The youthful you who was so beautiful/In his youth, In her beauty

3.1

The afternoon sun blazed down in its fiery glory. Chen Nian darted into the shaded pathway, coolness washing over her body.

The man-made mountain and the pavilion was linked to the back entrance of the school. As Chen Nian walked along the pathway, she spotted Zeng Hao, Hu Xiao Die's good friend who had previously passed her a note in class.

Chen Nian knew that Zeng Hao had intentionally waited for her at this spot, and came to a stop.

Zeng Hao's eyes were as swollen as walnuts. She stared at Chen Nian, "Why didn't you reply my note?"

Chen Nian silently shook her head in an attempt to indicate that she had nothing to say to Zeng Hao.

Zeng Hao clenched her fist tightly, "They interrogated me several times too, because I was Xiao Die's best friend. But I really had no idea what happened, so I'm not able to offer any form of help." As she spoke, tears began to fall from her eyes, "That day, Xiao Die was behaving weirdly. Everybody could discern Xiao Die's drastic change – she no longer liked to talk, and she always appeared to be brooding over endless problems. I'm not sure whether she was unhappy due to her deteriorating friendships with the rest of her friends, but I don't think it would have affected her so much. I did ask her what was troubling her, but she claimed that the deteriorating friendships weren't the cause. Subsequently, she......"

Chen Nian stood there expressionlessly, and turned her head to take a quick glance at the classroom. The leaves rustled in the wind whilst the sunlight danced on the swaying leaves.

"I don't believe that Xiao Die would...... But they said that when Xiao Die died, the entire school compound was empty, and that no strangers were present. Even the security guards have been eliminated as suspects. If Xiao Die truly did commit suicide..." Zeng Hao suddenly raised her head to look at Chen Nian, "Chen Nian, you're the last person to see Xiao Die alive. Did she tell you anything?"

Chen Nian shook her head.

"Chen Nian, please say something." Zeng Hao was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

There was a silent pause. Chen Nian slowly opened her mouth, "Nothing. I'm not fa......familiar with......her. If you......you don't even kno......know her secrets, how.......how would I know?"

Zeng Hao insisted, "It's impossible for Xiao Die not to have said anything if she truly did commit suicide."

Chen Nian looked at Zeng Hao straight in the eyes, and countered, "What......what would she say?"

Zeng Hao was stunned into silence.

Yeah. What would she have said?

"Chen Nian, are you speaking the truth? Xiao Die really didn't say anything to you before she died?"

Chen Nian: "It's true."

The older one grows, the more excellent one's ability to lie convincingly becomes. It's as though this talent was naturally cultivated over the years.

Zeng Hao scrutinised Chen Nian. Chen Nian was as pale as ever, her skin resembling that of a person who's perennially stuck in winter; Chen Nian's eyes were extremely black and calm, and they resembled the dark winter night.

Zeng Hao's shoulders sagged, "Alright."

Chen Nian managed to capture a glimpse of Zeng Hao's discouraged and saddened expression. For a moment, Chen Nian almost wanted to remind Zeng Hao that it was more important to focus on the upcoming final examinations, and to stay away from Li Xiang – but in the end, Chen Nian simply kept her mouth shut.

As they walked into the stairwell, Zeng Hao, who had been trailing behind Chen Nian all this while, suddenly grabbed Chen Nian by the arm, the words tumbling out of her mouth, "Could it be because of Wei Cai? I always felt that Xiao Die couldn't possibly have committed suicide over Wei Cai, but I can't think of any other plausible reason! Tell me, is it because of Wei Cai?"