Despair Game

Chapter 7 Disappointment

When I came out through the back door of the cafeteria, I kept thinking about which three people in the class had started investigating ahead of time. I needed to join forces with them because my own efforts alone wouldn't be enough.

Not long after I stepped outside, I saw Su, holding a lunchbox at the entrance of the cafeteria.

I walked over with a smile and said, "Su, why are you standing here? Are you waiting for me?"

Su blushed at my playful remark, her face turned slightly red. She gave me a disdainful look and said, "Who's waiting for you? I just finished eating and wanted to get some fresh air."

I noticed that her lunchbox was filled with food, and regardless of whether it was prepared for me or not, I shamelessly snatched it from her hand and said, "Well, I haven't eaten yet, so I won't stand on ceremony. Hehe."

Su rolled her eyes but didn't refuse. I guessed that she might actually have been waiting for me, but she was too shy to admit it.

By now, the classmates had all finished eating, so the cafeteria was empty. I found a seat by the window and started devouring the food. To be honest, even though I hadn't done much these past few days, I always felt like I didn't have enough energy, so I ate a lot. And the fact that Su had prepared the food for me made it even more important.

Su propped her chin up with her hand, sitting across from me, and said thoughtfully, "Xiang Nan, who do you think that little devil in the WeChat group is? We haven't done anything to provoke him, so why won't he leave us alone? And this voting thing, specifying Jin Xiaofeng and Zhao Lili, who are in a romantic relationship, how can they vote? Sigh..."

Su's question was exactly what was on my mind. I sighed and said, "The biggest problem now is that we have no way to resist the punishment from the little devil. Whoever he wants to die, will definitely die. The only thing we can do is protect ourselves."

As I said this, I put down my chopsticks and looked at Su, saying, "Su, I really don't want anything to happen to you."

Su smiled and pursed her lips. I wasn't just saying sweet words; it was truly what I felt.

Just then, someone suddenly ran past outside the cafeteria. I looked up and was surprised to see that it was Jin Xiaofeng.

Why was Jin Xiaofeng back at school at this time?

I lost my appetite and went back to the classroom with Su. Inside the classroom, things were as usual, with everyone discussing in hushed voices. But now, everyone spoke very cautiously, forming their own alliances and guarding against each other.

When Jin Xiaofeng entered the classroom, nobody paid any attention to him. He obediently sat in his seat, which surprised me.

Soon, the afternoon class bell rang, and the teacher began the lesson as usual. My mind was constantly occupied with thoughts about what to do for the voting today.

Our class originally had fifty-four students, but three of them died, so now we had exactly fifty-one remaining, a perfect number for determining the outcome.

No one dared to speak randomly in the WeChat group anymore. At this moment, my phone vibrated.

I checked it and saw a text message.

I noticed that my desk mate, Xiaoming, also felt the vibration. I looked around and observed that most of the classmates were either attentively listening to the lesson or looking down at their phones.

I opened the text message:

"I'm Jin Xiaofeng. Vote for Zhao Lili tonight, and if you do, I'll give you 600 yuan."

I frowned, finally understanding why Jin Xiaofeng had suddenly returned to school.

Due to his impulsiveness that led to Ye Jin's death, he must have fully believed in the words of the little devil. Therefore, he had to campaign vigorously in the class to ensure his own survival.

But Zhao Lili used to be his girlfriend!

Is this even a man?

Xiaoming leaned over to glance at my phone and shook his head, saying, "Jin Xiaofeng can really go to extremes. Mass texting like this, but he does have the means to do it. His dad works in real estate and has plenty of money. I heard from others that he receives over 10,000 yuan as his monthly allowance alone, more than enough for his expenses. Looks like Zhao Lili is in trouble."

I had heard about what Xiaoming mentioned, but I truly despised Jin Xiaofeng's actions.

I decided to do my utmost to help Zhao Lili!

I secretly created a group with people I had relatively good relationships with, Su, Xiaoming, and Qin Yong, and then began discussing strategies in the group.

Just then, the dismissal bell rang.

As soon as the teacher left, Jin Xiaofeng marched aggressively to the front of the classroom and loudly declared, "Did you all read the message I sent you just now? I, Jin Xiaofeng, always keep my promises. As long as you do as I say, I guarantee you'll benefit!"

Integrity? Does this coward even have integrity?

I chuckled and had no interest in looking at this coward.

I kept observing Zhao Lili. She remained seated with her head down, appearing unusually calm. I couldn't tell if she had a plan or simply didn't care anymore.

