rainstorm

Fang Chengyin has taken fewer courses this semester, so his mornings are relatively free.

Wei Shu sent him another message, asking him how he had decided.

Fang Chengyin stood on the balcony. After the rainstorm, the sky was clear and the ghosts had all disappeared.

He didn't have time to think about it at all. He picked up his phone and replied to the message: "I'll sign the contract. I hope you will really follow the terms of the contract."

Wei Shu: "Of course. Are you available in a moment? You need to come to the company to sign a paper copy. The lawyer will be there."

Fang Chengyin frowned. He still needed to go to the suburbs to film the extra scenes that he hadn't finished filming last week.

"Can it be finished within 25 minutes?"

Wei Shu: "Yes, the paper version and the electronic version are the same, without any changes. After the lawyer explains, if you feel there are no problems, you can sign and leave."

Fang Chengyin: "Okay, I'll be there at 9:00."

Wei Shu: "The address of Ultimate Media Group is Room V555, 30th Floor."

After receiving no further news, Fang Chengyin returned to the sofa and, recalling what Zhong Qiqian had said yesterday, felt it was still necessary to be wary of Jiang Zhi, especially the group of ghosts that had inexplicably appeared on him that day.

I need to go to Mr. Yang's place to get some talismans first.

There was breakfast prepared by Jiang Zhi in the pot, and a sticky note on the lid reminded people that:

Poor cooking skills.

If the fresh milk is in the refrigerator, remember to heat up a cup.

It's okay if you don't eat it; I'll throw it in the trash when I get back.

——Zhi

What wouldn't such a wasteful person do? But after last night's meal, he was still looking forward to breakfast.

Lifting the lid, "..."

This time, the prophecy came true. The steamer was filled with all sorts of strangely shaped buns, probably made by using auxiliary ingredients to imitate "alien" shapes. They were quite creepy and disgusting.

However, the milky aroma is quite nice.

Fang Chengyin's stomach rumbled at an inopportune moment. He picked up a skull-shaped object, closed his eyes, opened his mouth, stuffed it in, chewed it, and found it tasted pretty good.

After heating up a cup of milk, I took some steamed buns and eggs to the living room, turned on the TV to watch morning entertainment, and unsurprisingly saw Song Zixin.

It is 7:40 a.m., and Song Zixin is sitting in the courtyard, facing the morning sun, being interviewed.

The layout of the yard resembles the villa in my house, but it's not. The camera deliberately panned across the villa number 2-112, while my own house is 2-121. It's quite a coincidence that the two villas are right across from each other.

This is Song Zixin's roundabout tactic. She used it several times when she was popular to avoid stalker fans, and it was very effective.

She always protected herself very well.

The interview was very direct. The reporter got straight to the point: "There are rumors circulating online that the suspect in the death of Flower kindergarten teacher is your husband Fang Bokang, who has been missing for many years. What do you think about this?"

The camera was deliberately hand-cranked, and with the soft lighting, Song Zixin appeared blurry in the picture, like a reclusive revealer.

But she couldn't give the audience what they wanted; she was just an ordinary person, an actress whose comeback was a failure.

"I'm sorry, I can't say more about this. I will cooperate fully if the police department needs my assistance."

The Criminal Investigation Bureau did not summon her, but netizens started investigating the case.

Song Zixin's answer did not satisfy the reporter who had traveled a long way. He continued, "Netizens compared your husband's photos and videos and found that several of the photos of his back and the suspect's back overlapped by as much as 99.9%. Therefore, netizens have made the following reasonable speculations: First, the suspect is your husband; second, the suspect is someone who is familiar with your husband's every move and imitates him; third, the suspect is your child, which means that you secretly married and had a child."

Song Zixin's expression was initially gentle, mixed with pity for the victim. However, when she heard that "the suspect is your child," her expression changed slightly, and she found it incomprehensible.

The reporter felt a pang of pity upon seeing Song Zixin like this. The entire entertainment industry knew that shortly after she and Fang Bokang officially announced their relationship, the media exposed that Fang Bokang had undergone a tubal ligation at the hospital.

The two later openly admitted that Fang Bokang said his wife was in the prime of her career and that she would need each other more than anything else in the future.

Fang Chengyin broke the egg in half, put one half in his mouth, but the yolk still made him choke. He had to drink a sip of fresh milk to get it down.

