Chapter 210: Chapter 177: Sisters
In a concealed spot among the trees, Pei Qiuyu took off her white suit jacket, hung it on a tree branch, and sat down on the ground with her legs crossed to rest.
The suit was already soaked through, clinging to her body damp and heavy, cold and dripping with water along the hem.
Staring at her phone screen, the moment the agreed time arrived, the phone rang on cue, "Hello, Ms. Shengnan, it’s me." Pei Qiuyu answered the call, her voice sweet.
"I’ve taken care of things on my end. We reported the flyer printing den of Xu Yu, and the police have found it, seized the illegal flyers, and taken Principal Wu’s people away for questioning," Sun Shengnan’s voice came through the receiver, providing Pei Qiuyu with some reassurance.
"That’s fantastic!" Pei Qiuyu immediately complimented, "Ms. Shengnan, you always know what to do!"
But the next second, Sun Shengnan’s tone switched, her voice sternly pressing, "Now we’re just waiting for your good news. What are you doing? It’s been so long, why haven’t you got the evidence yet?"
"Chu Xi and Xu Yu are tough nuts to crack. I don’t dare follow them too closely. Moreover, the conditions here are terrible. Relying solely on a map, I’ve almost..."
Pei Qiuyu was cut off before she could finish when Sun Shengnan, teeth clenched, snapped, "I don’t care what excuses you have, don’t forget your mission. You must capture the evidence, the evidence of Xu Yu’s trickery and deceit. Once we have the evidence, we can nail Xu Yu and Principal Wu. We’re only missing this piece!"
"Ms. Shengnan, don’t be mad, I’m just scared... scared that the real Teacher Wang might also be nearby," Pei Qiuyu feigned extreme fear, her voice dropping, "You surely can’t say the death of your body double was an accident."
There was a sudden silence on the other end of the line until Sun Shengnan spoke again, her tone odd, her voice hoarse, seemingly laughing but not, "I didn’t expect you to be so clever. I like dealing with smart people. Tell me, what do you want?"
"I want to be famous! And then make lots of money!" Pei Qiuyu’s tone was urgent, "I want to be a top-class person!"
"I understand, Qiuyu. You’re also a good kid who has suffered. How about this? After this is over, I’ll back you as the lead actress in the next movie. You have a delicate mind and immerse yourself in acting; I like you a lot," Sun Shengnan’s tone softened as if she’d transformed into a kind elder imparting wisdom to her kin, "But first, you need to do me a favor. Help me get rid of stumbling blocks like Principal Wu and Xu Yu, alright?"
"Okay! Helping you is helping myself. I understand!" Pei Qiuyu was very cooperative, her breathing becoming hurried with excitement.
"I knew I wasn’t wrong about you. You’re a kid who knows gratitude," Sun Shengnan laughed, "I like you. You remind me of myself when I was younger."
Pei Qiuyu acted pleasantly shocked, though she remained apprehensive, "Sister, you don’t think... Teacher Wang will come for me, right?"
"No, to tell you the truth, even if that beast really is near you, he won’t come for you, haha, he’ll only go after Chu Xi."
"Why is that?" Pei Qiuyu genuinely wanted to know this.
"Qiuyu, it’s a long story. You get to work. Once you’re done and back, we sisters can talk at length," Sun Shengnan suggested.
The use of the word "sisters" sent shivers down Pei Qiuyu’s spine; she was all too clear about what kind of person Sun Shengnan was, "Sister, you... you wouldn’t deceive me, would you?"
"What nonsense are you talking? You’re a clever girl. Think about it. You and I are on the same side. What advantage would there be for me in harming you?"
Sun Shengnan was untrustworthy, but this statement was true, Pei Qiuyu reasoned. Currently, Sun Shengnan needed her, and if she were to be killed by the "Ghost," then Sun Shengnan would have to step in personally, which wouldn’t be in her interest.
"Sister, I trust you. You promised to consider me for the lead actress in the next movie," Pei Qiuyu reminded her.
"Rest assured, you focus on your work first. Let me remind you again, make sure to capture the evidence, the true face of Xu Yu, that wretch, playing her tricks. You need to get closer, and it’s best if there’s a scuffle or altercation with her. Remember not to fight back during the process. Then I’ll take you to get a medical exam, and along with the video you’ve shot, that wretch will be finished!"
"I understand!"
On the other end of the phone, Sun Shengnan chuckled, "Lead actress, don’t let me down."
In an office inside the school building, after hanging up the phone, Sun Shengnan slammed her phone on the desk with a "snap." "What an insolent thing, daring to haggle with me?!"
The assistant who had been sent out heard the slamming and approached, tentatively knocking on the door, "Ms. Shengnan, are... are you okay?"
After being permitted to enter, the junior assistant walked in and saw Sun Shengnan’s grim expression, daring not to breathe too loudly or come too close.
"How did you get on with the task I gave you?" Sun Shengnan interrogated.
"It’s all taken care of. They’re on their way here." The assistant, seizing the moment, began to butter up the boss, "Ms. Shengnan, you always have a way. Those country bumpkins were reluctant at first, but after hearing the words you told me to relay, they all agreed."
