Volume 4: Days of Making Mischief at School
Alright!
Chen Meihan, why isn’t she here?
Father Shen said: “Did you mistake the billboard for a person?”
“Is that so…” Shen Maomao murmured.
Impossible, she couldn’t have imagined those hateful eyes for no reason. But now the person was gone, she had no way to explain [literally: a hundred mouths cannot argue], so she could only act coquettishly: “Then I want to sleep with Mama too.”
Mother Shen yawned, picked her up: “Let’s go, it’s already twelve o’clock, let’s continue sleeping.”
The family of three squeezed onto one bed, with people on both Shen Maomao’s left and right, she immediately felt more at ease. Listening to the even breathing on both sides, she quickly fell asleep again until daybreak.
The next morning was a bit cloudy, because of last night’s rain, white mist wreathed around the distant tall buildings, ethereal and illusory like a mirage.
After finishing breakfast, the family of three went downstairs together, Father Shen took the commuter bus to work, while Shen Maomao was led to school by Mama.
Just reaching downstairs, she involuntarily looked across the street, suddenly widening her eyes.
She saw that the billboard which was empty at midnight now had a black umbrella on it somehow, the black umbrella was in an open state, lightly placed on top of the billboard, swaying with the breeze but never falling off.
Shen Maomao tugged at her mother’s sleeve: “Mama look, there’s an umbrella over there! I want to go see it!”
Mother Shen said helplessly: “Why do you want to look at everything?”
Shen Maomao acted cute: “Let’s go look, okay Mama?”
Mother Shen sighed: “Fine, just one look, you’re almost late for school.”
The mother and daughter crossed over and came to the side of that umbrella.
This umbrella was very large, completely black, with a curved handle below. Walking closer, one could hear the sound of the umbrella handle hitting the billboard one by one—
“Dang…”
“Dang…”
Shen Maomao froze.
Wasn’t this the sound she heard that night? Only it was much softer than at night, not as deafening.
Why did it become so loud last night, as if it was ringing right next to her ear?!
She dared not think about what came next, if it really was like that, then she might not be far from death.
Mother Shen looked at the umbrella and said strangely: “Why is there still water on this umbrella? Did it rain again in the late night?”
No, it hadn’t rained in the late night, most of the road was dry, only small parts of the ground still had traces of moisture, and some small puddles still had standing water.
There was quite a bit of water on the umbrella surface, dripping down along the umbrella ribs onto the ground. A cold aura came from this black umbrella, as if millions of hooks reached out from within it, showing teeth and brandishing claws [or pouncing up menacingly], wanting to drag her down to hell together.
Shen Maomao’s arm trembled, and she unnaturally tugged at Mother Shen’s sleeve: “Mama I don’t want to look anymore, let’s quickly go to school.”
Mother Shen didn’t say much, just took her hand and walked back.
“Dang—”
“Dang—”
Just after crossing the road, that grating sound rang in Shen Maomao’s ears again, and simultaneously her back felt a chill, as if someone was casting a poisoned gaze upon her, bringing her a bone-piercing coldness.
Shen Maomao shrank her neck, not daring to look back.
After reaching the school gate and seeing the entrance, Shen Maomao suddenly remembered—when leaving school last night, Chen Meihan had said she would walk together with her the next morning, but she had been too focused on looking at the billboard and had forgotten this casual promise.
She looked up and asked Mother Shen: “Mama, yesterday Meihan said she would walk with us, today we left without her, we didn’t keep our word.”
Mother Shen said: “Meihan went to her father’s house, her father’s house is quite far from our home, so she won’t be walking with us today.”
Shen Maomao was still a bit panicked, afraid that Chen Meihan might be a big boss, and might chop her up or something because she didn’t keep her word.
Mother Shen gently pushed her: “Quickly go in, you’re about to be late.”
Shen Maomao could only grip her backpack strap and walk into school with a grave expression.
Class 2-1’s classroom was full of people, as usual the class was chaotic like a pot of porridge.
Shen Maomao looked around and found Lou Jingmo, Ren Yue, and Golden Retriever were all there, immediately feeling relieved.
But she didn’t find Chen Meihan in the classroom.
She walked down from the podium, and when passing by Ren Yue, she stuffed an apple into her arms, immediately warming her heart.
Lou Jingmo was watching her while resting her chin, and when she came near, said: “Getting so touched over an apple?”
Shen Maomao immediately took out the oranges, bananas, and pears her mama had packed for her, pushing them toward Lou Jingmo: “These are all offerings for your highness.”
Lou Jingmo pursed her lips: “Get lost.”
After the class was noisy for a while, homeroom teacher Teacher Yue walked into the classroom, looked around, and suddenly said: “Students, quiet down!”
The little radish heads closed their mouths and collectively looked at the man standing on the podium.
Teacher Yue said: “Didn’t I say you must be seated in class 10 minutes before lessons, why isn’t Chen Meihan here?”
Shen Maomao’s heart went “gudong” [onomatopoeia for heart dropping].
Chen Meihan’s desk mate stood up and answered: “Report to teacher, Chen Meihan didn’t come today!”
“Hmm?” Teacher Yue took out his phone, “You all be good and stay here, no talking, I’ll go make a phone call to Chen Meihan’s parents, okay?”
