Chapter 81: The White-Haired Woman and the Observer

Ms. Yan, with her white hair and black dress, departed the principal’s office, her steps carrying her through the campus of Taishan Senior High School.

At this hour, morning reading had just concluded, and the school’s loudspeakers were broadcasting music, summoning students for the Monday flag-raising ceremony.

She deftly avoided the throngs of students, making her way to the shade behind the sports field, where she quietly observed the various classes as they lined up and marched onto the grounds.

The sound system of Taishan Senior High School proved as robust as ever, its volume consistently deafening. Not only did students in the front rows find it jarring, but even those at the back felt the vibrations, needing to raise their voices considerably to be heard over the din.

After a brief interlude, the assembly music ceased, transitioning to the solemn tune for the national flag’s entrance.

The school’s flag-raising team, bearing the national flag, marched in with precise steps, then, under the collective gaze of the entire school and the stirring strains of the national anthem, the flag ascended.

Following protocol, the next item on the agenda would be the speech delivered beneath the flag.

Ms. Yan remained an observer.

She was not alone in witnessing the ceremony; Yu Yinlian, perched high above and leaning on a railing, also watched.

Given the school’s absurdly loud sound system, Yu Yinlian had been roused from sleep by the assembly music even within the dorms. Unable to drift back to sleep amidst the clamor, she had abandoned the thought of catching up on rest, emerging from her room to catch a glimpse of the flag-raising ceremony.

Yu Yinlian quickly located her class’s position, her gaze sweeping over the familiar faces from afar, a growing sense of melancholy settling upon her.

She then began searching for Zhong Tian’s class.

As her eyes traversed the field, she noticed a figure in black and white attire behind the sports field.

It was an unfamiliar woman.

Curiosity piqued within her.

It was her first time encountering someone with white hair in everyday life.

Yu Yinlian walked into the sports field, gradually drawing closer to the white-haired woman in the black dress.

Only when she was nearer did she realize that the woman’s hair was not merely white; her eyes, too, were white—or rather, a bluish-white hue.

‘Could she be an albino?’

Yu Yinlian approached even closer, observing the woman intently for a moment before dismissing her initial speculation.

Her complexion was far too radiant, her skin fair and her features beautiful, making her appear anything but sickly.

‘Then it must be a wig and colored contacts.’

In her understanding, individuals with white hair and white eyes were characters found only in two-dimensional worlds.

Considering the school’s regulations, which prohibited both students and teachers from dyeing their hair, Yu Yinlian wondered about the identity of this white-haired, white-eyed woman standing behind the sports field.

‘Was she a teacher’s wife?’

‘Or perhaps their daughter?’

Yu Yinlian found herself utterly unable to gauge the woman’s age from her appearance; she looked so remarkably youthful that some might even believe her to be a student here.

‘…Never mind, I won’t dwell on this.’

Yu Yinlian felt that pondering the matter further would be pointless, so she prepared to turn and return to her original spot.

At that moment, however, the woman standing in the shade beneath the trees looked directly at her.

Their gazes met, and Yu Yinlian felt as though she had been bound by an invisible rope, freezing in place, utterly unable to move.

‘She… she can see me?!’

Coming to this realization, Yu Yinlian recoiled a step, gripped by an inexplicable fear. Her lake-blue eyes were fixed intently on the woman’s white pupils.

‘White eyes that no ordinary person could possess… could she be one too…’