Jiang Xi Cheng sighed softly as he sat down next to Nan Yue with his tray.
The group was now completely fractured.
Those who had originally hoped to cling to the big shots from the letter cities were now avoiding them like the plague.
This was human nature; he had seen it too many times and always felt helpless.
Especially after the drawing class, even though the sketches they copied didn't clearly show the method of death, they could tell someone was dancing.
Everyone felt that Zhu Xi Ning was likely doomed.
"I'll handle the Dormitory Inspection tonight."
Zhu Xi Ning suddenly announced after finishing her meal. Nan Yue was about to object, but Zhu Xi Ning interrupted her. "I didn't see any danger, so it should be fine."
"Besides, staying in the room isn't necessarily safe either."
Nan Yue felt a pang of distress, knowing exactly what Zhu Xi Ning was thinking.
Nothing had happened all afternoon. If Zhu Xi Ning went for the Dormitory Inspection, which was the most dangerous task, she wouldn't implicate Nan Yue if something went wrong.
Yes, from the beginning, Zhu Xi Ning had been unwilling to let Nan Yue risk her life to protect her.
Zhu Xi Ning's attitude was so firm that Nan Yue found it hard to insist on going along, so she could only sit aside with a dark expression.
Normally, with Nan Yue looking so terrifying, no one would dare provoke her, but they couldn't care about that when their lives were on the line.
"Then... then maybe Miss Zhu should go for the Dormitory Inspection by herself?"
Gu Yun's voice was very small, but as soon as she finished speaking, Shi Yu and Zhao Zhenzhen, who had been looking uneasy, immediately nodded.
"It's true that it's not very suitable for others to be with Sister Zhu right now..."
Zhao Zhenzhen muttered, "Otherwise, she might implicate someone else."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Nan Yue turned to look at them. Their expressions changed instantly; Zhao Zhenzhen even shrieked and hid behind Shi Yu.
Nan Yue's gaze was incredibly fierce, her dark pupils fixed on them. But what terrified them wasn't just her anger; it was the bone-chilling coldness they felt when she looked at them.
It was as if they were looking at some extreme horror, a darkness etched into human genes that made them tremble involuntarily.
Nan Yue withdrew her gaze after a single look. She could now control the ability of the thing inside her within a certain range.
In truth, that ability was fear.
The fear that had once almost killed her had become the blade in her hand during missions.
Everyone had to do the Dormitory Inspection, and Zhu Xi Ning couldn't avoid it. The danger would only increase as time went on.
If no one else would partner with Zhu Xi Ning, Nan Yue would do it herself.
The others didn't know why Zhao Zhenzhen was so scared. Guan Qing frowned, clearly becoming impatient with Zhao Zhenzhen.
Although Zhou Zhou and Xu Yuan remained silent, neither of them volunteered to go with Zhu Xi Ning.
The Dormitory Inspection absolutely could not be done alone. Setting aside Director Wu's requirement for pairs, the fact that one couldn't act alone was already an explicit rule of the mission.
Given that the Dormitory Inspection was the most dangerous part, Nan Yue could not possibly let Zhu Xi Ning go by herself.
"I'll go."
Nan Yue turned around to see Jiang Xi Cheng with a somber face. "I have to go sooner or later anyway, and..."
His gaze swept across the others. "I've never heard of a rule violation being contagious."
Jiang Xi Cheng's words were pointed. Shi Yu and the others lowered their heads, though they felt a sense of relief.
Nan Yue looked at Jiang Xi Cheng and said solemnly, "We owe you one."
Jiang Xi Cheng smiled. "Good, I'll remember that."
He had to do the Dormitory Inspection eventually and didn't want to push it off. The early ones blazed the trail while the later ones faced increased danger; he wanted to complete the task as soon as possible.
After discussing this, everyone went back to wash up. Nan Yue prepared to sleep with Zhu Xi Ning, and Bai La La followed like a tail.
Zhao Zhenzhen opened her mouth as if to say something, but Nan Yue didn't even glance her way before walking out the door.
After a while, it wasn't Zhou Zhou who came over, but Shi Yu. It seemed Guan Qing didn't want to stay with Shi Yu either.
As Nan Yue waited in the room, her heart was racing. A note was handed to her.
"Don't worry, little sister. Everything will be fine. :)"
Nan Yue's tension dissipated after Zhu Xi Ning returned safely. She felt something was off; the others were right to be worried.
If something was going to happen to Zhu Xi Ning, it should have happened during the Dormitory Inspection.
But she didn't say much. Seeing that Zhu Xi Ning also looked relieved, she told her to go to bed early while she kept watch.
Zhu Xi Ning said resentfully, "If this wasn't an increase in mission difficulty but someone playing tricks, I would definitely drag them down with me before I die."
Nan Yue slapped her hand over Zhu Xi Ning's mouth. "Don't jinx it."
Now that there were only their own people in the room, Zhu Xi Ning didn't hide anything and recounted her conversation with Teacher Gao.
"I think she was hinting at something."
Zhu Xi Ning said frankly, "It's also because of what she said that I dared to go for the inspection."
"She said it's not enough to be loyal, and that the person in charge knows everything."
"I didn't cause that water, and I checked everything. I have a clear conscience. If it's really as Teacher Gao said, I think I'll be fine."
Nan Yue thought seriously for a moment and suddenly smiled.
"If Teacher Gao isn't lying, then it means this situation isn't an increase in mission difficulty or a setup by ghosts. Instead, some people... are trapped by their own schemes."
"Do they think it's fine as long as they don't admit it?"
Nan Yue was brilliant; a quick thought gave her a general idea of the situation.
"Sleep peacefully."
The string of tension in Nan Yue's heart finally relaxed, and the three of them slept soundly through the night.
The next morning, everyone looked surprised to see Zhu Xi Ning alive and well.
Gu Xiang Kai, with a chin full of stubble, gave Zhu Xi Ning's shoulder a heavy pat.
Zhu Xi Ning was nearly flattened by him.
Zhao Zhenzhen looked embarrassed. Since Zhu Xi Ning was fine, the words they had said yesterday made them look hideous.
Xie Qi Qi hadn't said much yesterday and didn't bother responding to Zhao Zhenzhen today. She looked around, feeling a bit strange.
"Where is Shi Yu?"
Everyone turned to Zhao Zhenzhen. She froze for a moment before saying, "She... she's in the restroom, I guess? I didn't see her when I woke up, so I thought she was there."
Everyone's expression changed. Only someone as inexperienced as Zhao Zhenzhen would think that. Anyone could see that Shi Yu wasn't the type who would dare get up to use the restroom alone, yet she wasn't there when Zhao Zhenzhen woke up and still hadn't appeared.
This was the time for the children to wake up and wash, so things were quite noisy. The group exchanged glances and split up to find Shi Yu's body.
Regardless of the reason, it was their consensus not to let the children see a corpse.
They had to find Shi Yu's body before class started.
Finally, Gu Xiang Kai found the body. He pushed open the door to the dance studio, froze, cursed under his breath, and then closed the door to call the others over.
"Is Shi Yu... in there?"
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