Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 202: Chapter 171: Can this be approved?

"Can you be sure?" Song Yan also realized something was amiss, and Yang Xiao fell silent instantly, regarding the male teacher with a subtly changed expression. frёeωebɳovel.com

It was only after the male teacher had left that Yang Xiao finally spoke, "Principal Wu, it may not be appropriate to say this, but I don’t recognize this male teacher. Can we trust what he says?"

"Of course, his brother is in our town’s criminal police force," emphasized Principal Wu, "his own brother."

"Mr. Chu, are you perhaps too nervous?" Teacher Xu Yu looked at him with concern.

Seeing Principal Wu’s certainty, Yang Xiao slowly nodded, dispelling his doubts, "The two of you, I’m not that I don’t trust him, it’s just that what we are about to do cannot afford any mistakes, and the information I’ve received is that Pei Qiuyu was taken away by the police."

The situation was now quite clear: the version of events provided by the crew and the male teacher’s account did not match up; someone between them must be lying.

Not long ago, Pei Qiuyu had been set up by their joint efforts, losing face in front of the entire crew and nearly being kicked out. Logically speaking, Director Ding and his people had no reason to help deceive Pei Qiuyu.

After much thought, Yang Xiao concluded that the problem would not lie with the crew, but higher up.

"It’s Sun Shengnan!"

With his thoughts now racing, Yang Xiao guessed that Pei Qiuyu had found Sun Shengnan and convinced her, establishing a collaboration between them.

With Sun Shengnan’s support, Pei Qiuyu effectively controlled the production’s narrative power; even Director Ding had to listen to her.

This explained the day’s various irregularities, including the last-minute change of actors for the final scene, which was likely Qiuyu’s idea to target him.

Now that he had openly fallen out with Qiuyu, a fierce battle seemed inevitable tonight.

With a plan roughly in place, there was still one very important matter Yang Xiao needed to confirm, "Principal Wu, I’d like to speak with Teacher Xu Yu privately, if that’s all right with you?"

"Of course, you two go ahead and talk; I just so happen to have other matters to attend to." Principal Wu stood up and left, pushing the door open without any hesitation.

Once the corridor outside had quieted down, Yang Xiao asked nervously, "Teacher Xu Yu, can you get in touch with Teacher Wang?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yu’s expression first showed shock, then fixation on Yang Xiao, who let out a relieved smile, "Don’t be nervous, Teacher Xu Yu. I’m on your side, and I won’t mention this to anyone, including Principal Wu."

Xu Yu then looked toward Song Yan, whose apparent wariness made him shrug, "I’m good brothers with Chu Xi." Perhaps out of concern that Xu Yu wouldn’t believe him, Song Yan put his hand on Yang Xiao’s shoulder, posing in a very close manner.

"I don’t know how to explain this to you, I’m sorry, I... I lied to you before. The time Teacher Wang dressed up as the granny wasn’t the last time I saw him. He would occasionally appear in my life after that, usually at night, and often I would feel him near me."

As she spoke of these encounters, a light began to grow in Xu Yu’s eyes, "But... but I can’t see him. Teacher Wang is a gentle person; he must be worried about scaring me."

Touching as their teacher-student relationship was, what Yang Xiao needed to know was not about this, "Then how do you two communicate? I need Teacher Wang’s help!"

"It’s not as simple as you think. We don’t have a fixed way to communicate; he comes to find me, and he can only stay for a very short time each visit. I can feel his pain," Xu Yu said slowly, pulling up her sleeve. In the next second, Yang Xiao and Song Yan gasped in shock, seeing several scars on her arm.

The scars were fierce and twisted, a stark contrast to Xu Yu’s fair skin, "This... did Teacher Wang do this?" Song Yan couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

Xu Yu lowered her sleeve and gave a wry smile, shaking her head, "You can’t blame him. I can feel the agony and struggle he’s going through. He’s trapped in that incident, filled with despair."

Looking at the scars on Xu Yu’s body, Yang Xiao had to reassess the danger of the situation. If even Xu Yu could be attacked, it was better not to make direct contact with Teacher Wang for the time being.

"Could you pass a message to Teacher Wang for me?" Yang Xiao asked, seeking an alternative.

Unexpectedly, even this simple request was denied. Xu Yu shook her head, "If it were before, there might have been a chance, but now, it’s no longer possible."

"Why not?"

"Because she came."

"Sun Shengnan?" It wasn’t hard to guess.

Xu Yu nodded helplessly, "Yes, her. The moment she appeared near the school, it’s as if Teacher Wang disappeared from my world."

"Not disappeared, he’s hiding himself, seeking out the one who killed him," Song Yan recalled the horribly mangled body.

The body was that of Sun Shengnan’s stand-in, named Tang Ya Ling. However, there was still something Yang Xiao couldn’t figure out: people might misidentify someone, but could a ghost make such a mistake?

Unfortunately, Xu Yu couldn’t provide a reasonable explanation to this problem, her understanding of ghosts was even less than Yang Xiao and Song Yan’s.

"Could it be Sun Shengnan has some kind of trick up her sleeve?" Song Yan stroked his chin, analyzing, "Think about it, who would bother using a body double unless she’d anticipated trouble on this trip?"

