15: Chapter 15 The Extra Classmate

Haining Road, in front of Xinghui KTV.

A taxi pulled up quietly.

Ding Qing got out of the car and looked up.

He gazed at the flickering neon lights of the sign above his head.

Passersby coming and going were all drawn to his attire and physique.

Ding Qing entered the KTV under the gaze of the crowd.

Private Room 8888.

Deafening electronic music almost blew the roof off, and colorful rotating spotlights cut through the thick smoke and smell of alcohol.

Wang Yang was howling a popular love song like a wailing ghost.

Huang Guohua held a glass of beer, staring at the flashing images on the screen.

It was as if his soul hadn't yet drifted back from the thick fog of Phoenix Mountain.

Zhao Xiaoya sat with Sun Hao, another surviving male classmate.

The two were sitting very close together.

Sun Hao was whispering something, and Zhao Xiaoya would occasionally force a small smile.

The heavy door of the private room was pushed open silently.

An invisible, cold, and stagnant aura instantly flooded in, like a bucket of ice water poured over their heads, forcefully suppressing the deafening music and clamor.

Wang Yang's off-key shouting came to an abrupt halt.

Huang Guohua shuddered violently, nearly spilling his beer.

Zhao Xiaoya and Sun Hao also subconsciously tensed up and looked toward the door.

Ding Qing's tall figure blocked the doorway.

He wore a loose black hooded sweatshirt, the hood pulled casually over his head, obscuring half of his face.

He scanned the room, his gaze lingering on Wang Yang for a moment.

It then swept past Huang Guohua and Zhao Xiaoya, finally pausing on Sun Hao.

"Sun Hao?"

Sun Hao stood up and nodded slightly.

Ding Qing's eyes held a hint of doubt.

But recalling the Phoenix Mountain trip, Sun Hao had indeed followed Wang Yang and the others down the mountain at the end.

"Brother Qing, you're finally here!"

An exaggerated smile spread across Wang Yang's face as he rushed over, wanting to pull him in.

"Come, come, come! We saved the center seat for the big hero! What are you drinking? Beer, red wine, or spirits?"

"Get lost. Is my hand something you can just touch?"

Ding Qing laughed and slapped Wang Yang's hand away, walking straight to the middle of the sofa to sit down.

That spot was spacious, allowing him to lean against the wall with a view of the entire room.

The sofa gave a slight groan beneath him.

"Forget the alcohol, I'll just have water."

Ding Qing's voice wasn't loud, yet it strangely pierced through the clamor of the background music.

"Ah? Oh, oh... Water, right away!"

Wang Yang was stunned for a second, then quickly shouted at the waiter at the door.

"Quick! Get a few bottles of the best mineral water, iced!"

The music was still playing, but the atmosphere in the room had completely changed.

The previous facade of drowning sorrows in alcohol and forced laughter was easily torn apart by Ding Qing's arrival.

A smile also appeared on Huang Guohua's face.

Zhao Xiaoya's eyes flickered with an indescribable strangeness.

Sun Hao straightened his back and stared at Ding Qing with curiosity.

Wang Yang attentively placed the ice water on the coffee table in front of Ding Qing.

He rubbed his hands together.

He wanted to say something to liven up the atmosphere.

But looking at those eyes beneath the shadow of the hood—calm and waveless, yet seemingly harboring a storm—all his words got stuck in his throat.

He could only pick up the microphone with a dry laugh.

"Brother Qing, how about a song? You're our backbone, after all..."

"You brat, I haven't even had a sip of water and you're making me sing."

Ding Qing lowered his hood and revealed a smile.

"I'll liven things up then. Help me pick 'Li Xianglan'; it's been a while since I sang that song."

"Coming right up!"

Wang Yang quickly selected the song.

The intro began, and the Cantonese version of 'Li Xianglan' followed.

"Vexed by the spring breeze, why is my heart vexed by the spring breeze."

