Сказка о принцессе Сонг в Хэйан-кё

Глава 6

Six Ghost Voices

Principal Chen stood blankly beside the concert hall, his gaze filled with fear and resentment.

From a corner not far away, Gao Xiaoyuan peeked out and looked in the direction where Principal Chen was standing.

Why wasn't Principal Chen leaving but instead standing there in a daze? This puzzled Gao Xiaoyuan; she felt that Principal Chen was hiding something. Just as Gao Xiaoyuan was speculating, Principal Chen had already broken the seal on the concert hall door and walked straight in.

Gao Xiaoyuan frowned. She didn't know what Principal Chen was doing inside at this time. Instead of going to class, she quietly followed Principal Chen into the concert hall.

Principal Chen turned on the lights in the concert hall, the dim light reflecting on the desolate and lonely stage.

Gao Xiaoyuan quickly slipped between rows of neat seats, secretly glancing at the concert hall stage.

Teacher Xia died on that stage, and all the students in Class 0 of Grade 11 disappeared in this concert hall. Gao Xiaoyuan suddenly felt that this concert hall was filled with terror, and at the same time, it hid many unknown secrets.

Principal Chen walked slowly to the front of the stage.

Gao Xiaoyuan lowered her head and shrank back into her seat.

Principal Chen stared intently at the stage, tears welling up in his eyes.

Gao Xiaoyuan poked half her head out and blinked at Principal Chen.

Principal Chen turned around blankly and sat down in the first row, still staring blankly at the stage.

Gao Xiaoyuan crawled under the seat and observed Principal Chen's every move through the gap between the seats.

"It's been so long, why can't you all calm down?" Principal Chen suddenly muttered to himself in the empty concert hall.

Gao Xiaoyuan frowned as she looked at Principal Chen.

"Xiaoyu, why are you making this call? Is there really some injustice behind your deaths?" Principal Chen's voice was unsteady.

Gao Xiaoyuan pursed her lips. She didn't know who Principal Chen was talking to. Was he talking to those "ghosts" from Class 0 of Grade 1? Did he also believe in ghosts? Just as Gao Xiaoyuan was thinking about these things, she suddenly heard Principal Chen crying.

“I know you died unjustly. I know you wouldn’t have died together if it weren’t for rehearsing music. I’m so sorry… It’s all my fault, all my fault…” Principal Chen cried out sadly, tears streaming down his face.

Although Gao Xiaoyuan didn't know any of the students in Class 10 of the first year of high school, she didn't know why she felt sad. Was it because of Xu An? If Xu An was Qiu Wangzi, then he was a student in Class 10 of the first year of high school, which meant he should be dead. The thought of him being dead made Gao Xiaoyuan unable to stop herself from shedding tears.

"A gentle breeze blows by... my heart longs for it..." Suddenly, a melodious song came from the concert hall, the beautiful voice like a lark singing.

Principal Chen slowly raised his head, his eyes darting around as he searched for the source of the sound.

Gao Xiaoyuan raised her head slightly. She felt the voice was very close, as if it were right beside her. She quietly crawled forward, stopping halfway through, then slipped under the chair and crawled under the next row of seats. The voice grew closer, almost touching. Gao Xiaoyuan continued crawling forward.

Principal Chen slowly turned his head and looked at the rows of densely packed seats behind him.

Gao Xiaoyuan finally stopped crawling. She suddenly felt that the voice was coming from above her body. She hesitated for a moment and then slowly raised her head.

The school uniform was still relatively new, but the person wearing it had become a corpse. She was leaning against the chair, looking towards the stage, making beautiful sounds...

Seven-Rusty Knife, Shoelaces

Gao Xiaoyuan was still trembling, huddled in Principal Chen's arms, her eyes filled with fear as she stared at the corpse in front of her.

A rusty fruit knife was stuck in the corpse's chest, and she seemed to be holding something that looked like a shoelace in her hand. The flesh on her face was rotting and turned inside out, making her look utterly disgusting and unrecognizable from her previous appearance.

The police arrived, took away the body, and cordoned off the scene. The concert hall once again became the focus of everyone's discussion. When the police arrived, Principal Chen and Gao Xiaoyuan finally realized where the melodious singing was coming from.

It turned out that a small MP3 player had been stuffed into the corpse's throat, and the sound was coming from the MP3 player.

Who orchestrated this prank? Who placed the body there? And who was that body?

Could it be...?

For some reason, Gao Xiaoyuan suddenly remembered a sentence written in her diary.

I love it when you ride your bicycle through the school in the early morning, singing a beautiful song. At that time, you are the most beautiful angel in the world.

Su Siyu!!! Could it be her?

Gao Xiaoyuan was all alone at home; her parents were away on business trips, leaving her utterly alone. She felt immense fear and helplessness. Although it had always been this way since she was little, whenever she was alone at home, she still felt sad and grieving, longing to find that feeling of warmth, hoping to live happily like other children. Yet, she had spent most of her life in solitude. She curled up in bed, wrapped in the blanket, her eyes fixed silently on the diary.

Tonight, she didn't write in her diary because she simply didn't know what to write. The events of the day had filled her with immense fear, and she couldn't even hold a pen steady enough to record them.

That night must have been a terrifying one. Although Gao Xiaoyuan didn't know exactly what happened in Class 0 of Grade 11 that night, she would never forget what had happened during the day. The corpse with a fruit knife stuck in its chest almost made her faint. If Principal Chen hadn't been there, she didn't know if she would have gone insane.

