Chapter 224 Evil Spirit 20
Jiang Chunmian lives in an old residential complex with potholes all over the road. There have been heavy rains recently, and rainwater has gathered in the potholes. When she returned to her doorstep, her shoes and trouser legs were wet, but she didn't notice, even though the cold and sticky feeling was very uncomfortable.
She held her breath the entire way from school to her doorstep. When she opened the door and entered, the room was filled with the thumping of her heart, and the floor was stained with dirty footprints. Jiang Chunmian was completely unaware, the trembling that swept through her body still surging like a tsunami.
She stood in the brightly lit room, shielded from the howling cold wind and the violent thunderstorm. Her soaked clothes clung to her body, her face a pale, unsightly pale. After standing there for a moment, she pulled her phone from her pocket, opened the contacts screen, tapped a name, and threw the phone away as if she had been electrocuted.
"Bang--"
The phone screen was shattered into pieces.
Jiang Chunmian regained consciousness and picked up her phone, only to discover it was broken. She slumped to the ground, clutching her chest. The violent heaving of her chest resembled the violent struggles of someone suffocating. After a long pause, her breathing gradually subsided.
The scene in the infirmary flashed through my mind: the boy, covered in blood, stood in the hallway. The vision inside was dim, and the twilight seeped in through the narrow window, illuminating the corridor while also illuminating the boy's extremely pale face and a pair of dark, empty eyes...
Jiang Chunmian bit her lip. The bright room did not reduce her fear. The images that played involuntarily in her mind made her terrified. She couldn't imagine that the person she was with had already died. No wonder his body was cold. She actually thought he was born with a weak constitution.
The scenes of his time with Zhang Yanhui appeared in a replay.
In a flash, it seemed as if an invisible rope connected everything - Li De's classroom verbal abuse, the spread of photos, Fang Zhengxiang's beating, Bai Jing's confession. Going back in time, Zhang Yanhui was a good student in the eyes of teachers, a top student in the eyes of students, and a handsome boy in the eyes of the opposite sex.
Jiang Chunmian thought she was quite brave, until what happened today. When she realized something was wrong, she instinctively felt fear and her whole body seemed to be shrouded by an invisible chill, causing her spine to go numb.
Calm down, calm down, calm down… She forced herself to take four or five deep breaths. The TV screen in front of her showed her current appearance, looking disheveled, like a drowned rat.
After calming down, a deep feeling of regret overwhelmed me.
Jiang Chunmian subconsciously strung the tangled ropes together, from the past to the present, combined with Fang Zhengxiang's crazy words, she wove a nightmare, a nightmare comparable to a landslide or tsunami that completely destroyed people.
That was Zhang Yanhui's real experience...
A once hardworking and diligent student was assaulted by jealousy because of a one-sided confession. His past was even dug up and exaggerated and widely disseminated. Most despicable of all, the fire that burned his life was artificially fueled by Li De, who took the opportunity to threaten him. The unbearable verbal abuse was like pieces of gravel hitting the boy's spine...
What happened next?
She was in tears in the image projected on the TV.
Zhang Yanhui lives in a dirty and messy alley, but his home is kept clean and tidy. After his mother passed away, he lives alone and works to earn money. Under the pressure of such a heavy and busy life, he is still able to maintain good grades in school, which is inseparable from his hard work.
No wonder I always feel a little weird when I'm with him.
Zhang Yanhui's house is filled with books, which he keeps in wooden boxes. His desk is filled with exercises and notebooks with neat handwriting. He has a steady and down-to-earth personality, but since Jiang Chunmian met him, she has never seen him take the initiative to study. It is always her who asks him to do so, and she is the one who tells him the importance of studying... Doesn't Zhang Yanhui know?
He knows.
He worked hard for it.
He also knew that he had no future.
Tears welled up like broken strings, not only to vent the shock of the truth, but also the sadness of Zhang Yanhui's past.
