It's Our Turn to Talk Alone

The door to the school clinic was opened.

Yu Xing quickly scanned the room's layout. It was strange; a school clinic should have a white single bed for injured students and a medicine cabinet for Doctor and teachers to retrieve medication.

But the place was empty, with only a desk in the most conspicuous position, flanked by very soft-looking sofas, and the floor was black and white checkered.

On the other side, a thick curtain was drawn, obscuring what lay behind.

The space was much larger than it appeared from the outside. A middle-aged woman in a white lab coat was sitting behind a desk, her head down, deep in thought as she looked at the papers on the desk.

Hearing the door open, a faint smile instantly appeared on her face. She looked up and, almost before she could even see who had entered, greeted them in a gentle tone, "A classmate is here! Come and sit down here."

Opposite her desk, there were exactly two empty chairs, no more and no less, as if she had already anticipated the number of people coming.

"Are you the Psychology Teacher?" Yu Xing walked over obediently and asked with a slightly reserved air.

Zhao Yijiu followed, and the door behind her slammed shut behind her, not caring whether it would frighten the "sensitive" students who had come for treatment.

He glanced back coldly, and seeing that only the door had closed and nothing else had appeared, he turned back indifferently and watched Yu Xing begin her most adept performance.

"That's right, your Physics Teacher already told me beforehand that you would come and talk to me during the first period." The Psychology Teacher's speaking rhythm was surprisingly normal, similar to that of a real-life counselor, exuding a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere.

Most importantly, this Psychology Teacher had black hair and black eyes, and her face was that of a typical Chinese person, which was extremely rare at St. Johnis Middle School. In fact, of all the teachers Yu Xing had ever met, this was the only one who did not have a European face.

She is a beautiful middle-aged woman with an outstanding temperament.

"Please sit down. What are you standing for? Don't be nervous here, just relax." The Psychology Teacher smiled and pointed to two chairs.

Yu Xing chose a table to sit down, while Zhao Yijiu silently sat down at another table.

"I have a question." Yu Xing opened her eyes, seemingly curious but unsure whether she should ask.

"Go on, child," the Psychology Teacher said dutifully, adopting a posture of attentive listening.

Yu Xing looked around, her tone still cautious and a little reserved. "Isn't this the school clinic? I heard that people who get injured at school come here for treatment, but why are there only psychological counseling facilities here now?"

"Oh, you're right, I am also a normal Doctor." The Psychology Teacher looked at him with loving eyes, "But when I'm doing counseling, I don't want the equipment used for treating wounds to affect the students' mindset, as it would make them feel tense. So I rearranged this place before you came."

"You are such a dedicated and responsible teacher!" Yu Xing was deeply moved.

Zhao Yijiu: "..."

It's unbearable to look at.

"Alright, let's get down to business. Although I'd love to start this conversation with some small talk, your situation is special, and I'm more interested in knowing what exactly happened to you last night. Your Physics Teacher didn't provide any details when he told me." The Psychology Teacher's long black hair was styled into a side braid that extended down to the bottom of the desk, out of Yu Xing's sight.

Upon hearing this, unease and fear immediately welled up in his eyes. "I don't want to recall that memory, it's too terrifying..."

"Don't be nervous, kid," the Psychology Teacher gently reassured him, "Facing your fears is an important part of coping. Okay, it seems you're not ready yet."

She turned to Zhao Yijiu: "Sam seems to have a better capacity to handle this. I believe you can recall what happened last night, right?"

Zhao Yijiu, who had intended to observe from the sidelines, was suddenly called upon. He looked directly into the Doctor's eyes for a moment, then said, "Okay."

"Great! Let Roy rest for a bit, and then tell me everything you saw." The Psychology Teacher's attention immediately turned to Zhao Yijiu.

Both the Physics Teacher and the Psychology Teacher believed that they were also involved in the incident last night when the terrified screams and cries came from the women's restroom. However, since they came out of the men's restroom, they must have only seen the latter part of the incident.

So the Physics Teacher first contacted Qu Xuanqing last night. Only after Qu Xuanqing postponed the psychological counseling to the day after tomorrow did the Physics Teacher settle for them.

