So they detoured around the playground and went to the back window of the sports equipment room, peering inside.
The lights were all off, making it a bit dim. Everything looked the same as when they had left. The sharp-eyed Lin Lu even spotted the half-eaten bag of Lay’s potato chips he had tossed onto Lin Wanxing’s desk.
But what did that prove?
It didn’t seem to prove much of anything.
Chen Jianghe pushed against the window. Sure enough, the previously shaky back window had long been repaired. Lin Wanxing was always meticulous. Since she arrived, the sports equipment room had become much cleaner and more organized. Fixing a window was such a minor task—it was hardly surprising.
At that moment, none of them sensed anything unusual.
With arms slung over each other’s shoulders, they headed from the school playground to the soccer field where they trained every day.
So, when exactly did they start to notice something was off?
At the very least, it was after they finished soccer practice and pushed open the rooftop door with their coach.
The rooftop was dark, as if everything were veiled in a layer of gloom.
The lights weren’t on because Lin Wanxing hadn’t returned yet.
There had been times before when Lin Wanxing didn’t come to watch their practice after work. Sometimes she had school matters to attend to, other times she was alone on the rooftop watering the plants. Of course, there were also rare occasions when she was diligently working, lost in thought in the study, writing or preparing materials. But none of those times felt like today.
The strange premonition passed in an instant.
They muttered a few words about why Lin Wanxing hadn’t returned yet, asking each other if anyone had heard from her. But the answer was no.
The coach had already taken out his phone to send her a WeChat message. No one thought much of it at the time.
After practice, everyone was exhausted, so they rushed to take showers.
As they passed by Lin Wanxing’s door, Fu Xinshu stopped and knocked gently.
No one answered.
The person in charge of cooking that day had already started bustling around. All the lights were turned on, and the rooftop was filled with the sounds of activity. The vegetable garden, flower stands, tables and chairs, and the training equipment piled in the corner—everything was just as usual.
They usually ate convenient pre-made meals, prepared in advance during breaks. So by the time they finished showering, the food was quickly served.
A group of them gathered around the long table, starving and practically feeling their stomachs touch their backs.
“Has Teacher Lin replied?” Fu Xinshu asked as he handed out plates.
The coach, still in his training clothes, sat at the table. He lit up his phone screen again and shook his head.
Then everyone started recalling the phone call Teacher Lin had received in the sports equipment room at noon.
“She kicked us out right after answering the call,” Lin Lu explained to Wang Fa.
“Who was it from?” Qin Ao mumbled, stabbing a piece of meat with his fork.
“No idea. And it was the landline on her desk—could it have been an internal school call?”
At that moment, Wen Chengye, who had been silent all along, suddenly froze.
His expression shifted uncertainly. The discussion at the table continued for a while until the others heard the clatter of a fork against a metal plate.
Wen Chengye finally spoke: “You said Teacher Lin answered the call and then left the equipment room. Around what time was that?”
“12:45… maybe?” Zheng Feiyang said uncertainly.
“Then I saw her. She was heading to the administration building,” Wen Chengye said.
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier!”
The others turned to look at Wen Chengye. They couldn’t help but feel that his eyes were evasive, as if he were hiding something.
“You never brought it up before,” Wen Chengye said, exasperated."No, why did you see her going to the office building? Were you there too?"
"Yes."
"So that’s why you weren’t with us during the lunch break. What were you doing wandering around there?" Qin Ao suddenly grew sharp.
As expected, there was no hiding this kind of thing.
Wen Chengye said, "My dad came at noon to supervise me while I went to the academic affairs office to get some transcripts."
"Why? Is your dad suddenly keeping tabs on you?"
"Because he wants to send me abroad. But I’ll definitely finish high school here and take the college entrance exam before deciding."
"What? You’re leaving!"
"You’re going abroad?"
The others seemed to ignore the latter part of his sentence—didn’t that mean he would definitely stay to finish the competition?
The entire table erupted. The clamor was far louder than the sizzling oil when the fried chicken cutlets had been served earlier.
