I was jolted awake by the noisy chatter around me.
A glance at the clock made me freeze—it was already after school. Strangely, no one was rushing home. Instead, the entire class was gathered, discussing something in low, excited voices.
I nudged my deskmate, Zhang Hao. "What's going on?"
Zhang Hao and I had been seatmates for almost all three years of junior high. We got along great. When the school year started, the teacher insisted boys should sit with boys to avoid "academic distraction." Whatever that meant.
"You seriously just woke up? No wonder you don't know." Zhang Hao gave me a mysterious grin. "Guess what homework Teacher Wang left just now? I bet you'll never guess."
Wang Xiaoli—our homeroom teacher and Chinese teacher. A strict woman in her thirties, well-known for her harsh temperament and petty power plays.
"What homework? Don't tell me we get a day off tomorrow?" I joked.
"Look at the blackboard," Zhang Hao said.
I looked up—and froze.
There, written in bright red chalk, was a bizarre assignment:
Chinese Homework: "Li Tianpeng and Lin Wei must kiss in front of the class. If not completed, Li Tianpeng will be punished."
"What the hell…?" My jaw dropped. "Did her brain get sat on by a grizzly bear?"
Everyone knew Teacher Wang was insanely strict. A boy and girl holding hands on the track would get dragged to the office and have their parents called—so a kiss? In the classroom?
I glanced at Li Tianpeng and Lin Wei.
Li Tianpeng was handsome, from a well-off family, friendly with everyone—basically the golden boy of our class.Lin Wei was a quiet, pretty girl who blushed at everything.
Right now, her face was blazing red as she stared at the floor, trembling. Li Tianpeng's buddies were hooting and egging him on to "finish the homework."
"No way that old hag Wang Xiaoli would write something like this. It has to be a trap," Zhang Hao whispered. "She probably wants to kill any signs of puppy love completely."But even as he said it, he rushed to join the crowd.
I wasn't in a hurry to go home either. Teenagers gossip—it's a universal rule. So I walked over to see the commotion.
"Kiss! Kiss!"
"Come on, be a man!"
"It's homework! If you don't finish it, she'll call your parents!"
The crowd chanted. Li Tianpeng and Lin Wei stood in the middle, panicking. They weren't a couple—Lin Wei was especially shy—doing something like this publicly was impossible.
Eventually, our class monitor, Liang Yu, stepped in and dispersed everyone.
I checked the clock—already 8:10 p.m. I slung on my backpack and headed out of the classroom.
"Ye Huohuo! Ye Huohuo!"A sweet voice called out near the school gate. I smiled instinctively.
"Ye Yuyou, didn't I tell you to call me Ye Yan when we're at school?" I said helplessly.
"Hehehe, okay, okay, Ye Huohuo~" She winked playfully.
My name is Ye Yan, 15 years old, Class 7, Grade 9, Yangcheng Seventh Junior High.
Ye Yuyou is my little sister, one year younger, in Grade 8, Class 7. Clever, cute, top of her class, and apparently one of the prettiest girls in her grade.
"Why are you so late today?" she asked.
So I told her everything that had happened.
"They kissed or not?" she asked, eyes sparkling.
"Kiss your head." I flicked her forehead.
"Hehehe. Oh! Ye Yan, I found a hole in the fence by the playground today. Tomorrow I'll take you to skip class, okay?"
"…"
Today was supposed to be a normal, peaceful day.And I enjoyed that normalcy.
But everything changed—starting from this very day.
It was Tuesday. Morning self-study was noisier than usual. Everyone was joking about yesterday's "assignment."
"Peng-ge, did you finish your homework yesterday?" one of Li Tianpeng's friends teased.
"Nope," Li Tianpeng replied casually.
"Ha! My Peng-ge doesn't need to do his own homework." Another boy grinned. "Want me to 'finish' it for you?"
"Screw off," Li Tianpeng laughed.
The bell rang. Silence filled the room instantly.
First period—Chinese.
The homeroom teacher walked in right as the bell stopped ringing.
Something was wrong.
She looked… strange.
Her face was pale—not normal pale, but gray-white, like ash.Worse, the whites of her eyes were almost gone—her eyes were nearly pitch-black.
Unease crept up my spine.
I whispered to Zhang Hao, "Did she look like this yesterday?"
"No," he frowned. "She wasn't like this at all. Why does she look… creepy today?"
Teacher Wang scanned the room before locking her gaze on Li Tianpeng and Lin Wei—then directly at Li Tianpeng.
"For failing to complete the homework… you will be punished."
Her voice was cold, emotionless.
"Teacher, how am I supposed to complete that homework?" Li Tianpeng laughed awkwardly. "Is the punishment sit-ups or push-ups or—"
"Death."
Her face twisted hideously.
