"Nothing." Pan Linkai shook his head, hiding the fear in his eyes as he stepped into the living room.
However, he stayed behind the group, as though trying to avoid something.
Lu Fei noticed his odd behavior but chose not to say anything.
The apartment's decor was outdated, reminiscent of twenty years ago. The small two-bedroom unit was steeped in an atmosphere of profound grief.
Guo's mother sat motionless in the bedroom, clutching a piece of her son's clothing, her expression blank and vacant.
Guo's father, though slightly stronger in spirit, struggled to maintain composure as he greeted the visitors.
"Thank you, kids. Thank you for coming to see our Haitao. Please, have a seat," Guo's father said, clearly touched, as he offered to pour them water.
"Mr. Guo, no need for that. Haitao was our classmate—it's the least we could do," Wang Feng said, handing over the envelope.
"We came in a hurry and didn't prepare much. Please, take this."
"There's no need for that. Your visit alone means so much," Guo's father said, refusing to accept it.
"Uncle, this is just a token of our care for Haitao. Please, take it on his behalf," Wang Feng insisted, slipping the two envelopes into his hands.
"Haitao, that foolish child... If only he had known he had such wonderful classmates, he might not have done something so impulsive!" Tears streamed down Guo's father's face as he spoke.
"We're heartbroken too. Uncle, you and Auntie must take care of yourselves," Wang Feng said, patting his shoulder gently.
Xia Yiyi joined in to console him, offering kind words of comfort.
Though everyone was curious about why Guo Haitao had taken his life, the sight of his grieving parents made it difficult to broach the subject.
"I know what you kids want to ask," Guo's father said after a moment, wiping his tears. "Haitao couldn't handle things. He broke up with his girlfriend and couldn't take it anymore."
Was that really the reason?
The group exchanged glances, sighing in unison.
But why return to the haunted dormitory to end his life?
Lu Fei glanced at Pan Linkai again.
Pan kept his head down, silent and brooding, his face clouded with worry.
"Life isn't always smooth sailing. We sheltered him too much, made him fragile, unable to handle even this much hardship. Kids, don't make the same mistakes he did," Guo's father said, his voice heavy with regret.
"Don't talk nonsense! Stop blaming yourself!"
Guo's mother suddenly stormed out of the bedroom, her hoarse voice ringing out as she yelled at her husband.
"Haitao was a good boy—he would never take his own life!"
"The coroner confirmed it. He jumped. You have to accept the truth! If you hadn't coddled him so much, he wouldn't have been so delicate!"
"Haitao was always considerate. Just the day before, he told me he'd take us out to dinner once he got his paycheck. He wouldn't have killed himself! It was that girl who lured him there!"
"The police said he and Lingling broke up long ago. She didn't arrange to meet him at the school—it was all in his head!"
"Why do you believe outsiders over your own son?!"
Seeing the couple on the verge of a heated argument, the group quickly stepped in to separate them.
Wang Feng stayed in the living room to console Guo's father.
Lu Fei, however, went to the bedroom to comfort Guo's mother, surprised to see Pan Linkai following him in.
"Auntie, please take care of yourself. If Haitao were here, he wouldn't want to see you like this," Lu Fei said softly.
"Do you also think Haitao killed himself?" Guo's mother asked coldly, glaring at Lu Fei.
"I don't know. But I do know Haitao was always cheerful and optimistic. When we shared a dorm, we often ate together and attended classes as a group."
"You were his good friends?" Guo's mother's gaze softened slightly.
"Yes," Lu Fei nodded.
Pan Linkai hesitated but eventually nodded as well.
"Auntie, can you tell me what happened? Did Haitao encounter any difficulties?" Lu Fei asked.
Guo's mother looked at him for a moment, then began to speak.
"That man doesn't care about Haitao like you do," she said, her voice tinged with bitterness.
"Haitao had a girlfriend named Lingling. That night, she texted him to meet her at the school. I saw the message myself when he left his phone on the table to change clothes."
"He never came back that night. We only found out what happened when the police called..."
Tears welled up in her eyes once more.
"Auntie, did you tell the police about the message?" Lu Fei asked.
"Yes, but they couldn't find any such text on his phone. They even checked with the phone company, but there was no record. That Lingling denies everything. My poor Haitao!"
Lu Fei found it hard to believe as well. If such a message existed, the police wouldn't have missed it.
"Here, take a look. This is Haitao's phone. How could that message just disappear?"
With trembling hands, Guo's mother handed over the phone, its edges still stained with dried blood.
Lu Fei's eyes narrowed.
Faint wisps of **Yin energy** coiled around the device.
Could the phone be a cursed object?
Previously, Lu Fei had only encountered cursed items like old antiques or animal remains. He had never seen an electronic device tainted by such energy.
"Auntie, may I take a closer look?"
"Please do. Help me find that message."
The moment Lu Fei touched the phone, a chilling cold seeped into his palm.
The phone wasn't locked. He opened it and checked the messages. Most were spam or promotional texts—nothing out of the ordinary.
He combed through the device thoroughly but found no trace of the suspicious text.
However, he couldn't ignore Pan Linkai's uneasy expression, the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Pan knew something.
"Auntie, the phone might have a technical issue. If you trust me, I can take it to be repaired," Lu Fei suggested calmly.
Guo's mother hesitated, clearly reluctant.
"No rush, Auntie. If you change your mind, you can contact me anytime." Lu Fei handed her his business card along with a folded **exorcism talisman**, calling it a protective charm.
After spending some time comforting the grieving parents, the group left.
Outside the apartment complex, the atmosphere was heavy.
"Uncle and Auntie are so pitiful. Let's visit them more often," Xia Yiyi said, her eyes red.
"Yiyi's right," Wang Feng sighed. "Ultimately, Haitao was too careless with his own life. He's gone now, leaving his parents to suffer."
"Why bother? He didn't care about his parents, so why should we? One visit is enough," Huang Junkun said, dismissively waving his hand.
"Haitao wasn't like that!" Pan Linkai suddenly spoke, his voice sharp as he cast a nervous glance around. "Be careful what you say. Haitao just passed—you don't want to provoke anything."
"What's that supposed to mean? Do you think he's still around, listening in?" Huang Junkun scoffed, rolling his eyes.
Pan Linkai didn't reply. Instead, his gaze shifted to something behind Huang Junkun, his expression growing even more uneasy.