. Is there something you need so late?"

With a broad smile, Chen Shuai held up the paper bag in his hand and said eagerly, "Uncle Liu, this is for you."

Grandpa Liu took the paper bag and looked inside. Inside was a bottle of fine liquor, and also some shredded tofu to go with it.

"Why are you suddenly being so nice to me? Coming here in the middle of the night, and where's Principal Chen? I haven't seen her at all."

“My mother… Uncle Liu, actually, I came to see you today because I have some things I'd like to ask you.” Chen Shuai still maintained his charming smile.

After letting Chen Shuai in, Grandpa Liu sat him down at the table and took out some wine and shredded tofu from a paper bag, savoring them with relish.

"Uncle Liu, you've been coming to our school for a long time, haven't you?" Chen Shuai asked tentatively.

As he drank his wine, Grandpa Liu said, "I've been here for a long time."

"Do you know that when this school was built, the old school buildings were completely demolished?" Chen Shuai asked cautiously.

"I really don't know that. I wasn't working here back then." Grandpa Liu sipped his wine with relish, his cheeks gradually turning red. He seemed to be enjoying his drink.

"So, Grandpa Liu, what do you know about the old school building? For example, where exactly is it located? Or how did that fire happen back then?" Chen Shuai asked while observing Grandpa Liu's expression.

"I don't know much about the old school buildings, but I remember that the school still keeps a map of the old school buildings." Grandpa Liu yawned.

Upon hearing this, Chen Shuai immediately perked up. "Where's the map?"

Grandpa Liu took a bite of the shredded tofu and racked his brains: "It seems to be...it seems to be...in the library, yes, it was tucked in one of the books there. I think I saw it many years ago."

Chen Shuai gave a barely perceptible smile, glancing furtively at his pocket where a cell phone was visible, indicating it was on a call.

Xu An listened intently to Gao Xiaoyuan's phone, taking in every word Grandpa Liu said. He hung up and looked at Lin Nana and Li Biqi, saying, "Let's go to the library now."

Lin Nana and Li Biqi immediately and cautiously walked towards the library, while Gao Xiaoyuan stood motionless with her head down. Xu An took a few steps and then stopped, slowly turning to look at Gao Xiaoyuan: "Aren't you going?"

Gao Xiaoyuan slowly raised her head and looked at Xu An with a mournful gaze: "Why did you abandon me?" She finally decided to speak.

Xu An didn't say anything, handed the phone to Gao Xiaoyuan, and turned to walk forward.

The library doors were locked, the police found no new evidence at the scene, and the murderer remained at large. The library had reopened to the public, but no students dared to come. Xu An skillfully pried open the library doors and was the first to enter.

The library remained quiet; the chalk lines and bloodstains on the floor had long been wiped clean, and the books on the shelves were spotless. Xu An took a flashlight out of his pocket and shone it forward, giving a wry smile: "There are so many books here; it looks like we'll have a long search."

"Why are you looking for books?" Li Biqi asked.

"Grandpa Liu said the map of the old school building is hidden in one of the books here. We need to look carefully." Xu An sighed and walked to the bookshelf to start searching. Lin Nana and Li Biqi followed suit. Xu An looked towards the door, where Gao Xiaoyuan was standing, staring blankly at the spot where Gao Qixian had once been lying. Xu An didn't say anything and continued flipping through the book.

The door to the first-year high school office was pushed open, and Teacher Duan and the homeroom teachers came out.

"It's already past 9 o'clock. I didn't expect our meeting to go this late." Teacher Duan said as she walked out. Suddenly, she noticed that the library door was slightly ajar. She immediately stopped and signaled to the other teachers to be quiet.

The corridor fell silent, but footsteps could be heard coming from inside the library.

Teacher Duan and the other teachers looked at each other, feeling puzzled. It was so late, why were there still people lingering at school, and judging from their voices, it seemed like there was more than one.

"Is it here?"

"No, go check over there..."

"Gao Xiaoyuan, how about you over there?"

Gao Xiaoyuan! Teacher Duan was stunned; she hadn't expected Gao Xiaoyuan to appear in the library.

"This disobedient student, he killed someone and still dares to come back!" Teacher Duan immediately walked towards the library entrance.

Inside the library, Xu An was squatting in a corner flipping through a book when he suddenly noticed a tattered blueprint tucked inside. Just as he was about to open the blueprint, he heard someone walking towards the library.

Oh no! Xu An's heart tightened. He immediately rushed to Lin Nana, Li Biqi, and Gao Xiaoyuan, signaling them to be quiet, and then quickly turned off the flashlight.

The library doors were slowly opened.

Teacher Duan appeared at the main entrance, followed by rustling footsteps. Several teachers had appeared at the library entrance.

Gao Xiaoyuan gasped; she certainly didn't want to meet Teacher Duan at this moment. She slowly shrank back, accidentally knocking over several books, which then bumped into nearby books, causing all the books on the shelf behind her to fall to the ground.

Gao Xiaoyuan screamed and crawled out of the pile of books. Just then, Teacher Duan turned on the overhead light.

Gao Xiaoyuan stood blankly in the center of the library, while Teacher Duan and the other homeroom teachers stared at her with wide eyes.