The Desire to Harm Is Even More Frightening

Yan Wen went over and opened the door. Tang Yun, who had been about to speak, paused. "A Yan, are you really cold?"

"Huh? Oh!" Only then did Yan Wen realize he had forgotten to take off the blanket wrapped around him. "I was watching TV. Having a blanket around me makes me feel safe."

Yan Wen took off the blanket and tossed it back onto the bed. "Did you need something?"

Tang Yun nodded eagerly. "There's a problem I just can't figure out, so I came to ask you."

Yan Wen looked at the problem Tang Yun pointed out. "I just finished this one. I'll walk you through it. Listen first and see if you can follow."

As Yan Wen spoke with Tang Yun, he opened his laptop. He had forgotten to close the horror movie, and the instant the screen came on, a ghostly face appeared, accompanied by terrifying music.

Yan Wen felt his heart clench. He fumbled frantically for the mouse and hurriedly closed the video page.

Tang Yun had been beside Yan Wen the whole time, and the face on the screen had startled him too. "A Yan, I never knew you were so brave. You even dare to watch That Village’s Old Corpse alone. I watched it once as a kid and had nightmares for three days. I've never dared to touch it again. You've got guts."

Tang Yun gave him an admiring thumbs-up. Yan Wen rubbed his brow and took a moment to recover. "Sit down. I'll explain this problem."

"Okay."

The scrap paper was covered in lines of calculations. Yan Wen set down his pen. "That's how you do it. Did you understand?"

Realization dawned on Tang Yun. "So that's how you solve it! I get it now. A Yan, you're amazing. No wonder you're top of our year."

Tang Yun finished his homework right then, but instead of rushing back, he stayed in Yan Wen's dorm room.

Yan Wen checked the time. "It's seven. Want to go for a walk around the sports field?"

"Sure! Let's go."

Darkness came late in summer, and there was still a faint glow in the sky at seven in the evening.

Lights shone around the sports field, illuminating it from every direction.

Some people were running on the track, while others strolled alone or in groups. Quite a few people were sitting on the soccer field.

On summer evenings, there was never any shortage of students gathering to sing on the university sports field.

The girl's voice was beautiful, lilting and melodious. A passage sung in an operatic style stunned the entire crowd, and when the song ended, applause and cheers rose all around.

Tang Yun looked awestruck. "That girl sings so well. She must be a music major, right?"

The two walked over and found somewhere to sit and listen. They were close enough, and with the lights shining, they could make out the singer: a sweet-looking girl wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt with a large Hello Kitty printed on it.

As Yan Wen listened, he began humming along, though he was too quiet for anyone to hear.

Xiao Qi suddenly spoke up. "Host, stop singing. There's gossip! Gossip!"

Yan Wen stopped humming. "What gossip?"

Xiao Qi brought up the panel while saying, "I can't really explain it. Take a look yourself, host."

"What could be so complicated that even you can't explain it?"

Even more curious now, Yan Wen examined the panel in his mind. What he saw gave him a shock.

"So the girl singing is called Han Mo. She's a third-year music student. Yikes! Does she really meet such a horrible end? In her fourth year, a jealous classmate poisons her and destroys her voice. She's even falsely accused of plagiarizing music she wrote and composed herself. In the end, she can't take the online abuse anymore and ends her life in a practice room."

Han Mo had been about to drink some water before continuing to sing. Hearing this frightened her so badly that she choked on the water and coughed repeatedly.

Once Han Mo recovered, she scanned her surroundings. No one was speaking. The only person with their mouth open was singing, and their voice wasn't the one she had just heard.

Had she imagined it?

Before Han Mo could figure out what was happening, that voice reached her ears again.

"The person who poisons Han Mo is their instructor's daughter. Isn't being less talented bad enough? Why would she poison someone too? A month after Han Mo's death, her parents sell off their property to seek justice for her. They keep fighting for two years, only to... lose the case! Because of insufficient evidence?!"

Xiao Qi reminded him, "Host, there's more below. Finish reading first."

Yan Wen flipped the panel to the next page in his mind. "Han Mo isn't her parents' biological child. They found her on the street and took her home to raise her. Her biological mother is the instructor, and the instructor's daughter is her own younger sister!"

Stunned, Yan Wen closed the panel. "No wonder you didn't know how to explain it. Now I don't know what to say either."

"Right? Reality is even more dramatic than fiction."

"Does the instructor's daughter know Han Mo is her older sister?"

"She knows. That's exactly why she kills Han Mo. Han Mo was already a favorite of the teachers. When the instructor's daughter accidentally discovered Han Mo's true identity, she worried Han Mo would steal the love that belonged to her alone."

"But this won't happen until next year. We can't stop it now."

Xiao Qi brought up another image. "Host, look at this."

Yan Wen focused on it, then stared in shock. "Isn't that the instructor's daughter? What is she doing?"

"Putting poison in Han Mo's water cup. He Yaoyao knows that poisoning her all at once might get her caught, so she secretly slips some into Han Mo's water whenever no one is looking. Han Mo never notices anything until one day, while singing onstage, her voice suddenly turns hoarse and cracks. Only after going to the hospital does she learn that her voice is beyond saving. This is He Yaoyao's third time poisoning her."

Han Mo's clenched palms grew sweaty. She felt as though she were trapped in a place of bitter cold, her entire body trembling.

As she always did, He Yaoyao thoughtfully urged Han Mo to drink. "Mo, I just got you some warm water. Have a little. You must be tired after singing for so long, right?"

Suddenly, He Yaoyao's smile seemed unfamiliar to Han Mo. Those seemingly innocent eyes concealed so many unspeakable secrets.

Yan Wen clicked his tongue. "He Yaoyao looks so cute and lively. Who would ever imagine she secretly poisons her own older sister?"

When Han Mo still didn't drink, He Yaoyao urged her again. "I got warm water especially for you. It'll get cold if you don't drink it soon. Drinking too much cold water is bad for your voice."

Unmoved, Han Mo set the cup beside her feet. "It's fine. I'm not thirsty right now. I'll drink when I am. A little cold water once in a while won't hurt."

He Yaoyao grew anxious when Han Mo refused to drink. Han Mo asked, "Yaoyao, what's gotten into you today? Why are you so determined to make me drink?"

He Yaoyao also realized she had nearly given herself away. "N-nothing. I'm just worried you'll feel unwell if you drink cold water later."

Han Mo smiled. "It's fine. I'm pretty healthy. Besides, it's summer. A little cold water will help cool me down."

Xiao Qi said, "The poison really is colorless and tasteless when dissolved in hot water. Once the water cools, though, it takes on a faint earthy-yellow tint. That's why, the previous two times, He Yaoyao made Han Mo finish it while it was still hot."

Yan Wen shuddered in fear. "The desire to hurt someone is even more frightening than jealousy. She might call you her sister to your face, but behind your back, she wants you dead."