Jiang Chunmian reached out and fiercely wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. Was she afraid of ghosts? Of course she was. Everyone was afraid of ghosts, but that was simply a fear of them. The moment she knew someone around her was a ghost, fear was instinctive. The moments she spent with him became the umbrella that protected her courage.
——Of course ghosts are scary, but Zhang Yanhui is not.
The darkness couldn't stop Jiang Chunmian. She rushed into the rain, umbrella in hand. The moment she opened the door, she was face to face with the tenant across the street. The man had recently gone through a divorce and was drinking late into the night. The hallway was filled with the sour smell of alcohol.
Zhao Qiang grinned and said, "Little sister... where are you going so late? Do you want your uncle to take you there... Don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person... come..."
Jiang Chunmian locked the door, leaned against the wall to avoid the drunk man, and hurried away. Without a cell phone and unable to contact Zhang Yanhui, Jiang Chunmian ran straight to Mei'er Lane.
The alley was still bustling with lights and the colorful lights hanging on the barber shop sign were dazzling. Ignoring the dirty talk coming from inside, Jiang Chunmian took a deep breath, cheered himself up, and then ran to Zhang Yanhui's door.
“Knock knock—”
Jiang Chunmian said softly, "Zhang Yanhui, Zhang Yanhui."
She swallowed hard and forced an explanation: "...Are you home? I haven't settled my affairs yet. After thinking about it, I still need your help. Please open the door!"
No response.
Isn't it here?
Jiang Chunmian shouted twice more, looking frustrated.
She regretted running away from school, but if she had to do it again, she would definitely run again. After all, the truth was too horrible to accept. She kicked the door twice in frustration, but it didn't work. Was she going to go to school to find him next?
Jiang Chunmian resisted and rejected it.
Coming home to Zhang Yan was already the limit, she absolutely didn't dare to go back to school late at night.
The moment I turned around and left, I keenly heard footsteps.
She felt a sense of something, staring nervously at the figure appearing around the corner. The first thing she saw was the wet steps. A mixture of rainwater and blood had flowed all over the floor, staining the stone steps a deep black. Jiang Chunmian covered his mouth and backed away until his back was against the wall, then feigned composure and looked over.
Zhang Yanhui walked out, holding onto the steps. His clothes were an indistinct color, a swirling black against the night sky. Thick liquid dripped from the corners of his clothes and trouser legs. He stepped forward, his soles scraping against the muddy steps. Then he stood still, his eyes dark and lifeless, his face calm as he stared at her. He asked, "Are you looking for me?"
The scream was stuck in his throat. Jiang Chunmian's eyes widened, staring intently at the complete stranger in front of him.
It's completely different from what I remember.
In my memory, even Zhang Yanhui's hair was soft and delicate, not to mention his entire person, like a soft lamb. But now, he looked like a skinny jackal, his dark eyes filled with endless dark emotions. His school uniform, which once showed his youth, was now tattered and disheveled, blood splattered on it. The dark night light enveloped him, revealing a gloomy feeling.
Jiang Chunmian's back tingled, and his voice trembled slightly: "Zhang, Zhang Yanhui?"
Zhang Yanhui hid in the dark and followed her. He originally thought that she was going to leave Tanhua Town. He felt panic and helplessness, and then he felt inexplicable anger. Until he saw the familiar street, he was stunned. As she stepped onto the stairs, his eyes fell on her pale cheek and then drooped.
"Why are you here?" A secret expectation rose in her. Could it be that she hadn't seen the truth? She had only escaped because she was frightened by his appearance. His throat burned, and he moved his lips and said, "I'm not..."
For some reason, the moment he spoke, my heart dropped back to its original place. Jiang Chunmian walked down the railing and interrupted him, saying, "I know!"
Zhang Yanhui was speechless, with anger accumulating between his brows.
The blood gathered at the bottom of his feet seemed to be injected with heat and suddenly began to surge, forming a thick pool of blood around him.
