Transforme-toi en cygne et vole vers toi

Chapitre 11

Before leaving, Zhuo Jiasi couldn't help but glance at the storage room. Several bricks were lying across the doorway, covered with crow droppings. She sensed something was wrong, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.

The four returned to the dormitory, but Wu Qiuyang was still not there. However, she seemed to have been back; her long white dress was still swaying on the bed. Tao Hua angrily ripped off the dress and shouted, "Wu Qiuyang must have been back! This dress wasn't here when she left. Does that ugly hag deserve to wear a dress like this?" She then frowned in dissatisfaction; the dress looked quite expensive.

But why would Wu Qiuyang do that? The four of them were completely baffled. Helpless, they had no choice but to put their questions aside for the time being and prepare their things for class. Zhuo Jiasi suddenly remembered Li Sixia's matter and casually said, "Muxiang, give me Su Mu's letters. I need to give them to Li Sixia." Just as she finished speaking, she remembered something and rushed to the balcony and bathroom to search, but she couldn't find the picture of the girl committing suicide in the bathtub anywhere. No wonder she always felt something was missing from the dormitory.

Section 64: Chapter Seven - The Phantom of the Hospital (6)

Upon hearing this, Tao Hua asked doubtfully, "Could Wu Qiuyang be doing this for that painting? But that evil painting is useless to us, isn't it?"

"No!" Mu Xiang said decisively, "There must be some hidden secret inside, otherwise why would Wu Qiuyang use such a troublesome method to steal it! And Jia Si, even now I still maintain one point of view: why did Li Sixia insist on taking this painting and these letters? You really should ask him about it."

Zhuo Jiasi ignored him, muttering to herself for a while before suddenly realizing what was happening and running out of the dormitory. She rushed straight to the rooftop, her eyes fixed on the storage room. There were five bricks before, but now there were seven. Why was that? Could her guess be correct? The picture of the girl committing suicide in the bathtub had been stolen and hidden here last night, and then Wu Qiuyang had taken it this morning. That way, she could easily leave the dormitory with the painting. But the root of the theft remained unclear. Why did she choose such a troublesome method to steal the painting when there were clearly better opportunities before?

The three people stared at Zhuo Jiasi, puzzled, and eagerly pressed her for an explanation. However, still filled with questions, Zhuo Jiasi didn't answer, only vaguely replying, "Nothing, I think I remembered something, but I've forgotten it now."

The four of them parted on bad terms. Tao Hua and Zuo Feifei went to the classroom first, while Zhuo Jia wanted to be alone, so she made an excuse about having a stomachache and sent Mu Xiang away. After sitting for a while, she carefully closed the door and took a look at the dormitory furnishings before leaving.

Just as she stepped out of the dormitory, she ran into Li Sixia, who was staring intently at the bulletin board by the dormitory entrance. Zhuo Jiasi couldn't help but laugh and say, "Li Sixia, you're starting to care about girls' affairs now, huh?"

Li Sixia snapped out of her daze, grinning sheepishly, and said, "No, it's not that. Looking at this bulletin board reminds me of the time when Su Mu and I first came here. Back then, this was still the boys' dormitory, and we were always the ones designing and drawing the bulletin board every day."

"Really?" Zhuo Jiasi noticed Li Sixia's sadness and deliberately changed the subject, saying, "This is the letter you wanted, but... strangely enough, the painting disappeared last night..."

"Gone?" Li Sixia started to get agitated, but didn't pursue the matter further, saying with a wry smile, "Perhaps this was destined. By the way, nothing happened last night, right?"

For some reason, Zhuo Jiasi seemed somewhat disappointed, shaking her head and saying, "No. It's just that Mu Xiang and I were locked on the rooftop for one night..."

Before she could finish speaking, a black cat suddenly pounced. Zhuo Jiasi felt a burning pain in her face, and Li Sixia quickly chased the cat away. But then Zhuo Jiasi suddenly had a flash of inspiration and shouted, "It's because of that black cat!"

Zhuo Jia thought for a moment and realized that the difference between the bathtub girl's suicide picture and the previous one was the addition of a black cat. Fortunately, she had taken a picture out of curiosity, so she took out her phone and showed it to Li Sixia while recounting what had happened. Li Sixia listened with a furrowed brow, reasoning, "So you're saying that the newly added black cat holds some kind of secret?"

