In her younger sister's posts, she mentioned that she always hung out with her two roommates, namely the school beauties Xiangxue and Xiaomin. There was another girl in the dorm, but she didn't appear often; she was a quiet girl with good grades.
Because her younger sister called her a "scholar who is sparing with words".
This was not unexpected for Ren Yifei. If they weren't roommates or not very close, it would be difficult to get the information that the 'school bully's letter was rejected'.
Ren Yifei was curious: who spread the news of his sister's pregnancy? And who was behind those rumors?
The rumors at school must have been very serious, to the point that she was threatened with expulsion and even attempted suicide.
But why did the original owner pay attention to underage social groups near their school? The younger sister seemed to have no connection with these people; the only thing that appeared about them was a rumor on the school forum that she had a boyfriend outside of school.
This is obviously a rumor. My sister's life used to be very simple. She only had one person she secretly loved, but she didn't dare to say it out loud.
Her life took a dramatic turn starting with that letter.
Ren Yifei stared at the computer screen, now black from prolonged inactivity, on which was the silhouette of a young man. Across time and space, they met eyes, as if seeing their distorted selves reflected in a mirror.
If he also has a younger sister, they were together before she was born, together after she was born, together in childhood, and have stayed in touch since they grew up, connected by blood and affection.
But one day, she died, murdered, and the law could not convict the evildoer. What would he do?
It was very late. Ren Yifei turned off his computer and lay on his bed, repeatedly recalling the information in his account and on the forum.
He had already obtained a small portion of the puzzle; the rest was hidden in that small black bag, and in the words of his classmates.
All you need to do is find the most crucial clue, and the truth will be revealed.
At that time... he will personally send them to hell.
Saman waited for a message from the desolate corner, while his roommate had gone to bed early, lying obediently with his eyes closed and his brows furrowed.
The thought that this was the past of the mountains and rivers made him feel that this person was surrounded by a dark aura, like an enraged venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to kill him at any moment.
At 11 o'clock, a message came from the desolate corner:
[First Night: Chess Pieces.]
No players were killed.
Samantha frowned. The hint was vague and puzzling. Did it refer to someone who had been manipulated?
With questions lingering in his mind, Saman fell asleep. As his breathing became steady, Ren Yifei opened his eyes and stared straight at the dark ceiling.
If this person wasn't Saman, but another NPC, he would have used an illusion to create the illusion of himself lying there, and then gone to gather information. But Saman was too perceptive.
"It's okay, it's only the first day." He closed his eyes again.
When Samantha woke up again, it was about six o'clock, and it was already light outside. But his roommate in the other bed had gotten up even earlier; his blanket was folded into a square, and his pajamas and pajama bottoms were neatly folded and placed next to his pillow.
Meanwhile, the bathroom lights were on.
Ren Yifei was in the bathroom at that moment, but he hadn't just arrived; he had been standing there for a while.
He was holding a small booklet, which he had taken out of the black bag. The booklet, about the size of a palm and a finger's thickness, detailed the personality traits, likes, and weaknesses of thirty students.
The preparations were quite meticulous.
Meanwhile, he also had an old newspaper in his pocket, an evening paper from another city three years ago.
He read through it once; they were all social news from that year, such as food safety issues of a certain brand, traffic accidents in a certain place, new regulations passed on a certain day... The only one that was a little special was the serial murder case that was very famous at the time.
The victims were all young and beautiful girls who were turned into dolls.
To be honest, Ren Yifei was quite surprised when he saw this news. If the ghost card he was carrying belonged to a puppeteer, he might have been happy to see his own kind.
But what does this news have to do with the current situation? The serial murder case has been solved, and even a girl was successfully rescued; it has all become dust in the past.
The sound of Saman waking up outside startled Ren Yifei. He pressed the flush button on the toilet and went to the sink to wash his face.
A few minutes later, Ren Yifei came out of the bathroom. He nodded to Saman as a greeting, then sat on the edge of the bed and tidied his things.
