The Senior Student (female) Is Not Human - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: The Rumor – “Don’t stick out your tongue.”

Xie Shiwei was awakened by the clamor outside.

She groggily fumbled for her glasses and put them on, sitting up blankly from her sleeping bag. She found that Jiang Xiyao’s figure was long gone from the tent, and even the zipper was tightly closed—

It was as if someone hiding inside in the middle of the night was just her illusion.

But thinking back to the night she stayed at the Tang family’s house, and how Jiang Xiyao had also left the closet without a sound, she was accustomed to it. She rubbed her eyes, grabbed her toiletries, and headed out.

She found that her classmates outside the tent all had serious expressions, huddled in groups, whispering.

“Did you hear? A student from the Business school snuck out last night after curfew and went crazy when he came back!”

“Ah? How? Don’t scare me.”

“Seriously! I just went to talk to them about breakfast, right? Guess what? One guy came over to me with a ‘hehehe,’ asking if he could get everyone to cook a big piece of meat he’d hidden.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Are you stupid?! We packed up all the picnic utensils and garbage last night, and there are no refrigerators in the mountains. Who would hide such a big piece of meat for no reason? The Business school counselor even called him crazy and told him to stop joking. He refused and insisted on taking people to dig, saying the meat was fragrant and hot and wouldn’t go bad no matter how long it was buried in the ground.”

Xie Shiwei couldn’t hold back her curiosity: “What kind of meat?”

She grew up in the mountains.

This camping mountain, being close to the city, had its mountaintop grass yellowed by tourists on weekends. Even the fish in the farmhouse pond at the foot of the mountain were fed until they were fat.

It was obvious that it would be a luxury to find a wild chicken or rabbit on this mountain. How could a group of weak university students catch a large wild animal?

Could it be a nationally protected animal…?

The class president casually replied, “Exactly, I was wondering the same thing, so I went with him. He found a hoe, and I swear, after two whole hours, we dug up nothing.”

Xie Shiwei gave the class president a sympathetic look. So he was tricked by a delusional person.

The others, however, were unhappy: “That’s it? The counselor made us gather this early in the morning because a crazy person from the Business college had an episode and didn’t take his medicine?”

The class president rubbed the goosebumps on her arms.

Her expression became hard to describe: “I wish that was all… Ah, I wish I could erase the memory of what happened there.”

Someone who was close to her urged impatiently: “Hurry up and tell us! Don’t leave us hanging!”

The class president said nothing, but her mind replayed the frenzied look of the man. His eyes were red like a beast’s. He held the hoe and rushed up to others, demanding:

“You saw it, didn’t you? You were with me last night, we buried it together, didn’t we? Was it you! Did you steal my meat! You’re jealous that I got the biggest share, aren’t you? But I’m the one who killed her—”

“I killed Jiang Xiyao! I have the biggest part of her! What’s wrong with that!”

It was nearly noon, but recalling that scene, the class president felt a cold sweat crawl up from the soles of her feet.

In the end, she only spoke vaguely, giving a seemingly unrelated answer:

“Jiang Xiyao from the Art college has been missing since last night, and no one has found her yet.”

The students were silent for a moment, then exploded again:

“Huh? Is that true? Wait, why are you suddenly saying that?”

“Hold on, my goodness, I’ve watched way too many suspense and crime shows. If you’re telling the story like this, it’s too terrifying! No way? It can’t be what I’m thinking, right? Did Jiang Xiyao…”

When Xie Shiwei heard the word “suspense,” her heart palpitated, and she instinctively wanted to leave.

But the three words “Jiang Xiyao” cast a spell, holding her in place, her ears perked.

What happened to Senior Jiang? Why would she suddenly go missing? Didn’t she say she was playing hide-and-seek last night? Have they found her yet? Did they call the police?

The moment her worries surfaced, someone suddenly called her name:

“Xie Shiwei!”

She instinctively turned her head and saw You Jiayi standing under a tree not far away.

Her silver hair, usually meticulously styled with hairspray, was now disheveled. She wore her limited edition sneakers with the heels flattened like slippers, and the socks she was wearing were two different colors.

Xie Shiwei absent-mindedly gave her a questioning look.

She didn’t care about her abnormal state, only about the unfinished reasoning of the classmate just now.

