The main reason the past favored men over women was that the more sons you had, the stronger your labor force was. If your family had many men, others wouldn't dare to mess with you.
The reason Wang Yunxiao was able to be a leader was that he was loyal and had many brothers.
Even though the initial investment was high — ten kilograms of rice per meal weren't nearly enough to feed these beasts...
But think about it, if you have such a group of brothers under you, do you still need to summon ghosts?
Is there anything that only ghosts can do that brothers cannot?
Play air-conditioning?
"There's an old saying that a thief won't persist for a thousand days, but the guard against him must. We need to root this little guy out!"
On the way back to school, Wang Yunxiao, while picking his teeth, whispered to his brothers, "I reckon this kid is no good, keep an eye out these next few days, comb through the students at the school. Look for those who are loners without friends, who have a weird, gloomy look in their eyes… especially around the class leader! Didn't I just ask her to gather some information? You guys follow her and see who she interacts with."
This tactic is called stirring the snake in the grass.
Having a history of murder definitely changes a person.
If there really were someone who outwardly gets along well with everyone, jokes and laughs, but can murder without batting an eye, then Wang Yunxiao could only concede defeat.
But speaking generally, we all are the flowers of our country, neither our bodies nor minds are fully matured yet; how bad can we really be? The biggest evil force in school was their gang, could there really be someone worse?
What kind of environment would produce such an extreme character?
Youtiao understood the hidden meaning in Wang Yunxiao's words and couldn't help but advise him, "Brother, isn't it too dangerous to let the class leader gather information alone? What if something really happens, how would we face Uncle Chen?"
Wang Yunxiao raised his eyebrow and said, "Don't you dislike the class leader?"
Youtiao pouted and said, "That's a different matter."
"Then tell me the truth, don't you think the class leader, a frail girl with hardly any muscle, would cry for a long time after getting punched, who despite being clueless thinks she's tough as a class official, barking orders before and behind others, bound to run into big trouble sooner or later, right?"
"Indeed…"
"You think that, I think that, and surely others think that too."
Wang Yunxiao explained, "That's exactly why she's the perfect bait. If it were me going around to each class asking, do you think that kid would dare show his face?"
Youtiao, suddenly enlightened, held up his thumb and praised, "Brother, that's brilliant!"
When fishing, the most important thing is to feed the bait.
You can't trap a wolf if you're not willing to sacrifice a lamb.
And indeed, the results were outstanding.
A student's disappearance, concealed by the school authorities, caused no ripple at all.
Under these circumstances, Chen Yan asking around each class alone about any missing students stood out significantly.
Confronted directly by the second-grade class leader, the younger students found it very hard to feel rebellious or even consider hiding the truth.
She managed to find out the missing student's information in just one morning.
Second year, Class B, Jiang Yinyin, introverted and quiet, almost friendless at school.
She was also an orphan taken into care.
"She was only admitted before the New Year? The war had been over nearly two years by then, how did a little girl survive out there until now?"
Hearing the news brought back by the class leader, Wang Yunxiao couldn't help but feel a flicker of doubt.
Youtiao whispered a reminder beside him, "Big brother, wasn't there a crackdown on gangsters in the city before the New Year..."
Ah…
Wang Yunxiao understood instantly.
But the class leader, still confused, wanted to ask further, "What does the crackdown have to do with her?"
Youtiao quickly waved his hand, saying, "That's Jianghu World stuff, you wouldn't understand if I told you."
Seeing that the class leader started puffing up her cheeks in anger, Wang Yunxiao hurriedly reassured her, "Don't worry, don't listen to Youtiao's nonsense. Help me gather more information in the afternoon. Find out who Jiang Yinyin has been in touch with at school since her arrival, where she likes to hang out. Even if she doesn't have many friends, the girls she shares a dorm with must know something about her, right?"
The class leader thought for a moment, then nodded, "Alright, I'll ask around again. If no one really knows, I'll ask her homeroom teacher."
While eating lunch in the cafeteria, Matuan slipped next to Wang Yunxiao and signaled him with a glance.
Following his gaze, Wang Yunxiao saw a handsome boy with a tray of food approaching the class leader and starting a conversation with her.
So, there really was a fish hooked?
"Check, check his background for me!"
After the second period in the afternoon, Matuan and Youbing had already brought back detailed information about the boy.
"He's from third year, Class B, named Shen Haowen, not a class official, mediocre academic performance, but he comes from a wealthy family…"
"How can you tell his family is wealthy?"
"He always has snacks in his pocket that he doesn't share with anyone else. His classmates call him Stingy Shen."
Being able to afford snacks certainly meant he wasn't from an ordinary family.
