The cycle begins to repeat itself today.

I received a negative answer once again.

“I arrived at school quite late, and the key wasn’t with me. It was with another student who lives on campus. Besides, it’s usually impossible to go upstairs at this time. Although you can’t see it from the first floor, there’s an iron gate at the top of the stairs on the second floor. That gate has been locked since school ended yesterday afternoon, and only the school security guards have the key.”

The yesterday Lin Yin mentioned was Saturday. Saturday daytime classes are the same, and Lin Yin didn't have the key to their classroom. This meant she was blocked by two obstacles, but it wasn't completely hopeless yet. I turned to look at Lin Yin.

"You say the key isn't with you, so do you have a way to get it?"

"It's possible..."

I could tell she was hesitant, so I came up with a way to provoke her. Unlike her sister Lin Xue, she wanted to replace her. Using her sister as an excuse might be very effective.

"If it were Lin Xue, she would have agreed very readily."

I'm not sure if Lin Xue would do this if I asked her to. I even think that given her attitude towards different academic levels, she wouldn't even want to talk to me. Lin Yin doesn't know this, which is exactly what I can use to make her work for me.

As I expected, Lin Yin reacted very clearly to what I said.

“I can get it. I know which dorm room that girl lives in. I’ve borrowed her key before when I left something in the classroom. I can go get it.”

"Then, could you please go and get it?"

"I'll go right now. She should be awake by now." Lin Yin put the broom back in the cabinet and quickly walked out of the office. If the method is right, controlling her might be a very simple matter. My suspicions about Lin Yin's identity have also lessened. Her behavior from the beginning to now is vastly different from Lin Xue's. I feel that it's not necessary to deliberately verify her identity anymore, but to put my mind at ease, I still want to complete the task thoroughly.

Lin Yin went out of the office to get the key, and I wasn't idle either. I also had things to do. Before it got light, I needed to try to get the key to the second floor from the security room. In my memory, the security guard and the gatekeeper seemed to be in the same office.

The security room was located at the far end of the other side of the first floor of the main building. It was a convenient place to open the school gate or unlock other locks. I would occasionally pass by there when I was in the first and second years of high school, so I have some vague memories of it.

I checked the time; it was already a little past 6:30. I needed to hurry, so I left the office and looked around. I didn't see anyone yet, so I headed towards the security room. I needed to check the situation there before deciding what to do next.

I walked over there, and the entire first floor seemed to echo with my footsteps. I unconsciously slowed down, feeling that such loud footsteps would cause me trouble. This is probably what they call the feeling of a guilty conscience. I also knew that what I was doing was not something that could be done openly and honestly, so I unconsciously became more cautious.

Although the main building looks very big from the outside, it is actually not very large in terms of area. I quickly arrived at the door of the security room.

Chapter 114 The Young Security Guard

The security room door was closed, but some light was shining through the bottom, indicating someone was inside. This was normal, as it was well past their working hours. However, this situation wasn't ideal for me, as I needed to get the key to the upper floor. Normally, I couldn't just walk in and get the key; the main building wasn't open to students even during the day on weekends. If I needed something, they would likely only open it in the afternoon, which was a bit inconvenient, but it did help with staff movement.

I thought about it, wondering if there was a good way to lure them out of the security room for a while. Making a big commotion myself wasn't out of the question—throwing stones to break windows or deliberately making a lot of noise in the building to attract them were both feasible plans. However, I hadn't surveyed the surveillance area within the building beforehand, and doing these things would be easily discovered and they'd be caught—the risk was too high. So, I tried a different approach. I retraced my steps and went to the area around the main entrance of the building. I remembered that there were staff identification cards for the school's faculty and staff on either side of the entrance; I should be able to find what I was looking for there.

Inside the main building, facing the main entrance, on the left are several rows of teacher information, containing only photos, names, phone numbers, and teacher ranks—nothing else. What I'm looking for is on the other side, which includes information on security guards, cleaners, and many other personnel, but the total number is significantly less than on the left; the number of teachers is still much greater than the other staff. I started searching from the first row and found the word "security guard" in the middle of the third row. There were only three guards—unreasonably few. However, in a typical high school, this number is quite common. Although schools have high foot traffic, major incidents are rare. Minor issues can be handled by teachers, and major incidents that even teachers can't handle are beyond the reach of security guards. They seem to play a somewhat redundant role within the system.