"What?" Li Tianpeng blinked, confused.
That "what" was the last thing he ever said.
Before anyone reacted, his eyes turned empty—hollow. His body stiffened as he stood up and walked toward the window like a puppet.
My heart dropped.
"Hey! Stop!" I shouted, jumping from my seat.
But his desk was next to the window. By the time we moved, he had already climbed halfway out.
He gave one final, chilling smile.
Then—he fell backward.
Screams erupted around me.
We were on the third floor. Even a forward jump could be fatal—let alone falling backward.
The brave ones rushed to the window… and went pale instantly.
Blood and white matter splattered the ground.He died with his eyes open.
Many students gagged on the spot. My stomach churned violently.
Teacher Wang let out a sharp, bone-piercing laugh."Gē gē gē…"Like broken glass scraping metal.
"Call the police! Call an ambulance!" Zhang Hao trembled as he fumbled with his phone.
"Did you do this?!" one boy, Wang Qiang, shouted at Teacher Wang."Did you kill him?!""He'd never commit suicide!""Say something!"
Once the initial panic faded, accusations flew.
Teacher Wang just kept laughing—high-pitched and unnatural.
Then she snarled:"If you fail to complete your homework…you will die even more miserably."
"Today's assignment is already written. I will check it tomorrow. Whoever leaks this—will be punished as well."
With that, she walked out.
No one dared to follow her.
I slowly turned toward the blackboard.
—Jia Jing must undress completely in front of the class, or she will be punished.
Jia Jing sat frozen at her desk, face drained of blood, eyes wide with terror.
Silence filled the room—until slow clapping echoed.
Liang Yu, the class monitor, walked to the front.
"For now, we set Li Tianpeng's death aside. Whether coincidence or something else… we all know we can't gamble with our lives. Let's complete the homework first."
Everyone's gaze shifted to Jia Jing.
Her face went from pale to ghostly white. After a long moment, she whispered, "Please… don't make me…"
"If you don't, you might die." Liang Yu frowned. "Don't worry, the boys won't look."
"This might just be coincidence… and how do I know you won't peek?"Her face flushed bright red.
Her best friend whispered, "Jingjing… maybe you should do it. We'll guard the boys."
"No! What if they peek?"
Seeing she refused, Liang Yu returned to his seat.
"Why aren't the police here yet?" Wang Qiang muttered.
The classroom froze.
Yeah… why weren't they here?
A student had just died—a loud death—and yet the campus outside was eerily normal.Other classes were still reciting lessons.Teachers lectured as though nothing happened.No one had reacted.
It was as if everything frightening in our classroom… existed in another world.
Just then, the door slammed open.
The Discipline Director—Zhang Feng—rushed in, panting.
Everyone felt a wave of relief.
"Students, there is something I must tell you. Please… be prepared mentally." Zhang Feng spoke slowly, solemnly."Your homeroom teacher, Wang Xiaoli, passed away last night."
The classroom fell silent.
"As your teacher for three years, I know her loss is difficult for you, but do not let grief affect your studies—"
We could not hear another word he said.
Only one sentence echoed in our minds—
"She died last night."
But… we just saw her.
Who was the person in the classroom?
A chill crawled up my spine. The entire class looked equally horrified.
Liang Yu stood up. "Director Zhang… are you joking?"
Zhang Feng frowned, annoyed he was interrupted. But seeing it was the class monitor, he softened."I know this is hard. But Liang Yu, you're aiming for a top high school. You cannot let this affect your studies."
His tone was earnest.
Meaning—he wasn't lying.
We had indeed seen…a dead person.
Before leaving, Zhang Feng added that the English teacher would substitute as homeroom teacher for now.
Liang Yu slowly turned his gaze back to Jia Jing."This proves… it wasn't a coincidence."
Jia Jing trembled and broke down in tears. The girls rushed to comfort her.
Once she calmed a bit, our study committee member, Cui Shiyu, stood up.
"All boys, turn around."
Cui Shiyu was tall, short-haired, sharp-eyed—one of the smartest girls in class, second only to Liang Yu.
Her authority worked.Every boy turned around.
Girls covered the boys one-to-one.Jia Jing closed the curtains, shut the door, and—after a moment of trembling hesitation—quickly undressed in the corner.
A rustling sound.Then her soft voice said, "I… I'm done."
We turned back. She was fully dressed again, cheeks flushed red, eyes still watery from fear.
Before anyone could relax, something on the blackboard caught my eye.
The assignment—written in red—was turning white.
White to red.Red to white.Flickering back and forth, faster and faster—
Until it turned completely white.Then slowly faded—lighter… lighter…
Gone.
The classroom exploded into whispers.
More impossible things happened, more hope vanished.
Was this… supernatural?
Just then—
"Hey! Come look!"A terrified scream cut through the room.