Chapter 56 - Ghost School (10) (1/2)

After Ou Yang answered the third question, the people in the classroom all reacted differently. Bai Yi hooked up his lips as he looked at Cheng Zhi Chu. Cheng Zhi Chu softly coughed and moved away his line of sight only to be met with the dark gaze coming from Gu Zhen’s side. Suddenly things were awkward, and he could only look straight ahead at the corpse-like female teacher with a similarly pale face.

The female’s face was stiff, and her eyes were white. You couldn’t tell what she was feeling. She just faintly spoke up:

“Last question.”

“Do you regret what you have done?”

Ou Yang’s expression changed slightly. He seemed be hesitate over whether he should tell the truth but, in the end, he clenched his teeth and decided to answer truthfully.

“Apart from the very last time, I have never regretted it.”

“In addition to getting a lot of benefits from Brother Bai, I also hated Su Ling.”

“My father was a scum who divorced my mother because he cheated so I am most disgusted by people who ruin other people’s family. I admit, I am not a good person. Bullying Su Ling was just a way for me to satisfy myself. In any case, I admit to doing those things……”

Having said that, his voice gradually weakened. There was a complicated expression on his face. Even if it was easy for him to tell the truth, he was still uneasy about whether or not the female ghost would punish him. He clenched his hands into a fist and waited for the female ghosts next words.

Cheng Zhi Chu looked back at Ou Yang. Hundreds of emotions raged inside him, but he continued to purse his lips and didn’t speak.

In his opinion, Ou Yang’s actions were ridiculous and wrong. He was like Lu Jie. Because they had been hurt before, they turned around vented their resentment onto other innocent people. Although they are pitiful, they were mostly hateful.

But why did Ou Yang emphasis “apart from the very last time”? What happened the last time they bullied Su Ling that would make Ou Yang regret it?

Could it be that……….Su Ling’s death was related to the last time that they tormented him?

Thinking this, Cheng Zhi Chu looked over at the teacher standing at the podium. He guessed that her next question would probably be related to that sentence of Ou Yang’s.

However, to his surprise, the female teachers question ended there. She didn’t say anything and allowed Ou Yang to sit back down.

Ou Yang breathed a sigh of relief and he rested back into his chair. He wiped away the cold sweat from his forehead.

“As long as you tell the truth, you’re okay……….”

Seeing Ou Yang successfully clear through the questions and Liang Wen Bing and Lu Jie only to be met with death after lying, Zhao Xiao Pang who had not had his turn yet muttered this to himself.

“Next person, classmate Zhao Xiao Pang. Please answer the questions.”

Immediately after the female teacher called him up, Zhao Xiao Pang slowly stood up and he swallowed nervously. With a trembling voice, he said: “Please ask.”

“Do you know the person in this photo?”

The teacher revealed a photo on the screen. It was a photo of a normal looking teenager.

“………..K-know.” Zhao Xiao Pang carefully looked at the photo and confirmed his identity.

“What is your relationship with him?”

“He is a junior from the year below and also Junior Cheng’s classmate.” Zhao Xiao Pang said, “Apart from that, we……I guess it could be considered an employer-employee relationship. I would pay him to keep an eye on Junior Cheng.”

What?

Cheng Zhi Chu subconsciously looked back at him. Zhao Xiao Pang awkwardly gave him a small smile, but he didn’t stop answering.

“Brother Bai originally pursued Junior Cheng in order to take revenge on Su Ling……..I bought over this schoolmate and asked him to inquire about Junior Cheng’s preferences. Sometimes I would ask him to follow Junior Cheng. Like this, I would get information about Junior Cheng and then I would pass it onto Brother Bai and let him use it to his advantage.”

The female teacher nodded. She then released another photo.

The photos setting was the corner of the school campus. It was currently midsummer, and Su Ling and Cheng Zhi Chu were sitting together under a tree eating together. Cheng Zhi Chi was smiling as he appeared to be telling Su Ling something.

“Who took this photo?”

“This was taken by that schoolmate.” Zhao Xiao Pang said, “That day he told me that Junior Cheng had gone to find Su Ling and even took a picture to show me. I quickly went and told Brother Bai……….”

The moment he said this, Cheng Zhi Chu suddenly noticed that the scene around him had once again changed. The chair under him suddenly disappeared and he fell to the ground. He felt the heat rush over him and the loud cicada sounds coming from the surrounding trees. Once again, he had entered the photo.

Su Ling sat alone not far away from him and he supported a lunch box on his knee.

………….

Ever since the day Su Ling kneeled before Lu Jie in front of a lot of people in the corridor, the rumour about him liking Lu Jie had spread across the school. Every time Su Ling passed a group of people, there would always be someone pointing at him and looking at him with a shocked expression.

The school rules were relatively loose and there was no explicit prohibition for students to date. Of course, high school was when they should be studying so they naturally also don’t advocate it.

The ruckus caused by the incident this time was too much. Although Su Ling wasn’t reprimanded by the school, teachers have talked to him several times. Every time, he would respond with silence.