The information provided by the security guards was equally simple: a photo, name, phone number, and job title—four things very similar to what a teacher would have. I checked the appearances of the three security guards; while they weren't drastically different, getting someone out should have been quite easy.

I turned and walked towards the side door through which I entered the main building. After exiting the building, I turned right and continued walking around it. After a few steps, I saw a light shining from a room in one corner of the building. That must be the security room. I quickly walked over, pressed myself against the wall, and cautiously peeked inside. There was a person sitting on the sofa in the security room, seemingly playing on his phone. The moment I saw him, he seemed to sense something and looked up. I quickly pulled back and crouched down slightly. I heard some light footsteps approaching, and there were traces of light being blocked overhead, but it quickly returned to normal.

I recognized him; he was the third of the three security guards, and probably the youngest. I quickly retraced my steps back into the building, went to the photo wall, found the guard's picture, and wrote down his phone number before returning to my office. I'd found an excuse to distract him, but I needed a suitable place, somewhere out of the surveillance cameras… I'd got it.

I paused for a moment, then took out my phone and dialed the number for the security guard. He seemed to be playing with his phone the whole time, and he answered the call quickly.

"Hey?"

"Hello, is this the school security guard?"

I tried to speak faster, conveying a sense of panic in my tone.

"Yes, it's me. Is there something you need?"

“There’s a fight between outsiders over here in the old teaching building. Come and take a look.”

"what?"

"There's a fight going on! Come quick! It's right here in the old teaching building."

There are very few security cameras in the old teaching building area, or rather, there used to be many, but a large portion of them are broken. Almost all the cameras in the teaching building itself are broken. Lin Xue told me this, and I used it to my advantage. I guessed the security guard would first check the footage, but because he couldn't get the images, he would have to go and confirm it in person, since it's his job. If he didn't come and something happened, then he would naturally lose his job.

There was a brief silence on his end, probably as he was adjusting the deactivation mechanism. Then I heard him say, "I'm coming right now." He hung up, and I stayed in the office, pretending to clean with the broom Lin Xue had used before. Soon I sensed someone passing by, quite quickly. It was probably the security guard. He didn't stop, nor did he seem to question the brightly lit office. He probably knew Lin Xue often came to clean and help out. He didn't even bother to check on me before quickly walking away.

I gently put down the broom, went to the door, watched his voice disappear through the side door, and then hurried towards the security room. At his pace, it would take him at least two minutes to get to the old teaching building, and I hadn't given him a specific location, which might confuse him. However, I still didn't have much time. I rushed to the security room; the door was ajar, he hadn't closed it in his haste. I pushed it open and went inside. There was no one there. I quickly looked around. The security room was tidy and sparsely furnished, with only two tables pushed together, a sofa that could probably seat two people, two chairs, and a cabinet similar to those in an office. That was about it.

The desk was clean, with nothing but a water glass and some papers. I gently pulled on the cabinet; like in the office, it was still locked. Just as I was starting to think things were getting complicated, I noticed the keychain hanging next to the cabinet. It was a hook that I hadn't seen when I first came in because of the angle, but now I could. I picked up the keychain; it had labels indicating which door each key corresponded to. I found the key to the second floor. I ran out of the security room with the key and went straight to open the door to the second floor.

Chapter 115 Skilled Methods

I ran to the side entrance that led me into the main building, went up the stairs, and soon saw the locked iron gate and the chain hanging from it. I quickly walked to the chain, and easily opened it with the key to the second-floor gate that I had already identified and labeled. I rotated the chain to confirm it was indeed open, then instead of going upstairs, I quickly returned to the security room and carefully hung the keychain back up. I left the security room, went back to the office, took out my phone, and used the method my sister had taught me to block the security guard's number I had just dialed. This was to prevent him from calling back and causing trouble if he realized he had been tricked.

My sister taught me this method when I was getting fed up with all sorts of harassing phone calls and text messages. I used to work on this for a while, but things have calmed down a lot now.

I continued to pretend to clean, waiting for the security guard to return after realizing I'd been tricked. But instead of the security guard, I saw Lin Xue first. She was panting, one hand on the doorframe, the other clutching something, standing in the doorway.

