Evanescent Dreams

37. In the Snow

Below the orange hue of the afternoon skies, Chen Siyun waited for Weng Bai after class.

The cicadas were screeching so loud that she didn't hear what Ms. Mei said after she greeted her at the front gate. There was something gray about her complexion, but Ms. Mei's complexion was always slightly gray, so Chen Siyun did not suspect anything when Ms. Mei gestured her to come to her office. 

A vanilla scent filled the office. Because it was too strong, however, the smell wasn't pleasant. Ms. Mei stood stiffly with her back towards her. Her tall shadow that spread on the floor was so lean and disfugured that it looked like the shadow of another person. The shadow of a ghost that stood where Ms. Mei stood. 

A ibuprofen medicine bottle lay on the center of her desk. It was from the pharmacy nearest the school. The pharmacy where the medicine that killed Xuan Miaomiao and Xiao Yu came from. The pharmacy affiliated with Snow Pharmaceuticals. 

Chen Siyun shivered. 

"Ahh," Ms. Mei inhaled the stuffy air in the office. "A friend gave me this perfume. Do you like it?" 

"I...I..." Chen Siyun finally realized that the Ms. Mei she was talking to was not the Ms. Mei she knew. Or perhaps, the Ms. Mei she knew was never the true Ms. Mei. 

"Take the pill, would you? " The voice was soft, but the sharpness and coldness frightened every inch of Chen Siyun's being.

"I-I" Chen Siyun wasn't a fast thinker and she couldn't think of an excuse to leave before she charged towards the door.

Ms. Mei covered Chen Siyun's mouth from behind before her hand could touch the door handle.

 Chen Siyun was too shocked to feel her muscles and struggle away. Before she could push away, she was thrown onto the ground next to the teacher's desk.

Ms. Mei grabbed the pill bottle from the table and opened the cap. She was ready to pour them into the girl's mouth.

Chen Siyun wished she could shriek, but what came out of her were hot tears and quivering utters of "Don't Ms. Mei...Ms. Mei."

The door know twisted and Ms. Mei instantly looked behind her back.

But the turn of her head was not as fast as Lin Xingren. A swift kick knocked the pills onto the ground. The white cylinders bounced across the floor, making a swirling pattern.

Weng Bai rushed in from behind and hugged Chen Siyun into his arms. 

"You okay?" his eyes examined Chen Siyun's expression. The clumsy large hands that caressed her damp face were cold from worry. 

Chen Siyun swallowed and gave him a few faint nods. 

Weng Bai lifted his head and glared at Ms. Mei. "What were you doing? You murderer!" 

Lin Xingren's shoes crushed a few pills as she stepped forward to Ms. Mei after her kick. She raised her red but not afraid, moving but not weak eyes at Ms. Mei. 

"You exposed yourself," she said. "You're the killer. You must turn yourself in."

Ms. Mei's composure was lost for a second, then her face wrinkled and she smiled a very gray smile. She moved to the window. Her shadow were shorter this time, as if part of it had been absorbed into her body, revealing the true form. 

"I don't quite understand what you are talking about, Xingren." 

But she knew. Her eyes met Lin Xingren's and they were confirming everything.

Yes. I'm the murderer. But what can you do about it? Ms. Mei was saying. 

Everything that should be done. Lin Xingren was unwavered.