Chapter 21: Death Threat

“Go die.”

The naked malice was solidified in those two words. The beautiful, European-style model castle lay smashed to pieces.

Whispers rippled through the surrounding crowd:

“What happened…”
“I didn’t see…”
“Who was the first one in here?”
“Don’t talk nonsense, it has nothing to do with me. It was already like this when I walked in, if you don’t believe me, ask…”

A vacuum seemed to have formed around the scattered plastic bricks. The crowd stood at a distance, filled with curiosity or shock, yet not a single person dared to take a step forward.

Ruoping followed and took a look, her tone turning complicated. “Why is it targeted at her again? The scarf incident last time was just the same. You have to wonder what Gu Qiumian actually did to… Hey, where are you going?”

Zhang Shutong had already pushed past the shoulders of the onlookers and crouched down beside the debris. He pulled out his phone and snapped a photo, then picked up the white sheet of paper, glanced at it, and crumpled it into a ball.

The paper was just an ordinary piece of A4, clean and unmarked except for those two words. He continued to observe, using his hand to brush aside the colorful parts on the floor, and discovered that it wasn’t just smashed—

At the castle gate, there had originally been a Lego figure wearing a dress, prettily dressed and tucked among the ivy leaves. He had playfully nicknamed it the “princess.” Now, the figure was snapped in half at the waist, and the plastic component serving as the head had been crushed flat.

He glanced at his phone again. In the photo he’d just taken, the corpse of the princess figure was positioned exactly between the two characters for “Go die.”

Zhang Shutong gathered the bricks together, his brow furrowing deeper.

He was certain of one thing: this was a variable that had never occurred in his previous life.

Why?

And what did that “go die” message mean?

Just like the shredded scarf last time, was this a prank between classmates, or… a death threat?

For a fleeting moment, he thought of the murder that would take place four days later, but how could these two events be connected?

He tried to clear his thoughts, but Ruoping squeezed through the crowd, interrupting him.

“Put them in here…”

She had found a plastic bag from somewhere, sighed, and crouched down to help collect the bricks, her tone conveying a sense of exasperation. “Why do you keep pushing yourself into these messes? Haven’t you learned your lesson from the scarf incident yet…”

Zhang Shutong couldn’t possibly tell her his suspicions, so he busied himself and made up an excuse. “What else can I do? She’s going to cry and throw a tantrum later anyway. I’m her desk-mate; I’m the one who’s going to suffer…”

Within a few moments, the two of them had finished packing up the bricks. He looked up and saw that Gu Qiumian hadn’t returned to the classroom yet.

“That’s true, I wouldn’t help her if it weren’t for you.” Ruoping always had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. “Who do you think would want to retaliate against her? We’re all classmates, it shouldn’t be that serious, right?”

Zhang Shutong didn’t reply.

He saw someone.

He placed the plastic bag on the bookshelf, his eyes locked on a single point. “You go find the head teacher first…”

With that, Zhang Shutong strode out of the crowd. The person he was looking at tried to walk away, but this time, he didn’t get his way. He grabbed the jacket of a boy named Zhou Ziheng and frowned. “What exactly was it you were talking about this morning?”

Zhang Shutong didn’t have a strong impression of him, perhaps because he lacked presence in class. Now, taking a closer look, he saw a short, stocky boy with dark skin, eyes with very little white, and a slight hunch that suggested he was used to keeping his head down.

“Why are you looking for me? Let go…”

The distance between them closed in an instant. The boy froze, struggling to break free, but he couldn’t pull away.

Zhang Shutong simply stared directly into his eyes. “If you don’t say it now, you’ll have to say it to the head teacher in a minute.”

By now, the two of them had become the center of attention. Countless eyes were fixed on them, and Zhou Ziheng said anxiously, “Zhang Shutong, I’m telling you, don’t think that just because you have a good relationship with the head teacher, you can…”

“Right, so what if I do?” Zhang Shutong interrupted sharply. “So, was it you?”

“What does it have to do with me? Don’t talk nonsense…”

“Then tell me, right now.”

The boy finally cracked under the pressure, stumbling over his words: “It really wasn’t me! I just saw someone had written Gu Qiumian’s name on the partition in the bathroom this morning…”

“Continue.”

“And there was a cross marked over her name…”

“Which stall?”

“I… I didn’t notice…”

“Keep going.”

“There really isn’t anything else! I saw it and wanted to tell her, but she didn’t believe me. What was I supposed to do? I told her, and she just thought I was annoying. And now you’re all suspecting me!”

As he spoke, Zhou Ziheng suddenly became agitated. He violently wrenched his hand away from Zhang Shutong, his jacket becoming twisted.

