Jiang Tao’s account finally reached its end. Bai Ru, not knowing quite what to say after listening, patted his shoulder, then turned to Gu Yi. “How did you wrap things up after that?”

Gu Yi dismissed it easily. “It was simple. Jin Qiu’s boyfriend was taken in by the police; they certainly had enough evidence to prove he killed Jin Qiu’s sister. Jin Qiu collected her sister’s ashes. That distant relative who wanted to make money off a ghost marriage—I scared him a bit, and now he doesn’t dare dream of such things.”

“How did the two of you end up together?” Bai Ru gestured from Gu Yi to Jiang Tao.

Gu Yi smiled. “This kid drives well. I hired him as my chauffeur.”

Bai Ru clearly didn’t buy it.

Jiang Tao scratched his head sheepishly. “Actually, it’s because I accidentally let it slip about encountering a ghost in the car. In response, Brother Wu didn't just disbelieve me; he started telling everyone I was crazy. Soon, everyone in my building thought I was sick. I was going to ask Brother Gu for proof, but he just told me it was best not to talk about such things publicly, or I’d be the one to suffer.”

Bai Ru froze, then turned to stare at Gu Yi, asking with a strange expression, “And that’s how you handled it?”

Gu Yi nodded.

Bai Ru couldn't help but mumble, “You really are lazy.”

Jiang Tao hadn't heard her clearly and pressed, “What?”

Bai Ru offered an unnatural laugh. “Nothing. I was asking if you’re staying with him now?”

Jiang Tao nodded. “Yeah. I ended up selling my place. Brother Gu’s house is huge, so I moved in with him. Room and board are covered, and I drive for him; the salary just covers the rent. I think it works out pretty well.”

Bai Ru frowned slightly, finding it hard to believe that Jiang Tao possessed such a seemingly clever appearance.

The sky brightened unnoticed. The campus, so grim and shadowy the night before, slowly regained its vibrancy under the morning sun. Bai Ru looked out the car window and saw the school gates were open, with groundskeepers and teachers trickling in, though no students had arrived yet.

“Let’s go,” Bai Ru said to Gu Yi, a hint of worry coloring her expression.

Gu Yi picked up on the unusual tone. “What’s wrong? You’re not worried about the Principal, are you?”

Bai Ru nodded.

Gu Yi considered this. “Whatever is attached to him, he needs to either leave or hide once it’s daylight. If the school realizes the Principal is missing, they’ll certainly call the police. Our main priority right now is investigating the cause of the haunting here. As for the Principal’s whereabouts, we’ll act when we have a solid lead. How about that?”

Bai Ru pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.

When Bai Ru and Gu Yi arrived at the Principal’s office, the door was locked tight. They checked the Vice Principal’s office next and found a woman in her early fifties sitting behind the desk. A quick introduction revealed she was Vice Principal Song Ying.

Bai Ru probed cautiously, discovering that Vice Principal Song knew nothing about Principal Hao’s situation, nor that he had hired outsiders to investigate the student deaths on campus.

Hearing the mention of the students, Vice Principal Song’s expression shifted. She looked at the man and woman before her with sudden wariness, realizing she had forgotten to ask who they were, having been preoccupied with questions about the Principal since they entered.

“Who are you? What is your business here?” Vice Principal Song asked sternly.

Before Bai Ru could answer, Gu Yi stepped forward and placed a business card on the desk not far from her, smiling. “It’s like this, Madam. We are reporters from the city’s Daily Morning Post. We came early this morning hoping to do an exclusive feature interview for your esteemed school, scheduled for publication soon.”

Vice Principal Song picked up the card, her eyebrows knitting together slightly. “An interview? I wasn’t aware of this arrangement.”

Gu Yi’s smile didn’t waver. “Because this was arranged with Principal Hao just last night, that’s why we arrived so early, hoping to interview a few of the early-arriving teachers first, and of course, you, Principal Song.”