Zhuo Jiasi nodded and said, "Yes, there must be some secret. Otherwise, why would she go to such lengths to sneak out of the dormitory?"

The two discussed it for a long time but couldn't come up with any better evidence. With class time approaching, Li Sixia had no choice but to say, "Let's go to class first, and then we'll call them to discuss it together later."

So the two walked to their respective classrooms. Zhuo Jiasi walked quite a distance before turning around and loudly asking, "Li Sixia, you're not angry that I lost the painting, are you?"

Section 65: Chapter Seven: The Phantom of the Hospital (7)

In the distance, Li Sixia turned around and swayed slightly. But it was unclear whether he was shaking his head or nodding, and his figure finally disappeared into the distance again.

43

As soon as Zhuo Jiasi entered the classroom, she felt restless. Countless pairs of eyes, filled with doubt and fear, scanned her frantically, then pierced through her entire being. No one wanted to sit with her; the surrounding seats were all empty. She sighed helplessly, watching as Yao Xiaomo's usual seat was taken, yet that sincere face seemed to linger in her mind.

Before the second period even started, Lu Shiliu quietly entered through the back door of the classroom and sat down, startling Zhuo Jiasi, who was lost in thought. Without giving her any time to think, Lu Shiliu lowered his voice and said urgently, "Jiasi, I just went to the hospital to see Yao Xiaomo, and she suddenly insisted on seeing you."

Zhuo Jiasi was so happy she wanted to run laps around the classroom, but she tried her best to suppress her excitement. When the teacher turned away, she and Lu Shiliu secretly ran out the back door. They didn't even have time to say a word, running all the way to the hospital. Only when they reached the ward door did Lu Shiliu, panting, explain, "Because the doctor said her physical and emotional state is not very stable, I hope you will be careful with your words when you talk to her."

Through the crack in the ward door, Zhuo Jiasi saw an extremely haggard face, with only a faint glimmer of light in its eyes. She felt an unprecedented, intense heartache, biting her lip and nodding, saying, "Yes, I will be very, very careful." After saying that, she gently pushed open the door and smelled the medicine inside.

Sun Ying, who used to be in the dormitory, was taking care of Yao Xiaomo. She looked at Zhuo Jiasi with hostility and stood up to kick her out. But Yao Xiaomo struggled to raise one hand and said with difficulty, "Jiasi, come here quickly..." Only then did Sun Ying stop trying to drive her away, but she was still a little worried, so she sat on another bed.

Zhuo Jiasi stepped forward and tightly grasped Yao Xiaomo's right hand, feeling an unusually cold temperature in her palm. Yao Xiaomo's hand was so cold and thin; even without seeing her faded face, her heart ached terribly. She finally couldn't hold back her sobs and burst into tears: "Xiaomo, how could you become like this? You must take good care of yourself, you must get better. You must, okay?"

Yao Xiaomo stared intently at her, tears streaming down her face, forming a clear, flower-like pattern on the white pillowcase. Her lips trembled, opening and closing as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out. Zhuo Jiasi said urgently, "Xiaomo, we can talk about it later. Now, you need to rest well. Okay?"

Yao Xiaomo shook her head, even struggling to sit up. Seeing this, Zhuo Jiasi quickly came up with a solution and said, "Xiaomo, if you have anything to say, write it in my palm." As she spoke, she extended her right hand and quietly placed it in front of her.

Yao Xiaomo gave a pale smile, and her right index finger began to tremble and spread across Zhuo Jiasi's palm, like ants slowly crawling on her hand. Zhuo Jiasi covered her mouth with her left hand, wanting to burst into a heart-wrenching cry.

But when Yao Xiaomo wrote the character "口" (mouth), her expression suddenly turned painful. Her fearful gaze fell outside the ward, her pupils filled with unease and despair. Zhuo Jiasi reflexively looked outside the ward and seemed to see a thin, dark figure sway past in an instant. Zhuo Jiasi's heart trembled, and just as she was about to run out to see what was happening, her right hand was forcefully grabbed by Yao Xiaomo. She seemed to want to write something more, but her fingers were already weak and withered. Finally, her hand fell limply, her face began to convulse violently, and her eyes radiated a struggling pain.

