Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
My mother named me Wu Meng, which means to never dream again. In fact, nightmares aren't terrifying if you can always see another version of yourself in them. Medically, this is a precursor to schizophrenia, but in reality, I do long for the day when I can stop dreaming.
The next morning, someone called the police.
Principal Zhang of Yucai High School had been missing for three days. When the teachers broke down the door, they uncovered Principal Zhang's secret.
To be precise, it was a stalker's secret.
So we arrived at Principal Zhang's residence outside of school.
When the teachers opened Principal Zhang's wardrobe, they also unveiled his long-buried secret. When you are shocked to discover that the true nature of those around you is completely different from what you perceive, you begin to doubt this world. In fact, everyone wears a mask of Human Skin; over time, that mask becomes their identity.
"Quite a collection he's got," I said with a cold smile, shaking my head.
"I never would have guessed Principal Zhang was this kind of person," Hu Jiajia remarked. "He seemed so refined and gentle."
"Yeah, it's true that you can know a person's face but not their heart," someone else added.
There wasn't a single item in Principal Zhang's wardrobe that belonged to him; it was filled with women's lingerie. When we opened that door, a sour and musty smell hit us, indicating that Principal Zhang was at least someone who enjoyed collecting women's used underwear.
Hu Jiajia's cheeks flushed as she pointed to a few pieces of lingerie and said, "These... these are the ones I lost! The person who stole my underwear was actually Principal Zhang; he is the stalker! I had suspected someone close to me because I had just moved into my new apartment not long ago when the stalker found me."
"I get into someone else's car every day after school, and only the teachers at school knew my new address..." Hu Jiajia said in disbelief.
It was perfectly normal for Principal Zhang to know Hu Jiajia's new address, yet she hadn't considered that angle.
However, looking at this wardrobe full of women's underwear suggested that Hu Jiajia wasn't the only victim; it meant Principal Zhang might have stolen from others as well.
"All the male teachers are out; I have something to ask," I said to everyone.
Gao Rui glanced at me before leaving the room with a few teachers, while Guan Zengbin and Gu Chen naturally stayed behind.
The principal of Yucai High School had gotten into trouble, and almost all the female teachers rushed over. What they didn't expect was that Principal Zhang turned out to be a pervert.
"Have any of you lost your underwear?" I asked.
Everyone shook their heads except for Hu Jiajia. This was indeed a very unusual situation. It was unlikely that all the underwear belonged to Hu Jiajia, and Principal Zhang couldn't have only targeted one girl to steal from. After I explained how important this information was for the police investigation, everyone still shook their heads.
We exchanged glances, but at that moment, another intern, Teacher Xiaohui, raised her hand.
After hesitating for a long time, she finally shared her story with us.
She had come to this school for her internship along with Hu Jiajia and others. When she heard that she had been accepted by Principal Zhang, she was thrilled because her university wasn't a prestigious one. To her, Principal Zhang seemed like a cultured and humorous person, an elder with wisdom.
However, after a month of interning, she began to notice something strange.
Principal Zhang would call her in for internship reports every few days. Each time she handed documents to him, he would take the opportunity to touch her hand. At first, Xiao Hui thought it was just normal contact, but later on, Principal Zhang became increasingly bold.
When Xiao Hui sat down to report, Principal Zhang would sit right next to her, his hands occasionally brushing against her thigh. Xiao Hui cherished this hard-earned job and simply avoided his advances each time, too afraid to speak up.
But during one report, Principal Zhang finally revealed his true nature; he pinned Xiao Hui beneath him.
The Principal's Office was on the top floor of the school, and generally, students weren't allowed up there without the principal's permission. Even teachers had to make an appointment first. So Principal Zhang acted with impunity. Xiao Hui struggled and screamed, but it was futile; the Principal's Office was the most soundproof place in the entire school.
Xiao Hui suddenly felt hopeless. She even thought that if she could satisfy Principal Zhang's desires, perhaps she could secure a permanent position. She comforted herself with this thought.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Principal Zhang looked displeased, but Xiao Hui was saved.
The one knocking on the door was none other than Hu Jiajia, who had come to apply for a move to the school apartment outside. She was new and didn’t understand the reservation process.
“So that day…” Hu Jiajia said.
Xiao Hui nodded.
Xiao Hui's words acted like a fuse to a powder keg, prompting the other teachers to begin sharing their own stories.
From these stories, we learned that Principal Zhang had, more than once, hinted at inappropriate advances toward the attractive female teachers due to his position. Those with personalities similar to Xiao Hui's, who were more timid, had also fallen victim to Principal Zhang's advances. In fact, two teachers had already been forced into relations with him. Yet, they were completely unaware that Principal Zhang had stooped so low as to steal the underwear of women he pursued.
