Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 89: A Scam

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: A Scam

The exams are over, followed by the long-awaited summer vacation for many, but not before a long-planned school celebration and graduation ceremony which are to be held together.

Under the leadership of the faculty from the student affairs office, and with the assistance of the student council members, and the rallying of the tutors from different departments, everyone began an exciting gala in the vast campus theater.

Decorous dancing, singing, skits and stand-ups, all performed with youthfulness and vibrancy that ignited passion and atmosphere. The series of climax performances left everyone overjoyed, turning the entire campus theater into a sea of happiness.

The energetic song and dance routine presented by Lin Xi and her team as the finale of the show further amplified the excitement. The male students couldn’t help but whistle in applause.

The last part was a speech by the principal who reflected on the ups and downs experienced by the school over the years, the honors that the teachers and students have fought for, the future prospects, and valuable advices for the graduating students.

Gu Fan carefully listened from below the stage, he seldom interacted with the principal, but hearing the inspiring and compelling speech for the first time, delivered with perfect tone and tempo, every word seemed to resonate with the students.

When the principal finished speaking, he wished all graduating students, facing various challenges after stepping into the society, to overcome one after another, to achieve success upon success. The principal said he has never wished graduates a smooth sailing, because life is never smooth sailing, and one always has to face ups and downs.

A thunderous applause erupted from the stage, maybe the principal talked a lot of big rhetoric, or maybe he talked a lot about irrelevant content, but the principal still gave a brilliant speech, earning everyone’s applause.

Gu Fan also applauded from below the stage, he seldom idolized someone, but he admired the principal today, one who stood on the stage, calmly facing thousands of students. Gu Fan wondered if he would be trembling with nerves if he were in his shoes.

In the end, the entire student body clapped and sang, wholeheartedly releasing their energy, worthy of their youth.

At the climax of the chorus, colorful streamers, balloons, petals fell from above, eliciting screams and cheers from everyone, especially the girls who jumped around. Their excitement surged, the volume of their singing increased, almost vibrating the entire school campus.

As one of the performers, Lin Xi watched backstage. As the evening party was ending, she took off her gown, removed her makeup and just as she was stepping out to look for Gu Fan, she ran into Yang Xinran in the corridor.

"Xinran, what are you doing here?" Lin Xi was surprised. Seeing Yang Xinran’s amused expression, she knew Yang Xinran was waiting for her.

Yang Xinran replied with a smile: "Of course I’m waiting for you."

"Oh, is there something?" Lin Xi found it peculiar, there was hardly any interaction between her and Yang Xinran on regular days, so why all of a sudden?

Yang Xinran continued: "Actually it’s not me, but Gu Fan wanted me to find you. He said he’s waiting for you at the Media Center, he wants to give you a surprise."

"A surprise? What surprise?" Lin Xi was surprised, and then curious.

Yang Xinran shook her head: "Gu Fan didn’t tell me and was very secretive, I think there’s a high probability he’s going to propose to you."

"Nonsense? We haven’t graduated yet?" Lin Xi laughed, and then she asked: "Xinran, can you stop joking around?"

Yang Xinran herself also felt it was unlikely, and she couldn’t help but laugh, yet she still said: "Who knows if it’s true, the atmosphere today is pretty grand and Gu Fan is very thoughtful toward you, he must have something up his sleeve."

"Oh, okay!" Lin Xi felt delighted at the thought of a surprise from her boyfriend, her face lit up with expectation. But after a few steps, she was puzzled and turned her head to look at Yang Xinran, causing Yang Xinran to look slightly uncomfortable.

Lin Xi asked: "Strange, why didn’t Gu Fan let Lu Yi and Jie tell me about it?"

Yang Xinran immediately answered: "Gu Fan asked me to tell you to find him in the Media Center, and then he went off with Lu Yi and Jie, they are probably planning on doing something on a larger scale."

"Okay!" Just thinking about a big surprise set up made Lin Xi laugh, then she excitedly ran towards the Media Center.

It was now seven in the evening, the school’s Media Center was open till eight every night, but today was combined with the school’s celebration and the student graduation ceremony, it was busier than usual, so there were fewer people around.

When Lin Xi walked in, she found the hall was empty. It was quiet, very quiet, but Lin Xi didn’t think much about it, she continued to walk while keeping her eyes peeled, expecting Gu Fan, Lu Yi, Jie, and their prank to pop out suddenly. That would be a scare, not a surprise.

"Hello, anybody here?" Lin Xi stepped forward slowly, looking at the empty surroundings, hearing only her own voice. For some reason, her heartbeat was speeding up. She had no idea what kind of scene Gu Fan was going to present to her.

