In the self-study class that day, the head teacher came in halfway, knocked on the desk, and asked the students to put down their review assignments. Then, they spent half the class telling everyone about the safety knowledge and self-defense awareness of commuting to and from school.
"Especially girls," he said. "Try to keep company, don't go to places with few people, don't go to parks and climb mountains. Don't run around outside at night."
Someone asked, "What happened?"
The head teacher said: "It's fine, the college entrance examination is coming soon, pay attention to all aspects." Then he said some things like paying attention to diet and avoiding the heat.
But the teenagers are very sensitive. As soon as the teacher left, the class exploded.
"Something happened, something happened."
"Have you noticed the teacher's tone? 'Especially the girls', I said, that's it."
"Which way?"
"Which aspect you don't know. I said the raincoat and flower thief last time, but you don't believe it."
"Oh-" suddenly realized.
Chen Nian didn't care, and put a plum in his mouth.
Zeng Hao in front turned his head, lay on Xiaomi's table, and hooked at Chen Nian.
Chen Nian leaned over, Xiaomi also went over, and the three heads were huddled together.
"Hey, the person the teacher said is probably Wei Lai."
Chen Nian and Xiaomi were very surprised.
Zeng Hao: "Really. It's a lie to lose the admission ticket."
The words in Chen Nian's mouth melted, sour and salty, and asked, "What's wrong with her?"
Zeng Hao hesitated, as if he was embarrassed by what he said next, but he still said the word: "rape first and kill later."
Chen Nian: "..."
Xiaomi: "It's true or not, are your three aunts and six grandmothers talking nonsense?"
"Really!" Zeng Hao said, "A week ago, the Sanshui Bridge collapsed in the last heavy rain of the rainy season."
Everyone knows that the Sanshui Bridge is in a remote location, it is still a rail bridge, and there are no casualties, so it is not a good topic to talk about. Who cares about students at the end of their senior year of high school.
"When a worker was working underwater, they found a shoe. At first they thought it was garbage, so they brought it ashore and prepared to throw it into the garbage heap. But later found out... "
Xiaomi interjected: "Wei Lai's?"
"Yes, after Wei Lai disappeared, there were notices everywhere. The clothes and shoes she wore on the day she disappeared were posted on the Internet."
"and then?"
"Of course I called the police. The police searched nearby, and later found the girl's body in the silt by the river about a kilometer upstream of the Sanshui Bridge."
Xiaomi asked, "She was buried inside?"
"Well, when the police picked it up, he was naked and naked."
"That's not necessarily what you said--that way."
"You don't know." Zeng Hao said, "Several girls have been arrested in Xicheng, that. But the culprit has not been caught."
Everyone knows which one is that.
Chen Nian remembered that she had been to Sanshui Bridge, and that Zheng Yi had reminded her to pay attention to safety when going to and from school. She said, "But that doesn't prove that the dead person is Wei Lai."
"Then where did you say Wei Lai disappeared? I think it's her. It must be her." Zeng Hao said hard.
If something happened to Wei Lai, or in that way, she must have been in pain before she died.
Chen Nian sucked the gradually sweeter words Mei, and there was a surge of agitated and terrifying pleasure in his heart.
But soon, she looked into her heart and felt ugly and ashamed again.
At noon, Chen Nian sat cross-legged on the mat, and when Kitano sprinkled water to cool down, she told him the news.
With an "oh" sound, he said nothing, and continued to water the concrete floor undisturbed.
The electric fan blew his forehead, covering his eyes, so he couldn't see his expression clearly.
"You said, will it be Wei Lai?" Chen Nian asked.
"How do I know." He raised his eyes, "I'm not a policeman."
After the water was poured, the fan was blowing a cool breeze. Kitano sat on the mat and said, "Go to sleep."
Chen Nian lay down and closed his eyes; Kitano also lay down and closed his eyes.
The wind blew the two teenagers lying flat on the mat.
After a while, the heat gradually dissipated, he put a pillow towel on her belly, and Chen Nian opened his eyes.
Kitano whispered, "Wake you up?"
Chen Nian shook his head and looked at him.
"What's wrong?" Kitano asked.
Chen Nian said, "You went to the back mountain of the school that day, wasn't Wei Lai there?"
"Yes."
"Why did you come back so late that day?"
"I've been looking for it for a long time."
Chen Nian opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't say anything, just staring straight at Kitano.
She has eyes that can talk, but at the moment her eyes are also speechless. She seemed a little confused, but she didn't know what she was wondering.
He smiled lightly: "Do you think I lied to you?"
"Neither." Chen Nian said.
