Fortunately, Ning Wei was clever and answered every question fluently, giving the female teacher a direct excuse to punish her.
As a result, during the class break, the female teacher specifically called Ning Wei out.
Away from the other students, the female teacher’s expression was particularly ugly. She stared at Ning Wei like a venomous snake and then uttered threats: "Stay away from Teacher Song Zhi. You young girls get flustered at the sight of any man, how truly base!"
After hearing this, Ning Wei looked up at the female teacher and, behind her, saw a pale female ghost with a deathly appearance, wearing the same student uniform, but with blood all over her legs.
Ning Wei's pupils dilated slightly. The female teacher mistook her reaction for shame at her words and immediately seized the opportunity to scold her a couple more times.
The female ghost had been behind her all along, and Ning Wei couldn't discern her intentions, so she didn't retort immediately.
Who knew that her inaction would only embolden the female teacher, who even reached out to push Ning Wei.
Ning Wei was standing by the stairs, and if pushed, she would fall and either die or be crippled.
Even though she was wary of this deathly rule, she couldn't afford to hesitate now. She dodged aside, and the female teacher, wearing high heels, lost her balance and lurched forward.
Ning Wei had no intention of killing. Just as the female teacher was about to fall, she reached out and pulled her back. Unfortunately, the teacher still sprained her ankle.
Just then, Song Zhi happened to pass by, heard the commotion, and came to investigate. He saw Ning Wei standing indifferently in the corner, with the pathetic female teacher in front of her.
Although he disliked her immensely, he couldn't show it. Out of concern for a colleague, Song Zhi helped the female teacher back to the office.
The female teacher took the opportunity to lean her entire body against Song Zhi, feigning severe injury.
Ning Wei, following behind, silently cursed, "Serves you right," though it was unclear who she was cursing.
Because this teacher had injured her foot, no one considered Ning Wei a thorn in their side for the time being.
Ning Wei recalled the female ghost she had seen behind the teacher that day. She had no impression of her appearance, suggesting she must have died before Ning Wei's arrival.
At noon, Fu Chengwei dragged Ning Wei towards the cafeteria for a meal. Upon learning that Ning Wei intended to go to the small grove to see the corpse, he was terrified.
"You haven't seen what a hanged person looks like. This morning, some students said that when the body was brought out, a white cloth was suddenly blown open by the wind, and everyone got a clear look."
Ning Wei appeared uninterested. She wanted to use the lunch break to quickly check if the corpse was the same girl she had seen last night.
Fu Chengwei, however, grabbed her and described it in vivid detail: "Her tongue was hanging out, her face was bruised, her lips were black, and all her teeth were bared. Her pants were filled with excrement and urine, and the stench could be smelled from a distance."
Fu Chengwei's long-winded speech was an attempt to dissuade Ning Wei from her horrifying idea.
To his surprise, Ning Wei subdued him with a single sentence: "Either we go together, or you let me go alone."
Upon hearing this, Fu Chengwei grabbed his student card and ran off at top speed, leaving behind a message: "I'll buy you two buns!"
Ning Wei didn't care about his buns. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, she slipped into the small grove.
Because a corpse was stored here, no one dared to approach.
Ning Wei entered the room unimpeded and saw the body laid out on a simple wooden plank.
Just as Fu Chengwei had described, the entire room reeked of an odor, not just of decay, but also of excrement.
Other than a door, there was nothing else in the room. The light inside came solely from the single incandescent bulb overhead.
Ning Wei turned on the light, lifted the white cloth, and examined the corpse closely.
The corpse was somewhat unexpected. It was not the same girl she had seen last night.
The girl from last night had long, flowing hair. This girl had short hair, messy and seemingly cut by someone.
Although her current appearance was grotesque, Ning Wei could tell that this female student had been quite attractive before her death.
As long as it wasn't the girl from last night, Ning Wei, with the note in her pocket, needed to confirm something.
The corpse had been inspected, and just as Ning Wei was about to cover it with the white cloth, she heard the door being opened.
There was nowhere to hide in this room, so Ning Wei was directly exposed in the light.
The person who entered was none other than the female student who had been bullied last night!
Seeing Ning Wei there, she was first taken aback. Then, emboldened, she stepped forward, looked at the corpse on the wooden plank, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.
From her grief, it could be inferred that they knew each other, and were likely in the same boat, having both been bullied, which was why she dared to come and see the corpse.
Ning Wei would not let any opportunity for clues slip by. She took out the note, unfolded it, and showed it to the tearful female student: "Did you leave this note in the library?"
The female student blinked in surprise. For reasons unknown, she was very cooperative with Ning Wei.
She took the note, looked at it, and pointed to a small flower in the corner: "Shu Chang wrote this. We used to exchange messages in the library. Because we were afraid of being discovered by those people, we hid them in books."
Ning Wei took out another note. "What about this one?"
This one only had two words written on it: "Run fast." The female student shook her head. "We didn't write this."
Ning Wei put the notes back, then pulled the female student outside: "Is there anything you want to tell me? I can help you."
The female student followed Ning Wei all the way to the cafeteria, where most students were already eating.
Fu Chengwei, sitting at the outermost table, saw Ning Wei waving frantically, drawing the attention of those around him, though he remained oblivious.
Ning Wei and the female student went to get their food and then sat opposite Fu Chengwei.
The female student seemed a bit reserved seeing Fu Chengwei. Ning Wei comforted her: "Don't be afraid. Say whatever you need to say."
To demonstrate his kindness, Fu Chengwei immediately placed the chicken leg he had painstakingly obtained in front of the girl: "See, you're so thin. No wonder you get bullied. If you were plump, they couldn't beat you."
Ning Wei's face darkened. She kicked Fu Chengwei hard under the table.
Fu Chengwei cried out in pain, then realized he had said the wrong thing.
"You look like you've eaten well. Go back to your dorm and sleep it off!" Ning Wei said to Fu Chengwei without hesitation.
Fu Chengwei scratched his head, knowing he had made a mistake this time. He smiled sheepishly at the female student: "Sorry, I'm not good with words. You guys eat first."
After Fu Chengwei left, the female student began to eat, burying her head in her food.