Wang Yunxiao thought for a moment, then instructed, "Go and ask around in his class if he has ever complained about the poor quality of the cafeteria food or if he had conflicts with the cafeteria lady or something."
Matuan reported back quickly, "Indeed, there had been conflicts. His classmates remember that once while queuing at the counter, he said something to the staff inside, and they cursed at him, telling him to eat if he wants or get lost if he doesn't! Something like that..."
Wang Yunxiao slapped his thigh, "It's got to be this guy, no doubt about it!"
The school security caught not a ghost in the cafeteria, but a person possessed by a ghost.
As the person involved, Wang Yunxiao naturally wouldn't miss such a detail.
In other words, the old woman was also a victim.
As for the murderer's motive, it's easy to understand — who would like a cafeteria aunt whose hands shook like she had Parkinson's?
Nobody liked her, but some harbored deeper hatred than others.
Like those who had been scolded, for instance.
Of course, this speculation couldn't be guaranteed to be correct; maybe that kid was just purely dazzled by the monitor's beauty and came over to hit on her.
There's an old saying, isn't there? Spend three years in a boarding school and come out comparing pigs to legendary beauties.
But Wang Yunxiao couldn't care less about these, I'm not a cop, do I need to talk evidence with you?
He didn't even ask the monitor but just patiently waited until school let out in the afternoon. Sure enough, as the students surged towards the cafeteria, that Shen kid sneakily approached the monitor and called her out.
This timing was well-planned; after all, when most starved students were rushing towards the cafeteria, their minds weren't really on anything else.
Thus, no one noticed the monitor's departure.
Little Gourd did see it and was about to stop the monitor, but Wang Yunxiao quickly pulled him back.
He gave his buddies a sign with his eyes, and understanding the hint, they all gathered around.
Guozi excitedly asked, "Big bro, we taking him down?"
"Take him down!"
Wang Yunxiao's face showed a fierce glow.
"I saw him taking Chen Yan toward the back of the school building, Guozi you guys go from the other side. Block him if he tries to run."
"Got it!"
Guozi, delighted, led a few brothers to flank him from the other side.
Wang Yunxiao led the rest, following behind the monitor from a distance.
An boarding school was, frankly, not that big of a place.
The students' area of activity was just in front of and behind the school buildings.
In front of the building was the sports field, so it was crowded; behind was a vacant lot, lying fallow and off-limits to students.
Wang Yunxiao had no intention of hiding his tracks. Seeing them stop, he openly led his group to encircle them.
Seeing people approaching, the Shen kid clearly started panicking, spoke a word or two with the monitor, and turned around to leave. But before he could take a few steps, he saw Guozi and others surrounding them from the other side.
Honestly, with the brothers looking like rogue ruffians.… they pretty much weren't playing around.
"Wang Yunxiao—"
"Shut up, stay out of this!"
The monitor was about to speak but was pulled back by Wang Yunxiao with a swift motion.
Wang Yunxiao, smirking, walked up to Shen Haowen, who was trying to appear calm but whose eyes were darting around nervously. He poked his chest with his finger and asked coldly, "Which class are you from? Know who I am?"
Shen Haowen frowned and said, "Why should I know who you are? What do you want to do?"
"He's asking me what I want to do?"
Wang Yunxiao looked back at his brothers, who smirked in unison.
"Don't know, huh? Let me tell you, I'm Wang Yunxiao. Chen Yan is our classmate. What do you want with her?"
Wang Yunxiao patted Shen Haowen on the shoulder, smiling and said, "Think before you speak, don't try to fool me! Let me tell you, a few days ago a kid named Qu Wenming was shamelessly cozying up to Chen Yan too, and we caught him and beat him up in the restroom. Did you know that?"
Shen Haowen visibly sweated.
"Let me explain…"
"I'm listening!"
"It's like this… I heard... that she was asking about Jiang Yinyin, and I happen to know some…"
Facing a circle of unfriendly boys, Shen Haowen grew so nervous he couldn't speak properly.
"What do you know?"
"I saw her hiding something behind the school building before..."
"You know this Jiang Yinyin?"
"I don't know her… no, I do, but not well..."
"If you're not close with her, how do you know she came behind the school building?"
Wang Yunxiao, poking Shen Haowen's chest with a finger, smirked and said, "Boy, you're quite slick, huh? What, playing both sides?"
Shen Haowen hastily waved his hands and said, "You've got it wrong, I really didn't mean that, I didn't even know Student Chen before."
"Better not! Remember this, don't let me see you with Chen Yan again!"
Pointing at his head in warning, Wang Yunxiao turned and walked away.
It could basically be confirmed, he was the one.