Chapter 275: 274. Chapter 274 New Commission: The Mysterious Cat Boss

274. Chapter 274 New Commission: The Mysterious Cat Boss's…

On the black and white piano keys, a dark red mysterious cat lightly stepped on the keys; after seeing them, it leisurely walked onto the piano case and gracefully crouched down.

【They actually said cat？！！！】

【Ahhh, what kind of cat is this, it can actually play the piano！】

【No way, I don't believe it! I can't play the piano myself, how could a cat possibly！】

At this moment, noticing their mysterious cat tilt its head, a pair of pale yellow cat eyes like amber stared fixedly at Ling Yue; it meowed: "You've come."

At first sight of it, Ling Yue's brow twitched, she instantly recognized it—it was Xu He's cat; more doubts flooded in, why was it here, the aloof cat seemed to be waiting especially for her.

Ling Yue couldn't help but feel surprised, yet she said nothing, nodded, and walked toward the cat.

The others stared wide-eyed at the scene, rubbing their eyes, once doubting they were hallucinating.

One person, however, was completely stiff, limbs ice-cold—none other than the Mysterious Cat Boss's owner, Xu He.

He didn't know what others were thinking; when it was his turn, this scene was simply terrible!

He felt guilty and panicked, actually not daring to look straight, face stiff, his peripheral vision gauging the door, wanting to sneak out; thinking this was under surveillance, his twisted, ferocious expression finally eased.

Speaking of which, Xu He's acting is truly clumsy; the more he tries to hide something, the more obvious it becomes.

【Emmm…… how could he have that expression, it's painful to look at！】

【Uh, I feel Xu He seems guilty, but to be fair, he and the Mysterious Cat Boss have never been harmonious; the cat barely hides its arrogance on its face.】

【What?! Why?! Why?! What's good about a broken cat, a traitorous thing！】

As soon as the brainless fans appeared, no one could contend with them; the livestream's fans also fell silent instantly.

The brainless fans were ignored, like punching cotton; their anger bottled up, nearly exploding.

Turning their gaze back to the camera, seeing it was neither person nor ghost, the principal and director of education instantly relaxed, wiped their foreheads, and got a hand full of greasy sweat.

They felt much more at ease inside.

Immediately reacting, what the heck! What cat can actually play the piano—must have become a spirit!

Someone also raised a doubt: "How did it get in here？"

The director of education's brows almost knotted into a shape like the Chinese character for river, asking: "The piano classroom has been abandoned for a long time, with no entrance—how did it get in？"

Ling Yue pointed at the glass window: "It must be from here."

Everyone looked over; a broken window was whooshing wind in. On the waist-high windowsill, a thick layer of dust had accumulated, above which a few abrupt plum blossom marks remained—whose else could it be but the Mysterious Cat Boss's?

This also completely proved Ling Yue's words.

The director of education's face instantly flushed red: "Who did it! That brat broke the glass！"

Ling Yue had already struck up a conversation with the Mysterious Cat Boss; the cat calmly looked at her: "I have a matter I wish to entrust to you."

Hearing this, Ling Yue blinked slightly; in her mind, the long‑dormant system suddenly spoke, issuing a mission: 【Ding, you have a new mission to complete.】

【Accept the Mysterious Cat's small wish, find the truth of the owner's death, reward: 5/6 Detective's Eye fragments.】

Refuse or accept?

To be honest, seeing this mission reward, Ling Yue was a bit surprised; she hadn't gotten a Detective's Eye fragment in ages, and even if she wanted to collect them all, she couldn't.

Ling Yue felt surprised, yet she reacted quickly, choosing to accept without hesitation; not accepting would have been abnormal.

However, the truth of the Mysterious Cat Boss's owner's death—doesn't that show Xu He is not really the Mysterious Cat Boss's owner? Their previous aloofness now has a reasonable explanation.

As it turns out, the Mysterious Cat Boss is not Xu He's cat at all.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but be a bit surprised; she hadn't said it out loud, looking at the steady little cat, she whispered: "You're here for the truth of the owner's death, right？"

Hearing her lay bare its purpose, the Mysterious Cat Boss's vertical pupils deep and scrutinizing sent a chill through the heart, an aura sweeping over.

Ling Yue's expression unchanged, she engaged it with keen interest, feeling no guilt as a human bullying a cat.

A few seconds later, the Mysterious Cat Boss lowered its head, pink tongue licking its paws, trying to appear relaxed, but the excitement it could not conceal revealed its true feelings.

Suddenly, a warm hand fell on its head; Ling Yue ruffled the fluffy little cat's head, and the Mysterious Cat Boss reacted—too late.

