C23 What Was the Worst?

The principal was puzzled by Lu Wangshu's sudden inquiry about the man's identity, but he truthfully responded, "This person? He is the school's guidance counselor."

Guidance counselor?

Why would Du Le be afraid of the guidance counselor?

It didn't add up. If Du Le had done something wrong and was avoiding the guidance counselor out of fear, it would be out of character. Based on what we know of Du Le, she would likely confront the guidance counselor and own up to her mistake.

But if Du Le hadn't done anything wrong, why would she feel the need to avoid the guidance counselor?

Lu Wangshu was at a loss and decided to seek answers directly. Turning to the principal, he said, "Principal, I'd like to meet with Du Le's roommates."

Even though it was class time, Du Le's case took precedence. The principal consented, "Okay, I'll take you to them now."

With that, he escorted Lu Wangshu and the others from the surveillance room.

"Here's what we'll do: I'll fetch those three students, and you can wait for us in the previous meeting room," the principal suggested to Lu Wangshu.

Considering the monitoring room was on the first floor of the Administrative Building, the meeting room on the third, and the classrooms in a separate building, it was quite a hassle to navigate.

Lu Wangshu acknowledged this and agreed, "Alright, we'll head to the meeting room and wait for you there."

With the plan set, they made their way upstairs at a leisurely pace.

The principal, now alone, returned to the teaching building and approached a classroom door.

Inside, a language class was in session. The teacher, surprised to see the principal, approached and inquired, "Principal, is there a problem?"

"I need to speak with a few students. Please have Du Le's three roommates step out," the principal instructed the language teacher.

The teacher nodded in understanding, then turned to the class and asked, "Which students are Du Le's roommates?"

No sooner had the teacher finished speaking than three female students stood up and addressed the teacher, "We are the three, teacher."

The language arts teacher smiled contentedly and said, "Alright, good. Please step outside for a moment."

The three girls exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of what had just occurred. Prompted by the teacher's expectant gaze, they reluctantly made their way out.

Upon seeing the trio emerge, the principal nodded and instructed, "Follow me, please."

With that, he strode ahead. The girls, though bewildered, complied, recognizing the authority of the principal.

Upon entering the conference room, they found Lu Wangshu and his colleagues already in wait. The girls grew even more perplexed; they did not recognize the individuals before them and were certain these were not school staff members, as they had never seen them on campus.

"Please, take a seat. There's no need to be tense. We just have a few questions for you, and once you've answered, you're free to go. There's nothing to fear," Lu Wangshu assured them.

The principal chimed in, "Exactly. Just relax and answer the questions as you normally would. No need for nerves."

The girl in the center nodded and asked, "What would you like to know?"

"Why is Du Le afraid of the director?" Lu Wangshu asked directly.

The girls were taken aback, exchanging looks of uncertainty before the same girl replied, "Which student isn't afraid of the director? It's quite normal, isn't it?"

She finished her response with a furtive glance at the principal, who was standing to the side, seemingly wary of his reaction.

The principal, preoccupied at the edge of the room, missed the girl's quick glance. However, Lu Wangshu, facing the girls, caught the subtle cue.

After a moment's thought, Lu Wangshu addressed the principal, "Principal, perhaps you could step out for a bit? Even though you are the head of Yongzhou No.1 Middle School, it's best if you're not present during the questioning of involved parties, as per protocol."

Upon hearing this, the principal exited the room.

Once the principal was out of sight, Lu Wangshu signaled to Lin Xiangyi with a glance to close the door. She caught on immediately, nodded, and with a swift step and a firm click, the conference room door was closed.

Lu Wangshu observed the door being securely shut, then swiftly turned to face the three girls. "Okay, with the principal gone and the door locked, it's just us now. Are you ready to tell the truth?" he asked.

The girls averted their gazes, and the one in the center clamped her teeth tightly over her lower lip, seemingly wrestling with her decision. Wangshu felt even more convinced that they were hiding something, yet were too scared to speak up.

With this in mind, he offered a reassuring smile and said, "Relax, we are the police. Whatever you tell us will be kept confidential. No one else will find out. So, if you know something, feel free to speak up. There's no need to be afraid."

The girls exchanged wary glances, still uncertain, not quite ready to trust Wangshu's assurances.

"The death of Du Le isn't as straightforward as it seems, is it?" Wangshu pressed.

Silence was their only response. Wangshu persisted, "If you know something but are reluctant to share, it's clear you're afraid of the consequences. But can you live with that fear? At night, when you're alone with your thoughts, aren't you afraid that Du Le's restless spirit might come seeking you?"

At that moment, Qiao Liang, seizing an opportunity when no one was looking, discreetly kicked Wangshu's foot.

Despite the questionable tactic, Wangshu's approach had an undeniable impact.

The girls, typically faint-hearted, were profoundly spooked by the mention of ghosts and vengeful spirits.

Since the news of Mrs. Zhang's apprehension by Wangshu and his team hadn't yet circulated through the school, the girls were unaware that she was the one behind the ghostly charades. Thus, when they heard Wangshu's mention of Du Le's vengeful soul, they were visibly frightened.

Noticing the rightmost girl's forehead glistening with sweat, clearly unnerved by his previous words, Wangshu gave a knowing smile and addressed the trio, "Well, if you're determined to keep silent, we'll have no choice but to interview each of you separately."

After finishing his statement, he winked at Qiao Liang and Lin Xiangyi. Understanding the signal, they stepped forward and each escorted a girl away.

Lin Xiangyi took charge of the girl on the far right, while Qiao Liang handled the one on the far left. Lu Wangshu was responsible for the girl seated in the middle.

There were plenty of vacant offices on this floor, so Qiao Liang and Lin Xiangyi each led the girls they were to interrogate into separate rooms.

Lin Xiangyi, though not a police academy graduate, had experience as a journalist. She knew how to ask the right questions to elicit the information she needed quickly and efficiently.

Additionally, Lin Xiangyi had hosted legal programs for some time, giving her considerable exposure to various cases.

She pulled out her phone from her pocket, activated the recording app, aimed the microphone at the girl, and pressed record.

The girl on the right had already had her defenses worn down by Lu Wangshu's mix of logic and intimidation. So when Lin Xiangyi posed her question, the girl spilled everything.

She confessed that she couldn't recall exactly when it began, but one day after evening self-study, Du Le told the three of them she would stay back to study more and urged them to return to the dorm without her.

Du Le was studious, so her roommates didn't overthink it or harbor any suspicions. They packed up and left.

But once, after returning to the dorm, this girl realized she had forgotten something in the classroom and rushed back to retrieve it.

To her surprise, the classroom was completely dark and empty upon her return; Du Le was nowhere to be found.

"I found it really odd. Where could Du Le have gone? When I got back to the dorm, she still hadn't returned. It was a long wait before she finally came back. It was then that I noticed Du Le was limping. I asked if she had twisted her ankle on the way, but she denied it. She seemed disinterested in discussing it further, so I didn't press the matter."

The girl mentioned that she hadn't dwelled on the incident much after it happened. But one night, she got up to use the dormitory bathroom and stumbled upon Du Le there.

"She was sitting on the floor in the dark, sobbing uncontrollably. It gave me quite a fright—I thought I'd seen a ghost. When I realized it was her, I went to switch on the light, but Du Le stopped me. It was odd, so I asked her what was wrong, what had happened, but she wouldn't tell me. She just kept crying."

As the girl recounted the story, her own spirits seemed to sink, clearly affected by Du Le's distress.

"What happened next?" Lin Xiangyi inquired, her face full of curiosity.