Gu Yi deliberately referred to her as ‘Principal Song,’ omitting the ‘Vice.’ This caused the tension in Song Ying’s face to ease marginally, and a faint smile touched her lips.

Still, she replied somewhat hesitantly, “But Principal Hao hasn't arrived yet, so I can’t arrange interviews. Also, there’s another issue…”

She started to appraise Gu Yi more closely, but after a few glances, she averted her eyes. Clearly, his appearance didn’t quite align with her image of a reporter.

Gu Yi naturally understood her thoughts. He reached into his trench coat pocket and produced a digital camera as if by magic, shaking it slightly. “Actually, I am the photographer. The Miss Bai behind me is the special correspondent for the Morning Post.”

To be honest, Song Ying remained half-skeptical of their journalist credentials. However, an interview meant increased exposure and prestige for the school, especially if it appeared in the city’s main morning paper. So, with even a slim possibility, she decided to tentatively trust them.

Nevertheless, she made a call to Principal Hao’s home herself. She held the receiver to her ear for a long time, but no one answered.

Just then, there was a knock on her office door. It was the head of the Academic Affairs Office, bringing news that made all three occupants jump in surprise.

“Principal Hao called this morning. He said he’s sick and needs to go to the hospital for a check-up, so he probably won’t be in today.” the Director reported.

“Principal Hao called?” Song Ying, Gu Yi, and Bai Ru asked simultaneously.

The Director, confused by their shocked reactions, nodded.

“Ah, well, did Principal Hao mention anything about reporters visiting for an interview today?” Song Ying quickly inquired.

The Director thought for a moment, then shook his head. “No. The Principal’s voice sounded a bit strange, and he spoke very quickly, hanging up before I could ask more questions.”

“Oh…” Song Ying sighed in disappointment.

Gu Yi and Bai Ru were equally surprised. Gu Yi took a step back to advance, saying, “Since Principal Hao won’t be coming, we won’t trouble you further, Principal Song. We’ll try another time.”

Song Ying hesitated. She felt that was best, yet she didn't want to miss the opportunity to be featured in the paper. After all, with the Principal absent, this was her chance to face the reporters herself.

After what seemed like an internal battle, Song Ying finally waved her hand. “You can proceed with the interview. Tell me whatever you need; we will cooperate fully.”

“Wow…” Bai Ru nudged Gu Yi in the ribs from behind. She hadn’t expected this guy to be such a smooth talker.

Gu Yi shook his head smugly, but acknowledged that success wasn't guaranteed yet; in fact, the problems were only mounting.

Bai Ru stepped forward, moving past Gu Yi, and addressed Song Ying. “Principal Song, how about this: I would like to go to the school archives first to look through some materials. Meanwhile, you can arrange for any teachers who are available to speak with me. Naturally, you’ll need to schedule your own time slot for my interview with you as well. What do you think?”

Song Ying considered it and nodded. “That’s fine. We actually digitized all the school records recently. But truthfully, whatever you need to know, I can tell you directly.”

Bai Ru smiled. “Our report will cover the school from a different angle. The data must be detailed and accurate, and we are focusing heavily on showcasing the evolution of your faculty strength and hardware facilities over the years, so the archival materials are essential.”

Song Ying found the reasoning sound and finally agreed.

Since the Director of Academic Affairs hadn't left the office, Song Ying asked him to escort Bai Ru and Gu Yi to the archives first. Just as they were about to depart, Song Ying suddenly remembered something. She stood up abruptly, hurried to catch up with the group, and reached out to stop Bai Ru.

Bai Ru paused in surprise. Song Ying motioned for the other two to go ahead, then lowered her voice, speaking with extreme seriousness to Bai Ru alone. “I don’t know what Principal Hao discussed with you regarding this interview, but as Vice Principal, there is one thing I must clarify with you beforehand. I assume you know about the incident that occurred here a few days ago. I sincerely hope your report will omit any mention of that accident. If you cannot agree to this, then I will have to cancel the interview.”

With that, her eyes locked intently onto Bai Ru’s.