Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 161: No News At All

Chapter 161: Chapter 161: No News At All

The summer vacation ended, and on the first day of school, Gu Fan struggled to get out of bed, rubbed his temples, gave a bitter smile, then quickly washed up. He saw his reflection in the mirror; his face was haggard, his eyes listless, making him feel like he had aged significantly overnight.

Twelve of his classmates had returned, twelve broken families were reunited. It was all the result of Gu Fan’s efforts, but when he witnessed all this, there was no joy on his face, no elation of triumph. Because he was the loser.

Upon returning from the adventure, Su Hui had been relocated to the headquarters for training, so she had not been home for quite a while. Living alone, Gu Fan suddenly realized he missed having her around.

As to how the twelve students were extricated, and how to report it, Gu Fan left everything to Su Hui. After all, she was a police officer, directly involved. Moreover, they also had Professor Luo as a witness.

However, Su Hui fabricated a story in which when everyone accompanied Professor Luo in search of the ancient ruins of Qian Ye, they chanced upon twelve coffins being transported, which led to a fight that ultimately saw the triumph of righteous over evil.

Everyone thought that Su Hui’s story was too hasty, but she reported it exactly that way, leaving everyone speechless when those above actually believed her, without asking too many questions.

Of course, Gu Fan knew why Su Hui came up with a story that would not stand up to scrutiny. Because Su Hui suspected that someone from their police station was continually helping the ancient town secretly. If the police wanted to help cover up the matter, they would certainly not probe further.

Things went just as Su Hui had anticipated - the police station accepted her fabricated story, corroborating her suspicion. However, what Su Hui didn’t expect was a sudden redeployment, being sent to the headquarters for training. This was obviously intended to separate her and Gu Fan.

Gu Fan declared that he could take care of himself and advised Su Hui to take care as well. It seemed that their adversaries wielded immense power, and provoking them would not be wise.

As for whether the parents of the twelve students would harbor suspicions, all these students could remember were strangers kidnapping them. They then fell unconscious for a long time and didn’t know what happened afterward. When they woke up, they found themselves in the desert, with Gu Fan by their sides. So, the parents accepted Su Hui’s contrived story. After all, as long as their children were safe, they couldn’t ask for more. Better to leave well enough alone; should they press for answers, there was a chance something might go wrong.

Finally, with matters somewhat concluded, Gu Fan took a deep breath, mounted his bicycle, and raced to school. He pedaled faster than usual, his mind filled with mixed emotions.

Gu Fan wanted to face it, wanted to see. But he was afraid of not knowing what to say, or what to do if he saw, afraid of an awkward situation. But he had to face it regardless.

Unusually, Gu Fan was the first to enter the classroom, then waited expectantly, looking at every arriving student with scrutiny for fear of missing out.

Soon after, Lu Yi arrived, sat by Gu Fan with a solemn face. However, he was currently Gu Fan’s only supporter.

One by one, students entered the classroom, but Lin Xi was nowhere to be seen by the time class began. Gu Fan was instantly deflated with disappointment. Ever since his return, he had attempted to contact Lin Xi multiple times, but every call and message he sent didn’t receive a response.

Gu Fan continued to hold onto hope, he had even waited for her at the entrance of Lin Xi’s apartment building, but when darkness fell, there were no lights on in Lin Xi’s house. What could this be indicative of?

He thought that once school started, he would see Lin Xi, but he was disappointed yet again. Lin Xi seemed to have disappeared from his life all of a sudden.

Seeing Gu Fan’s downhearted look, Lu Yi pat him on the back and said, "Bro, wait a bit longer, you’re not someone who gives up easily. Perhaps Lin Xi has been busy since she became a new person, so...."

"A brand new Lin Xi!" Gu Fan couldn’t help but smile bitterly, then added, "Even if Lin Xi returns, can things go back to the way they were?"

Looking at Gu Fan’s bitter expression, Lu Yi could only say: "Maybe this is God’s will. This new Lin Xi is not the one for you. Instead, you should cherish the people around you, like Sister Su, she’s no less than the old Lin Xi."

"You make a lot of sense, thank you for consoling me." Gu Fan didn’t have the slightest bit of energy. He thought, even if Lin Xi had transformed into a completely new person, they could at least break up properly.

At this point, Lu Yi looked at his phone and said, "Received a message from the other side, Du Jun hasn’t come to school either. Seems like his father sent him to study abroad, what a lucky fellow, he sure knows how to hide."

"Du Jun went abroad, and Du Jun has been working for Lin Xi, could it be that Lin Xi went abroad too?" Gu Fan was slightly worried. If Du Jun and Lin Xi went abroad together, there might be a chance for the two to get together. After all, Du Jun’s abilities could be quite useful to the all-new Lin Xi.

