Chapter 187: Chapter 164: Deception
"Could it be that Principal Wu and Teacher Zhao...," Song Yan felt a wave of despair inside him, their primary goal was to survive, and these two were key to breaking the situation.
Yang Xiao looked towards Xu Yu. If there was one person who might have some connection with Teacher Wang after she became a Fierce Ghost, it would be none other than her. "Xu Yu, what do you think has happened to Principal Wu?"
"I...I don’t know." Xu Yu shivered as she fumbled a bottle of medication out of her pocket, poured out two pills, swallowed them down without water, and only after a moment did her pale complexion improve slightly. "It’s not what you think. The time I pretended to be asleep was also the last time I saw Teacher Wang, and I haven’t seen him since."
"We haven’t communicated, and there’s been no contact. My grandmother used to tell me as well, humans and ghosts travel different paths. What sustains their existence isn’t rationality, but obsession."
Seemingly anxious that Yang Xiao and Song Yan might not believe her, Xu Yu slowly raised the medicine bottle and shook it. "After that incident, I thought the problem was with me, so I went to see a psychologist in the city. The doctor’s diagnosis was the same; he thought that I was overburdened with worry, which led to hallucinations. He prescribed me some medication to calm my mind, saying that young people under a lot of stress is common. My symptoms are just a bit more severe."
Song Yan quickly found a loophole. "It may sound like a lie, but you’ve said that after your grandmother passed away, the stove at your home was hot. That couldn’t have been a hallucination, right?"
"You’re right, all of that is true, but the doctor’s explanation is that it was all my own doing. It was me who cooked the eggs and me who peeled them for myself to eat. He believes that the psychological shadow left by that incident was so heavy that my subconscious conjured up Teacher Wang. In layman’s terms, it’s called multiple personality disorder." Xu Yu candidly admitted these things, but the recent series of events had made her realize it wasn’t her fault—Teacher Wang had truly returned.
Suddenly, Xu Yu’s phone rang, instantly straining the nerves of Yang Xiao and Song Yan. As Xu Yu answered the call, Song Yan swiftly passed a glance to Yang Xiao and simultaneously peeked at the corridor outside the door with his peripheral vision. Yang Xiao understood that Song Yan wasn’t sure whether Xu Yu was genuine or not and was aiming to take the opportunity to escape.
But they had come all this way and, besides, if Xu Yu really was a ghost, in the dim night and pouring rain, even with four legs, they probably wouldn’t be able to escape.
He gave Song Yan a look to stay calm and decided to play it by ear. Receiving the signal, Song Yan could only keep his cool. He began to regret not bringing Yu Mi along; if Yu Mi had been there to cover their retreat, their chances of escape would have been much greater.
After hanging up the phone, Xu Yu seemed to breathe a little easier. "It was Director Zhang from the academic affairs office, they’ve found Principal Wu and Teacher Zhao."
"How are they?" Song Yan pressed.
"They’re fine, just injured. Their car hit the curb on the side of the street due to the slippery roads in the rain. Both of them are now in the hospital."
Yang Xiao knew there must be something more to the simple car accident that ended up with them in the hospital. "What about...Teacher Xu Yu that was in the car?" Yang Xiao originally wanted to say that ghost, but thought better of it; you don’t mention ghosts on a rainy night.
"That’s exactly where the problem lies. Just now, Director Zhang was complaining, saying I was too willful. Principal Wu, who is getting stitches, recalled that Teacher Zhao was driving well when suddenly I, who was sitting in the back, insisted on getting off the car very determinedly. Shortly after I left the vehicle, Teacher Zhao suddenly shouted as if he had seen something terrifying in the rearview mirror and then floored the accelerator, crashing into the roadside barrier," Xu Yu explained.
"What exactly did he see, do you know?" Yang Xiao could imagine that the simple Teacher Zhao must have seen a long neck. He was really worried that if Teacher Zhao went around talking, it could tip others off.
Xu Yu shook her head. "I don’t know. Teacher Zhao has woken up from unconsciousness, and he seems to be so scared that he won’t say a word."
After quickly gathering her things, Xu Yu grabbed an umbrella and was ready to leave. "I need to go to the hospital, Director Zhang is waiting for me."
"Wait a moment." Yang Xiao approached, smiling, "Teacher Xu Yu, if it’s convenient, could you first give us a ride back to the inn?"
"I’m afraid it’s not convenient; I am in a rush, and the town hospital and the place where you are staying are in different directions." Teacher Xu Yu was blunt in her refusal, she locked the basement door, turned around to leave, but was stopped by Yang Xiao again.
"Teacher Xu Yu, to be honest with you, we’re worried that this might be a ruse by that Teacher Xu to lure us away. You wouldn’t want us to be gone by tomorrow morning, right?" Yang Xiao pleaded with his hands together: "Please, it won’t take long."
Perhaps finding reason in Yang Xiao’s words, Xu Yu hailed a taxi and took them back to the inn. After much soft-soaping by Yang Xiao, she ended up taking them all the way to their room. "Teacher Xu Yu, there’s something else we need your help with. Do you or Principal Wu have any friends who run a pharmacy nearby? Here in the vicinity."
Eager not to waste time, Yang Xiao quickly outlined his plan to feign injury, which he intended to put into action the next day during his first scene with Nie Hexiang. Nie Hexiang was already dead, and now it was the ghost herself taking the stage.
The second scene involved Pei Qiuyu and Nie Hexiang, with the last scene being between Song Yan and Xia Xiuyan.
