Chapter 211: Chapter 178: The Show Begins
Xia Xiuyan exchanged a look with Yang Xiao, who, sensing the cue, walked away. Yang Xiao then picked up the phone and called Xu Yu, "Is anyone from the school still at the teaching building?"
"Principal Wu and several teachers who had stayed behind have all been taken away. The only people left are from the logistics staff, two security guards, and an electrician responsible for supporting the film crew," Xu Yu replied, the noisy sounds around her suggesting she was on the move.
"Are these people reliable?"
"They are reliable. Principal Wu had them stay precisely to keep an eye on the film crew and prevent them from causing trouble. They’re all veterans of the school and are aware of the situation with Teacher Wang."
"Good, I have a plan that needs their help," Yang Xiao said, his expression grave. "And you, Teacher Xu Yu, I need you to go back."
"Go back?"
"Yes, Pei Qiuyu is targeting you, she is looking for you. If you encounter her, you won’t be able to outmaneuver her," Yang Xiao said with a smile. "Since they sent Pei Qiuyu over to play the ghost, then you should also go back, go back to Sun Shengnan, and let’s put on a good show for her."
After hearing Yang Xiao’s plan, Xu Yu was so astonished that she opened her mouth wide, "Can... can this really work?"
"It has to work. Leave now and contact Song Yan on your way. Tell him the plan; he’ll arrange everything." Yang Xiao’s unease grew stronger the longer he stayed in one place; he had to move quickly.
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment, then, "This plan is too risky. Chu Xi, Song Yan... Can we really trust Song Yan?"
"We can," Yang Xiao answered decisively. "You can trust him just as you trust me."
...
In the teaching building, Song Yan gathered with the other two, quickly explaining Yang Xiao’s plan to Lu Ji and Yu Mi. He had recently saved a new number on his phone, belonging to an experienced electrician.
"Acting... acting as a ghost?" Yu Mi shrank her neck, "Is this going to work?"
Song Yan shot her a glare that silenced her immediately, her left cheek still aching from before.
"I agree. Fortune favors the bold; there’s no such thing as a foolproof plan. Given the current situation, we’ve already lost the initiative. Hesitating any further will only guarantee our total defeat," Lu Ji said, his experience far surpassing that of Yu Mi, who naturally knew what to do.
"I understand too, but we need to be cautious. Never mind Sun Shengnan, even Director Ding is a cunning person. It won’t be easy to fool them," Yu Mi whispered, still inwardly shaken by the thought that these people had once conspired together to make her believe Pei Qiuyu was still in the teaching building.
"I know, which is why we must make the play convincing," said Song Yan, taking a deep breath and adopting a rare serious expression. "There are no free lunches. We’ve already owed Chu Xi too much. Now... it’s time we paid a price ourselves."
Inside an office at the top floor, Sun Shengnan was anxiously waiting for news, ready to settle scores with Xu Yu and Principal Wu once Pei Qiuyu obtained the evidence.
She was eager to see how Xu Yu, caught red-handed by Pei Qiuyu, would defend herself and absolve her guilt.
But the next second, the lights in the room went out, and Sun Shengnan stood up abruptly, her heart pounding, "What’s going on?"
A moment later, a young assistant entered, lighting her way with the flashlight on her phone, and reported in a rush, "Ms. Shengnan, the whole building has lost power, we’ve already arranged..."
Before she could finish, a scream erupted from downstairs, followed by the sound of chaotic running and furniture being knocked over—a complete mess.
The assistant’s first instinct was to go see what was happening, but Sun Shengnan, whether out of guilt or fear, grabbed the assistant’s hand and said in a panic, "Don’t go! Hurry, lock the door!"
"Click!"
Soon after, a crisp sound came from downstairs; it was probably the shattering of glass, followed by more chaos and women screaming.
The mayhem continued outside for a while, and Sun Shengnan hid far from the door, afraid to even breathe. She wanted to call Pei Qiuyu, but her trembling fingers couldn’t grip her phone, which eventually dropped to the floor.
