Gao Wu: I'll enjoy the benefits, but you'll bear the side effects.

Huang Xu suddenly reached out, his movement somewhat urgent and reckless, and forcefully pushed Gao Jie to the side.

Gao Jie stumbled, almost losing his balance, and looked at Huang Xu in astonishment.

Huang Xu, on the other hand, instantly put on an exaggerated, almost comical, emotional expression. His eyes reddened slightly, as if he were about to squeeze out a few tears, and his lips trembled uncontrollably, forming an odd arc.

"I think your description is very accurate, because it perfectly captures my feelings."

As he spoke, he tilted his head slightly back, his eyes filled with confusion and helplessness, as if he were pleading with the heavens.

"You're right. From the moment we stepped into this place, it felt like we were being swept up by a mysterious and powerful force, as if we had encountered something irresistible. It felt like we were being tightly covered by an invisible, sticky net. The more we struggled, the tighter it clung to us, and we couldn't break free at all."

As he said this, he shivered slightly, unconsciously hugging himself as if to ward off an unfounded chill.

"But where did all these things come from, and where will they end in the future? I really have no clue, my head is a mess, like a lump of mush."

As he spoke, he shook his head dramatically.

"I felt like the principal was staring at me. His gaze was sharp and cold, as if he wanted to strip me naked and completely naked. It gave me goosebumps all over and made me extremely uncomfortable."

Just then, a familiar yet authoritative voice suddenly boomed behind them, startling everyone so much that the hairs on their bodies stood on end:

"Could you be any more disgusting? What utter nonsense are you spouting?"

Everyone turned around in alarm and saw David standing not far away, his face dark and his brows furrowed into a deep frown, his expression full of helplessness and anger.

He strode towards them, listing his complaints as he went:

"Do you think I'm incredibly boring that I'd have such impure thoughts about you? Please, there's no mirror in the house, but there's always a place to pee, right? Go pee and see what you look like, okay?"

The disdain in his tone was almost overflowing.

When they saw that the visitor was none other than Principal David, Gao Jie and the others were so shocked that their eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Their mouths were agape, and they couldn't close them for a long time, their faces full of disbelief.

It took Gao Jie a while to come to his senses. His tongue seemed to be tied in knots as he stammered, "Principal... Principal, what brings you here?"

Davida pouted in annoyance, crossing her arms like a parent about to give a lecture:

"If I hadn't come, who knows what kind of trouble you guys would have caused me. Who told you that our competition was in this stadium?"

I'm telling you, this restaurant has been closed for a long time; it's in terrible disrepair.

As he spoke, he pointed to the ceiling of the venue, where there were several obvious water stains and a lot of peeling paint.

"Look at this dilapidated state! The main beams are all crooked; it's practically a dangerous building. How dare you come in? Are you out of your minds?"

His gaze swept over each of them, his eyes full of reproach.

"Tell the truth! Who let you come to this restaurant? This is ridiculous! Didn't the people who set up this place emphasize that it's a dangerous spot? Can't you use your brains a little?!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Jie and Huang Xu simultaneously looked at Huang Muran with perfect understanding, their eyes seeming to say:

You're definitely taking the blame for this. Do you want to come out and explain yourself?

The gaze was so direct and intense that Huang Muran's face flushed red and then turned pale, so embarrassed that he could dig his toes out of his skin.

She chuckled dryly twice, scratched her head, and her voice carried a hint of guilt:

"I'm sorry, I didn't figure out the situation either. I thought the information I had gathered before should be correct, so... I assumed that was probably the case. I didn't expect to make such a big misunderstanding. I'm sorry, I was just overthinking things."

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible, and her head drooped lower and lower, as if she wanted to disappear into a crack in the ground.

Gao Jie gritted his teeth in anger, cursing Huang Muran in his mind. He wanted nothing more than to rush up and kick the woman. At this critical moment, she was still acting confusedly. What on earth was she doing? And what kind of trick was this series of inexplicable blunders playing? Wasn't this just a waste of time?

Huang Muran seemed to suddenly remember something, and hurriedly reached into his pocket and rummaged around for a while, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper.

The note was crumpled and wrinkled, as if she had been clutching it in her hand for a long time. She handed the note to everyone and said urgently:

"But we've already confirmed it before, and there's no problem with this place. You can see for yourselves." Her hands were still trembling slightly, clearly flustered by this unexpected situation.

Gao Jie quickly stepped forward, his eyes wide open, and carefully examined the note.

