[Lin Mushi: Qinyan and I have bought the chicken blood at the market and frozen it in Guanyue’s rented place. She can bring it over tomorrow evening. Everyone, be there on time, OK?]
[He Zhiluo: OK]
OK, my foot. Fang Qinyan only just had a narrow escape last night, and he’s already up to his old tricks again.
Lu Mian clutched her mobile and headed back towards the police station. If they weren’t going to give up their mischief, she wouldn’t hold back. Dear classmates, you’re about to witness the full force of the police.
…………
“Officer Ren, have you contacted the psychologist?” Team Leader Zhou asked, looking at the young officer.
Officer Ren nodded. “I’ve got in touch.”
“Good. It’s just that he’s in such a state now and won’t say a word about what happened last night.” Captain Zhou sighed. A perfectly normal person now acting as if he’d lost his mind—it made their job difficult.
“Officer, I’d like to make a report!”
Captain Zhou and Officer Ren turned around together, and a familiar face came into view—Lu Mian.
Why has she come back again?
The same question popped into both their minds.
Tian Shenglai, who had been sitting silently on a stool, suddenly looked up and gazed towards the source of the voice. The next moment, his eyes lit up with a fierce intensity.
“You—you’re—” Tian Shenglai stood up excitedly, pointing at Lu Mian in a fluster.
Lu Mian paused, scrutinising Tian Shenglai from head to toe. How had a perfectly normal person ended up like this?
“You’ve come to find me, haven’t you? Hurry up and get me out of this haunted house!” Tian Shenglai finally managed to utter a complete sentence.
Haunted house? Text message? It suddenly dawned on Lu Mian. So he’d been terrified by the text she’d sent. A pang of guilt washed over her; she hadn’t realised the haunted house’s signature attraction could cause such harm.
Lu Mian bowed deeply, her tone sincere: “I’m so sorry. It wasn’t my intention to send that text, but I’ve certainly caused you harm. I’m truly, deeply sorry.”
“What on earth are you talking about? Just get me out of here, I beg you, I’m going mad!” Tian Shenglai’s eyes were filled with hope and pleading.
Lu Mian opened her mouth, wanting to explain further, but the policeman beside her tugged at her sleeve. “Come with me.”
Lu Mian turned to see the young policeman she recognised. Though she found it odd, she obediently followed him.
Once they were well out of Tian Shenglai’s sight, he explained, “Tian Shenglai has suffered a severe psychological blow. He’s likely convinced the world is an illusion right now. Please play along with him; a psychiatrist will take over later.”
Lu Mian nodded immediately. She felt she bore a great deal of responsibility for his mental state, so cooperating was only right.
Seeing how cooperative Lu Mian was, Officer Ren led her back to Tian Shenglai.
As soon as Tian Shenglai saw Lu Mian return, his gaze followed her.
“Guest, I’m so glad I found you. We’re about to close, so please come with me.” Having worked here for so long, Lu Mian quickly switched back into work mode.
Tian Shenglai was very obedient and followed Lu Mian quietly, simultaneously reaching out to hand her a piece of yellow paper. “This…”
Lu Mian took it without hesitation. It was a prop from the haunted house; she’d seen it before. She guessed the blue-haired boy had forgotten to return it to the NPC. Anyway, it was just a piece of yellow paper; she could simply throw it away later.
Lu Mian then led him through a series of twists and turns as instructed by the police, arriving at a small observation room. An officer handed Lu Mian a glass of water and gestured for her to give it to Tian Shenglai.
Lu Mian did so immediately, adding a comforting remark: “I’m sorry. It’s our fault for not managing the haunted house properly, leading to this mix-up. Just drink this glass of water and get a good night’s sleep.”
Following the person he’d deemed his saviour, Tian Shenglai was very obedient and dutifully took the water and drank it.
Fifteen minutes later, Tian Shenglai had fallen asleep in his chair.
Lu Mian breathed a sigh of relief; it was finally sorted. If his mental state were to become extremely unstable later on, she wouldn’t feel well about it either.