Section 66: Chapter Seven: The Phantom of the Hospital (8)

Sun Ying, who was keeping watch on another hospital bed, was startled. Enraged, she shoved Zhuo Jiasi away and roared, "Zhuo Jiasi, what did you do to her again?"

Zhuo Jiasi resisted fiercely, arguing, "It wasn't me, it wasn't me. Just now... someone was scaring Xiao Mo at the ward door..."

Sun Ying didn't believe her words at all, and even slapped Zhuo Jiasi hard in her anxiety. Zhuo Jiasi stood blankly at the ward door, covering her face, but felt no pain at all, because the pain in her heart had overwhelmed all other emotions. Lu Shiliu rushed over, and without asking what had happened, he wisely pulled Zhuo Jiasi away.

The two walked all the way to the hospital building before Zhuo Jiasi's emotions calmed down a little. She grabbed Lu Shiliu's sleeve and kept repeating, "She wrote a 'mouth' character on my hand, she wrote a 'mouth' character on my hand..."

"Um..." Lu Shiliu asked, puzzled, "What does that mean?"

Zhuo Jiasi shook her head listlessly, then suddenly grabbed his hand and asked, "Did you see anyone pass by the ward door just now?"

Lu Shiliu said blankly, "There are a lot of people passing by. Of course there are a lot of people coming and going in the hospital..."

Zhuo Jiasi didn't say anything more and stumbled towards the school. Lu Shiliu didn't know what to do either, so he followed closely behind her.

44

Unexpectedly, Zhuo Jiasi hurriedly returned to her dormitory. Lu Shiliu, unable to go in, could only pace back and forth at the dormitory entrance. He remembered to call Zuo Feifei and learned that they were discussing the matter in their dormitory. Looking up at the fifth floor, Lu Shiliu smiled as he saw Zuo Feifei's warm, flower-like face, feeling that his long-held anxieties were finally slowly easing. But whether it was a hallucination or reality, a black shadow flashed across the rooftop. He felt a chill run down his spine, as if someone had glared at him fiercely, but he didn't tell Zuo Feifei and left alone.

Zhuo Jiasi recounted her encounter with Yao Xiaomo at the hospital to them word for word, and even now, she could still feel the shape of that "mouth" in her palm. The four of them frowned deeply and fell into a terrifying silence, their intuition telling them that it was definitely related to the murderer.

"It's Wu Qiuyang!" Tao Hua suddenly stood up and shouted, "She must be trying to write the character 'Wu'!"

This conclusion was shared by all three. But what exactly did Wu Qiuyang do to Yao Xiaomo, and why did she do it? Tao Hua became particularly agitated, pacing back and forth in the dormitory, angrily saying, "That damn ugly hag shouldn't have been born! And I must kick her out of dormitory 514!"

Mu Xiang and Zuo Feifei were somewhat surprised by Tao Hua's excessive excitement, but only Zhuo Jiasi understood the underlying reason. After all, Wu Qiuyang was Tao Hua's half-sister! She must have felt more sorrow and hatred than anyone else present; Wu Qiuyang was simply a wound in her heart.

It seemed like everything had happened at once. Aunt Luo suddenly knocked on the door, panting, and said, "Tao Hua, what are you doing? Your dad has been calling you for ages and you haven't answered. He's waiting for you downstairs at the dorm!"

Upon hearing this, Tao Hua laughed triumphantly: "Perfect timing! I'll definitely get my dad to personally kick that ugly freak out of the dorm today!" But when she went to the balcony and looked down, her face immediately turned ashen, because Wu Qiuyang was with her father!

Tao Hua was both anxious and angry, so she kicked off her high heels, put on slippers, and ran downstairs. Some of the others were worried, so they leaned over the balcony to watch what was happening below.

