Since his nephew turned into a ghost, Wu Zhongyou lived in daily terror, constantly fearing that one day his brother and sister-in-law would be harmed by their spectral son. He tried to minimize his visits to their house, yet he gradually noticed that every time he saw his brother and sister-in-law, their spirits seemed trapped in a daze, utterly indifferent to their surroundings. His brother could barely manage to go to work, but his sister-in-law had already quit and stayed home, spending her days simply preparing an early dinner in anticipation of the evening.

With no other viable options, Wu Zhongyou finally made a firm decision: he would seek out the principal of Fuxing Middle School. He would recount the events in the sewer that night and connect them to what was happening at his brother and sister-in-law's home, hoping it might offer some assistance. To be honest, he hadn't ruled out contacting the police, but he had a gut feeling that reporting such matters to them would likely be counterproductive, merely leading them to dismiss him as delusional.

At this point, Wu Zhongyou suddenly leaned in conspiratorially toward Bai Ru. "Did you know? When I finally found the principal, I discovered something terrifying."

Bai Ru looked at Wu Zhongyou. After talking this much, a feverish flush had risen to his face, shifting from initial fear to an odd form of excitement.

This was likely the result of the pathological psychological pressure built up from keeping these secrets bottled up inside him for so long. Only by letting him articulate everything could the heavy burden weighing on his heart for years be alleviated.

Bai Ru followed his lead, asking, "What was it?"

Wu Zhongyou licked his slightly dry lips and lowered his voice. "When I located the principal, he was meeting with someone. And guess who that someone was?"

Bai Ru's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "Who?"

Wu Zhongyou leaned further forward, his voice dropping even lower. "It was the man in the suit."

Bai Ru had considered this possibility herself earlier, but hearing it spoken aloud by Wu Zhongyou still made it hard to believe. She couldn't help but ask, "Are you absolutely sure?"

Wu Zhongyou's expression hardened; he straightened up and frowned. "You don't believe me."

Bai Ru managed a wry smile. "No, I just wanted confirmation. By the way, the principal you mentioned—was he the former principal?"

Wu Zhongyou tilted his head to study Bai Ru. Seeing that her expression didn't suggest disbelief, he paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, the predecessor to Principal Hao. Didn't Old Hao ever tell you? His predecessor’s surname was Liu."

Bai Ru murmured, "Oh. So Principal Liu met with that man in the suit you saw? Did you know what they discussed?"

Wu Zhongyou shook his head. "I don't know about that, but I suspect Principal Liu is also involved in something fishy."

Bai Ru thought for a moment, then inquired, "You never actually saw the face of the man in the suit—how could you be so certain it was him?"

Wu Zhongyou explained, "It was sheer coincidence, really. I decided to go see Principal Liu, and when I arrived at the school, I noticed a small car parked downstairs in front of the main building. I was far too familiar with that car's make; it was identical to the one I saw that night. Keep in mind, back then, there were very few sedans in Qingshui County, so I remembered it clearly. However, I couldn't be absolutely sure the driver was the same man from that night until I reached the door of the principal's office and saw the person sitting inside. Instantly, I knew—it had to be him. He was wearing a suit just like the other one, and his gait, his build—there was no mistaking it."

Bai Ru pressed for more information. "Did you find out that man's identity?"

Wu Zhongyou’s expression became strangely distant. He remained silent for a long moment, swallowing several times before finally saying, "I asked Principal Liu. He said... that man was a wealthy businessman who had funded the construction of this school. His surname was apparently Su."

Bai Ru immediately asked, "Then the bronze statue at the school gate—is that the father of this businessman named Su?"

Wu Zhongyou managed a strained smile. "Of course. It has to be."

Bai Ru seemed on the verge of realizing something, but the thought vanished before it fully formed. She shook her head lightly and asked with resignation, "What happened next? Did you tell the principal about those things?"

A flicker of terror crossed Wu Zhongyou’s eyes. He took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the fear triggered by the memory, and his voice trembled slightly. "No. Because right at that moment, they discovered the second deceased student in the biology lab in that academic building."

Bai Ru started. "Were you there?"

Wu Zhongyou nodded. "Yes. I hadn't even brought up those matters with Principal Liu yet when a teacher suddenly burst into his office, sputtering that something terrible had happened. Principal Liu managed to stop him from saying more and then politely asked me to leave. But as I reached the doorway and turned to close the door, I distinctly heard the teacher who came in say the words, 'A student is dead.' I was stunned. Without thinking, I rushed straight to the Second Academic Building. As expected, before I even entered, I saw a crowd of teachers and students gathered near the entrance, with teachers constantly leading students out of the building. It was absolute chaos. Even though I didn't go inside, I overheard teachers quietly discussing that the student who had gone to the biology lab class had found a corpse. They said the scene was gruesome."

Bai Ru interjected at the right moment. "You didn't see the dead student's condition for yourself?"

Wu Zhongyou shook his head. "No, I couldn't get in. But I did manage to overhear the identity of the deceased student, and I even tracked down his family address."

Bai Ru deliberately kept her tone light. "You're quite resourceful. Did you find anything out?"

Wu Zhongyou gave a bitter laugh. "Honestly, I only looked into it for one reason: I desperately wanted to know if that dead student would also return to the living on the seventh night after death."

Bai Ru stiffened, unable to help but ask, "Did he?"

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