Seeing Yue Yiyue didn’t reject her, Wu Zhen felt somewhat relieved. It was good that He Wu’s matter had not affected them.
Though they’d only met once—more than strangers would.
“Can I join you?” Wu Zhen hesitated there for a long time. She looked at Yue Yiyue sprawled on the sofa like a dead fish.
“Join me?” Yue Yiyue lazily removed the towel covering her eyes. She glanced at Wu Zhen standing nearby, unsure what she meant.
Had she found out who did it and wanted revenge for her cousin?
Though Wu Zhen had casually mentioned earlier that her cousin got along well with her father, it seemed he had no ulterior motives.
But Yue Yiyue wasn’t naive enough to think someone would collect a dead rival’s body.
‘What was Wu Zhen playing at?’
Under Yue Yiyue’s gaze, Wu Zhen sighed: “My brother probably won’t come back, but like this, I won’t be able to answer to Dad. I want to try my best, at least to collect my brother’s bones properly and bring them back.”
“And also, Gu Nanqiu.” At this point, determination hardened in Wu Zhen’s eyes: “She suddenly disappeared, and everyone is very concerned about her. I hope she can come back soon.”
“And I suspect it was the wish He Wu made.”
With Wu Zhen saying this, it did seem plausible. He Wu liked Gu Nanqiu, and there were traces of that.
It all sounded reasonable enough, and Wu Zhen’s timing was awfully coincidental.
Yue Yiyue pondered for a moment: “Do you have any evidence? You brought it up, so you provide proof.”
“A few days ago, I passed by He Wu’s room and heard some strange sounds from inside. Not loud, but very odd. I crouched outside and listened for a while, and I heard something like, after success, he could bring the person back.”
Wu Zhen frowned, straining to recall what she’d seen a few days earlier: “I saw him posting on a dark forum. After he left, I went over to look. Someone was giving advice, saying they had found a suitable girlfriend this way, now had endless money, telling He Wu not to worry, that God would fulfill all his wishes.”
————
Yue Yiyue had looked into it some time ago, and there were quite a few rumors at the School about these two He siblings.
Her cousin was quite flashy, decked out in designer brands and very ostentatious, so many people avoided him.
Most said he was shameless and wanted a share of Wu Zhen’s things.
And Wu Zhen’s dad wasn’t all there either, choosing to be a live-in son-in-law and treating his brother’s son like treasure. Anyone with eyes could see he wanted to leech off his wife’s family until it was ruined.
Wu Zhen was truly pitiful, having lost her mother early too.
Looking at Wu Zhen leading the way ahead, Yue Yiyue curiously asked: “Regarding your cousin’s matter, you really don’t mind?”
“With him dead, isn’t it perfect? Then you’ll be free.”
Wu Zhen looked up at the sky, but her expression seemed not to be looking at the sky: “You can’t say it like that. He Wu and I grew up together; our relationship is very complicated, and many things were not his choice.”
In the end, just like the countless versions Yue Yiyue had heard, Wu Zhen always said: “He was a good brother; it’s just that I’m not a particularly qualified sister.”
Fine. Respect and best wishes.
Yue Yiyue did not like getting involved in such family matters; she did not have a family anyway.
No, she had one now.
“Understood, I spoke out of turn. How much farther?”
They were now on the way to Wu Zhen’s house.
This had been proposed by Wu Zhen half an hour ago.
She wanted Yue Yiyue to go back with her to check He Wu’s computer, to see if they could find that forum.
Maybe they could find what she wanted.
Yue Yiyue was about to refuse, but the buzzing of her phone interrupted her words. She took out her phone and looked.
After reading the message, Yue Yiyue suddenly changed her mind: “Okay, I’ll go with you.”
And so they took a taxi to this small villa district.
Nothing much else to say, but the air here was pretty good. Yue Yiyue took a deep breath, feeling her lungs much more comfortable.
It was as if the nightmare of just now, being pressed and squeezed by those eyeballs, had been dispelled.
She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but the closer they got to that house, the more she felt an indescribable burnt smell.
But looking around, nothing was burning.
Noticing Yue Yiyue’s little action, Wu Zhen sniffed twice: “If nothing else, it’s my father—he burned something to a crisp.”
“He’s getting on in years and is always a bit muddled. Yue Yiyue, you go check first; the shoes are at the door, change them yourself.” With that, she rushed into the house, taking two steps at a time, leaving the door open for Yue Yiyue.
Watching her back disappear inside, Yue Yiyue also hurried after her.
“You jinx, you cursed Mother to death, then cursed your brother to death. Now that you’re back, you plan to curse me to death too?” A scolding voice came from inside the house. That voice was strangely hoarse, like a broken pipe organ or smoked jerky.
In any case, it was not a pleasant sound.
“Jinx, did you think your brother would take your things, so you killed him?”
“Those things were originally his. As for you, why are you eyeing our He Family’s stuff? I told you, your mother’s things are now mine, and mine are the He Family’s.”
“You’re the outsider in this house, get out—”
A banging sound came from the inner room, as if some heavy object flew out and hit something.
