The Curse

After more than a month of running around, Ma Yibing finally managed to recruit a freshman from the performing arts department. The girl's name was Lu Manning. She had scored high and was a new student. Before university, she had already done some bit parts in various film crews, so she had some skill and was willing to play Maeda Suzuna.

Ma Yibing breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn't completely relax. He was afraid someone in the team might back out at the last minute, so he was extra attentive and caring towards everyone, keeping a close watch. As a result, he heard some rumors from the other girls.

"It was only then that I found out that the girls who played Maeda Suzuna in previous years all died shortly after the performance, none of them living past two years. Because of this, those girls were unwilling to take on the role." Ma Yibing's face contorted. "After Lu Manning's car accident, the rumors spread like wildfire. I couldn't get anyone else to join, no matter how hard I tried."

"You knew about it and still made my cousin take the role?" Lanlan glared at Ma Yibing angrily.

"Didn't you hear about it at school?" Guo Yujie asked Lanlan in surprise.

Lanlan was dejected. "No. I'm not in the performing arts department; I'm in the business school. Those rumors were only known to a few people in the performing arts department to begin with. People from other majors didn't know the deceased girls, and not everyone in the performing arts department knew them either. For those who performed in their third or fourth year and passed away after graduation, how many people at the school would even know?"

"That's just a coincidence," Ma Yibing quickly said. "Could there really be a curse of Maeda Suzuna?"

"What do you mean by the curse of Maeda Suzuna?" I asked.

"It's said that this play is adapted from a true story. Maeda Suzuna was a real person, a Japanese woman who married into our C country. Just like in the plot, she wasn't accepted by her in-laws, but she didn't get a happy ending. Instead, she died of depression, thus leaving behind a curse. Besides that, there's also the curse of the senior student. It's said that the first senior student who played this role and died prematurely, Maeda Suzuna was her last role. Unwilling to accept it, she cursed the junior students who would play this role afterward. And then there's the curse of the kimono."

"Tell me about that," I said, my interest piqued.

"I'm not too clear on that either. I just heard them mention it casually. It seems there's something wrong with that kimono," Ma Yibing said, scratching his head.

Lanlan interjected, "It's that kimono that's problematic! I've inquired. The very first costume was made by a senior student and used for many years. Then, a few years ago, a student named Fan Wen damaged the costume while rehearsing for this role. She bought a new one for the club, which is the one they're using now. Fan Wen got a role as a lead actress in a TV drama before she graduated that year, but before filming even started, she fell ill and died. The curse of the senior student also refers to Fan Wen. Things started going wrong with Fan Wen."

Lanlan knew more than Ma Yibing. She continued, "They heard from senior students who had already graduated that Fan Wen bought this kimono online for a few hundred yuan. When she received it, she couldn't believe the price. Later, she wanted to keep it for herself and buy a new kimono for the club. But after the play, she left the costume with the club without a word. Doesn't that sound suspicious? The drama club knew, you all knew, and you didn't say anything, and now you've harmed my cousin!"

Lanlan's eyes welled up with tears again, and she sobbed uncontrollably.

Guo Yujie quickly comforted her.

Ma Yibing looked embarrassed and mumbled, "I really didn't know... Maybe it's just a coincidence... You burned the kimono, and your cousin is fine..."

"What about Lu Manning from before?" I asked Ma Yibing.

Ma Yibing let out a breath. "She was in a car accident, unlike the previous cases. She just broke her leg."

Lanlan wiped her eyes and glared fiercely at Ma Yibing. "I asked! She wasn't in good spirits at the time. She was distracted and didn't see the traffic light, which is why she was hit by the car!"

"How is she now?" I asked the same question again.

"She has a steel plate in her leg and is in the hospital," Ma Yibing replied, quickly adding, "Our drama club members visited her last week. She's fine now."

"Which hospital?" I ignored his last sentence, a bad premonition already forming in my mind.

"Shi Nan Hospital," Ma Yibing answered obediently.

"Then take us there later," the skinny guy said, hooking his arm around Ma Yibing's shoulder again.

Ma Yibing could only force a smile.

Lanlan also wanted to go see her, and I didn't object.

The group returned to the ward to bid farewell to Chen's mother.

Fatty and the old leader were still in the ward with Chen's mother. When Chen's mother saw us return, she looked at us questioningly.

Lanlan had been warned by us outside and was afraid of frightening Chen's mother, so she didn't mention the kimono.

I avoided the old leader's gaze and looked at Chen Xiaoxiu. Suddenly, my hair stood on end. I rushed to the bedside in three quick steps and grabbed Chen Xiaoxiu's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" The others were startled by my actions and asked in unison.

"N-nothing, just a bug." I clenched my fist, staring at Chen Xiaoxiu's shoulder, my breathing becoming somewhat labored. I turned to look at the group staring at me in surprise and gave a dry laugh. "We won't disturb Chen Xiaoxiu any further. We'll be going now. Lanlan's cousin and this classmate will be escorted back to school by us."

"Oh, alright. Thank you for your trouble. We're also grateful to you for bringing Xiaoqiu here," Chen's mother said gratefully. She then looked at Ma Yibing. "This classmate is also thoughtful, coming to see Xiaoqiu. Your play, Xiaoqiu probably..."

"Auntie, don't say any more! He's also the culprit! My cousin isn't acting in that play anymore, and I won't either!" Lanlan shot a look at Ma Yiding.

Ma Yiding felt uncomfortable, pinned by the skinny guy, with nowhere to hide.

The old leader also took his leave at this time and followed us out of the ward, staring at me.

"Old leader, I don't know how to explain this matter to you," I said, with my hands behind my back, avoiding the old leader's sharp gaze.

"Just make sure you know what you're doing. When you figure out how to explain it, then you can tell me," the old leader said, his gaze softening. He patted each of our shoulders and walked away.

"Qi Ge, what were you doing just now?" Fatty looked at my still clenched fist.

The skinny guy's expression was uncertain, while the others were curious.

I extended that fist and opened my palm in front of them. In my palm was a very small, pink petal.

Someone walked by in the corridor, creating a slight breeze. The petal flew out of my palm, disappeared into the air without falling to the ground.

We were all stunned.

"It's a petal?"

"Is that... a cherry blossom petal?"

"How can there be cherry blossom petals? There are no cherry trees here, are there?"

"Qi Ge, where did you get that cherry blossom petal?"

They all turned to look at me.

My palm was damp and sticky, and sweat dripped from my forehead. "I saw it."

"Saw what?" Fatty still hadn't grasped the situation.

The skinny guy seemed to have thought of something and looked terrified. Ma Yibing and Lanlan's faces were ashen, looking at me as if they had seen a ghost.

"I saw... cherry blossoms on Chen Xiaoxiu's shoulder... just like, like the kimono," I said with difficulty.