Chapter Thirty-Seven: Lin Xiaoqin’s True Nature?

Cheng Feng was slightly taken aback. "She’s ill?"

"Yes, quite seriously. She hasn’t been to class for several days now."

Xia Qingyao explained to him, "Tomorrow morning, let’s meet at the school gate and go visit Lin Xiaoqin at her home."

"Is this the teacher’s idea? I mean, you’re the class monitor, so it makes sense for you to visit a classmate, but why do I have to go too?" Cheng Feng asked in confusion.

"I told Lin Xiaoqin I was going on behalf of the class," Xia Qingyao said helplessly. "But she unexpectedly wanted you to come as well... so I agreed."

"You agreed before even asking me?"

"That’s why I’m asking you now, aren’t I? Honestly, I don’t even know since when you and Lin Xiaoqin became so close," Xia Qingyao admitted, lowering her gaze a bit awkwardly. "But as classmates, it’s only right for us to visit her."

"Alright, but you owe me a meal," Cheng Feng replied.

Indeed, he was being deliberately cheeky, eager to take advantage of the class monitor. In fact, he had already planned on going; after all, Lin Xiaoqin falling ill at such a critical moment seemed a little too coincidental.

If Lin Xiaoqin really was a monster, then wouldn’t the class monitor’s visit tomorrow mean a breaking news headline about a girl’s mysterious disappearance the day after?

No, wait, why am I suddenly worrying about the class monitor’s safety?

Xia Qingyao’s beautiful brows knitted slightly—she clearly realized she’d walked into a trap. "Fine. Tomorrow morning at ten, we’ll meet at school."

"Ok."

...

"It seems the guest has realized that she is the disaster that awaits her in the future. She is not human. As long as she lives, not only the guest, but the entire city of Donglin will be destroyed because of her!"

That night at home, the fortune teller’s words echoed in Cheng Feng’s mind, making him all the more suspicious that there was truly something wrong with Lin Xiaoqin.

But then he remembered that day he rescued her—how she’d cried, face streaked with tears and snot, looking so pitiful and fragile...

He must be mistaken, right? She was just an ordinary girl; how could she possibly be connected to such terrifying monsters?

As his thoughts churned, a friend request suddenly popped up on his social media app from someone with the username "Black Sound."

"Who is this?" Cheng Feng muttered, puzzled. Why would a stranger add him at this hour? He clicked "accept" without thinking much of it.

Immediately, "Black Sound" sent a message. The bizarre, unexpected warning sent a chill through Cheng Feng’s heart.

"I’m here to warn you: whatever you do, don’t go see Lin Xiaoqin tomorrow! Absolutely do not go!"

Cheng Feng’s heart clenched. After a moment’s hesitation, he typed three words: "Who are you?"

Black Sound didn’t answer. Instead, another shocking message arrived: "You and the class monitor must not go tomorrow! You’ll die! She’ll kill you!"

Cheng Feng: ???

Stunned by the sudden flood of alarming messages, Cheng Feng’s mind raced as he tried to gauge whether any of this could be true.

Black Sound: "From now on, you must sever all contact with Lin Xiaoqin! She isn’t normal! Trust me! You and the class monitor must not go tomorrow!"

Black Sound: "Whatever you do, don’t go to her house! Absolutely not! Otherwise you’ll be in mortal danger!"

After considering it for a while, Cheng Feng concluded that no one would go to such lengths just to play a prank.

He quickly typed a message: "What’s really going on? What’s wrong with Lin Xiaoqin?"

Within seconds, Black Sound replied with an even more chilling message: "Inside, she’s a terrifying murderer—a cannibal wearing human skin!"

Black Sound: "She only looks like a harmless little bunny on the outside, but the Lin Xiaoqin you see is just a facade she puts up."

Black Sound: "You have no idea how deep her cunning runs. You don’t know how horrifying she is when she reveals her true face, or how many people she’s killed."

Black Sound: "She’s a gleeful killer. I’ve seen her joyfully dismember someone, storing the pieces in her fridge for cooking, and hiding several corpses under her bed."

Black Sound: "In short, if you care at all about your own safety and the class monitor’s, you must not go to her house tomorrow!"

Black Sound: "You’ll die! You’ll die! You absolutely will!"

As the relentless barrage of suffocating messages filled the screen, goosebumps prickled across Cheng Feng’s skin. He couldn’t tell if any of it was real.

He sent a message: "Who are you, really?"

But Black Sound didn’t reply. The avatar faded to gray—the user had gone offline.

During dinner with his sister, Cheng Feng was thoroughly distracted, his mind drifting far away.

If what Black Sound said was true, and Lin Xiaoqin really was a cannibal, then it would be even more necessary to see for himself tomorrow.

As for the class monitor, even if he warned her, she wouldn’t believe him, and he couldn’t stop her from going to Lin Xiaoqin’s house anyway.

What’s more, all he had was the word of a stranger—not enough to draw conclusions.

If Lin Xiaoqin was truly some kind of man-eating monster, then tomorrow the class monitor’s safety would rest on his shoulders.

Now that he was a demon hunter, he would have to learn to face such things alone.

...

The next morning, 9:40 a.m.

According to their agreement, Cheng Feng rode his motorcycle to Qingmu No. 1 High School. From a distance, he spotted a tall, elegant figure waiting at the gate.

Today, Xia Qingyao hadn’t tied up her trademark ponytail. Her long, glossy black hair cascaded down to her waist.

In Cheng Feng’s memory, the class monitor had never worn anything but her school’s JK uniform skirt. Today, to his surprise, she was dressed in casual clothes.

A fitted, creamy-white knit top hugged her figure, accentuating the graceful curve of her chest. Slim-fit ankle-length pants outlined her long, even legs, and she wore matte white sneakers.

Her outfit was simple and modest, offering no unnecessary glimpses—quite youthful, the very picture of an ordinary high school girl.

She reminded Cheng Feng of Liu Shiyu, who also wasn’t the type to fuss over her looks. He hadn’t expected Xia Qingyao to be similar.

Maybe if they got to know each other, they’d get along well?

Cheng Feng pulled up at the gate and braked.

Xia Qingyao frowned as the motorcycle stopped in front of her. "Why did you bring the bike? We could have just taken a taxi."

"Isn’t it better if I’m your free driver?" Cheng Feng replied. "I know where her house is. Hop on."

After a moment’s hesitation, Xia Qingyao got on the back of the motorcycle.

"Hold on tight."

As soon as Cheng Feng twisted the throttle, the motorcycle shot forward like an arrow, so fast that Xia Qingyao instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around him from behind.

P.S.: Many thanks to Moshang Qinghua W for the monthly ticket.