"Indescribable, using wine to see it off."

"The night rain is freezing, raindrops penetrate into the photograph..."

Ding Qing's voice was deep and resonant, giving the song a unique charm.

There was sadness... there was sorrow... and even more of an indescribable longing.

Zhao Xiaoya's eyes brightened as she gazed at Ding Qing infatuatedly.

The song ended.

"Thank you, everyone!"

"God of Songs! I love you, ahhh!"

Wang Yang shouted at the top of his lungs.

Ding Qing unscrewed a bottle of water and took several gulps, the cold liquid sliding down his throat.

He set the bottle down, turned off the music, and glanced at Wang Yang before looking at Huang Guohua.

"Teacher Huang, any news from the school yet?"

The room instantly became so quiet that only the hollow beats of the background music remained.

Huang Guohua's body trembled as he set down his glass, his voice hoarse and heavy with exhaustion.

"There is... the school called me this afternoon... the security department wants an interview tomorrow... and then the day after, they'll hold a joint press conference regarding this matter."

After he finished speaking, he seemed to have used up all his strength and slumped back against the sofa.

"Fuck! Another interview?"

Wang Yang couldn't help but curse out loud.

"Didn't we already say everything that needed to be said? That ghostly place... those things... what the hell else can they investigate! Aren't they just trying to silence us?"

Zhao Xiaoya's eyes turned red again, and she spoke with a sob in her voice.

"Will they not believe us... think we're lying? Or... or think we're the ones who harmed the others..."

Ding Qing listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the cold mineral water bottle.

His bronze fingertips seemed to have a metallic texture under the dim light.

Wang Yang's complaints and Zhao Xiaoya's fear were all within his expectations.

Tomorrow's so-called "cooperation with the investigation" was likely a signal that the special departments from above were officially intervening.

The security department Huang Guohua mentioned was just a front; the ones with real weight were the special departments hidden behind them.

"Say what needs to be said,"

Ding Qing's voice remained calm, as if stating a simple fact.

"Tell them exactly what we said at the police station. Don't say a single extra word."

His gaze fell on Wang Yang like something physical, carrying a cold warning.

Wang Yang jolted under the stare and nodded frantically like a chicken pecking rice.

"Understood! Brother Qing, I definitely won't blab. Not a single extra word!"

Ding Qing's gaze then turned toward Zhao Xiaoya and Huang Guohua.

A flash of struggle appeared in Huang Guohua's eyes, but he eventually nodded dejectedly.

Zhao Xiaoya bit her lip and, under Ding Qing's emotionless stare, gave a timid "Mhm."

"Alright then."

Ding Qing picked up the water bottle, took another sip, and leaned back slightly, receding into the deeper shadows of the sofa like a silent mountain peak.

"As long as everyone knows what to do, let's just have some fun tonight."

The oppressive atmosphere in the room loosened slightly.

Wang Yang quickly switched to a more upbeat song to reignite the mood.

Huang Guohua, emboldened by the alcohol, sang a song about having a Clear Conscience.

Zhao Xiaoya gazed at Ding Qing with a complex expression.

Every time she dreamed these past few days, she would dream of this man.

She dreamed of his every action on the mountain; that decisiveness, toughness, and coldness deeply attracted her.

Sun Hao tilted his head and also stared at Ding Qing.

A faint, somewhat eerie smile played at the corners of his mouth.

Ding Qing leaned against the sofa, his eyes half-closed under the brim of his hood, as if resting, yet also as if sensing something.

After reaching the Great Perfection of the Iron Cloth Shirt, his perception had become exceptionally keen.

He could clearly hear the out-of-tune singing from the neighboring room.

He could smell the mixture of alcohol, perfume, tobacco, and a trace of... faint, extremely hidden malice in the air.

He picked up his water, the cold liquid sliding down his throat.

Had someone already targeted him?

Or had he run into something sinister again just by coming out to sing?