“Why should I be suspected when I tried to be the good guy? I want to ask who I offended! Didn’t I tell her this morning? Isn’t it her own fault for not taking it seriously? If something really happened, then how is it any of my business anymore!”

“Then why did you run away this morning?” Zhang Shutong didn’t bother arguing those points.

Zhou Ziheng clenched his fists, staring fixedly at the bricks in the bag. His dark face flushed red. He looked at Zhang Shutong with resentment and shouted, “I want to ask who you think you are! Who are you, Zhang Shutong? What are you to Gu Qiumian? Why do you come running to ask questions every time something happens to her? I didn’t want to say anything, is that a crime? If she wanted to know, why didn’t she come ask me herself? Does the whole world think you’re the only one who can play the hero?”

Zhou Ziheng roared and tried to leave, but as soon as he took a step, he found his path blocked by two other boys.

“Hey, wait a minute, are you actually playing the victim? I think there’s something wrong with your head. If it was such a simple matter, why didn’t you just say so? Didn’t you bring this on yourself because you were acting guilty?”

Du Kang had appeared from nowhere and started backing his friend up without asking questions—he was the type to favor his friends regardless of the logic.

Qingyi stood there with a deadpan expression, his “dead fish eyes” carrying an oppressive weight. With the two of them standing beside Zhou Ziheng, it looked like they were ganging up on him.

Only then did Zhang Shutong feel a headache coming on. He didn’t take anything Zhou Ziheng said to heart—whether it was grievance or venting—and while he could hear the underlying malice, his current concerns didn't lie with this boy. Whether it was Zhao Ziheng or Li Ziheng didn’t matter.

However, the way Du Kang and the others were blocking him was only likely to escalate the situation, so he waved them off, signaling them not to get involved.

Zhou Ziheng seized the chance and bolted. Du Kang watched his retreating back and cursed, “Shutong, didn’t you notice? This guy looks honest, but what he said just now was meant to stir up trouble and put you in the hot seat…”

Zhang Shutong knew that, of course, but silence was the best response. Otherwise, should he beat him up? Have a confrontation? He didn’t feel much about it, but his two best friends were annoyed, and he would inevitably have to soothe them.

Zhang Shutong felt a sudden sense of absurdity. He repeatedly insisted he was fine, and the three of them went to the bathroom together. They found Gu Qiumian’s name in the third stall. He took a photo, even comparing the handwriting to the A4 paper, but found no useful leads.

Zhang Shutong only wanted to confirm one thing: Was this act of retaliation related to the murder case?

And why hadn't this happened before? Why did it appear only after the timeline had looped? What was the trigger?

While he was lost in thought, Du Kang leaned in with a mischievous grin, saying, “Brother, so you really do like Gu Qiumian. This is a classic ‘hero saves the beauty’ situation. Qingyi and I have to help you out.”

Qingyi nodded solemnly, starting a lecture on how a man’s mission was to… Zhang Shutong quickly told both of them to shut up, praying for the class bell to ring and take them away.

As if the heavens heard his plea, the bell rang. The two of them waved goodbye, still clearly enjoying the drama. Zhang Shutong lingered in the bathroom for a while longer before returning to his seat. To his surprise, Gu Qiumian was already there.

He had expected the young girl to be making a scene at the podium, demanding to know who did it, just like when her scarf was stepped on last time.

Or perhaps she would have gone to report it to the head teacher, which would make things much more serious. If it were just the smashed castle, it would be one thing—the “culprit” could easily explain it away as an accident. But with the words “Go die” added, this was no longer a simple school conflict.

Yet, Gu Qiumian was neither throwing a tantrum nor reporting it. She wasn’t even red-eyed like last time. She sat in her seat with a cold face, arranging the materials for the next class as if she were still just a student in the midst of a dull, mundane school life.

She looked exactly as she had during morning study while chatting with her little clique.

Could it be that no one had told her?

As he thought this, Zhang Shutong glanced at the plastic bag on the bookshelf. Even if no one had told her, she should have noticed that such a large castle was gone.

He realized then that there was no teacher at the podium, and the room was filled with hushed discussions about the incident. The class monitor had called for order several times to no avail.

Zhang Shutong actually wanted to ask Gu Qiumian directly if she had any leads—like who she might have had a conflict with recently… perhaps he could deduce something.

But even he realized that would be inappropriate. He had to consider the feelings of the person involved, especially since Gu Qiumian wasn’t an easy person to talk to.

Just as he was trying to think of a tactful approach, he saw Song Nanshan walk in with a dark expression.

