——Go die.
Naked malice congealed in those two words. That beautiful European-style castle model had been smashed to pieces.
People around whispered among themselves:
"What happened..."
"I didn't see..."
"Who came in first?"
"Don't go making shit up, it's got nothing to do with me. I came in and it was already like this, ask anyone if you don't believe me..."
The fragments of the castle's building blocks seemed to form a vacuum zone around them. A group of people stood far away, some curious, some shocked, yet not one dared take a step forward.
Ruoping followed over and took a look, her tone becoming complicated too:
"Why is it targeting her again? Last time with the scarf was the same. Tell me, what did Gu Qiumian do to... hey, where are you going?"
Zhang Shutong had already pushed through the shoulders of the people around him and crouched down beside the blocks. He took out his phone—click—then picked up that white paper, scanned it once, and crumpled it into a ball.
The white paper was just ordinary A4 paper, clean and blank except for those two words, leaving no other traces. He continued looking down, using his hand to push aside the colorful pieces on the ground, and only then discovered it wasn't just smashed—
At the castle's entrance, there had originally been a Lego figure wearing a skirt, dressed prettily, hidden among the branches and leaves of the pothos plants on either side. He used to jokingly call it the princess. Now the figure was broken in two at the waist, and the plastic piece that served as the head had actually been crushed by trampling.
He looked at his phone again. In the photo he'd just taken, the princess figure's corpse was positioned right in the middle of the words "go die."
Zhang Shutong piled the blocks together, his brow furrowing bit by bit.
He could be certain that this was a variable that had never occurred in his previous life.
Why?
What did those words "go die" mean?
Like last time when the scarf was torn apart, was this revenge between classmates, or...
A death threat?
He instantly thought of the murder case four days from now, but what connection could these two things have?
He tried to organize his thoughts, but then Ruoping squeezed through the crowd, interrupting his contemplation:
"Put them in here..."
She'd somehow found a plastic bag and sighed, also crouching down to help collect the blocks, with a tone of frustration at someone who wouldn't learn:
"Why did you rush forward? Haven't you learned your lesson from the scarf incident last time..."
Zhang Shutong obviously couldn't tell her his suspicions, so he could only busy himself while making up an excuse:
"What else could I do? Otherwise she'd definitely cry and throw a tantrum again. I'm her deskmate now—wouldn't I be the one suffering..."
In just a few sentences the two had collected the blocks. He looked up—Gu Qiumian still hadn't returned to class.
"That's true, I wouldn't bother helping her if it weren't for your sake." Ruoping always had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. "But who would want to get revenge on her? We're all classmates, it can't be such a big grudge, right?"
But Zhang Shutong didn't respond.
He'd seen someone.
Placing the plastic bag on the bookshelf, his gaze locked onto one spot. "You go find the homeroom teacher first..."
After speaking, Zhang Shutong strode out through the crowd. The other person, seeing him, was about to leave, but this time didn't get his wish. He grabbed the boy named Zhou Ziheng by his jacket and frowned:
"What exactly was that thing you mentioned this morning?"
Zhang Shutong's impression of him wasn't deep—perhaps he had no presence in class. Now taking a careful look: short and stocky, somewhat dark-skinned, eyes with very little white showing, also dark, with a bit of a hunch to his back, indicating he was used to keeping his head down.
"Why are you looking for me? Let go..."
The distance between them closed instantly. The other froze for a moment and struggled hard, but couldn't break free.
Zhang Shutong just stared directly into his eyes:
"If you don't say it now, you'll have to tell the homeroom teacher later anyway."
By now the two had become the focus of the crowd. Countless gazes turned toward them. Zhou Ziheng said urgently:
"Zhang Shutong, let me tell you, don't think just because you have a good relationship with the homeroom teacher, you can..."
"Right, so what?" Zhang Shutong cut him off sharply. "So it was you who did it?"
"What's it got to do with me? Don't talk nonsense..."
"Then tell me. Now."
The other finally couldn't hold out, stammering:
"It really wasn't me. I just went to the bathroom this morning and saw someone had written Gu Qiumian's name on the divider..."
"Continue."
"And there was an X marked over her name..."
"Which stall?"
"I... I didn't pay attention..."
"Keep going."
"There's really nothing else. When I saw it, I wanted to tell her, but she didn't believe me. What could I do about that? I clearly told her, but she thought I was annoying. And now you're all suspecting me!"
