Chapter 21: Suicide

The early morning sunlight slipped through the curtain gap, casting a narrow, bright streak across the room’s floor.

Jiang Yuxin sat up in bed.
The faint, decayed stench from last night’s cramped cabinet lingered in her nose, fueling her lingering irritation.
She spent longer than usual in the shower, scrubbing fiercely to erase the sticky, unclean feeling.

Last night’s events replayed in her mind: the abandoned school building, the strange music box, and the “inhuman being” that left footsteps but evaded her mental power.

And then there was Chen Dongyang.

He carried deeper secrets.
His ability, triggered at a cost, was unlike hers—natural, instinctive, like breathing.
His felt like a raw, primal miracle, bound by some rule of equal exchange.

That “inhuman being” in the old school building, and the music box it stole, tore a corner off the veil of this seemingly mundane world.
Were there more bizarre things out there?
Why hadn’t she noticed before?

Jiang Yuxin buried her questions and headed to school as usual.

The classroom felt normal when she arrived.
Chen Dongyang sat listlessly, drained from yesterday’s ordeal.
The Yin sisters were already there, Yin Qingle whispering to Yin Xiran.

Jiang Yuxin settled into her seat, propping her chin with one hand, bored.

Near the end of morning reading, a stifled exclamation broke the classroom’s quiet hum.
A girl, clutching her phone, shared something with her deskmate, her face pale with shock.
The disturbance spread like wildfire.

“Have you heard? Someone died at our school!”
“Is it true? I saw a police car this morning!”
“They say she jumped from the roof of the old teaching building. A senior, third year. Too much study pressure… her brains were splattered. Horrifying…”
“Oh my God, how could that happen?”

Jiang Yuxin frowned slightly.
She didn’t care about a stranger’s death, but “old teaching building” snapped her attention to last night’s experience.

She glanced at Chen Dongyang.
He’d lifted his head, face paler than earlier, eyes reflecting shock and a flicker of déjà vu.
He’d heard it too.

The head teacher, Mr. Yang, entered with a grim expression, cutting off the chatter.
“I know you’re all speculating,” Teacher Yang’s voice broke the silence.
“Stay calm. Don’t spread or believe rumors, and don’t discuss this privately. The police are investigating. Respect the deceased and pray for her.”

She paused, scanning the students’ young faces.
“Also, no one is allowed near the old teaching building on the west side! It’s sealed off by the police. Rule-breakers will face consequences!”

A heavy, eerie mood cloaked the school all morning.
Whispering students, hurried teachers, and uniformed police officers filled the corridors.

Jiang Yuxin ignored it all, flipping through her book as usual.
But her mental power silently slipped into the minds of the nearby police.

[No signs of a struggle at the scene. The deceased had only fall-related injuries.]
[A suicide note was found under her pillow in the dorm. Handwriting confirmed. It mentioned academic pressure and hopelessness—a typical teenage suicide.]
[The family was emotional; we had to console them. Kids these days are so fragile.]
[Surveillance shows she returned to school alone after 8 p.m., went to the old teaching building, and never left. It’s essentially suicide.]

Suicide?

Jiang Yuxin retracted her mental power.
A thought struck her.
Two days ago, on the rooftop, Chen Dongyang had tackled her, thinking she was about to jump.
Too much of a coincidence.

She pulled out her phone, opened the only contact in her address book, and sent a message.
– Lunch break, rooftop.

Chen Dongyang trudged up the stairs, carrying a bag of bread.
Exhausted from overusing his recollection ability yesterday, he’d skipped his usual “training” last night, hoping sleep would help.
It hadn’t.

The rooftop’s broken iron door was gone, replaced by a flimsy plastic one.
New No. 2 Middle School wasn’t usually this efficient.
Was it because of the suicide?

Thinking of the suicide gave Chen Dongyang another headache.
Should he report the shadowy figure in the old building to the teacher or police?
Would hiding it cause trouble?
But how could he explain being there?

Too many questions.
He shook his head, giving up on thinking.

On the rooftop, he found not only Jiang Yuxin but also the Yin sisters.
Yin Xiran had dragged Yin Qingle to sit beside Jiang Yuxin.
Jiang Yuxin looked indifferent, her eyes distant, lost in thought.

“Oh, Classmate Chen is here,” Yin Xiran said, noticing him first.
She glanced at Jiang Yuxin.
“Do we start now?”

Jiang Yuxin snapped back to reality.
“Let’s talk about that next time,” she said casually.
“I have important things to handle today.”

This time? Next time?
Chen Dongyang felt a chill, sensing they were discussing something ominous.

“Serious business?” Yin Xiran raised an eyebrow, her mind racing with morning rumors.

At Jiang Yuxin’s signal, Chen Dongyang stepped forward and recounted yesterday’s events: the music classroom, the music box, and the shadowy, twisting figure.

“The old teaching building…” Yin Qingle’s eyes widened, and she shrank closer to her sister.
“Isn’t that where someone died today?”

“So, Classmate Chen thinks this is connected to that unidentified shadow?” Yin Xiran’s eyes narrowed, her tone sharp and speculative.