His steps were so hurried they seemed to stir the air. He slammed the door shut, startling everyone into immediate silence.

“There will be no class today! If you can’t even act like human beings, what’s the point of coming to school!”

Zhang Shutong could tell that his head teacher was truly furious. It wasn’t just the pressure of Gu Qiumian’s background, but the deep disappointment that someone among his students had committed such an act.

Song Nanshan called out three names: Gu Qiumian, Zhang Shutong, and Zhou Ziheng.

Perhaps news of the confrontation between him and Zhou Ziheng during the break had reached Song Nanshan’s ears.

“Everyone else, study quietly. Class monitor, watch the podium. I’ll be in the office, and if I hear anyone talking, don’t bother staying in this classroom!”

He barked another order, then called the three of them out of the room. Zhang Shutong kept an eye on Gu Qiumian’s reaction. The girl stood up and walked out with an indifferent expression. Many eyes were fixed on her, but she didn’t look at anyone, and she didn’t say a word throughout the entire process.

Once in the office, Song Nanshan asked Zhang Shutong about the incident first. He gave a brief explanation—there really wasn’t much to say, as Zhou Ziheng’s only “clue” was the name on the partition.

Song Nanshan asked a few more questions before softening his tone and looking at Gu Qiumian. “Qiumian, how about this? I will find out who did this, and I absolutely won’t let them off the hook. Don’t get yourself worked up. I’ll contact your father now…”

Gu Qiumian shook her head coldly. “No need. He’s out, and I’m fine.”

“Then… have you had any conflicts with anyone lately? I mean, do you have any suspects?”

“No.”

“When Zhou Ziheng told you this morning…”

“That kind of person is only capable of doing that kind of thing.” Gu Qiumian interrupted, her face expressionless. “Mr. Song, I said I’m fine. I have dozens of those toys at home; it’s nothing to be concerned about.”

“What about that A4 paper?” This was the part that gave Song Nanshan the most trouble; he didn’t know how to bring it up. “You might not have seen it, but on it…”

“I don’t know what was written on it, and I don’t care.”

Gu Qiumian continued with utter indifference: “It couldn’t have been anything good, so why would I want to upset myself? You don’t need to tell me.”

“But last time…”

“I know, but they aren’t comparable.”

Zhang Shutong guessed that “last time” referred to the scarf incident. He recalled the argument and remembered Gu Qiumian mentioning that the scarf was something her mother… but he had interrupted her before he could hear the rest.

He saw Song Nanshan let out a sigh of relief. Putting himself in the head teacher’s shoes, Song Nanshan didn’t know about the murder that would happen in a few days, so it was hard for him to connect the words “Go die” to a life-and-death situation, viewing it only as a malicious prank.

Since Gu Qiumian wasn’t overly emotional, it was easier for the teacher to handle, at least to some extent.

“Zhang Shutong, come over here. Since we’re here, let’s clear the air.”

Song Nanshan hadn’t forgotten his role as a mediator. He beckoned him over and said to Gu Qiumian, “I know you two have had conflicts before and we haven’t found a good time to resolve them. Now that you’re desk-mates, you need to get along. Do you hear me? I’m talking to you, Zhang Shutong!”

He glared at him, clearly annoyed by his lack of social awareness. Zhang Shutong didn’t feel like being stubborn about this, but just as he was about to speak, he noticed Gu Qiumian acting as if she hadn’t heard a word.

She was staring at the head teacher’s face, not even glancing at him. “Teacher, if there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.”

Without waiting for Song Nanshan’s response, she turned and left. Song Nanshan looked helpless, but he had to go back to the classroom to deal with the rest, so he waved for Zhang Shutong and Zhou Ziheng to return.

Zhang Shutong thought to himself: *There is one thing you didn’t account for, sir. Not only is the scarf incident unresolved, but I offended her again this morning because of Ruoping. With old grudges and new ones added together, there’s no way she’s going to give me a pleasant look.*

But now wasn’t the time for that. As he left the office, he noticed Gu Qiumian wasn’t heading toward the classroom. She was standing at the stairwell.

She had her back to him, and he suddenly heard the girl’s calm voice.

“Was that you who helped me pick up the bricks?”

Zhang Shutong said “Hmm,” unsure of what she meant. Just as he was waiting for her to continue, he heard the *clack-clack* of boots on the stairs.

She had already descended. There was no response, and it made him wonder if she had even heard his answer.

He returned to the classroom, and the rest of the period was spent under the shadow of Song Nanshan’s furious interrogation.

Yet, they were at a dead end.

By the time school let out at noon, Zhang Shutong still hadn’t seen Gu Qiumian return.