Following Feng Mu's instructions, Gong Qi edited a short message and then asked suspiciously, "Will this work?"

Feng Mu replied casually, "My sister is very clever and typical tricks don't work on her. She won't easily take the bait, so when dealing with a savvy person, rather than deceiving her, it's better to speak the truth."

Gong Qi was greatly enlightened: "You're right, brother."

Feng Mu said humbly, "The truth always pierces a person's defenses more easily than lies!"

Gong Qi contemplated these words, his eyes flickering with a mysterious light, then heavily pressed the send button.

....

Eighth Academy, girls' dormitory.

After a day of studies and practice, several girls lay in bed, quietly discussing the strange incidents that had recently occurred at school.

"Yazhi died so tragically. I never thought the body in the bathroom would be Yazhi."

"Yes, Yazhi was always so nice, friendly to everyone. Several times when I was in a hurry to go home after school, Yazhi helped me with the chores."

"Right, who would've thought. Once, when I had a fever and couldn't attend class, Yazhi completed a test paper for me and submitted it. Otherwise, I might have failed."

"….Indeed, Yazhi was such a good person. Who could be so heartless to harm Yazhi?"

"Those chief constables at the patrol office are useless; they haven't caught the murderer after so long."

"They were coming to the school every day for investigations recently. I thought they'd soon solve the case, but hehe, they couldn't even catch a shadow of the murderer, yet another body was found in the cafeteria. Ridiculous."

"Let me tell you, I heard the murderer is hiding somewhere in our school. Who do you think it is, and why…."

Li You suddenly sat upright, turned on the light, and looked at her dorm mates with red-rimmed eyes:

"I don't care about the why. If I run into the murderer, I'll beat him to death and break his neck off to avenge Yazhi."

A girl's voice, sounding timid and worried, lightly spoke:

"Two people have already been killed; let's not be too impulsive. If we do encounter the murderer, we should run and immediately alert the patrol office to arrest him for safety."

Another girl's voice, without fear, conveyed resignation and a bitter smile:

"The patrol office has searched the school inside out but still can't catch the murderer. Even if we meet him, who could recognize the murderer? We might end up smiling and greeting him, you know."

Zhang Liyou gripped her blanket tightly, furrowing her brows, glaring at Feng Yuhuai across the bed, emotionally questioning: "Yuhuai, what would you do if it were you?"

Feng Yuhuai partially hid her face behind the quilt and slowly uncovered it, revealing a weary expression.

A red cloth doll slipped from the blanket as she moved, and she gently retrieved it, holding it tightly to her chest.

Her voice carried a mix of sorrow and rationality, slowly saying:

"Li You, don't be too impulsive. Of course, I want to avenge Yazhi. But as Cuicui and Xiaojuan said, we might not be able to take on the murderer, and most importantly, even if we did encounter him, we might not recognize him."

Feng Yuhuai paused briefly, a deep thought flashing in her eyes before she continued:

"Since the patrol office suspects the murderer is hidden on campus, it's possible we sat shoulder-to-shoulder or even shared a meal with him at a cafeteria table."

Xiaojuan, speaking with a timid voice, shuddered involuntarily and replied with a quiver, "Yuhuai, it's so late—don't tell such scary stories, I'm too scared to sleep."

Cuicui chuckled softly, teasingly saying:

"Xiaojuan, you're too timid. We all squeeze together during meals, it's just the four of us. Do you really think the murderer is among us? Ha, Yuhuai is just making an analogy; don't scare yourself."

Xiaojuan's expression softened, she chuckled foolishly and nodded.

Feng Yuhuai let out a helpless laugh, softly agreeing: "Yes, it's just an analogy. Alright, don't think too much, sleep now; we have an early class tomorrow."

After Yuhuai spoke, she looked gently at Zhang Liyou, sighed lightly, and said with even more gentleness:

"Alright, Li You, stop worrying. We all remember Yazhi fondly and wish to avenge her. But we must also be cautious about our safety; the patrol office is undoubtedly more professional and capable in solving crimes. We should trust them."

Zhang Liyou's eyes reddened slightly, her expression stubborn.

Feng Yuhuai pondered briefly, then gently crawled out of her own bed, quietly slipped onto Zhang Liyou's bed.

Like comforting a child, she held Zhang Liyou tenderly, softly reassuring:

"The school has been rather unsafe lately. Whether going to class, eating, or even using the bathroom, it's best to call me to accompany you. Don't risk being alone; our dormitory already lost one, Yazhi—we can't afford to lose anyone else."

Zhang Liyou's expression softened upon hearing these words. She turned off the light, retreated into the blanket, and buried her head against Feng Yuhuai's chest, weeping softly.

As time passed, her sobbing gradually weakened, ultimately drifting into sleep within Feng Yuhuai's warm embrace.

Seeing Zhang Liyou being soothed to sleep, Feng Yuhuai gently bowed her head, inhaling the faint scent of shampoo from Zhang Liyou's hair—a fresh and pleasant aroma that she liked.

In the blanket, trapped between the two, the red cloth doll bizarrely licked its tongue, seeming to relish the cozy scent within this blanket.

Bzzzz bzzzz—

The soft vibration of the phone lightly interrupted the enchanting tranquility.

Feng Yuhuai slightly furrowed her brows, cautiously retrieved the phone from the blanket.

The screen displayed a message from an unfamiliar, peculiar number, making her brow furrow tighter, a sense of irritation arising. She prepared to delete it and blacklist the number without hesitation.

Since last night, till today, her phone had bizarrely received dozens of inexplicable messages.

Each message contained some incomprehensible links upon opening, causing confusion and unease for Feng Yuhuai.

Her fingers lightly tapped the screen, intending to delete the message and blacklist the number. However, at that moment, her fingers suddenly paused in mid-air.

Subsequently, her complexion paled instantly, losing color, her calm eyes trembling and shrinking, as if witnessing a fearsome story directly through the screen.

—Hello, Feng Yuhuai, I want to play a game with you!

—Or should I call you [Mask]? Hehehe, but don't worry, you have 48 hours before you're exposed. There's still a chance for you.

—You have a chance to change yourself, change your destiny, but only the [link] can give the correct answer!!!

....

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