Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 169: Chapter 151: The Supreme Art of Capturing the Heart _2

"Less than half, just some scattered information; the main character hasn’t even made an appearance yet," Song Yan spoke the truth, as after all, Ms. Shengnan, the investor, would only be able to see the true face of Mount Lu tomorrow.

"So what do you think of the remaining people’s abilities?" Yang Xiao asked again. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

"Yu Mi is a complete newcomer, Lu Ji is average, and that Pei Qiuyu is not new either, quite sly and plays her part well," Song Yan lowered his voice, giving a critical assessment of each person.

"If I die, do you think you can manage on your own with these useless people? Who among them has the ability to save you if things go south?" Yang Xiao continued to question, "Song, keep me safe, and by working together, we may have a fighting chance."

"But..." Song Yan’s face showed conflict, as if he was still hesitating.

The ghost wasn’t targeting him; he could wait, but Yang Xiao couldn’t wait any longer, "Song, state your terms, we’re all sensible people here."

At these words, Song Yan suddenly smiled, "Actually, it’s nothing much, I just thought about making friends with the Chu brothers after getting out, and if Chu doesn’t mind, I can offer a job here, with a very good salary."

"Deal." Yang Xiao reached out, shaking hands with Song Yan.

When the two returned, they immediately felt an odd atmosphere in the classroom. Nie Hexiang had woken up, but was very resistant to their help, and most critically, the way Pei Qiuyu and Lu Ji looked at Yang Xiao had become more aloof.

After much hesitation, it was Lu Ji who finally spoke up, "Mr. Song, let’s step outside to talk; Chu, please continue to keep an eye on her for us."

Yang Xiao was not surprised and gladly took on the task. His plan to succeed was crucial, and Nie Hexiang was the most important link; he very much needed some time alone with her.

Lu Ji and Song Yan went outside the classroom, and the atmosphere immediately grew tense. Lu Ji was the first to speak, "Mr. Song, the situation is urgent, let’s cut to the chase. You can also see that we can’t see the ghost, but Chu Xi and Nie Hexiang, who have acted in dramas, can, which means the ghost is targeting these two. I’ve been through this kind of thing before; we had three people targeted, and after the ghost killed one, it disappeared, so I think it’s the same this time."

"Once the ghost makes a move, it’s a fight to the death; now the question is who surviving will be more helpful to us."

"Of course, Chu Xi." Song Yan made his stance clear.

"Well... it’s not so easy to say that, after all Mr. Chu is just a newcomer, and if Hexiang survives, she might be able to tell us the real story behind the old case," Pei Qiuyu spoke up timidly, portraying herself as having everyone’s best interest at heart.

"Everyone, first, Nie Hexiang is not on our side; even if we save her, she may not be grateful. Furthermore, do you really think Chu Xi is a newcomer?" Song Yan said with a grave expression, "He’s just pretending, like Ms. Pei Qiuyu here, and I’m sure that his experience and capabilities surpass all of us present."

"With him here, our chances of survival increase significantly," Song Yan emphasized.

Now that the plain truth had been laid out, Pei Qiuyu stopped pretending, "Mr. Song, I admit you’re right, but even if it were me in Mr. Chu’s position, I would willingly sacrifice myself because I don’t want to drag everyone down. It’s a basic principle of being a person."

Hearing this, Song Yan couldn’t help but laugh, "Miss Pei, you jest; if you truly had that spirit, why bother hiding your identity? It would be much better to reveal yourself as a seasoned player and work together with the team."

Seeing the argument getting nowhere, Lu Ji directly proposed to vote, the minority to submit to the majority, with no take-backs, "Who supports Chu Xi’s survival?" freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Song Yan was the first to raise his hand, Yu Mi was about to follow suit but got interrupted by Pei Qiuyu. She persuaded them for a while, but a single look from Song Yan solidified Yu Mi’s resolve.

Two people supported Chu Xi.

