Transmigration La Consort du Dieu de la Guerre

Chapitre 2

Gao Xiaoyuan shook her head: "Isn't that just a storage room?"

The boy didn't say anything, slowly turned around, slung his backpack over his right shoulder, and walked towards the other end of the corridor, leaving Gao Xiaoyuan standing alone on the stairs, holding the broken photo frame in a daze.

Who exactly is he? What grade is he in? Why would he ask those questions?

"That storage room used to be Class 0 of Grade 11." When the voice came, Gao Xiaoyuan was startled, but she quickly realized that it was the boy who was standing at the other end of the corridor looking at Gao Xiaoyuan. He had a strange expression on his face, with the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, as if he was giving Gao Xiaoyuan a faint smile. Then his figure disappeared at the door.

Gao Xiaoyuan stood there, stunned. She never imagined that Class 0 of Grade 11 was in that storage room, let alone that the boy knew about its existence. If he knew this, then he must know other things too. Thinking this, Gao Xiaoyuan quickened her pace to catch up with the boy, but when she rushed out the door, he was already gone.

Who exactly is he?

Gao Xiaoyuan stood blankly in front of the building, looking around.

It was very quiet all around, with only a few dim lights shining on the cold ground.

Suddenly, the sound of the cello rang out again...

Gao Xiaoyuan stood motionless, searching for the source of the sound. Suddenly, she lowered her head and slowly took out a brand-new MP4 from her school uniform pocket.

She hadn't taken the MP4 from the storage room, but now it was in her pocket. How could this be?

The image reappeared on the MP4 screen, but this time the girl was gone, replaced by a cello with blood dripping from its strings…

Four or five locked wardrobes

Although it was already autumn, the strenuous exercise still left Gao Xiaoyuan drenched in sweat, forcing her to run to the school's bathhouse to shower after her physical education class.

The lockers in this bathhouse changing room are shared by students, but five of them are always locked. The locks are rusty, indicating they've been locked for a long time. Gao Xiaoyuan stood in front of these five lockers side by side, lost in thought.

Who is using these five wardrobes?

Gao Xiaoyuan was concentrating on thinking about the problem when someone suddenly tapped her on the shoulder, startling her so much that she almost screamed. When she saw who it was, she quickly and respectfully said, "Hello, Teacher Xia."

Ms. Xia's expression didn't look good. She simply nodded slightly and asked, "What are you standing here daydreaming about?"

"I was just wondering who was using these five wardrobes and why they were always locked." Gao Xiaoyuan had barely finished speaking when she saw that panic in Teacher Xia's eyes again.

"Why are you asking so many questions? Go take a shower, and then go home. Don't stay at school any longer!" Teacher Xia seemed very unhappy, her tone was like she was going to eat someone alive, which frightened Gao Xiaoyuan so much that she lowered her head and didn't dare to breathe. But at this moment, a mournful and melancholic cello melody suddenly rang out, and everyone in the changing room was stunned.

"Who's playing the violin?" Teacher Xia shouted in alarm.

The students stared at each other blankly, none of them knowing where the music was coming from.

Gao Xiaoyuan hesitated for a moment, then her gaze suddenly shifted to the five locked wardrobes. Teacher Xia seemed to realize this as well, and slowly turned her gaze to the five locked wardrobes as well.

The cello music was coming from the locked wardrobe in the very center.

“Inside there…” Teacher Xia’s finger trembled as she pointed to the wardrobe in the very center.

"Why are there sounds coming from inside?" Gao Xiaoyuan voiced her doubts.

The other students started whispering among themselves, and Ms. Xia's expression grew increasingly grim.

Gao Xiaoyuan cautiously stepped forward and tried to touch the lock with her hand. The lock opened with a click.

Teacher Xia and the other students screamed at the same time, but Gao Xiaoyuan tried her best to calm herself down and gently opened the cabinet door.

A worn-out cello was crammed into the wardrobe, and red blood was dripping down its strings.

