Chapter 42: Missing Case "Teacher Zhui, good evening, are you off work? ...

The dazzling clamor of the fireworks display that night seemed to have drained away all the heat and vitality accumulated in this small coastal town.

It wasn't long before something was amiss in the town.

Students from Hope Primary School began to disappear one after another.

The missing students were of different genders, grades, and personalities. Initially, no one could find any common ground. Then, one day, someone realized that the missing students were all students in the class of the new art teacher, Zhui Lian.

Or maybe someone like the first missing boy who enthusiastically sought her guidance after class, or someone like the arts committee member of the class she most often taught who liked to give her homemade gifts, or someone who liked to chat with her for a few minutes when they came to her shop to buy postcards...

Rumors began to spread.

"Have you heard? Something's happened to the kid who was close to the teacher."

"I felt something was wrong the night of the fireworks display. When she arrived, we just..."

"Did she... offend the gods? Did she carry something unclean?"

These words mutated endlessly, gradually taking on the appearance of a virus, following her like a shadow, and causing the townspeople to gradually avoid her.

Before the disappearance case began, Pei Zhiyu had already left this coastal town.

He really did what he said and left in a few days.

On the one hand, Zhui Lian was glad that he really left, but on the other hand, she was surprised that he actually left so easily.

That day, under the bridge where the fireworks display was held, Gu Hong felt somewhat embarrassed when she returned.

Zhui Lian was also a little embarrassed.

Only Pei Zhiyu was not embarrassed.

The word "embarrassment" seems to be non-existent in his dictionary, and he feels no moral pressure or burden about pretending to be sick.

He calmly took the stomach medicine from Gu Hong and said with a smile, "Thank you, Principal Gu."

Then he reached out and straightened Zhui Lian's coat more naturally.

——Yes, the one he just put on.

He slightly turned his body to block the cool breeze coming from the other side of the river for Zhui Lian, and also blocked Gu Hong's sight.

He said in a gentle voice, "Teacher Zhui, shall I take you home?"

Gu Hong, who had already gotten over the embarrassment, stepped forward and suggested, "Mr. Yu, Teacher Zhui's home is close to mine, so I'll take her home."

Zhui Lian immediately admired Gu Hong's good temper. Even in such an obvious provocation, he remained calm and immediately regained his gentle demeanor.

He even offered to take her home.

"Yes, it's still Principal Gu..." Zhui Lian immediately agreed.

Pei Zhiyu smiled, his eyes passing lightly between the two of them.

He was asking Gu Hong, but his eyes were fixed on Zhui Lian: "How close?"

Gu Hong was a little confused as to why the other party asked this, but she patiently explained: "From my house, take a small path and you will reach Teacher Zhui's house in six or seven minutes."

"oh--"

Gu Hong looked at the usually gentle Mr. Yu and said with a long, regretful tone, with a subtle hint of mischief in her voice, "That's unfortunate. I think our city has a beautiful scenery. I just bought a new house next to Teacher Zhui's house today."

He smiled and said, "It won't take more than a minute to get there."

But on the day Pei Zhiyu left the small town, he did not inform Zhui Lian.

The other party left quietly.

Or when she was returning home from school after class, she habitually glanced at the house next door.

That was the house Pei Zhiyu bought.

The whole house is in soft tones, with light yellow walls and a light blue roof.

The eaves are slightly tilted, with a few wind chimes made of sea glass hanging on them. The casual Bohemian style has a fairy-tale texture. Bathed in sunshine and sea breeze, the tranquility is unreal.

It doesn't look like Pei Zhiyu's style at first glance.

The only one that looks like——

It was a large brass lock that suddenly fell on the white gate.

On the first day after Pei Zhiyu left, the town seemed to be cursed and the unsolved case of missing students began.

*

Even though Zhui Lian had a clear conscience, the gazes around him were still changing uncontrollably.

The once friendly neighbors subconsciously avoided her, the parents who came to pick up their children looked at her warily, and the colleagues around her subconsciously distanced themselves from her... This feeling of being isolated and scrutinized by the whole world reminded her of the days in Qingjiang.

The geraniums on the wooden windowsill of the shop are in full bloom, the mint is ripe, many new stocks of sunscreen have arrived, and a new wave of hand-painted postcards has also been released.

Zhui Lian stopped teaching art at Hope Primary School and just quietly ran her own shop, but the shop became less and less popular.

Invisible rejection was everywhere, and she seemed to have turned into a transparent ghost.

When exposed to sunlight, it evaporates.

Gu Hong came to see her and comforted her gently, saying that he knew it was not her problem and asked her to relax. The town police station was doing its best to investigate and the missing children would definitely be found soon.

She looked at Gu Hong, listening to his sincere words, but her pale complexion did not improve at all. She could only answer in a low voice: "Thank you, I hope so."

Gu Hong's comfort did not have any substantial effect on Zhui Lian's uneasy heart, but he did become the only person in the town who did not avoid her. He even often invited her to go out for a walk, saying that he wanted to bring her some good mood.

