Chapter 168: Chapter 151: Winning Hearts is Supreme
A new problem arose—why was there a female ghost student?
If the male teacher was wrongly accused, then whose hands did this ghost student die at?
The crisis edged closer, leaving Yang Xiao with little time. His brain worked at breakneck speed, as he strenuously contemplated the possible connections within the case.
Suddenly, he realized the key—if this ghost student was connected to the male teacher’s case, then she must have been his student. In other words, Nie Hexiang must have known her.
As Yang Xiao arrived at this conclusion, so did Song Yan, and both men nearly simultaneously turned their heads to look at Nie Hexiang, who was silently sitting in a corner.
It was unclear what had transpired earlier, but Nie Hexiang seemed to be in a self-imposed isolation. Yang Xiao guessed it was because of some harsh words from the other teachers.
From the heated argument they had overheard not long ago, Nie Hexiang and Xia Xiuyan had once received a large sum of money, likely hush money.
"Why are you looking at her?" Yu Mi asked, slightly startled, then after a moment suddenly realized, "She... she knows this ’thing’?"
Yu Mi was very resistant to the word ’ghost,’ especially one that was gradually closing in on them.
Lu Ji raised his eyebrows in surprise, "You’re right, why didn’t I think of that? This ghost is also wearing a school uniform, it’s likely she was once a student, so it makes sense that Nie Hexiang would recognize her."
Once they were in agreement, the group immediately sprang into action. Concerned about frightening Nie Hexiang, it was up to Yu Mi and Pei Qiuyu to coax and cajole her to the window while still riding on Director Ding’s coattails.
"Hexiang, do you see how beautiful the lineup outside is? Does it remind you of your school days?" Yu Mi’s act was very convincing, her voice sweet, coupled with a smiling face, it was quite deceptive.
Nie Hexiang wasn’t in a good mental state and merely looked out the window in silence, her eyes red and swollen, evidently from crying.
Time was pressing, and nobody had the patience to drag things out with her. Pei Qiuyu added fuel to the fire, directly pointing towards the eighth row and asking in a feeble voice, "Hexiang, do you see that girl? She’s acting so strangely."
Nie Hexiang instinctually followed the direction Pei Qiuyu was pointing and, a few seconds later, her face turned pale as she began to tremble uncontrollably.
Quick to react, Pei Qiuyu caught her, "Hexiang, what’s wrong with you?"
"She’s back, she’s also come back!" Nie Hexiang could no longer hold back her screams, her face etched with despair.
"I told you we couldn’t escape. These are debts we owe, but... but they just wouldn’t believe me. Now that she’s returned, Xiuyan, you have to believe me now," Nie Hexiang babbled deliriously, ignoring whatever anyone else was saying or asking.
"Who is she? Who is she?" Pei Qiuyu demanded, grabbing Nie Hexiang’s wrist, "What can’t you escape from? What... what debt do you all owe?"
Nie Hexiang’s expression suddenly became fierce, "Azhen, it wasn’t me who killed you, why come after me? I am innocent too, you know that, you know it all!"
Azhen was a name not unfamiliar to Yang Xiao; he recalled Yu Mi mentioning her. This Azhen was already dead, and there had been an argument between Xia Xiuyan and Nie Hexiang over her, indicating that their relationship was quite unusual.
Nie Hexiang suspected that Azhen met her demise at the hands of a fierce ghost, while Xia Xiuyan had lost her temper and slapped Nie Hexiang, scolding her not to talk nonsense.
From Yu Mi’s recounted fragments, Yang Xiao could sense the veneer of anger masking a heart filled with terror within Xia Xiuyan.
If it could be confirmed that this person was Azhen, meaning Azhen died at the hands of the Ghost Teacher, then her sudden appearance here...
"I can’t do this anymore, I want to go home, I want to go home!" Nie Hexiang wailed like a madwoman as she broke free from Pei Qiuyu’s grip and staggered towards the outside. However, she hadn’t gone far when she suddenly collapsed to the floor.
After checking her breathing with a hand under the nose, it was stable. She seemed to have collapsed from extreme mental pressure.
Yang Xiao exchanged a glance with Song Yan, and the two stepped out of the classroom into the hallway. Without beating around the bush, Yang Xiao said, "Song, I need your help this time."
Song Yan didn’t immediately commit and countered, "What do you need my help with?"
"You can see for yourself, not only me but also Nie Hexiang has been targeted, likely because of the scene we filmed together."
"From what seniors have understood about the Nightmare World, ghosts typically don’t kill multiple people at once. So, there’s a possibility that if the ghost takes care of Nie Hexiang, I will be safe." Yang Xiao explained it thoroughly, and he didn’t feel there was anything amiss with his words, since his own life was at stake, he was willing to pay any price to survive.
Song Yan nodded, "You want Nie Hexiang to be your scapegoat."
"Exactly."
Song Yan didn’t mince words and sighed, "Chu, I can agree to this, but this isn’t something I can decide alone. For this plan to work, we’d need everyone’s cooperation, and from what I can tell, not everyone may agree."
"You know that here, to get your teammates’ help, you need to offer something of value. Right now, Nie Hexiang has great value. If she regains consciousness and stabilizes, we could potentially pry open her mouth and learn the truth about the past cases. That’s something you can’t offer us."
"If it comes down to choosing one of the two, she has more value alive than you."
Yang Xiao shook his head, "No, you’re wrong. There are seldom shortcuts in the Nightmare World, and as you can see, Nie Hexiang is at most an accomplice. Her value is limited. Also, I ask you, how far has the mission progressed?"
