Chapter 12
The original site of City First High School was located in the city center. This old school had a very small campus, with only an old basketball court and not even a proper 400-meter running track. Compared to some newly built modern schools, it had almost no competitiveness.
Now, the school had finally received approval for expansion. However, there was no available space within the city. So, Principal Liu Defa set his eyes on the Lo Yi Mountain.
On the southwest side of Lo Yi Mountain, there was a cemetery. Originally, it was a chaotic burial site, but later someone acquired the land, operated a cemetery business, and now, there were very few graves left. The cemetery owner found another good piece of land for feng shui, moved the graves, and then sold the land cheaply to City First High School.
Relocating a school involved many municipal leaders, and Shang Tingzhi couldn’t refuse. Therefore, he symbolically appeared at the new site.
The reason it was “symbolic” was that Tang Fengyi had already thoroughly investigated the surroundings, and this place was entirely unsuitable for building a school.
However, Shang Tingzhi couldn’t just dismiss the matter over the phone, so he had to come in person.
“Mr. Shang, all the graves here have been moved, so there shouldn’t be any problem,” Principal Liu Defa said, standing next to Shang Tingzhi, pushing his gold-rimmed glasses and adding, “Take a look. Where would be a suitable location for the school gate?”
Shang Tingzhi carefully examined the surroundings and shook his head. “None of these locations are suitable.”
The new site was located some distance from the city center, with no public transportation, only rural buses. Even by car, one had to traverse a long mountain road—it was not an ideal choice.
Liu Defa hurriedly explained, “Mr. Shang, don’t be fooled by the remote location. We are planning to implement a boarding system in the future, and students will live on campus. So, there won’t be any inconvenience in terms of commuting.”
“Letting students live here is even worse,” Shang Tingzhi frowned. “The mountain to the west is too high, and the sunlight is already insufficient. Additionally, this was a hundred-year-old cemetery. The yin energy is too heavy here. Even if the cemetery has been moved, we cannot ignore the fact that it used to be a chaotic burial site.”
Xia Leyang followed behind Shang Tingzhi with his hands behind his back. Although he didn’t fully agree with the concept of “heavy yin energy,” he also felt that it wasn’t suitable to build a school here.
“Right, right, Mr. Shang, we have already purchased this land,” Liu Defa explained a little anxiously. “Of course, we know this place has some bad vibes, so today we invited you to discuss how to improve the feng shui.”
“It’s better not to,” Shang Tingzhi advised. “Small feng shui can be adjusted, but major feng shui cannot be tampered with.”
“Then, this…” Liu Defa looked somewhat helpless. “There’s nothing we can do?”
“My suggestion is not to build a school here,” Shang Tingzhi concluded.
Of course, that was not possible. Liu Defa, like most people, was skeptical about feng shui. It was similar to fortune-telling—when a fortune teller said your fortune was good, everyone was willing to believe. However, when told there would be disasters, most people didn’t want to hear it, dismissing it as feudal superstition.
Now that the land had been purchased, and construction was imminent, it was not something a feng shui master saying “it’s not feasible” could stop.
In this case, Liu Defa didn’t insist. He politely said, “I will report to the leaders in the city and see if there are any instructions.”
Shang Tingzhi had read feng shui for many people, and he could easily tell when someone didn’t believe in it.
Liu Defa wouldn’t actually report to the city leaders, but Shang Tingzhi couldn’t be bothered to expose that. Just like he disagreed with altering major feng shui, he held a natural attitude toward many things, unwilling to artificially change anything.
However, Shang Tingzhi overlooked one thing—he had a straightforward young master beside him.
“You must report it,” Xia Leyang took the initiative to continue the conversation, earnestly saying to Liu Defa, “This place doesn’t look good at all. We can’t let students study and live here.”
Liu Defa looked at the young man in front of him inexplicably, feeling a bit confused. He didn’t know who this twenty-something-year-old was and why he was speaking to him like an equal.
However, Xia Leyang didn’t mean any disrespect. Having spent a long time abroad, he didn’t have a strong concept of hierarchy.
Xia Leyang continued, “Whether the yin energy is heavy or not, let’s not talk about it. We’re all successors of socialism; we shouldn’t get involved in these superstitious things.”
Shang Tingzhi: “…You’re undermining me again.”
Liu Defa: “?”
“We approach this from a realistic perspective. Suppose you were asked to live in a house where a gruesome murder-suicide occurred, would you be willing to live there?” Xia Leyang asked with a serious tone.
Liu Defa was indeed somewhat intimidated by Xia Leyang’s demeanor and responded, “I wouldn’t.”
“Exactly,” Xia Leyang said with an expression of ‘I knew it.’ “It’s the same principle. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, living in a place with such a tragic history can have a negative impact on your psyche. We adults experience it, let alone those kids.”
“True,” Liu Defa nodded thoughtfully. “But we’ve already bought the land, and it’s a bit challenging to deal with.”
“Don’t worry,” Xia Leyang reassured, “As long as it’s something that can be solved with money, it’s not a big deal.”
The words were rough, but the logic was sound. Xia Leyang meant to say that many things in life should be taken lightly, as long as they don’t involve life and death issues, there’s no need to worry.
Liu Defa blinked in surprise, finding it hard to believe that such philosophical words came from a young person.
What he didn’t know was that Xia Leyang could speak so liberally because his family was indeed very wealthy.