Fang Bokang only found out in his third year of junior high school that he had undergone tubal ligation. He glimpsed it by chance in his female classmate's entertainment magazine, and later, after further research, he discovered that he shouldn't have been born.

Song Zixin and Fang Bokang never planned to have children.

Not long after her tubal ligation, Song Zixin discovered she was pregnant. She initially planned to have an abortion, but Fang Bokang, fearing it would harm her health, comforted her day and night, persuading her to keep the child.

Song Zixin remained silent for a long time before finally choosing to accept it. The die was cast, and she had no choice but to accept it.

Therefore, the explosive news that Fang Bokang had undergone vasectomy became the best shield to protect Fang Chengyin, making him appear to the outside world as if he did not exist.

But if netizens are speculating like this now... isn't it just a suspicion that Song Zixin used some illegal methods of childbirth?

Fang Cheng's eyes were filled with anger.

Song Zixin seemed to have thought of this as well, and said in a deep voice, "I respect everyone's freedom of speech, but please don't pin baseless accusations on me. I'm only accepting this interview today to express my stance—whoever commits a crime should be brought to justice."

The reporter was stunned by her and asked a few more questions about her future work plans. Her interview length was also acceptable.

Song Zixin is calm and composed. In any interview, she is always sincere and low-key. In addition, she is a talented actress and her looks are far superior to those of idols, so she has always been loved by the industry.

Fang Chengyin liked her very much; she could always handle work matters well and was also very devoted to her family.

So where is Fang Bokang? How could he abandon such a beautiful and kind wife...?

The image of the suspect's back popped up on the screen again, and Fang Chengyin recalled the image of him turning around and disappearing into the alley that day, both blurry and clear.

The person ran inside and disappeared. Does this mean he lived inside, or perhaps he was a vendor?

I need to go check it out again after my part-time job ends.

After finishing breakfast, Fang Chengyin tidied up and wrote a thank-you note before heading to Jizhi Media.

I entered an office building halfway through the journey, and since I was a regular customer, I went straight to the 8th floor.

The man, dressed in formal attire with a simplified Taoist robe over it, stood with his back to him in front of the window.

"Mr. Yang," Fang Chengyin greeted him.

The man turned around; it was the same spirit bone master from that day.

"Hello, my name is Yang Yuzan. My younger brother is unwell, and I will be taking over his business from now on."

Fang Chengyin had a bad impression of him, and the person in charge of his situation knew the best about him: "Sorry to bother you."

"The kindergarten teacher's death yesterday."

Fang Chengyin stopped.

Yang Yuzan laughed and said, "You should have seen it; there are some strange things."

It seemed he knew about his condition, perhaps his younger brother had told him. Fang Chengyin no longer concealed anything: "So it was an evil spirit that killed him?"

"The autopsy results showed that he died from stab wounds."

Fang Chengyin: "But the Investigation Bureau has asked you for help."

"It seems Mr. Fang knows a lot about ghosts. If you want to know more details, you can contact Captain Zhang Weike, who is in charge of this case."

"No need. I came here to buy some talismans to ward off evil spirits."

“The talisman has been ineffective after five years; Mr. Fang should replace it.” Yang Yuzan walked around to the cabinet, took out a doll from inside, and said, “Here you go.”

It is a doll with a topknot, with bright colors. Originally a folk paper-cutting, it has become popular in recent years as a doll and is often used to ward off fright, exorcise ghosts, and summon spirits.

Fang Chengyin put the doll into his backpack and left the office building.

The weather was fine today, with a refreshing breeze, and many citizens spontaneously brought white chrysanthemums to the kindergarten gate to pay their respects. Their expressions were solemn, conveying their deepest condolences for the deceased. There were also many people standing not far away with cameras set up; it's unclear whether they were livestreaming to gain views or genuinely trying to capture any suspicious activity.

Fang Cheng paused for a moment as he led the way, and only after turning the corner did his heavy mood ease somewhat. But what he heard next forced him to stop.

It was a conversation between two citizens who had just finished paying their respects, separated by a wall.

"The kindergarten director shifted the blame to that security guard."

Fang Chengyin took out his phone and scrolled through Weibo. The hashtag #HiringElderlyPeopleAsSecurityGuardsIsIntentionallySinister# had gone viral, with most of the content criticizing the kindergarten principal, and quite a few also cursing the security guards.

