A goldfish bracelet?

I didn’t have time to think and just listened to Zhuang Ning’s feeble voice. “That bracelet was covered in blood. Moreover, Li Xiaoling’s body swayed in the air; it looked so scary! Wang Nan and Ge Xiaofei fainted right at the scene. I quickly ran away to get the dormitory manager…” 

It seemed Zhuang Ning’s headache had become more intense as she remembered the horrible scene. She sighed. “That’s what happened. I didn’t really know Li Xiaoling. If the other person doesn’t want to befriend me, I won’t push her to interact with me. If I have to suggest someone who knows something about Li Xiaoling, it would be Tang Shuangshuang. You can ask her… Actually, you can’t. Her mouth is sewed up, and she can’t talk now.” 

She looked as if she could faint at any minute. But when she said the last sentence, her voice contained a sense of satisfaction. 

I couldn’t help but glance at her. 

I happened to meet her eyes at this moment. She was a little surprised but reacted fast. She gave me a reluctant smile. “I don’t feel well, and that’s all I can help you with. Although I don’t know what your purpose is, what I told you is the truth. Still, you’re not good at acting, and you shouldn’t disguise yourself as a private detective in the future. Li Xiaoling committed suicide, which is confirmed by the letter she left behind and the evidence at the scene. Her father came to the school and agreed with the police’s conclusion,” said Zhuang Ning.

After taking two steps, she turned to look at me. “The next time you want to disguise as someone, you should do your research first. Li Xiaoling didn’t have a mother and lived with her father to make ends meet. That’s why her parents couldn’t have hired a private detective. You shouldn’t use this cover again in the future…” 

Then, Zhuang Ning headed back to her dormitory. 

It was embarrassing that I was busted. 

I scratched my head and stood up. I was about to leave when I caught a gleam of Shiso hiding behind some trees in the distance. 

What does that guy want? Why is he hiding in the corner and watching me? 

I left Wuhan University full of doubts. I didn’t hurry to meet with Li Mazi but turned to a small alley behind Wuhan University. I was trying to find a place to make a fake ID card.

When I told the shopkeeper that I wanted to have a student ID card from Wuhan University, he doubled the price. “Brother, it’s not that I’m greedy, but you should know that Wuhan University’s student ID cards are very hard to make these days. Every time the students enter the school, they need to show it. It’s really hard to make one.” 

You deliberately increased the price, and you’re still telling me that you aren’t greedy? 

It was fortunate that the price wasn’t exaggerated. I was too lazy to bargain with him, so I paid the money and obtained my ID card. The next time I wanted to enter Wuhan University, it would be easier. 

When I came back to the coffee shop, Li Mazi was waiting for me. “Little Brother Zhang, why did you come back so late?”

“I went to see Li Xiaoling’s roommate and got some information.” 

Li Mazi pouted his lips. “It’s not like we’re getting any money from this case. There’s no need to be so serious about it.” 

I patted Li Mazi’s shoulder and talked as if I was his senior. “Li Mazi, there are many things more important than money in this world. You got that?” 

“No, I don’t.” Li Mazi resolutely shook his head. “We’re in the era of capitalism. Everything needs money to connect.” 

All right, I was playing the harp to a stupid ox. Even if I strummed until my hands broke, it would be no use.

Li Mazi followed me back to my shop. I gave him a puzzled look. “Why are you following me?” 

“To get a free meal,” answered Li Mazi. “I received no payment, so you have to pay for my lunch at the very least. Otherwise, I would have wasted my whole morning for nothing.” 

You speak as if I had earned any money! 

Our lunch was two bowls of instant beef noodles. Li Mazi ate to his heart’s content, and he even stole a beer and a salted duck egg from my kitchen.

I felt robbed. 

After lunch, he rubbed his round belly and left with satisfaction. As for me, I sat in front of my computer. 

As I expected, Shiso was online, waiting for me. It wasn’t too much to say that he was anxious. 

“Did you see Zhuang Ning? What did she tell you?” 

Being a young man and a student, Shiso was more talkative than I had imagined. 

I answered, “I did, but she didn’t feel well. We just chatted for a while.” 