"I...I got it..." she said, panting, then showed me the key. I took the key from her. From that moment on, Lin Yin was a real person to me. She proved she wasn't Lin Xue in a way that was more convincing than an inanimate object. Honestly, whether I went upstairs or not didn't matter anymore. Since she was willing to hand me the key like this, either she was fully prepared and not afraid of me checking, or she really was Lin Yin and not Lin Xue. If it was the former, investigating her identity would become extremely difficult; if it was the latter, some of the things she revealed could be used to my advantage.

I'm willing to trust my own heart, but I dare not completely trust it. My heart can be clouded by various factors, leading me to make rational judgments, but facts won't. Even if confirming Lin Yin's identity is redundant, it allows me to use her with complete peace of mind, which is harmless to me and definitely a worthwhile trade. Moreover, confirming Lin Yin's information has an additional benefit: it allows me to ascertain the depth of her parents' influence on the two sisters and find the source of that influence. Although I've decided to seize control of Lin Xue and Lin Yin by stripping them of their influence, more information is always better. While a large amount of information will also bring a lot of confusion, I have ample time to unravel these confusions, which isn't a problem for me.

Even if I fail, even if I die, it's just starting over again. There's nothing to be afraid of. I told myself that.

Lin Yin was still panting, but she looked at me with her eyes that were sparkling with a certain light. I reached out and gently rubbed her head: "Well done."

She looked visibly pleased after hearing what I said. She probably guessed what I wanted from the fact that I needed the key to their classroom: "For example, if you want money, it's not a lot, but I can give it to you. There are security cameras in the classroom and hallway, so if you steal, you'll be caught."

Indeed, if theft were to occur, the student whose belongings were stolen would go to the teacher, who would then contact higher-ups at the school to request an investigation of the surveillance footage to find the thief. In this building riddled with surveillance cameras, evading detection is virtually impossible, and Lin Yin would inevitably become a suspect. She came to school during the weekend, and something was stolen from her classroom during that time. Lin Yin obtained the key from a classmate, so even if she wasn't the thief herself, she must have a significant connection to the theft. Once this is confirmed, finding me through the surveillance footage will only be a matter of time. Although I could circumvent these issues by reviewing past footage, I don't allow myself to think that way. Such thinking would only make me careless and negligent, and if I did that, even starting over a thousand times wouldn't solve anything.

Fortunately, although stealing isn't a good idea, my purpose wasn't to steal. What I needed to do was simple, just like what I did with Lin Xue in the old teaching building: investigate information about Lin Yin's identity and verify its authenticity. Then, I would obtain information about Lin Xue and her parents from Lin Yin to completely break this cycle and save both Ye Zi and Lin Xue. Although Lin Yin also has problems, she hasn't reached the extreme levels of Ye Zi and Lin Xue, which is indeed a very fortunate thing in a way.

"I won't steal anything. I'll just step out for a bit; you stay here and clean while I wait."

Lin Yin didn't answer, she just stared at me blankly. Helpless, I reached out and gently stroked her face, softening my tone once again, to the point that it made me feel a little disgusted.

"Be good, I like obedient children the most."

I watched as Lin Yin's face flushed, and she nodded slightly. Only then did I lower my hand. I found myself becoming increasingly adept at this kind of thing, which was somewhat laughable. But now was no time to dwell on the methods; if it worked, I wouldn't resist too much. I stood in the office, watching Lin Yin resume cleaning, waiting for the security guard to return. I felt like I'd been waiting for a long time. Just as I was about to check the time on my phone, hesitating whether to go upstairs directly, I heard a series of cursing sounds. They sounded somewhat familiar. I guessed it was the security guard who had just found out he'd been pranked and returned. I glanced towards the door and saw him walk past towards the security room. Only after he completely disappeared at the end of the corridor did I leave the office, head towards the side door, and then go up the stairs to the iron gate.

I gently removed the iron chain, opened the iron gate to create a narrow passage for one person, and went inside. I turned around, closed the iron gate, and locked it, slightly disguising the gate. I had now reached the second floor of the main building.

