Chapter Twenty-Four: An August Night

I grabbed the phone and pressed the speaker button.

"Are you a friend of Xing Xinman?" I asked.

The person on the other end hesitated for a moment before a girl's voice answered, "I am. Who are you?"

I didn’t respond directly but pressed on, "Where did you all go at the end of August? What did you do?"

Panic was evident in her voice, clearly startled by my question.

There's a lead! This girl must know something.

Xing San and Old Ma heard the commotion and understood what was happening. Old Ma squinted at me with an amused expression, probably surprised by my quick thinking.

"N-nothing..."

I persisted, "Xing Xinman's situation is extremely serious. If you don't tell me, she might die!"

The statement caused a jolt on the other end, and I heard things dropping.

I could faintly hear her sobbing as she replied, "I... I really don't know. After that night, both Xinman and Jiang Lei and Ling Yi became like this..."

It wasn't just Xing Xinman in trouble!

I glanced at Old Ma, who furrowed his brow slightly.

"What did you all do that night? What exactly happened?"

"I... We... that night..." There was a pause on the line. "We have classes now. I'll call you back during lunch."

With that, the call ended.

I was about to call back when I saw the caller ID—it was from a public phone.

It was indeed time for classes.

Xing San lamented, "Why didn't I think to ask Xinman's friends! I'm so foolish!"

It seemed that in late August, Xing Xinman and her friends had gone somewhere. The details were too vague over the phone, and since it was a public line, the girl must have been cautious about others overhearing. Moreover, waiting until noon only gave Old Ma more time to stall. I couldn't afford to waste that time.

I turned to Old Ma and respectfully suggested, "What do you say we go to the school directly? A timid girl on the phone probably won't be able to clarify things."

I intentionally added that last part.

As expected, upon hearing "girl," Old Ma suddenly perked up, his eyes glimmering with interest.

"Alright, let's go in person. We can also ask about the other two girls. Ahem! Xing San, where is your daughter's school?"

Su Feiyong and the others stayed close, acting as drivers.

From Xing San, I learned that the girl who called was named Yue Wanqi. His daughter attended a closed high school with strict management. To enter, one had to register and contact the visitor. It seemed we would have to wait until noon to interview Yue Wanqi.

What a hassle. Once we arrived outside the high school, I took Xing San's phone and asked for Xing Xinman's homeroom teacher's number.

The call connected, and a woman's voice came through, "Hello? Is this Xing Xinman's parent?"

It seemed the homeroom teacher had noted the parents' phone numbers.

I spoke tersely, "Are you Xing Xinman's homeroom teacher?"

She paused, seemingly recognizing that my voice wasn't Xing San's: "I am. Who are you..."

"I'm her cousin!" I nearly shouted, "What happened to Xinman at school? She's fine, but how did she end up in trouble? What on earth occurred?! It's been a month and the hospital hasn't found anything! You better explain what you did to her!"

My outburst startled her, and she quickly replied, "Y-you have to listen to me! Xinman was already acting strange before she came to school. It really didn't happen at school."

"I don't care. I'm right outside the school! Her father and grandfather are here, and I have two brothers with me! If you don't come out and explain, we're going in and wrecking the place!"

"D-don't get agitated! Just wait! I'm coming now," the homeroom teacher said in a fluster, hurried footsteps echoing.

I hung up and returned the phone to Xing San. He still seemed stunned, staring at me in surprise, not expecting my polite demeanor to shift to anger.

Old Ma looked at me disdainfully, "Who knew you had a bit of cunning in you."

I chuckled.

Before long, a young woman approached, looking anxious. Upon seeing our group, her anxiety intensified, and she hurried over.

Xing San said, "Teacher Wang, sorry to call you out like this."

"It's alright, it's alright," she stammered, her worried gaze scanning me and Su Feiyong.

This Teacher Wang seemed young, likely in her twenties, perhaps a recent university graduate, so it was no wonder she was intimidated.

Seeing her flustered, I felt a pang of sympathy and spoke gently, "Teacher Wang, I'm really sorry. I was too anxious earlier."

"It's alright, really," she replied, still flustered.

She hurriedly explained about Xing Xinman's situation, outlining the events leading up to it. Xinman had been acting off before coming to school; it truly hadn't happened there. She was also worried, noting that not only Xing Xinman but also two other students had taken sick leave around the same time, and she didn't know what to do.

Xing San, filled with concern, said, "Today, a friend of Xinman's called. It seems related to her and those two classmates, so we wanted to ask her friends what was going on."

I added, "My uncle came to inquire about the situation today; it was my impatience that caused the misunderstanding."

"I understand you're worried about Xinman," she replied, glancing nervously at Su Feiyong and the others, "Come with me."

She signaled to the security guard and led us inside.

In the office, Teacher Wang asked us to sit while she went to fetch someone.

The office was small, with only a few desks and no one else present. The door sign read "Sophomore Chinese Department," indicating that Teacher Wang was a Chinese teacher.

I looked at Su Feiyong and the others and suggested to Old Ma, "Should we ask them to step out? We don't want to scare the girl."

Old Ma ordered the two, "You two should step outside for now; we don't want to frighten the girl. If we can't get any information, we'll still have to deal with your uncle's situation."

They hesitated but eventually left.

Before long, Teacher Wang returned, leading a girl dressed neatly in school uniform, her hair tied back in a ponytail and looking quite nervous.

Seeing that Su Feiyong and the others were gone, Teacher Wang sighed in relief. I said, "They went to the restroom and won't be back for a while."

Teacher Wang briefly introduced us to Yue Wanqi, who seemed to recognize Xing San but appeared uncertain about my and Old Ma's identities as her cousin and grandfather.

"Yue, can you tell us what happened that night you mentioned on the phone?" Xing San asked eagerly.

Yue Wanqi's expression changed, her hands nervously twisting together.