"What… what are you doing!" At visible speed, Ling Yue saw the cat's jet‑black fur puff up as if rolled in static, hair standing on end, teeth bared.

Like a little dark cloud.

Ling Yue chuckled: "Sorry, I thought you were too cute to resist."

"Or… you pet me back?" she said, lowering her head.

Hearing her, the Mysterious Cat Boss was shocked, eyes wide, staggering back half a step: "Shameless！！

Seeing the contact fail, Ling Yue sighed inwardly; she wasn't being frivolous, she was testing—the cat's vigilance is high, its temper volatile, yet for some reason it stays beside the Xu He she dislikes.

Indeed, dislike—anyone with clear eyes can see the Mysterious Cat dislikes Xu He.

She thought, the cat began meowing, pacing back and forth on the piano case, its whole body exuding an indescribable restlessness.

Finally, it sat down honestly, staring at Ling Yue: "Since you know my purpose, can you help me？"

"Sure." Ling Yue didn't hesitate at all.

The cat, which I thought would need sweet‑talking to get an answer, hearing this, froze in place for a moment, then opened its mouth and let out a soft meow: "Then I'll tell you about me and my owner."

Ling Yue nodded, not expecting it to be so reasonable; she pulled over the small stool under the piano, sat down, and said: "Go ahead."

The Mysterious Cat Boss sighed: "My owner is Bai Fanchi, also a student at Shuixi No. 1 Middle School. Five or six years ago, I was a stray cat on campus; once I ate poisoned food and collapsed on the lawn, if my owner hadn't taken me to the hospital, I would have died.

It licked its paws; having been poisoned, it lay on the ground rolling, still a kitten thinking it would soon meet its siblings, when suddenly a girl's voice came from the lush grass.

"Little cat？"

"Little cat, what's wrong with you？"

It was scooped into an embrace, eyes wide with wariness; the intense pain blurred its vision so it could hardly see, wanting to flee but lacking strength, it thought, "Oh no, caught by a hateful human！"

After waking, it found itself in a soft little nest, the girl holding a bowl of goat milk, feeding it; the fragrant scent made the cat unable to resist!

"So, my owner saved my life; she's a kind‑hearted good girl, but others don't see it that way—they ostracize and bully her, she endures silently without a word. In private she loves holding me, telling me she'll live well, will study hard to get into Peking University!

"How about that, isn't she ambitious!" the Mysterious Cat Boss said, narrowing its eyes, as if recalling that sunny afternoon years ago when the girl took her lunchbox and secretly chatted with it.

Ling Yue couldn't help pressing her lips together, instantly thinking of Zhu Lingling—could campus bullying still be a "tradition" at Shuixi No. 1 High?

She coldly thought, her gaze unconsciously drifting to the principal and director of education not far away—such a school actually being No. 1 High.

What Ling Yue didn't know was that Shuixi No. 1 High had indeed been a formidable high school in its early years, firmly holding the top spot, but long ago it had lost its first-place ranking, and after the principal changed, it became increasingly mediocre; today it has sunk to the very bottom among the several high schools in Shuixi.

Good students all went to other high schools, the source of students grew worse and worse, and grades deteriorated as well; the education bureau allocates funds based on schools' admission rates and grades, so this vicious cycle makes Shuixi No. 1 High get worse year by year, naturally sinking to last place.

Otherwise, the principal wouldn't have, upon seeing Xu He, put on a fawning, obsequious smile without even trying to hide it.

Xuan Mao Dàlǎo sighed, lowering his head again: "But later she died, just a few dozen days before her graduation, she suddenly died; everyone said it was suicide, that she jumped from a high building because of depression, but I know she wouldn't have!"

Xuan Mao Dàlǎo explained fervently: "Fan Chi doesn't communicate with others, but she liked me, often talking to me; although most of it was her speaking while I listened, I even heard her mention her future plans..."

After this explanation, Xuan Mao Dàlǎo could be said to have held nothing back, speaking freely and completely, pouring out everything he knew like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

Ling Yue didn't think it would lie, and it had no need to; she glanced at the cat, seeing the anger in its eyes, and couldn't help but startle.

She stroked the cat's head: "Relax, I'll help you; I've taken on this commission."

Again, pat my head!

Xuan Mao Dàlǎo glared at Ling Yue, cheeks puffed; she showed not the slightest guilt, instead amusedly watching its anger.

After speaking, Ling Yue carefully scanned the piano classroom; there wasn't a trace of yin energy, and compared to other places, it was exceptionally clean.