Section 67: Chapter Seven - The Phantom of the Hospital (9)

Tao Hua, as expected of a pampered young lady, rushed over and slapped Wu Qiuyang across the face. A crowd immediately gathered to watch the spectacle. Tao's father seemed to be trying to cover for her, protecting the wronged Wu Qiuyang while pulling Tao Hua away. But Tao Hua persisted, grabbing at Wu Qiuyang's hair. Wu Qiuyang still didn't retaliate, simply hiding behind Tao's father's shoulder like a little bird; the long scar on her skin was particularly noticeable in the sunlight.

Finally, another resounding slap echoed downstairs in the dormitory. It was Tao's father who had hit Tao Hua. Everyone present was shocked—the vice-principal would beat his own daughter for the sake of an ugly girl! Tao Hua covered her face, staring at him in despair, speechless for a long time. Zuo Feifei was anxious to run down and stop them, but Zhuo Jiasi and Mu Xiang stopped her. After all, family matters are the most difficult to interfere with; outsiders interfering would only create more trouble.

Tao's father ignored Tao Hua and tried to leave with Wu Qiuyang. Tao Hua didn't chase after them; instead, she collapsed to the ground like a rag doll, crying out, "So you've never cared about me and Mom! You conspired with her to kill Mom, and now you want to harm me? I never thought this bastard child was more important than me..."

The surrounding crowd erupted in uproar. No one had expected that the usually kind and honest Vice Principal Tao would have such an affair, and that the ugly Wu Qiuyang was actually his illegitimate daughter! Mu Xiang and Zuo Feifei were clearly shocked as well, and both retreated in fright. Only then did they realize why Tao Hua had been so hostile towards Wu Qiuyang from the very beginning.

Tao's father stopped walking, looking particularly forlorn in the crowd. But he didn't turn back to help Tao Hua; instead, he stubbornly held Wu Qiuyang's hand and disappeared from everyone's sight.

They had never seen Tao Hua so humbled before. The three of them ran downstairs with great concern and surrounded her. She threw herself into Zuo Feifei's arms, her sobs intensifying. Finally, it took a lot of effort for the three of them to persuade her to return to her dormitory. They couldn't find any more words to comfort her; in this situation, it would be better to let Tao Hua have some peace and quiet.

No night in dormitory 514 has ever been as quiet as it is now. They've all forgotten their fear, contemplating their own thoughts amidst the haughty yet humble aura of the peach blossoms. Zhuo Jiasi even longs for the fragrance of the flowers, no longer wanting to suffer through sleepless nights; falling asleep is, in fact, a beautiful thing.

Section 68: Chapter Eight - The Cat's Screams (1)

Chapter Eight: The Cat's Screams

45

Whether due to exhaustion or some other reason, the night was eerily quiet, with nothing happening at all; even the usual clatter of marbles seemed to have vanished. This only reinforced the four's belief that Wu Qiuyang was behind it all, and her motive might have been because they had been ostracized.

Only Zuo Feifei had a nightmare; she woke up crying in the early morning. She hugged Zhuo Jiasi tightly and said, "I dreamt of Xiao Chuhan again. She was choking me… she said she wanted me to go down and keep her company…"

Tao Hua also woke up, her expression unusually calm. If it were before, hearing the name "Xiao Chuhan" would have filled her with fury. But after yesterday's events, she seemed like a completely different person; even her voice had lost its former arrogance. She calmly said, "Feifei, don't be afraid. It was all caused by that ugly freak, Wu Qiuyang."

Mu Xiang tossed and turned all night before finally daring to ask, "Tao Hua, what exactly is your family's relationship with Wu Qiuyang?"

Zhuo Jiasi thought Tao Hua would avoid the topic, but to her surprise, she told the truth: "Our family used to live a very happy life, and everyone envied us. But three years ago, Wu Qiuyang's mother suddenly appeared. She was my father's mistress, whom he met in a moment of confusion when he first got married, and Wu Qiuyang is their child. At that time, she was nearing the end of her life due to rectal cancer, and before she died, she entrusted Wu Qiuyang to my father. My mother was depressed because of this and eventually died at home from an overdose of sleeping pills. I hated Wu Qiuyang, so I kicked her out of the house when my father wasn't home, but I didn't expect that my father was still secretly supporting her. He even fantasized that we could become good friends, which was simply a dream!"

