Цветы персика

Глава 19

"Hurry back! Someone's coming up."

These were his last words on the ancient city wall. After saying them, he jumped down from the wall, disappearing without a trace like Batman in the night.

The footsteps grew closer; the sound came before the person was seen.

"What a disappointment. Our school was in the lead the whole night, but we lost at the very last moment."

"Just one point short! Damn it! I'm so angry!"

"Four bottles of Yanjing beer should be enough for you, right?"

"Damn! Only four bottles? You're incredibly stingy!"

Two tall boys walked towards me side by side. By the moonlight, I could see their school uniforms; they were schoolmates. Whatever they were, the scene before the Great Forest appeared still lingered in my mind. Before they could reach me, I took off running, passing them like the wind…

"What is this?"

"I also felt like a shadowy figure suddenly flew by."

"That's incredibly fast!"

"Oh my god! A UFO..."

I didn't bother to listen to what the two people who had climbed the city wall were saying; I just ran as fast as the wind. Just as I reached the dormitory building, I heard someone call my name: "Lan, where have you been? I've been waiting for you!"

Mo Yan!

"Do you need something?"

"I..." he stammered, rubbing two badly rolled-up movie tickets in his hands.

Apple returned just then, carrying two thermos flasks in her hands.

"Did you go to the boiler room?" I asked her.

“Yes!” She gestured towards Mo Yan with her chin. “Why are you talking here? There’s plenty of space in the east flowerbed and the west playground!”

"Don't talk nonsense!" I stepped forward, snatched the thermos from her hand, and took her arm as we walked towards the dormitory. "Goodbye, Mo Yan!"

Apple walked forward, turning her head back: "Mo Yan, let me remind you, Ruoxi is a well-behaved child, you can't bully her."

"No...no way." His face turned bright red, just like a tomato's twin brother.

"And another thing, you're not allowed to hang out with that Jeep anymore!"

"Huh? Then...isn't that your boyfriend?"

“I know him. He’s not a bad person at heart, but he’s too cunning. He learned sawing from a carpenter and mixing mortar from a bricklayer. You’re an honest person, and I’m afraid he’ll lead you astray.”

We had already entered the girls' dormitory building, and Mo Yan was still standing there, staring blankly, pondering Apple's words.

The dormitory was infested with mosquitoes. The lingering heat of late summer refused to leave, and the autumn mosquitoes were even more vicious. Apple and I huddled under our mosquito nets, talking to each other.

Section 48: Return (5)

"The Great Forest is still alive?" She put a bed sheet over her head, her jaw almost dislocated.

"When the last gunshot rang out, my mind went blank. A vast forest blocked my way, blood splattered, and I passed out. When I woke up, I was already in a bumpy car... and all I could see was the bright sun..."

“Mingyang?” she interrupted me. “Who is Mingyang?”

“Well…” I bit my lip, “This story… needs to be told from the beginning.”

It wasn't until the lights-out bell rang that I was able to explain Mingyang's whole story. The lights went out, and it was pitch black. I couldn't see Apple's expression, but I could hear her slightly annoyed voice: "Ugh! Really, why didn't you say so earlier? Dajipu was still playing the piano and trying to set you up with Moyan."

I fell silent. She continued her rambling: "By the way, have you heard? Another murder has occurred at our school!"

"Huh?" I exclaimed in surprise, "When did this happen?"

"It just came out today, it's just a rumor." She picked up her teacup and crawled back into the mosquito net. "I've heard it before, that every year since 1979, a few people have died at our school, either four or eight, always an even number, never an odd number."

"Who told you that?"

“Our school always does this. They block the news as soon as something happens, afraid it will affect enrollment, and even more afraid someone will dig deeper.” She lowered her voice and said, “The news from the School of Management is that a few days ago, a girl from their school went to the ancient city gate outside the East Gate with her boyfriend at night. That guy is a scoundrel! He saw three migrant workers harassing her, and he abandoned the girl and ran away. As a result, she was raped…?” She gulped down her tea, indignant. “So shameless! If you ask me, that guy should just kill himself.”

"And then what?"

"Later, the girl didn't tell anyone after returning to her dormitory, but she was very upset. It seems she was mentally prepared and wanted to leave this world cleanly. She went to the public bathhouse, took a shower, and after getting dressed, she took poison in the changing room."

My heart skipped a beat: "Is it the big public bathhouse behind our dormitory building?"

"Our school only has one bathhouse."

"Oh." For some reason, I felt uneasy.

"Don't you remember? Yesterday we went to the public bathhouse, and we were stopped at the door and told they were doing pipe repairs. I didn't believe it! Repairs usually only happen every six months or so, there's no reason for them to come again in less than a month. So I went to ask around, and the girl's roommates were all crying. The school said to keep the news under wraps, but you can't shut the students up. That's when I knew something had happened at the bathhouse."

"Was it suicide?"

"When the female students from the School of Management were sorting through the girl's belongings, they found two suicide notes. One was for the man she hated, and the other was a farewell to her parents. Sigh, kids these days are so foolish! Was it worth it for such a beast? She should have recognized this heartless man sooner and left him sooner..."

When advising others, we are always full of arguments. Little do we know whether we can be just as rational and calm when it comes to ourselves.

"East... city wall?" A chill ran down my spine. Tonight was truly a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

She sat cross-legged, gazing at the full moon outside the window, and sighed, "Sometimes I have a feeling that this great forest was truly created for you."

"I hope he lives for himself." This is what I truly feel.

