The voice, claiming to be the principal of the school, should have been the headmistress.
But who was she cursing at?
Could it be the important person the passengers needed to get their tickets from?
Ning Wei found a place to hide, waiting to see who was inside.
The headmistress said many harsh words, but the defiant voice did not appear.
After the headmistress vented her anger, she suddenly opened the door and quickly left the office.
The fluorescent light in the office was dazzling. Ning Wei cautiously peeked, trying to get a look at the person inside.
All she could see were a pair of feet sticking out, the upper body completely obscured by the door.
At that moment, heavy footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor. The sound of leather shoes, "padah, padah," each step landed on Ning Wei's heart.
As the footsteps drew closer, Ning Wei instinctively curled up, fearing discovery.
This person was extremely cautious, peering at the doorway for a long time. Only after confirming no one was around did they enter the office.
"I've wronged you this time," the man said.
Unfortunately, there was no response.
The man continued to talk to himself. The person in the room remained silent. His patience was clearly wearing thin, his voice rising noticeably.
"The incident has already happened. You remaining silent is of no use!"
Finally, the other person spoke, her voice slightly hoarse, as if from overuse. "Alright, I know your intentions. I'll pretend nothing happened."
Seeing her compliance, the man let out a sigh of relief. He offered many comforting words before leaving the office.
As the man exited the office, Ning Wei boldly glanced at him. She recognized him from the promotional flyer – the director and vice-principal, credited with the school's establishment through his efforts and funding.
Things were becoming increasingly interesting, with two key figures of the school involved.
Ning Wei was now even more curious about the identity of the mysterious person inside who had yet to reveal themselves.
However, the person remained elusive, and Ning Wei dared not move carelessly.
Her legs had gone numb from hiding for too long.
Just as Ning Wei was about to subtly stretch her legs, a wave of dizziness washed over her, and her body felt beyond her control.
By the time she regained control, the office was empty, and the lights were off.
That mysterious force must have originated from a ghost, clearly deliberately preventing her from discovering the identity of the person inside.
However, this only strengthened Ning Wei's conviction that her investigative direction was correct. She felt she was on the verge of uncovering the most crucial secret of this place, just a hand's reach away from revealing it to the public.
The entire third floor was now silent. Ning Wei, remembering her purpose, quietly slipped into the office, intending to look for any negative records about the school.
She searched the office thoroughly but found nothing except for documents related to the school's construction.
On the desk was a photo frame, face down. Ning Wei turned it over to reveal two familiar faces.
One was her deskmate, and the other was the principal.
They stood side-by-side with the school's main gate in the background. Neither of them smiled; the deskmate, in particular, wore an expression of disgust.
Ning Wei looked closer in the moonlight and noticed striking resemblances between them, leading her to believe they were likely mother and daughter.
Could the face she had been trying to see all along have been hers?
Unfortunately, without seeing the face directly, she couldn't make any definitive judgments.
The office was too clean. A school thirty years old should have overflowing filing cabinets. Yet, the cabinets here were only half-full.
Ning Wei surveyed the office and discovered an anomaly.
The calendar on the wall indicated a date fifteen years ago!
No wonder she couldn't find anything. The dizziness must have been a temporal shift.
"Accept the situation as it is." Since she couldn't find what she was looking for in the office, Ning Wei decided to leave and explore other parts of the school.
As she stepped out of Mingde Building, someone grabbed her arm. "Come with me!"
Ning Wei struggled but couldn't break free from the grip, her body involuntarily being pulled away.
Back in Mingde Building, Ning Wei tried to get a clear look at her captor, but couldn't. She watched helplessly as she was pushed into a dark crevice.
From the crevice, she saw two figures wrestling outside. Their appearances were obscured, but she could tell from their voices that it was a man and a woman.
Ning Wei saw the woman being overwhelmingly subdued. She wanted to rush out and help, but the woman's lips moved, and Ning Wei saw her silently mouth, "No."
These words acted like a restraint. Ning Wei could only be forced to witness a vivid, intimate scene.
Only after the man left did Ning Wei emerge from the darkness.
The woman who had been assaulted was skillfully cleaning herself, her hand casually touching her swollen cheek.
Her long hair cascaded down, obscuring much of her face.
Ning Wei reached out to push aside her hair and get a clearer look, but another wave of dizziness struck.
When she recovered, she found herself in a new location.
Looking up, she realized she was at the entrance of a restroom.
At that moment, shouting and the sound of slapping came from the women's restroom.
Ning Wei walked towards it and saw a group of girls surrounding one person. It was a clear case of bullying.
They tossed the long-haired girl around like a ball, pinching and twisting her maliciously. Her sobbing was met with their triumphant laughter.
Judging by her build and voice, the victim was the mysterious figure whose face Ning Wei had yet to see.
She couldn't understand why the principal's daughter would be subjected to such torment at school.
Ning Wei reached out to rescue her, but the familiar dizziness returned.
This time, however, Ning Wei used all her strength. Before the temporal shift, she managed to see the mysterious figure's face clearly.
It was none other than her deskmate!
Ning Wei could never have imagined her deskmate had such a hidden identity.
Could all of this have been orchestrated by her, deliberately shown to Ning Wei?
If so, what was her motive?
But Ning Wei's power was limited. After seeing the truth, she could only be passively manipulated, forced to jump through time again.
This time, Ning Wei returned to her starting point, standing in front of Mingde Building, her expression somewhat dazed.