Go to hell.
Real hatred rose at these two words, and the beautiful European-style castle model was shattered into pieces.
Some people around were whispering:
"What's going on..."
"I didn't see it..."
"Who was the first one to come in?"
"Don't talk nonsense, it has nothing to do with me. When I came in, it was already like this. If you don't believe me, ask..."
A vacuum-like zone seemed to form around the broken pieces of the castle blocks. A group of people stood far away, either curious or surprised, and not a single one dared to take a step forward.
Ruoping went up to take a look, and her tone also became complicated:
"Why is it targeted at her again? The last time with the scarf was the same. You say, what did Gu Qiumian do to provoke... Hey, where are you going?"
Zhang Shutong had already pushed aside the shoulders of the people around him and squatted down beside the blocks. He took out his phone, snapped a picture, then picked up the white paper, glanced at it, and then crumpled it into a ball.
The white paper was just ordinary A4 paper, clean, with no other marks left except for those two words. He continued to look down and brushed aside the colorful parts on the ground with his hand, only to find that it wasn't just smashed—
A LEGO minifigure wearing a skirt was originally placed at the entrance of the castle, dressed handsomely, hidden among the leaves of the green radishes on both sides. He used to call it the princess, but now the minifigure was broken into two halves from the middle, and the plastic part serving as the head was directly crushed.
He looked at his phone again. In the photo just now, the body of the princess minifigure was placed right in the middle of the words "Go to hell."
Zhang Shutong piled the blocks together, and his brows furrowed little by little.
He was certain that this was a variable that had never happened in his previous life.
Why?
And what did "go to hell" mean?
Just like the last time the scarf was torn, was it a classmate's revenge, or...
A death threat?
He instantly thought of the murder case four days later, but what connection could these two things have?
He tried to sort out his thoughts, and at this moment, Ruoping also squeezed through the crowd, interrupting his thinking:
"Put them in here..."
She didn't know where she found a plastic bag, sighed, and also squatted down to help put the blocks away, with a sense of being frustrated with him:
"Why are you getting involved? Haven't you had enough of the lesson from the scarf incident last time..."
Of course, Zhang Shutong couldn't tell her his suspicions, so he just busy himself and casually made up a story:
"What else can I do? She's probably going to cry and lose her temper again. I'm her deskmate now, so won't I be the one suffering..."
In just a few words, the two had already put the blocks away. He looked up and saw that Gu Qiumian should not have returned to the classroom yet.
"That's true. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be willing to help her." Ruoping was always a bit sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. "Then who do you think wants to take revenge on her? We're all classmates, there shouldn't be such a big grudge, right?"
Zhang Shutong didn't answer.
He saw a person.
He placed the plastic bag on the bookshelf, his eyes fixed on one spot. "You go find the homeroom teacher first..."
After speaking, Zhang Shutong strode out of the crowd. The other person saw him about to leave, but this time, he wasn't able to. He grabbed the jacket of the male student named Zhou Ziheng, and frowned:
"What exactly was that thing you said this morning?"
Zhang Shutong didn't have a deep impression of him. Maybe he had no presence in the class. Now, he took a good look at him. He was short and stout, with dark skin, and a pair of eyes with very little white, also very dark. He had a slight hunchback, which indicated that he was used to looking down.
"Why are you looking for me, let go..."
The distance between the two of them closed in an instant. The other person was stunned for a moment and struggled to break free but couldn't.
Zhang Shutong just looked him directly in the eyes:
"If you don't say it now, you'll have to tell the homeroom teacher later."
At this time, the two had become the focus of the crowd. Countless eyes looked over, and Zhou Ziheng said anxiously:
"Zhang Shutong, I'm telling you, don't rely on your good relationship with the homeroom teacher to..."
"Right, so what?" Zhang Shutong interrupted him sharply. "So you did it?"
"What does it have to do with me? Don't talk nonsense..."
"Then tell me, now."
The other person finally couldn't hold on and stammered:
"It's really not me. I just went to the bathroom this morning and saw someone wrote Gu Qiumian's name on the partition..."
"Continue."
"And then her name was crossed out..."
"Which stall?"
"I... I didn't pay attention..."
"Keep talking."
"There's really nothing else. When I saw it, I wanted to tell her, but she didn't believe me, so what could I do? I clearly told her, but she found me annoying, and now you guys are still suspecting me!"
As he spoke, Zhou Ziheng suddenly got agitated. He tried hard to break free from Zhang Shutong's hand, and his jacket was even pulled askew:
"Why should I be a good person and still be suspected? I also want to ask who I offended. Did I tell her this morning? Did she not take it seriously herself? Did something really happen? If so, then what does it have to do with me!"