The handwriting on the note was crooked and messy, like a primary school student's scribbles. It was barely legible that it contained an address, which was indeed exactly the same as the house number here.

Huang Xu also craned his neck and nodded, muttering to himself:

"That's right, we should have come here! What's going on here? Does anyone know?"

As he spoke, he scratched his head, making his already messy hair look even more like a bird's nest. He looked confused, and his eyes were full of bewilderment.

Looking at Huang Xu's bewildered expression, Davidra was both amused and annoyed. She gently patted his head and said with a hint of exasperation:

"Take another look, are you sure it's not wrong? Let me remind you, there are many different things on this thing, take a closer look."

Seeing that Huang Xu still looked blank and was staring at the note in a daze, David couldn't help but point to a key point on the note and say:

"This place is No. 6 Guiming Street, and you should be going to No. B. See? Although the letter 'B' is written messily, you can still make it out if you look closely. It's right next to the school gate, just turn left. It's very close, just a few steps away. Why walk all this way to this shabby place? Got it?"

He sighed helplessly, his eyes revealing a deep sense of resignation towards these students.

"I'm truly exasperated with you all. How could you make such a mistake? Where can I possibly feel at ease with these kids?"

After the principal's words, the group was so embarrassed that they wished they could disappear into the ground. Their faces flushed red and then turned pale. They stood there looking at each other, none of them daring to speak first.

Gao Jie subconsciously scratched the back of his head, his fingers making his hair even more tangled, his eyes darting around, full of guilt.

Huang Xu then grinned, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace, his lips twitching as he tried to ease the extremely awkward atmosphere.

Huang Muran wished he could bury his head in the ground, his shoulders were hunched up, and his head was practically tucked into his collar. He exuded an aura of deep frustration.

For a moment, the surroundings were so quiet that only their slightly rapid breathing could be heard.

"Who would have thought it would end up like this? I thought there would be some big change or discovery..."

Gao Jie muttered, breaking the silence, his voice filled with helplessness and self-mockery.

David looked at these good-for-nothing students, feeling both annoyed and amused, and pointed to the door:

"Gentlemen and ladies, let's leave. What are we still standing here for?"

He deliberately emphasized his words, his eyes filled with warning.

"Remember not to wander off in the future. These abandoned and dangerous places are no joke. If something happens, no one can take responsibility, understand?"

The group nodded hurriedly, and left the gloomy place as if they had been granted a pardon.

The principal's words made the atmosphere even more terrifying, as if something scary might emerge from the shadows at any moment.

They walked quickly, their shoes kicking up a little dust.

He had only run a short distance when Devilla suddenly stopped, glanced back at the dilapidated stadium, his brow furrowed slightly, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes:

"How did we end up here?"

He muttered to himself, as if lost in thought.

As they approached the school gate, David seemed to remember something, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips as he praised Xu Rourou:

"All in all, this little girl is the one who gives me the least trouble. She hasn't caused any trouble so far and is very steady."

As he spoke, he glanced at the people beside him, and his face immediately darkened.

"Can't you guys learn from that young girl? All you do is cause me trouble all day long. Aren't you afraid of making a huge mess of things and then not being able to clean it up?"

He paused, looked around, and said, "Oh, right, where's that little girl?"

Upon hearing the principal's words, Gao Jie and the others felt a sudden chill, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over their heads, sending a shiver down their spines.

The group exchanged guilty glances, all realizing that the matter was probably out of control. They were so embarrassed they could dig three bedrooms and a living room out of their toes, and could only force a bitter smile at each other.

Now that things have come to this, it seems the only option is to "sell" Xu Rourou out to get through this crisis first.

Gao Jie took a deep breath, steeled himself, and leaned forward, forcing a fawning smile onto his face. He rubbed his hands together, looking utterly obsequious.

"Principal, did Xu Rourou not ask you for leave? Let me tell you, that girl was so impulsive, she ran off without saying goodbye to anyone."

As he spoke, he kept glancing at Davidra's face, and seeing that the principal's expression was growing increasingly grim, he quickly added...

"We truly knew nothing about this matter; we were kept in the dark from beginning to end. Please don't consider us accomplices. Principal, as you know, my credits have been hanging in the balance, and I'm very anxious. Please, in your kindness, help me get those credits sorted out as well..."

Seeing that Gao Jie had spoken, Huang Xu immediately followed suit, blinking his eyes wide and round, tilting his head slightly, and trying to look innocent and harmless, hoping to get away with it by acting cute, while silently praying that the principal would take pity on them and let them go.

