Chapter 278: Chapter 278 Choosing Not to Be Kind_1
With her body finally free, Zhou Zimeng suddenly straightened up, ran to Chen Lan on her knees, crying bitterly, "Teacher Chen, please help me. I don’t want everyone to think that I’m a thief. Can you help me, please? I beg you."
Chen Lan’s face showed reluctance as he helplessly said, "It’s been so long since it happened. How can I help you? Even if someone did set you up, there’s no evidence. No one will admit to it."
Zhou Zimeng had a look of desperation on her face. She was not a thief, but who could prove her innocence? Who could absolve her?
Since she was a child, she had been cherished by those around her due to her good looks and excellent grades. Never did she think that she would leave this world in such a disgraceful manner and forever carry an infamous label.
"I’ll help you."
A gentle and faint voice rang next to Zhou Zimeng.
Zhou Zimeng jolted in surprise and looked up. It was the mage Chen Lan had invited.
Zhou Zimeng hadn’t expected there to be such a young and graceful young woman among the mages, with a slender body, graceful posture, pursed lips and a calm demeanor. Her long, ink-black hair draped down her back, and her eyes glowed brightly like the stunning stars in the night sky.
Looking at her, Zhou Zimeng felt a hint of hope in her heart. "Can you really help me?"
Qin Sisi nodded, speaking unhurriedly, "I can help you, but I have a condition."
Zhou Zimeng immediately responded, "Okay, go ahead."
Qin Sisi looked at Zhou Zimeng and said clearly, "I want you to give me your soul power."
Uncertainty flashed across Zhou Zimeng’s face as she murmured, "But, wouldn’t I disperse and disappear if I did that?"
Qin Sisi glanced at Ye You, it seemed like they had no choice but to use the Spirit Gathering Pill this time.
So, Qin Sisi continued, "I will give you a Spirit Gathering Pill to take in advance. After a hundred years, your soul will reform, and you can be reincarnated."
"A hundred years?" Zhou Zimeng asked again, seeming to be a bit torn.
Seeing her hesitation, Qin Sisi remained patient, saying indifferently, "No pressure. Take some time to think it over. Tell me when you’ve made your decision."
After speaking, Qin Sisi walked out of Chen Lan’s bedroom and sat down on the sofa in the living room.
Seeing this, Chen Lan, who was still somewhat afraid of being alone with a ghost, offered Zhou Zimeng a few comforting words and then joined Qin Sisi in the living room.
Zhou Zimeng sat alone on the cold floor, pondering over Qin Sisi’s proposition.
The painful emotions that had occurred on that evening when the sky was full of sunset resurfaced in her mind: the humiliation of being falsely accused, the powerlessness of her situation, and the despair of no one believing in her...
The gazes of the people around her, filled with skepticism, disdain, derision, and disappointment...
Finally, Zhou Zimeng gritted her teeth, swiftly stood up from the floor and walked to the room’s door.
In the living room, Chen Lan said to Qin Sisi with a complicated heart, "Sisi, Zhou Zimeng is really pitiful. Can’t you help her?"
Qin Sisi glanced at Chen Lan and said indifferently, "Didn’t I say that I would?"
Chen Lan paused and said, "What I mean is..."
Stopping halfway through his sentence, he seemed unable to continue.
Qin Sisi actually helped him finish: "You mean, let me help her without anything in return, right?"
Chen Lan looked awkward and hesitated, but nodded.
Qin Sisi gave a light smile and said something meaningful, "In fact, every wild ghost in this world has its pathetic aspects. If I help every one of them without expecting any return, how am I supposed to survive?"
Chen Lan pursed his lips and said in a low voice, "I can help her pay you."
Qin Sisi shook her head and said, "Chen Lan, you are very kind, but money is not important to me."
"But, she’s just a child." Chen Lan said sadly, feeling somewhat guilty as he couldn’t help Zhou Zimeng.
Qin Sisi gently stroked Ye You’s back, saying softly, "A child of fifteen or sixteen should already understand that achieving one’s goals always comes at a price. It’s the same for both humans and ghosts."
"I understand." Before Chen Lan could say anything else, Zhou Zimeng’s voice sounded from behind them.
Chen Lan turned around and smiled at Zhou Zimeng.
Qin Sisi didn’t turn her head. Since Chen Lan felt she wasn’t kind enough, she’d better keep her sympathy and sadness aside and handle this matter impartially. Perhaps it was even more straightforward this way.
When it came to being pitiful, which of the ghosts she had encountered along the way weren’t pitiful?
In comparison, it was Zhou Zimeng, who chose to end her life, who was the least pitiable.
What’s more, there was Ye You.
Every time she thought of the charming and elegant figure in the mirror on a full moon night, Qin Sisi felt a sense of lament.
Such a wonderful person, cursed to transform into a cat, forced to leave his homeland, and his magic power restricted.
Wasn’t Ye You pitiful too?
Helping a ghost fulfill its wish in exchange for soul power, this was a fair transaction each party agreed to willingly.
People often use phrases such as "live in regret" and "die with eyes wide open" to describe the regret and frustration felt when a dying person’s wish is not fulfilled.
If this wish was truly important, paying a price for it was worth it, right?
Zhou Zimeng walked up to Qin Sisi and said word by word, "Mage, I’ve thought it over. I’m willing to give you my soul power. As long as you can help me prove my innocence and punish the one who framed me."
Qin Sisi raised her head to look at her and warned, "Let me remind you, the promise you’ve made to me must be fulfilled. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you never get reincarnated."
Ye You’s ears twitched. He had already sensed the bit of displeasure hidden beneath Qin Sisi’s cold tone.
Zhou Zimeng looked into Qin Sisi’s radiant eyes and felt an inexplicable chill. She nodded vigorously and said, "I understand, I will definitely keep my promise."
Qin Sisi softened her tone a bit, telling Zhou Zimeng, "Alright, let’s analyze it first. Who do you think is most likely to have framed you? We can’t possibly investigate dozens of your classmates."
Zhou Zimeng furrowed her brows and thought hard for a while, then responded, "I feel that it’s most likely that Fang Yiyi framed me."
Qin Sisi mused, "You mean she might’ve deliberately set the timer on her phone to turn on, put it into your bookbag, and when school ended, she set up a whole performance?"
Zhou Zimeng nodded, saying, "It was too much of a coincidence, it must’ve been premeditated."
Qin Sisi thought for a moment and asked, "Do you have other evidence to suspect Fang Yiyi? Have you had any disputes with her?"
Zhou Zimeng’s eyes flickered, and she didn’t say a word.
