The Hand of Confession – Chapter 88

Volume 4: Days of Making Mischief at School

The Black Umbrella

Whose umbrella is this?

Concerned about Shen Maomao’s condition, the subject teacher called Teacher Yue to quickly contact her parents.

Teacher Yue returned to the classroom and crouched in front of Shen Maomao, asking gently, “Shen Maomao, are you scared?”

Shen Maomao didn’t know how a child should react in this situation, so she just pressed her lips together without speaking.

Teacher Yue automatically assumed she was frightened speechless and patted her head: “Don’t be afraid, that’s…”

After hesitating for a few seconds, he made up an excuse: “Our school is conducting a fire drill, and that’s just paint being sprayed by the firefighter uncles.”

Shen Maomao: “…” She didn’t know what to say – was Teacher Yue treating her like a three-year-old?

Though she wasn’t much older than that anyway.

Feeling she had played the role of a withdrawn child long enough, she feigned innocence and asked: “Really?”

Teacher Yue: “Yes. I’ve already called your mother, and she said she’ll come pick you up right away. When you get home, get some good rest, and if you feel unwell tomorrow, tell your mother so she can take you to see a doctor, okay?”

Shen Maomao nodded: “Okay, thank you, Teacher Yue.”

“Good girl,” Teacher Yue patted her head again.

With the curtains drawn, Shen Maomao couldn’t see what was happening outside. She wanted to communicate with Lou Jingmo, but with both teachers watching her closely, she could only subtly blink at Lou Jingmo.

Unfortunately, Lou Jingmo was looking down writing something, and all of Shen Maomao’s signals were intercepted by Golden Retriever, with none reaching their intended destination.

Parents gradually arrived at the classroom door to pick up their children, while also discussing the incident outside, questioning the school’s security measures and worrying about their children’s safety.

Shen Maomao strained her ears to listen, catching only fragments—”This is really strange.”

“I heard that child had no wounds at all.”

“This won’t do, it’s too dangerous. I need to transfer my child to another school!”

Teacher Yue had to stand outside to maintain order: “Please quiet down, parents, and mind your words. What you’re saying now could affect the children’s worldview. Please try to keep your voices down.”

At the mention of affecting children, the parents immediately fell silent. The teaching building grew quiet, with only the hurried footsteps of departing parents remaining.

While Shen Maomao’s mother was still on her way, and both Golden Retriever and Lou Jingmo’s parents hadn’t arrived yet, among the four of them, the first to arrive was the man who had picked up Ren Yue yesterday—apparently her current body’s father.

Ren Yue’s father held a folded black umbrella, its tip still dripping rainwater. He stood silently at the classroom entrance, expressionless, merely glancing inside twice.

Teacher Yue called out: “Ren Yue! Your father is here to take you home!”

Ren Yue, upon hearing her name, trembled and suddenly stood up, saying loudly: “Teacher Yue, Maomao might be scared today, can I stay with her?”

Teacher Yue smiled helplessly: “You should ask your father about things like this…”

Ren Yue clenched her fists, looked at the cold man, and gathered her courage to ask: “Dad… can I go to Maomao’s house…” Her voice grew increasingly faint until it was barely audible.

She cast a pleading look, helplessly glancing toward Shen Maomao.

Shen Maomao raised her hand, while Lou Jingmo softly sighed.

Teacher Yue asked: “Shen Maomao, what do you want?”

“Teacher, I’m a bit scared and want Ren Yue to play with me. Uncle Ren, please agree?”

Ren Yue’s father coldly looked at them, finally lowering his gaze to meet Shen Maomao’s eyes.

The two stared at each other for a good ten seconds. The man’s gaze was intense, as if memorizing Shen Maomao’s appearance to come take her away in the middle of the night. It made Shen Maomao’s heart race, and she began to have second thoughts.

Unexpectedly, the man shifted his gaze away in the next moment. Without indicating agreement or disagreement, he left the classroom with his umbrella, leaving only a trail of wet footprints in the corridor.

Shen Maomao plopped down on her stool, taking two deep breaths: “Ren Yue, your father is so scary!”

Ren Yue’s face was deathly pale. She slightly curved her lips, which counted as a response to Shen Maomao’s words.

Teacher Yue stood beside them, rubbing his chin thoughtfully but saying nothing.

Shen Maomao secretly reached her hand under the desk, hoping to hold Lou Jingmo’s hand for comfort, but was mercilessly rejected by Lou Jingmo.

Shen Maomao: “!!”

She looked at Lou Jingmo with a pitiful expression.

Lou Jingmo wrote a small line on a note: 【By my calculations, you’re going to die tonight.】

Shen Maomao responded with three question marks in pencil.

Lou Jingmo: 【Can’t you see? Your dear friend has been targeted.】

Shen Maomao wasn’t stupid; she naturally understood that anyone carrying a black umbrella might be suspicious, and she had noticed some similarities between Ren Yue’s stepfather and Chen Meihan’s father…

But what did that have to do with her?

Lou Jingmo wrote: 【Do you understand what it means to divert disaster eastward? [meaning: to redirect trouble to others]】

Shen Maomao wanted to write 【She’s just too scared】, but worried Lou Jingmo would be unhappy—though she couldn’t explain why Lou Jingmo would be unhappy. So she just wrote: 【Thanks for your concern, goddess! I’ll try my best to survive!】 with a small smiley face at the end.