“It’s sorted. We’ll hand him over to a psychologist next,” said the young policeman, bringing the matter to a close. A moment later, perhaps fearing Lu Mian might feel guilty, he added comfortingly, “This was largely a coincidence, and it’s really your boss who should take the blame. Don’t blame yourself too much.”
“I understand. Thank you, Officer,” Lu Mian nodded, accepting his kindness.
The young officer said, “I’m only 23 and have only been on the job for a year—don’t call me ‘Uncle’.”
“I’m sorry, I’ve been used to calling police officers ‘Uncle’ since I was a child,” Lu Mian said, rubbing her hands together sheepishly.
“My surname is Ren. You can call me Officer Ren. By the way, you mentioned earlier that you wanted to file a report—what was it about?” ” Noticing Lu Mian’s unease, Officer Ren took the initiative to change the subject, leading her towards the main hall.
Speaking of which, Lu Mian instantly remembered why she was there and immediately recounted everything she knew.
Officer Ren’s expression was a complex mix of emotions. This ‘ghost-attracting’ constitution was something else—not only did she attract ghosts, but cult organisations as well. They hadn’t even finished investigating the haunted house yet, and she’d already handed them a new case.
But with commendable professionalism, Officer Ren quickly drew up a report and made a promise: “Tomorrow we’ll arrange for your classmates to be interviewed and given some guidance. As for that book you mentioned that spreads misguided ideas, we’ll confiscate it.”
Lu Mian felt reassured; with the police providing ideological guidance, her classmates should soon be back on the right track.
With the matter resolved, Lu Mian was just about to turn and leave when Officer Ren suddenly called out to her, “Er, Lu Mian, if you have a spare moment, you should pay a visit to a temple to offer prayers, or perhaps stay at a Taoist monastery for a couple of days.” Otherwise, I’m afraid you might just vanish one of these days.
Lu Mian didn’t quite understand, but she agreed anyway. The officer probably thought she’d been having such a run of bad luck lately and wanted her to change her surroundings; she might as well accept his kindness.
Leaving the police station, Lu Mian went back to school for a nap. Her shift didn’t start until two in the afternoon, so she might as well catch a few moments’ sleep while she could.
…………
“Creak—”
A loud creak echoed through Golden Sun Kindergarten. Lu Mian had been very careful, but the rusty gate inevitably made a noise.
Lu Mian looked around again. Principal Jin was nowhere to be seen; she’d tried contacting her on her mobile, but there was no reply.
There were no children in sight either; perhaps they hadn’t woken up yet.
Not daring to go inside for fear of disturbing their afternoon nap, Lu Mian could only wander about the small courtyard.
The kindergarten’s facilities were actually quite comprehensive—there were slides, climbing frames and all sorts of toys. A few faded little calf-shaped rides were scattered on the ground, with the occasional building block lying about.
Lu Mian walked round the slide and discovered a small pond behind it. Plants must once have been growing there, but they were now withered and dead. The water inside hadn’t been changed for ages; it was teeming with tiny insects, and there were even cobwebs along the edge of the pond.
Lu Mian frowned. It was far too dirty. Children played here all the time—what if they accidentally inhaled bacteria?
She resolved to find time to give the place a good clean once she’d taken up her post. Determined to be a good teacher, Lu Mian resumed her inspection of the little kindergarten.
“Thump, thump, thump”
The sound of a ball bouncing echoed behind Lu Mian. She turned around, but the slide blocked her view; she couldn’t make out who was playing there.
Lu Mian walked round the back, a gentle smile already forming on her face, determined to make a good first impression on the children she was meeting for the first time.
But as soon as she stepped past the slide and saw the child’s appearance, Lu Mian nearly let out a shrill scream.
How on earth could anyone let a child end up like this!
The little boy before her had half his face raw and exposed, his hair scorched, his clothes in tatters, and the ball in his hand was in a pitiful state.
“Miss, fancy a game of ball?”
The little boy gave a slight tug at the corner of his mouth, revealing a smile, though it looked eerie on that face.