Ling Yue kept this clue to herself; the little incident in the piano classroom was unknown to anyone, and she had no intention of startling the snake. As her gaze swept over the crowd, she suddenly caught sight of the stiff Xu He.

How could he be like this?

Ling Yue startled, then couldn't help wondering; she noticed that after Xu He made contact with her gaze, his eyes shrank and he turned his head away, utterly unwilling to meet her eyes.

He felt guilty.

But why would he feel guilty?

The piano classroom affair was just a side note; Ling Yue's encrypted call with Xuan Mao Dàlǎo's older sister basically went unheard, yet some people couldn't resist wild speculation—Xu He, for example.

His mind was full of panic; even when passing the Nine-Curves Corridor Bridge, he appeared absent-minded.

On the Nine-Curves Corridor Bridge, many students fed the fish with food; in the pool below, a bunch of bright red greedy fish swam together, competing for food, and many students under heavy study pressure liked this way to relieve stress.

Whenever a fish swam over, someone would exclaim; Ling Yue glanced at the fish in the water and was momentarily speechless—the fish were fat and plump, popping up at the sight of people, some so fat they could barely move, just wagging their tails.

One can imagine how fat the students have fed them.

Not far away, a large red koi floated on the water; while other fish munched noisily on fish food, it remained motionless, even leisurely basking in the sun.

Beside it, a small green fish looked at it: "Why don't you go grab food? Heaven's dropping pancakes again!"

The big red koi lazily stayed still: "You only know how to eat; there's still much in fish life I haven't enjoyed, like basking in the sun, sleeping in..."

The little green fish nodded, half-understanding.

At that moment, the students on the bridge also noticed this arm-thick big fish: "Huh, why is it completely still?"

"Wow, could it be dead? Look, its belly is flipped!"

"Splash!"

The fish in the water instantly flipped back, its tail viciously jabbing and flicking into the water, sending spray flying everywhere.

Some even splashed onto the shore, and the onlooking students cried out in alarm.

Ling Yue clearly heard the large red koi's angry voice: "Who died? Who died? You lot of tiny humans, if you can't speak, don't speak—I just wanted to try lying like a salted fish!"

"Pah!"

Still quite a feisty fish!

A flicker of smile crossed Ling Yue's eyes; the winding bridge surface had a faint cool mist, a gentle breeze brushed her face, and in an instant she seemed to sense something, her gaze narrowing slightly.

But before she could make out what it was, a sharp scream suddenly rang out.

"Bang!"

Xu He's mind wavered for a moment; upon regaining awareness, he had already plunged headfirst into the water—a living person suddenly dumped in, splashing a wave that reached the students on shore.

Soon someone shouted: "Someone fell in the water!"

"Come quick! Come rescue!"

In the icy lake water, as soon as Xu He entered, his body involuntarily sank, feeling as heavy as if a big stone were tied to him, as though some mysterious force pulled him down; he struggled with all his might, kicking his legs, using every ounce of strength: "Save… save…"

Before he could utter the word "life," the churning lake water suddenly surged with a great force, as if some hard, icy cold thing grabbed his ankle, directly contacting his skin; the rough sensation made him break out in gooseflesh instantly!

What thing!

"Gurgle gurgle… gurgle gurgle…"

Xu He in the water widened his eyes; the brink-of-death suffocation made him nearly faint several times—he knows how to swim!

Why, despite exerting all his strength, could he not struggle? The lake water seemed to have turned into super‑strong glue, constantly dragging him down!

The last bit of remaining oxygen in the water squeezed out as bubbles; great gulps of icy, fishy water flooded his throat, and the next moment he was hauled up by someone.

He was fished out like a dead dog and placed on a small boat.

"Are you okay?"

Xu He, dazed, lifted his eyes to see an old face—the lake‑row guard—and said, "Ghost!"

He hadn't fainted in the water just now, but now he was so frightened he passed out outright.

Guard: "……"

He rubbed his nose tip, thinking: "Thanks to him hauling me up with all that effort, the first thing he says is 'ghost'—is this some kind of grudge being repaid?"

At the same time, on the bridge Ling Yue's eyes flickered; her fingers, forming a seal, lowered slightly as she cast a spell, and a stream of yin energy rose continuously from the murky water surface.

The temperature on the water surface suddenly dropped.

If she hadn't helped with her spell, the likely outcome would have been both the rescuing guard and Xu He falling into the water; after all… Ling Yue recalled the scene she had just seen underwater, her gaze falling on Xu He's right ankle, where there was distinctly a bluish‑purple fingerprint.

After all, at the bottom of this lake lives a water ghost.