First floor: "Doesn't the local government have anyone in charge? What are they doing during their inspections?!"

A replied to the first floor: "This is a private kindergarten, and staff recruitment is not under the jurisdiction of the relevant departments. Please do not misattribute it."

Lou Zhonglou replied to Jia: "You must be someone from within the system, right? No wonder you speak with such an official tone. What are you doing here, showing off your ill-gotten gains from ordinary people?"

Those inside and outside the system couldn't stand each other, so they started arguing on the first floor.

Second floor: "Instead of blaming the old man, you should think about the current state of society. Why are you so old and not sitting in your own neighborhood fanning yourself, but instead protecting children, and in the end, you're just protecting loneliness."

B replied: "The aging of society is a serious problem, otherwise why would they relax the birth policy? If more women don't want to have children, the labor force will decrease. Can't you even understand such a simple logic?"

Louzhonglou replied: "Excuse me? Is aging a women's problem?"

This sparked gender antagonism, and an argument broke out on the same floor.

Fang Chengyin turned off his phone and hurried to the Jizhi Group. He arrived 3 minutes early, and Wei Shu and the lawyer were already waiting in room V555.

The paper version remained unchanged, the lawyer's explanation was concise and clear, and the contract was signed quickly.

Wei Shu introduced himself to him again, and then told him about his work schedule for the weekend, which was very full: "I will send you a detailed schedule later. You can contact me directly if you have any questions."

Wei Shu should be around thirty-five years old. He looks like he has a lot of cunning. People in the brokerage industry are indeed not simple.

Fang Chengyin: "You can just call me by my name."

Wei Shu smiled: "Okay, I'll take your word."

It sounded strange, but it was better than Mr. Fang, so Fang Chengyin stopped caring.

After Fang Chengyin left, Wei Shu knocked on the chairman's office door with the documents in his hand, put them down, and left.

The man standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window stared at the departing figure below, and a fierce ghost appeared on his shoulder.

·

"Apples! Big, sweet apples!"

The familiar horn sounded, and Fang Chengyin looked in the direction of the sound. Sure enough, it was him—Jiang Zhi, sitting comfortably under the parasol next to the fruit cart.

He doesn't attend classes? Does he work an eight-hour workday?

Just as Fang Chengyin was about to turn around, a man walked over, picked up the apple, and pulled out a folding knife from his back. Fang Chengyin chose to stay where he was.

The sound of the folding knife popping out startled the birds on the branches. The man used the tip of the knife to pick up an apple, the metallic glint sliding across the scar on his left cheek, a scar that ran from his earlobe to the corner of his mouth, like a cracked walnut.

Jiang Zhi always had a faint smile on his face.

"Do you know what 'all show and no substance' means?" The man's voice was rough, like sandpaper polishing rust. The blade traced the apple's skin, the scar undulating with his chewing muscles. "The wax is thick enough, the hot wax used for makeup at the funeral home, isn't it?"

Jiang Zhi straightened the "For Display Only" sign next to him: "Guest, these ten apples are made with edible wax and are for display purposes. If you want to buy them, you can try these; they were all picked this morning."

The man, his pride wounded, glared at the sign and angrily smashed the apple in his hand, yelling, "Damn it, do you think I don't know that?!"

He kicked the fruit cart again and drove away.

Jiang Zhi smiled and saw the guest off, saying, "It's going to rain, be careful of the slippery roads."

As I squatted down to pick up the apple, just as I was about to grab the big red apple at my feet, my other hand had already taken it.

Fang Chengyin said angrily as he picked up the trash: "You're going to grovel before this kind of scoundrel?"

Jiang Zhi smiled and looked at him, "Then what should we do?"

Fang Chengyin paused for a moment, then remained silent.

Jiang Zhi picked up the last apple, like a child admitting his mistake: "It won't happen again next time."

Fang Chengyin placed the apple in the designated spot, somewhat regretting his meddling: "I'm leaving now."

Jiang Zhi folded up the chair and parasol and said, "Actually, I don't recommend that you appear in this area frequently."

"Apples! Big, sweet apples!"

The speaker was pointing directly at Fang Chengyin's ear, which he turned away in disgust, his face saying, "None of your business."

Jiang Zhi laughed: "As soon as you arrive, the uncles and aunties can't help but want to beat you up. I'm caught in the middle and it's very difficult."

Fang Chengyin remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.

