C15

Since this was the male dormitory, all the restrooms were designated for men. However, the school had considered that Mrs. Zhang was a woman and had therefore set aside a restroom on the first floor exclusively for her use, as she was the only person living on that floor.

Lu Wangshu strode into the restroom. The facilities appeared to be in working order and showed no signs of damage. After a moment's consideration, he approached the equipment and pressed the flush button. As he suspected, pressing the flush button with all his might yielded no response. He tried the flush buttons on several other fixtures, but to no avail.

It was clear that Mrs. Zhang hadn't been lying; the first-floor restroom was indeed out of order. Wangshu realized he might have been overthinking the situation.

Considering that Mrs. Zhang had just gone to the second-floor restroom, she certainly hadn't encountered the prankster masquerading as a ghost. Otherwise, she wouldn't have remained so composed. Wangshu decided not to question her about the supposed ghost, fearing that it might alarm her, especially at this late hour.

The dormitory corridors were equipped with surveillance cameras, so the individual who had been playing tricks was likely caught on tape. With this in mind, Wangshu headed back to the dormitory office and inquired, "Mrs. Zhang, where can I view the surveillance footage?"

"Surveillance cameras? Oh, dear, please don't mind my nagging, but you've got classes in the morning. You should really head back to your room and get some sleep," Mrs. Zhang advised earnestly.

Unable to fully explain the situation and realizing it would take too long to do so, Wangshu pressed, "Auntie, please tell me quickly. It's important."

Seeing the genuine urgency on Wangshu's face, Mrs. Zhang replied with a wry smile, "Your haste won't help. The staff responsible for the surveillance room have already gone home. You'll have to wait until tomorrow, no matter how urgent it is. Please, go upstairs and get some rest."

Since he couldn't access the surveillance footage right away, Wangshu saw no point in lingering. Besides, the ghost had already made an appearance earlier that evening; it was highly unlikely to show up again.

With no place to sleep here, Lu Wangshu decided to head back to the office.

Mrs. Zhang, seeing Lu Wangshu had no intention of returning to bed and was even attempting to leave, became anxious. She hurried over and blocked his path, exclaiming, "Young man, it's past lights-out time. School rules forbid going out now. Please, head back immediately."

Lu Wangshu nonchalantly removed his school jacket and said, "Ma'am, I'm not actually a student here. I'm a detective, here to work on a case. If you don't believe me, feel free to verify with the principal."

Having said his piece, Lu Wangshu walked away briskly from the male dormitory building. Mrs. Zhang, with her age, couldn't possibly keep up with the young detective and could only watch as he departed.

Reaching the wall, Lu Wangshu effortlessly scaled it, then gracefully jumped down to the other side. Once he was steady on his feet, he checked his pocket to ensure his belongings were still there, and breathed a sigh of relief, now fully at ease.

Before leaving the fifth floor of the male dormitory building, Lu Wangshu had been cautious. He had collected some of the powder from the ground on his fingertip and secured it in a clear plastic bag.

Though the white powder appeared to be common flour, available anywhere, it was essential for Qiao Liang to take it to the police station the next day for the Identification Department to examine thoroughly. Who knows what clues might be revealed? It was uncertain.

Even if the powder turned out to be mere flour, it warranted investigation.

The mysterious individual had shown his hand, and uncovering his identity was now just a matter of time.

Lu Wangshu pulled out his phone, hailed a taxi, and returned to the office.

Once back at the office, he was concerned that Lin Xiangyi might wait for him in vain at the Yongzhou No.1 Middle School wall the next morning. To prevent this, he sent her a message in advance, informing her that he was already back at the office and she needn't wait for him the following day.

After sending the message, Lu Wangshu felt a sense of relief and returned to his room. It had been a while since he'd had a proper night's sleep, so as soon as his head hit the pillow, he quickly drifted off into a deep slumber.

The next morning, Lu Wangshu was roused by the enticing aroma of porridge wafting from the small kitchen. He threw on a set of clothes and headed towards the source of the fragrance.

Indeed, the small kitchen was alive with activity, the little stew pot diligently simmering away with bone porridge.

For many days, he had been eating breakfasts provided by Lin Xiangyi, alternating between KFC and McDonald's, and he had grown weary of them. The opportunity to savor freshly made bone porridge was a welcome change.

He reached for a bowl on the shelf and grabbed a spoon from another. As he was about to lift the lid of the stew pot, a delicate hand swiftly knocked his aside, preventing him from proceeding.

Lu Wangshu winced in pain and reluctantly withdrew his hand, casting a woeful look at Lin Xiangyi. "Xiangyi, why did you do that?" he asked.

Lin Xiangyi shot Lu Wangshu a stern look and retorted, "What am I doing? The porridge has just finished cooking, and you're already here. Go brush your teeth and wash your face. I'll serve the porridge and bring it to the dining room."

With a pout, Lu Wangshu had no choice but to abandon his "criminal tools" and head to the bathroom.

Lin Xiangyi served the porridge, seasoning it with a sprinkle of pepper and salt until it tasted just right, then carried it to the dining room.

As she set the porridge down on the table, Lu Wangshu approached, now freshly groomed and dressed in a new outfit, looking as bright and cheery as the boy-next-door.

But in the blink of an eye, Lu Wangshu's composure was gone. He pulled out a chair, grabbed a spoon, and began to eat heartily. Lin Xiangyi, watching from the side, couldn't help but caution him, "Slow down, be careful not to choke."

In the midst of their conversation, there was a knock at the door, most likely Qiao Liang. At this hour, he was the only expected visitor.

Lin Xiangyi descended the stairs and opened the door, confirming it was indeed Qiao Liang.

Upon entering, Qiao Liang immediately inquired, "Where's Wangshu? Is he up yet?"

Lin Xiangyi nodded, "He's awake, upstairs having breakfast. Go on up; he's in the dining room."

Qiao Liang offered a smile, foregoing formalities with Lin Xiangyi, and bounded up to the second floor.

Lu Wangshu, savoring his meal, glanced over as Qiao Liang arrived, took a napkin, wiped his mouth, and greeted, "You're here."

Qiao Liang pulled out the chair across from Lu Wangshu, sat down, and asked, "You texted me last night about encountering that trickster. What exactly happened?"

"Last night, after ten, I was on the fifth floor. Soon after, that pretender came down the hallway. I confronted him, and he threw a bunch of white powder before fleeing," Lu Wangshu explained, passing the white powder he had collected the previous night to Qiao Liang.

Qiao Liang accepted the bag of powder, elated, "Impressive, brother, gathering evidence like this. I'll take this to the police station later and have the Identification Department analyze it thoroughly, see if there's anything unusual."

Lu Wangshu nodded, "I've eaten enough. We shouldn't waste time. Let's head out. First to the police station to deliver this to the Identification Department for analysis, then to the school to request last night's surveillance footage."

Qiao Liang found Lu Wangshu's plan to be practical and voiced his approval.

Having entered the dining hall just a step behind Qiao Liang, Lin Xiangyi had overheard their entire conversation. Hearing that they needed to leave right away, she didn't bother tidying up the dishes. She grabbed a coat on her way out and followed them.