He couldn’t explain to the teacher the truth. Even if he said that he abhorred Lu Jie, the teacher wouldn’t believe it. They most certainly wouldn’t believe that a “pure” and “well-mannered” girl like Lu Jie would actually have such an ugly side to her.

In fact, when he was bullied by Bai Yi, Lu Jie and the others during middle school, Su Ling and already tried to get help from the school. He was only met with the teachers reprimand and warning as they advised him not to tarnish the reputations of other students.

He would never be able to forget the disdainful look that the teachers had given him at that time because he was a poor student coming from a poor family. The teacher then turned around and smiled and greeted Bai Yi because Bai Yi’s father had donated a lot of money to the school.

Since that day, Su Ling no longer spoke up and he never mentioned anything about his experiences.

No one could help him

Apart from enduring through it himself, there was no other way out.

It’s okay. He’s strong. He can endure this.

It’s just that sometimes……….he’s very tired.

As if he was floating in the vast sea surrounded by boundless sea water, he felt like he would drown at any moment.

He had to rely on his own strength to swim ashore. He didn’t wish for a boat to come and rescue him. All that he needed was an island that would allow for him to occasionally get a breather.

That was it.

Su Ling still remembered that, on the first day of high school, he was locked inside a bathroom cubicle by Ou Yang and was about to miss the opening ceremony. Cheng Zhi Chu just happened to pass by, and he helped let him out. He even gave him a warm and pure smile and happily greeted him.

“Are you also from class 7? What a coincidence, me too. We’ll be classmates in the future.”

At that time, he didn’t speak. He didn’t even go the same direction as Cheng Zhi Chu. Instead, he turned around and walked the opposite way.

He didn’t want Cheng Zhi Chu to see his suddenly red face.

It was probably the first time in his life that his heart was beating so fast.

But this time, his heart wasn’t beating fast because of fear, fright or anger. It was a strange emotion that he had never experienced before.

………..He had found it.

He had found his “island”.

It was also his light, his dream. The best of everything that he could think of and also………

The person that he likes.

Even if he would never have the opportunity to say it……….

“Clack.”

Behind the school building, Su Ling sat on the floor and placed the lunch box that he had brought from home onto his knee.

He had always made his own meals at home, but he used to sit in the cafeteria to eat so that he would he able to see Cheng Zhi Chu who was also there having his lunch. If he was lucky, the two of them would sit quite close and Cheng Zhi Chu would even greet him.

That was enough for Su Ling to be in a good mood for the day.

However, after Lu Jie’s incident, Su Ling had to hide in a place away from the others. Truthfully, he didn’t care about what others thought but he didn’t dare to see how Cheng Zhi Chu would look at him.

Moreover, Lu Jie had also discovered about the fact that he likes Cheng Zhi Chu. Even if she said that she would not tell Bai Yi and even though nothing appeared to have happened to Cheng Zhi Chu since then, he was still a little worried and could only try to stay away from him. That photo was also already deleted a long time ago.

He didn’t have the qualifications to like another person.

Su Ling’s hand holding onto the lunch box gradually tightened. His beautiful face was pale, and he tightly pursed his lips together.

At this moment, he suddenly heard footsteps nearby. He looked up and his eyes suddenly widened in surprise. Inside, he couldn’t help but feel excited.

“Turns out you’re here.”

The teenager gasped for air for a while before smiling at Su Ling.

Due to the hot weather, the boy’s cheeks had flushed red and sweat oozed out from his head. He may look a little pathetic but, in Su Ling’s eyes, he looked extremely cute and endearing.

“Why are you here?”

Despite being happy, Su Ling still maintained his original dull expression. He didn’t dare express his joy.

“I’m here to find you. Haven’t seen you during lunch for the past few days and felt a bit lonely.”

The teenager smiled embarrassedly and raised the bread in his hand: “It’s actually nothing important. If you don’t mind, would it be okay for us to have lunch together?”

“………….”

Su Ling’s breathing stopped. He almost couldn’t control his expression. He looked around to confirm that there wasn’t anyone around and eventually was unable to refuse the temptation of being able to be alone with the boy. He lightly nodded his head.

“That’s great.” The teenager smiled and sat down beside Su Ling. He tore open the bag containing the bread.

“…….You’re eating that?”

After a brief silence, Su Ling couldn’t help but ask.

Even he knew that it wasn’t like him to display concern about something like this. If it was something else, he really wouldn’t pay any attention, but this was the person that he likes so, even if it was just a small thing, he would take it to heart.

He actually wanted to ask about it since a long time ago. Why was this boy always having bread for lunch?

“The weather is too hot, so I don’t feel like eating the food in the cafeteria. It’s both oily and it doesn’t taste good.” The young teenager licked his mouth and said, “I like to eat sweets. Even on such a hot day, I can eat sweets.”

This is not a good habit. You’re always complaining that you’re short but, with you being so picky and eating so little, how would you be able to grow taller?