Jiang Zhi thought he was about to get angry, but to his surprise, the other man said, "How about I help you sell fruit?"

Since I was going to be scouting the area for a while anyway, having a part-time job would not only provide cover and avoid alerting them, but could even help offset some of my debts.

Jiang Zhi laughed, "Working for a creditor? You think it's selling yourself?"

With his self-esteem so humiliated, Fang Chengyin decided not to make a fool of himself and walked past him into the old alley.

Jiang Zhi turned the car around, slamming the loudspeaker into people's ears again, and Fang Chengyin quickened his pace with a cold face.

Jiang Zhi laughed: "I'll show you around, I know this place well."

Fang Chengyin hesitated for a moment, then decisively got into the fruit cart. Compared to last time, the ride was not as bumpy.

Have you had breakfast?

Fang Chengyin was busy watching the road and ignored him.

Jiang Zhi continued, "I did it."

This person never said a word, and Fang Chengyin just wanted to get away from the noise.

The midday sun spilled into the old alley, and the looming shadows were no longer so oppressive. The fruit farmers sat by their fruit stalls, their eyes lighting up when they saw Fang Chengyin, as if they recognized him, but they remained silent.

Fang Chengyin did not look at them; he did not like to look at the faces of people he did not know well, let alone strangers.

He was afraid that those expressions would affect his mood.

However, it also felt strange. If these people wanted to sell fruit, shouldn't they go to the street outside the alley? This place was gloomy and cramped, and the light was so mixed that you couldn't even see what the fruit looked like.

However, the murderer should be very glad, because this chaotic environment is indeed a good place to hide.

Jiang Zhi wasn't lying; he was quite familiar with these places. The fruit vendors greeted him warmly, and it seemed like these people had raised him.

As the car drove east and west, Jiang Zhi said, "This area is only this big."

Fang Chengyin had been looking around the whole way and knew he wouldn't find anything, but still, "Won't you invite me in for a chat?"

They were certain that he also had a place to stay here.

Jiang Zhi laughed: "Are you pushing your luck?"

Fang Chengyin neither confirmed nor denied it.

Jiang Zhi's residence is not in a cramped building, but in a white detached villa at the entrance of an orchard in the suburbs.

"The orchard gatekeeper," he joked.

Fang Chengyin: "Are you alone?"

"Hmm." He didn't say anything more.

Fang Chengyin pressed further: "Have you always been alone?"

This was somewhat offensive. Jiang Zhi gripped the doorknob and turned to look at him. "Aren't you the same?"

With a click, the door opened.

As if being watched, Fang Chengyin asked, "What do you mean?"

Jiang Zhi looked at the cold-faced person and said, "Don't misunderstand, I can tell from your lifestyle. You don't like to eat, you have a short temper, and you don't go to bed on time..."

The more he talked, the more outrageous it became, so Fang Chengyin walked towards the sofa.

The interior is bright and spacious, fully equipped with home appliances, and has a faint fragrance in the air. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, there are abundant fruits.

Jiang Zhi took a carton of milk out of the insulated box and handed it to him. "This house was built by the uncle and aunt who pooled their money, but the property certificate is in my name."

Fang Chengyin placed the milk on the glass table. "Why?"

"You might not believe it, but I'm the one who's been tending that area." He said, as if making a pointless joke.

Fang Chengyin felt that he was exaggerating. His biggest role was simply to help the fruit farmers sell their products through live streaming on e-commerce platforms. It was simply a fantasy to personally manage such a large orchard. It must have been the fruit farmers who worked hard, and he was just responsible for selling the products and getting a share of the profits.

Jiang Zhi sat down next to him. "What, you really don't believe me?"

Fang Chengyin no longer hid anything, "I came here today because of that suspect. I think he's still hiding here. I see you're quite familiar with the people here, so I wanted to ask you for a favor."

Jiang Zhi looked at him.

"Gather everyone here together."

Jiang Zhi gave him a deep look, then casually asked, "What can I get in return?"

Fang Chengyin pondered for a while, but couldn't come up with a solution, so he had no choice but to return the initiative to Fang Chengyin. "What do you want?"

"Well... the three requirements mentioned in the agreement."

Fang Chengyin frowned, never expecting that he would come full circle back to where he started. His background was the same; every time he felt he was living in a happy family of three, someone would jump out and remind him that he didn't exist in this world.