As he spoke, Zhou Ziheng suddenly became agitated. He forcefully broke free from Zhang Shutong's grip, his jacket pulled askew:
"So why do I get suspected for trying to be a good person? I'd like to ask who I offended! Did I tell her this morning or not? Didn't she just not take it seriously? Didn't something really happen? So if that's the case, what the hell does it have to do with me!"
"Then why did you run this morning?" Zhang Shutong didn't bother arguing about any of that.
Zhou Ziheng clenched his fists, staring hard at the blocks in the bag. His dark face flushed red. He looked at Zhang Shutong furiously again and shouted:
"Well, I'd like to ask who the hell you think you are! Who is Zhang Shutong? What are you to Gu Qiumian? Why do you get to come interrogate me when something happens to her? I just didn't want to say it, is that okay? If she wants to know, can't she come ask me herself? As if you're the only one in the world who can play the good guy?"
Zhou Ziheng shouted his piece and was about to leave, but just as he took a step, he found the door blocked by two boys:
"Hey wait, you're actually playing the victim here? Tell me, is there something wrong with your brain? This is such a simple thing—just say it straight and that's it. Isn't it because you're feeling guilty that it turned out like this?"
Du Kang appeared out of nowhere and started taking sides without caring about anything—after all, he always helped his friends regardless of who was right.
Qingyi also kept a straight face without speaking, his dead-fish eyes very intimidating. When the two stood by Zhou Ziheng, it looked like they were bullying him.
Only then did Zhang Shutong feel a headache. He didn't take anything Zhou Ziheng said to heart—whether wronged or venting, though he could hear the implied malice in it, his current concern wasn't with the other person. What did it matter if it was Zhao Ziheng or Li Ziheng?
But with Du Kang and the others blocking him like this, it could easily escalate the situation, so he waved his hand, indicating the two didn't need to help.
Zhou Ziheng indeed rushed out the door. Du Kang watched his retreating back, cursing:
"Shutong, didn't you notice that guy just looks honest, but what he said earlier was deliberately malicious, putting you on the spot..."
Zhang Shutong could certainly tell, but not speaking was the best response. Otherwise, what—beat him up? Confront him directly? He didn't feel anything himself, but his two best friends were the ones who got upset, and he'd have to console them. Zhang Shutong suddenly felt somewhat amused and exasperated, repeatedly assuring them he was fine. The three went to the bathroom together and found Gu Qiumian's name in the third stall. He took another photo with his phone and even compared the handwriting on the A4 paper, but still gained nothing.
Zhang Shutong now just wanted to confirm one thing—
Did this revenge have any connection to the murder case?
And why hadn't this incident appeared before, but only appeared after his regression? What was the trigger?
While he pondered serious matters, Du Kang leered over, saying that bro, so you really are interested in Gu Qiumian—this is totally a hero saving the beauty scenario, Qingyi and I have to help you out no matter what.
Qingyi also nodded profoundly, opening his mouth to say a man's mission is... Zhang Shutong quickly told these two to shut up, just praying the class bell would come take them away soon.
As if heaven heard his request, the bell rang the next moment. The two reluctantly waved goodbye. Zhang Shutong stayed in the bathroom a while longer before returning to his seat. What was rather unexpected was that Gu Qiumian was also there.
He'd thought the girl would throw a tantrum at the podium, just like last time when the scarf was trampled, demanding to know who did it.
Or she'd go directly to the homeroom teacher to report it. That would make things serious. If it was just the castle being smashed, that would be one thing—if the "culprit" was caught, they could just say it was an accident and explain it away. But adding those two words "go die" made it more than a simple campus conflict.
But Gu Qiumian neither threw a tantrum nor reported it. She didn't even have red-rimmed eyes like last time. Instead, she sat at her seat with a cold face, laying out the materials needed for the next class, as if still immersed in the boring, mundane campus life.
Just like when she chatted with a few girlfriends during morning reading.
Or had no one told her?
Thinking this, Zhang Shutong glanced at the plastic bag on the bookshelf again. Even if no one told her, she should be able to see that such a large castle was gone.
Only now did he realize there was no teacher at the podium. Everyone around was quietly discussing what had just happened, including some gossip. The class monitor had shouted several times to no avail.
Zhang Shutong actually wanted to ask Gu Qiumian directly if she had any leads—like if she'd had conflicts with anyone recently... maybe he could deduce something.
But even he could sense that saying this would be very inappropriate. He should at least consider the victim's feelings, especially since Gu Qiumian wasn't exactly an easy girl to talk to.
He was just thinking of a more tactful approach when Song Nanshan walked in with a dark expression.
His steps were so fast they brought a breeze. He slammed the door hard, startling everyone. In an instant, you could hear a pin drop.