"Then why did you run away this morning?" Zhang Shutong didn't argue with him at all.
Zhou Ziheng clenched his fists, staring at the blocks in the bag. His dark face turned red. He then looked at Zhang Shutong with indignation and said loudly:
"Then I also want to ask, who do you think you are? Who is Zhang Shutong? What is he to Gu Qiumian? Why do you come over and ask questions when something happens to her? What if I just don't want to say it? If she wants to ask, she can come and ask me herself. Does it mean you're the only one in the world who can be a good person?"
Zhou Ziheng roared and was about to leave, but as soon as he took a step, he found that the door was blocked by two boys:
"Hey, no, you're playing the victim now. I'm telling you, this guy looks honest, but what he just said was malicious, putting you on the spot."
Du Kang appeared out of nowhere and started to side with him without caring about anything. Anyway, he was the kind of person who helped his friends, not what was right.
Qingyi also stood there with a sullen face and didn't speak. His deadpan eyes were very intimidating. When the two of them stood next to Zhou Ziheng, it looked like they were bullying him;
Only at this time did Zhang Shutong feel a headache. He didn't take anything Zhou Ziheng said to heart, whether it was feeling wronged or venting. Although he could hear the hidden malice, his current concern was not about the other person. What's-his-name or what's-his-name didn't matter;
But with Du Kang and the others blocking the way, it was easy for the situation to escalate. So he waved his hand, signaling the two of them not to help.
Zhou Ziheng indeed rushed out the door. Du Kang looked at his back and cursed:
"Shutong, didn't you realize that this guy just looks honest? What he just said was malicious, trying to put you on the spot..."
Of course, Zhang Shutong could hear it, but not talking was the best way to deal with it. Otherwise, should he beat him up or confront him face to face? He didn't feel anything, but his two best friends were unhappy, so he would have to console them a few words;
Zhang Shutong suddenly felt a little helpless. He repeatedly said he was fine, and the three of them went to the bathroom together. They found Gu Qiumian's name in the third stall. He took a photo with his phone again and even compared the handwriting on the A4 paper, but he still didn't get any results.
Zhang Shutong just wanted to confirm one thing now—
Is this revenge related to the murder case?
And why didn't this happen before, but it happened after the regression? What was the catalyst?
As he was pondering the serious matter, Du Kang came over with a sneaky smile and said, "Bro, so you really have a thing for Gu Qiumian. This is a classic hero saving the beauty. Qingyi and I have to help you no matter what."
Qingyi also nodded deeply and started to say that a man's mission is... Zhang Shutong quickly told these two big brothers to shut up, just hoping that the class bell would take them away quickly.
It seemed that heaven also heard his request. The next moment, the bell rang. The two waved their hands reluctantly. Zhang Shutong stayed in the bathroom for a while and then returned to his seat. He was a little surprised that Gu Qiumian was also there.
He had thought the girl would throw a tantrum at the podium, just like the last time her scarf was stepped on, and demand to know who did it;
Or she would go directly to the homeroom teacher to complain. In that case, the situation would be serious. If it were just the castle being smashed, it would be fine. The "perpetrator" would at most be caught and could just explain it as an accident. But with the two words "go to hell," it was no longer a simple school conflict.
But Gu Qiumian neither threw a tantrum nor complained, nor did she have red eyes like last time. Instead, she sat in her seat with a cold face, arranged the materials needed for the next class, as if she was still in the boring and monotonous school life.
It was almost the same as when she was chatting with her few close friends during morning reading.
Or did no one tell her at all?
Thinking this, Zhang Shutong looked at the plastic bag on the bookshelf again. Even if no one told her, she should be able to see that such a big block castle was gone.
He only realized now that there was no teacher on the podium. Everyone was whispering about the recent incident, including some gossip. The class monitor had shouted several times, but it was no use;
Zhang Shutong actually wanted to directly ask Gu Qiumian if she had any clues, such as who she had a conflict with recently... maybe he could figure something out;
But even he could realize that it would be inappropriate to say that. He should at least consider the feelings of the person involved, and Gu Qiumian was a girl who was not easy to talk to.
He was just thinking of a subtle way when he saw Song Nanshan walk in with a sullen face;
He walked so fast that he brought a gust of wind, and he slammed the door shut forcefully. Everyone was startled and fell silent for a while.
"There's no need to have this class. If you can't be a good person, what's the point of going to school!"
Zhang Shutong could tell that his homeroom teacher was genuinely angry.
