111 – A Woman I’ve Seen Before

Chapter 111: A Woman He Had Seen Before

“Lu Yuzhu?”

The person who had appeared before his eyes was Lu Yuzhu, who should have died in the explosion at the Huzhou University archives.

It was impossible.

Both of them had personally experienced that explosion. The archives had been completely devastated by explosive devices hidden throughout the facility. It was impossible to emerge from such a place without a single scratch.

While he was frozen in bewilderment, the woman did not miss her chance and fled. Her legs were incredibly fast; her red skirt fluttered over the desolate fields as she vanished into the brambles like a ghost wandering the living world.

Just as he was about to chase after her, an object Lu Yuzhu had dropped caught He Yu’s eye.

It wasn’t a pistol. Nor was it any other kind of weapon.

Contrary to his expectations, it was a thick kraft paper envelope.

After standing rooted to the spot for a long while, He Yu carefully picked up the thick envelope. As he circled back toward the door of [stolen content]the farmhouse, [unauthorized copy]he ran into [unauthorized copy]Xie Qingcheng, who had come out wearing a coat.

“What was that just now? I heard someone outside.”

He Yu wondered how to explain this situation. To think that Lu Yuzhu, who had survived the explosion, had followed them all the way to Qingli County and was spying on them through the farmhouse window late at night. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, He Yu wouldn’t have believed it either.

Clutching the brown kraft envelope to his chest, he spoke to Xie Qingcheng, who was frowning.

“Let’s go inside first.”

Inside the guest room.

Xie Qingcheng’s eyes widened after hearing the full story. Coughing slightly, he asked,

“Are you sure you didn’t missee her?”

“No, the face was definitely Lu Yuzhu. But…”

“But what?”

“I faced off against Lu Yuzhu at the archives before. Back Read on Read BL Novelsthen, I didn’t [Read on Read BL Novels]get the feeling that she [visit our site]was physically strong. Her reaction speed during the scuffle wasn’t this fast, either.”

He Yu continued,

“It’s because you didn’t see her run away, Hyung. She vanished in an instant, like the shadow of a ghost.”

When Xie Qingcheng remained silent, He Yu added one more thing.

“I wasn’t hallucinating.”

Without a word, Xie Qingcheng took a sip of warm water. His face was blurred by the rising steam. After a moment, he spoke.

“Do you remember what Lu Yuzhu said at the archives?”

“What did she say?”

“She said she had a daughter.”

He Yu fell into thought for a moment, then suddenly realized.

“This is Qingli County, her hometown, so—”

“The person from earlier might be the daughter she was separated from when she was young.”

“That makes sense. Since she’s young, her reaction speed and stamina would be different from an adult’s. If she grew up doing farm work in the countryside since childhood, her physical abilities would be much better than Lu Yuzhu’s.”

“Let’s investigate properly again tomorrow,” Xie Qingcheng said.

“There weren’t any suitable clues at Inhang High School, but Lu Yuzhu’s ex-husband and daughter are also targets of investigation that shouldn’t be overlooked.”

He Yu nodded.

Soon, both of their gazes fell upon the kraft envelope.

“I thought she was pulling out a pistol from behind her back, but it turned out to be this envelope.”

“If someone had a gun, you should have run far away. Why did you disarm her?”

“…That’s up to me.”

At this answer, Xie Qingcheng glared at him.

He Yu took the water glass that Xie Qingcheng had half-drunk, took two sips, and changed the subject.

“Since it’s something she dropped while lurking suspiciously, shall we open it first?”

The two of them carefully tore open the envelope.

Using the dim light from the ceiling of the guest room, the two sat close together to check the contents of the envelope.

Then, they both froze.

That thick stack of papers was…

The record materials from Inhang High School.

“How… how did this happen?” He Yu muttered.

To think that the materials they had been searching for relentlessly but could not find were the very things a mysterious woman had tried to sneak through the window. This was unexpected even for Xie Qingcheng.

