“…That about covers everything. Do you have any other questions?”
‘So, I just need to organize the student files for the current graduating class, right? That shouldn’t be too difficult.’ On the way, Ye Siya had been instructing me endlessly on what to do, though, in reality, it was completely unnecessary. After all, this had been my job all along.
“Oh, President, you’re back.” As I pushed open the door, Bingying’s listless face was the first thing to greet my eyes. It was only upon seeing Ye Siya that she managed to perk up slightly.
Catching sight of her, a wave of relief washed over me. She had indeed escaped that place unharmed. Though she seemed a bit dispirited, it was likely just a lingering effect from yesterday. A few days of rest should set her right.
“Um, you’re Luo Tianchen’s… sister, aren’t you? Can you tell me how he is? Why didn’t he come to school today? Did something happen?” Upon seeing me, Bingying immediately brightened, rushing over to grasp my hands tightly, her voice laced with anxiety.
‘So close, too close! Her face is practically touching mine!’
“N-nothing happened,” I stammered. “He’s just feeling unwell and needs to rest at home. But he was a bit worried, so he asked me to come to school to check things out. He didn’t say anything about the reason, though. Bingying, do you happen to know something?” I inquired.
“Is that so? It’s good that he’s alright. Actually, I don’t know anything either. I-I was just asking out of concern as a classmate.”
‘Yes, that’s it exactly.’ I surmised that if I simply conveyed to her that ‘Luo Tianchen hadn’t mentioned yesterday’s events,’ she would naturally keep silent as well.
This was for her own good. I was already too deeply entangled to escape, but she, at least, wasn’t too far in. As long as Bingying herself didn’t speak of it, and considering her father was the provincial governor, few would dare to cause her trouble.
“Then, are you alright? I remember you were on long-term leave because of poor health, weren’t you?” Bingying asked, looking at me with renewed concern.
‘Oh, right, that was part of the setup. I’d completely forgotten until you mentioned it.’
“I’m fine. Just for a day or two, it’s no problem.”
“Now, let’s get to work!” With the President’s spirited shout, the three of us began our day’s tasks.
Even with only three of us, our work efficiency barely dipped. Yang Mingzhi was essentially just slacking off, and while Ye Dieyu did help with some tasks, she mostly remained engrossed in her own assignments.
Thus, the stack of documents on the President’s desk visibly diminished at a rapid pace.
“Whew, all done! Oh, Xiao Lian, you finished quite quickly, too, didn’t you? Even though it’s your first time.” Ye Siya stretched languidly before walking over to observe me.
“Well, I’ve been doing similar work for a while now,” I replied casually.
“A while?”
‘Damn it, I just blurted it out!’
“I-it’s just school work!”
“Oh, really?” Ye Siya didn’t seem to suspect anything. “It’s getting late. As a reward for helping out, let me treat you to dinner! Bingying, you should come along too, right?”
“Eh? Ah, okay.” For some reason, the President was winking furiously at Bingying. Bingying paused, then seemed to understand, glancing at me pointedly. ‘I have a bad feeling about this. Maybe I shouldn’t go…’
“Ah, I won’t go. My brother is still at home…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine! Luo Tianchen can just order takeout, can’t he?”
‘I’m going to cry. I’m really going to cry, you know!’
“I-I know! Don’t push me!”
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
“Ah, I’ll come too.”
In the end, I was being pushed by both of them!
‘Whatever. If they want to push, let them push. I’ll get used to it eventually.’ I sighed. Yet, this path felt a little off.
“This isn’t the way to the cafeteria, is it?” I asked cautiously.
“Hmm? Don’t we usually go to the restroom before eating?”
‘Oh, it’s the restroom! It’s true I haven’t gone in a while, and now that you mention it, I’m starting to feel it too.’
At the time, I had no idea of the immense crisis lurking behind this seemingly mundane detour.
Upon reaching the restroom, just as I was habitually turning left towards the men’s room, Ye Siya grabbed the back of my collar.
“No, Xiao Lian, that’s the men’s room.”
‘Huh? But I always go… Oh.’
‘I’m a girl now.’
“Eh? What’s wrong? You look a little pale. Are you really not feeling well?”
“N-nothing. I think I’ll just skip the restroom…”
“No, no, you haven’t been to the restroom in a long time, have you? Holding it in isn’t good for your health.”
“W-wait, hey! I said don’t push me!”
‘Why do you all love pushing people so much, seriously!’
‘I can’t hold it anymore!’
…Ultimately, I entered the women’s restroom.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had lost something important.
“So, Xiao Lian, what would you like to eat?” Ye Siya asked, looking at me slumped over the table.
“Anything… Egg fried rice is fine.”
“Truly siblings, even your eating habits are so similar. All right, one Yangzhou fried rice it is. For me, beef stewed rice. Bingying, you want Italian spicy noodles, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
We were currently on the third floor of the school’s restaurant. As a restaurant in an elite school, it naturally wasn’t as noisy as those in ordinary schools.
Beyond the various famous Chinese and Western restaurants scattered throughout the campus, the school’s own dining hall employed many renowned chefs, both domestic and international. It was divided into three levels—first, second, and third floors—based on student hierarchy.
The first floor was the least exclusive, primarily for regular students. The second floor was for scholarship students, enjoying 24-hour service, allowing them to dine at any time.
As for the third floor, it was the most luxuriously decorated, generally only accessible to student council members and school executives. Yet, here we were, in a place comparable to a Michelin-starred restaurant, eating ordinary food. The head chef probably felt like dying.