Samantha had already changed his clothes, glanced at him slowly, and went into the bathroom.
The bathroom was steamy. He glanced around, then suddenly stood on tiptoe and reached out to touch the light.
The light was very hot, not just for a short while, but for quite a while. My roommate stayed in the bathroom for so long; it couldn't be because he was constipated. Tsk, I wonder what kind of secret he's hiding.
Ren Yifei, who was outside, had already packed his small bag and was frantically trying to open a cell phone inside the black bag. The phone had no password and could be opened directly; it also had a full charge.
There's practically nothing on my phone; all the contact numbers are empty, except for one communication app that shows someone.
There are three people in it: 'the artist', 'the oleander', and 'the gardener'.
There were no previous call records, it seems they were deleted by the original owner, but the new messages were still there. Yes, all three of them sent him messages yesterday.
"Thank you, H. I've seen the gift; it's absolutely stunning, sparkling even in the dark. That smooth skin and rosy lips are just like a doll's. I can't wait to see it; this might just be my most successful creation." — From 'The Artist'
"Ugh, how annoying! She says disgusting things with such an innocent face, trying to show off her kindness by stepping on me, you bitch! I don't know how to teach her a lesson, disgusting." - From 'Oleander'
"So tired. This is supposed to be a trip, and it's supposed to be the last one, but it's still so troublesome. Feeling wronged." - From 'Gardener'.
Ren Yifei: "..."
These three sentences contain a lot of information. What arrangements did the original owner make?
He contacted these three people using a different phone and seemed to be using different personas to approach them. What was his purpose? Could these three people be an important part of his plan?
Everything the original owner did was for revenge, so these three must be related to this operation.
Combining the elements of "going out to play," "the last trip," and "gardener," we get the name of the gardener: Teacher Wang in the group.
Speaking of which, the resume did mention that the original owner influenced Teacher Wang's decision, bringing the village into the alternative plans for the graduation trip. At the time, he thought it was due to the influence of a 'good student,' but it seems he underestimated the original owner.
Oleander, beautiful but poisonous, its identity unknown.
The term 'artist' sounds so dangerous and suggests a perverted, unidentified individual.
Ren Yifei was a little confused about what identities the original owner had when approaching these three people, and what tone they usually used when communicating.
In order to obtain more information, he had to communicate with them.
"I'm glad you like my gift." Ren Yifei replied tentatively to the 'artist,' assuming he was a mysterious, powerful person with certain abnormal traits.
"Yes, yes, that kind of person is so annoying!" Because Oleander's tone was that of complaining to her best friend, Ren Yifei assumed that she was a girl of the same age, a best friend with whom she could complain.
Finally, he looked at the gardener. Knowing that the gardener was Teacher Wang, and seeing Teacher Wang's slightly coquettish tone in her message, Ren Yifei could roughly imagine how much she trusted this mysterious online friend.
A mature and stable man who is also successful in his career makes people feel safe.
"Take good care of yourself. When you get back, give yourself a good vacation." He sent this message.
"Click." The bathroom doorknob turned, and Ren Yifei simply stuffed his phone into his pocket, then casually checked if he had enough stuff in his bag.
The bathroom door was fully open, and Samantha stepped out, glancing at his roommate. His roommate, head down, was tidying his bag, looking like a well-behaved student.
When they came out of the house, many people were still asleep. However, breakfast was ready in the kitchen, and they could order whatever they liked. Breakfast was already included in the accommodation fee.
Ren Yifei ordered the usual steamed buns and soy milk, but he said, "Just take a few that are ready-made."
If the original owner's preferences weren't these things, he could use the excuse of being hungry and not wanting to wait to order something random.
However, judging from the behavior of the students who arrived later, they didn't care about Ren Yifei as a person, and they were even less interested in what he ate.
"There are so many mosquitoes here!" Liu Jinjie said, grabbing his arm as he came in from outside. Hei Pi and Chi Bo were with him; Chi Bo, who was craving a cigarette, kept touching his mouth.
