Chapter 13: Notebook

Qiong Cang immediately messaged the other person.

Qiong Cang: Hello, I wanted to ask about that unboxing video you posted a few days ago. Was the package sent from A City First High School?

Qiong Cang: The person who sent you that package should be a student from First High. She committed suicide this past March. [link]. The police are currently investigating the reasons behind her suicide. If possible, and while keeping the information confidential, could you please send the notebook with writing in it to the public security bureau.

Since this was a game setting, the other party replied very quickly.

Miao Miao on the Attic: How can I trust you?

Miao Miao on the Attic: Lately, so many bored people have popped up, all claiming to be the original owner. Your excuse is at least an original one.

Qiong Cang switched to the text message interface.

Qiong Cang: Take a photo of your officer badge and send it to me.

He Jueyun: ??

He Jueyun: [Image] Don’t go doing bad things just because it’s a game, okay.

Qiong Cang sent over the picture He Jueyun had taken.

Qiong Cang: Her Douyin account has already been deactivated. You can search for the related news online yourself. Keywords are A City First High, suicide.

Qiong Cang: Her mailing address and contact number, isn’t it…

Qiong Cang sent over the school’s address and Zhou Nansong’s cell number.

Miao Miao on the Attic: Ah… I searched it and it turned out to be real after all. No wonder I suddenly couldn’t get in touch with her. My god, what a tragedy.

Miao Miao on the Attic: That phone number of yours really is the one she left me before, but the address on the parcel is a different one. [Image] This is that place.

Miao Miao on the Attic: Also, this package was actually sent on a timer. She deliberately delayed it until now sending it to me, do you think there’s some meaning to that?

Qiong Cang pulled up the navigation. She entered the address shown on it, and the location that popped up turned out to be the XX Street Police Station in A City.

That line of black-and-white font printed itself into Qiong Cang’s eyes, making her rapidly understand the intent behind everything Zhou Nansong had arranged, and at the same time, she felt the gentleness and fragility in every decision this unfamiliar girl had made.

Her curled fingers paused midair, not knowing for a moment how to come down. In the end, she let out a sigh that seemed almost imperceptible.

Before Zhou Nansong died, her mental state had been extremely unstable, tortured psychologically, struggling and hesitating over whether to expose this scandal at the school. So much so that even when she finally chose suicide, her heart still couldn’t find peace. She therefore chose to send a package that was clearly problematic to a stranger, hoping that after her passing, someone could take her place in pushing this case forward.

She must have had some understanding of this uploader, knowing she wouldn’t deliberately ignore the inconsistencies just for a little gain, and that after failing to reach her for a long time, she might mail the package back to the original address.

And once the police station received the package, if they had doubts about the two suicides at First High, they would investigate patiently, perhaps even pulling out the mastermind behind the scenes. If they didn’t, then it was still her final effort – at least she could offer herself a small measure of comfort.

The reason Zhou Nansong had specially set the delivery date for early May was probably to delay the matter’s development. Even if the police really did investigate the incident according to her plan, by the time everything came to light, the victims would have already graduated and left, and wouldn’t suffer too much harm.

She could never have imagined that after her death, this vicious incident would not only not end, but instead intensify. And the things she left behind would become the crucial material evidence that unraveled the case and exposed the lies.

The only accident in all of this was that she had set a timer for the package, causing it to be delayed far too long before entering the public eye.

If Qiong Cang hadn’t discovered its existence today, a rough estimate suggests that by the time it was mailed back to A City, it might have been right around the time of Wang Dongyan’s suicide.

That phase happened to be the period when official attention to this matter was at its peak. It ensured the package wouldn’t just be treated as an ordinary object and ignored.

Sometimes, you just have to admit that fate arranges things with such coincidence. It appeared so appropriately, and yet far too slowly.

…Someone who had tried so hard to live.

Qiong Cang suppressed the surge of regret in her heart.

Qiong Cang: This address is the police station for our street, you can find it on navigation.

Miao Miao on the Attic: I know, I already searched it. I couldn’t figure it out at the time, thought it was a prank.