Although, according to Ling Yue's spiritual sense, the water ghost harbors not a trace of resentment and has never killed anyone—otherwise Ling Yue would have smashed it to bits on the spot.

The water ghost sensed her aura and fled faster than a rabbit, a swift swish—no trace left.

After a moment, the netizens who had been watching the whole incident couldn't help but speak up: 【Xu He……is he perhaps too unlucky?】

【Good grief, did he provoke something unclean? The day before yesterday he lost money, on the road he bumped into a ghost, and now he can topple over just crossing a bridge! Absolutely insane!】

【Is it possible that he's been entangled by something?】

【Holy shit, a burly guy is lying in bed trembling, why don't we skip this topic QAQ】

Someone noticed the whole story and explained: 【I saw with my own eyes, at that time there was no one beside Xu He, just himself, walking along, suddenly his body swayed, and he actually toppled over!】

The frightened Xu He still didn't know about this; he was lying in the hospital recuperating, fortunately it wasn't serious, he wasn't injured, at most just a fright, and having been sent to the hospital immediately, he could be discharged the next morning.

The school administration was terrified; seeing Xu He fall into the water, they almost had a heart attack.

That afternoon, the bridge was tightly sealed off with wire mesh; to prevent today's accident from happening, they directly blocked the bridge surface.

Fortunately the school is large; although the small paths here are impassable, one can take a detour and walk the main road.

At night, gloomy winds blew in gusts, and a crescent bright moon hung upon the deep firmament.

Below the Nine-turn Corridor Bridge, the water rippled; pure moonlight spilled across the lake surface, the windless water suddenly stirred up layers of waves, shredding the moonlight and dissolving it into the water.

"Whoosh—"

A mass of black, like waterweed, rose from the surface; looking closely, one would discover that it was actually a human head, long hair□□ floating on the water, the lower half almost entirely submerged.

The water ghost brushed aside his hair; his bluish‑white face still showed his features faintly, he glanced sideways and saw a patch of red standing on the bridge.

That was a female student drifting in red clothes, or perhaps not red clothing but a dark‑red skirt stained with blood.

From the ghostly aura emanating from both of them, it was clear that the red‑clad female ghost had higher cultivation than the water ghost; she easily subdued the water ghost, her expression somewhat grim: "Why didn't you kill him?"

She spoke her first words of the night; the water ghost, obviously familiar with her, rolled his eyes at her words: "I'd like to as well, but I myself am more important!"

"If I hadn't run fast when I made a move earlier, I would have almost been killed by someone!"

The two ghosts chatted, the water ghost doing most of the thinking; thinking of her obsession, he sighed: "You could be considered a ghost I've watched grow up; I advise you to give up, go reincarnate early—he has a terrifying Daoist beside him, you won't succeed."

The red‑clad fierce ghost said resolutely: "If I don't succeed, I'll die!"

"But you've followed him for so long, never getting close, you've missed so many chances—why do you think this time will succeed?" the water ghost asked.

Upon hearing that, the red‑clad female ghost burst out laughing; her eyes held fury and unwillingness, more so resentment: "Why! Why do I have nothing while he lives happily? I swear, even if my soul and spirit scatter, I will drag him down to hell with me!"

The determination in her words was chilling; overcome with emotion, she actually revealed her appearance before death, and seeing that, the water ghost couldn't help but sigh.

After the red‑clad female ghost finished her oath, she warned the water ghost: "Since you can't do it, don't bother—I'll handle it myself!"

She was merely testing the waters; she never expected Xu He's luck to be so good—why? Why?

"Hey, don't go!"

Before the red‑clad female ghost flew off, not knowing what she thought, a surge of anger flared in her eyes: why help him?

The conversation between the two ghosts came to an abrupt halt.

Although the red‑clad female ghost was eager for revenge, she was not in a hurry; she knew that haste only leads to failure, five years have already passed, she has waited five years—could she not wait a little longer?

This is her domain.

With something on her mind, she unconsciously found herself in front of the female dormitory building; it was just after evening study hall, the dormitory lights were bright, all was silent, and almost everyone was washing up and resting.

As if sensing something, the red‑clad female ghost leapt into a certain dorm room.

Inside, the curtains were drawn tight, the bunk beds placed in this ten‑person space; the dormitory wasn't cramped, the girls carried basins and toiletries, chatting and laughing, horsing around.

Only one person, her long hair shielding her like a clear Chu‑Han boundary, she opened the thermos, about to pour out the foot‑washing water she had prepared that morning, but upon lifting it she found it absurdly light.

No water.

She could only wash her feet with cold water; the icy, bone‑chilling water made her eyes turn red, while diagonally opposite, a girl hummed a song comfortably, glancing furtively at Zhu Lingling.