Zhui Lian refused all the attempts.

But when she opened the door of the shop, she often couldn't help but glance at the house next to it, and then look up unconsciously.

His eyes drifted over.

Floating over little by little.

Frozen on the terrace on the second floor.

My thoughts drifted back to some scenes. There were a few days when Pei Zhiyu had not left yet -

The sun was about to set, and on the small terrace on the second floor next door, a man always leaned lazily on the white wooden railing.

Behind him, pale purple morning glories, with their vines entwined, covered the goose-yellow interior walls. Thriving green ivy reflected the erected easel, swaying gently in the evening breeze.

It swayed past the casually opened paint box, swayed past a few paintbrushes scattered nearby, and finally swayed past the man's hair, the man's eyebrows, and the man's beautiful eyes that were staring at her.

He stood, just standing there, with his arms stretched out on the railing.

The halo of dusk enveloped him, so gently that even the faint smile at the corner of his lips, whose true meaning was unclear, softened.

He leaned over and looked down.

His smile widened.

He raised his eyebrows and said to her who had just walked downstairs: "Teacher Zhui, good evening, are you off work?"

Her sparkling eyes reflected the image of Zhui Lian, as if creating the illusion that she was his whole world.

But Zhui Lian just closed the shop door indifferently and didn't bother to pay attention.

so--

At this moment, is this kind of thinking longing?

Not really.

This is more like a complex and indescribable dependence, or a habit and subtle expectation that one does even though one knows it is impossible.

The atmosphere was too suffocating, and the most dangerous source became orderly and safe, as if the presence of the other party could suppress everything.

In fact, the most surprising thing under this high pressure was the news from Pei Zhiwei.

The other party asked about Zhui Lian and said that he was too busy recently and only had time to care about her now.

She asked her how she was doing in the new city and whether she had adapted well. Zhui Lian gave a vague answer, saying that it was all right and that she had adapted well.

Occasionally, she would ask her some more difficult questions, such as whether she had met someone new she liked or whether she was considering choosing a new partner.

Zhui Lian couldn't answer, but since they were far away, she simply used one or two emoticons to fool the question.

But sometimes the other party seems to insist on an answer, and the whole process can bring back the topic they want to ask.

She sent a confused kitten emoji, and Pei Zhiwei would reply:

[Kittens are cute, but have you met a new favorite?]

Zhui Lian could only type out a reply with a headache:

[Not yet, Sister Zhiwei.]

That evening, when the string of white shells hanging at the door jingled, Zhui Lian received a new message from Pei Zhiwei.

The other party was unusually sensitive to her and also unusually concerned about her, and asked her if she was unhappy recently.

Zhui Lian: [No, everything is fine.]

Zhui Lian: [Someone has come to the store, let’s not talk about Sister Zhiwei for now.]

She only replied with these two sentences, put her phone on the table, and looked up at the person who pushed open the door - it was Gu Hong.

The other party walked hurriedly and sounded anxious: "Xiao Lian, Xiao Lian!"

Zhui Lian stood up, confused, and asked, "What's wrong, Principal Gu? What happened?"

"Xiaomei...Xiaomei..."

Gu Hong seemed to be walking too fast and looked like she couldn't breathe. She couldn't continue talking at this point and kept gasping for breath.

Xiaomei?

What happened to Xiaomei?

Zhui Lian's heart sank, and she quickly walked over and supported the other person: "What's wrong with Xiaomei?"

Gu Hong finally caught her breath.

But his face showed an extremely painful expression: "Xiaomei is missing! Xiaomei is missing today too!"

Zhui Lian's face turned pale for a moment: "What?"

"right……"

Gu Hong smiled bitterly, then took a deep breath and continued, "Teacher Zhui, I remember you have the key to Xiaomei's house?"

*

In Xiaomei's house, the only light bulb has a very low wattage, barely illuminating the small living room. The furniture is old, but it is wiped very clean.

The most eye-catching things are a few slightly curled certificates of merit and a colorful family portrait on the wall, but the faces of the adult men and women in the portrait are a little blurry.

Zhui Lian's hand was clutching the diary that she and Gu Hong had just found in the drawer.

A thin piece of paper was being tightly grasped between her fingers.

Xiaomei's body temperature seemed to still remain on it, and the little girl's tender but sincere handwriting spread out in front of her eyes, jumping into her mind.

June 12, sunny

Teacher Zhui hasn't been in class for the past few days, and I've lost interest in other classes. I went to her shop to look for her. She looked so pale, as thin as a piece of paper, but she still spoke to me very gently. However, after just a few words, she urged me to go back quickly. Why is that? Teacher Zhui always invites me to have dinner with her.

June 13, cloudy

How could this be? Everyone in town says Teacher Zhui is unlucky, cursed by the gods. How else could it be that all the missing children after the fireworks display happened to have come into contact with her? I don't think it's right. Teacher Zhui is so gentle, so kind, even better to me than... Mom and Dad. How could she be unlucky? But I'm already saddened by hearing these words. I can't imagine how much more sad Teacher Zhui would be if she heard them too.