Only when the lights overhead came back on and the darkness dispersed did Sun Shengnan find a shred of safety, finally letting go of her assistant’s arm, which had turned red from the tight grip.
"Thud, thud, thud."
Someone was running down the corridor outside, a man gasping for breath, his face filled with terror, "Ms. Shengnan, it’s terrible, someone fell from the building!"
"What happened?"
"Just now... just now someone in the crew saw what looked like a figure standing outside the building, but before we could get a clear look, the power suddenly went out, and then... then the set we had arranged for shooting became chaotic, glass shattered, and someone fell from the third floor."
"Who fell down?"
"It was two actors from the crew, one named Song Yan, and the other named... named Lu Ji." The man seemed to remember a horrifying scene, his expression becoming strange.
"Is there anything else you haven’t said?" Sun Shengnan was already feeling guilty and immediately interrogated, "You said you saw a figure outside the building, what kind of figure?"
Hearing this, the man grew more panicked, "It was strange, that shadow was very strange, dressed all in white, very much like... very much like the costume that the props team prepared for the male lead."
Her heart skipped a beat, Sun Shengnan knew that costume was on Pei Qiuyu, and she was currently in the woods behind the mountain.
Every now and then, a woman’s crying could be heard echoing through the hallways, the kind that tore at the heart, and Sun Shengnan had the man bring the woman over, as she had questions for her.
The man looked troubled, "Ms. Shengnan, maybe... maybe you should go see for yourself, we really..."
Sun Shengnan, not wanting to waste words with the man, rushed to the classroom that had been set up for shooting. As soon as she entered, she sniffed a strange smell.
A woman was slumped against the wall, her eyes bloodshot, her face a mixture of fear and stupor, and beneath her... there was a large wet spot.
Sun Shengnan frowned, finally understanding why the man was hesitant; the woman had been scared to the point of wetting herself.
"What exactly happened?" Sun Shengnan grabbed someone and asked.
This person was also bewildered, repeating much of what the previous man had said: first seeing a white figure on the empty space outside the building, and then suddenly the power inside went off, after which people in the room seemed to see something terrifying, and amidst the chaos, they heard glass breaking before realizing that someone had fallen.
"A ghost! It’s a ghost!!" Yu Mi, with a blank look on her face, suddenly shouted, looking like a madwoman.
"Shut her up, quick!"
Before anyone could approach, the slumped Yu Mi’s head lolled, and she passed out. Because of the foul stench coming from below her, no one was willing to come forward to check immediately.
"Who all of you saw someone outside the building?" Sun Shengnan was skeptical.
But quickly, one after another, people raised their hands; more than half of the people in the classroom had seen it, describing it vividly.
"What about inside the classroom? What did you see there?"
This time, no one could articulate clearly, only saying that the scene was chaotic at that time, shadows overlapping and people frantically running out, so no one saw clearly.
Before her last words fell, someone ran into the room, their hands covered in blood, and upon seeing Sun Shengnan, they cried out, "Ms. Shengnan, this is bad, that Song Yan has broken his right arm, and Lu Ji’s injuries are even worse, he fell directly onto the concrete, blood in his mouth and nose!"
"The downstairs security checked him and said his ribs were broken, piercing his organs inward. If we don’t rescue him immediately, he might not make it." Human life was at stake, and no one dared to delay.
Now even Sun Shengnan began to panic, immediately arranging for someone to call an ambulance. After leaving a few people behind to clean up the mess and calm everyone down, Sun Shengnan went out alone and asked people to find the security from downstairs, as well as the electrician.
Soon the electrician hurried over, clutching an army green canvas backpack, an old man with age spots on his cheeks and untidy hair, his temples already graying.
The worn canvas bag clattered with the sound of tools, apparently contained within.
"I want to know, what caused the power outage just now?" Sun Shengnan got straight to the point.
Removing his gloves, the old electrician wiped the sweat from his forehead and answered honestly, "Well... I don’t know either, it was pitch black when I got here, and before I even had a chance to open the electrical box to check, the power came back on. It’s really... it’s really damn strange."
