Chapter 15 Xiangweng Temple ① - Guilty Heart: How many years of friendship have we had? ...

[Final payment settled. Also: 100,000 reward, Xiangweng Temple, interested?]

When Lan Shuyin woke up, she found that the sugar daddy had already transferred the remaining 100,000 yuan into her account.

Immediately following was a new email invitation.

She didn't reply immediately, but instead searched online first.

Xiangweng Temple is an ancient temple located deep in the Sichuan-Western Plateau, at an altitude of 3,500 meters. It is remote and desolate with thin air. Due to extremely inconvenient transportation and altitude sickness, it is rarely visited by people.

Lan Shuyin paused, clearly hesitant.

The payment from this single case in Qigu Village is enough to settle all of Li Yang's medical expenses.

The series of bizarre events that occurred—the disappearance of the expedition team members, the blood-dripping beast corpse hanging on the old locust tree, the cosplayer singing eerie nursery rhymes in the middle of the night, and the ghostly phone call that was never recorded—are like cold spider webs stuck to my memory, impossible to shake off.

Reason told her that it was best not to set foot in those desolate, gloomy places again.

However, this client was truly a good one: quick to pay, clear about their goals, and never meddling. They were likely a well-funded, adventurous "cloud adventure enthusiast" who, while also being cautious about their own safety, dared not attempt anything themselves.

It would be a shame to let go of such a long-term meal ticket.

Lan Shuyin carefully chose her words and replied with a tentative message:

My schedule is a bit tight lately. I'd like to ask what exactly I'm supposed to do at Xiangweng Temple?

This time, the sponsor's response was surprisingly quick:

Years ago, my family funded the construction of Xiangweng Temple. Later, the entire temple was relocated, but no one informed us. I only want to know if the mummified statue in the original temple pagoda is still there.

This explanation startled Lan Shuyin.

It turns out that behind this lies a forgotten debt of gratitude and betrayal.

A familiar, restless desire to explore the unknown stirred within her heart once again.

Despite the strangeness of Qigu Village, she ultimately escaped unscathed.

It's just an abandoned temple, how scary could it be?

Moreover, the reward this time is 100,000, which is half of the reward for Qigu Village, indicating that the risk and difficulty are not high.

However, we would go in during the day, find the tower, confirm whether the statue existed, and then leave immediately.

In broad daylight, a quick and decisive battle—what problems could there be?

Various thoughts raced through her mind, and ultimately, Lan Shuyin gave a reply that left room for interpretation:

I'll think about it and give you an answer later.

At 3 p.m. sharp, Lan Shuyin appeared at Neon Night.

The heavy, retro wooden door closed behind her, instantly shutting out the noise from the outside world.

Unlike what I remembered, the neon lights during the day were a bright, cool white, and staff were quietly and efficiently cleaning and preparing the bar and back area.

The air was filled with the faint scent of disinfectant and lemon cleaner.

She was greeted by a manager dressed in a smart suit and skirt, who spoke professionally and quickly. The manager glanced at Lan Shuyin's almost blank resume, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, but she didn't say anything, assuming she was just some young person who had gotten in through connections to experience life.

The manager briefly introduced the job duties: mainly responsible for serving drinks at booths and private rooms in designated areas, memorizing the recipes for several basic cocktails, and most importantly—watch less, listen less, ask less, be quick and efficient, and be observant.

"Our customers here are high-class and have strict rules. You'll work with Li Li for today; he'll show you the process. Try it out for one night. If it suits you, you can stay; if not..."

The manager paused for a moment, then handed over a neatly folded waiter uniform. "Daily pay, won't take up much of your time."

As dusk falls, the neon-lit night gradually comes alive with vibrant life.

The lights dimmed and changed colors, the music gradually grew louder, and the crowd surged in like a tide.

Lan Shuyin changed into a well-fitting uniform, carrying a heavy silver tray, and moved between the dazzling lights and the deafening rhythm.

She was enveloped by the surrounding noise and excitement, with swaying figures everywhere she looked, and the sounds of clinking glasses, unrestrained laughter, and restless bass drumbeats echoing in her ears.

She was probably getting old, because she found it noisy.

“You.” Li Li’s voice interrupted her daze. He had clearly lost patience with this “newbie” who needed constant reminders. He frowned slightly and gestured with his chin toward the second floor. “Don’t just stand there. Hurry up and deliver this bottle of whiskey to Mingyue Pavilion.”

Lan Shuyin carried the wine upstairs as instructed.

Just as I reached the door of the private room called "Mingyue Pavilion", a burst of exaggerated laughter pierced through the door and entered my ears.

A loud, clearly drunk voice was talking incessantly inside:

"...Nonsense! What Seventh Aunt Village zombie resurrection, the Blood Orchid of the Breath of Earth? You actually believe that stuff that's just for clicks online? Back in the day, my buddies and I dug up hundreds, if not thousands, of ancient corpses from cave-ins in the mines of southern Yunnan, and nothing happened to us! If there really were such supernatural things, why don't you bring them here right now and have a face-to-face chat with me about life? Hahahaha..."

Before he could finish speaking, another voice eagerly chimed in, tinged with a hint of boastfulness and excitement:

"Exactly! Where do ghosts and monsters come from in this world? I think it's all the ghosts in people's hearts that are causing trouble! A friend of mine was driving back to his hometown on the night of the Ghost Festival, and he insisted that he encountered a woman in white standing by the roadside in the middle of nowhere. He was so scared that he floored the gas pedal and drove off. If it were me, I would have slammed on the brakes and stopped right away, and I would have had to get closer to see what was going on! If you don't get to the bottom of this, it'll be like a thorn stuck in your heart. You'll be suspicious of everything from then on, and that's when you're really doomed..."

