Chapter 48
Chang Ting looked at Zhu Zangmo and felt that his expression at this moment was not like that of an artist, but more like that of a mean villain gossiping in the village.
A trace of disgust flashed through Chang Ting's heart, and he asked, "What rumor? Tell me."
Zhu Zangmo raised his hand to his lips and muttered, "I heard that Qiu Yue's tuition wasn't paid by her family, but... by the man who supported her..." Shame crossed his face. "Of course, I absolutely trust my students. I wouldn't believe any of this!"
His eyes flickered. "It's just... after the tuition was remitted, someone called and said it was Qiu Yue's tuition and asked us to check. The other party didn't say who they were, but it sounded... like a man."
Chang Ting listened calmly: "It happened several years ago, you remember it very clearly."
"No, no, I just remembered it when I saw the receipt just now. I remember the tone of the man who called didn't sound like Qiu Yue's elder. It was a bit strange. Well, I can't explain it clearly. Maybe I'm thinking too much." Zhu Zangmo's words were cryptic, but every word was meaningful.
Chang Ting's tone was very cold: "Why didn't you tell the police about this five years ago?"
"Well, I'm only trying to protect my student's reputation. Besides, this has nothing to do with her disappearance."
"Whether there is any connection or not, we'll know after we check. You shouldn't hide it."
"Yes, yes, it's my fault for worrying too much." Zhu Zangmo's face was full of self-blame.
Chang Ting's expression softened: "Okay, please send me the photo of the bill."
He handed Zhu Zangmo's phone back, and when their hands touched, a message popped up on the screen.
Xingchang: [Hasn’t he left yet?]
Chang Ting saw it and said, "Hey, who is so anxious to get me out?"
Zhu Zangmo quickly put his phone away and smiled awkwardly, "Oh, it's the boss of Xingchang Trading Company. He's meeting a few VIP clients upstairs and is waiting for me to come over and introduce my work. He's really impatient. I'm sorry, I apologize to you on his behalf."
Chang Ting waved his hand: "Nothing, sorry to bother you with your work."
"No, it's all for work."
Chang Ting said goodbye and stood under the camphor tree in front of the business to look around. Only then did he realize that this place was not far from Chen He's home and belonged to the same historical and cultural district.
It's just that this side of the trading house was once a wealthy area a century ago. Some of the buildings have become national cultural relics, and the houses still have owners, who are either rich or noble. But here, towering ancient trees are everywhere, and the old buildings stand among them, the quietness is a bit cold.
There are more residential houses on Chen He's side, so it is much brighter and more homely. Chang Ting feels that he likes that side more.
I wonder if Zhu Zangmo and Chen He, the former teacher and student, know that they are so close to each other.
As he walked toward the police car, his phone vibrated. It was a message from Zhou Zhengzheng.
Zhou Zhengzheng was on a business trip and according to his arrangement, he went to Chengzhou Welfare Institute to investigate Chen He's background.
He thought Zhou Zhengzheng had found something, but when he clicked on it, he saw: [Master, the comics have been updated, go check it out!]
Chang Ting quickly got into the car and opened the comic app after closing the door.
"Prophecy from the Other Shore" has updated its seventh episode, subtitled "Falling".
The first frame is the same as the last frame of the previous episode "Fire", with a charred corpse curled up in the alley.
The next frame zooms out, revealing another news clip from the phone. The same transition technique as last time.
The camera zoomed out further, the image shrinking even further. It turned out the person looking at the phone was a beautiful woman in a Chanel dress, sitting in a dimly lit room. Next to her was a small note: Yu Er.
Yu Er's image at this point is quite different from the student image at the beginning. His hair has become long and wavy, but he still wears it gathered over his left shoulder as usual. This is Yu Er as an adult.
The room was a bedroom, with clothes, shoes and cosmetics scattered everywhere, it was a mess.
Yu Er's face was filled with horror: "Xu San is dead? How come his death is so similar to how Prisoner Feng died back then? Could he be the wronged ghost of Prisoner Feng..."
She flung her phone away, hurriedly climbed onto a bed, and wrapped herself in the quilt, covering her head. From under the quilt came the sound of chanting: "Amitabha, evil spirits, go away!"
Time passed, and she fell asleep unconsciously. The clock on the wall pointed to twelve o'clock.
"Yu Er." A vague voice sounded in the darkness.
Yu Er suddenly woke up, his sleepy eyes peeking out from under the covers. "What's that noise?"
"Yu Er." The curtains were not drawn tightly, and the dim light coming through the gaps revealed a blurry figure in front of the window.
Yu Er trembled: "It's Feng...Feng the prison boss..."
A dark shadow drifted towards the bed.
She grabbed the quilt in fear and closed her eyes: "Teacher Feng, it was Xu San who killed you. This has nothing to do with me. Why did you come to me?"