Rationally, Lin Xi didn’t believe it would be like what Yang Xinran said - that Gu Fan was planning a grand marriage proposal. However, the part of her that liked to imagine fantasies wondered, what if Gu Fan didn’t play his cards normal like everyone else? At that time, would she accept or reject?

If she agreed, what would it mean? Would they go get their marriage license after graduating? Just as Lin Xi was lost in her own world, she was shocked to realize that she’d wandered deep into the printing center, yet she hadn’t seen Gu Fan and the others.

"Strange, is anybody here? Gu Fan, are you there?" Lin Xi looked around again, but she didn’t hear any response. The deathly silence of the place made her shiver a bit.

Just as Lin Xi felt something was off, all of a sudden, all the lights around her went dark. Instantly, everything in front of her was pitch black, and she couldn’t see her own hand in front of her face due to the abrupt change in the environment.

******

Meanwhile, Gu Fan had been waiting backstage for a long time without seeing Lin Xi appear. He had sent several messages and received no response, because Lin Xi hadn’t noticed that her phone had been stolen unnoticed.

Having waited for quite a while, an impatient Gu Fan immediately asked a student who just came out from backstage: "Excuse me, have you seen Lin Xi? She’s about this tall, very pretty, and her hair was curled up like this today." As Gu Fan was gesturing, he got the answer that Lin Xi had already left the backstage of the performance.

"She left without telling me, wasn’t it agreed that we would go for barbecue together after the show? It’s a waste of time that she let me wait for so long." Gu Fan couldn’t help but doubt. He remembered that Lin Xi was never inconsiderate like this, could it be that she just temporarily left and will soon be back?

However, Gu Fan waited again for a long time without seeing Lin Xi’s figure. During this time, he called her several times, but no one answered the phone. Suddenly, a bad feeling welled up inside him.

Lu Yi and Jie were also waiting to go for barbecue. However, since Gu Fan and Lin Xi were not showing up, they hurried over and found Gu Fan waiting alone.

Lu Yi asked: "What’s up, can’t you wait for Lin Xi anymore? It can’t be that she really takes this long to change her outfit and makeup, is it?"

In response, Gu Fan shook his head: "Someone told me, Lin Xi had already left, but she didn’t tell me a word, this isn’t like her at all. Where on earth did she go, why didn’t she tell me, and made me wait for so long?"

Seeing Gu Fan’s anxious appearance, Jie immediately consoled: "Don’t worry, she might have been so engrossed in chatting with her girlfriends that she lost track of time. Have you called her?"

Gu Fan nodded: "Yes, I have called her three times, but none of them were answered."

Knowing the situation, Lu Yi was full of confusion, "Hiding her whereabouts from you and not answering your phone, either she has an appointment with someone else, but that’s unlikely. Everyone knows how good your relationship is, even Du Jun can’t get in between you two. There’s only one other possibility left, we have to take action immediately, otherwise we’re going to be in trouble..."

"No way, could the person be targeting Lin Xi this time?" Jie was a little panicked, but Gu Fan looked even worse. He had previously suspected this, but he still held on to a glimmer of hope, thinking that this is a campus, there are many people around, Lin Xi was also aware of her safety, she would not just run around.

Gu Fan immediately said: "We should split up to search. Head towards less crowded areas, no need to bother about crowded places."

"Okay, understood." Just as Lu Yi and Jie were about to work together with Gu Fan, suddenly a student came out from the backstage. He happened to know Gu Fan and asked: "What’s going on, Gu Fan, you don’t look so well, did you have a fight with Lin Xi? Was your surprise for Lin Xi turned into a scare?"

"Surprise? Scare? What?" Gu Fan was taken aback by the words, not understanding what they meant.

Seeing Gu Fan’s confused look, the student couldn’t help but feel puzzled: "Didn’t you prepare a surprise for Lin Xi at the printing center?"

"Ah, when did I say I was going to give Lin Xi a surprise at the printing center?" Gu Fan felt confused and at the same time, a feeling of unease surged up. It looked like this could be a trap.

The student said again: "Just a while ago, another female student was looking for Lin Xi, saying you had prepared a surprise for her at the printing center. It could be a proposal. I happened to pass by and overheard it."

"A female student approached Lin Xi? Which female student?" Gu Fan realized things had gone wrong, and he’d grasp at any clues at this point.

But to Gu Fan’s disappointment, the student who relayed the news shook his head: "I don’t know that female student, she looked okay, but not as beautiful as Lin Xi."

"Okay, thank you. I will contact you later." After saying this, Gu Fan turned around and ran, dashing straight towards the printing center.