Yue Yiyue was about to rush in to pull Wu Zhen out when she saw Wu Zhen covering her face as she walked out.
A huge slap mark reddened her face, and her hand was bruised.
Yue Yiyue’s steps stopped. She silently looked at the half-open door behind Wu Zhen, and inside the door, a small section of the curtain that had been burned, next to a large puddle of water, looking like Wu Zhen had just put it out.
Wu Zhen shook her head at Yue Yiyue, forced a smile, and casually closed the door behind her, blocking the view: “My dad’s been in a bad mood these past couple days over my brother. Sorry you had to see that.”
“Let’s go up first; my room is upstairs.”
“Sorry.”
“Do you need help?” Yue Yiyue still stared at the door behind Wu Zhen: “Your mother’s things, unless she wrote a will specifying they all went to your dad.”
“I’ve heard about your mother Wu Yushan; she was an excellent entrepreneur. I believe she wouldn’t be so shortsighted as to let your incompetent dad control anything.”
Wu Zhen’s gaze flickered; she hadn’t expected to hear her mother’s name from Yue Yiyue.
After a long moment, she sighed, not in resentment, but in a tone of resignation: “He’s the only father I have…”
“If you change your mind, you can still tell me.” Yue Yiyue left those words and lifted her leg to go upstairs.
Wu Zhen watched Yue Yiyue, looking puzzled. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Yue Yiyue had meant more than that.
————
There were four rooms on the second floor. Yue Yiyue quickly scanned them. The largest room was probably He Wu’s—she could see the clothes he’d worn a few days ago as soon as she reached the top.
She could not tell who owned the two slightly smaller rooms next to it, but the small one in the corner was definitely Wu Zhen’s.
Yue Yiyue frowned but held her tongue, remembering the message on her phone.
“The layout here is pretty straightforward, so I won’t introduce much.” Wu Zhen pointed to that room: “Go ahead; the computer’s in there. I’ll get you something to eat.”
“Thanks.”
After saying that, Yue Yiyue entered the room and turned on the computer.
As the fan whirred, the black screen began to flicker with blue light.
She opened the browser and browsing history; two familiar URLs from a few days ago popped up.
What a perfect trap.
Yue Yiyue surveyed the computer screen. She was not in a hurry to click the link but took out her phone and sent four messages.
Downstairs, there seemed to be the sound of another heavy object falling, and the burnt smell in the air grew thicker.
Yue Yiyue confirmed the last text message in her inbox again, feeling somewhat gratified. The person who often sent harassing messages had sent her another useful one.
A few years ago, there had been an electrical fire in this area.
She clicked the mouse, and the Cake appeared on the screen. Yue Yiyue looked down at her phone; the signal had indeed completely disappeared.
————
This place seemed the same as before, but also like everything had changed.
Yue Yiyue stood up, and then she heard a familiar, all-too-familiar voice—Gu Nanqiu’s—from the next room.
“Yiyue, didn’t you say you were going out? Why are you still here?”
Following the voice, Yue Yiyue pushed open the nearby door according to the novel segment in her memory.
The room was furnished decently, but far inferior to theirs.
Behind the door, Gu Nanqiu—posing as Yue Yiyue—was scolding Wu Zhen, smiling as she handed over the bag and urged her to leave quickly.
Wu Zhen looked at Gu Nanqiu’s appearance and reached out to touch her head, but the other stepped back.
“This isn’t good, Yiyue. We’ve only just confirmed our relationship; being too intimate makes me uncomfortable. Sorry.”
……
Such a scene felt strange; Yue Yiyue did not quite understand which play was being acted out now.
But she could confirm that only Wu Zhen could see her here.
She shot Yue Yiyue by the door a provocative look: “See, as long as I become you, Gu Nanqiu will love me, love me enough to stay here.”
The lip movements were too quick for Yue Yiyue to catch clearly, but she put on an angry face anyway, glaring fiercely at Wu Zhen.
And Wu Zhen ignored it, holding the backpack: “I understand; I’ll give you time to get used to it. Thank you for being willing to love me. Wait for me to come back; it’s not safe outside now… if you go out…”
“I understand.” Gu Nanqiu very considerately took a piece of clothing from the closet: “There are more and more Rules lately; I don’t really want to go out either. I’m always worried about triggering something and then being chased by that Box Head again. You go quickly.”
With that, she pushed the person out and closed the door.
The footsteps outside the door grew farther and farther until they disappeared.
Yue Yiyue stood in the corner, observing Gu Nanqiu, thinking about what move the other would make next.
Or how she should convey information to Gu Nanqiu, to tell her that she had come.
The next moment, Gu Nanqiu walked to the bedside. She patted the bed, then abruptly drew the curtains closed. The light in the room went out.
The entire house plunged into darkness.
The creaking sound was Gu Nanqiu climbing onto the bed.
Yue Yiyue sighed and climbed onto the small bed behind her.
A somewhat cold hand covered the back of Yue Yiyue’s hand, then rubbed and pinched her fingertips, as if confirming something.
Only then did Yue Yiyue realize that Gu Nanqiu knew she had come.
And somehow, she could even touch her.