"Yu Er, it's me." The voice was sweet and gentle.
Yu Er opened his eyes, and the figure in the dim light seemed to emit a ball of bright light. She was wearing a white dress, with soft hair hanging down to her shoulders. She had a pretty face and smiled gently at him.
At the same time, a chaotic fog seemed to rise in the room.
When the fog cleared again, the original bedroom had turned into a student dormitory, and Yu Er's bed had become the lower bunk of a bunk bed.
Yu Er's eyes seemed to be filled with mist, and his mind suddenly became confused. He muttered, "Where am I?"
She looked around and seemed to remember: "Oh, right, I am a student at the Zangmo Base. This is in the base's dormitory."
She felt something was wrong, but couldn't place it. She looked up at the girl beside the bed and recognized her: "It's you, Qiu Yue. What are you doing up so late at night?"
Qiu Yue said: "The person you like is waiting for you, let me take you there."
"Really?" Yu Er's eyes lit up.
"Follow me." Qiu Yue turned and walked towards the door, her hair and white skirt fluttering like clouds.
Yu Er quickly climbed out of bed. Even in her half-conscious state, she still remembered to gather her long hair over her left shoulder, pick up the butterfly hairpin on the dressing table, and hastily pin her wavy hair into a bun as she walked. However, she was barefoot, having forgotten to wear shoes.
She walked out of the dormitory and saw a familiar, old-fashioned hallway. Flickering fluorescent lights, whitewashed walls, and wooden doors lined the hallway. This was the girls' dormitory area of the base.
Turning around, she saw Qiu Yue's figure already out of the iron gate, standing at the stairs in the middle of the corridor, waving at her from afar.
"Come on."
A vague sound entered their ears.
"Wait for me!" Yu Er hurriedly chased after him, but was blocked by an iron gate.
She pulled the door but couldn't open it, then she realized it was locked. How did Qiu Yue get out?
Her muddled mind lost its ability to think, and she was only anxious to see the person she loved. She shook the iron bars in annoyance, and suddenly remembered who was responsible for opening the door.
She shouted angrily, "Prisoner Feng, come and open the door!"
A figure suddenly appeared outside the door. Yu Er was startled and looked up.
Earth-colored coat, short hair, black-framed glasses.
Yu Er glared at the people outside: "What are you standing there for? Open the door!"
Teacher Feng slowly raised his hand, holding a ring full of keys, and used one of them to open the lock.
"You're so slow..."
Yu Er complained angrily, opened the door, and ran out. After two steps, he suddenly stopped, looked back at the person behind him, and a look of confusion appeared on his face: "I remember you seemed to have already..."
Teacher Feng smiled at her, and suddenly black smoke and sparks came out of his mouth.
Yu Er was horrified, screamed, and ran away. Black smoke billowed out of Teacher Feng's body, filling the corridor. Yu Er could no longer see the road, and he could not find Qiu Yue.
“Qiu Yue, where are you?” she shouted in panic.
A voice came from above: "I'm here."
Yu Er raised her head and saw Qiu Yue standing on the stairs above, looking down at her and stretching her hand towards her.
Yu Er's mind was confused again. Aren't the buildings on the base only three stories high? Isn't the girls' dormitory on the third floor? How could there be stairs going up?
A rustling sound was heard from the billowing smoke behind her. It was Teacher Feng, with his charred feet, approaching her step by step, his hands flashing with sparks, about to reach her vest.
Without giving it much thought, she quickly ran up the stairs, trying to hold Qiu Yue's hand. However, Qiu Yue's figure moved up erratically, and she missed.
The hem of the white skirt flashed around the corner of the stairs, and the voice floated down: "Come quickly."
Yu Erpin tried his best to catch up. One floor, two floors, three floors... The stairs seemed to have no end.
Her legs felt heavier and heavier. She held onto the handrail and looked up, panting and shouting, "Qiu Yue, walk slower... Why haven't we arrived yet?"
Qiu Yue's pale face appeared in the gap between the cascading and twisting stair railings, her dark eyes looking down at her. "Hurry up, he's waiting for you."
These words seemed to be a shot of adrenaline, and Yu Er tried hard to climb up.
In the end, he had to use both hands and feet.
“Why does this building have so many floors…” She panted exhaustedly.
Finally she reached the end and saw a small door in front of her that was open, and it was pitch black outside.
She dragged her limp legs and hesitantly walked out the small door, the wind blowing her clothes and hair. Outside the door was an empty, bottomless darkness. There was no sign of Qiu Yue, nor of the person she loved.
"What is this place? Qiu Yue, where are you?" She was inexplicably frightened and shouted in a trembling voice.
"Are you looking for me?"
Yu Er turned around suddenly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