Mu Xiang was so shocked she couldn't speak. It turned out that the usually arrogant Tao Hua harbored such a painful past. Thinking of this, she seemed less saddened by her humble origins; perhaps everyone carries a shameful scar in their life. Clearly, Zuo Feifei was also completely unaware of these things, looking at Tao Hua with deep sympathy, tears welling in her eyes.

Tao Hua broke the somber atmosphere first, wiping away her tears and smiling, "But don't worry about me. How could Wu Qiuyang possibly defeat me? I will definitely get my revenge!"

Zhuo Jiasi had a feeling that Wu Qiuyang's return home wasn't a good thing. She frowned and asked, "Tao Hua, how does Wu Qiuyang treat your father? I think she seems to dislike him?"

Tao Hua laughed gleefully, excitedly saying, "That's my father's retribution. Who told him to have an affair behind my mother's back? That bastard child is still resentful about his mother's death, so she never gives him a friendly look."

The anticipated worry materialized. Zhuo Jiasi tentatively asked, "Tao Hua, if everything we've suffered was done by Wu Qiuyang, what if she tried to harm your father in the same way?"

These words jolted Tao Hua awake. She began to worry about the outcome. Although she hated her father, she had never imagined he would suffer the agony of being on the verge of death. Desperate, she actually called home, feigning remorse, and said, "Dad, I know I was wrong. Please have Wu Qiuyang come back to the dormitory; we all miss her."

The change in their attitude was so drastic it was astonishing. But then they became afraid again; with Wu Qiuyang in the dormitory, life was once again filled with fear. Fortunately, Tao Hua patted her chest and said, "Don't worry. I'll go down and find Aunt Luo to change Wu Qiuyang's dormitory, so she can stay far away from us."

Zuo Feifei stood up happily, hugged Tao Hua, and cheered. But Zhuo Jiasi and Mu Xiang were still not convinced. In their opinion, if Wu Qiuyang really wanted to harm someone, she would find her no matter how far away she was transferred.

46

Under Tao Hua's combined pressure and persuasion, Aunt Luo had no choice but to find a way to move Wu Qiuyang to the dormitory on the third floor. With two floors separating them, the four of them were finally able to sleep peacefully for a few nights.

Strangely, the sound of marbles continued, and the four of them started to fall asleep to the music. Tao Hua considered going to the rooftop to stop Wu Qiuyang, but they all felt they didn't want to cause any more trouble, so they let the sound of marbles continue, and nothing else happened.

What's worrying is that Zuo Feifei's mental state remains unstable. She often dreams in terror that Xiao Chuhan comes to take her life, and then she can't even concentrate in class or while eating. However, all her symptoms completely disappear when Lu Shiliu arrives. Because Lu Shiliu's school is in another city, they can only meet once every three days. Tao Hua jokingly calls this "love magic," while Zhuo Jiasi has to remind Lu Shiliu to take better care of Zuo Feifei.

The brief peace was abruptly shattered by Yao Xiaomo's death. It was a bright, sunny morning. Zhuo Jiasi sat alone in the last row, attentively listening to the teacher. But Sun Ying appeared at the classroom door with a policeman. They called Zhuo Jiasi out to cooperate with the investigation. It turned out that Yao Xiaomo had been murdered; a sharp knife had pierced her chest, and she had died from excessive blood loss.

Upon hearing this sudden news, Zhuo Jiasi felt dizzy. The events had come too suddenly and bizarrely. Just yesterday, when she visited Yao Xiaomo, the doctor had said that Yao Xiaomo had a high chance of recovery, and the speechless Yao Xiaomo had smiled at her. But now she was in another world. She seemed to see Yao Xiaomo struggling before death, and those pleading hands, but she could only stand in the darkness, sitting helplessly on the cold floor, crying.

Section 69: Chapter Eight - The Cat's Screams (2)

Zhuo Jiasi's answers remained numb; her heart was completely immersed in grief. But one question interrupted her sorrow: the policeman suddenly asked, "Do you know a girl named Xiao Chuhan?"

Zhuo Jiasi's mind nearly froze. She couldn't help but shake the policeman's shoulder and ask, "What did you say? Is this related to Xiao Chuhan?"

