Episode 2: Shadows of Truth

The morning sun cast long shadows across Lin Yi's bedroom floor as he stared at the mysterious envelope that had been slipped under his door during the night. His name was written in elegant cursive, the ink a deep crimson that made his blood run cold.

With trembling fingers, he opened it, extracting a single photograph that made his heart stop. It was a picture of his mother, taken just days before her murder, standing outside the Harrington Estate. She was speaking with someone just out of frame, her expression tense and worried. On the back, written in the same crimson ink: "She knew too much."

Lin Yi's mind raced. He had never known his mother had any connection to the Harringtons. What secrets had she uncovered? What had she known that had cost her her life?

Lost in thought, he almost missed the sound of footsteps approaching his classroom. Looking up, he found Edith standing in the doorway, her usual confident demeanor replaced by something he couldn't quite read.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," she said softly, stepping into the empty classroom. The morning light caught her auburn hair, creating a halo effect that made Lin Yi momentarily forget to breathe.

"No, I was just..." he quickly tucked the photograph into his notebook. "What brings you here?"

Edith moved closer, her designer shoes clicking against the linoleum floor. "I couldn't stop thinking about our encounter yesterday," she admitted, perching on the desk next to his. "There's something about you, Lin Yi... something familiar."

Lin Yi's pulse quickened. "Familiar how?"

"I don't know exactly," she said, her brow furrowing. "But last night, I found something strange in my father's study. An old newspaper clipping about..." she hesitated, "about your mother's case."

The air seemed to freeze between them. Lin Yi's fingers tightened around his notebook, knuckles turning white. "Why would your father have that?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you," Edith replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "But there's more. The article was marked with strange symbols, and there were other papers too, but before I could look at them properly, I heard my father coming. I had to leave everything as I found it."

Lin Yi studied her face, searching for any sign of deception. But all he saw was genuine concern and... fear? "Edith, why are you telling me this?"

She leaned closer, her perfume carrying hints of jasmine and something else... something oddly familiar. "Because I think my parents aren't who they claim to be, Lin Yi. And I think..." she swallowed hard, "I...i... think they might be watching me."

As if on cue, a shadow passed by the classroom window. They both jumped, but when Lin Yi looked, there was no one there .

"Meet me at the old cherry blossom tree behind the school after classes," Edith whispered urgently, standing up. "There's something else you need to know."

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