"What did you know?" he murmured.
The handrail supported Jiang Chunmian's body. Approaching Zhang Yanhui was like approaching a frozen icicle in the snow. Her entire body exuded a biting cold. She shuddered involuntarily and answered loudly, "You died a long time ago. Three months ago!"
Zhang Yanhui clenched his fists, his eyes still dark and hollow, the pain buried deep within. He stared at Jiang Chunmian without blinking, trying to read the same panic and fear she had in the infirmary. She was still afraid of him, her face pale, her body soaked by the rain, and she raised her hand from time to time to support the back of her head.
Does your head still hurt?... Zhang Yanhui swallowed the words and said, "Yes, that's right. Every wrong has its perpetrators. Those people in the school deserve it. As for you, I won't hurt you."
He pursed his lips and said, "Jiang Chunmian, you have nothing to do with these things. Just go to class and study normally. Don't be affected. There won't be another Fang Zhengxiang-like incident in this school."
Jiang Chunmian grabbed the handrail and slowly walked in front of him, only half an arm's length away. She took a deep breath and suddenly reached out to pinch his wrist. The biting coldness seeped into her flesh, and it seemed that even the blood froze. She hissed, raised her eyes, and met Zhang Yanhui's shocked gaze.
"Let's talk about it when we get home! Do you want to stand in the corridor and be heard by everyone?" Jiang Chunmian's feet were sticky. She knew what she was stepping on. She suppressed the discomfort and pretended to be calm while pulling his wrist to climb up.
He stood at the door and pointed at it, "Open the door! Let's go in and talk."
The conversation fell through.
Jiang Chunmian showered in the bathroom and changed into the clothes he'd left at his house. Then, he took a mop and went to the hallway to clean up the blood. Zhang Yanhui had been walking all the way, bleeding all the way! Even the walls were splattered. Jiang Chunmian's fear was replaced by boredom. He mopped the hallway until it was shiny. Turning around, he saw Zhang Yanhui, who should have been in the bathroom washing up, quietly appear behind him.
"Ah!" Jiang Chunmian was startled.
Zhang Yanhui's face turned pale and he reached out to help her.
Jiang Chunmian: "Didn't you say you should go to the bathroom to wash up and we can talk after you're done? Why are you following me out?"
Zhang Yan replied, "I can't say it directly because I'm afraid you'll run away," "I, I'll clean it up!"
Jiang Chunmian pushed his hand away. Zhang Yanhui's expression suddenly changed, and a cold aura emanated from her body. The clean steps under Jiang Chunmian's feet became sticky and bloody again. She pointed at the ground and then at his body, "How can you clean like this! The stairs I just mopped are dirty again. Go back first and don't come out. I'll go in after I'm done here. I have something to ask you."
Zhang Yan replied reluctantly: "Okay."
Jiang Chunmian resigned herself to her fate and began to drag herself up the stairs again. Sweat broke out on her back, and she was suddenly frozen by an inexplicable chill. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly, and she quickly turned back. Sure enough, she saw Zhang Yanhui staring at her through the crack in the door. He pushed the door open, but didn't come out. He said in a low voice, "Jiang Chunmian."
"Um?"
"I'm afraid you'll leave."
The slight fear that had previously remained completely dissipated. Zhang Yanhui stood upright behind the door, his overly pale face revealing a deep fear, as if he was enduring something even more terrifying than Jiang Chunmian had endured. It was the indescribable fear of being abandoned by the person he loved.
Jiang Chunmian: "...Then you just stand there and watch."
The corridor still needs to be cleaned, otherwise it will be more difficult to clean up after the blood dries. If you are lazy and wait until the next day to be discovered, it will be difficult to explain how the blood came from.
She tried her best to ignore the gaze that was glued to her, quickly cleaned the corridor, closed the door, pushed Zhang Yanhui into the bathroom, then lay back on the sofa and let out a long breath.
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