"So, does the teacher know you’re leaving?"
"Yeah, I told her."
"The culprit’s been found! You’re the one who upset the teacher, aren’t you?" Qin Ao declared triumphantly, as if he’d cracked the case.
"Are you insane?" Wen Chengye was exasperated. "Is she the kind of person I could upset?"
"True."
"It always seems like she’s the one upsetting us."
Thinking of Lin Wanxing’s perpetually calm demeanor and gentle smile, the students who had jumped up in excitement slowly settled back into their seats.
It was already past 7:00 p.m., and dinner was nearly over amid the commotion.
Fu Xinshu glanced to the other end of the table, where only Wang Fa’s plate remained full.
"Coach?" he tentatively called out.
Just then, Wang Fa’s phone screen lit up with a reply from Lin Wanxing.
[Lin Wanxing: Something urgent came up at home. I need to go back for a while.]
Wang Fa stared at the messages he had sent earlier:
"What time will you be back?"
"Waiting to have dinner with you."
"Are you okay? Did work come up suddenly?"
And the subsequent repeated "No response from the other party." Finally, he felt a trace of inexplicable tension.
Without hesitation, he picked up the phone and called her.
After about a dozen WeChat ringtones, he finally heard Lin Wanxing’s voice.
But his heart didn’t settle.
Because at the same time, he heard a vast, chaotic background noise—she was in a busy, echoing space.
"Hello."
The voice on the other end was still gentle and calm—Lin Wanxing’s voice.
Yet, for some reason, hearing it sent a tremor through Wang Fa’s heart.
"Where are you?" he asked.
As he spoke, Lin Wanxing seemed to deliberately move the phone away, letting him hear the background sounds clearly.
The distinctive ding-ding-ding-dong of a train station announcement echoed.
Then came the standard broadcast:
"Attention, passengers: Train G617 from Hongjing to Yongchuan is now boarding. Passengers for G617, please proceed to Gate 3 in the waiting hall to check in and board."
Lin Wanxing remained silent, almost letting him hear the entire announcement before bringing the phone back to her ear and saying softly, "I’m at the train station."
"Is the situation at home complicated?" Wang Fa thought for a moment, choosing the most appropriate words.
"Not exactly complicated, just a bit urgent. My mom’s urging me to come home right now."
The night breeze brushed against his face, and Wang Fa could clearly tell Lin Wanxing was forcing a light tone.
"Where’s your hometown? Is it easy to get a ticket this late?" he asked.
"I managed to get one," Lin Wanxing sidestepped the first, crucial question.
"When does the train leave? I’ll come over now," he said.
"No need, I’m about to leave," she replied."When are you coming back?"
"Not sure yet, I need to handle things properly." Lin Wanxing almost forced out a faint smile as she comforted him.
Wang Fa gripped his phone tightly, switching it to his other hand. He took a deep breath and asked with utmost seriousness: "Lin Wanxing, tell me, what exactly happened? No matter what it is, we can solve it together." He spoke in the most sincere and earnest tone, "Believe me."
"Wang Fa." Lin Wanxing's voice sounded as distant as scattered clouds, as if about to dissolve into falling raindrops at any moment.
"Not everything can be solved." She almost threw back the very words he had once said to her. Then, shifting her tone abruptly, she continued in a lighthearted manner: "But my situation isn't that serious, don't worry."
The call ended there.
On the other end of the line was a prolonged yet noisy blank tone. In the distance, the city glittered with neon lights. The air felt damp, as if ready to crush all light and shadow.
Chapter 113: Disappearance
That must have been a carefully rehearsed script.
The beginning was somewhat heavy, the middle deliberately comforting, and the ending turned light again. It felt genuine, as if the situation she faced was indeed tricky but still manageable.
Later, Wang Fa would recall Lin Wanxing's phone call countless times. He always knew clearly that Lin Wanxing's problem was almost unsolvable. She refused to discuss specific details, avoided providing vehicle information, and even brought up her parents despite their strained relationship.
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