Since there was no evidence to confirm this, it was merely speculation, but the good news was the body double was dead, which meant Sun Shengnan was next in line to face the fear. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

"After this incident, I doubt Sun Shengnan would dare to visit the set at night to watch the filming. As long as she’s not there, we’re safe," the logic was simple, the ghost would continue to seek opportunities to strike at Sun Shengnan, so tonight the real danger was wherever she was.

"Don’t worry, we’ll also try to keep our distance from her," Song Yan was arranged to shoot indoor scenes with Lu Ji Yu Mi and the others, mainly some behind-the-scenes footage for the film’s promotion.

After checking the details of tonight’s operation with Xu Yu, Yang Xiao and Song Yan quietly left, lingering too long here might arouse suspicion.

Back at the film set, as expected, Pei Qiuyu was nowhere to be seen.

The feedback from Lu Ji Yu Mi was consistent, everyone in the crew said Pei Qiuyu had been taken away by the police, and they talked as if it were true.

By now, Yang Xiao could confirm that Pei Qiuyu had ingratiated herself with Sun Shengnan, and it was obvious what her demonstration of loyalty was—herself and her group.

Pei Qiuyu wasn’t foolish; after the pharmacy call incident, she must have guessed that she had formed a secret alliance with Principal Wu and others, which was precisely what Sun Shengnan would find most objectionable.

Unnoticed, the sunset outside the window dipped low, leaving behind only a sliver of afterglow; everyone in the crew was busy preparing for the night’s shooting. Director Ding said that barring any unexpected events, this should be the last scene shot on campus.

With most of the desks in the classroom commandeered by the props department, Yang Xiao had no choice but to sit atop a props box, holding his boxed meal and gobbling down quickly.

However, as lead actor, he had some privileges—his boxed meal was more upscale with two meat dishes, one vegetable, and an extra chicken leg thrown in.

Today, the other lead Xia Xiuyan was sitting across from Yang Xiao. Perhaps Nie Hexiang’s death had shaken her. Xia Xiuyan’s face was grim and she had little appetite.

"Are you going to eat that or not? Don’t waste it!" Yang Xiao, without reservation, took Xia Xiuyan’s boxed meal and swiped the chicken leg with his chopsticks.

Yang Xiao had known hard times, thinking back to not long ago when he was holed up alone in a rundown neighborhood, living in subsidized housing and calculating how to make do with plain noodle soup.

The classroom door was pushed open as a woman with heavy eyeliner walked in, carrying a black plastic bag, "Chu Xi, Xia Xiuyan, the two of you go get changed. We’re taking the costume photos first."

"Coming!" Yang Xiao gobbled down the chicken leg and then pulled Xia Xiuyan with him to go over.

The woman seemed unfamiliar and not part of the crew, likely someone Sun Shengnan had brought in.

The woman regarded Yang Xiao arrogantly, then turned her head and handed the bag to Xia Xiuyan, instructing, "Go next door, take off the clothes inside, and change into this."

Taking the bag and pulling out the clothes, both Xia Xiuyan and Yang Xiao were taken aback—they were looking at a piece of sheer lingerie, a light pink garment with a broad neckline, rather suggestive in nature.

Xia Xiuyan’s face instantly turned red, "This... this is..."

"This is a last-minute addition by the directors, adding some details for you. Tonight, the principal that Chu Xi is playing will inadvertently rip open your clothes while chasing you, leading to a change of heart. The rest of the scene is up to you to improvise. A broader interpretation is fine, the audience loves that kind of thing," the woman said indifferently.

"Will this pass censorship?" Yang Xiao wasn’t concerned about that; he was rather expressing frustration over his own scripts that never saw the light of day.

"No worries, anything too sensational will be edited out in post-production."

The woman was just there to pass a message. After saying what needed to be said, she left, while Yang Xiao took his mask and overcoat along with other props and joined Xia Xiuyan in the adjacent room.

The room had been arranged with small changing areas on either side, constructed from thin plywood and curtains. Not far away, there stood a dressing mirror.

There was no need for lights, the dying rays of the sunset poured through the window, casting the room in a golden hue.

Grabbing the clothes, Yang Xiao parted the curtain of the makeshift changing area and stepped inside, while Xia Xiuyan, after hesitating, compromised and went into the other changing area with the lingerie in hand.

Yang Xiao stripped off his own clothes, donned the checked overcoat, placed the bull mask over his face, tucked the flashlight into his belt, and finally took up the rusted kitchen knife. Without even a glance in the mirror, he knew he must look quite dashing.

Pulling back the curtain, Yang Xiao emerged from the changing area. He was the only one in the room; Xia Xiuyan had not yet finished getting ready. Standing in front of the mirror, Yang Xiao suddenly felt a stranger was looking back at him.

His heart gave a sudden twitch, Yang Xiao wasn’t sure what was happening, but he had a very bad feeling, as if something were about to happen.

"Yang Xiao, are you finished changing?" Xia Xiuyan’s soft, somewhat shy voice came from the other changing area, "Could you come over and help me with the zipper at the back? I can’t reach it."