I turned around and looked at them. They immediately stopped discussing things and left.
I narrowed my eyes as a cloud settled over my heart.
After investigating these past few days, I had discovered that someone was deliberately trying to cover something up. The truth from five years ago seemed to be a secret. The deeper I investigated, the greater the resistance I encountered.
That afternoon, the Homeroom Teacher called me to the office again and gave me a thorough scolding over my declining grades. Finally, she said impatiently, "If your grades keep going like this, I'll have no choice but to call your parents and have you expelled."
I left in silence and returned to the classroom. I lay on my desk, thinking about what I should do next.
There was no doubt that someone was instructing the Homeroom Teacher from behind the scenes.
There were people at this school who didn't want me to continue investigating.
But the more they acted that way, the more determined I became to investigate this to the end, no matter what.
I went to find Old Chen Tou again, but this time, he avoided me completely. I vaguely realized that something was about to happen.
Sure enough, within a few days, all the school's old employees disappeared one after another.
Only then did I realize something was wrong. When I went to find Old Chen Tou again, he merely stared at me blankly without saying a word.
As I was leaving, I happened to see a figure flash past nearby. Someone was watching me.
I secretly made my way behind the boiler room. Through the window, I saw a figure talking to Old Chen Tou.
"You promised that, no matter what happened, you wouldn't reveal this matter."
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."
"Get your things together and prepare to leave in the next few days. You're old now. It's time to return to your hometown. The school will provide you with a pension."
"I understand." Old Chen Tou's voice seemed extremely dejected.
They spoke a few more words, and then the person left.
I hurried back to find Old Chen Tou. When he saw me, his expression darkened. I quickly handed him a cigarette. He took it, lit it, and exhaled a smoke ring before gritting his teeth and saying, "Are you really trying to drive me to my death?"
"I don't want to do this, but I really have no other choice." I looked at him imploringly and spoke helplessly.
"What do you mean, you don't want to do this? You're trying to force me." Old Chen Tou slammed down his cigarette and looked at me. "Things finally settled down. Do you really have to dig it all up again? What good will that do you?"
"I have to know the truth," I said seriously.
"What will knowing the truth change? This is the school's scandal. It caused an enormous uproar back then, but what does that have to do with you?" Old Chen Tou asked as he looked at me.
I froze for a moment before suddenly saying, "I saw Han Qianqian."
Old Chen Tou's hand trembled, and the end of his cigarette fell to the ground. He looked at me, his face frighteningly grim. After a while, he shook his head. "Impossible. There's no way you could have seen her. Because she's already..."
"She's already dead, but I still saw her." I stared straight at Old Chen Tou as I spoke.
"Even so, it's impossible. Absolutely impossible." Old Chen Tou looked at me and said impatiently, "Don't try to trick me. Even if she really became that thing, she can't come out and harm people now."
"Who says she can't? I saw her kill someone with my own eyes," I said solemnly.
"That's impossible. Absolutely impossible." Old Chen Tou shook his head, his thoughts seemingly thrown into chaos. After a while, he looked at me and said, "Since you claim you saw her, why don't you describe what she looked like?"
I nodded and described what I had seen. When Old Chen Tou heard that she was a woman wearing a school uniform and holding a dagger, he collapsed onto the ground, his face filled with bone-deep terror.
He muttered to himself, "She's back. She's back to harm people again."
I looked at him and asked softly, "Tell me. What exactly happened back then?"
"That's impossible. Even if she really became that thing, she should be fine. It's been five years. There's no way she could come out." Old Chen Tou's face was filled with confusion as he muttered to himself, his expression deep in thought.
After a while, as if he had thought of something, he grabbed my hand and asked, "Have you been to the Abandoned School?"
"Yes, I have," I said.
"Then did you see a coffin?" Old Chen Tou asked urgently.
"I didn't see any coffin." I shook my head.
"The coffin is huge. It's covered all over with talismans. Black cords and bells are tied around it too." Old Chen Tou pressed me for an answer.
"None of that was there. I didn't see any of those things," I said.
"That's impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Old Chen Tou shook his head, his face filled with disbelief. After a while, he looked at me and asked cautiously, "Then did you see whether she had a dark green bracelet on her arm?"
"No. Neither of her hands had a bracelet on them." I shook my head and looked at her.
"What about her neck? Was she wearing a collar?" Old Chen Tou asked again, his eyes filled with anticipation.
This time, I grew impatient. I said, "Other than her school uniform, she had nothing but a dagger on her. She wasn't wearing any jewelry."
Old Chen Tou nodded, his eyes filled with terror. Only after a while did he say, "If that's the case, you must never go to the Abandoned School again. Something terrible is going to happen. Something huge!"
With that, he hurried out.
I waited for him for a long time, but he never came back.
So I left the school. By the time I returned home, it was already late at night. I lay on my bed, racking my brain. What exactly had Old Chen Tou meant by those words?
Why had he asked me about those things?
I thought about it for a long time, but I still couldn't figure it out. Judging from Old Chen Tou's panicked appearance, something major must have happened.
The next morning, I arrived at school early, wanting to find Old Chen Tou and demand an explanation.