The situation became even more suspicious.

“Xie Qingcheng… do you think these materials are real?”

“Let’s read them first and then judge.”

Frost-like moonlight shimmered outside the window. Xie Qingcheng and He Yu carefully flipped through the bundle of documents. When they had read about half of the thick, yellowed materials, their eyes locked onto one page.

He Yu spoke.

“Zhao Xue.”

Xie Qingcheng also confirmed the name.

The records for Zhao Xue, Zhuang Zhiqiang’s adopted daughter, were inside.

As expected, Zhao Xue’s appearance was cute and lovely, much like Xie Xue. The documents contained detailed information, from her home address to suspicious award records from school.

At the bottom of the document, in the ‘Location’ column, a short sentence written by an official was visible: ‘Went to Huzhou to major in arts.’

However, there was no mention of specifically which school or which acting academy she had gone to.

The two of them scanned the documents quite efficiently. There were about a dozen students listed as having gone to Huzhou to major in arts like Zhao Xue, and every single one of them was a female student with outstanding looks.

Among them, a few students shared one commonality. In the parents’ personal information column, the two words ‘Deceased’ were written.

“So, if these materials are real, it means the girls who went to Huzhou to study were either cut off from their families like Zhao Xue or were orphans. On top of that, they were exceptionally beautiful…”

He Yu organized his thoughts as he examined the documents.

“The woman outside earlier. If she really is Lu Yuzhu’s daughter, why did she give this to us? And where did she get such old materials…?”

For now, even if he wanted to find out about this mysterious woman, he was completely in the dark.

As they read the materials, they eventually reached the final page.

The last page contained staff information.

The two searched for the records of the first principal of Inhang High School.

The information on the school management was not as detailed as the student information. Instead, they visit our siteunauthorized copycould visit our siteconfirm the basic name, place of origin, and a photograph.

Normally, if one thinks of a person who harms schoolgirls, it’s easy to imagine a cowardly man who has been marginalized by society.

However, the person in the photograph unfolded before them was unexpectedly a woman.

She was a beauty with rounded cheekbones and thin lips, exuding a haughty elegance. Even from a small ID photo, an independent and strong personality could be felt.

Xie Qingcheng frowned and stared at the photo.

Seeing him, He Yu said,

“By any chance, this person…”

Xie Qingcheng looked up and met He Yu’s eyes.

“For some reason, she looks familiar.”

“Me too,” He Yu said. “I feel like I’ve met her before. But I can’t remember where I saw her.”

The principal’s name was Jin Shuhe. unauthorized copyIn documents from roughly twenty years ago, her age was [unauthorized copy]twenty-eight, and her location was Huzhou.

“Wait.”

The moment he confirmed the name, a face suddenly flashed through He Yu’s mind.

“I think I know this person.”

He took out his phone, typed a few characters into the search bar, and pressed the confirm button.

Miscellaneous data and photos appeared in the search results. He Yu quickly scanned the phone and handed it to Xie Qingcheng.

In the search results for the person ‘Jin Shuhe,’ there was a prominent headline.

Jin Shuhe, Female, former president of the Huzhou Women’s Federation, selected as one of the city’s top 10 outstanding female entrepreneurs in 1994…

Such an introduction wasn’t what was important right now.

What mattered was her family relationship. Three characters written as the husband’s name pierced his eyes.

Huang Zhilong.

Only then did He Yu recall the exact information.

“That’s right, Jin Shuhe is Huang Zhilong’s wife!”

If Inhang High School was a school hidden behind the organization, there was a high possibility that the person who deceived the female students and took them to Huzhou at the time was Jin Shuhe.

He Yu’s mind raced.

Arts major.

Huang Zhilong’s wife.

Arts specialty students…

Soon, a single keyword came to mind.

“If all of this is true, wouldn’t the student disappearance cases be linked to Huang Zhilong’s entertainment agency?”