"Damn it!"

She cursed under her breath; at that moment, the other roommates had basically returned, the students who had been busy all day were now full of energy, sitting together with endless things to talk about.

No one knew who steered the conversation toward Zhu Lingling, but all eyes turned in unison to the silent girl.

"Some people are truly shameless, always putting on a pitiful act—don't they know being pitiful also needs a standard? With such an ugly face, who are they trying to scare to death?"

"Hahaha, Fang Qing, you'd better stop—otherwise she might actually cry!"

"Will she cry?" a girl rolled her eyes impatiently: "Don't be fooled by her pitiful little‑victim act; her true nature behind the scenes is enough to make you scared just seeing it!"

She said this mysteriously, and everyone around felt stimulated, unable to help but grow curious.

"What's her true nature? Speak clearly, don't keep us in suspense!"

Fang Qing chuckled: "Do you know what I saw earlier?"

She said this while glancing at the silent girl.

"At lunchtime I saw someone picking up a dead bird and putting it in her lunchbox! She actually ate raw meat! Yue! She's practically a pervert!"

"Yikes! You're not trying to scare us, are you?"

Fang Qing grew anxious: "I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Fang Qing wouldn't lie; this is definitely true!"

But in that instant, everyone's gaze toward Zhu Lingling shifted—picking up dead birds, eating raw meat, she's either a pervert or a monster!

As the object of everyone's ridicule, Zhu Lingling said nothing, just tugged at her blanket preparing to sleep, as if she were already used to it.

Suddenly, a soft, reddish‑brown tail drooped from her bed, encircled with rings of white markings, visible to anyone.

"Zhu Lingling, what fell off your bed?"

The girl opposite stared agape, yet saw the perpetually lethargic Zhu Lingling suddenly scoop it back up; although she moved quickly, the girl could clearly see that the soft tail felt wonderful, the reddish‑brown fur glowing in the light with halos.

It also looked very familiar.

Just as she was puzzling over it, she suddenly slapped her head and shouted: "I remember now!"

Her loud shout startled everyone, but the girl pointed at Zhu Lingling and said: "Isn't that a red panda?"

"Our school's red panda has been missing for days—did you steal it? Let me see, was that really a red panda just now? You didn't bring the red panda into the dorm, did you?"

"I just recalled—today someone came looking for you, wasn't it because of the red panda?"

Her suspicious gaze was like a sharp dagger, stabbing toward the girl on the opposite bed; a crowd looked over in unison, as if they had already decided she was the thief who stole the panda.

Zhu Lingling couldn't defend herself no matter what; she shook her head, her voice like a mosquito: "I didn't..."

"Then bring over what you just had; let us few take a look."

She remained silent for a while without moving, but eventually the girl went over, pulled out the tail, and realized it wasn't that but a lovely panda plush.

The girls glanced at her plush, a flash of envy crossing their eyes, then sneered: "You ugly freak, dare to buy a panda? Do you even deserve it?"

"Aren't you afraid the panda will see your face and drop dead from fright?" she said mockingly, clutching the panda plush without doubt, she had taken a liking to it, and glanced at the silent Zhu Lingling—what a fool!

Early the next morning, rumors spread everywhere that Zhu Lingling was a pervert who ate raw meat and even picked up dead birds to eat; even during morning reading, the teacher had heard of it.

After that, the rumors grew more turbulent; a few delinquents in class who had offended her exchanged meaningful looks.

She likes eating dead birds, right? Let her eat her fill!

Noon.

Ling Yue and her friends arrived late, sauntering, because Xu He had fallen ill, delaying them a while before reaching school; it was already noon.

They prepared to eat, sat down in the school cafeteria, and the usually noisy cafeteria seemed to have a moment of quiet.

Suddenly, Song Youli saw a stumbling girl running toward her, she froze for a moment, poked the person nearest her—Ling Yue—and said, "Ling Yue, look, that seems to be the girl from yesterday."

Ling Yue held her chopsticks, heard the words and looked up; seeing the arrival, she couldn't help but be a little surprised, for she was none other than the previous Zhu Lingling.

The girl saw her and burst into tears: "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to, please help me save it! Please, save it!"

She ran until she was out of breath, and as soon as she relaxed, she dropped to her knees; Ling Yue was startled by her sudden move, the ground cold, slick, and dirty—what had happened to her?

Ling Yue immediately helped her up: "What do you mean? Who are you trying to save?"

The girl lifted her face, tears like broken pearls streaming down, she choked out: "The panda."

"The panda is dying!",,.