"Oh, you're all here so early?" A little while later, the school beauty Xiangxue and Xiaomin arrived. Xiaomin greeted everyone, and the boys responded, but the girls didn't seem to care much about her. The school beauty smiled shyly to the side.
"Click." The sound of a shutter being pressed rang out. They thought it was a horror enthusiast in the class, but what came out was a man with curly hair wearing a fisherman's hat. He was holding a DSLR camera and taking pictures of the school beauty.
"Hey! Don't take pictures without permission." A girl at another table stood up.
"Sorry, I'll delete it right away." The man awkwardly scratched his head and sat down in a corner amidst the angry stares of the crowd.
Ren Yifei's gaze swept over him.
One by one, the students came out and quickly filled the kitchen. Only Ren Yifei and Saman's table and the school beauty's table had empty seats, so two more square tables were set up in the courtyard next to the kitchen.
"Where are you planning to go first? I checked the travel guides, and this is the fastest way to get there."
"But if we go this way, we'll miss the Bagua Well. Should we take a detour?" they said as they ate breakfast, discussing their plans.
The village's main selling point is its 'horror legends,' such as the famous 'Widow's Castle' near the village, which is the house where the owners of those chastity arches once lived.
Well, or perhaps "the Tomb of the Living Dead" would be a more fitting description. Because once you go in, there's no way you can get out, especially for childless widows. It's a place where no outsiders are allowed to enter.
After visiting Widow's Castle, you can also explore the local ancestral halls, ancient wells, abandoned houses, etc., all of which are buildings from one or two hundred years ago. People have died in most of them, giving them an eerie atmosphere that can make your feet feel cold even in the middle of summer.
Of course, most people probably want to see the century-old peach tree, the legendary ancient tree that can attract good fortune in love. Although the peach blossoms are no longer in bloom, the surrounding scenery is still quite nice, making it a great place for taking photos.
There are only so many places to visit in this small village, and a day is about enough to see everything.
Their plan was to get back around 4 PM, arriving home around 11 PM, and then each go home. Thus ended their short one-day trip.
If the original owner had any plans, he had to act before 4 PM.
However, the instance wouldn't allow them to leave the location where the story takes place. Ren Yifei suspected that even if he did nothing, some other unexpected event would leave them behind.
"Hello, may I sit here?" Just as we were eating, another stranger came into the kitchen. She was a beautiful and intelligent woman, in her early twenties, and she had a particularly warm and friendly demeanor. She greeted the school beauty and the others, "I heard that a class of students came yesterday, is that you?"
"Yes, who are you?" Xiangxue asked hesitantly.
"Look at me," the woman said shyly, "I've been staying here for a few days, I came here to gather inspiration."
They then noticed that she was carrying a sketchbook and a painting bag.
"Sister, there's a seat here." Xiaomin smiled and invited her, then asked curiously, "Are you a painter?"
"Haha, not really, just a junior illustrator." The woman sat down and offered to show them her sketchbook.
It contains some beautiful yet eerie landscape paintings, half of which are reality and half of which are fantasy, creating a sense of awe that transcends dimensions.
Xiaomin flipped through a few pages: "Wow, you're amazing! Do you draw landscapes, sister?"
"No, not exactly," the woman said with a smile. "I draw all the beautiful things in the world, I want to preserve all the beautiful things in the world."
"It's so noisy so early in the morning." A cold voice interrupted the conversation in the kitchen. A young man with tattooed arms, a buzz cut, and wearing a black vest entered. He was handsome, but had an air of fierceness about him.
As soon as he arrived, the chattering students seemed to be suppressed by his bloodline, and they all fell silent.
The tattooed man walked past them and asked the chef for rice noodles: "Add a poached egg and extra minced meat."
"Okay." The chef wasn't afraid at all and turned around to grab a handful of rice noodles.
Ren Yifei, who was eating a steamed bun, raised his eyelids. As the man walked by, he smelled a distinctive sandalwood scent.
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