However, You Jiayi walked closer to her step by step: “Did you sleep well last night?”

She hadn’t expected Xie Shiwei’s mental fortitude to be so strong. When she threw the “gift” in last night, there was still a faint light from a phone in the tent.

After spending a night with that “gift” in the cramped tent, Xie Shiwei showed no fear at all. Not only did she brazenly walk out to wash up, but now she even dared to participate in the discussion about this matter with other students?!

For the first time, You Jiayi felt she had underestimated her.

Xie Shiwei heard her sudden concern. The embarrassing reactions her body had when she was chatting with Jiang Xiyao last night instantly flashed in her mind, and she awkwardly swallowed.

But she didn’t want anyone to know the secret of her clandestine time with her crush—especially not a fanatic admirer of Jiang Xiyao like You Jiayi.

“Is it any of your business?”

She pursed her lips, not forgetting You Jiayi’s targeting of her recently.

Although she didn’t know why this person was suddenly concerned about her sleep quality, she hadn’t forgotten that she had almost lost her social practice credits and the sarcastic remarks You Jiayi had made about it.

Since their roommate relationship could no longer be peaceful, she would just have to work harder and ride her bike home to live.

In short, she would not be nice to You Jiayi anymore!

You Jiayi hadn’t expected Xie Shiwei to dare to say such a thing to her. She immediately sneered, crossed her arms, and looked at her, raising her voice:

“Why wouldn’t it be my business?”

“If a roommate you live with every day turns into a murderer, I’d be scared too.”

Xie Shiwei: “?”

She stared at You Jiayi in shock, wondering if the delusion from the guy next door had infected her.

The students who had been gathered nearby, gossiping, now turned their attention to her. The ones who had been close to Xie Shiwei instantly and “swoosh” distanced themselves from her.

Xie Shiwei rarely got angry. Now, she felt a rush of bl00d to her head and angrily demanded:

“What are you talking about? How can you spread such a rumor?”

You Jiayi hadn’t slept all night, making sure she didn’t miss a single sound from Xie Shiwei’s tent. From the moment the faint phone light went out until the sunrise, she knew Xie Shiwei had not left the tent once.

How dare she be so self-righteous and confront her, when she didn’t even have time to destroy the “evidence”?

You Jiayi sneered repeatedly.

She raised her phone.

“Are you so confident that what you did won’t be discovered? Xie Shiwei, I’m calling the police right now. Do you dare stand here and let the police search your tent for whatever is inside?”

Initially, You Jiayi just wanted to see Xie Shiwei panic, run out of the tent, and cry secretly.

Perhaps.

She would even run into her in her desperation, not knowing how to deal with the things in the tent, and ask her for help to figure out a solution or to help dispose of them.

Who knew Xie Shiwei would be so stubborn? Well, she couldn’t blame her for being ruthless.

…As for the fools who did the stupid things last night and tried to “bribe” her to keep their secret, what did their lives or deaths have to do with her?

You Jiayi’s finger pressed the first digit of “110.”

But Xie Shiwei was about to be so angry she could die!

Although she had heard many bizarre rumors before, this was the first time she had been accused of being a murderer!

Even though her body was trembling, Xie Shiwei insisted on standing still, looking directly at her:

“It seems you know what’s in my tent better than I do.”

“—Why don’t you tell everyone?”

You Jiayi immediately walked toward her tent, raising her voice even higher, wanting to make sure all the students heard.

“Fine. Then I’ll ask all the students to come and see the corpse of Jiang Xiyao that’s hidden in Xie Shiwei’s tent.”

“Whoa!”

The surrounding students gasped in surprise.

The timid ones immediately hid behind others, but they couldn’t curb their curiosity about seeing a crime scene for the first time, straining to look at the lonely single tent that stood apart from the rest.

Xie Shiwei’s mind was buzzing.

Her face was pale as she stood still, unable to believe what she had just heard.

…Whose, corpse?

The ringing in her ears grew more intense. Her world began to spin, and her legs felt weak.

Just before the familiar darkness enveloped her, a lazy, soft laugh suddenly sounded from behind her.

Her limp waist was suddenly held steady by a palm—

“I was only lost for a few minutes. Why is everyone spreading rumors that I’m dead, hmm?”