As he organized the threads of his thoughts, his mind became clear. [unauthorized copy]With the appearance of the bundle of materials, it felt [Read on Read BL Novels]as if the fragmented pieces of evidence had been strung together [visit our site]into one. Like a mythical imugi emerging from a stagnant pond, the truth seemed to surge onto the vast ocean unfolding before his eyes.

He Yu suddenly looked up and spoke to Xie Qingcheng.

“I’ve done some deducing.”

“Tell me.”

“We have a few definite clues in our hands right now.”

Starting the explanation, He Yu pointed out the clues one by one.

“First, the fact that Wang Jiankang came to recruit students while Inhang High School was operating. Wang Jiankang probably promoted that if they majored in arts in Huzhou and joined an agency, they could later become famous celebrities and pursue a career as actors. Among the students deceived into going to Huzhou was Zhao Xue, the adopted daughter of Elder Zhuang Zhiqiang.”

As he continued, He Yu pointed to Zhao Xue’s records.

“These records say Zhao Xue went to Huzhou to major in arts, but in reality, no one knows specifically where she went. Elder Zhuang Zhiqiang said his daughter contacted him briefly after first arriving in Huzhou, and then news of her was cut off. Since he never saw his daughter again after that day until he passed away, we have to consider Zhao Xue completely disappeared.”

He Yu took a pen from the nightstand next to the bed and wrote the word ‘Missing’ on Zhao Xue’s document.

“Zhao Xue probably wasn’t the only one who disappeared. The students visit our site[visit our site]who went to Huzhou were all either cut [Read on Read BL Novels]off from their families or orphans with no relatives.”

He Yu spread the documents before Xie Qingcheng one by one, as if playing a card game.

“We can go to the village residents’ committee tomorrow and investigate. Well, I think it’ll be similar to my guess. They probably all went to Huzhou with hopes of stardom and never returned. I believe they either disappeared or died.”

Having finished the first explanation, He Yu continued.

“Second.”

Writing the three characters ‘Wang Jiankang’ on the document, He Yu checked the phone’s search bar.

“According to internet search data, Wang Jiankang worked as the head of external exchange affairs at Huzhou University starting fifteen years ago. Then the Chengkang Psychiatric Hospital incident happened, and he was later murdered. When Lu Yuzhu blew up the school archives, the materials inside vanished completely.”

“Do you think the academy the students went to is related to the Department of Performing Arts at Huzhou University?”

“It’s slightly different,” He Yu replied.

“As far as I know, Huzhou University has never operated a college entrance exam academy. Instead—”

The conversation shifted in a different direction.

“Even if there isn’t an official one, there are plenty of bastards who exploit loopholes. For example, a private academy might advertise that a Huzhou University professor teaches directly, or people with some connections might rent a commercial space near Huzhou University and run it as an entrance exam academy. People who don’t know any better think these academies are run by Huzhou University. It seems related to Huzhou University, but in reality, there’s no connection at all.”

He Yu continued,

“I believe Wang Jiankang took those students to a private academy using the name of Huzhou University. If so, there’s only one problem left. Where on earth did the students Wang Jiankang took go?”

Pushing the final document toward Xie Qingcheng, he tapped the paper with his finger.

“Jin Shuhe. Could it be a coincidence that Wang Jiankang came to recruit students at Inhang High School, where Jin Shuhe was the principal? We have to assume that Wang Jiankang and the high-ranking school officials were mutually beneficial. Inhang High School was a long-term supply chain. You know how well school teachers know their students, Hyung. Especially in a boarding school. Since they practically live together, wouldn’t they observe them all day and scout for suitable victims? Victims who have no one to uncover the truth even if they disappear or die.”

After a brief pause, He Yu continued.

“If Jin Shuhe turned a blind eye to Wang Jiankang’s atrocities or even secretly helped from behind, it means there was some benefit returning to Jin Shuhe. There’s a high possibility the two were a community of interest.”

