Chapter 19 Inner Conflict

After that day, Su Jin'er began investigating the bizarre murder case on her own. She wasn't a police officer or a detective, so she had no way of accessing the case details.

The school was in a state of panic after three sudden deaths. The principal had initially asked the police to keep the matter confidential, but with three people dead in a row, it was impossible to hide anymore.

"Su Jin'er, where are you going again?" Lin Yuan stepped out of the bathroom, watching as Su Jin'er tried to slip away.

"Uh, I have something to take care of. Stay in the dorm and wait for me, okay?" She kept her back to Lin Yuan, one hand already on the half-open door.

"No way! Last time you sneaked off and left me worried sick. I'm not letting you ditch me again." Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Xiao Yuan, you know Li Yiqian has been missing for a week now. The police haven't found anything. I can't let you get involved in danger too. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you."

"And you think I could forgive myself if I let you walk into danger alone? But Lin Yuan knows—we all know—how serious Du Xiaonan's condition is. So let me help you investigate." Lin Yuan's tone was firm. Despite Su Jin'er's reluctance, she couldn't refuse. They knew each other too well.

Lin Yuan was right. Du Xiaonan's condition was worsening. She was constantly dazed, muttering to herself, and worst of all, she would faint at regular intervals. Each time she woke up, she'd lose another fragment of her memory. Now, she didn't recognize anyone and often babbled incoherently. Strangest of all, she still knew when to eat and how to do everything a normal person would—as if her body was being controlled by something else.

Another soul?

Su Jin'er shuddered at her own thought. Was she subconsciously starting to believe in ghosts?

No. This has to be man-made. It has to be!

Seeing Su Jin'er's silence, Lin Yuan thought she was angry but stood her ground. "Even if you're mad, I'm still going with you."

"I'm not mad. Fine, you can come."

Lin Yuan cheered, and Su Jin'er sighed, noticing her fully dressed state. She hadn't been going to the bathroom at all—she'd been lying in wait.

"Where are we going now?" Lin Yuan whispered as they left the dorm.

"Remember what Li Yiqian said when we heard the knocking last time?"

"What did she say?"

"She claimed she saw words on the wall. The next day, I checked—there was nothing there."

"So you think she lied?"

"Yes. And I think she's hiding something else—something connected to what we're investigating."

"Could someone have scraped the words off?"

Su Jin'er shook her head. "There weren't any marks on the wall."

By then, they'd reached the school gate. Old Zhang from the security booth waved at them, and they waved back.

"You're not planning to go to that creepy forest, are you?" Lin Yuan's teeth chattered at the thought.

"Exactly. Even if we don't know the real cause of Zhang Junsheng's death, I feel like he left us a clue." Su Jin'er scanned the eerie woods, searching for the tree where he'd been hanged.

"You already have a lead?"

"No. It's just… a feeling. Look, this is the tree."

"How do you know? Another feeling?"

"Of course not." She pointed at a tiny white bead on the ground—one she'd deliberately left behind last time. It was so small it was nearly invisible. No wonder she'd been crouching earlier.

"You're really sneaky," Lin Yuan pouted.

Su Jin'er laughed. "Come on, help me look for anything suspicious—paper, notes, anything."

Lin Yuan smirked. "Wow, our Su Jin'er's turning into a detective. I wonder if Young Master Chu will still want her."

Su Jin'er's face flushed. "Stop talking nonsense or I'll ignore you."

"Oho! You're blushing! Looks like Young Master Chu has a—"

"Enough. Let's focus." Su Jin'er glared, cutting her off.

Lin Yuan shrugged and dropped the teasing.

The playful banter made the woods feel less sinister.

Little did they know, the clue they sought was waiting quietly inside a hollow tree.

Meanwhile, in the boys' dorm, Chu Feifan lay on his bed, fuming. He didn't even know why he was so angry. Su Jin'er wasn't his girlfriend—he had no right to be upset with her. The thought made him bolt upright, startling Zuo Yi.

"What's wrong with you? You've been in a foul mood for days. Who pissed you off?" Zuo Yi set down his book. "Still mad about Su Jin'er?"

"No! I'm just thinking about the weird stuff happening at school."

"Riiiight." Zuo Yi smirked. "Just admit you like her. Why overcomplicate it?"

He hid his grin behind his book, watching Chu Feifan's face turn red then pale. It was hilarious seeing the usually composed guy so flustered.

"I'm just worried about her. Why is she so stubborn?" He ruffled his hair in frustration. Since when were girls this complicated?

"You're stubborn too. You're smart in everything else, but when it comes to love, you're an idiot."

"An idiot?!"

"Yep. Honestly, you're the selfish one. You're only thinking about her safety, but she's worried about everyone's safety. Worrying about her is fine, but you can't call her selfish." Zuo Yi chuckled at Chu Feifan's stunned expression. Even the untouchable Young Master Chu wasn't immune to love.

"So what do I do now? Apologize?" Chu Feifan groaned. He'd never liked a girl before—how was he supposed to handle this?

"Don't bother."

"Why not?"

"I don't think she's actually mad. She's just worried about her missing friend."

Chu Feifan slumped. Of course. She was focused on finding Li Yiqian, not petty arguments. What was wrong with him?

"I think the info we found on Zhang Junsheng might be important. Maybe I should protect her from the shadows."

"Now you're talking. The key to winning a girl's heart is moving her with actions." Zuo Yi leaned in. "What about your brother?"

Chu Feifan's expression darkened. Thinking about his brother gave him a headache. When he was ten and his brother fifteen, they'd had a huge fight with their father, leading to his brother being disowned. He'd thought it was just temporary anger, but a year later, his brother committed murder. Instead of helping him, their father had his sixteen-year-old son imprisoned, believing it would teach him a lesson. Instead, his brother escaped two years later and vanished without a trace. Seven years had passed, and now that Chu Feifan was in college, his father had tasked him with finding his brother, Chu Bufan.

"He's been missing for seven years. Why does Dad suddenly want him found?"

"After all this time, he might already be… gone."

"No. He's alive. And doing well. I think Dad found proof but didn't tell me."

"Then ask him directly!"

"He won't tell me. Maybe he has another motive."

"So what's your plan?"

"No idea." He rubbed his nose. "Forget it. Let's deal with the current mess first. Su Jin'er and Lin Yuan are probably out looking for clues. I'm worried they'll get hurt."

Zuo Yi nodded. Neither of them knew that, at that very moment, Su Jin'er and Lin Yuan were in the forest, searching for Zhang Junsheng's possible clues.

"Jin'er, do you really think he left anything? I don't trust him."

"I don't know. But I feel like he knew more than he let on." She poked through a pile of leaves with a stick.

The ground was littered with trash—soda cans, snack wrappers, scraps of paper. Finding anything useful seemed impossible.