"Go to sleep." Kitano said again.
Chen Nian closed his eyes, and Kitano also closed his eyes.
After taking a nap, Kitano sent Chen Nian to school.
After leaving the abandoned factory area and walking on the overgrown ground, a young man's shout came from behind: "North Ye!"
It's his friends, Dakang, Lai Zi, a young, tall and thin boy like him, and a bad boy like him.
Chen Nian immediately hid behind Beiye and tightened his shirt. She was shaking, he felt it. After that incident, she feared all the bad boys except him.
"Brother North—"
"Little North—"
They came running, "Let's go skating the U-board together."
"You go first, I'll find you later."
With the wind blowing, the girl's jet-black hair and white skirt flashed behind the boy Kitano.
"What's the matter with you recently? What are you busy with?" Dakang looked behind him, Kitano quickly took a step to the right, blocking his vision.
Dakang only met Kitano's warning eyes, like a defensive enemy.
Dakang was stunned, surprised. This is the brother he grew up with. This is the first time.
The brothers stared at each other, or rather, confronted each other.
When Lai Zi saw this, he pulled Dakang's arm and whispered, "Let's go play first, and we'll talk about it later."
Dakang looked at the two shadows under Kitano's feet, one high and the other low, clinging to each other; he was very upset and wanted to say something harsh to express his dissatisfaction these days, but in the end he only said: "It's also a heavy color. A friendly guy."
He walked away, Lai Zi went to pull, Dakang shook off: "You too!"
Lai Zi looked at Bei Ye and wanted to say something. Seeing his look, he swallowed and said, "I'll call you later."
also ran.
Kitano stretched his hand behind his back and held Chen Nian's hand. Her palm was sweaty, and she squeezed it tightly. It took a lot of effort to release her.
Chen Nian turned pale and lowered his head.
"That person... is your friend?"
"Not any more."
Kitano took her hand and clenched it slowly. She also slowly clenched, and the two young and immature forces were intertwined and bound together.
Walk through the waist-high grass. Some things are not mentioned.
The red woolen rope was still tied to his right wrist, a meaningless little thing, because of love, became a good heart.
The boy's hands were tight.
Until the end, had to let go.
On the road, no longer walk side by side.
When crossing the road, Chen Nian was standing on the side of the road, and Beiye was under a big tree five or six meters away from her. Someone patted Chen Nian's shoulder from behind, she turned around and it was Zheng Yi.
She was stunned, instinctively wanting to glance in Kitano's direction, but she didn't.
"Officer Zheng..."
"Chen Nian," Zheng Yi smiled, "Why are you running outside at noon today?" He once picked her up and knew that she would stay at school at noon and not come home.
Chen Nian said: "I... sometimes go back for lunch break."
"Well, it's uncomfortable to sleep on the table." The green light came on, and he raised his chin, "Let's go forward."
Chen Nian followed him, vaguely uneasy.
The sun shone on the road at two o'clock in the afternoon, and the heat was steaming.
She thought about it for a moment and asked, "Why are you... over here?"
"Oh, I came to see you. I didn't expect to see you here before school."
"What are you looking for me for?"
A car turned right, he pulled her arm, the girl's skin was slightly cold, and she quickly shrank away.
He sensed a sense of distance, and understood that they had not seen each other for a long time, and she was under a lot of pressure to study; he said, "the college entrance examination is almost here, let's see if you have been doing well recently."
"It's still... the same way."
"Well. It's good to be normal." After chatting casually for a while, Zheng Yi said again, "Go home early after school, and don't go to remote places with few people after school."
to the point. Chen Nian said: "Teacher... I said it."
"Well, that's good." Zheng Yi nodded and thought about it for a long time. Finally, he said inexplicably, "Keep a distance from the boys of the same age, don't trust them easily. Don't go home alone with the boys. If something happens , Be calm and don't provoke each other."
Chen Nian's heart tightened, like a thermometer suddenly thrown into boiling water. Guilty of being a ghost, does he know Kitano? But after thinking about it, I felt that it was wrong. The meaning of this sentence should be within the scope of suspicion.
Chen Nian raised his head and wanted to ask the question, but realized that the official business could not be made clear, and Zheng Yi would not answer, so he gave up.
At the school gate, Zheng Yi said, "Wait a minute." He went to the canteen across the street and bought an ice cream cone for her.
Chen Nian took it, and the cold air fell on the back of his hand.
Zheng Yi smiled and said, "Come on, study hard. I'm busy during this time, so I don't have time to see you. After the college entrance examination, I'll invite you to dinner."
Chen Nian said, "Okay."