Although several hours had passed, Gao Xiaoyuan still couldn't escape the shadow of fear. She knew the body must be Su Siyu's, and that her body was also hidden in the concert hall, just like Peng Zhi's. But neither of their bodies showed signs of burning; it seemed their deaths had nothing to do with fire. So what exactly happened that night? And… where was Prince Qiu's body?

Gao Xiaoyuan was very reluctant to see his body, but she had no choice but to face the fact that he was dead.

Su Siyu is dead. She and Qiu Wangzi must have been lovers, but what exactly happened between them? Was the cry for help in the phone booth from now or from back then?

Gao Xiaoyuan felt her thoughts becoming increasingly chaotic, her heart filled with sorrow. She closed her eyes helplessly and rested her head on the headboard.

If that corpse was Su Siyu, she was such a beautiful girl in life, yet after death she was reduced to a pile of rotting flesh—it was truly regrettable and heartbreaking. Moreover, although Gao Xiaoyuan didn't know Su Siyu, she could sense Su Siyu's dependence on Qiu Wangzi, and even more so, Qiu Wangzi's infatuation with Su Siyu. It seemed they really were lovers, but sadly, the lover was dead. And herself… A tear slid down Gao Xiaoyuan's cheek; she didn't even know why she was crying.

Just then, the telephone rang in the living room.

Gao Xiaoyuan kept her eyes tightly closed, showing no intention of answering the phone.

The phone stopped ringing, but then it rang again.

Gao Xiaoyuan slightly opened her eyes, wiped away her tears, and listlessly walked out of her bedroom to answer the phone.

"I am Principal Chen."

Gao Xiaoyuan was taken aback at first, then asked softly, "Principal Chen, is there something you need to call me so late?"

"Xiaoyuan, aren't your parents home?"

Upon hearing her parents' names, Gao Xiaoyuan couldn't help but smile bitterly: "They're both away on business trips, and I'm all alone at home now."

"Are you alone here?" Principal Chen seemed a little hesitant.

"Principal Chen, please tell me what's on your mind." Gao Xiaoyuan sensed that Principal Chen seemed to have something to say.

"The police station called me today. I think it's better to tell you some things..." Principal Chen said hesitantly.

Gao Xiaoyuan's heart tightened: "What is it?"

"That body is..." Principal Chen seemed to be choosing his words.

"Is it Su Siyu?" Gao Xiaoyuan seemed quite calm.

"How did you know?" Principal Chen was clearly surprised.

"Please tell me, I'm fine."

"Okay, I'll just get straight to the point. The police told me that Su Siyu didn't die in the fire; she was murdered, and the fruit knife stuck in her chest was the murder weapon."

Gao Xiaoyuan had already guessed this, so she didn't say anything and just listened silently.

"Moreover, the police have already tested the shoelace in Su Siyu's hand, and it was... the shoelace of Qiu Wangzi, a former student in Class 0 of the first year of high school."

It's his! Gao Xiaoyuan was surprised, but she didn't say anything.

"The police suspect that Prince Qiu may be the murderer of Su Siyu."

Gao Xiaoyuan wanted to say something, but she couldn't. Her hand holding the microphone was trembling.

"But the police did not find Prince Qiu's body in the concert hall, and they suspected that Prince Qiu was not dead."

Gao Xiaoyuan closed her eyes, her breathing quickening.

“Xiaoyuan, I don’t think I really understand what happened back then. There are probably many things I don’t know. Although you’re an introverted high school student, I can tell you’re a strong girl. I hope you can come with me to investigate those things.”

"I will help you." These were Gao Xiaoyuan's last words. Then she stared blankly at the dial tone coming from the receiver, her eyes glazed over as she looked at a certain spot in the room.

Was Prince Qiu not dead? The thought filled Gao Xiaoyuan with a strange excitement, but the thought that he had killed Su Siyu filled her with an indescribable fear, and she even shivered.

Is this true? Xu An, or should I call him Prince Qiu, is he really the murderer? How could he kill his lover? What exactly happened?

As Gao Xiaoyuan slowly walked to the bedroom and was about to go in, she heard a sound coming from inside. She froze for a moment, then slowly opened the door.

Prince Qiu was sitting at the table looking at her.

3. The answer to the piano keys

Do you like listening to piano music? I don't, because the keys are bleeding...

First Blood Note

Xu An asked: Do you believe me?

Gao Xiaoyuan said: I believe.

And so, Gao Xiaoyuan didn't ask anything, and just watched Xu An leave again, but on her diary was a newly folded origami crane.

Paper cranes are a symbol of praying for peace and good fortune.

Gao Xiaoyuan couldn't help but shed tears.

When the car stopped, Gao Xiaoyuan immediately saw rows of neatly arranged villas in the distance, their dark red exteriors making them look even more "wealthy".

Did Li Wenbin really live here before his death?

Gao Xiaoyuan quickly took the note out of her pocket.

944, Haiquan Road, No. 44

This is the address Principal Chen gave her; it's where Li Wenbin, from Class 0 of Grade 11, used to live. Principal Chen told Gao Xiaoyuan that after Li Wenbin disappeared, his parents didn't believe he was missing, so they had been searching for him. Perhaps they could find some clues from them.

Gao Xiaoyuan frowned as she stuffed the note into her pocket and slowly walked towards the villa, looking around as she went. She never expected that Li Wenbin's family would live in such a high-end place.

The phone rang suddenly at that moment, and Gao Xiaoyuan quickly answered it.

"Hello, Principal Chen, I've arrived and I'm looking for you." Gao Xiaoyuan's eyes continued to scan the door numbers on both sides.

"Xiaoyuan, did you go alone?" Principal Chen's voice came from the phone.

"Yeah, just me."