He gave me a short reply then went offline. It seemed he was a little disappointed. 

Is there any relation between Li Xiaoling’s death and the lip-sewing incident? Tang Shuangshuang was the first victim. Does she know anything? 

I decided to go find Tang Shuangshuang to ask her. 

No secret could last forever. Since something horrible had happened at Wuhan University, even though the newspapers didn’t post anything, someone was bound to know about it. 

I asked in the Circle for more details and found out the hospital Tang Shuangshuang was staying in.

Feeling content, I went to bed with the decision that I would visit her tomorrow. 

It started to rain the next day. But the rain had never affected a hospital’s business. The lobby was hectic and packed, and there were extra beds placed on the corridors, where many patients were having a drip. The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant.

I hurried to find a nurse on duty and asked her about Tang Shuangshuang. 

The nurse was busy, so she didn’t have time to talk to me. She pointed to a room at the end of the corridor. “The one you want to see is in that room. However, she has a problem with her head. Her condition isn’t good, either. You shouldn’t visit her for a long time. Let her rest.” 

I nodded then walked to the patient room she had shown me. 

It was really quiet inside. A chubby girl with short hair was sitting idly on the bed. She was dumbly staring at the window.

Her face was terrifyingly pale, and her lips were swollen. Although the needle holes on her lips were closed and dried, they still looked horrible. 

I gently closed the door. 

It seemed she didn’t hear me. She didn’t move and sat still. Her gaze didn’t leave the window, just as if something out there had caught her attention. 

“Tang Shuangshuang?” I called in a low voice. 

“Shhhh!” Tang Shuangshuang heard me and quickly placed her index finger on her mouth. “Do not talk.” 

After saying that, she turned her head around and resumed her previous sitting posture. She continued to watch the window. 

“Boom!”

A lightning strike suddenly crossed the sky. Tang Shuangshuang was so scared that she shrieked. Her arms swung disorderly. “Don’t come near me! Don’t! Don’t come near me! I didn’t say anything! It wasn’t me! I never said anything! No, it wasn’t me!” 

She was frightened out of her mind. Her eyes were full of fear and terror. Eventually, she got under her bed and crouched, shivering.

“No, it wasn’t me! I didn’t say anything! It wasn’t me…”

I squatted and calmly looked at her. “You knew Li Xiaoling, didn’t you?” 

When Tang Shuangshuang heard the name ‘Li Xiaoling,’ she was even more frightened. Her eyes opened wide. “I don’t know Li Xiaoling! I don’t know her! I never spread rumors about her! Don’t sew my mouth! I never said anything!” 

Since she was too frantic, the wounds on her mouth tore again. Blood spurted on the ground. 

I was scared and took a step back.

A nurse stormed in the room as she had heard Tang Shuangshuang screaming. “What’s going on? Where’s the patient?!” 

When she saw Tang Shuangshuang underneath her bed, the nurse frowned impatiently. “Why do you have to hide there? Get out, hurry!” 

Tang Shuangshuang shook her head. 

“No, I’m not coming out. There’s someone… on the ceiling!” 

The nurse lifted her head and checked the ceiling. She answered reluctantly, “No one is there. Get out, hurry up! I have a lot of work. Don’t cause me more trouble, okay?” 

Then, the nurse looked angrily at me. “Mister, how do you relate to her? Why did you come to stir her up?” 

I didn’t have time to explain since Tang Shuangshuang started screaming again from underneath the bed. “There’s someone on the ceiling! I recognize her! It’s Li Xiaoling! Li Xiaoling, don’t follow me. I didn’t say anything. I have never said anything. Don’t sew my mouth!”

The nurse pushed me out of the room. Several burly male nurses rushed in and attempted to pull Tang Shuangshuang out from under the bed. 

Tang Shuangshuang was like a brave and persistent lioness. She hugged the bedpost and didn’t want to lose her grip. 

She howled louder. Blood spurted again from her wound. 

The nurse then closed the patient room’s door. 

The moment I got out of the hospital, I could finally confirm that the lip-sewing incidents at Wuhan University were related to Li Xiaoling’s death!