Having deduced up to this point, He Yu felt a shiver of disgust.

Girls like Zhao Xue must have gritted their teeth and devoted themselves to their studies for nine years. Because they must have wanted to one day become phoenixes and leave that old nest.

Carrying worn-out bags and wearing rags with patched holes, [unauthorized copy]the girls headed Read on Read BL Novelsto school [visit our site]clutching their precious dreams.

However, they probably never dreamed that this ‘charity school’ was different from the Hope Elementary School they had attended before. Nor that a demon was waiting with its mouth wide open to devour their blood, flesh, and bones.

“I think there’s a high possibility the missing persons are linked to Huang Zhilong’s agency. Or perhaps Huang Zhilong was an official at Chengkang Psychiatric Hospital.”

He Yu spoke again.

“You remember what Jiang Lanpei said at Chengkang Psychiatric Hospital, right? She said the Liang brothers raped her. Then, let’s hypothesize this: Wang Jiankang got to know Jin Shuhe while becoming an official at Huzhou University, and the two collaborated to pick the most suitable test subjects among the students and controlled them under the guise of acting lessons. And the students were subjected to drug experiments similar to RN-13…”

At this point, He Yu glanced at Xie Qingcheng.

Xie Qingcheng’s face, bathed in the light, looked handsome and strong. It was hard to imagine that he was a man who had once suffered to the point of being covered in blood. No matter how he looked, he didn’t seem like someone who had been on the verge of death only to be saved by an illegal reagent.

He Yu said softly,

“Ordinary people can’t endure such experiments.”

A short silence followed. At the end of the silence, He Yu lowered his eyes.

“So, when a student went mad from the experiments, didn’t they send them to Chengkang Psychiatric Hospital? The Liang brothers, as collaborators, [visit our site]treated those girls as their toys. They were all locked in that psychiatric hospital like life prisoners, suffering under the Liang brothers until their value hit rock bottom. Perhaps the students transferred to Chengkang Psychiatric Hospital stolen contenteven had their names and family registries completely changed. If time passes in that state, it becomes difficult to investigate stolen contentfrom the outside. But I speculate that clues like this were hidden in the Huzhou University archives, which is why they were hastily burned after the Chengkang Psychiatric Hospital incident.”

After listening to He Yu’s reasoning and thinking quietly, Xie Qingcheng pointed out one problem.

“If this incident is linked to Huang Zhilong, then who killed Hu Yi? Did Huang Zhilong do it himself?”

“That makes no sense. It was a movie with a massive investment; when Hu Yi died on set, filming stopped and they suffered enormous losses. Huang Zhilong probably isn’t the culprit.”

“What about the possibility that Huang Zhilong committed atrocities behind the scenes and was retaliated against by someone?”

“Either way, I think we have a clue to track the RN-13 that Xie Xue took. If we dig into Huang Zhilong’s agency, the answer will come out.”

“Should we start by investigating Jin Shuhe?”

He Yu shook his head.

“Hyung, you don’t know the people of this world very well. This person, Jin Shuhe, regardless of what she did in the past, she won’t face the judgment of the law. Even if we find evidence.”

Xie Qingcheng raised an eyebrow with an aggressive expression. He seemed very displeased by the repertoire of ignoring the law through power.

“Why. How great is her background?”

He Yu chuckled at that reaction.

“It’s not just ‘great’.”

“Who is it?”

“The King of Hell.”

He Yu continued,

“Jin Shuhe is already dead. To investigate, we have to investigate Huang Zhilong himself. Instead, there’s something we need to confirm before we start a full-scale investigation.”

He lifted the yellowed documents he was holding.

“Tomorrow, let’s stop by Lu Yuzhu’s ex-husband’s house and confirm if the woman who appeared tonight is indeed Lu Yuzhu’s daughter. If it’s really her, I want to ask how she came to obtain these documents.”