“So, Xiao Lian, can I ask you a question?” Ye Siya suddenly asked halfway through dinner.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“What kind of person does your brother like?”
“Pfft!” I instantly spat out a mouthful of rice, quickly grabbing the cup nearby to take a drink. “W-why would you suddenly ask something like that?”
“Because I’m curious! I’m really interested in what kind of girl that blockhead Luo Tianchen would like. Anyway, your brother isn’t here, so it’s fine to talk about it, right?”
“Th-this, honestly, I’m not really sure…” I replied vaguely, casting a pleading glance at Bingying, only to find her looking at me with equal curiosity.
‘Seriously, why do I have to describe my preferred type of girl in front of other girls? What kind of humiliating game is this?’
“Could it be that Luo Tianchen is actually gay? No wonder he’s so close with Yang Mingzhi…” Ye Siya mused, deep in thought.
‘No, he’s not! That’s just a way to disguise himself!’
It seemed I couldn’t avoid saying something. ‘I’ll just make something up,’ I thought, then casually said, “Although I’m not very clear, my brother probably likes a girl who is lively and cheerful, has long black hair, always comes up with strange ideas, is usually carefree but inexplicably feminine in odd ways—like a girl-next-door type…”
‘Damn it. I intended to fabricate a girl, even adding a touch of dark humor by incorporating various traits from girls around me. But no matter what I said, I couldn’t help but think of that person, remembering the days we laughed and talked together.’
“Th-that, Luo Tianlian?” Bingying whispered.
“Ah? Hmm? That’s about it, I guess?” I jolted awake from my reverie, forcing a smile.
“Mhm, long black hair, lively and cheerful, a tsundere personality… OK, I’ve got it all written down!” Ye Siya put down her pen.
“Wait…! Why are you writing that down?! And where did you get that pen and paper from?!”
“It’s common sense for a President to carry a pen and paper, you know?”
“I’ve never heard of such common sense! Tear up that paper right now!”
“Oh, I can’t do that. As one of Luo Tianchen’s few embarrassing moments, it must be carefully preserved.” Ye Siya meticulously folded the paper twice, then tucked it into a hidden compartment in her pendant. “See? Now it’s foolproof.”
‘Foolproof, my foot! Why put it in a place like that?! Now I have no way of getting it back!’
“Don’t worry, we won’t tell your brother, right, Bingying?”
“Eh? Ah, don’t worry, this is our secret, the three of us. We won’t say a word.”
‘No, they already know everything.’
‘Indeed, there’s no such thing as a free lunch… or dinner, I suppose?’
“Well, it’s getting late. Thank you both for your hard work today.” Ye Siya rose from her stool and waved her hand.
“Eh? President, are you going back to the student council room?” Bingying asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.
“Mhm, I still have some work to finish. But I wouldn’t want to trouble you two. Both Bingying and Xiao Lian aren’t feeling too well today, are you? You should hurry home and rest. See you tomorrow!” With that, she skipped out of the restaurant, leaving the two of us to exchange bewildered glances.
“Um, Luo Tianlian… do you have anything else to do?” After a long silence, Bingying was the first to speak.
“Yes, my brother forgot some things in the classroom and asked me to pick them up for him.”
“Oh, really? I happen to be going to the classroom too. Shall we go together then?”
“Ah, I don’t mind.”
“And…”
“What is it?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
She seemed to hesitate, as if she had more to say, but ultimately remained silent.
We left the restaurant. As for the cost of the meal, it was charged to the school board. After all, it wasn’t some elaborate French feast; an expense of this magnitude was inconsequential to the board.
The sky had already begun to darken. It was around this time yesterday that Bingying and I entered that club, which ultimately led to me becoming a girl. I wouldn’t say I regretted it, but rather, felt a sense of regret.
I glanced at Bingying. She probably remembered yesterday’s events too, as she lowered her head with a complex expression.
“It’s alright. My brother will be back in a few days.”
“…Is that so?”
“He told me, ‘I want to have another party with everyone’ or something like that.”
“Eh… Is that true?!”
“Y-yes, it is… Um, could you loosen your grip a bit? It hurts quite a lot…”
“Ah, sorry.” Bingying hastily released my hand, sweeping away her previous gloom, her expression brightening considerably.
‘This girl is really easy to read.’
‘Don’t worry. I will resolve everything and bring Luo Tianchen back. By then…’
‘The five of us, let’s have another party together.’
“It’s so dark… Is there no one in the classroom?” Bingying mumbled, flipping on the light switch.
‘Well, it’s this late, everyone must have gone home.’
“Alright, let’s quickly grab the things and head back. Do you want me to walk you?”
“No, no need. I can go back by myself.”
“Eh? Really? I was hoping to drop by and see Luo Tianchen… D-don’t misunderstand, I’m just concerned about him as a classmate.”
“Yes, yes, I didn’t say anything…”
“But who drew all the curtains? Seriously, no wonder the room was so dark.” She walked to the window and pulled back the curtains. “See? Much brighter now… Huh? What’s this?”
Red liquid was smeared across the windowpane.
“Seriously, is someone playing a prank?” Bingying said, sounding a little annoyed.
‘No.’
‘That wasn’t a prank.’
Having witnessed countless murder scenes, I knew exactly what this was.
‘Yes, this is blood.’
“Move.” I said in a low voice. Startled by me, Bingying instinctively stepped aside. Then, I opened the window and leaned out.
“You’re kidding… right?” Bingying covered her mouth, collapsing to the floor.
‘Ah, so it really is like this?’
I looked up, and then I saw it.
A girl, her neck caught in a rope, swayed in the wind.