Lu Yi added, "Zhou Yu came to my dorm to see me and Jie yesterday. He feels that things aren’t that simple. He wants to know more, but I didn’t tell him anything. I just wished him a safe return, told him to cherish his current life, his family, his parents."

"Good job. They shouldn’t know too much," Gu Fan and the others involved had all cautioned. The fewer people who knew about this, the better, to avoid unnecessary trouble.

There would be no issues with Su Hui, Lu Yi, or Jie. Gu Fan believed they would keep the secret. After experiencing so much, Professor Luo, Teacher Liu, Xu Haowen, and Qin Jia didn’t wish to invite more trouble. They would naturally keep their distance.

The only person who worried Gu Fan was Ouyang Jin. This guy was not willing to give up. He lost his financial backer, Du Jun, and couldn’t get the final payment of one hundred thousand. He thought this deal was a loss. He even suspected that it was a plot arranged by Gu Fan, Du Jun, and others. All the kidnapping, struggles, conspiracies, and defections seemed like a well-executed drama to deceive Ouyang Jin, allowing them to renege on the payment.

In the end, with no other options, Gu Fan, Professor Luo, and the others raised some money and gave Ouyang Jin fifty thousand. This barely convinced him to accept it. It was also hush money to keep Ouyang Jin from saying anything unnecessary.

But considering Ouyang Jin’s greed, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t be bribed into talking. So, Gu Fan made Ouyang Jin understand the situation. It was best to let this matter rest; the other side was too powerful to provoke.

Given the choice between money and life, Ouyang Jin decisively chose life. Though he promised to stay silent, Gu Fan worried that Ouyang Jin could still become a weak link.

Class ended quickly. When Lin Xi didn’t show up, Gu Fan asked her dormmates about her. The response he got was that Lin Xi hadn’t returned to school and no one knew why. Her roommates were also worried.

If a student didn’t return to school, the student’s counselor would certainly need to know what had happened. So Gu Fan went to see the counselor to find out what was going on.

However, the counselor only said that Lin Xi’s parents had called to say she had fallen ill and wouldn’t be attending school for a while.

Seeing the counselor’s evasiveness and shifty eyes, Gu Fan knew there was more to the story. The new Lin Xi wasn’t an ordinary person and wouldn’t miss school long-term due to illness.

Gu Fan didn’t pursue further questions, believing he wouldn’t get a definitive answer. He knew there was something off about this school, which had helped Du Jun gather together the twelve students all born on the same day, month, and year. So, Gu Fan worried about whether the school, which was aligned with Du Jun’s powerful backers, would try to settle scores with him.

It was only the first day of school, and Gu Fan hadn’t felt any intentional hostility from the school. Neither had Lu Yi or Jie, and the twelve students seemed to be returning to their normal lives, too.

Gu Fan believed that as long as the truth about the students’ disappearance wasn’t revealed, the school would let them complete their studies and graduate peacefully.

Would he need to make a truce with this evil faction just for a graduation certificate? Gu Fan pondered this and decided it was the right course of action. After all, he did not believe that he, Lu Yi, and Jie could stand up to this evil power by themselves.

Take Su Hui as an example. She had been a good police officer until she had been transferred here and there, being dragged into this mess by Gu Fan.

"Forget it, I’m not trying to be a hero. I have done enough, and there’s no need to fight this evil force to the end." Gu Fan thought about it and felt relieved, deciding to live a peaceful life as long as the other party did not trouble him. He yearned for tranquility.

Suddenly Gu Fan remembered something. Du Jun was not coming to school because his father sent him abroad, meaning Du Jun would not show up again. Conversely, Lin Xi’s absence from school was due to illness according to her parents, implying it was only temporary and that she might appear again.

This thought excited Gu Fan. He was eager to see Lin Xi again, even if she had become a different person. If the relationship had to end, he at least wanted to know the truth so he could let go.

Honestly, Gu Fan had fought so hard only for Lin Xi and their relationship. He did not want to give up so easily. He even thought that even if Lin Xi had become someone else, perhaps the old feelings would prevail, and past events wouldn’t be forgotten.

"Hold on a minute, hold on a minute!" Gu Fan thought of Lin Xi becoming someone else and questioned when the transformation took place. Was it the first time they visited the old town, entered the secret room, started the sacrifice, or at another time?

Gu Fan felt that figuring this out might allow him to return Lin Xi to her normal self, but this would likely pose a challenge to the evil organization.

Just as Gu Fan was lost in thought, he received a text message from Leng Le. The message indicated that they were short-staffed at the shop and asked if Gu Fan would be willing to work there.