“What corpse? Let me see too?”

The voice, as clear as the clinking of jade, flowed into her ear, seeming to give her a new lease on life.

Xie Shiwei inexplicably found the strength to stand up straight again, right on the edge of fainting.

She turned her head blankly, coming face to face with that stunning countenance.

The downcast eyes, the long, straight nose, the full, tempting red lips, and even the mole was right where she remembered it to be.

Jiang Xiyao patiently let her eyes repeatedly confirm her own well-being. It wasn’t until the bl00d returned to Xie Shiwei’s face that she leisurely looked at You Jiayi in the distance.

In the midst of the silver-haired girl’s disbelief, Jiang Xiyao smiled sweetly:

“If you’re bored, eat some rat poison. Why are you just eating salt and having nothing to do but curse me everywhere?”

You Jiayi glared at her fiercely.

Impossible! She clearly remembered the shape of the bundles in those guys’ hands last night, and the thick, bloody smell. How could Jiang Xiyao still be alive?!

She saw it with her own eyes…

No, she was also freaked out at the time and didn’t lift the cloth.

So, were those guys from the Business college just having a psychotic episode, fantasizing that they killed Jiang Xiyao?!

Damn it, how hateful—

“Jiang Xiyao.”

The Business college counselor, who had received the news from somewhere, rushed over: “Where did you run off to? Do you know everyone was about to call the police looking for you?!”

Jiang Xiyao glanced over indifferently, her face showing no trace of the embarrassment that would make people worry about her.

She even raised her hand lazily:

“Counselor, I want to report something.”

“A classmate tricked me into going out last night, but then left me in the mountain and ran away. I was so scared in the dark forest that I almost got lost and fed to wild animals. It took me a long time to find my way back.”

The Art college counselor was both anxious and angry, but now she laughed: “What wild animals are in this mountain! What did I say yesterday? Anyone who dares to sneak out at night will get a demerit! Get over here first, what are you doing on another college’s territory?”

Before Jiang Xiyao left, she looked at Xie Shiwei’s face, making sure she wouldn’t faint again.

Only then did she walk toward her own counselor, but her expression was still self-righteous:

“Someone from their college is spreading rumors about me. I’m about to sue her for defamation.”

The lazy voice grew more distant.

Xie Shiwei quietly looked up again, confirming that every inch of skin on the figure exposed to the sun was fair, radiant, and completely unharmed.

She finally let out a long, slow sigh of relief.

Thank goodness Jiang Xiyao is okay!

When she turned around, she didn’t have to explain anything. The students who had been called over and witnessed the entire event were already righteously denouncing You Jiayi:

“You Jiayi, you’ve gone too far this time. Before, when you said Xie Shiwei always came back late at night and disturbed your dorm’s sleep, I felt sorry for you. But now it’s clear you’re the one targeting her!”

“Exactly, how can you call someone a murderer? My god, she already has it hard enough juggling her studies and a part-time job, and now she has to deal with you spreading such rumors? I think you’re the most ridiculous one.”

“Seriously, if it were me, even an apology wouldn’t be enough.”

Even her roommates, who had known You Jiayi longer and were used to taking her side, now distanced themselves and told her to apologize to Xie Shiwei.

When the short-haired girl glared at them resentfully, biting her lip.

Xie Shiwei, taking advantage of the sympathy everyone was showing her, suddenly spoke up: “It’s not just me. You should also apologize to Senior Jiang.”

However, after she said that—

The students who had just been feeling sorry for her and showing their sympathy all fell silent.

When her gaze swept over them, they actively avoided eye contact.

Even though she didn’t have the ability to read other people’s minds, Xie Shiwei felt as if she could hear what they were thinking:

‘Jiang Xiyao, that person is a lost cause. What decent person runs off to play with a bunch of guys in the middle of the night? Isn’t it obvious what’s going to happen?’

‘She was lucky not to die this time, but who knows about the future? How can a person be lucky forever?’

‘What’s Xie Shiwei’s relationship with Jiang Xiyao anyway? Why is she speaking up for her? Shouldn’t a normal person stay as far away from that person as possible?’

And so.

When Jiang Xiyao got rid of the pile of fake concern and, with nothing to do, decided to look for Xie Shiwei after watching the commotion of the mental hospital van arriving to take away the delusional students.

