The main auditorium of Haisheng Academy was bathed in the dim, somber glow of artificial candlelight. Huge black-and-white portraits of the deceased students hung above the stage, draped in white silk ribbons. The atmosphere was thick with heavy perfume, stale incense, and a dark, unspoken tension.
Principal Kang stood near the front row, bowing deeply to a middle-aged couple dressed in tailored black funeral attire. They were Liu Meilin's parents. The mother's eyes were swollen and red, while the father stood stooped, holding a handkerchief tightly in his hand.
"We are truly honored by your presence, Mr. and Mrs. Liu," Principal Kang said, his voice dripping with performative sorrow. "Losing a bright student like Meilin was a devastating blow to our entire institution. That is why we insisted on holding this memorial. We simply cannot understand the strange, cursed string of health accidents taking place in our school."