He could vaguely guess the reason. It wasn't because of the pressure from Gu Qiumian's background, but because there was someone among his students who would do such a thing, which made him very disappointed.
Then Song Nanshan called out three names, which were Gu Qiumian, Zhang Shutong, and Zhou Ziheng.
Maybe what happened between him and Zhou Ziheng during the big break had reached Song Nanshan's ears.
"All of you, study by yourselves first. Class monitor, go to the podium and watch them. I'll be in the office. If I hear anyone talking, they don't have to stay in the classroom anymore!"
He yelled again with a stern face and called the three of them out of the classroom. Zhang Shutong deliberately observed Gu Qiumian's reaction. The girl stood up and walked out of the classroom indifferently. Many people's eyes gathered on her, but she didn't look at anyone. She didn't say a single word throughout the entire process.
When they got to the office, Zhang Shutong was first asked by Song Nanshan for the reason. He explained it briefly—there was really nothing to say. The so-called clue from Zhou Ziheng was only the name on the partition.
Song Nanshan asked them a few more questions, and then his tone softened as he looked at Gu Qiumian:
"Qiumian, how about this? The teacher will definitely help you find out who did it and will absolutely not let him off. Don't be so angry. I'll contact your dad first..."
Gu Qiumian, however, shook her head coldly:
"No need. He's not here, and I'm fine."
"Then have you had any conflicts with anyone these past few days... I mean, do you have anyone you suspect?"
"No."
"When Zhou Ziheng told you this morning..."
"That kind of person can only do that kind of thing." Gu Qiumian interrupted him with a blank expression. "Teacher Song, I said I'm fine. I have dozens of toys like that at home. There's nothing to care about."
"What about that A4 paper?" This was the most troubling part for Song Nanshan. He didn't even know how to bring it up. "You might not have seen it, but on it..."
"I don't know what was written on it either."
But then Gu Qiumian continued indifferently:
"It's not good words anyway, so why would I make myself unhappy? So you don't have to tell me."
"But last time..."
"I know, but they are not comparable."
Zhang Shutong guessed that what Song Nanshan meant by "last time" was the scarf incident. He recalled that during the argument at that time, Gu Qiumian had said that the scarf was her mother's... He didn't hear the second half of the sentence before he interrupted her.
Zhang Shutong then saw Song Nanshan also breathe a sigh of relief. From his perspective, the homeroom teacher didn't know about the murder case a few days later, so he found it hard to connect the "go to hell" on the paper with a human life. He only thought it was a malicious act of revenge;
And now that Gu Qiumian wasn't so agitated, it would be a little easier for him to handle as a teacher. Of course, just a little.
"Zhang Shutong, you come over too. Since it's like this, we might as well talk it out today."
Song Nanshan hadn't forgotten to be a peacemaker. He beckoned to him and said to Gu Qiumian:
"The teacher knows you two had a conflict before and haven't found a suitable opportunity. Now that you're deskmates, you have to get along well. Did you hear me, I'm talking to you, Zhang Shutong!"
After speaking, Song Nanshan glared at him fiercely, as if he thought he was tactless. Zhang Shutong didn't need to be stubborn about this. Just as he was about to speak, he found that Gu Qiumian seemed to not have heard anything.
She seemed to have not heard what Song Nanshan said just now. She just stared at the homeroom teacher's face and didn't even look at him:
"Teacher, if there's nothing else, I'll go first."
After saying that, she turned and left regardless of what Song Nanshan said. Song Nanshan was also a little helpless, but he still had to go back to the class to find someone, so he waved his hand, signaling him and Zhou Ziheng to go back.
Zhang Shutong thought to himself that there was only one thing he didn't expect. Not only was the scarf incident not over, but he had just provoked her again this morning because of Ruoping. Now it was a combination of new and old grudges. How could she give him a good face?
But now was not the time to say that. Zhang Shutong walked out of the office and found that Gu Qiumian hadn't walked in the direction of the classroom at all. She was standing at the stairwell;
They had their backs to each other. He suddenly heard the girl's calm voice:
"Did you pick up the blocks for me just now?"
Zhang Shutong said "mm," a little unsure of what she meant. He was waiting for her to continue, but then he heard the tapping sound of boots on the stairs behind him.
It turned out that she had already gone down the stairs and didn't respond, making one wonder if she had heard his words at all.
Then he returned to the classroom. The entire class that followed was spent with Song Nanshan's angry questioning.
However, there was no progress.
Until school was over at noon, Zhang Shutong didn't see Gu Qiumian come back.