The melody was hauntingly sad and terrifying, cutting deep into one's soul.
The boy fled back to his dormitory in a panic, trembling under his blanket, with Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata endlessly ringing in his ears throughout the night.
Not long after, the body parts hidden inside the piano were discovered. The police launched an investigation, and the boy, overwhelmed by pressure, left a suicide note and slit his wrists.
But the story didn't end there. Although the remains were cleared out, the piano never produced a single note again—no amount of tuning could fix it. And at night, in the old music building, the haunting melody of Moonlight Sonata would echo through the empty halls. More than once, students reported seeing a ghostly figure of a girl in white, with long hair flowing, wandering the fourth music classroom, accompanied by eerie cries.
Fearing the incident would affect admissions, the school hired workers to move the cursed piano. But multiple attempts ended in disaster—some workers broke their hands, others had their feet crushed by the piano legs. Eventually, no one dared touch it anymore.
Many students refused to attend classes in that building, and in despair, the school sealed off the entire structure.
The legend of the cursed piano grew wilder. Some said anyone who hears the Moonlight Sonata is doomed to stay with the ghost girl forever. Others claimed that anyone who interrupts her playing will face a violent death within three days.
After hearing the story, Huang Xiaotao was silent for a long moment, then asked me, "Song Yang, do you believe in ghosts?"
I replied, "Throughout history, many things remain beyond human understanding. Science is just one way to interpret the world, but it cannot explain everything. My attitude toward ghosts and spirits is to respect but keep my distance. Whether ghosts exist or not, I don't know, but I do know one thing."
"What's that?" Huang Xiaotao asked.
"Ghosts can't directly kill people," I said.
"So you mean ghosts can kill indirectly?" she questioned.
"Indirectly meaning people get scared to death, or like the boy in the story, unable to bear the Moonlight Sonata and take their own life. In short, only those who have ghosts in their hearts truly fear ghosts," I explained.
"You nailed it!" Huang Xiaotao praised.
I shared the intel I got from Lao Yao with her. Huang Xiaotao said, "It's clear Deng Chao is the real culprit. This case was cracked in less than half a day, breaking all records in our city's police history in the past decade—I almost can't believe it."
"That's not solving it yet. We haven't caught the real killer," I sneered.
"You're right. Got any good ideas?" Huang Xiaotao asked.
Just then, my phone buzzed again. Huang Xiaotao raised an eyebrow, "Song Yang, is your phone being spammed? It keeps ringing nonstop."
I checked my Weibo and saw that during our meal, I'd gained over two thousand new followers and received more than three hundred private messages. Wang Dali leaned over, surprised: "Whoa, Song Yang, you're famous now!"
"What happened?" Huang Xiaotao asked.
I handed her my phone. "Lao Yao helped me do a little promotion, now lots of students at school follow me and call me Detective Song Ge."
"Hmph, are you planning to become an internet celebrity? There are lots of influencers now, but no teenage detective yet. If you manage it well and post some artsy photos, you'll be famous in six months. Plus, you might attract a bunch of fangirls and solve your lifelong love problem," Huang Xiaotao said with a hint of jealousy.
"Come on, I'm not desperate for fame. Once this case is over, I'll shut down my Weibo. Actually, I'm planning to lure Deng Chao out," I said.
"How? By insulting him online?" Huang Xiaotao rolled her eyes.
"Don't worry, I've got bait he can't resist. If all goes well, we'll catch him tonight," I smiled.
"Really?" Huang Xiaotao's eyes lit up. "Tell me your plan so I can prepare."
I put on a serious face. "Sorry, that's classified for now."
She banged the table. "How dare you keep secrets from me! Didn't we have a deal?"
"Alright, alright!"
I wasn't trying to be mysterious—just didn't want the info to leak. But since she insisted, I revealed my plan.
I forged a letter in Zhang Kai's handwriting exposing all of Deng Chao's tricks. Then, I planned to post two messages on Weibo: one stating I had Zhang Kai's suicide note, and another saying I hadn't informed the police yet.
My goal was to make Deng Chao come to me willingly so we could catch him red-handed.
Both Huang Xiaotao and Wang Dali were stunned. Wang Dali exclaimed, "Yangzi, that's risky! What if Deng Chao kills you?"
"There's a chance," I admitted, "but we're at a disadvantage now. Without this gamble, we can't beat Qin the forensic expert."
"Besides, with Xiaotao protecting you, the risk isn't that high!" Huang Xiaotao said.
"But are you sure Deng Chao will pay attention to your Weibo? He's a smart student, right?"
"The smarter someone is, the more they overthink—and the more nervous they get. This is a murder case, not a petty theft. As the killer, he must be watching school news closely. He will show up!" I said confidently.
"Song Yang, you're amazing! I want to write a recommendation letter for you to be my colleague someday. You'd solve every murder case with ease," Huang Xiaotao praised.
Wang Dali applauded, "Awesome! Xiaotao sister, can you take me along too? I'm Yangzi's trusty sidekick, he can't do without me."
"Sure, Song Yang, think about it! You're a senior now, soon job hunting. Why waste your talents being a miserable office worker?" Huang Xiaotao encouraged.
I smiled bitterly. If I could, I would. But family tradition forbids it. I said gently, "I don't want to be a cop, but I can be your consultant…"
"Hey, don't waste such a good chance," Wang Dali said.
"Exactly!" Huang Xiaotao added.
They finally gave up pestering me. Huang Xiaotao finished her milkshake and asked, "So what's next?"
"Wait," I smiled.
Wang Dali suggested, "Let's hit the internet café this afternoon."
I rolled my eyes, "Classes this afternoon!"
"Who cares about classes? After what happened today?"
"I'm going anyway. You do whatever you want," I said.
Huang Xiaotao chuckled, "You're pretty dedicated—solving cases in the morning and going to class in the afternoon."
My grandfather always said: No matter how much praise you get, never get cocky. Do what you must. Low profile brings luck; high profile leads to downfall.
"So, Detective Song, any tasks for me?" Huang Xiaotao asked.
"Look into the piano corpse case from ten years ago at this school. I want to know the victim's and killer's names," I instructed.
"Got it!" Huang Xiaotao nodded.