Zheng Yi left, Chen Nian looked over and saw Beiye.
He stood in the mottled light and shadow under the plane tree, and the sunlight turned into white beams, punching holes in the boy's thin body.
Chen Nian stood on the steps of the school gate holding ice cream. She couldn't go over, and neither could he.
With just one look, he turned and walked away, as if he had never been here. A string of broken sunlight streamed over him.
Chen Nian went back to school.
As class approached, the classroom was almost boiling. I don't know where the news came from, the identity of the girl found in the river was confirmed.
It was Willie.
Zeng Hao's eyes were bright like light bulbs, and he said to Chen Nian, "She went down to accompany Xiaodie. - Oh, no, Xiaodie went to heaven, but Wei Lai went to hell."
No one is afraid of a dead person, and hatred and resentment no longer need to be concealed.
All afternoon, Xiaomi was sighing, Chen Nian: "What happened to you today?"
"I feel a little uncomfortable," Xiaomi said.
"What about Wei Lai?"
"Well." Xiaomi said, "Although she is very annoying, she feels very pitiful. Rather than dying, I hope she lives."
Chen Nian didn't know, she didn't know whether Wei Lai was dead or alive.
In front of Xiaomi, she was ashamed and powerless. They're best friends, but something separates them, and she doesn't know where to start.
"I don't understand this world." Xiaomi said. When Hu Xiaodie jumped off the building, she also said this when she was confused.
Xiaomi was in a bad mood, so she went to wash her face; when Chen Nian returned to the classroom, Xu Miao came over and sat in Hu Xiaodie's seat in front of her: "Wei Lai called me the day she disappeared."
Chen Nian's expression remained unchanged.
Xu Miao sighed: "She told me about you, and she asked you to go to the back mountain to meet. Let me 'appreciate' your embarrassed appearance. She said that it was in the back mountain, and it was a gym class. I'll go. I won't be found out by my parents."
Chen Nian still looked at her with a frozen expression.
"I didn't want to be like her anymore, so I refused. I used to think bullying was very dignified and powerful, but now it's boring to think about it."
Chen Nian said, "Fortunately, you didn't go."
Xu Miao thought she was embarrassed, and she was a little embarrassed, and said, "I am being educated by my parents every day now, let alone my previous virtues. But Chen Nian, did Wei Lai treat you that day?"
In her eyes, a weak bully like Chen Nian could not be a suspect at all.
Chen Nian remembered how Wei Lai was arrogant and domineering with the video that day, insulting her, threatening her, intimidating her, and ensuring that the bad luck she suffered would continue; Chen Nian shook his head: "No."
"Oh." Xu Miao leaned over and whispered, "Don't tell anyone that you met her in private, or you'll be questioned every day, and you won't want to study."
Chen Nian nodded.
In less than half a day, all kinds of news flew all over the campus like doves with wings. When Chen Nian went downstairs to the physical education class, he heard the students in the lower grades discuss in a spirited way:
"Hey, have you watched the American drama "Criminal Minds"?"
"No, does it look good?"
"It's so beautiful, you can find it online. I tell you, like Wei Lai, she is the out-of-control point and the flashpoint of the serial rapist. The crime of the raincoat man has escalated. If he starts to attack the girl in the future, he will take the They kill."
"Ah? Really fake?"
"Really. It was said on TV. The pleasure he got from rape couldn't satisfy him. Killing someone once was like opening a Pandora's box. He had to continue to get pleasure from killing people."
"It's terrifying. - But you are so powerful, you will become an expert in the future."
"Of course, that's my ambition."
Many students are talking about it.
They have pity for the victims, especially when there are many people, and they are written on their faces and mouths in conformity with the crowd.
Some people called for candles to pray for Wei Lai, but the temporary "organization committee" had a lot of disputes over the candle model, the shape, who would take pictures, who would appear, and who would post it on Weibo. Fortunately, in the end Agree.
But before night, someone was lighting candles and playing in the classroom. More teenagers joined in, fighting, making noise, laughing and dancing. They became crazy and almost caused a safety hazard. The prayers for blessings are also gone.
Sometimes, Chen Nian thinks,
The school is a strange botanical garden, and every teenager is like a flower, a grass, or a shrub.
Some teenagers are beautiful, some are ugly; some teenagers are beautiful at some times and ugly at other times;
They are like kudzu and pine fighting for sunlight and rain, life and death; they are like litmus and usne, mutual benefit and win-win; more often they are like trees and shrubs, each finds a suitable position, shares nature, and does not interfere with each other.
And people who can't even survive in school, how can they live in society in the future