El hibisco como pintura

Capítulo 34

"What's going on?" Chen Shuai walked to Xu An's side and asked, looking at the contents of the card. Xu An didn't say anything, looking at the card as if he was thinking about something.

“There’s another card here.” Li Siqi took out a black card from under another desk and opened it: “This is for Zhuo Fan, and isn’t this date the night our rehearsal went wrong a year ago?”

Chen Shuai immediately ran over and snatched the card, only to find that his name was indeed written on it. He immediately said to his classmates, "Everyone, check if there are any other cards." As soon as Chen Shuai finished speaking, everyone began searching the desks.

There were six black cards in total, with the names on them: Qiu Wangzi, Deng Zhuofan, Li Wenbin, Lin Nana, Li Biqi, and... Gao Xiaoyuan.

Lin Nana looked at Gao Xiaoyuan and said, "How come you're here? You're not a student in our Class 0 of Grade 11."

“Yeah, how did you get involved?” Li Biqi couldn’t understand.

“Xiaoyuan, this has nothing to do with you, so this card must be a mistake…” Chen Shuai picked up the black card with Gao Xiaoyuan’s name on it and tried to tear it up, but Gao Xiaoyuan stopped him.

"No!" Gao Xiaoyuan snatched the card back. "There must be a reason why my name is on it, and besides, I... I also want to know the answer."

Xu An looked at Gao Xiaoyuan and could sense her fear and unease, but he said nothing.

Just then, Lin Nana slowly lowered her head and squatted behind the lectern: "What is this?" Lin Nana brushed the dust off the surface with her hand.

Six people shouted at the same time: "Class 0, Grade 11!"

The rain started again, and in the quiet of the night, it was like the tears of a young girl, always mixed with a kind of indescribable sadness.

Gao Xiaoyuan opened Chen Shuai's door, looked up at the raindrops outside, and just stared blankly, motionless like a statue.

Why is my name on this list? Why is it such a coincidence that she's also an orphan? Why has she had such an inextricable connection with Class 0 of Grade 11 from the very beginning? These "whys" may be answered in three days.

Gao Xiaoyuan slowly squatted down on the ground, hugging her knees and staring blankly at the raindrops falling on the ground.

"You really like rain, don't you?"

Gao Xiaoyuan suddenly turned her head to look behind her.

Xu An stared at her.

Gao Xiaoyuan gave an "hmm" sound, gave Xu An a faint smile, and then turned her head back.

Xu An sat on the ground next to Gao Xiaoyuan, casually crossed his legs, and looked up at the night sky.

“I used to know someone who also liked the rain.” Xu An’s face showed a nostalgic expression.

Gao Xiaoyuan looked at Xu An and asked curiously, "Who is that person?"

Xu An didn't answer, he just smiled.

Gao Xiaoyuan didn't ask any more questions and continued to look at the raindrops on the ground: "I didn't expect that classroom was also Class 0 of Grade 11, but I didn't expect that there was a Class 0 of Grade 11 decades ago."

"There are many things in the world that we can't even imagine," Xu An said calmly.

"Class 0 of Grade 1, we'll have the answer in a few days..." Gao Xiaoyuan's voice became very low, so low that it was almost powerless.

"Are you scared?" Xu An asked, expressing his concern.

Gao Xiaoyuan didn't answer directly: "I love water. Water can cleanse the soul. If I had the chance to live again, the first place I'd want to go is the seaside. But I've never had the chance."

Xu An looked at Gao Xiaoyuan without saying a word.

“If…” Gao Xiaoyuan forced a smile: “I mean, if I still had the chance to live, my first wish would be to go to the seaside.”

Xu An suddenly grabbed Gao Xiaoyuan's hand: "Let's go now!"

"Um?"

Before Gao Xiaoyuan could react, Xu An had already pulled her into the rain, and the two figures quickly disappeared into the distance.

Chen Shuai stood blankly at the door, sighing softly, "Why are you always one step ahead of me? We two are really like sworn enemies."

"Ah—" Suddenly, a scream came from the second floor.

Chen Shuai, disregarding Xu An and Gao Xiaoyuan who had left, rushed upstairs.

Li Wenbin and Li Biqi stood in front of the door of Lin Nana's bedroom, their faces showing surprise. Chen Shuai didn't have time to ask anything and rushed in, only to find the bedroom empty.

Lin Nana has disappeared.

11. The Last Gathering

How far is heaven from us?

These past few days have been joyful, the happiest moments of my life.

The sea is blue, a melancholic color that always evokes sadness, making one want to float in it immediately. Up, left, right, like beautiful coral, drifting in the seawater.

Xu An was gray, so gray that no one could see his heart, but now Gao Xiaoyuan saw a rainbow on his face, a rainbow after the rain, brief but very beautiful.

He smiled, a genuine smile, a smile directed at her.

I'm so happy, it feels like a dream.

Gao Xiaoyuan lay down on the soft sand, closed her eyes, and felt a deep sense of peace. A gentle sea breeze caressed her, and the scent of the sea filled the air around her. She felt a hand softly stroking her cheek, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Xu Anzheng looked at her with a gentle gaze.

"Go to sleep. If you're tired, get a good night's sleep."

Gao Xiaoyuan obediently closed her eyes. She was so tired, so very tired...

Xu An sat beside Gao Xiaoyuan the whole time, watching her with tears in his eyes. He gently stroked Gao Xiaoyuan's cheek and said in a soft voice, "You really... look a lot like Siyu... I'm sorry."

Xu An stood up, took one last look at Gao Xiaoyuan, and said, "Goodbye. Perhaps we will never see each other again." Xu An walked away into the distance.

Gao Xiaoyuan slept quietly on the sand, which felt really warm.