She found that the person who should have been cleared of suspicion and earned the sympathy of her classmates was sitting alone in the woods, basking in the sun.

Jiang Xiyao’s pretty eyebrows furrowed.

This isn’t right.

She thought. I usually don’t like places with a lot of girls, so the students in Xie Shiwei’s class shouldn’t be too affected by my presence.

Did I stand too close to this custard bun when I appeared just now, so it didn’t have the expected effect? They don’t care about the truth at all and just want to implicate Xie Shiwei?

Looking at the poor, dejected girl, who had even stopped fantasizing about lewd things.

Jiang Xiyao was unaccustomed to her silence, so she suddenly appeared in front of her.

The girl, lost in her thoughts, was so startled by her sudden closeness that she leaned backward, almost falling.

Having successfully pranked her, Jiang Xiyao knelt down with a smile:

“Still hiding? Even though you can never get away from me.”

“Let me guess, you didn’t believe their baseless rumors, saying I’m a mountain spirit who came back to life, so that’s why you’re so scared—”

The rest of her words were cut short.

Because her mouth was once again covered by that audacious hand.

Jiang Xiyao’s eyebrows twitched. She narrowed her eyes, wanting to warn her not to touch her whenever she pleased.

But faster than pulling that hand away, was the second wave of tears that streamed from behind the glasses.

“Drip, drop…”

Jiang Xiyao’s hand paused.

She was successfully captivated by the tear-streaked face, even fantasizing with interest whether this custard bun would obediently cry every time she saw her from now on.

The hand suspended in midair slowly changed its destination, preparing to remove the annoying glasses that were blocking her view of the beautiful scene.

As her snowy fingertips touched the edge of the black frame, Jiang Xiyao suddenly heard a nonsensical phrase.

“It’s not your fault.”

It was said with a very slight, breathless tremble, but it was incredibly clear.

Jiang Xiyao’s expression froze. “What?”

Xie Shiwei didn’t know where she got the courage to say that.

Perhaps her eyes were so blurry from the overwhelming tears that she couldn’t clearly see that beautiful face. All she could see was her past self—the helpless, lost, and outwardly composed person who faced maliciousness.

So she emphasized the answer again, as if her words could possess the power to travel through time and reach her former self.

“It’s not your fault. They’re the ones who are wrong.”

But just saying that sentence seemed to have exhausted all her strength.

The rest of her words could only be shouted out loud in her heart:

[The rumor-mongers are wrong! The ones who fabricated the endings, got angry when they didn’t get the results they wanted, and then did extreme things are wrong! The ones with possessiveness, jealousy, and fragile hearts are wrong!]

[You are just being yourself. You are not wrong at all!]

Although Xie Shiwei’s voice was very soft, Jiang Xiyao felt as if she had heard a thunderous crash.

Thump!

Thump thump thump thump!

At first, it was just one thump, but then it became more and more rapid, filling her entire mind.

It was so intense that she suddenly couldn’t hear the prey’s inner voice anymore, as if only this pounding remained in the world.

But Xie Shiwei, who had just been crying for her, even had the courage to stop her from self-deprecating, and had the confidence to comfort her crush, suddenly pulled her hand away in that instant.

[A-a hallucination?]

[Just now, what was it, that bumped against me?]

Xie Shiwei nervously clenched her palm.

She even forgot that she had just been crying for her.

She just frantically started to think nonsense.

[W-was it because I covered her mouth for too long, and Senior got impatient? But, but even if she was impatient, she shouldn’t, shouldn’t stick out her tongue, ahhh! My hand is so lucky! How did you get so lucky?!]

[Stupid brain, remember this moment clearly. Was it soft? Was it slick? Did it secretly twist in my palm? I order you not to forget! When I’m old, I’ll rely on this exclusive memory to live!]

Looking at Xie Shiwei, who was still shedding tears, seamlessly transitioning to a red face and a wandering gaze.

Jiang Xiyao just slowly raised her hand and covered her lips.

Shielding the mole.

The seductive red mole that was her true heart, now beating wildly under her skin.

Jiang Xiyao, who had never felt this heart change before, now clearly sensed its force, beating against the skin of her palm.

She wondered with a sense of bewilderment.

…What’s this sound?