Translator: CinderTL
Jiang Cheng, who had taken leave of absence and suspended his studies, fell deep in thought. He suspected the girl's death might have been more than just a simple accident. It seemed his initial suspicions about the first girl's death were correct.
Yuan Xiaoyi continued, "One of the girls went back to her hometown with her parents. They said there was a famous temple nearby, and they had contacted the temple in advance to arrange for their daughter to stay there for a while."
"The temple had even sent someone to wait for them at the foot of the mountain. But the monk assigned to pick them up waited and waited, until the sun was about to set, and they still hadn't arrived."
"They couldn't reach them by phone either."
"Eventually, the police called the monk using the girl's father's phone. After confirming the situation, they told him not to wait any longer, as they wouldn't be coming."
"The girl, her father, and her mother had been in a car accident on their way. Their car had lost control and plunged off a cliff, falling into the river below."
"All three of them were gone."
They had been trying to find safety at the temple. It seemed they must have sensed something was wrong. "What about the remaining girl?" Jiang Cheng asked after a moment's hesitation, turning to Yuan Xiaoyi.
Yuan Xiaoyi signaled Jiang Cheng not to rush. "After this incident, the police also found it suspicious. They went to the remaining girl's home to gather information."
"But to their surprise, the girl's parents reacted violently. They refused to open the door and started shouting through it, demanding the police leave their daughter alone."
"They insisted the first girl's drowning had nothing to do with their daughter, that she knew nothing about it, and that everything being said outside was just malicious rumors and slander!"
"They even told the police to stay away and stop disturbing their family's life!" Yuan Xiaoyi said, shaking her head.
"Did something happen to this girl too?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"Yes," Yuan Xiaoyi whispered. "She died that same night, and her death was particularly strange."
"She drank a massive amount of water—tap water from the faucet. She used a rubber hose to funnel the water directly into her mouth and kept drinking... and drinking..."
"By the time her parents found her, it was too late. Though she hadn't died yet, she held on for a while before finally succumbing."
"Some people say that when the paramedics arrived, she was still alive, but it was obvious she couldn't be saved. Her stomach was bloated like... well, you know. Her eyes were bulging out, her pupils dilated, and water was streaming from the corners of her mouth."
"Even then, she kept muttering something," Yuan Xiaoyi recalled. "Because the scene was chaotic, her voice was soft and slurred. I could only make out a few phrases: 'I'm sorry, it wasn't me.' It was all along those lines—like she was apologizing to someone."
"She died just as they were loading her into the ambulance."
Apology
Jiang Cheng thought, even Fatty could figure this out. She must have been apologizing to the first girl who drowned. They were all implicated in her death.
After death, resentment lingers, turning into a fierce ghost seeking revenge.
"Too bad," Jiang Cheng thought. "It seems all the witnesses are dead. Without concrete clues and relying solely on rumors, going to the School Swimming Pool tonight could be a disaster."
"Senior," Yuan Xiaoyi said, sensing Jiang Cheng's concern, "there's one more girl. There were six of them training together back then."
"After hearing about another death, the last girl broke down. Accompanied by her family, she went to the police station and confessed everything."
"The girl who drowned did indeed drown because of a cramp, but... but they still lied."
Yuan Xiaoyi looked at Jiang Cheng and said in a strange tone, "In reality, when the girl was drowning, they heard the commotion and rushed to the pool."
"But..." Yuan Xiaoyi bit her lip and didn't continue.
"But because of selfishness and jealousy, they chose not to save her, instead watching her drown," Jiang Cheng said calmly. "And then they concocted a lie about failing to save her."
Yuan Xiaoyi paused, then raised her head, her brow furrowing slightly. "Senior, you're right, but there's one inaccuracy."
"It wasn't entirely jealousy that drove these girls. The girl who drowned had her own flaws. She was arrogant and looked down on others, constantly mocking her classmates, all because she excelled academically and in other areas, and was favored by the teachers."
"The reason everyone left her alone in the pool this time was because she'd made a girl cry. The others went to comfort the crying girl, leaving her behind."
Yuan Xiaoyi's eyes turned cold. "She mocked the girl, saying that no matter how long she practiced, it wouldn't matter because some things are just a matter of talent."
"And to be honest, they never really thought she would drown. They just wanted to embarrass her, teach her a lesson."
"By the time they realized she wasn't moving, the girls finally remembered to jump in and save her. But it was too late."
"She died," Yuan Xiaoyi whispered.
Jiang Cheng pretended to be deep in thought, but his peripheral vision kept darting to Yuan Xiaoyi beside him. He could clearly sense her emotional turmoil, rising and falling with the story.
But... this wasn't her story. Why was she feeling such intense empathy?
Why was she even defending the murdered girl?
In the previous Urban Legends, her reactions had been primarily fear of the stories themselves. This time, it was completely different.
"What happened to that girl in the end?" Jiang Cheng asked.
Yuan Xiaoyi shook her head and replied in a dull voice, "She died too. She was found dead in the police station bathroom, her head stuck inside the toilet bowl of a stall."
"It was as if she had gone mad, desperately forcing her head into the toilet, as if she were a snake."
Seeing Jiang Cheng frown, Yuan Xiaoyi explained, "After all that had happened, the police station had assigned a female officer to stay with her. The officer was right outside the stall door at the time."
"But strangely, according to the officer's recollection, she didn't hear any unusual sounds—just the normal sounds of someone using the restroom. It was like that the entire time."
"The officer had been calling the girl's name, and only when she didn't get a response did she realize something was wrong."
"Then she forced the door open and found that scene."
"It was an incredibly eerie sight. They say that when they pulled the girl's head out, her entire face was deformed, as if her bones had been crushed."
"Later, they found a dark bruise on the back of her head, much darker than her scalp. It looked as if it had been branded onto her."
"Someone reached up and mimicked the motion of pressing a handprint, I think. They probably grabbed the girl's head and shoved it into the toilet."
"No, that's not right. It was more like hooking her head and pulling it into the toilet. That's how the force was applied." Yuan Xiaoyi demonstrated with her hands. "Senior, do you understand?"
Jiang Cheng took a deep breath and nodded. "The hand emerged from inside the toilet."
"Exactly! That's it."
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (NS) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c1320. [+6]
🔑Read it 100% for FREE visit the pinned post on my p@treon to learn how!🎉
💥Translated (6) Series, (4.6K+) Chapters, (6.7M+) Words.