Class 10 of Grade 11 reunion

The green gate was covered in dust, with some cobwebs hanging in the upper left corner. The handrail had turned iron black, giving people an uneasy feeling.

Chen Shuai looked at Xu An: "Is she safe?"

Xu An's face was cold and expressionless: "As long as we're here, that's enough. She doesn't belong here."

Chen Shuai didn't say anything more. He turned to look at Li Wenbin and Li Biqi behind him. They both nodded at him simultaneously. They were ready; whatever awaited them, they would face it. Because they had waited too long, searched too long, and they were exhausted.

Xu An slowly raised his hand and grasped the doorknob.

The door was pushed open.

The music sounded so melodious, like a beautiful woman dancing gracefully.

However, Li Wenbin's expression was one of astonishment, which stemmed from the scene before him.

On the blackboard, several neatly typed words were written in red, yellow, and blue: "Grade 11 Class 0 Reunion".

The desks and chairs were arranged in a circle around the center of the classroom. On the desks were sunflower seeds, peanuts, fruit, and some beer bottles from over a decade ago. Principal Chen sat to one side of the desk, his eyes wide with terror, cold sweat beading on his forehead. His hands were tightly bound behind his back in his chair, tied with a rope. His mouth was open, a grenade dangling from his lips, a taut string attached to it. The other end of the string was tied to the hands of Lin Nana, who sat opposite him. Lin Nana's hands were raised in mid-air, her body leaning forward, her expression stiff. Her hands, bound by the string, trembled slightly. She was also tightly bound to the chair with rope, her head slightly turned towards Li Wenbin, and she said fearfully, "Quick...quick, help me..."

"Mom—" Chen Shuai exclaimed in surprise.

Just as Li Wenbin was about to rush forward, the music abruptly stopped, replaced by a somber and aged voice, the gender of which was indistinguishable. It seemed to be a voice changer.

"No one is allowed to move! Otherwise, everyone will die!"

Li Wenbin was taken aback and immediately withdrew his foot.

"Who are you?" Xu An looked around the classroom. "You'll find out who I am soon enough, but we need to have a party first."

"A party?" Li Biqi exclaimed. "It's a pity we're still missing one person." That voice sounded again. Xu An's face turned extremely ugly. He said coldly, "No matter who you are, this is a party for Class 0 of Grade 11. It has nothing to do with her."

The voice suddenly burst into wild laughter, which grew louder and louder. Just then, the classroom door was gently pushed open, and Gao Xiaoyuan stood quietly in the doorway.

Xu An was startled: "Xiao Yuan, you..."

Before Xu An could ask any questions, Gao Xiaoyuan had already raised the black card in her hand and said softly, "I said I wanted to know the answer, and I'm here to find the answer now."

Xu looked at Xiaoyuan, unsure of what to say.

"Since we're here, let's work together." Chen Shuai gave Gao Xiaoyuan a smile.

Gao Xiaoyuan couldn't manage a smile. She had seen Principal Chen and Lin Nana.

"Now, let's have a reunion for Class 0 of Grade 11!" Whose voice was that? Everyone present knew that the real culprit was about to appear.

The murderer who killed Su Siyu

reunion.

Gao Xiaoyuan didn't know what kind of gathering this was; all she knew was that if Lin Nana made the slightest move, everyone here would still die.

"Sit down, all of you," the voice commanded again.

Gao Xiaoyuan looked at Xu An, then at Chen Shuai, and finally her gaze fell on Li Wenbin. Li Wenbin's body was trembling, and his feet were slowly retreating.

Gao Xiaoyuan could tell that Li Wenbin wanted to run away. But she couldn't let him escape; if he did, the people trapped here would die at any moment. And Li Wenbin had no chance of escaping anyway. Thinking this, Gao Xiaoyuan grabbed Li Wenbin's arm. Li Wenbin was startled and turned his head sharply to look at Gao Xiaoyuan.

Gao Xiaoyuan shook her head firmly.

"Release my mother, and arrest me instead!" At this moment, Chen Shuai shouted loudly into the classroom with his head tilted back.

"Do you want to know the truth?" the voice asked calmly. "We're here to find out the truth," Xu An replied. "Are you from Class 0 of Grade 1?" Li Biqi asked fearfully. "Then sit quietly in your chairs, and I'll give you the truth," the voice continued. Xu An and Chen Shuai exchanged glances. Although they didn't say anything, they seemed to have reached some kind of consensus. When looking for seats, Chen Shuai sat down next to Principal Chen, while Xu An sat next to Lin Nana. Seeing this, Li Wenbin shook off Gao Xiaoyuan's hand and sat down on the other side of Principal Chen without saying a word. Gao Xiaoyuan hesitated for a moment, but immediately reacted and ran to sit on the other side of Lin Nana. Li Biqi nervously sat down in the seat next to her. After everyone was seated, the voice sounded again.

"Very good, you're all smart and quick-witted. But remember, if any of you are slippery, I have a pack of explosives here, enough to flatten the whole school, so you'd better be sensible."

"Enough with the nonsense. Our time is precious. You'd better just say what you want to do!" Chen Shuai's heart was in his throat. He looked at Principal Chen beside him and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Principal Chen's brows were furrowed, his head was stiff, and his eyes were turned to Chen Shuai, as if he was very worried about Chen Shuai's safety.

Chen Shuai noticed his mother's worry, leaned closer, and whispered, "I'm fine. You don't need to worry."

Principal Chen seemed a little agitated and wanted to say something, but after making a few muffled sounds, he was stopped by Lin Nana's screams from earlier that morning.

"Ah—don't move!" Lin Nana leaned forward desperately. "Do you want to kill us?"

Principal Chen was startled and quickly straightened his posture, remaining completely still.

Lin Nana's face was covered in sweat.

I dared not move my hands.