Lou Jingmo took an eraser and first removed that cheeky little smiley face.

Shen Maomao: “QAQ.”

Soon after, Lou Jingmo’s grandmother arrived.

Shen Maomao watched Lou Jingmo’s departing figure with reluctance, feeling that her extra life would probably be lost on the second night of the game.

A little while later, Shen Maomao’s mother finally arrived at school, running late.

As soon as she reached the classroom door, still catching her breath, she called out to Shen Maomao: “Maomao! Are you okay? If I had known, I wouldn’t have gone to visit your grandmother…”

Shen Maomao walked to her mother’s side with her small backpack, holding two of her mother’s fingers with her small hand and gently swaying them: “Mom, I’m fine.”

Shen Maomao’s mother looked toward the podium: “Teacher Yue, should I take Maomao home now?”

Shen Maomao quickly interjected: “Mom! I invited Ren Yue to play at our house and stay overnight, is that okay?”

Ren Yue also walked to Shen Maomao’s side with her backpack, looking expectantly at Shen Maomao’s mother.

Since her daughter rarely made requests, Shen Maomao’s mother had no reason to refuse. She patted Ren Yue’s head and said: “Alright, but you need to make sure Ren Yue’s parents are informed.”

Shen Maomao nodded: “Already done! Her father agreed!”

Teacher Yue said: “Then, Mrs. Shen, I’ll leave Ren Yue in your care.”

“Okay, Teacher Yue.” Shen Maomao’s mother tapped Shen Maomao’s nose playfully, “You’ve learned to act first and report later.” Then she took both girls by the hand and led them out of the classroom.

Lou Jingmo’s grandmother walked slowly, so the three of them soon passed her.

Shen Maomao looked back one last time at Lou Jingmo and saw her wink.

In that moment, she felt completely at ease, believing that no matter what dangers lay ahead, there was nothing to fear because she had Lou Jingmo as such a strong backing that no one could shake.

She turned her head back and pretended to ask her mother innocently: “Mom, what does ‘act first and report later’ mean?”

Shen Maomao’s mother said with mock scolding: “It’s exactly what you just did—making arrangements with Ren Yue first, then asking for my permission. What if I had said no? What would Ren Yue do then?”

Ren Yue quickly said: “I’m sorry, Auntie. It was all because I insisted on playing with Maomao.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Maomao’s mother immediately turned to scold Shen Maomao: “Look how considerate Ren Yue is! And then look at yourself!”

The rain had stopped at some point, but the sky hadn’t cleared, leaving the air damp and heavy.

The three of them left through the side entrance near the door. Throughout this time, Shen Maomao’s mother carefully made sure the two children couldn’t see the scene behind them. Only after passing through the school gates did she breathe a sigh of relief, glancing back nervously before quickly averting her gaze, unconsciously tightening her grip on Shen Maomao’s hand.

Without looking back, Shen Maomao could guess what kind of scene lay behind them. She only watched Ren Yue, who had a deathly pale face and kept her head down, staring at the ground, lost in thought.

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They walked home in silence like this. Shen Maomao’s mother, preoccupied with her thoughts, didn’t find the atmosphere particularly strange.

“Clatter—bang.”

As the key was inserted into the lock and Shen Maomao’s mother opened the door, a black umbrella fell over, landing on the doormat that read “Peace Coming and Going” [traditional door blessing].

Ren Yue stepped back several paces as if startled, with large beads of sweat rolling down her forehead.

Shen Maomao’s mother found it strange: “Where did this black umbrella come from? Did your father bring it home?”

She called into the house: “Old Shen? Are you home?”

No one answered her question.

The water from the umbrella soaked the mat, spreading a water stain across it. The stain spread outward, looking exactly like what Shen Maomao had seen on the playground that afternoon.

Shen Maomao’s mother furrowed her brows, muttering to herself: “Then whose umbrella is this?”

Shen Maomao saw her mother’s intention to pick up the umbrella and, disregarding whether it would expose her identity as a player, quickly warned: “Don’t take it!”

But it was too late; her mother had already picked up the umbrella.

Nothing happened.

Shen Maomao’s mother asked with a smile: “What’s wrong?”

However, Shen Maomao felt as if she was being watched by a venomous snake, her entire back going numb. She forced a smile and said seriously: “It seems the Black Fairy’s [reference to a children’s show character] magic only works on us kids. Mom, you’re a grown-up, so you won’t be harmed!”

Shen Maomao’s mother’s smile returned to normal as she played along with her daughter’s imagination: “That’s right. Although we don’t know where this umbrella appeared from, its owner must be worried about losing it. Let’s wait for them to come find it.”

Ren Yue’s voice trembled: “Auntie, let’s leave the umbrella at the doorway, so anyone looking for it can spot it right away.”

“That’s true! However—” Shen Maomao’s mother changed her tone, “if we leave it outside, someone might take it quickly, and then how anxious would the owner be when they can’t find their umbrella!”

With that, ignoring both children’s protests, she took the umbrella inside and placed it on the shoe rack in the entryway.

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The author has something to say:

I apologize, I forgot to set up the draft box while taking a shower.

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