Chapter 116 An Unexpected Visitor

After going up to the second floor, I began searching for Lin Yin's classroom, floor by floor. Although I already knew from her that her classroom was in Class 3 of the second year of high school, I didn't know its exact location. Every year, the number of students enrolling varies, so the number of classes in each grade isn't fixed. The school accepts all students who enroll, regardless of whether it has the space to accommodate such a large number of students. I remember hearing that there was supposedly a class that could only hold fifty students, but then students from other places enrolled. For various reasons, probably just academic ability, the students couldn't be evenly distributed, resulting in the class having over seventy students.

This situation lasted for about a year, until many students left after moving up a grade, freeing up space to accommodate the extra students. Combined with excess students from other classes, four or five new classes were formed. The school seemed never to have considered whether they could handle so many students, or whether the class sizes were reasonable. They really went to great lengths to give students the opportunity to learn, I thought with a touch of sarcasm, as I continued walking in the other direction.

As I walked along, this floor seemed to be full of first-year high school classrooms, albeit towards the back. Counting from the first class I passed, it was Class 13 of the first year. Finally, at the end, it became Class 6 of the second year. Lin Yin's class was probably upstairs. I went up the stairs on this side, and indeed saw the last class of the second year. Lin Yin's classroom was at the other end, so I had to go back. It felt like I'd just wandered around aimlessly.

Finally, I found Class 3 of the second year of high school next to the stairs; it was slightly to the left of the front after going upstairs. I took the key Lin Yin had given me from my pocket, walked to the classroom door, looked left and right, but didn't see anyone, so I unlocked the door. I pushed the door open, went inside, and then turned around and closed the door. I was about to look for Lin Yin's seat when I suddenly realized I'd forgotten to ask her where she was sitting. I couldn't help but click my tongue in disbelief.

Going downstairs to ask now isn't out of the question, but the time difference between asking Lin Yin and searching on your own wouldn't be much. Ranking students by grades isn't unique to one class; it's a rule followed by all classes in the school. Since Lin Yin is class monitor, her grades must be pretty good, and she's also well-liked by the teachers, often helping them—typical characteristics of high-achieving students. Humans are complex beings. Whether it's a teacher or a student, learning a subject isn't entirely controlled by intelligence and interest; a student's adaptation to and preference for the teacher are also significant factors influencing their learning.

People always choose to do things in a way that is advantageous and desirable to them. A student who is interested in a subject but doesn't like or adapt to the teacher will likely not perform well academically. Only by possessing both of these qualities can one improve their grades with relative ease. Unfortunately, I lack both. Since Lin Yin was able to become class monitor, she naturally possesses qualities that make her popular and valued by the teacher, and this quality is usually academic ability, which is the core of this school.

I started looking for Lin Yin's name from the first row, flipping through the books one by one, but I couldn't find it. I quickly moved on to the second row, continuing to flip through, but still no luck. Then came the third row, which surprised me a little. The results were significantly different from what I'd heard of Lin Yin's grades. Being in the third row meant her academic ability had moved from upper-middle to upper-middle. With such grades, I found it hard to understand why her homeroom teacher had chosen her as class monitor. Perhaps it was because her homeroom teacher's thinking differed from the mainstream teachers in the school? I shook my head and continued flipping through the books, quickly finishing the third row. A sense of unease began to creep in.

I checked the fourth row, but still nothing. It wasn't until the fifth row, by the window, that I found Lin Yin's name. I quickly flipped through the textbooks and workbooks for several courses; Lin Yin's name was written on them all. If it wasn't a case of duplicate names, Lin Yin must be a real person. However, after observing the classroom from beginning to end, I realized that if Lin Yin's seat were in my class, she would be sitting right in front of me. This was definitely a mid-to-lower-average grade. Even the teacher who doesn't place much emphasis on academic ability would hesitate upon seeing this grade, right? While class monitor doesn't necessarily have to be the academically gifted, it's always better to have one, because this position involves serving the teacher and helping classmates. Without sufficient academic ability, a class monitor rarely has enough authority. Now it seems that Lin Yin might not be suitable to be class monitor, at least not in this school.

She must be under considerable pressure. If that's the case, what she's doing now doesn't seem to stem from a simple desire to help the teacher, but rather from a necessity to maintain the current situation… What's going on with those two sisters?

I was still thinking when suddenly, the classroom door I had closed opened without warning. I was startled; my heart skipped a beat. I looked in the direction of the classroom door. How long had it been? Had I already been discovered? Had the security guard checked the security footage and seen me?