Lan Shuyin paused slightly, then pushed open the door and went in to deliver the wine.

As she left the noisy private room and was about to turn back, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure passing by the end of the corridor.

The light was dim, and Lan Shuyin couldn't see the other person's face clearly, but a strange intuition drove her to subconsciously follow in that direction.

At the end of the corridor is a corner, where a black sign with gold lettering clearly reads "No Trespassing".

Just around the corner, at the end of a deep corridor, stood a magnificent mahogany door, its nameplate inscribed with slender seal script:

[In the Silent Chamber]

Lan Shuyin suddenly remembered that this area was connected to the first floor and should be Boss Wei's private reception area.

Strangely, the bodyguards who should have been guarding the outside of the corridor were nowhere to be seen.

I haven't been here for a year, and the rules here... have become this lax?

Lan Shuyin hesitated for a moment, a mix of curiosity and wariness tugging at her heart.

In the end, she suppressed her desire to investigate, quietly turned around, and retreated along the same path.

...

At 2 a.m., Lan Shuyin left work on time.

She rubbed her aching shoulders and strolled out of the side entrance of Neon Night, muttering to herself: serving tea and water is much more tiring than exploring and hiking. You have to keep a smile on your face and not make any mistakes. It's too difficult.

I had just taken out my phone when the screen suddenly lit up, accompanied by a rapid vibration.

It was another unknown call.

Sleepiness vanished instantly. Lan Shuyin's expression hardened, her fingertips traced the answer button, and she held the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

The White Dew season has passed, and the autumn night wind carries a distinct chill, brushing against her cheeks and neck, stirring a slight shiver.

Despite the neon lights and bustling noise of the bar street she was in, she felt a chill creeping up her spine for no apparent reason.

The call timer numbers ticked silently.

Lan Shuyin tightened her fingers, her voice calm yet clear, saying each word distinctly, "Not going to talk? I don't care if you're playing tricks or if you really have some kind of background. If you're so capable, stand in front of me and let's talk face to face. Don't try to scare me with these sneaky tricks; it's pointless."

After saying that, she abruptly ended the call—her teeth were chattering, and if she spoke even a second longer, she would give herself away and let the other person know that she was very nervous.

Just as the screen dimmed, a deep male voice suddenly sounded from beside her, startling her:

"Miss Lan."

A tall, well-dressed man had somehow appeared in front of her and politely said, "Our boss would like to invite you."

Following the direction of his gesture, Lan Shuyin's gaze crossed the neon-lit street and landed on the understated black Cullinan across the street.

"You're always on the move, well-informed, you must have heard of the name 'Night of the Rainbows', right?"

"I am Mr. Wei's stepmother."

The boastful words she had made not long ago suddenly echoed in her ears, and Lan Shuyin felt inexplicably guilty. She followed the bodyguard step by step.

During that short stretch of road, only one thought kept swirling in her mind: No way? Could they be that powerful?

But if it weren't for that sentence, she really couldn't think of any reason why Boss Wei specifically wanted to see her—

Boss Wei was elusive, and they had only done a few transactions together, with their meetings limited to the exchange of money and goods, and there was never any further interaction between them.

She never imagined she would see him at the Neon Night.

Of course, I haven't seen it in the Night of the Rainbows now.

I saw >0< outside

There was no driver in the car, and only one person was sitting in the back seat.

Boss Wei was dressed in a casual white shirt, and his face was still covered by that familiar silver mask.

To his right was an exquisite tea set, with a small stove bubbling away, steam rising and filling the air with a delicate tea fragrance.

Perhaps because of her extreme guilt, as soon as Lan Shuyin got into the car, she immediately put on an extremely ingratiating smile, and her voice subconsciously rose a few decibels, carrying a hint of barely perceptible trembling, "Mr. Wei, is there something you need?"

Mr. Wei glanced at her, his tea-pouring movements fluid and graceful. "You seem very nervous."

His voice came through the mask, deep and warm.

"This is the first harvest of Tieguanyin this year, would you like to try it?" He handed her a cup of tea, the clear tea liquor set against the white porcelain.

When Lan Shuyin took it, her fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly.

She forced herself to remain calm and took a small sip of the tea. The tea was refreshing and had a lingering sweetness, but she couldn't taste any flavor at all.

"One year ago."

Suddenly, Boss Wei spoke up, "You've made it very clear to me that you're no longer doing exploration and can't take my commission."

It's finally here.

Lan Shuyin quickly put down her teacup and explained, "That was indeed the plan at the time..."

"But you went to Aunt Qi's Village."

His confident words made Lan Shuyin's heart tighten, but then she heard him continue, "You rejected my contract but accepted a client who doesn't even dare to show his face. Is it because my offer wasn't attractive enough, or... do you harbor resentment towards me personally?"

"Of course not!" Lan Shuyin quickly denied. "Mr. Wei's pricing has always been generous. It's just..." she carefully chose her words, "...there were indeed some personal reasons at the time."

Boss Wei turned his head and stared intently at her. His gaze seemed to see through all pretense.

The mask gleamed with a cold luster in the dim light inside the car.

After a long silence, he sighed very softly, his voice carrying a perfect balance of regret and self-deprecation, "I understand now, so many years of friendship are no match for a stranger hiding his face."

"That's really heartbreaking."