“Okay—”
Teacher Yue went to make the call in the corridor, Shen Maomao perked up her ears to listen to the sounds outside, only heard a “Hello, is this Chen Meihan’s mother?” followed by receding footsteps, then couldn’t hear anything else.
Lou Jingmo wrote on paper: 【What’s wrong?】
Shen Maomao replied: 【Yesterday her father took her away, I feel something’s not right】
Writing wasn’t as convenient as speaking, with limited space and time, she only briefly wrote about her feelings, planning to discuss the rest with Lou Jingmo after class.
Lou Jingmo wrote: 【Let’s wait and see】
Not coming to school didn’t necessarily mean it was a supernatural event, maybe something happened at her home.
And so they waited all morning. Chen Meihan didn’t come the entire morning.
Shen Maomao held Ren Yue’s hand and went to eat together, and after eating, the four children hid in a corner of the back playground, discussing what they had experienced last night.
Ren Yue looked terrible, with two big dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn’t rested well all night: “I didn’t sleep in the late night… something kept knocking on my window, it only stopped when dawn came…”
Lou Jingmo said: “In my house there was a strange person, they kept holding an umbrella inside the house, and everyone else acted like it was normal, but besides that nothing else was wrong.”
Shen Maomao also briefly described her experience, and finally said: “I feel like Chen Meihan’s situation is connected to what I experienced last night, it might be related to you, Sister Lou, Chen Meihan’s father was also holding a black umbrella when he came to pick her up…”
Lou Jingmo added: “The one at my house was also holding a black umbrella.”
Shen Maomao caught the key word: “Black umbrella…”
The three girls were lost in thought, only Golden Retriever wasn’t in the mood, he scratched his head and said sheepishly: “I slept through the night until dawn, nothing happened…”
Shen Maomao felt shamefully sour: “You’re way too lucky?!”
Golden Retriever gave a “hehe” laugh.
Lou Jingmo: “Don’t worry, the game won’t show favoritism.”
Golden Retriever’s smiling face fell: “Sister Xiaolou, you’re really great at comforting people.”
Lou Jingmo smiled.
Ren Yue quietly wiped away tears: “This place is really scary… how can we find the exit…”
This question Shen Maomao didn’t know either.
But when there’s something you don’t understand, ask the expert, she looked eagerly at Lou Jingmo and asked: “Sister Lou?”
Lou Jingmo bluntly retorted: “You think I own this game? That I can know whatever I want to know?”
Shen Maomao gave a dry cough: “Sister Lou, give me some face.”
Lou Jingmo’s mouth curved slightly: “I haven’t discovered who the cleaner is yet, you all take care of yourselves, and absolutely don’t expose your identities.”
The other three all nodded.
Chen Meihan didn’t come in the afternoon either, Teacher Yue switched classes with the Chinese teacher and hadn’t returned. Shen Maomao stared at Chen Meihan’s empty seat, feeling a bit worried about this cute little girl.
The dark clouds hadn’t dispersed, a light drizzle was falling, the sky hung very low, making it hard to breathe.
It was another long break time, the school leaders announced over the broadcast that exercise break was cancelled due to rain, the students cheered.
Lou Jingmo held an umbrella, extending an invitation to wander to Shen Maomao: “Should we go?”
Shen Maomao also took out her little duck umbrella: “Let’s go, let’s go play in the water!”
Ren Yue saw them walking out and hurriedly stood up: “Where are you going?”
Lou Jingmo said coldly: “We’re not playing with you.”
Ren Yue’s expression stiffened.
Shen Maomao quickly smoothed things over: “Lou Jingmo asked me to go out first, I’ll play with you next class, okay?”
Ren Yue nodded: “Be careful…” thinking it wasn’t quite right, she quickly added, “Don’t catch a cold.”
Shen Maomao nodded: “Mm.”
The two held hands walking out of the classroom, when passing by Golden Retriever, he opened his mouth: “I…”
Lou Jingmo: “Get lost.”
Golden Retriever: “Alright!”
Shen Maomao burst out laughing.
The rain had gotten heavier at some point, a group of mischievous little boys rushed out of the teaching building, running wildly on the playground, stepping in puddles, extremely happy.
The two girls walked on the school’s small path holding umbrellas, their pant legs splashed wet by the rain.
Bean-sized raindrops hit the umbrella surface, making pattering sounds, cold wind passed under the umbrella, making Shen Maomao involuntarily shiver.
Lou Jingmo first opened the conversation box: “How long have you known Ren Yue?”
Shen Maomao then understood that Lou Jingmo hadn’t called her out to look for clues, but about Ren Yue’s matter.
She said absent-mindedly: “Almost four years now…”
From starting school to senior year, over a thousand days and nights of companionship, knowing each other’s deepest secrets, and seeing each other at their most disheveled.
Shen Maomao had once been very grateful she came to Jiangcheng University, because that’s how she met a good friend like Ren Yue.
But it was precisely because she understood Ren Yue, knew how timid Ren Yue was, that she noticed Ren Yue’s abnormality.
She was too calm, acting not at all like a newcomer.
LP: If RY is the cleaner…
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