Liu Defa expressed that he would discuss the matter seriously with the leadership team and see if there was any solution. His attitude was much more sincere than before, and Xia Leyang found that he still had some influence. His mood suddenly improved, and the morning’s frustration dissipated.
On the way home, Shang Tingzhi noticed that Xia Leyang didn’t continue the argument with him, and he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He hoped that the matter of the female ghost could quietly turn the page. Unexpectedly, Xia Leyang suddenly started a conversation with him, saying, “By the way, who is that female ghost?”
It seemed that he was afraid of something, and Shang Tingzhi casually replied, “I don’t know.”
“Do all deceased people become ghosts?” Xia Leyang continued, “For example, in that graveyard we visited earlier. If everyone who died became a ghost, wouldn’t it scare the children?”
“It won’t. Not everyone becomes a wandering spirit after death,” Shang Tingzhi replied.
“Then who does?” Xia Leyang asked.
Shang Tingzhi felt a headache from the question. To be honest, he didn’t know himself. After all, his expertise was in feng shui, not exorcism. He said, “It’s hard to say. There is no scientific research to explain why ghosts exist.”
“Heh,” Xia Leyang chuckled, “scientific research.”
Shang Tingzhi: “…”
In fact, after the events of last night, Xia Leyang’s views on ghosts were slightly shaken. However, in his opinion, he was still in a state of half-belief and half-doubt.
He knew that what happened last night was definitely not normal, but based on his life experience, there should be some explanation.
For example, if there really was a female ghost, who was she, and why would she linger in a murder house?
Thinking about it, a thought flashed through Xia Leyang’s mind. He touched his chin, looked thoughtful, and said to Shang Tingzhi, “In the 1990s, there was a single woman who died in the Gu Family Mansion. It should be her, right?”
Shang Tingzhi asked, “Why do you think so?”
“That woman committed suicide by cutting her wrists in the bathtub, and the strangest thing last night was the bathtub.” Xia Leyang reasoned like a detective, “If I remember correctly, the massacre in the 1970s happened in the middle of the night. The maid drugged everyone, making it easy to act. So, no one died in the bathtub in the 1970s case.”
Shang Tingzhi, slightly interested, nodded, “You’re right.”
“The woman herself is also mysterious. In the 1990s, the Gu Family Mansion was a well-known murder house. Why would she live here alone?” Xia Leyang felt more and more puzzled, “And she spoke Cantonese.”
Shang Tingzhi said, “If you’re curious, I can go and ask the homeowner.”
Xia Leyang asked, “What homeowner?”!
“The owner of this old house is abroad, a distant relative of the Gu family. I moved in here just for solar exposure, and I’ll be moving out in three months.”
In other words, Shang Tingzhi was not the actual owner of this old house.
Xia Leyang, shocked and shaking his head, remarked, “I thought you were so wealthy, turns out you’re just renting.”
Shang Tingzhi maintained his composure and posture. He swore he never intended to show off using the old house, but Xia Leyang’s words and expressions seemed to imply otherwise.
Shang Tingzhi sighed helplessly. He was tired of getting angry, having developed almost immunity after numerous instances. Besides, he genuinely felt sorry for Xia Leyang. As long as it wasn’t a significant matter, he preferred to let it go.
After returning to the Gu Family Mansion, Xia Leyang was almost inseparable from his tablet, continuously researching the events of the past.
Among the links related to the Gu Family Mansion, ninety-nine percent only mentioned the massacre in the 1970s. The suicide of the single woman in the 1990s seemed like a small pebble thrown into a lake, causing a slight ripple but not drawing much attention.
Xia Leyang wanted to understand why the woman had committed suicide. However, this incident had happened too long ago, and online information was scarce. Moreover, the old house had undergone renovations, erasing any traces of its past.
Seeing Xia Leyang’s curiosity, Shang Tingzhi sent an email to the homeowner to inquire about the events of the past. However, there was no reply from the homeowner.
Until bedtime, Xia Leyang remained focused on investigating the news reports, not bringing up the matter of “compensation” with Shang Tingzhi.
Shang Tingzhi thought Xia Leyang had forgotten about the compensation, feeling relieved as he lay in bed. However, just before falling asleep, Xia Leyang, dressed in pajamas, approached his bed, tilting his head with a serious look, and asked, “Are you going to sleep?”
Suddenly, Shang Tingzhi had a bad premonition. Pretending to be calm, he said, “It’s getting late, better go to sleep.”
Xia Leyang didn’t move. His eyes carried a hint of innocence and a bit of grievance. “Then, when will you give me my ‘compensation’?”
Shang Tingzhi took a deep breath. “I didn’t promise…”
Frowning, Xia Leyang accused, “You’re being evasive!”
“Last night was an accident,” Shang Tingzhi brought out all his patience, trying to persuade him kindly, “We’re both men; we shouldn’t engage in such things.”
“How can you be like this?” Xia Leyang looked at Shang Tingzhi with a touch of grievance, “Why didn’t you say we shouldn’t do it last night? I saw you were quite enjoying it. Now that you’ve taken advantage, you say it shouldn’t have happened.”
Xia Leyang’s words made sense. Although there were objective factors in what happened last night, Shang Tingzhi did become the unscrupulous party. With a heavy heart, he said, “Yangyang, this is not right.”
“I don’t care.” Xia Leyang lifted the blanket and climbed into Shang Tingzhi’s bed. “I’ve already cleaned up.”
Shang Tingzhi sighed. Damn that female ghost.