It took the police a while to calm Zhuo Jiasi down. They said very seriously, "Before she died, the deceased wrote Xiao Chuhan's name in blood on the bedsheet. So if you know this person, please cooperate with us."

"But..." Zhuo Jiasi said, distraught, "Xiao Chuhan has been dead for a long time..."

Clearly, the policeman was also quite startled; the supernatural event only complicated the case. After asking some trivial questions, the policeman left, but Zhuo Jiasi felt pain all over her body, as if countless ants were biting and devouring her.

Just as Zhuo Jiasi felt dizzy, Li Sixia arrived immediately. He had also heard about Yao Xiaomo's murder, and helped Zhuo Jiasi to the art studio, comforting her, saying, "Jiasi, the deceased is gone, so don't be sad anymore. What we should do now is assist the police in finding the real killer."

Zhuo Jiasi thought of Wu Qiuyang again. Could it be that she was behind all of this? But all the evidence and motives were nonexistent, and she remained sullen and depressed. Li Sixia ignored her and continued sketching on his canvas. Half an hour later, he turned around, holding the canvas, and said with a smile, "Jiasi, come and take a look."

Zhuo Jiasi looked closely and saw that the blank canvas had instantly transformed into a vast expanse of sunflowers. The sunlight outside shone directly onto the canvas, painting the golden yellow with a dazzling brilliance. The scene filled her with a sense of peace, and she finally smiled with relief.

"You know what?" Li Sixia walked up to her, carrying her drawing board, and looked at her affectionately, saying, "The first time I saw you, I felt that something was bound to happen between us."

Zhuo Jiasi hadn't expected Li Sixia to confess at this time. Her sadness was completely replaced by shyness, so she could only joke to cover it up, saying, "Ah, so you've been eyeing me since then!"

Li Sixia didn't respond to the joke, but instead said very seriously, "No, that's not it. When you asked about Su Mu back then, I assumed you were his 'supervisor angel.' I promised Su Mu I would take good care of Xia Youcai. So it wasn't until Xia Youcai died that I dared to slowly approach you..."

"Oh...I see..." Zhuo Jiasi felt a little awkward about the ambiguous situation, so she pretended not to care and continued joking, "So, did you used to curse Xia Youcai to die all the time...?"

Li Sixia's face changed instantly, all the tenderness from before vanished. He even stood up and slammed his easel down, shouting hoarsely, "I didn't, I really didn't, I really didn't curse her to die..." After saying that, he ran out of the studio without looking back, leaving only the sound of the door shaking and banging.

Zhuo Jiasi hadn't expected that a simple joke would make Li Sixia so angry. She regretfully picked up her sketchbook and saw a line of neat handwriting in the corner of the drawing: "Jiasi, remember to live like a sunflower, always chasing the sun." In an instant, a golden light filled her heart, and hot tears fell happily into her warm palms.

47

Yao Xiaomo's mysterious death, following Xia Youcai's suicide, became the hottest topic on campus. If Xia Youcai made Zhuo Jiasi a well-known figure, then Yao Xiaomo made Zhuo Jiasi even more famous. Dormitory 514 became even more terrifying; everyone said, "Yao Xiaomo only had a very shallow friendship with Zhuo Jiasi in dormitory 514, but unexpectedly, she was entangled by the cursed energy there and died."

Section 70: Chapter Eight - The Cat's Screams (3)

Mu Xiang and the others also learned of Yao Xiaomo's death and were once again plunged into fear and anxiety. Especially Zuo Feifei, when she heard that Yao Xiaomo had written the three words "Xiao Chuhan" in blood before she died, she clutched her chest and cried out in pain: "Xiao Chuhan is back! It's her, she's going to kill us all one by one..." In the end, she fainted in extreme emotional instability.

Zhuo Jiasi and Mu Xiang quieted down, trying to slowly piece together the whole story. But they discovered that everything was an intractable knot. First Wu Qiuyang, then Xiao Chuhan—who was manipulating everything behind the scenes? Was it really Xiao Chuhan coming to take revenge on them? Tao Hua was almost frantic, furiously typing on the computer mouse while muttering irritably.