“It’s not a matter of whether loyalty is useful or not.”
“He knows everything.”
Teacher Gao's words were cryptic, but Zhu Xi Ning understood.
The mysterious person in charge would know the truth; punishment would find the rightful target.
Zhu Xi Ning felt uneasy. “What if... everyone just failed to notice?”
Teacher Gao suddenly laughed. She lifted her pant leg, and Zhu Xi Ning was shocked to see a prosthetic limb where her right leg should have been.
“There is always a primary and secondary target for punishment.”
Teacher Gao had rarely appeared before, so Zhu Xi Ning hadn't known she had lost a leg.
And it looked like the result of a punishment.
Footsteps echoed from outside. Teacher Gao immediately lowered her pant leg and looked down at Xiaodie’s injury. After all the commotion and taking medicine, Xiaodie had long since fallen asleep.
The door was pushed open, and Director Wu walked in. She looked at the girl on the bed, then at the nervous Zhu Xi Ning, letting out a strange smile.
Zhu Xi Ning thought she would say something, but she didn't. She merely gestured for Teacher Gao to step outside with her.
“The new teacher is too careless. Come with me to check the dance studio again.”
Teacher Gao hesitated for a moment, put down the medicine, gave Zhu Xi Ning a few instructions, and followed Director Wu out.
Zhu Xi Ning watched them leave and turn the corner of the corridor. Without hesitation, she bolted out of the room like an arrow, finding Gu Xiang Kai and Nan Yue in the dormitory.
With no time to explain, she grabbed Nan Yue and ran. They quickly entered Director Wu's suite, closing and locking the door in one smooth motion.
Gu Xiang Kai: ...??
Nan Yue was surprised at first, thinking something had happened to Zhu Xi Ning. But once they entered Director Wu's dormitory area, she realized Zhu Xi Ning had found an opportunity.
Even if this opportunity was likely manufactured.
Zhu Xi Ning cautiously pushed open the door to the inner rooms while explaining at top speed.
“Director Wu called Teacher Gao away. I think it's an opportunity, but they probably did it on purpose. They wouldn't just hand me such a perfect chance.”
“So the ‘never act alone’ rule we thought of is likely correct. They aren't afraid of me finding anything because they think I'll be so desperate to explore that I'll forget the rule.”
“But breaking a rule means death.”
As she spoke, Zhu Xi Ning slipped into the room. She didn't close the door, so Nan Yue could see the layout inside.
Facing the infirmary was a short, narrow corridor with doors on both sides and at the end. The three senior staff's rooms should be here.
The strange layout felt oppressive at a glance. Nan Yue confirmed Xiaodie was still asleep before heading in with Zhu Xi Ning.
Engineer Yang's room was extremely messy, smelling foul the moment they entered. Nan Yue searched for a while with a neutral expression but found nothing except a photograph under the glass on the desk.
It was a group photo taken at the school gate. Nan Yue recognized familiar faces like Li Xue'er and Xiaodie.
The children in the photo were smiling brightly and radiantly. It was hard to imagine what they had endured to become the cautious, fearful children they were now.
A row of teachers stood behind them. Aside from Engineer Yang and Director Wu, everyone else's faces had been blacked out, presumably because they were no longer there.
It seemed Engineer Yang and Director Wu were among the earliest batch of teachers.
Zhu Xi Ning also found a photo in Teacher Gao's room, but it was of her and another cheerful-looking girl.
The two were holding suitcases, posing in the dormitory. A small line of text was written on the back.
“Starting a new life with Susu!”
She knew the story that followed, and seeing the photo now made her feel a bit heavy-hearted.
The last remaining room belonged to Director Wu. The two exchanged a look and pushed the door open together.
Director Wu's room was incredibly tidy, clearly the room of someone with obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
Everything was cleaned and categorized perfectly. To Nan Yue's surprise, the books on the shelf were all about childcare, education, and psychology.
If she didn't know Director Wu's character, Nan Yue would have thought the owner of this room was someone who truly loved education and children.
Nan Yue found a thick notebook on the desk with elegant handwriting on the cover.
“Education Notebook.”
Nan Yue opened it and felt that it should be renamed the “Death Notebook.”
It recorded the cause, method, and time of every teacher's death. The thick notebook was already filled halfway, listing all sorts of bizarre ways people had died.
Nan Yue flipped to the latest entry. It recorded Liu Kai's death; no new deaths had been added yet.
They couldn't find anything else in the short time they had, but Nan Yue felt they had gained a lot. They just needed a thread to tie it all together.
Not long after Nan Yue and Zhu Xi Ning returned to the infirmary, the door opened. Neither Director Wu nor Teacher Gao expected to see another person in the room.
“You! Why are you here?”
Director Wu was livid, the resentment in her eyes nearly overflowing. Behind her, Teacher Gao seemed to let out a small sigh of relief.
“Teacher Zhu was worried about hurting her, so she asked me to come and check if the treatment was correct.”
Nan Yue still had ointment on her hands, making her words very convincing.
“You should be preparing your lessons properly.”
Director Wu spoke each word deliberately, her presence oppressive, yet Nan Yue remained unfazed.
“I believe taking care of the students is more important.”
At that moment, Xiaodie slowly woke up. Seeing Nan Yue, she let out a soft sound. “Teacher Nan.”
Nan Yue smiled. “Do you feel any discomfort?”
Xiaodie shook her head. Nan Yue gave her some instructions—to rest in bed for a couple of days and avoid running or playing for a month.
Director Wu watched all this in silence. Once Nan Yue finished, she said through gritted teeth, “Teacher Gao, take the student back to rest. Assign a new teacher to look after her daily needs.”
Nan Yue suddenly spoke up. “I think it's better if two teachers look after her together so they can support each other.”
Director Wu looked like she wanted to strangle the woman on the spot, but then, as if thinking of something, she smiled slightly.
“Fine.”
Nan Yue frowned. Seeing Director Wu turn “kind” only made her more guarded.
“The rules will likely increase again soon,” Nan Yue whispered as they stepped out.
Zhu Xi Ning agreed. Director Wu clearly knew what the rules were. Although Nan Yue and the others had avoided the “don't be alone outside of class” trap, there were clearly other traps waiting for them.
“You're sleeping with me tonight.”
Zhu Xi Ning turned to look at Nan Yue. She wanted to say something, but seeing the determination on Nan Yue's face, her lips moved, but she said nothing.
Because of the incident this morning, the atmosphere among the group was poor all day. During dinner, the others weren't even willing to sit with Zhu Xi Ning, fearing they would be implicated.
Rate on N.U.
