IMMFBCG Chapter 82

Chapter 82: Truth and Falsehood

When Yè Xuě returned to school, it was already quite late. She had thought she was the last one to get back to the dormitory, but surprisingly, her roommate Gāo Lán wasn’t there either.

With class about to start, the three of them grabbed their books and hurried to the classroom. Yè Xuě asked as they walked, “Where’s Little Lán? Is she planning to go straight to the classroom?”

Since they were all running late, they didn’t have time to eat breakfast at the cafeteria. Hé Sī Qí handed them each a couple of slices of bread. “I asked in the dormitory group, and Little Lán said she was feeling sick and couldn’t make it today; she’s taking a day off.”

Yè Xuě checked her phone. Since she had a new one, she had downloaded the necessary apps and added everyone’s WeChat. Before, they had only used Q.Q for the dormitory group, but now that Yè Xuě had WeChat, they created a new group so they wouldn’t have to switch back and forth.

She glanced at the WeChat messages, seeing that Gāo Lán had mentioned she had informed the counselor and was taking a leave of absence. Yè Xuě didn’t ask any more questions, just reminded her to take care of herself.

She then opened the chat with Lù Xué Zhēn. Since the last incident with the zombies, Lù Xué Zhēn’s roommates had cleaned out his stash of protective charms, including the talismans he had brought back from the Taoist temple. Lù Xué Zhēn was still complaining to Yè Xuě about his “bandit” roommates, asking if she had any new charms.

Yè Xuě typed a message telling him to pick them up next time he was on break.

Wèi Cǎi Níng finished a couple of bites of bread, checking her watch. The class was about to start, so she quickly grabbed their hands, urging Yè Xuě and Hé Sī Qí to run with her. “Yè Xuě, Hé Sī Qí, hurry up! We’re going to be late!”

They reached the lecture hall just as the teacher arrived, so they all breathed a sigh of relief and found a spot to sit down.

Yè Xuě glanced at the group chat again, wondering if Gāo Lán was asleep after taking her medicine; she hadn’t replied for a while.

As the teacher started the lecture, Yè Xuě casually tossed her phone into her backpack and opened her book.

Meanwhile, Gāo Lán was feeling lethargic and congested with a bad cold. She had barely enough energy to ask for a day off from the counselor and then fell asleep in a daze.

But even in her semi-conscious state, she thought she heard something outside—a lot of noise and commotion. She forced herself to wake up, initially mistaking it for her parents returning, calling out, “Dad? Mom?”

No response, but the noise stopped for a moment.

Soon after, the sounds resumed, this time accompanied by what seemed like the faint humming of television, and Gāo Lán could hear a soap opera dialogue. A voice sang in a melodious opera style, with a hint of sadness.

Gāo Lán struggled to check the time on her phone. It was 3 PM—still not time for anyone to be home. If the electricity was out, why could she hear the TV?

This made Gāo Lán snap out of her drowsiness, her medication-induced fog lifting. She was scared and pulled the covers tighter around herself, dialing her parents’ number. But just as she was about to press the call button, the opera singing seemed to get closer.

Thankfully, the phone rang through immediately.

Gāo Lán listened to her father’s reassuring voice and started crying, “Dad, I’m so scared, there’s something weird outside the house. I hear someone singing opera…”

Gāo Lán babbled nervously about the sounds she heard in the house.

Her father’s expression changed immediately. He told Gāo Lán to stay in her room and not come out. He then contacted the property management to have someone check on their home and quickly asked for leave from his boss to rush home.

Gāo Lán gripped her phone, anxiously watching the door. The noise from outside stopped abruptly.

Gāo Lán looked pale, straining to hear the property manager’s voice from outside. The front door seemed to creak open, and someone rushed towards Gāo Lán’s room.

Gāo Lán heard her father’s familiar voice, “Little Lán, Dad’s home. But there’s nothing out here. Can I come in?”

Gāo Lán sighed with relief, pulling back the covers and heading towards the door. She grabbed the doorknob, ready to unlock it when her phone buzzed again.

It was a text from her father: [I’m at the security office now. I’ll be home soon, don’t be scared.]

Gāo Lán’s body stiffened, disbelief in her eyes. The message came at the same time as the person outside.

Who was that talking?

She reacted quickly, trying to lock the door, but it was too late.

The door opened, revealing a strange, smiling face.

As the opera singing filled the room again, Gāo Lán fainted to the ground.

…

Her father arrived home to find the property management at their door. Seeing him approach, they sighed in relief. “Mr. Gāo, you’re back just in time. We called your daughter and she didn’t answer, so we were about to get a key from downstairs.”

Just as they were about to open the door, Gāo Lán’s room was already unlocked.

She looked pale, her gaze a bit unfocused. She smiled weakly at the people outside, but her smile seemed strangely detached.

Her father asked urgently, “Little Lán, what’s wrong? Didn’t you hear someone else’s voice when you were at home?”

Gāo Lán hesitated, then shook her head. “Nothing, I must have heard wrong.”

