Tales of the Ghost

That melody was desolate and terrifying, listening to it was heartbreaking.

The boy ran back to the dormitory like crazy, curled up under the quilt shivering, and the Moonlight Sonata echoed in his ears all night!

Not long after, the chunks of corpse in the piano were discovered. The police got involved in the investigation. Song Yang couldn't stand the pressure and left a suicide note before slitting his wrists.

But the matter did not end there. Although the girl's body parts were cleaned up, the piano could no longer play any music no matter how it was tuned. Every time it was late at night, the melody of Moonlight Sonata would echo in the old teaching building, and more than once, someone witnessed a ghostly figure in white clothes and long hair wandering in the fourth music classroom, making eerie crying sounds.

The school was afraid that this would affect enrollment every year, so they found someone to move the piano away. But no matter how many groups of movers came, they either accidentally broke their hands or got their feet crushed under the piano legs. In short, no one dared to move the piano afterwards.

Many students who heard about this refused to take classes in this teaching building even if it killed them. The school had no choice but to seal off the entire building.

The story of the cursed piano became more and more mysterious. Some said that hearing Moonlight Sonata meant the girl wanted you to stay with her, while others said that anyone who interrupted her performance would suffer bloody disaster within three days.

After listening, Huang Xiaotao was silent for a long time and asked me, "Song Yang, do you believe there are ghosts in this world?"

I said, "From ancient times to the present, there are many things that humans cannot understand. Science is merely one way for humans to perceive the world. It cannot explain everything in the world. My attitude towards ghosts and gods has always been to be respectful yet distant. I don't know if ghosts really exist or not, but I know one thing."

"What is that?" Huang Xiaotao asked.

"Ghosts cannot directly kill people," I said.

"So you mean ghosts can indirectly cause people's deaths?" Huang Xiaotao asked.

"So-called indirect killing means being scared to death by ghosts, or like the boy in this story who couldn't stand Moonlight Sonata and committed suicide. In short, only those who have ghosts in their hearts fear ghosts," I explained.

"You're so right!" Huang Xiaotao exclaimed in praise.

I shared with Huang Xiaotao the information I got from my brother, and Huang Xiaotao said, "It's now confirmed that Deng Chao is the real murderer. The case has been solved in less than half a day, breaking the record of solving cases by the police in our city in the past decade. Even I find it hard to believe."

"It's not considered solved yet. We haven't caught the real murderer," I said coldly.

"You're right, do you have any good ideas?" Huang Xiaotao asked.

Just then, my phone rang again. Why do I say "again"? Because my phone kept ringing nonstop when we were having dinner. Huang Xiaotao curiously asked me, "Song Yang, is your phone being harassed by spam messages? Why does it keep ringing?"

I took out my phone and opened Weibo. In just one meal, I had gained over two thousand followers and received over three hundred private messages. Wang Dali peeked over and exclaimed in surprise, "Damn, Song Yang you're famous now!"

"What's going on?" Huang Xiaotao asked.

I handed her my phone to take a look. "I asked my brother to do some minor publicity for me. Now many people at school are rushing to 'follow' me and calling me Detective Song Gege."

"Pfft, are you trying to develop into an internet celebrity? There are quite a few nowadays, but not a single teenage detective. If you manage it well, take some artistic photos, I estimate you could become hugely popular in half a year! You might even attract a bunch of fangirls and get your lifelong affair settled." Huang Xiaotao snorted a little jealously.

"Come on, I'm not the kind of person who crazily wants to be famous. I'll delete my Weibo account right after this case ends," I said.

"That said, I was planning to lure Deng Chao out. "

"How will you lure him? Scold him for being a turtle shrinking its head on Weibo?" Huang Xiaotao was confused.

"Don't worry, I've prepared some bait that I'm sure he'll take. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll be able to capture him tonight," I said with a smile.

"Really?" Huang Xiaotao was excited, her eyes shining brightly. "Hurry and tell me your plan so I can prepare."

I put away my smile. "I'd rather keep it confidential for now."

Huang Xiaotao slapped the table in annoyance. "You still dare to keep secrets from me after I made rules clear? Don't tell me you forgot already?"

"Alright, alright!"

It wasn't that I wanted to create suspense. I was mainly worried that the more people who knew, the more likely information would be leaked, which would alert the enemy.

But since Huang Xiaotao strongly demanded it, I had no choice but to lay out the whole plan.

I used Zhang Kai's handwriting to forge a letter exposing all of Deng Chao's tricks. Then I would post two messages on Weibo: first, that I have Zhang Kai's suicide note, and second, that I haven't notified the police yet!

I wanted to lure Deng Chao, who was hiding in the dark, to come to me on his own initiative, and then capture him!

Huang Xiaotao and Wang Dali listened with their mouths wide open. Wang Dali cried out, "Bro, this move is too dangerous. What if Deng Chao kills you?"

"There's such a possibility, but we're currently at a disadvantage. We can't win against Forensic Doctor Qin without taking this risky move," I said.

"Besides, with Xiaotao protecting me, the risk isn't actually that big!"

Huang Xiaotao said, "Then you're sure Deng Chao will pay attention to your Weibo and take your bait? Isn't he a very smart top student?"

"The smarter people are, the more they consider and worry. This is a murder case, not stealing a pair of underwear. As the murderer, he must be very nervous now and keeping a close eye on campus dynamics at all times. He will show up for sure!" I said confidently.

Huang Xiaotao exclaimed in admiration, "Song Yang, you're just too amazing. I even want to write you a letter of recommendation so you can become my colleague in the future. Any case would surely be solved easily with you around."

Wang Dali clapped and cheered, "That would be great. Sister Xiaotao, can you bring me along too? I'm Yang's capable assistant, he can't do without me."

"Sure, just consider it, Song Yang! Anyway, you'll graduate soon and need to find a job. Why waste such great talent and become a miserable office worker?" Huang Xiaotao gently persuaded.

I smiled wryly. I wish I could, but I couldn't go against my family's rules. I could only politely decline, "I don't really want to be a policeman. Just being your consultant is enough..."

Wang Dali said, "Hey, why waste such a good opportunity?"

Huang Xiaotao chimed in, "Right!"

No matter what I said, I couldn't agree, and the two finally gave up. After Huang Xiaotao finished her last sip of milkshake, she asked, "So what should we do next?"

"Wait!" I said with a slight smile.

Wang Dali said, "Let's go to the internet cafe to play this afternoon!"

I rolled my eyes at him. "We have classes in the afternoon!"

"What classes, after such a big incident today? We're still going to class?"

"Anyway I'm going to class, do whatever you want!" I said.

Huang Xiaotao chuckled, "You're quite dedicated, solving cases in the morning and attending classes in the afternoon."

My grandfather said that no matter how much people praise you, you can't become complacent. Those who keep a low profile will have good fortune, while those who are high profile will stumble and fall sooner or later.

"So Detective Song, do you have any tasks for me?" Huang Xiaotao asked.

"Help me investigate a case from ten years ago when a corpse was hidden in a piano at this school. I want to know the names of the victim and murderer," I thought for a moment and instructed.

"Got it!" Huang Xiaotao nodded.