Five abandoned concert halls

When Gao Xiaoyuan woke up, she found herself lying on a single bed in the school infirmary, a white sheet blocking her view of the outside world. Gao Xiaoyuan didn't know how long she had been lying there, nor did she know how Teacher Xia and the others were doing; she only felt completely weak.

Gao Xiaoyuan rubbed her eyes, her mind still replaying the red blood that had flowed from the old cello; the crimson color made her feel uneasy. Just then, a figure appeared on the white sheet. Gao Xiaoyuan held her breath and gripped the sheet tightly with both hands.

A face that was both familiar and unfamiliar appeared in front of Gao Xiaoyuan.

It was the male student she had seen last night; he was staring at her coldly.

Gao Xiaoyuan opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say to him. She didn't know why he came here.

"That cello belongs to Peng Zhi."

Gao Xiaoyuan sat up, somewhat awkwardly tidied her hair, and then asked in a low voice, "How did you know?"

Instead of answering Gao Xiaoyuan's question, the boy suddenly reached out and grabbed her, pulling her off the bed before she could react, and rushed out of the clinic.

"Hey—hey—where are you taking me?" Gao Xiaoyuan was being dragged around by the boy, but she had no power to resist at all.

"My name is Xu An, what's your name?" The boy asked, pulling Gao Xiaoyuan forward on his own.

"I...I'm Gao Xiaoyuan..." Just as Gao Xiaoyuan said this, Xu An had already pulled her around a corner and walked straight towards the playground.

"Are you a freshman? Which class are you in?" Xu An continued to stride forward.

“Yes, Grade 11, Class 3…” Gao Xiaoyuan hadn’t finished speaking when Xu An interrupted her: “I’m in Grade 11, Class 1, one year older than you, so you’ll have to listen to me from now on.”

Gao Xiaoyuan opened her mouth but couldn't speak. She had never seen such a domineering person before. Just as she was about to resist, Xu An suddenly stopped, and Gao Xiaoyuan, not having had time to stop, bumped heavily into Xu An's back.

Xu An didn't react, standing there staring blankly ahead, a kind of indescribable melancholy in his eyes. Gao Xiaoyuan quickly followed Xu An's gaze and looked ahead, only to find herself standing in front of an abandoned large house.

"Where is this place..." Before Gao Xiaoyuan could even ask the question, Xu An had already pulled her open the door of the big house.

It's very big inside, as big as a small movie theater.

“This is the school’s concert hall,” Xu An said coldly.

"Here? This school even has a concert hall? How come I didn't know that?" Gao Xiaoyuan was very surprised.

Xu An didn't say much, but walked straight to the front of the stage and stared blankly at it without saying a word.

Gao Xiaoyuan stared at Xu An's retreating figure, completely unaware of what he was thinking or why he had brought her here.

“My sister used to conduct her class here, leading them through performance after performance,” Xu An suddenly spoke up. “She was the best teacher and the best conductor.”

Gao Xiaoyuan stood still, listening quietly to Xu An's words.

“But she chose to commit suicide.” Xu An said this in a very calm voice.

Gao Xiaoyuan slowly approached Xu An and looked straight at him.

His face still wore that cold expression, but there was a hint of resentment between his brows.

"Why did she commit suicide?" Gao Xiaoyuan had already guessed that the sister Xu An mentioned was the teacher of Class 0 in the first year of high school, and she also understood why Xu An was so concerned about the affairs of Class 0 in the first year of high school.

"I just want to find the answer." Xu An stared at the empty stage, his eyes vacant and without purpose.

Gao Xiaoyuan understood and asked, "So, have you found the answer?"

Xu An fell silent. Gao Xiaoyuan looked at him, but she couldn't detect any expression on his face. What was he thinking? What had he found out? Gao Xiaoyuan really wanted to know.

“That was a year ago,” Xu An’s gaze suddenly turned resentful. “A year ago, this school enrolled ten students with special talents in music. They were all geniuses, so my sister, who was also a genius, became their teacher.”