We chatted idly for a while longer, and before going to sleep, Apple repeatedly warned me: "Let me tell you, the municipal government is building a new planned road outside the east gate of our school. The east gate is a mess right now, so don't wander around. Some of the migrant workers have very low moral standards, and it's not like they have bad guys written on their faces."

"Okay, I'll listen." I raised my hand to promise. "So, does our school have a murder every year? What's going on?"

"This is a saying passed down from generation to generation of graduates. Look at what happened to Yu Qing last time; two more lives were lost in the library. Coincidentally, a rape also occurred three months ago in the newly built science building."

"Huh?" I know, "It's the newly built white building near the west gate?"

“Yes, that’s the one!” she said. “A murder occurred just two months after the building was completed. Our school used the same old tactic: to suppress the news.”

"What happened?"

"The science building wasn't very popular after it was newly built; many students still preferred to study in the old Building No. 10. On the day of the incident, a girl was studying alone in the common classroom on the fifth floor. The building was closed at noon, and there were basically no people in the building during the lunch break. When the building reopened at 2:30 pm, students who went to study on the fifth floor found that the girl was already dead in the study room. Her clothes were disheveled; she had been strangled."

"So... has the murderer been caught in this case?"

"How easy is that? Our school has over 40,000 students. Leaving aside whether the murderer is from within or outside the school, just the school's information blackout makes solving this case incredibly difficult. Moreover, the school is appeasing the victim's family, telling them not to report it. On the surface, it's to protect the victim's reputation, but really it's just to avoid damaging the school's image," Apple said indignantly. "Think about how much suffering that girl endured before she was murdered. In this huge school building, she screamed until she was hoarse, but no one heard her. She was not only insulted but also strangled to death. What does it matter if she's dead? Letting the murderer go unpunished just gives bad people another chance to commit crimes."

I bit my nails and didn't make a sound.

“I’m not saying all universities have this problem, but our school definitely does. That’s why I’ve always despised Jeep’s attempt to curry favor with the student council to stay on campus; I just can’t stand it! I’m afraid he’ll one day become a hypocrite…”

“Forget it,” Apple stuck her tongue out at me. “Let’s go to sleep! It’s too dark to talk about bloody things.”

"Go to sleep!"

She fell asleep quickly, but I couldn't fall asleep even with my eyes closed.

In fact, ghosts come unexpectedly.

Section 49: The Campus Blood Curse (1)

Campus Blood Curse

Mo Yan came to see me again on Saturday night, and I knew it was because of the crumpled movie ticket in his hand.

But I can't go. Some things, if they start as a misunderstanding, should be nipped in the bud as soon as possible. Apple pushed me out and handed me a bath basket: "I'll tell him, go take a bath!"

I felt ashamed of myself; Apple was much more decisive than I was at refusing people.

As dusk painted the sky, only a handful of people remained in the bathhouse. While changing, I overheard the girls next to me whispering, "Hurry up and wash! Lately, I've been hearing a lot of strange things happening at the bathhouse. The last girl to leave always says that even when all the pipes are turned off, there's still a gurgling sound of water, which is kind of creepy..."

When I heard this, my heart tightened. I wondered if I would be the last person to leave today.

As it happened, I was indeed the last to leave. Looking back, I saw that all the faucets were turned off. As I was about to leave the shower area, I heard the sound of water pouring down...

It really is a strange thing!

I wanted to go back and find the source of the sound of water, so I walked further in...

The washed floor reflected people's shadows, and a thin mist floated on the bluish-gray cement. The entire bathhouse was eerily quiet; the splashing of the water was amplified to an almost deafening degree.

Suddenly, I felt a slap on my back. Startled, I turned around and saw the building manager: "What's going on? I'm waiting for the gate to close! What are you dawdling for?"

"I want to turn off the water..." Before he could finish speaking, she pushed him out.

"Alright, you can go now! I'll go shut it down!"

I said okay and left the bathhouse.

As I walked down to the girls' dormitory, I heard the big jeep shouting upstairs, "If you don't come out now, I'm leaving!"

"Get out!" No one appeared at the upstairs window, only Apple's sharp, bright voice could be heard.

"I'm leaving!" The jeep took one step forward, then looked back. "Am I really leaving?"

"Whoosh!" It startled me.

The jeep stood there dumbfounded, not moving for a long time. It was soaked to the bone, with water dripping from its hair.

"Did you have a fight?" I asked softly.

He turned and left without saying a word.

I rushed back to the dormitory and as soon as I opened the door, I saw Apple standing by the window looking down, holding a plastic basin in her hand. The evidence was conclusive.

"Why did you throw it at him?" I asked her. "He's a very proud person, and this could have lasting consequences."

"If he's really a petty and narrow-minded man, then we're better off without him!"

"What on earth could have escalated to this point?"

That night we slept together, whispering secrets to each other, our heads touching.

“I want him to leave the student council.” Her eyes were wide open, staring unblinkingly at the ceiling. “You know, I’m really afraid people can change.”

"Are you worried about him?"

"Look at him now, he's getting more and more glib..." She covered her head with a pillow and sighed, "Sigh! I never thought I'd become so vulgar so quickly, actually worrying about a man."

“Don’t do that,” I said, removing the pillow from her head and tossing it aside. “We will all grow up someday, and no one can stop life from moving forward.”

Section 50: The Campus Blood Curse (2)

"I don't want the people I like to become scheming and manipulative; it terrifies me."

I put my arm around her shoulder, offering a small word of comfort. In truth, humans are the most complex and delicate part of the food chain; who knows which next level of dominance will emerge from the cycle of life, and anyone can succumb to temptation.

“Perhaps being adept at social maneuvering is his advantage, but I don’t want him to lose his principles.” Her words were loaded with meaning.