"We're not having this class. If you can't even be decent people, what's the point of studying!"
Zhang Shutong could tell that his homeroom teacher was truly angry.
He vaguely guessed the reason—not because Gu Qiumian's background put pressure on him, but because someone among his own students had done such a thing, which disappointed him greatly.
Then Song Nanshan called out three names—precisely Gu Qiumian, Zhang Shutong, and Zhou Ziheng.
Perhaps what happened between him and Zhou Ziheng during the break had reached Song Nanshan's ears.
"Everyone study on your own. Class monitor, go watch from the podium. I'll be in the office—if I hear anyone talking, you don't need to stay in the classroom either!"
He barked another stern command, calling the three out of the classroom. Zhang Shutong deliberately observed Gu Qiumian's reaction. The girl stood up and left the classroom impassively. Many people's gazes converged on her, but she looked at no one, not saying a single word throughout the process.
At the office, Song Nanshan first asked Zhang Shutong about what happened. He briefly explained—there really wasn't much to say. Zhou Ziheng's so-called clue was just the name on the divider.
Song Nanshan asked them a few more questions, then softened his tone somewhat, looking at Gu Qiumian:
"Qiumian, how about this—Teacher will definitely find out who did it and absolutely won't let them off. Don't get yourself upset over this. I'll contact your father right now..."
But Gu Qiumian shook her head coldly:
"No need. He's out of town. I'm fine."
"Have you had any conflicts with anyone recently... I mean, do you have any suspects?"
"No."
"When Zhou Ziheng told you this morning..."
"That kind of person can only do this kind of thing." Gu Qiumian interrupted expressionlessly. "Teacher Song, I said I'm fine. I have dozens more toys like that at home. There's nothing to care about."
"What about that A4 paper?" This was what troubled Song Nanshan most. He didn't even know how to bring it up. "You might not have seen it, but on it..."
"I don't know what was written on it either."
But Gu Qiumian continued indifferently:
"It couldn't have been anything good anyway. Why would I make myself unhappy? So you don't need to tell me either."
"But last time..."
"I know. But they're not comparable."
Zhang Shutong guessed that Song Nanshan's "last time" referred to the scarf incident. He recalled that during that argument, Gu Qiumian had said the scarf was from her mother... He hadn't heard the rest before interrupting her.
Zhang Shutong saw Song Nanshan breathe a sigh of relief. Putting himself in the teacher's shoes, the homeroom teacher didn't know about the murder case a few days away, so it was hard to connect the "go die" on the paper with a human life. He only saw it as a malicious act of revenge.
And now that Gu Qiumian wasn't very agitated, it would be a bit easier for him to handle as a teacher. Of course, just a bit.
"Zhang Shutong, you come over too. Since that's the case, let's clear the air today."
Song Nanshan hadn't forgotten to play peacemaker. He called to him and said to Gu Qiumian:
"Teacher knows you two had a conflict before and hasn't found the right opportunity to address it. Now that you're deskmates, you need to get along well. Do you hear me? I'm talking to you, Zhang Shutong!"
After speaking, Song Nanshan glared at him fiercely, as if blaming him for being completely tactless. Zhang Shutong didn't need to be stubborn about something like this. He was about to speak when he noticed Gu Qiumian seemed oblivious.
She acted as if she hadn't heard what Song Nanshan just said, only staring at the homeroom teacher's face, not even glancing at him:
"Teacher, if there's nothing else, I'll go first."
After speaking, regardless of what Song Nanshan said, she turned and left. Song Nanshan was also somewhat helpless, but he still had to go to the class to pull someone out, so he waved his hand, indicating he and Zhou Ziheng should go back.
Zhang Shutong thought to himself: You've only missed one thing—not only is last time's scarf incident not over, but I upset her again this morning because of Ruoping. Now old and new grievances are piled together—how could she possibly give me a pleasant face?
But now wasn't the time to say this. Zhang Shutong left the office and found that Gu Qiumian hadn't walked toward the classroom at all. She was standing at the stairwell.
With their backs to each other, he suddenly heard the girl's calm voice:
"Were you the one who picked up the blocks for me earlier?"
Zhang Shutong made an affirmative sound, a bit unclear about her meaning. Just as he was waiting for what would come next, he heard the tapping sound of boots on the steps behind him.
She had already gone downstairs, with no response, even making one doubt whether she'd heard his answer.
Then he returned to the classroom. The entire next period was spent amid Song Nanshan's furious questioning.
However, it was fruitless.
Even by lunch dismissal, Zhang Shutong hadn't seen Gu Qiumian return.