June 14th, cloudy

I understand. I don't want to upset Teacher Zhui. I'm going to pray for her. Back when my mother was still around, she told me there was a very spiritual cave near the creek.

This is Xiaomei’s diary from the past few days.

The latest one is the one that stopped on June 14th.

As I continued to read, the dizziness I felt became more and more intense.

The attack on Zhui Lian could not be stopped.

"Because I...it's all because of me..."

Zhui Lian muttered to himself, his voice trembling.

Another person...was something going to happen to her? Just like Xun Li. No one said Xun Li's accident was because of her, but she vaguely knew that the other end of the thread of fate was always wrapped around her wrist.

It's just that she likes to escape, hide, and bury her head in the sand like an ostrich, as if the problem will disappear automatically.

Every breath was filled with burning pain, and the dizziness was like the rising tide in the middle of the night, coming up again without warning and overwhelming her senses.

Gu Hong in front of him, the dim room, and even the diary in his hand, the whole world was spinning, spinning non-stop, turning upside down in an unidentifiable direction, twisting, and breaking into pieces of blurry spots of light.

Unable to stand steadily.

Can't stand still.

Crumbling.

Her legs went limp and her body was about to fall backwards uncontrollably. Fortunately, Gu Hong was quick-witted and grabbed her arm, supporting her as she was about to fall.

"Xiao Lian, don't be like this, it's not your fault!" Gu Hong's voice rose and fell in her ears, a mixture of anxiety and comfort.

Gu Hong continued to drag her to steady herself, but she only heard one sentence of his following words: "The most urgent thing is to find Xiaomei as soon as possible!"

Yes... now is not the time to collapse. The most urgent thing is to find Xiaomei as soon as possible.

This time, she can no longer be an ostrich...

The night in the small town was chaotic and depressing. Zhui Lian stumbled all the way and was almost half-supported and half-pulled by Gu Hong as he ran out of Xiaomei's dim house.

The search team is mainly concentrated in the town center and around the old street.

The flashlight was flashing, passing over every corner of the seaside town, lighting up the flowers and trees, but it could not reveal any trace of hidden people.

People called out anxiously, "Xiaomei! Are you here?"

When Zhui Lian and Gu Hong arrived at the gathering point, the noisy sounds suddenly died down.

All eyes turned towards him in unison.

Fear, suspicion, and subtle resentment.

"Teacher Zhui...why are you here too?"

A town official who had some dealings with Zhui Lian on a daily basis came forward with an embarrassed look on his face. He spoke gently but with a clear dissuading tone, "We're here. It's so dark, and the road is difficult to walk on. You...you should go back and wait for news."

"Yes, Teacher Zhui," said a mother whose child was also missing, her eyes red. "We know you're worried about Xiaomei, but... but with so many accidents happening one after another, everyone's scared..."

She hesitated for a moment, but eventually closed her eyes, made up her mind, and said it out loud: "With you here, we feel even more uneasy."

This is quite straightforward.

Under the flashlight, Zhui Lian's cheeks were as pale as paper, so thin that they seemed to be melting into the endless night.

Being swallowed.

Devour.

A tide of guilt washed over me, carrying with it a familiar sense of helplessness and isolation.

She understood that in the eyes of these townspeople, she herself was a symbol of bad luck. Her appearance would only make the search more complicated and might even bring worse "luck."

Seeing the situation, Gu Hong quickly gestured for everyone to calm down. "Everyone, I understand how you're feeling, but regardless of whether this supernatural matter has been resolved, from a practical perspective, more people always means more strength."

The restless townspeople suddenly calmed down a little.

"We just went to Xiaomei's house and found some information in her diary. She said she was going to the cave in the creek."

He showed the villagers the photos of the diary he had taken with his phone, and continued patiently and gently, "So now isn't the time to dwell on this. We must act quickly and confirm her whereabouts as soon as possible!"

After saying these words, Gu Hong turned around and looked at the distraught Zhui Lian.

"Teacher Zhui, I know you're worried about Xiaomei, but given the current situation..." The voice lowered a little, full of consideration, "Look, how about this? I know there's a more secluded path to the cave academy in Xiaoxidi. It's usually not used by many people, but maybe Xiaomei would choose that path."

Gu Hong: "Let's go over there and look for it. It can be considered as a way to split up with everyone else."

Another person was about to get into trouble because of her. The huge panic she felt swept over her was so intense that her sanity had been burned into pieces and could not be put back together.

——That’s fine.

At least, she wasn't just sitting there waiting, she could do something, even if it was just a tiny effort.

So Zhui Lian finally nodded.

He nodded desperately and eagerly.

She took a deep breath, and in a hurry, she reached out and pulled Gu Hong's arm, saying, "Okay, thank you, Gu Hong... Let's go quickly."

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The author has something to say: Pei Gou is not present but is everywhere [thumbs-up]