Chapter 22 Because, You Saw
Who doesn’t love money?
Anyway, Luxianbei likes it a lot. Although he’s not exactly short of money, his experiences have taught him that only after possessing enough capital can one afford to chase their dreams.
Even though he still struggles with the confusion most teenagers have about what they want to become in the future, saving more money is always a good idea.
If all else fails, he can return to Mudan Street after graduating from university, renovate the old house, and open a restaurant.
No, maybe opening a clear bar would be better?
Welcoming visitors from all over, listening to their stories, selling them subpar drinks, and accompanying them to drown their sorrows — that would add a touch of romance to daily life.
Thus, when Luxianbei suggested to An Qing that he wanted a “raise,” he felt no psychological pressure at all.
“I want more money!”
“Pfft—!” An Qing covered her mouth and smiled, “I’m increasingly finding you interesting. Shouldn’t a normal person first consider how to ensure safety when faced with danger?”
“If I could guarantee safety, of course I would want that!” Luxianbei rolled his eyes, “But I just don’t trust you guys. Instead of seeking intangible safety from you, I’d rather hold tangible benefits in my hands.”
Exactly, who would turn against money?
Luxianbei not only didn’t trust Jiang Li, who treated him as bait to catch Mr. Rabbit, but after having “close contact” with An Qing, he had begun to mistrust her too.
After experiencing An Qing’s icy body temperature, the beautiful woman in front of him suddenly lost her appeal. Luxianbei felt he could sense an intense aura of d*ath surrounding her, as if he were facing a talking corpse.
“By the way, can you make the decision about the raise? If not, I’ll go consult that limping girl again.”
“Hehe, it’s rare for a young person to be so frank about their desires.” An Qing chuckled, “I can indeed make the decision on the raise; to some extent, the six main operatives, including us, have equal rights.”
“Six?” Luxianbei tilted his head in confusion, “But I thought I saw seven doors? Or is your organization’s predecessor actually the Six Doors?”
“There were originally seven people, but one died and we haven’t found a suitable successor yet.” An Qing said casually, a faint smile on her face as if losing a companion had no effect on her.
“If you want to see her, I can take you. Her figure is really good; she’s one of the best female specimens I’ve dissected.”
“No, no, let’s not disturb her!” Luxianbei hurriedly shook his head, I’m not you!
After spending time with An Qing, Luxianbei found that this beautiful big sister almost couldn’t go five sentences without mentioning specimens and corpses. She seemed to have a strange obsession with the dead!
Indeed, there doesn’t seem to be a normal person in the entire Siye Society, right?!
……
When Luxianbei returned to the Ancient Brocade Shu Embroidery Handicraft Shop, it was almost dark, and Su Mi was busy closing up.
After helping Su Mi tidy up the shop, Luxianbei settled for dinner with the leftover food from lunch, and the sky was completely dark.
Under the night sky, the wind rustled the willows, the fragrance of osmanthus wafted, and in the profound little alley, dark tiles and white walls, wooden doors and old locks were all bathed in the gentle moonlight, with fallen leaves dancing gracefully, seeking new resting places.
In Mudan Street, the clamor of the day gradually faded after dusk, and no pedestrians were left on the street. Occasionally, a small boat glided slowly under the stone bridge, not daring to break the tranquil night.
On the attic of the Ancient Brocade Shu Embroidery Handicraft Shop, bright lights illuminated the embroidery frame, the clean white silk stretched taut, and colorful silk threads hung down one side, resembling a distorted rainbow.
Su Mi’s sturdy fingers skillfully threaded the needle, completely immersed in the world of embroidery.
Despite his rough appearance, once he entered work mode, it was as if a different soul had taken over beneath that rugged exterior.
It reminded one of the skilled and poised embroiderers of ancient times.
Luxianbei, not wanting to disturb Su Mi while he worked, quietly observed him for a moment before returning to the room that Su Mi had helped him tidy up.
Back in the room, Luxianbei carefully took out the Ming King Statue from his guitar bag, wiped it with a wet tissue, then turned off the light and lay down on the bed, holding it close.
Outside, a drunken man staggered by, cicadas sang long in the treetops, and cars whizzed past on the empty street. All these sounds didn’t disrupt the night’s tranquility; rather, they enhanced its serene and distant atmosphere.
In this tranquility, Luxianbei’s emotions gradually settled, and he began to reflect.
Today’s events were strange; he had previously seen strange sights during the day that felt blurry and unreal, only seeing vividly real scenes in dreams.
Was it because of that document, or was my “problem” worsening again?
The document stated that the police judged Zhu Linglong’s d*ath as s*icide, but they didn’t find any s*icide tools, which was strange!
Moreover, one person couldn’t possibly hang themselves and also commit abdominal self-mutilation without assistance; there were too many ambiguities for them not to have discovered them! It can’t be that the entire police station is made up of interstellar players, right? There must be some hidden truth here!
But what does it matter to me if there’s something hidden! The document described operatives who could only cook and do splits, suddenly claiming they found the m*rder weapon through dreams ought to be considered as just a bizarre urban legend!
