Chapter 48

The study door wasn’t fully closed. Jiang Liu sensed that the lights in the living room had been turned off, and soon, all was quiet. She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples, feeling a rare sense of exhaustion.

Before her was Teacher Yang’s desk, which was piled high with items. Jiang Liu gave it a cursory glance. Besides lesson plans, there were test papers for various subjects, sorted by category and neatly arranged on either side. The handwriting on the lesson plans was delicate. People say that handwriting reflects the person, which would suggest a quiet, scholarly girl. But no matter how hard Jiang Liu tried, she couldn’t connect that image to the cold Yang Caisi.

She smiled inexplicably, closed the lesson plan, and set it aside. Her gaze then fell upon something behind the lesson plan, and she paused. Tucked underneath was a small paper bag with neat red letters on it: Dayuan Photo Studio.

Given the size, is it an ID photo?

Curious, Jiang Liu picked it up. The bag was still sealed, likely tossed on the desk and forgotten after being brought back. Inside was a two-inch photo with a white background. The person in it wasn’t wearing glasses, and her features looked somewhat youthful. Her eyes were curved into a crescent shape as she smiled brightly at the camera. Jiang Liu was inexplicably touched by the smile. Her fingers unconsciously caressed the photo, and she remembered Zhao Ziming’s teasing remark about collecting photos from that night. She couldn’t help but chuckle.

If one were to talk about collecting, this one was clearly more valuable. Stripped of the identity packaging, the person in this photo was closer to Yang Caisi herself, rather than a generically defined NPC.

Just as she was thinking, her phone started to vibrate. Jiang Liu instinctively reached for her pocket, but her movement suddenly stopped. She had left her phone to charge by the bed when she returned. So where was this clear vibration coming from? She frowned and, after a moment, located the source of the vibration—the bottom right drawer of the desk.

The drawer was locked. Jiang Liu tried pulling it a couple of times but it wouldn’t open. A flicker of doubt crossed her mind. Teacher Yang had said she only used this place for afternoon naps and would go home in the evening. The dormitory was rarely visited by anyone, so she was confident enough not to even lock the main door. If that was the case, why lock just one drawer? The vibration from within slowly subsided and then went silent.

Jiang Liu’s fingertips brushed against the edge of the drawer. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and with a few quick movements, she found a tool and picked the lock, finally revealing its contents. It was a phone, and if she remembered correctly, it was the same model Teacher Yang had been holding that evening. Besides the phone, there was also a detailed layout of the school, showing everything from the academic building to the principal’s office, even the electrical wiring was clearly drawn. Some locations were heavily marked with a red pen, with the archives room being the most prominent.

Jiang Liu’s heart skipped a beat as the most impossible idea surfaced in her mind. She instinctively held her breath and quickly picked up the phone to examine it. The screen wasn’t locked. The sound just now was an alarm someone had set. A locked phone, an alarm set for nearly four in the morning, a layout of the school—these were not things Teacher Yang would do!

The night was quiet, and the others were already fast asleep. Jiang Liu gripped the phone tightly, her heart pounding uncontrollably, so violently it felt like it would burst from her chest. The sound of each beat echoed in her ears, making her flush with excitement. Chen Si, Xiao Si… The characters from past instances flashed before her eyes, their features merging and reassembling, slowly forming the image of Yang Caisi in her memory.

Could it be—they were all Yang Caisi herself? Or was only this instance different?

Recalling the things she had tested before, Jiang Liu’s breathing became ragged. She almost frantically opened the phone’s contact list. At the very top was a name brightly displayed, the word “Sister” that Jiang Liu had watched the girl type herself, followed by a pink heart. At 5:30 PM, there was an incoming call from “Sister.”

As if she had been hit over the head, Jiang Liu stiffly scrolled down the message list and, sure enough, found her chat history pinned at the top. The invitation to the arcade outside the instance, the life-saving tip in the garden—it all came from this phone. Every single message was there, undeleted, gathered in the small chat box, which felt more like a message left specifically by Yang Caisi.

All the people you’ve met were me.

From the moment she brought Jiang Liu to this room, Yang Caisi had no intention of hiding her identity. Instead, she used this method to extend an invitation to Jiang Liu—

Clear the level with me.

***

Xu Meng sat next to Jiang Liu with huge dark circles under her eyes, yawning. Zhu Yan was eating breakfast opposite them. Seeing her, he leaned over and whispered, “You didn’t sleep well either?”

He had nearly gone crazy. His whole night was filled with dreams of terrifying Ghostly Shadows. He had died dozens of bloody deaths in his dreams and had woken up as soon as it was light, unable to bear it any longer. Xu Meng nodded. She had woken up a bit late, and by the time she did, he and Zhao Ziming had already gone to buy food. Only Jiang Liu had waited for her, which made her feel a little embarrassed.

By the time she got to the cafeteria, the students had already gone to their morning reading session. There were few people inside, only Zhao Ziming, who had finished eating and was now deep in thought. Receiving an affirmative answer, Zhu Yan was delighted and quickly whispered, “I’ve finally found a normal person. You have no idea, I woke up and saw those two talking on the balcony, looking so energetic.”