He was the head of household on the household register; he had no parents and was not recognized as an orphan. His parents were always so capable of keeping him safe and sound, even in dire straits.

A rag doll that isn't too annoying.

Jiang Zhi asked, "What? Still not working? Is it really that painful to get entangled with someone?"

Will this lead to conflict?

Fang Chengyin looked up at him, "You deliberately approached me?"

The words that slipped out terrified him.

The suspect had accomplices! He had suspected it before.

I took a walk around today, and isn't this the person right in front of me? He was the one who delayed my pursuit of the suspect that day, and now he owns a detached villa, is surrounded by few people, and is liked by everyone in the area. Doesn't that give the suspect the best cover?

"What?" Jiang Zhi leaned closer, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, his sharp gaze and the flickering light in his pupils were enough to freeze a person in place, making them only able to breathe shallowly.

In a fit of rage, Fang Cheng grabbed a milk carton from the glass table and pressed it against Jiang Zhi's face, but Jiang Zhi managed to catch his hands even with his eyes closed.

She was pushed down onto the sofa, her left wrist throbbed with pain, and the milk carton fell to the ground with a thud, the milky white liquid seeping into the cotton carpet.

"Don't move." The words were soft, yet condescending.

To Fang Chengyin, it sounded like the kind of mockery typical of a psychopathic killer.

Jiang Zhi looked at Fang Chengyin as if he were examining a delicate work of art. Drops of milk, smeared all over his face, fell and landed on Fang Chengyin's brow, cheekbone, and nose, creating even more pleasing sights.

Fang Chengyin gritted his teeth: "Let go."

Jiang Zhi laughed: "Not enough, far from enough."

"Is it you?" Fang Chengyin asked intently. "That person's accomplice."

Jiang Zhi paused for a moment, then stopped talking, staring at the milk that had dripped onto Fang Chengyin's face. The liquid flowed down his cheek and neck, disappearing into his collar.

Fang Chengyin felt a chill run down his spine as he followed Jiang Zhi's gaze. He raised his right foot to launch a sneak attack, and Jiang Zhi instinctively released his grip and retreated. Fang Chengyin then moved a few steps behind him and sat in the corner of the sofa, on guard.

Jiang Zhi chuckled, his terrifying expression completely concealed. "You might have misunderstood."

Fang Chengyin wiped his face.

"Hey..." Jiang Zhi's outstretched hand hovered in mid-air, "It looked pretty good, why did you wipe it off?"

Fang Chengyin snapped out of his daze and seemed to realize why this bastard had pounced on him earlier—he just wanted to get milk all over his face too.

"If you are unrighteous, I will be unrighteous too," this person once said.

Thinking of this, he got up angrily.

Jiang Zhi quickly spoke up: "Hey, hey, let's have lunch here. This will give you more time to stamp my 'accomplice' status."

Fang Chengyin turned around and glared at him fiercely before leaving.

Jiang Zhi sat on the sofa, looking at the milk that had long since disappeared from the carpet, and a ripe apple fell outside the French windows.

—With a thud.

·

The villa is quite a distance from the residential area. I didn't realize how far it was by car, but walking there took me more than twenty minutes. The clear blue sky suddenly turned into a flash of lightning, dark clouds gathered, and a torrential downpour began.

Fang Chengyin ran to an abandoned convenience store to take shelter from the rain.

The area was sparsely populated, and many of the surrounding shops had been abandoned. Thunder rumbled incessantly, and rain pattered against the sunshade.

"ah!!"

Fang Chengyin was startled. The scream came from his right rear. He rushed over, no longer caring that the rain was hitting his face.

Where?

Did I hear wrong?

Fang Chengyin stopped and realized that he was already in a hutong (alleyway).

"Fang Chengyin?"

"Jiang Zhi, what are you doing here..."

Fang Chengyin's pupils dilated, and he swallowed the words that were about to come out of his throat.

Not far behind Jiang Zhi, a man lay groaning at the bottom of the steps, his arms and legs twisted in an unnatural way, his face scarred and wrinkled. He was the customer who had kicked Jiang Zhi's fruit cart.

"According to Cheng Yin, anyone who slanders or touches upon what he dislikes will be mysteriously injured."

Zhong Qiqian's words echoed in my ears.

Through the rain, Fang Chengyin looked at Jiang Zhi in horror.