"Those in favor of supporting the clue provider Nie Hexiang, raise your hand."

To Pei Qiuyu’s surprise, only she raised her hand, while Lu Ji did not.

"You didn’t take a stand twice, what do you mean by that?" Pei Qiuyu felt like she was being played; this was not what she and Lu Ji had discussed beforehand.

"Sorry, I really can’t do something like betraying teammates, I abstain from this vote." Lu Ji shrugged his shoulders, appearing very natural.

"You..." Pei Qiuyu’s eyes blazed with fire, but a moment later, they returned to normal. She abruptly reached out, slapped her forehead, and laughed, "The one who should say sorry isn’t you, it’s me. I was bewitched by ghosts to say such nonsensical words. Don’t take it personally, everyone...it’s truly improper. It’s fate that we’ve met here, we should work together and overcome the difficulties."

Song Yan was a shrewd one too, and, hearing this, he laughed along, "I knew Miss Pei was just joking, no worries. Let’s not mention this matter again once we go back, so as not to leave any grudges in Chu’s heart. Miss Pei, do you think that’s okay?"

"Of course, that would be for the best." Pei Qiuyu regained her earlier naive demeanor, nervously rubbing her hands, "We mustn’t delay, let’s hurry back to make arrangements and work with Chu Xi to complete this act."

When the four of them pushed open the classroom door, they were all dumbstruck. They saw Nie Hexiang leaning on Yang Xiao’s shoulder, already sobbing into a tearful mess.

"It’s all my fault, we were wrong, Azhen...she must be unwilling to let go." Nie Hexiang sobbed, her enunciation unclear, one had to listen very closely to understand.

Yang Xiao gently patted her shoulder, consoling her, "This is not your fault. Since you don’t wish to tell, I won’t ask the reason. After all, everybody has their own secrets. But since you were once friends, then you should face it bravely."

Slowly bringing his face close to Nie Hexiang’s and lifting her chin, Yang Xiao brushed aside the hair in front of her forehead and looked directly into her eyes. Their gazes met, and Yang Xiao’s eyes were gentle yet filled with strength, "Trust me, you can do it, right?"

"But I’m scared." Nie Hexiang’s expression flickered with hesitation.

"Fear is useless in some situations. Have you heard of Murphy’s Law? The things you fear and worry about are the ones that tend to become reality," Yang Xiao said gently.

"Then... can I do it later?" In just a few minutes, the clear-headed Nie Hexiang seemed like a different person, and it was unknown what exactly Yang Xiao had done to her.

Yang Xiao sighed, his face showing concern, "I’m afraid that’s not possible. At this point, I don’t want to hide certain things from you anymore. You’re a smart girl. Use your clever little brain and think, why are you the only one who can see that girl while we cannot?"

"It’s... it’s because Azhen came to find me." The mere thought of that figure made Nie Hexiang’s voice tremble.

"Exactly, so you can’t hide from it. You need to put an end to this matter, and none of us can help you with it since we cannot see or sense her." Yang Xiao continued to bluff, sensing that success was near.

After hesitating for a few seconds, finally, Nie Hexiang’s face became determined, just as the man before her had said, she had to confront it herself, "Okay, Mr. Chu, I’ll listen to you. I... Actually, I haven’t been able to eat or sleep well lately. I have a lot of things I want to say to Azhen, after all, we three used to be the best of friends."

"That’s right!" Yang Xiao felt a surge of relief in his heart.

Worried that Nie Hexiang might realize what was happening, Yang Xiao prepared to send her out quickly, pulling her into the hallway where the music outside was also reaching its conclusion.

"Hexiang, just like I said before, keep walking, then stand in front of the student formation like this...."

Yang Xiao’s voice suddenly stopped; he looked at Nie Hexiang in astonishment. Nie Hexiang was clutching his arm tightly, showing no intention of letting go, while revealing a strange smile, "Mr. Chu, I’m scared, please go with me."

"You can’t see her anyway, can you?"