This means that what the teachers want to know is the specific details of the ghost attack during evening self-study. Zhao Yijiu thought that this was similar to Yu Xing's guess. The ghost and the teacher must not be the same species, and they lack a channel of communication. However, the teacher's attitude towards the ghost was strange. On the one hand, they were lenient, and on the other hand, they seemed to have some desire to study it.

"Yesterday I was in the restroom when I suddenly heard some very unpleasant noises coming from the women's restroom," Zhao Yijiu said after a moment's thought. "I was about to rush over to check it out when I realized it was the women's restroom, so I stopped outside the door."

The Psychology Teacher's expression was full of attentive listening, an attitude that most easily makes the person seeking counseling lower their guard and feel genuinely treated.

"It stopped outside the door, and then what?" she prompted encouragingly.

"I heard a woman singing opera." Zhao Yijiu recalled the story Qu Xuanqing had made up yesterday. Since it was all nonsense anyway, he just embellished it for him. "She was praising her sun."

"Praise the sun..." The Psychology Teacher hadn't yet realized the seriousness of the problem. Upon hearing the words, she pondered them carefully, as if she were recalling something.

Yu Xing looked pained and covered his ears with his hands.

"And then?" The Psychology Teacher, seemingly unable to recall any useful information, pressed on somewhat reluctantly.

"I also heard the sound of a knife cutting through flesh, and then it was that girl from our class," Zhao Yijiu paused, "This afternoon I saw her bullying Roy, I never imagined she'd be killed by something singing opera all night."

Psychology Teacher: "... Wait, you said that the girl who died bullied you..."

Her gaze shifted to Yu Xing, whose face was filled with sorrow. "Did you bully the new transfer student, Roy?"

"Waaah, I told you I don't want to remember what happened last night!" Yu Xing raised her head in anguish. "Her name is Lisha. She kicked my table as soon as I arrived yesterday. She was very, very unfriendly."

"Oh my god, this is truly tragic news, but it also proves you're a good child. She bullied you, yet you're saddened by her death and terrified by the way she died." The Psychology Teacher took Yu Xing's hand and gently patted the back of it. "Calm down, my child."

"I'm so heartbroken..." Yu Xing maintained a tearful expression, even though there wasn't a single tear in his eyes. "Yesterday I heard noises from the women's restroom next door, and I wanted to go check it out immediately... Sam wouldn't let me."

He grasped the Psychology Teacher's hand in return, noticing the numerous wrinkles on it. Compared to the Psychology Teacher's apparent age, her hands seemed far too old, and as cold as a corpse.

"Teacher, why is that? I wanted to see what kind of expression Lisha was making when she cried there, but Sam stopped me because it was the girls' restroom!"

The Psychology Teacher's hand, which was being held, stiffened; she vaguely felt that the words sounded a little strange.

"Because that's the women's restroom." Zhao Yijiu sensed Yu Xing's inhumane intentions and coldly cooperated. "Besides, the crying was already quite loud; if you go in and laugh at her, it'll only make it louder."

Psychology Teacher: "A joke?"

Yu Xing abruptly released her hand from the Psychology Teacher's, glaring angrily at Zhao Yijiu: "You have no idea! Even if she hadn't bullied me, I'm still curious how a girl could scream so loudly. I've seen pigs being slaughtered before, and even the pigs didn't scream like that!"

They all knew that the screams and cries that came last night were actually from the ghost in the women's restroom. Lisha's death was swift, but Qu Xuanqing tormented the ghost for a long time.

Here, to agree with Qu Xuanqing's statement, they could only silently apologize to Lisha.

"Um, Roy, it seems your mental state isn't quite right. I heard from your Physics Teacher that you were clearly terrified when he came to see you yesterday. So, what were you terrified of?" The Psychology Teacher suddenly realized that the two students' thought processes seemed to be different from what she had predicted, but she still tried to steer the counseling back to the normal procedure.