My thoughts were a bit jumbled, and then I saw a slender hand pressing against the door. Immediately afterward, Lin Yin walked in from outside the classroom.

"You're here..."

"How did you get up here?" I asked, a little annoyed because I was startled.

"Because it seems like you haven't come down for a long time." She walked towards me, and as before, her voice was soft and lacked confidence.

"I told you to wait for me downstairs, didn't I? I'm not going to steal anything."

"I will apologize properly afterwards. I'm very scared because I'll be reprimanded if I steal, and then I probably won't be able to continue as class monitor. Even if you're angry, I have to be careful. I'm really sorry."

She was approaching me, apologizing, but what I sensed from her was a different kind of aura, a completely different aura from before, a kind of... terror exactly like Lin Xue's, which sent chills down my spine.

Chapter 117 Speculated Relationship

She approached me with an overwhelming aura, which made me feel pressured. I unconsciously took a step back and leaned against the wall. Lin Yin walked up to me, just as I had done to her before. She reached out her hands and placed them on my body, then ran her hands over any part of my body where I could put something. I felt somewhat immobilized by her imposing presence, but this feeling gradually weakened as she searched my body. I watched as she took my phone out of my pants pocket and examined it with a puzzled look.

"This is mine. Nobody leaves their phone in the classroom these days, right?" I held out my phone, and she returned it to me after a quick check.

"I'm so sorry for doing this," she said to me.

Besides the pockets she had already checked, there was nowhere else on my body I could hide anything. She looked at me, and I didn't understand what she was looking at until she pointed to her back. Then I realized she wanted to check my backpack. There was nothing in it, and I was in a situation where I couldn't refuse her, so I handed her my backpack. She checked it in front of me, quickly breathed a sigh of relief, and then apologized to me again.

"I'm sorry." That's the word I heard her say most often.

I'd been doing similar things before, but now Lin Yin used them on me, which was quite a novel experience.

But this can't go on. So far, I've been using my superior position to force her to do things for me and give me the information I want. If she turns the tables and suppresses me, the foundation of this relationship will crumble. The reason she listens to me is because, in her mind, I, as a man with ill intentions, have the ability to control her sister. If she didn't believe I could actually threaten Lin Xue, she wouldn't have taken these actions. Rather than saying I actually have the ability to harm her, it's more accurate to say she's amplified this possibility to an extreme degree according to her own desires. So, the reverse is also possible. Once I'm temporarily suppressed by her, she will question my control, thus doubting whether I can pose a threat to Lin Xue. This doubt will also be amplified by her. At that point, it's not just a matter of whether she'll still listen to me; I think she might even suspect she'll bring me huge trouble.

However, her relationship with Lin Xue is ambiguous, and I'm not quite sure what Lin Yin's attitude towards Lin Xue is. If Lin Yin's attitude towards Lin Xue is as she told me—like respect and admiration—then there's a high probability that she would tell Lin Xue about this, as it would be the best solution. But her previous behavior has left me puzzled.

Lin Yin actively tries to replace Lin Xue in some way, even in such an abnormal area, maintaining the same attitude. Lin Xue must hold a very high position in Lin Yin's heart, a position that may stem from respect or pressure. What kind of situation would make Lin Yin so eager to replace Lin Xue in some aspect? It wouldn't be respect, because under normal circumstances, respect wouldn't produce such a distorted state of mind. Lin Xue and Lin Yin face similar challenges, and gaining someone's respect among peers is not an easy thing. Superior grades alone cannot achieve this. Moreover, after having interacted with Lin Xue, I can also conclude that the relationship between Lin Xue and Lin Yin is not actually very good.

The reason is simple. Judging from Lin Xue's attitude towards those with lower academic abilities, she wouldn't have a very good impression of Lin Yin, whose ranking is now in the middle. Given Lin Xue's personality, she probably wouldn't be tolerant of those with lower academic abilities, and Lin Yin likely wouldn't leave a decent impression on her. Rather than a "sister," perhaps "someone who embarrasses her" would be a more fitting image of Lin Yin in Lin Xue's mind. Therefore, Lin Xue's attitude towards Lin Yin wouldn't be good. However, since Lin Yin's grades are so poor, why doesn't Lin Xue consider her as a replacement? In terms of appearance, although a closer look reveals slight differences between Lin Yin and Lin Xue—Lin Xue is more domineering, while Lin Yin is relatively more submissive—Lin Yin is clearly a more suitable candidate than the completely dissimilar Ye Zi.