"Hmph, we’re all grasshoppers on a string. If something happens to me, they won’t be able to escape responsibility either," Sun Shengnan snorted coldly, turning to look out the pitch-black window. Cold rain occasionally hit the pane, creating a pitter-patter sound.
It was a cold, rainy night in late autumn, and a case that had dragged on for nearly 20 years was finally coming to a close.
...
After learning that Xu Yu’s secret base had been sealed off and that Principal Wu and others had been invited to the station for a "tea talk," Yang Xiao could roughly guess the purpose of Pei Qiuyu’s appearance here tonight.
She was sent by Ms. Shengnan to capture evidence of Xu Yu faking supernatural phenomena. Coupled with the flyers found by the police, a charge of promoting feudal superstitions and spreading rumors was inescapable.
Just as they arrived near marker number 5, Xia Xiuyan, who had just calmed down, tensed up again, tugging at Yang Xiao and shivering as she pointed not far away, "There, there!"
Following the direction of Xia Xiuyan’s finger, indeed, behind a dense thicket of bushes, stood a figure with only its upper body visible.
In the dim environment, the face of the figure was blurry, but its white suit was glaringly bright.
After the initial shock, Yang Xiao quickly regained his composure. He hadn’t received any message that Xu Yu would appear at marker number 5, so this figure was either a ghost or Pei Qiuyu. Yang Xiao tended to believe it was the latter.
He had already taken off his clothes; there was no reason for the ghost to keep targeting him unless he was extraordinarily unlucky.
Worried that using his own camera might anger the figure, Yang Xiao decided it would be safer to have Xia Xiuyan use her camera to take the footage.
Seeing that the figure still appeared on Xia Xiuyan’s camera screen, Yang Xiao couldn’t help but sneer. It seemed it was not a ghost but that bastard Pei Qiuyu.
To preserve evidence, Yang Xiao took out his own camera and, while stealthily circling towards the figure, secretly filmed, "Family members, let’s see today who is playing tricks in our school."
As expected, the old camera failed at a crucial moment; the screen just wouldn’t light up, and soon, Yang Xiao realized something was off.
The figure on the other side wasn’t hiding at all, but was walking straight towards them, its face in the dimness always turned towards their position.
But Yang Xiao was taking cover and moving stealthily; how could the other party pinpoint his location so accurately? She didn’t have night-vision goggles.
Suddenly, the dark screen lit up, and at that moment, both Yang Xiao and Xia Xiuyan, who was closely following behind him, were stupefied. The man on the screen had an ashen face and was shaking a twisted long neck, swaying towards them.
"Holy shit..." Yang Xiao turned and ran.
He hadn’t expected to be so unlucky. In this woods, with at least four people, why had the ghost specifically targeted themselves?
While running away, Yang Xiao ran into the marker number 5 and impulsively tore it off, stuffing it into his pocket. This scene was coincidentally witnessed by Pei Qiuyu, who was hiding nearby marker number 5.
After seeing the panicked fleeing of Yang Xiao and Xiuyan, and the figure not far behind them, Pei Qiuyu was so scared she barely dared to breathe.
It was obvious to her that she had been discovered, and the ghost had revealed its true form. The twisted long neck swayed back and forth, and the terrifying face was still wearing a pair of broken glasses.
But after the initial panic, Pei Qiuyu also let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that Sun Shengnan, that bitch, hadn’t lied to her about this at least. As long as Chu Xi was alive, he was the sole target of the ghost.
Having understood this, Pei Qiuyu gained more confidence in what she had to do next. She took out a map, which was even more detailed than the one Yang Xiao had, chose a shortcut, and hurried to marker number 6, intending to lie in wait for her prey.
"I’m sorry, Teacher Wang, I’ve wronged you, please... please let me go," Xia Xiuyan cried while running. Yang Xiao slapped her to silence her.
Facing the ghost’s pursuit, Yang Xiao had come to terms with it; it wasn’t necessarily after him, but perhaps Teacher Wang was fixated on his once favored student.
Just like Sun Zhen, Nie Hexiang.
His phone suddenly vibrated. Glancing at it, Yang Xiao saw a message from Xu Yu: I saw someone in a white suit, it should be Pei Qiuyu. Why are you running?
"Didn’t you see a ghost chasing us?" Yang Xiao replied.
"No."
Only when they had completely lost sight of the ghost did Yang Xiao and his companion dare to sit and rest. Yang Xiao understood that they were in for a long haul; based on past experiences, the ghost would not leave until it had killed someone that night.
There were in total four living people here tonight, and Xu Yu couldn’t even see the ghost, which was clearly showing her preferential treatment by Teacher Wang. He was even careful not to frighten her by revealing his true form.
After Yang Xiao had taken off his clothes, the ghost’s first target would definitely be Xia Xiuyan, but she, as the key witness against Sun Shengnan, couldn’t die tonight.
By process of elimination, that left Pei Qiuyu. They needed to find a way to sacrifice Pei Qiuyu so that they might have a chance to escape.
Extreme situations can bring out a person’s potential, and Yang Xiao just happened to be a man of boundless potential. Slowly, a bold plan formed in his mind.
"I’m sorry, little sister Qiuyu. You’re the one who’s going to suffer."