"Oh, I think yesterday..." Yu Xing frowned, trying hard to recall, "Right, right after I rushed out of the men's restroom, I glanced at the entrance to the women's restroom and saw a pile of blood and flesh, and a pair of high heels."

"The murderer was dressed in very fancy clothes, and the knife she was holding was also very beautiful. Her high heels were red. For a moment, she seemed to have noticed me and glanced in my direction."

Finally, they arrived at the crucial point. The Psychology Teacher breathed softly and listened intently. Even though the information provided by the two students so far was a jumbled mess, the answer was about to emerge, "You must have seen her face, right?"

"I didn't see it," Yu Xing said.

Psychology Teacher: "..."

"It's like this, poor child. When that murderer turned to look at you, you were face to face. You would have seen her face no matter what. It must have been your fear that sealed this memory away. Now I need you to think about it carefully... Come, follow my description, slow your breathing, and recall it little by little..."

"No need, teacher, I really didn't see it." Yu Xing scratched her head, regaining the awkwardness she had when she entered. "The opera singer was wearing a mask."

He sighed, "These murderers these days are so meticulous. Wearing a mask while singing, I'm afraid she'll suffocate. Sigh, she must be doing this to avoid being recognized."

The Psychology Teacher's smile cracked.

Zhao Yijiu propped his head up with his hand, covering most of his face. He simply couldn't stand it anymore; Yu Xing was treating the Psychology Teacher like she was mentally challenged.

"Okay, and then?" The Psychology Teacher's smile faded. "You saw the murderer. What happened between then and then, before the Physics Teacher arrived?"

"After she glanced at me, I sensed her murderous intent, so I got scared and dragged Sam back to the men's restroom," Yu Xing said. "Then it quieted down across the room, and Isabella and Lian En, who were frightened, came out. Isabella wanted me to go over and check where she had blood on her clothes."

"We stood at the door for a while, and then the Physics Teacher came over."

"Is that all you know?" The Psychology Teacher seemed puzzled, but this puzzlement didn't seem directed at them. Her gaze was as if she were looking at the Physics Teacher, who wasn't even there, from a great distance, almost as if she wanted to ask the two students what they wanted to get out of them.

"I must state," Zhao Yijiu said seriously, "That murderer sang very well, but unfortunately it was mixed in with the crying, so I couldn't hear it clearly."

"Alright, that's not the point!" The Psychology Teacher's expression changed completely from when they first met, after confirming that the students didn't know many details.

"Very good, now that you have faced your fears, we will begin the treatment." She laughed again, but this time the smile seemed somewhat distorted.

A faint creak came from the chairs the two were sitting on. Zhao Yijiu instinctively stepped aside, but Yu Xing remained seated.

The next moment, several iron rings popped out from the chair, firmly fixing him to the seat. Zhao Yijiu's chair didn't catch him because he had already stood up and nimbly circled around to the back of Yu Xing's chair.

"What are you doing?" A crimson glint flashed in Zhao Yijiu's eyes.

The Psychology Teacher hadn't expected Sam to be so quick-witted. She paused for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face, before replying, "Based on what I've just heard, I don't think your situation is too bad. After sharing what happened with me, you'll quickly forget yesterday's fear and return to normal life. So, student, you can leave now."

Yu Xing's hands, legs, and waist were all firmly restrained. "What about me, teacher!"

"Your problem is quite serious; we need to have a proper, one-on-one talk." The Psychology Teacher gave Yu Xing a meaningful look.

"I—" Zhao Yijiu was about to say that his psychological problems were serious and that he wasn't leaving, when Yu Xing only relatively free part was his head, turned towards him. "I really envy you, Sam. You should go back first and tell them I need to get proper treatment."

Zhao Yijiu: "..."

This was to send him back and report the situation to Zhao Mou.

In fact, both of them knew that the reason the Psychology Teacher let him go back was because he wasn't trapped by the chair, which indirectly reflected that the Psychology Teacher's fighting ability was probably not strong.

Yu Xing should be able to handle it.

Having figured this out, Zhao Yijiu no longer wanted to stay in this incredibly awkward place, and he didn't want to recall those stupid stories that had just come out of his mouth.