No, that's not quite right either. Lin Yin was trying to replace Lin Xue, constantly chasing after Lin Xue's shadow, trying to get closer to her. Lin Xue, however, was dissatisfied with her own situation, and Lin Yin's constant attempts to align herself with her naturally didn't please her. Perhaps this is why their relationship wasn't good. If my guess is correct, Lin Xue, disliking herself, began seeking the life she desired externally, leading to the use of Ye Zi as a substitute, attempting to achieve these "unorthodox" things she wanted to do but couldn't.

Then there's another possibility: Lin Yin started gravitating towards Lin Xue and attempting to replace her due to pressure. Her actions must have a specific purpose; if it's something she's forced to do under pressure, then her actions will inevitably aim to alleviate that pressure. Lin Yin imitating Lin Xue implies improvement in all aspects. In terms of individual qualities, Lin Xue can indeed be considered Lin Yin's superior replacement. Aside from personality factors that are unclear due to limited contact, Lin Xue is arguably far stronger in both academics and abilities. Lin Yin even needs to do extra work to ensure her class monitor position isn't taken away; the difference is already quite obvious.

Lin Yin tries to alleviate her stress by imitating Lin Xue, but where does this stress come from? I've already guessed the answer. Lin Yin imitates Lin Xue because she doesn't see the same pressure Lin Xue faces. Perhaps Lin Xue is the source of her own pressure, but there must be some influence from her parents involved; otherwise, simple pressure wouldn't drive someone to such an extreme. I can even imagine her parents using her sister to exert pressure on her. She doesn't care who I am; anyone else would get the same result doing the same. All she wants is to be able to bear the pressure Lin Xue bears in some way and use that to satisfy herself.

The characters of the Lin sisters, Lin Xue and Lin Yin, gradually became clearer in my mind.

Chapter 118 Lin Yin Takes the Initiative

If all my previous guesses are correct, then this is probably the situation at Lin Xue and Lin Yin's home.

The information I got from Lin Xue tells me that the Lin family has very strict discipline, and her parents are very demanding of their children. I'm not entirely sure if there was any physical abuse... but I can find out. I glanced at Lin Yin; I could clearly see from her whether this incident happened or not. If it did, there would be some traces left behind. I'll check that later to further consider the Lin family's situation.

Lin Xue's parents were very strict, resulting in the academically excellent Lin Xue. Her life trajectory was entirely planned by her parents, and she consistently followed their wishes, diligently doing what was permitted and ignoring what was forbidden. Thus, a top student and class monitor was born. On the surface, she maintained a good relationship with the group of high-achieving students, but her words revealed a less-than-friendly attitude towards other members of her peer group—though this was behind their backs; outwardly, they remained close and harmonious. Simultaneously, immense pressure accompanied this success. She questioned whether her parents' approach was correct, but she quickly succumbed to the smooth path they had laid out for her, hiding her true personality and becoming a perfect girl in the eyes of both teachers and parents. However, no one could have imagined that she would transfer her true personality to Ye Zi, hoping to achieve her desires through this other individual, including all the things she wanted to do, including suicide. This is the problem that arose within Lin Xue.

We can learn another thing from Lin Yin's perspective. Lin Yin is Lin Xue's younger sister, but she also bears the same pressure. Unlike Lin Xue, she hasn't become a "good child" who follows her parents' instructions. Her grades are poor, and she constantly faces pressure from all sides, especially from her family. She's likely constantly being compared to her older sister by her parents, causing immense psychological stress. To alleviate this pressure, Lin Yin's choice is to gradually emulate Lin Xue. However, the biggest difference between them lies in their academic abilities, which is the root of her pressure. Solving this isn't easy, so Lin Yin tries to find other ways to relieve stress. Lin Yin was very cautious when speaking to me before, but when I came upstairs to check her identification, she insisted on stopping me, even knowing I would be unhappy. This proves she has her own personality and acts accordingly. I can imagine why she values ​​her position as class monitor so much—it's probably where she's closest to Lin Xue right now, meaning it's her main way of relieving stress.