“Alright, you all can leave for now. By the way, who has the key to the principal's office? Let’s prepare a copy; we’ll investigate shortly,” I said to the female teachers.
“By the way, Gao Rui seems to have the key to Principal Zhang’s office,” said a teacher in her fifties who hadn’t been assaulted. “This young man is quite favored by Principal Zhang; he’s often sent on errands for him. But there’s one thing I don’t understand—why hasn’t he targeted me?”
I glanced at her and could only smile wryly. “Maybe he just hasn’t gotten around to it…”
Only the three of us remained in the room. Guan Zengbin looked at the colorful assortment of women’s underwear in the wardrobe and said, “The truth is out; do we even need to look for clues in his office? Principal Zhang is that perverted stalker who mistook Zhang Mingliang for Hu Jiajia, leading him to commit murder and then use Zhang Mingliang's head to write on the wall.”
Gu Chen snapped his fingers and said, “Right! Zhang Mingliang often followed Gao Rui; he must know about Gao Rui’s superior, Principal Zhang. Didn’t you mention before that he was confident they would cooperate because Zhang Mingliang might know this stalker? Everything adds up.”
“Not quite.” I stepped forward and picked up a few pieces of underwear. “We still don’t know who that young man caught in Old Zhang’s trap is.”
“Maybe it was just a thief,” Gu Chen shrugged. “Perhaps it has nothing to do with the case.”
I carefully sniffed a few pieces of underwear and then said, “Things aren’t that simple.”
“Damn it!” Guan Zengbin exclaimed at my actions. “Wu Meng, are you having a relapse? You’re being perverted! Shameless! At this rate, you’ll end up being the second Principal Zhang.”
“The smell is off,” I replied.
"You think this is just eating vegetables?" Guan Zengbin said, "What does it taste like, right?"
"I'll tell you when everything is over," I replied with a smile as I walked outside. "Let's go check Principal Zhang's office."
Guan Zengbin chased after me, cursing, "Don't think you can hide the fact that you're a pervert like this."
I turned back to see Gu Chen hesitating about whether to pick something up and take a whiff.
Guan Zengbin noticed my glance and said without looking back, "Gu Chen, don't learn anything bad from this pervert!"
Half an hour later, with Gao Rui's key, we easily arrived at the principal's office.
The computer was still under Mary's remote control, but a safe in front of us posed a challenge.
"Let's call someone from the tech department," I suggested.
"Get a feather," Gu Chen said as he lifted the safe and began his long journey of smashing it open.
Mary didn't find any useful clues on the computer.
Finally, after sweating profusely, Gu Chen managed to break the safe into a pile of scrap metal.
Inside the safe were some cash and a USB drive.
The USB contained a large number of secretly taken photos. Most of them were of Hu Jiajia, with the rest being of other teachers.
"There's nothing more to say; this pervert is definitely Principal Zhang," Guan Zengbin declared.
I looked into Hu Jiajia's eyes, and she looked back at me. Why was Principal Zhang particularly interested in Hu Jiajia? None of the other teachers had reported missing underwear; only Hu Jiajia had. However, Hu Jiajia lived alone outside, while the other teachers all resided in shared apartments.
In a school bustling with people, the sight of Principal Zhang visiting a female teacher's apartment was indeed eye-catching, and it was a possibility worth considering.
"Has Principal Zhang ever harassed you?" I asked Hu Jiajia.
"No," Hu Jiajia replied.
"Are you sure?" I pressed further.
Hu Jiajia's eyes darted away for a moment before she said, "No."
At that moment, Gu Chen approached with a letter in hand. "Wu Meng, I just found several reviews written by Principal Zhang for someone else."
As he spoke, Gu Chen lightly pointed to several places on the papers with his finger. They contained scattered words: "No," "want," "force," "me."
Previously, the words "Don't force me" had been scrawled on Hu Jiajia's wall. Now, comparing those words with the ones written in Principal Zhang's letters revealed they were identical. It seemed those words on the wall truly were left by Principal Zhang; this Principal Zhang was indeed the Stalker.
Yet, there were still a few doubts lingering in my mind; something felt amiss.
"It seems like the case is unfolding as you thought. This Stalker, Principal Zhang, accidentally killed Zhang Mingliang. Now, as long as we find Principal Zhang, the truth will be revealed. I wonder where Principal Zhang has run off to," Gu Chen said, noticing my silence and giving my shoulder a reassuring pat.
"Is that so?" I pondered inwardly.
"But everything can only be clarified once we catch Principal Zhang," I said to everyone.
Comment 0 Comment Count