Chapter 109: The Bus
“It was nothing. I just wanted to ask you if you remembered I had brought you food and gifted you many presents. When my mom made me snacks and cakes, I always shared them with you…” Zhou Sisi suspected Gao Ming was the music box killer, but at the same time, she felt like he wouldn’t do something like that. In her impression, even though Gao Ming was hard to approach, he was extremely responsible and had a sense of justice.
“You did help me a lot when we were in school.” Gao Ming was nice to Zhou Sisi. “When we get on the bus, you should sit next to me. Don’t wander too far away during the gathering.”
Zhou Sisi thought, ‘Why is this man making things hard for me? I shouldn’t have said anything. Now I’m stuck to the killer!’ But subconsciously, she still nodded. When Zhou Sisi wanted to take away her promise, Gao Ming had already walked away.
It was time. Other than a few students who would drive there, the others were all there. This was surprising to Zhou Sisi. After graduation, everyone separated and worked their own lives. Due to Song Xue’s call, ‘everyone’ hurried to Han Hai to attend this gathering in the storm. Everyone got on the bus. Zhou Sisi wanted to wait for Gao Ming to get on the bus first, but Gao Ming thought she was waiting for him, so he walked to her side.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay…”
They sat in the seventh row. After they got on the bus, Gao Ming said nothing as he looked out the window. Zhuo Sisi was a chatterbox, but at that moment, she didn’t dare to say anything. She studied Gao Ming from the corner of her eyes. After removing the raincoat, Zhou Sisi realised Gao Ming was fitter than when he was in school. He was healthy and muscular.
Different from most people who liked to go to the gym, Gao Ming radiated a scary presence. He seemed to have experienced a lot. His eyes were filled with stories. He graduated from medical school and worked at a prison. He was the youngest psychiatrist and liked to make games as a hobby. He even won awards for his hobby.
Zhou Sisi slowly turned her face around. She realised her old friend was a catch. If others saw this, they might misunderstand this.
Zhou Sisi’s mind was everywhere. She saw Gao Ming reach into his bag. He took out a small, exquisite music box and toyed with it. The box was stained with blood. Inside the box was an angel and a demon, kissing and dancing in a tux and wedding gown.
The familiar melody began again and pulled Zhou Sisi back to reality. She didn’t even know where to place her hands. Gao Ming tinkered with the music box and studied Zhou Sisi’s reflection in the window. He recorded everything. From her expressions and actions, Zhou Sisi could guess Zhou Sisi’s thoughts and confirm that she was a human.
He sent a message to Liu Yi and put the music box away. The bus started and drove into the ran. Xi San walked around like a guide and helped to liven up the atmosphere. Everyone became excited about the reunion.
“This is such a luxury bus. The bus even provides free drinks. This is my first time taking such a bus. Zuo Jun must be rich now.” After a long time, Zhou Sisi still said something to Gao Ming.
“Yes.” Gao Ming glanced at the time and asked, “How long do you think we’ve been on the bus?”
“About ten minutes?” Zhou Sisi didn’t know why Gao Ming would ask this question.
“We’ve been on the bus for an hour already.” The scenery about the window changed. The bus had already left the city.
“Perhaps everyone chatted too happily.” Zhou Sisi took out her phone. “Time flies by when we’re having fun.”
“But this is not the road to the holiday villa.” At that moment, the bus stopped at a roadside bus stop.
The door opened, and Zuo Bo, in a white coat, got on.
“Ol Zuo, long time no see!” Xi San greeted him warmly, but Zuo Bo didn’t seem to see him. He walked through the aisle and sat in the last row.
“Doctor Zuo is still the same.” Xi San felt awkward. He turned to chat with others.
When Zuo Bo got on the bus, Gao Ming felt something was wrong. Zuo Bo had a red umbrella, and he wore a patient’s garb underneath the white coat. He wore a glove on his left hand and bent over his body. He kept repeating the same words. Gao Ming and Zuo Bo were both high school and university mates. He knew Zuo Bo had mental issues and tried to kill himself many times.
Zuo Bo’s arrival was a turn. The atmosphere on the bus became strange. After half an hour, the driver suddenly stopped. The bus stopped before a hospital. The door stayed open, but no one got on. However, the driver didn’t move.
Some of the students urged, but the driver kept his head lowered and said nothing.
Three minutes later, a man with his head bandaged got onto the bus. No one knew what he looked like, but once he got on the bus, the driver closed the door.
“Sir! Stop! Why did you let random people get on the bus?” The monitor, Xuan Hui, in the third row, stood up. This was the first time he spoke since he got on the bus.
The driver didn’t answer. The strange man didn’t respond. He continued to look for a seat.
“Never mind. He might be the driver’s family.” Xi San came to be the peacemaker. “It looks like he’s sick. We’ll consider this a charity.”
“Charity?” Yuan Hui grabbed his chair and scanned everyone. “I have no idea why you’re here for the reunion. I came from Han Jiang seven days earlier because I was forced to!” Xuan Hui was in a lot of pain, and he was tense. “We’ll die! Don’t you get it? We’ll die!”
He pulled on his hair and screamed. Xi San and the math committee representative, Du Bai, came over to console him. The others whispered among themselves. Some said Xuan Hui lost a lot of money in stocks. His family business closed down, and he got addicted to online gambling.
The man with the bandaged head wandered around until he decided to sit next to Liu Yi at the back.
A few minutes later, Gao Ming got Liu Yi’s message.
“The passenger next to me smells of disinfectant. There are clear binding marks on his wrists. His fingerprints were burned away. He has no umbrella, but his body is perfectly dry. There is a photo album in his pocket. He keeps looking at it since he got on the bus. The album is filled with black-and-white pictures.”
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m