It turned out that Class 0 of the first year of high school was a special class. Gao Xiaoyuan didn't say anything and quietly continued to listen.

“That night, my sister and her students were rehearsing in this concert hall because they were going to represent the school in a competition the next day, so they practiced very late, but then…” Xu An suddenly stopped.

What happened next?

Xu An did not reply, but suddenly stood up straight and looked up at the top of the stage.

Gao Xiaoyuan followed Xu An's gaze...

"Ah—" Gao Xiaoyuan screamed. She never expected that Teacher Xia would be hanging in mid-air on the stage. Several strings were wrapped around her neck, and blood had congealed on the strings. Her eyes were staring intently at the stage floor.

The Call from Under the Floor

When Gao Xiaoyuan came out of the police station, she was somewhat numb. She looked up at the gloomy night and couldn't say a word. Her parents stood beside her, staring at her with serious expressions.

Gao Xiaoyuan knew that what happened today would stay in her memory for the rest of her life, but she also hoped that the answer to this event would remain in her memory at the same time.

Xu An ran away, abandoning Gao Xiaoyuan and disappearing as quickly as possible before the police arrived.

Gao Xiaoyuan didn't know how things happened, nor did she know if Teacher Xia's death was related to Xu An, but she kept her acquaintance with Xu An a secret from the police, without mentioning it at all.

As soon as she got home, Gao Xiaoyuan collapsed heavily onto the bed, burying her face in the pillow. Her mind was in complete turmoil, a jumble of questions swirling around inside her, and she couldn't make sense of it at all.

Why did Xu An run away?

Second, was Teacher Xia's death a suicide or a homicide?

Third, what happened to Class 0 of Grade 1 a year ago that night?

Fourth, what is Teacher Xia's relationship with Class 0 of Grade 11?

Also, how come there's something on the screen of that MP4 player...?

Suddenly, a voice rang out. Gao Xiaoyuan slowly raised her head, her eyes darting nervously around. The voice grew clearer and clearer; it seemed someone was calling her.

"Let me out...let me out..."

Gao Xiaoyuan couldn't help but shiver. She sat up nervously, her eyes fixed on the school uniform hanging behind the door.

The sound was coming from the pocket of the school uniform.

Gao Xiaoyuan gently got off the bed, slowly walked to her school uniform, and took out her MP4 from her pocket.

A partial view of a floor appeared on the screen; it looked wooden. The sound continued, and it sounded like a girl's voice.

"I want to get out... I want to get out..." The voice grew louder and louder. Suddenly, the wooden floorboards crashed, sending planks flying everywhere. Gao Xiaoyuan was so frightened that she dropped her MP4 player. The sound stopped abruptly. After a few minutes, Gao Xiaoyuan picked up the MP4 again. This time, the wooden floorboards on the screen had a hole in them, and it was pitch black inside, making it impossible to see anything clearly. The deep, mournful sound of a cello began again. Gao Xiaoyuan stared at the screen without moving. Suddenly, a bloodshot eye appeared in the darkness!

"Ah—" Gao Xiaoyuan screamed, threw the MP4 away, climbed onto the bed, and buried her head under the covers.

There was a knock on the door.

"Xiaoyuan! Xiaoyuan! What's wrong? Open the door!"

Gao Xiaoyuan was so frightened that she huddled under the covers, her body trembling uncontrollably.

"Xiaoyuan!" The knocking on the door grew louder, followed by the sound of keys, and then the door clicked open.

"Xiaoyuan, what's wrong?" Gao Xiaoyuan's mother, Li Yu, rushed to the bedside, pulled back the blanket, and looked at the panicked Gao Xiaoyuan, calling out, "Xiaoyuan, it's Mom and Dad, don't be afraid!"

"Did you dream?" Gao Lin, Xiao Yuan's father, stood by the bed, frowning as he looked at Gao Xiao Yuan seriously.

Gao Xiaoyuan looked up at her mother and father, and suddenly burst into tears. Instinctively, she rushed to her mother, crying out, "Mom—"