When I woke up again, I was in the dormitory, sleeping on the desk.

Zhang Wen and I glanced at each other, and Chen Luoluo walked in from outside the dormitory, accompanied by another girl.

"Hello, I'm Chen Luoluo."

"Hello, I'm Chen An'an."

I took out my phone and left the group chat with the three of them. At that moment, Zhang Wen also left. Although it was a small group we created while playing games during the summer vacation, when that group existed, the other person was excluded.

I searched for Qiao Qiao's name and indeed, she was no longer on my friends' list.

There were no more strange ghost stories in the dormitory either.

Perhaps because Chen Luoluo "died" early in that absurd "dream," she had no impression of everything that happened.

In the following days, Zhang Wen and I collected information and reported the previous members of Room 309 to the authorities.

One week later, we received the results of the report.

All those people had their recommendations for graduate studies revoked.

When the counselor came to find Zhang Wen and me, I saw three girls standing together outside the office. Each of their faces was filled with indignation. When they saw me, the leader among them said,

"It's all your fault, meddling in other people's business!"

I asked them,

"Which one of you took Qiao Qiao's five thousand yuan?"

The expressions of the three girls suddenly became unnatural, and finally, one of them said,

"We didn't do anything. We'll return it to her in a few days. It's her own fault for having such poor mental resilience that she would contemplate suicide over five thousand yuan."

I shook my head and entered the office with Zhang Wen.

The counselor asked me why, and I stared into her eyes and told her,

"Teacher, Qiao Qiao was a good girl. Her death shouldn't be taken lightly, and those culprits should not profit from it." The counselor looked at me for a long time and finally said,

"Qiao Qiao was once my favorite student. She worked hard and had a positive outlook on life."

After resolving this matter, Zhang Wen asked me if I believed what the counselor said. I said,

"I believe it. I really liked her once. Later, I wanted to let things go peacefully, and that's also true."

"Why?"

"Because you don't know how painful it is until the knife falls on yourself."

May everyone stand atop the high mountains and witness the mighty rivers. May they stand at the peaks of the mountains and feel the vastness of the wind!

[Extra - Qiao Qiao]

Qiao Qiao was born in the mountains.

Her parents did not favor boys over girls, so they scrimped and saved to send Qiao Qiao to college.

Qiao Qiao had always been a good student since she was young, the best in her area.

Before going to college, Qiao Qiao made a silent vow to herself that she would work hard, excel, and bring her parents out of the mountains in the future.

But on the first day of college, Qiao Qiao realized that she didn't quite fit in with her dormitory mates.

They dressed in exquisite clothes, wore beautiful makeup, and looked pretty, clean, and refined.

Qiao Qiao looked at herself, wearing clothes that had been washed countless times, still sporting the canvas shoes she bought in her first year of high school. Her face was greasy and waxen, and she had a bottle of face wash in her backpack that cost over ten yuan.

It was the first time Qiao Qiao had been willing to buy face wash.

In college, Qiao Qiao was always busy. She studied diligently every day because she heard that the school offered high scholarships.

All her free time was spent working part-time jobs in various stores.

As a result, she grew further apart from her roommates.

The three girls were all from the same city. They had endless topics to talk about, played games every day, and chattered about celebrities Qiao Qiao didn't know. They wore clothes whose brands Qiao Qiao couldn't recognize.

They even openly discussed the conversations in their separate group chat in the dormitory. Theroommates excluded Qiao Qiao, making her feel like an outsider.

One day, Qiao Qiao received five thousand yuan from her parents. It was a sum they had saved up for her, and they hoped she could use it to improve her living conditions in college.

Qiao Qiao was overjoyed and decided to buy new clothes and shoes, as well as some skincare products. She wanted to fit in and be accepted by her roommates.

But when Qiao Qiao returned to the dormitory, she found that her roommates had taken her five thousand yuan.

They laughed and said it was just a joke, that they would return it in a few days.

But Qiao Qiao was devastated. She couldn't believe that the people she lived with, the people she considered her friends, could betray her like this.

She felt humiliated and betrayed, and the pain of loneliness and isolation became unbearable.

Qiao Qiao contemplated suicide. She couldn't see a way out of her despair, and she believed that death was the only escape.

And so, one night, Qiao Qiao took her own life in the dormitory.

Her death shocked everyone, including her roommates. They were filled with guilt and remorse for their actions, realizing too late the consequences of their cruelty.

Qiao Qiao's parents received the devastating news and were heartbroken. They couldn't understand why their daughter, who had always been full of life and ambition, would take such a drastic step.

Qiao Qiao's death left a deep impact on her parents, her roommates, and the counselor who had once admired her.

It was a tragic reminder of the importance of kindness, empathy, and the devastating consequences of bullying and exclusion.

Qiao Qiao's story serves as a cautionary tale, urging us to treat others with respect, compassion, and understanding. No one should ever feel so isolated and hopeless that they see no other way out.

May Qiao Qiao's memory serve as a reminder to be kinder to one another and to always reach out to those who may be struggling silently.