Time flew by. Today, we were voting for a classmate, so everyone was pondering their choices and weighing their thoughts. This resulted in an unusually quiet classroom. The teacher thought we were traumatized by the events of the past two days and were experiencing psychological distress. The teacher even took Qin Yong out to ask about the situation, but naturally, Qin Yong didn't say anything.

In the meantime, I did notice a suspicious point.

Zhao Lili frequently leaves the classroom whenever she has free time, and each time she does, a male student from our class follows her.

When she returns, Zhao Lili remains calm, but the male student who accompanies her back acts suspiciously, as if he has done something guilty.

During the last class in the afternoon, I received another text message from Jin Xiaofeng:

"I'm Jin Xiaofeng. Remember to vote for Zhao Lili tonight, and I'll add 200 yuan. For those who vote for Zhao Lili, I'll personally give 800 yuan!"

Damn! This is truly insane!

In fact, in the group I secretly created during this period, more than ten people have gradually joined. They were all brought in by Xiaoming, Qin Yong, and Su, and I trust them.

The winner between Jin Xiaofeng and Zhao Lili will be determined by who receives 26 votes first.

Therefore, these ten-plus votes are crucial.

When we finished class in the evening, the little devil sent a message in the WeChat group:

"One hour left until the game ends. Remember to cast your votes."

I sighed. It had to come eventually. I stood up and walked to the front of the classroom, feeling incredibly nervous. As I passed by Su, she whispered a word of encouragement, which eased my mind a bit.

Nobody found it strange that I went up to the podium because the little devil had mentioned in the group that I would be the referee responsible for vote counting.

I placed a prepared paper tube on the podium and said, "Dear classmates, write the name you want to vote for on a piece of paper and put it into the tube. I will flip them out one by one and count the votes."

After speaking, I was the first to throw my pre-written slip of paper into the tube, and I let out a breath.

I found it strange. In theory, our class should have united against the little devil, but now everyone had split into factions. Even I had started helping Zhao Lili against Jin Xiaofeng. I really didn't know if what I was doing was right or not.

As the class monitor, Qin Yong took the lead, and then everyone began to come forward and cast their votes one by one.

It was self-study time in the evening, and teachers usually didn't come. Even when the bell rang, our class continued with the voting.

When no one else cast their vote, I asked, "Did everyone vote? Now I will start counting."

I swallowed some saliva, and my heart pounded incessantly. After all, every single vote in the box was crucial.

"One vote for Jin Xiaofeng."

"One vote for Zhao Lili."

"Two votes for Zhao Lili."

"Three votes for Zhao Lili."

...

"Fifteen votes for Jin Xiaofeng."

"Eighteen votes for Zhao Lili."

...

"Twenty-five votes for Jin Xiaofeng."

"Twenty-five votes for Zhao Lili."

Something unexpected happened. I thought I might have missed a vote, but I carefully checked the box and recounted the separated votes. It was still a tie, which meant that one person had not voted yet!

Everyone started to get restless.

As the main characters of today, Jin Xiaofeng and Zhao Lili, Jin Xiaofeng clenched his fists, his face full of fierceness, and his expression twisted and terrifying.

On the other hand, Zhao Lili remained calm in her seat.

The little devil seemed to be constantly monitoring our voting and said in the group:

"Five minutes left until the voting ends!"

Everyone instantly became nervous and started whispering and discussing with each other.

Jin Xiaofeng suddenly slammed the table and loudly said:

"Who hasn't voted, cast your vote for Zhao Lili, and I'll pay 1000 yuan!"

I nervously scanned the crowd, wondering who hadn't voted yet. With just one vote difference, assuming the little devil wanted the loser to die, then this vote was like a fatal switchblade!

Everyone was busy discussing among themselves, asking each other, but no one came forward to vote.

The more this happened, the more desperate Jin Xiaofeng became. His breathing became heavier and he shouted like a madman:

"1500 yuan, how about that? No, no, 2000 yuan! 2000 yuan! Just vote to kill Zhao Lili! I'll pay immediately!"

He even took out his wallet and scattered a stack of money on the ground.

The classmates in the class sighed, although they were envious and tempted, no one went to pick up the money.

I had been observing Zhao Lili, and just now, I saw her suddenly smirk, shake her head, and her eyes seemed somewhat disappointed.

Sure enough, I saw Zhao Lili slowly standing up, her eyes slightly red. She slowly raised the slip of paper in her hand and hoarsely said:

"Jin Xiaofeng, you never expected it, but it was me who didn't cast this vote!"