TPGA - 34

Could it be… could it be that there really was no breath? Mei Xue… she was dead. How could this happen? How could she suddenly die? This… this was impossible!

At that moment, a dark red liquid slowly seeped from the back of Mei Xue’s head to Chun Xiu’s feet, causing her to hastily retreat, avoiding it as if it were venomous.

Blood… Why was Mei Xue bleeding so much? She had only pushed her—she hadn’t used a knife or sword. This…

Just as she was puzzled, a drop of blood fell to the ground. Looking up shakily, she realized the blood was dripping from the top of the cabinet. At that moment, she finally understood why Mei Xue had suddenly died. When she pushed Mei Xue earlier, she accidentally caused her to hit the sharp corner of the cabinet, injuring the back of her head fatally. Because the cabinet was dark red, she hadn’t noticed the bloodstains on it before.

She… she had killed someone!

Chun Xiu tightly covered her mouth, desperately stifling the scream that had risen to her lips.

Although she disliked Mei Xue and wished she would disappear forever, she had never intended to kill her. If anyone found out, would they demand her life? No, she didn’t want to die!

That’s right—before Jiang Caiping returned and before anyone discovered that Mei Xue was dead, she had to leave this place!

With that thought, Chun Xiu scrambled out of the room, no longer caring about searching for the assassin. Once back in her own room, she wrapped herself tightly in a blanket and curled up in the corner of the bed, her eyes filled with fear and horror.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Ji Rong entered carrying a food box. Not immediately seeing Chun Xiu huddled in the corner, she asked in surprise, “Hmm, where did she go? Could she still be in Mei Xue’s room? I wonder if she found the assassin?”

Before her words had even faded, a figure suddenly rushed over, startling her. Upon realizing it was Chun Xiu, she clutched her wildly beating chest and said, “You scared me to death! Where were you hiding just now? I didn’t see you.”

Chun Xiu was in no mood to answer her. Clutching Ji Rong’s hand tightly, she said in panic, “Sister Ji Rong, save me! You must save me!”

Seeing her unusual expression, Ji Rong asked in confusion, “Save you? What happened? Is it the assassin?”

Chun Xiu shook her head violently, speaking incoherently, “Save me! They’ll demand my life! Sister Ji Rong, I don’t want to die, you have to save me!”

Ji Rong was utterly confused. She pulled Chun Xiu to sit at the table, poured her a cup of tea, and said, “Drink some water first, then tell me slowly.”

Chun Xiu’s hands were shaking uncontrollably, spilling most of the tea before it even reached her lips. After managing to take a sip, she forced herself to calm down and recounted what had happened in Mei Xue’s room.

Upon hearing that Chun Xiu had accidentally killed Mei Xue, the usually calm and composed Ji Rong was also horrified and scolded her, “You… how could you be so careless? This is a human life we’re talking about!”

Chun Xiu, with tears in her voice, said, “I didn’t mean to! Who knew she was so fragile that a slight bump on the head would kill her? Actually… actually, it’s all Mei Xue’s fault. If she had just listened and moved aside to let me check the cabinet, nothing would have happened. But she insisted on stopping me—it’s her own fault she died!” Then, somewhat resentfully, she added, “Sister Ji Rong, you should have stopped Mei Xue from going back. If you had, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Ji Rong said helplessly, “I’ve done all I could, but she said her wound was hurting and insisted on coming back. What could I do? Should I have tied her up to stop her from returning? Besides, I calculated the time; if you were quick enough, you should have already searched the entire room by then. Who would have thought that you... Sigh, I don’t even know what to say.”

Chun Xiu was momentarily speechless, then anxiously asked, “What should we do now? Sister Ji Rong, you must think of a way to help me! It was you who told me to go to their room to look for the assassin. You can’t just abandon me!”

“Of course I will help you, but calm down first and let me think!” Ji Rong pressed her chest, trying to steady her panicked heart. After pacing around the room a few times, she asked, “Did anyone else see you accidentally kill Mei Xue?”

Chun Xiu quickly shook her head, “No, there was only Mei Xue and me in the room at that time.”

“Good!” Ji Rong breathed a slight sigh of relief, holding Chun Xiu’s shoulders firmly and saying word by word, “Remember this: after noon today, you stayed in your room the whole time. You didn’t go anywhere, especially not to Mei Xue’s room. You know nothing about what happened to her, and you definitely don’t know she is dead!”

“But it was clearly...” Chun Xiu started to speak, but Ji Rong interrupted, “If you don’t want to pay with your life for Mei Xue’s death, remember this sentence well. No matter who asks, you mustn’t answer incorrectly. Do you understand?”

Hearing this, Chun Xiu understood her meaning and nodded repeatedly, “I understand. I’ve been in my room the whole time and haven’t gone anywhere.” She kept repeating this sentence, as if trying to engrave it deeply into her mind.

After Chun Xiu gradually calmed down, Ji Rong remembered something and asked, “From what you said earlier, you didn’t open that cabinet?”

“Mm-hmm,” Chun Xiu replied, “I was so scared at that time. I only thought about leaving immediately and didn’t care about the cabinet.” Suddenly, her face changed, and she nervously said, “What if Shen Yunyi really is hiding inside? If she knows I killed Mei Xue, she might tell Master Da to redeem herself by confessing!” Saying this, she hit her head hard, “It’s all my fault!”

Ji Rong also considered this point and found it quite troublesome. After pondering for a moment, she said helplessly, “We can only take it one step at a time now. Fortunately, Shen Yunyi is in no position to protect herself. Even if she saw something, she wouldn’t dare to tell Master Da. Moreover, even if she did say something, you can always deny it outright. I believe Master Da won’t trust the words of an assassin.”

Chun Xiu nodded, then went to the door to listen carefully. Hearing no sound outside, she asked puzzledly, “Sister Ji Rong, did Jiang Caiping come back with you?” When Ji Rong nodded, Chun Xiu continued, “Then why is there no sound from her room after she returned? Surely she must have seen Mei Xue’s body?” As soon as she mentioned the word “body,” she recalled the sight of Mei Xue’s lifeless eyes staring at her when she died, sending chills down her spine.

Ji Rong went to the door and listened for a while. Indeed, there was no sound. Frowning, she said, “It is indeed strange. A dead body is no small matter, and they are so close. How could there be... no reaction at all?”

Chun Xiu shrank her neck and whispered, “Maybe... we should go out and take a look?”

Ji Rong nodded, and together with Chun Xiu, they opened the door and stepped out. By this time, it was completely dark, but the moonlight was bright, and a few red lanterns hung nearby, making it possible to see the path clearly.