Looking at the two of them, he almost thought that everything he experienced last night was just a dream. Compared to his overreaction, Xu Meng was already used to the strong mental fortitude of those around her. She smiled, pursing her lips, and glanced at Jiang Liu beside her. She seemed to be concentrating on something, lost in thought, but it didn’t stop her from eating. She took a bite of her pancake and then a sip of soy milk with a rhythmic precision.

They had both stayed up late, but unlike her own haggard appearance, Jiang Liu was as refreshed as if nothing had happened, her expression serious, completely unaffected by last night’s events.

Xu Meng couldn’t help but wonder, what kind of environment could produce a personality like Jiang Liu’s? After breakfast, the group walked aimlessly through the empty campus. Zhu Yan and Xu Meng exchanged a look and asked in unison, “What are we doing today?”

Without a guide NPC, they were like headless flies, with no idea how to even begin completing the mission. The main quest was to find the suspended student, Xiao Ji, but who was Xiao Ji? What did he look like? They were completely in the dark. It wasn’t just the two of them; even the self-proclaimed veteran, Zhao Ziming, was at a rare loss.

Under their expectant gazes, Jiang Liu finally spoke. “First, let’s go to Grade 3, Class 5. We’ll go check on those other players.”

Right now, they needed to determine if the other group knew of their existence. People say the morning sets the tone for the day. Unlike the drowsy state of the afternoon, the third-year seniors were indeed quite energetic in the morning. The door to Class 5 was closed. Jiang Liu peeked through the glass window and saw that there seemed to be a teacher inside.

Zhu Yan automatically slipped into his student role and rubbed his hands nervously. “How are we going to get in?”

Jiang Liu smiled faintly and pointed at herself. “Don’t you see anything different about me?”

Zhu Yan looked her over and shook his head blankly. “Tsk.” Jiang Liu was speechless.

And here she had gone through the trouble of rummaging through the closet to find something that fit. It was probably a change of clothes Yang Caisi had left in the wardrobe. Dressed in a casual suit and trousers, her entire demeanor had changed drastically. Jiang Liu was willing to bet that even the students who had seen her yesterday wouldn’t be able to recognize her as the same person. Yang Caisi’s teacher access card had been left behind, which was perfect for her to use as a prop.

Jiang Liu adjusted her collar, held the lesson plan to her chest, cleared her throat, and knocked on the door. The moment the door opened, she had already put on her signature smile, transforming into what seemed like a proper, well-mannered teacher. But this posture only lasted for a moment—

The person who opened the door was dressed in casual clothes, holding a thermos. He was also taken aback when he saw her. He subconsciously pushed up his glasses and said in a gentle tone, “Hello?”

The words Jiang Liu had prepared got stuck in her throat. She stared at the person before her with a strange expression, for once not responding immediately. If she had been wondering last night why Yang Caisi had done what she did, then seeing this person made all her doubts vanish. When she saw the person’s face clearly, only one thought remained in her mind—no wonder.

This face belonged to Qiao Ke, whom she had met once before. Yang Caisi had repeatedly warned her to stay away from him, yet by a strange twist of fate, she had run into him in this instance. Was that why she decided to reveal her identity? What kind of conflict was there between them?

A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, but they were all reined in within an instant. Just as the person opposite her was about to speak again, she cut in, slowly extending her hand. “Teacher Qiao, I’ve heard so much about you.”

“My surname is Jiang. Teacher Yang recommended me to come and observe your class.”

She revealed her identity, her smile seemingly genuine but not reaching her eyes. “I assume Teacher Yang already mentioned it to you before she took her leave, right?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Qiao Ke was momentarily stunned. He looked at Jiang Liu with a half-smile, not rushing to answer. Jiang Liu frowned inwardly, thinking that she really didn’t like the look in his eyes. Qiao Ke’s silence lasted a little too long. Not only did Zhao Ziming and the others feel their hearts leap into their throats, but even the students in the front row noticed the somewhat tense atmosphere and looked up.

Their gazes met in mid-air for a moment before they both looked away. After a long pause, Qiao Ke chuckled and shook her fingertips. “Yes, Teacher Jiang, right? Please, come in.”

He took a small step back, ushering Jiang Liu to the podium. He tapped the blackboard to quiet the class and then introduced her. “Class, this is Teacher Jiang, who is here for her internship.”

As his voice fell, a cold, mechanical system notification suddenly sounded in Jiang Liu’s ear.

Player Jiang Liu, Identity: Intern Teacher at No. 16 Middle School.

Wait… can your identity change?

She hadn’t expected the system notification. Before she could react, she was forced to say a few words to the students before successfully leading her group to sit in the back. The equally dumbfounded Zhu Yan poked her and asked, puzzled, “How did you know Teacher Yang took a leave of absence?”

Jiang Liu rolled her eyes discreetly. What a stupid question this kid was asking. Yang Caisi had turned into a Ghost Face. Of course, her fate was the same as the suspended students! Why else would she go through all the trouble of leaving her clues to clear the level? She was obviously counting on her to be the hero and save the beauty!