Qiong Cang: She probably wanted to report it but had some reservations, so she mailed the evidence before she died. Please send the relevant evidence to the A City police station. I can buy it back at the original price and cover the postage. Thank you for your cooperation.

Miao Miao on the Attic: No need, no need, serving the people. I’ll send it back to you soon, using a good courier company. By the way, do you just want the one with writing, or all of it?

Qiong Cang: It would be best if we could look through everything. If confirmed unrelated to the case, the items will be returned to you. If convenient, I hope you can take photos of the contents of that Bullet Journal with writing and send them to me now, so I can review them right away.

Miao Miao on the Attic: Alright, wait a moment, I’ll go take pictures now.

Miao Miao on the Attic: Actually, I briefly glanced at it before, and what was written inside felt rather horrifying, no idea what she was writing about. I was afraid of invading someone’s privacy so I didn’t look carefully.

Qiong Cang: Thank you. We will verify it.

Qiong Cang put down her phone, raised her hands, and pressed the acupoints on both sides of her forehead to relax her mind, waiting for the other person’s reply.

·

Inside the Live Stream Room, it was practically time to set off fireworks. Watching Qiong Cang’s stream always seems to go through huge highs and lows. You never know when or how the evidence will appear, but it never lets them down.

If the chat were opened right now, the screen would be completely packed with dense, varied text, making it almost impossible to see any image.

“Ahhh – an idol! Someone with her talent not working in the public security system is a waste!”

“Holy shit! She really does! Is the speed she explores the plot at just flying? What brand of wings is she using?”

“If I had her deductive skills and intelligence gathering ability, what grand cause would I not achieve!”

“I just want to ask, has the investigator in this instance gone missing again? It’s the first time I’ve seen a victim complete the whole case deduction on her own. 【slipped away】”

“So the top student just has to read a tough problem twice to understand it. The real question is, what are the slackers supposed to do?”

No matter how excited the audience in the live stream room got, Qiong Cang merely calmly organized the items on the table.

Miaomiao was quick. She enthusiastically sorted the images one by one, packed them into a file, and sent it over to Qiong Cang.

Qiong Cang clicked to enlarge them and read through them page by page.

Zhou Nansong was a very cautious person. She hadn’t written down the world as she saw it directly in her notebook; instead, she used fragmented narratives to gently describe a true story.

Someone who knew nothing would probably think it was just a bizarre horror story. But anyone who knew the truth could easily deduce the metaphorical content.

• Filthy demons, clad in glamorous disguises, descended into human society. They were well-dressed, putting on the most approachable and benevolent front as they drew near those poor, vulnerable people.

• The poor were grateful for this, unaware that in the others’ eyes, they were nothing but trivial entertainment, prey long since marked. The nightmare had descended without them even noticing…

Zhou Nansong had written in great detail. Due to her emotional turmoil, some parts were chaotic and jumbled with fragmented thoughts. Qiong Cang translated and organized her words, piecing together the general course of the entire case.

Starting a few years ago, First High School vigorously expanded enrollment to attract impoverished students, specifically targeting females.

For these underprivileged students, this was a life-changing opportunity. They came to First High, a prestigious key school, carrying their most beautiful hopes.

The school’s leadership put on the kindest, most approachable act, carefully helping and accepting them. They took the initiative to apply for scholarships, waive tuition fees, and distribute meal subsidies. Their thoughtfulness appeared in every little detail, making everyone let down their guard and feel grateful for their goodwill.

Then, the depraved among them began to stir with malicious intent.

They created opportunities to be alone with students under the guise of heart-to-heart talks, planning their futures, leading them to various provincial and municipal competitions, or other legitimate reasons. Simultaneously, they subtly flaunted their social status, psychologically establishing themselves as superiors.

At first, it was just simple harassment, disguised as affection, making the students mistake it for their own oversensitivity. Slowly, they invaded their lives, eventually resorting to excuses like drugging or getting them drunk to directly violate them.

Some would take private photos, and when they sensed any hint of resistance, they’d use their power to make threats, then manipulate them with promises of benefits, breaking down their defenses.

