CH 29

Chapter 29: Dirty Water

Lin Xin couldn’t resist blurting out in disgust, “Dean, molesting a child is a felony punishable by imprisonment.”

The Dean’s expression suddenly changed and his heart was momentarily taken over by panic. But then he looked down on Lin Xin and thought it was funny; how could an adult like him fear a little girl? What was there to be afraid of?

He asked, “What use would your testimony have?”

Lin Xin replied, “Even if you try to play a drama and fool the authorities, I am not the only witness. I still have them.” Lin Xin pointed to Zhao Qiang and Lin Xinyu. “When we report to the police, I think they will believe the three of us instead of you.”

The Dean didn’t expect a girl as young as her to know so much. If she really did report to the police, what should he do? However, in the end, he had the final say as to whether or not she was able to meet up with the police to report it.

The corner of his lips rose to a sinister smile and the Dean pushed back his black-rimmed glasses before shouting, “Wang Ma, I’ve caught two little thieves here! Quickly come over.”

When the cafeteria lady, Wang Ma, heard his loud call, she rushed into the room with a basin in hands and exclaimed, “Dean, where are they?”

The Dean pointed to the Zhao Qiang at the door and said, “It’s that boy and the girl behind him.”

“The two of them set fire to the yard before running to the office to steal things. Last time they stole the food in the cafeteria, but I gave them another chance. I didn’t expect them to be ungrateful in the end. Wang Ma, take them both and tie them up. Throw these two kids into the firewood cabin and let them starve for a few days so they can remember this lesson for a long time.”

Lin Xin didn’t expect the Dean to directly splash ‘dirty water’ on them and give them no chance to explain themselves. In fact, what opportunities would they have to report him in the future? The Dean still had the final say. Lin Xin suddenly regretted her impulsive retorts just now. If she had been patient, they wouldn’t have gotten to this situation.

Wang Ma was equally as strong as Zhao Qiang, but the boy didn’t dare to resist as she tied him up. Lin Xin had no strength to put up a fight so she was forced to accept reality. Two people were restrained and confined to the cabin that stored firewood. Rumors were that this cabin used to be part of the asylum in the past. The ground was damp and the door frame was thick; there was a long corridor outside but not one person who approached their door would be able to hear any knocking or noise from within their cabin.

The heaviest punishment Zhao Qiang ever received was to dig up the ground and skip meals. But now he was tied up like a dumpling and thrown into a dark room. There were even ghost stories that his friends shared about the orphanage. They said that the orphanage’s previous owner ran this place as an unkempt asylum–and nine times out of ten, those terrifying tales were all related to this very room they were in. As soon as he entered, Zhao Qiang sensed the eerie shadows and gusts of wind, as if someone were whispering right beside his ears.

“I heard that someone died in this room.” Zhao Qiang said as he leaned over to Lin Xin and nudged her arm.

Lin Xin was a materialist before she transmigrated, so she didn’t believe in ghosts or gods. But then, how could she explain how she was able to enter into a novel’s world? She certainly believes in supernatural beings now. This time, when she heard from Zhao Qiang that someone passed away in this place, she actually felt a little uneasy. However since she was in her twenties her original world, she didn’t want to make a joke of herself and admit that she was afraid.

“If you haven’t done anything wrong, why should you be frightened if ghosts come knocking at your door? Have you sinned against them? If not, then what’s there to be scared of?” Lin Xin appeased Zhao Qiang while comforting herself at the same time.

Zhao Qiang felt that she was speaking the truth, so he no longer felt as fearful. He also wanted to ask her about the Dean and Lin Xinyu, but he swallowed his words in the end; despite having thousands of questions in his mind, he didn’t dare to say a word.