With Jiang Li’s disposition, hearing something like this would definitely lead to a visit to Yun Kang Psychiatric Hospital! I don’t have the ability to “leap over the lunatic asylum.”
Luxianbei lay there, quietly pondering, as the moonlight spilled onto his face. He gradually became drowsy, and his thoughts shifted from recent strange experiences to various memories.
He remembered swimming and catching fish in the waterways of the old street with Su Mi as a child, he remembered his father’s red face illuminated by firelight in the kitchen, he remembered the crush he once had to the point of obsession, whose face he could no longer recall…
All these memories made him keenly aware that he was still alive, having survived that horrific car accident.
Then, unbeknownst to him, he fell asleep and started dreaming.
He dreamed of the school playground, dreamed of classmates running around madly on the playground, and even dreamed of the girl he once had a crush on. Everything was shrouded in a hazy mist, not very clear but holding an ethereal beauty.
The sunlight from that time was far brighter than now; it seemed to be a gym class one afternoon, with that girl in athletic attire, her long legs making her shorts appear almost ridiculously short.
She sat alone on the horizontal bar, her black ponytail hanging behind her. Sunlight illuminated her fair face, making everything seem brighter.
She smiled sweetly and waved at Luxianbei. Faced with such a longed-for invitation, Luxianbei happily accepted, jogging over to climb onto the horizontal bar and sit beside her.
Luxianbei smiled at her and said, “Are you thirsty? I’ll treat you to a drink!” He could only smile so naturally in dreams.
The girl shook her head.
“Then are you hungry? I can share some food with you!”
The girl, “……”
After a moment of silence, the girl suddenly said, “I didn’t commit s*icide!”
Luxianbei froze for a moment, suddenly recalling something, then discreetly slid down from the horizontal bar, preparing to leave, but the girl grabbed his wrist.
“They were influenced by the residual power in the room, which is why they made that absurd judgment! I won’t give in!”
“Then…” Luxianbei barely smiled, “Why don’t you try harder? Nothing is impossible in this world!”
The girl seemed to have not heard his words. Her expression grew increasingly feral, her face turning pale; her tone became more urgent, her voice sharp, and the grip of her hand tightened, her nails digging painfully into Luxianbei’s flesh.
“You must find those scissors and tell my father the truth!”
“Because…” As the girl spoke, for some reason, a bloody pair of scissors suddenly appeared in her hand, plunging into Luxianbei’s abdomen, “Because you saw!”
Luxianbei clearly felt a coldness pierce through his flesh, something wet and sticky surged out from his body. After a while, unbearable pain began to spread from his abdomen, excessive bl**d loss making his consciousness start to blur. He staggered back a few steps, the world went dark, and his body started to tilt backward.
……
“Ah!”
Luxianbei exclaimed as he woke from the nightmare, staring blankly at the ceiling in the dark for a moment before slowly exhaling a heavy breath.
A wave of dryness hit him, and he licked his lips, planning to get up for some water. It was then he suddenly realized that his body felt unusually heavy, as if something was pressing him down onto the bed, leaving him unable to move.
He opened his mouth, wanting to call out to Su Mi, but found that his throat felt as if it were being constricted, unable to make a sound.
“Pat—pat—!”
Faintly, he heard a series of soft footsteps coming from afar, getting closer, the sound resembling someone stepping in thick, sticky liquid.
His peripheral vision turned towards the direction of the footsteps; the door to the room was tightly closed, and in the darkness, he could only make out a vague silhouette.
“Pat—pat—!”
The strange footsteps drew nearer, and anxious, suppressed emotions began to spread through Luxianbei’s heart.
The footsteps paused outside the door for a few seconds, then with a creak, the old doorknob slowly turned, the door opened, and there was no figure outside — just a dark void, with Su Mi nowhere to be seen.
Luxianbei felt all the hair on his body stand on end as a chill swept over him; his senses seemed to become heightened. Unable to move, he held his breath, waiting for something to happen.
The whole room fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly the bed shook. Luxianbei clenched his teeth, not daring to breathe.
Soon, the edge of the bed shook again. This time, using the moonlight, he saw two depressions appear on his blanket, as if someone had stepped onto the bed, and in an instant, they vanished.
Luxianbei felt as if his heart was ready to leap out of his throat. Just at that moment, the room fell silent, and the pressure weighing on him evaporated.
His body could move again, but Luxianbei didn’t dare; he shrank his neck and slowly burrowed into the blanket. Just as the blanket was about to cover his eyes, a drop of sticky liquid fell onto his forehead, followed by a second and a third…
“Pat—pat—pat—!”
Suddenly, a pair of delicate little feet floated into his line of sight.
The chill pierced through him like a swarm of wicked insects, crawling through his veins and bones, making him truly understand the meaning of the term “spine-chilling.”
The girl in the bl**d-stained long dress was hanging from the ceiling, her back to him, slowly turning around. The gaping wound on her abdomen continuously oozed bl**d, and her pale face bore an expression that was a mix of pain and an eerie smile, her eyes were a murky white.
“Scissors…” she said, “Find the scissors and give them to my father.”
