Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 153: Chapter 143: Wish Stone

"You heard it too?" Xiang Xiaolin is an old hand at the game; it’s not surprising she had such intentions. Yang Xiao and Song Yan both understand what’s really going on inside. frёewebηovel.cѳm

"Yes, I heard some of it," Yu Mi whispered, explaining, "Actually, I can tell that Xiang Xiaolin isn’t sincerely sharing intel with me. The only reason she took me with her was to have an excuse in case we were discovered... those two women are extremely cautious."

"You’re pretty smart, huh?" Yang Xiao smiled meaningfully.

Seeing that smile on Yang Xiao’s face, Yu Mi suddenly felt afraid. Instinctively, she thought of the beastly teacher Yang Xiao was playing, "No, no, Mr. Chu, don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any bad intentions. I’m... I’m truly grateful to you for saving my life."

"I understand, without you holding the driver back up front, we wouldn’t have had a chance to escape." In front of old foxes like Yang Xiao and Song Yan, Yu Mi behaved very obediently.

"Continue, what exactly happened?" Seeing that the interrogation was about enough, Song Yan steered back to the main issue.

"Xiang Xiaolin dragged me to the outside of that room, the one... the one next door, the third dormitory. We hid outside the window and eavesdropped. Nie Hexiang seemed very nervous, and Xia Xiuyan kept comforting her. Later... later they even started arguing."

"It wasn’t so much arguing, it was Xia Xiuyan berating Nie Hexiang, and it was quite mean, Nie Hexiang was very afraid of Xia Xiuyan and didn’t really talk back." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

"Nie Hexiang was nearly crying at first, sobbing as she spoke, kept saying that he had come back, it must be him that had come back."

"At first, Xia Xiuyan tried to console her, telling her not to overthink it, saying it was just the school’s people causing trouble, their aim was to disrupt the filming. They didn’t want the movie made, fearing it could damage the school’s reputation. She even said that Principal Wu was the most scheming of them all, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he was the one leading the effort."

"But Nie Hexiang wasn’t convinced. She said it couldn’t be, that she had seen him, there on the small dirt slope behind, and the Wish Stones, they were left by him too!"

"Right, Nie Hexiang also mentioned someone. I didn’t catch the name clearly, it sounded like Azhen. It seemed like she was also their friend. This Azhen had died, just recently, and Nie Hexiang suspected that she was killed by that person."

"Upon hearing this, Xia Xiuyan exploded, telling her to shut up, saying that it was just Azhen’s bad luck and it wasn’t related to the others. She also scolded Nie Hexiang not to speak nonsense."

"Nie Hexiang was silent for a long time, then suddenly said she wanted out, that she wouldn’t act anymore. Xia Xiuyan became angry, it seemed like she even slapped Nie Hexiang. She said she had finally gotten this opportunity and if Nie Hexiang dared to break the contract, she would make her regret it."

"Eventually, when Nie Hexiang stopped responding, Xia Xiuyan’s attitude softened. She urged her to look past it, that the incident had nothing to do with them, and reminded Nie Hexiang, asking if she had forgotten what that person had promised them?"

"As long as they did what was needed, as before, the rest wouldn’t concern them. Not only that, their participation in this movie would bring them fame and traffic. Maybe they would even become little stars, promoting products, appearing in variety shows, walking the red carpet, giving interviews, enjoying both fame and fortune. Wouldn’t that be better than working for someone else their whole life?"

"And then?" This intel was indeed crucial, and Song Yan couldn’t help but urge her on.

Yu Mi shook her head with a pained expression, "That’s all we heard before we were discovered by Xia Xiuyan, who’s quite vigilant. Then... then you all know what happened next."

Yang Xiao reflected on the quarrel involving Xia Xiuyan, which had drawn everyone to the scene.

From Yu Mi’s overall performance, Yang Xiao judged that she should be a newcomer, and she was currently alone without any support. He and Song Yan were definitely the best people for her to turn to, so what she said was likely true.

From the information provided by Yu Mi, Yang Xiao distilled a few key points.

First, Xia Xiuyan and Nie Hexiang should be students of Ru Lin Middle School, and moreover, they were in this male teacher’s class. They were eyewitnesses to the incident, and "he" who they said "came back" refers to the male teacher played by Yang Xiao.

Second, they mentioned another person, Azhen, who must also be a student. However, she died a while ago, and Nie Hexiang suspected it was done by the male teacher.

Third, the goose egg stone that broke the windowpane had a story behind it—they called it the Wish Stone, and it was related to the male teacher who committed suicide by hanging.

Fourth, there’s something fishy about this case. Xia Xiuyan mentioned that this person promised them something and also said that as long as they completed the task, the subsequent events would no longer concern them.

When piecing together the cause and effect of this matter, Yang Xiao believed that this person who supposedly promised them something was most likely the movie investor, Ms. Shengnan.

This film, whether it be the investor or the executive director, was intentionally stirring up gender tension. They hoped to capitalize on gender controversy amidst the already complex situation. Combining this with the slogans plastered all over town, Yang Xiao suspected the male teacher’s death was related to this.

It might not have been suicide but a murder disguised as one, or perhaps... he was driven to his death.

Injustices not yet cleared, the killing by words, Yang Xiao suddenly thought of that promotional flyer.

After confirming that Yu Mi had nothing to hide, Yang Xiao and Song Yan prepared to head back to their room to rest. After all, after the turmoil of most of the night and the intense toll on both body and mind, they couldn’t hold up anymore.

Seeing this, Yu Mi also expressed her hope to stay in their room for the night. Her only roommate Xiang Xiaolin had been taken away by the ghost car, and she was afraid.

But this time, Song Yan decisively refused her, "Miss Yu, it’s not appropriate for a young lady to stay in the same room with us. It wouldn’t be good for your reputation if word got out."

Yu Mi immediately said she wouldn’t need a bed and could just sleep on the floor, as long as she had a place to stay.

Song Yan laughed and shook his head, "Miss Yu, there’s no need to be afraid. That thing has already attacked us once; it won’t come again so soon. Rest assured and sleep well. Besides, in my experience, us being together might actually be more dangerous."

"You forgot, we were four people before, and we still almost didn’t make it. The number of people has nothing to do with safety."

After hearing Song Yan’s explanation, Yu Mi’s heart settled somewhat. She had a relatively high degree of trust in Song Yan, who seemed very approachable and trustworthy, and who had also saved her life in a critical moment.

"Alright then, Mr. Song, Chu, you should rest early as well."

Out of gentlemanly courtesy, Song Yan and Yang Xiao escorted Yu Mi back to her room on the fourth floor before returning to their own room.

After closing the room door, Song Yan first checked the room, then turned around with a serious look to remind, "Chu, we might not have a peaceful night. No matter what happens, do not open the door for Yu Mi."

Yang Xiao raised his eyebrows in surprise, "You mean that ghost might come looking for us again?"