Poor students were easy to manipulate. Due to their limited living environments, many of them were naturally timid and afraid of causing trouble, which magnified the leaders’ authority and capabilities. For them, getting through the three years of high school safely was all that mattered, while the school leaders were elite figures with significant social standing. They simply had no strength to fight back.

Moreover, not every poor student was targeted. The predators would constantly observe, deliberately choosing those who seemed to have no ability to resist to prey upon.

The victimized girls initially thought it was just an isolated incident involving only one person. Gradually, a second perpetrator appeared, then a third, and even more. By the time they were consumed by regret, their courage had already been eaten away by fear.

So they chose to compromise.

Tian Yun was one of the unfortunate ones. Not only was her family poor, but her family relationships were terrible. Her parents favored boys over girls, and she had a younger brother and a younger sister. Her family didn’t care about her life at all, even withholding her subsidies to support her brother.

Because she refused to comply with the school’s arrangements, Tian Yun was pressured from all sides. The immense mental stress, with nowhere to release it, caused her grades to plummet. Her future looked bleak, and she eventually found herself on the brink of a complete breakdown.

At that point, Tian Yun discovered that another poor student in her class was also suffering from the school’s harassment. They were close, so she persuaded the girl to resist together with her.

She invited the man who had been harassing her to a hotel. After drugging him and knocking him out, she stole the data from his phone.

Her intention was just to find some evidence to threaten him with, but she never expected to find direct proof of his years of criminal activity inside.

The saved photos were extremely explicit and involved a huge number of people. Once exposed, they would undoubtedly cause an uproar. The girl with her got scared and urged her to give up.

That day, Tian Yun left with that girl, and they never came back. Before she set out, she left the original photos with Zhou Nansong, asking her to keep them safe.

News of Tian Yun’s suicide by jumping off a building soon spread. The surveillance footage provided by the school clearly had a faked timestamp. Zhou Nansong knew something was wrong, but she didn’t know what to do.

Those involved included her good friends, her classmates, and many innocent, pitiable people. Some had already graduated and moved on to start new lives. This storm would undoubtedly drag them back into the whirlpool.

Those people begged her humbly, crying and pouring out their fears. Zhou Nansong sank into despair.

She didn’t want to hurt those people again, but she couldn’t just ignore Tian Yun’s death. In the end, her depression relapsed, and she left this world in the most brutal way.

Before committing suicide, she buried the photos Tian Yun had left behind in the empty lot behind the school dormitory.

In her heart of hearts, she still hoped those criminals would get the punishment they deserved.

After flipping through the notebook, Qiong Cang took a deep breath. She switched interfaces and told He Jueyun the results.

Qiong Cang: [File] I found Zhou Nansong’s missing notebook.

He Jueyun: …I just left the courier company.

He Jueyun: No way, you actually managed to find that? 【Seen a ghost】

Qiong Cang told He Jueyun how she had gone about searching for it.

He Jueyun fell into deep doubt about life.

Qiong Cang said with mock modesty, “It was nothing, just luck. Didn’t I promise to carry you to an easy win?”

He Jueyun: “…” But he’d only been saying that, damn it.

Qiong Cang: 【Image】That girl’s address. She lives in the neighboring province, a round trip by car only takes six hours. Waiting for her to pack and mail it to the public security bureau would take one or two days.

He Jueyun: Okay, I’ll drive over to pick up the notebook now. 【Smile】Give me a contact, I’ll show up in front of her in three hours. Have her keep the item on her.

Qiong Cang: Okay. I’ll go dig up photos.

He Jueyun: Your Suicide Progress.

Qiong Cang hadn’t expected him to still be worried about that at a time like this. She glanced at her character info and saw that, graciously, it had dropped by 1%.

Qiong Cang: 95%.

He Jueyun: Alright, I’ll hurry back. Be careful.

He Jueyun decided to drive to get the notebook. Qiong Cang slung her backpack on and prepared to go back to school to gather evidence.

Just as she walked out of her room, she heard the sound of someone unlocking the front door.

Qiong Cang slowed her steps and then saw an unfamiliar woman walk in.

A simple line of text floated beside the woman – a system notification: Wang Dongyan’s mother.

~