The others exchanged glances and looked around the room, seeing no signs of anyone else. It seemed like no one had been there. They decided to leave, saying, “If you’re fine, that’s good. Call us if anything comes up.”

As her father entered the house, he noticed something else. He glanced at the TV, still showing the same scene as when he had left.

He asked, “Little Lán, are you sure you didn’t hear anything strange?”

Gāo Lán nodded again, “Yeah.”

She went back to her room, but her father continued to inspect the house, seeing no abnormalities and hearing no strange sounds. Considering Gāo Lán was sick and taking medication, it was easy for her to misinterpret things.

Her father turned on the gas stove, planning to make some porridge for her.

Gāo Lán sat in front of the mirror, gently drawing her eyebrows with a pencil. She leisurely admired her reflection, noticing her face was unusually pale, so she added a touch of blush. Then she smiled, saying to herself, “Looking good, isn’t it…”

Yè Xuě’s pen fell to the floor and rolled under Hé Sī Qí’s feet. Hé Sī Qí picked it up and handed it back to Yè Xuě as the teacher continued speaking at the front of the room.

Wèi Cǎi Níng looked at the teacher and whispered to her roommates, “It’s been two days, why hasn’t Little Lán come back to class? Is she really that sick?”

Yè Xuě furrowed her brows. “After she told us she needed to take a leave, she hasn’t replied to any messages in the group.”

Hé Sī Qí checked her WeChat again for confirmation. “Yeah…”

Since they had no classes in the afternoon, they decided to visit Gāo Lán’s house to check on her health.

They got the address from the counselor, who mentioned that Gāo Lán’s family had taken two days off work, saying she was too sick to stay in school. If her condition seemed severe, they should take her to the hospital.

Yè Xuě agreed.

Gāo Lán’s neighborhood was close to Haicheng University, just a few bus stops away.

Before they left, they informed Gāo Lán through the group chat and called her to let her know they were coming.

When they arrived and the elevator doors opened, Gāo Lán finally picked up the phone.

Hé Sī Qí put the phone on speaker, asking, “Little Lán, did you see our messages on WeChat?”

“WeChat?” Gāo Lán’s voice sounded distorted, and she replied slowly, “Yeah, I saw it.”

Yè Xuě, who had been pressing the elevator button, looked up and tilted her head to listen carefully.

Hé Sī Qí and Wèi Cǎi Níng went outside first, with Yè Xuě following behind.

Wèi Cǎi Níng found the correct apartment number and stopped in front of one of them, saying, “Little Lán, we’re at your door. Can you open it?”

As she spoke, she reached to ring the doorbell.

Before she could press it, the gate was already open.

Gāo Lán stood at the entrance, wearing a beautiful makeup look. The blush made her complexion appear a bit healthier, but she still looked pale, almost a shade of blue.

Her gaze slowly swept over the group, landing on Yè Xuě. Her eyes brightened as if she had seen something pleasing. “You’re here.”

Wèi Cǎi Níng and Hé Sī Qí relaxed when they saw she just looked a bit off-color.

Wèi Cǎi Níng said, “You didn’t reply on WeChat. We were so worried.”

Gāo Lán smiled lightly. “I haven’t had much energy the last couple of days, so I haven’t been checking my phone much.”

Hé Sī Qí asked about her health, but Yè Xuě remained silent, frowning as she looked at Gāo Lán.

The group didn’t stand outside for long. Gāo Lán gestured for them to come inside.

Wèi Cǎi Níng glanced around the decor curiously but quickly turned her attention away. “Where are your parents?”

Gāo Lán gave a faint smile. “They went to work. It’s just me at home.”

Noticing Yè Xuě’s look, Gāo Lán turned to smile at her, staring at Yè Xuě for a long time. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Wèi Cǎi Níng and Hé Sī Qí exchanged looks.

Yè Xuě felt even more suspicious of Gāo Lán’s behavior at this moment.

Before Yè Xuě could respond, Gāo Lán turned away. “You guys sit down. I’ll get some drinks.”

She hummed a little song as she walked towards the kitchen.

The melodious singing caught Wèi Cǎi Níng’s attention. “Little Lán sings pretty well, huh?”

Hé Sī Qí nodded in agreement. “Even though I don’t understand it, it sounds nice.”

Yè Xuě’s expression was serious. She hadn’t brought any charms or swords with her, just in case Gāo Lán might have a problem. If there was an issue, they could only draw a blood charm.

Gāo Lán came back with three drinks.

Hé Sī Qí looked at the red drink in front of her. “Is this watermelon juice?”

Gāo Lán smiled gently. “No, it’s something else good.”

She placed the last cup in front of Yè Xuě. “Here, drink up.”

Wèi Cǎi Níng was thirsty and picked up the cup to drink, but Yè Xuě quickly grabbed it away.

Wèi Cǎi Níng was taken aback. “Yè Xuě?”

Gāo Lán smiled at Yè Xuě. “You like it so much? Well, you can have them all then.”

Her gaze once again lingered on Yè Xuě’s face, with a hint of a greedy look.