Unexpectedly, Davidra wasn't buying it at all. He stared at Huang Xu with a half-smile, a look that sent chills down one's spine.

"First of all, don't try to act cute. The way you look reminds me of spicy rabbit heads, it's kind of creepy. Secondly, don't talk to me in that coquettish tone. If other people hear it, they'll think I'm easy to fool, and it's easy to misunderstand."

After saying that, he waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing away flies.

"And you get out of here and don't waste my time. You bunch of brats, you ganged up on me and I'm going to treat you as accomplices now. Don't think you can get away with this. Tell me, why did you know all this but didn't tell me? Once I find out, I'll punish you severely."

Upon hearing this, the smiles on their faces froze instantly. They looked at each other, feeling helpless and aggrieved.

Everyone was baffled as to how, with just a few words, they had offended the principal so badly and managed to turn the situation into this mess.

Just as Gao Jie was about to slink back with the principal, he suddenly stopped in his tracks as if frozen in place.

He felt a tightness in his chest, his heart pounding like a restless little rabbit, and he was inexplicably uneasy.

The feeling was like the approach of a storm, with dark clouds pressing down overhead, and something bad quietly brewing and fermenting in the shadows.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

Huang Xu stopped, puzzled, and tilted his head to look at Gao Jie. Seeing his strange expression, he felt uneasy. He felt that something was wrong with Gao Jie's behavior and he had never seen him so out of control before.

Gao Jie completely ignored Huang Xu's question, his mind filled with the thought of Xu Rourou's disappearance. In his anxiety, he quickly reached for his phone, his fingers frantically swiping across the screen. He finally found Xu Rourou's number and dialed it without hesitation.

Huang Muran, standing to the side, also looked puzzled. She reached out and tugged hard on Gao Jie's arm, asking with a face full of doubt:

"Why are you calling at this hour? Didn't I just tell you clearly that Xu Rourou left her phone behind? Why are you still so persistent?"

Gao Jie had no time to respond to her; he was staring intently at his phone screen, his eyes filled with anxiety and anticipation.

However, after a few moments, there was only a busy signal on the other end of the phone, and no one answered.

Davidra was furious at the students' dawdling and rambling. He didn't waste any more time there, so he threw down a threatening "I'll deal with you later" and strode back to his own business.

Only after Davira's figure had completely disappeared did Gao Jie snap out of his daze. He turned to look at Huang Muran, his anxiety almost overflowing. He grabbed her shoulder and eagerly pressed her for answers:

"Do you know where Xu Rourou and her sister went? Think carefully, even a small clue might help us find her."

Huang Muran was startled by Gao Jie's sudden action. He shook his head blankly, spread his hands, and said innocently:

"I was in my dorm, completely absorbed in my own things, oblivious to everything else. I didn't have time to worry about Xu Rourou. Why are you so flustered? Did something happen?"

She leaned closer to Gao Jie, staring intently at him with eyes full of doubt and worry. "What exactly happened to Gao Jie? Don't just panic, tell me in detail, okay? Maybe I can help."

Upon hearing these words, Gao Jie frowned. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was wrong. All the signs seemed to be coming together, as if an invisible net was slowly tightening.

Moreover, judging from the current situation, the changes have far exceeded his expectations, and every minute and every second could lead to an even worse outcome.

With that in mind, he wasted no more time and took off, his steps hurried and flustered.

Although he didn't know where to look for Xu Rourou, he had a strong intuition that Xu Rourou's current situation must be dire.

At this moment, Xu Rourou was indeed in deep trouble.

She was roughly locked in a dark, cramped room, where the air was filled with a damp, rotten smell.

Across from her stood a burly man with a menacing face, who was sizing up the young girl with a fierce look in his eyes, his contempt undisguised.

"Little brat, your sister owes us 50 yuan in high-interest loans. We're here today to get you to pay it back. Hand it over while we're talking to you nicely, or we'll be in trouble if we turn against you, understand?"

As he spoke, he waved the IOU in his hand, a vicious smile playing on his lips.

"Also, if you really can't come up with the money, we can understand if you sign this repayment agreement. We'll ask your sister for it later, understand?"

Xu Rourou's face tightened, and she responded coldly:

"I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't been in contact with my sister for a long time. I have no idea where she went. I don't understand what you're saying at all."

Her eyes held a stubborn glint in them. "My sister couldn't possibly owe that much in high-interest loans."