4 4
◎Infant◎
The room was completely dark and spacious, with gray curtains drawn and only a few spotlights emitting a dim light.
On the gray silk quilt, a cell phone rang, displaying a text message.
The text message was from someone named "Dwarf Cabinet," which said: "Sorry, brother, I can't get in. I've tried all sorts of methods, but I still can't get into this Kyushu Manor. It's a really weird place."
A pale, damp hand with prominent veins picked up the phone. Jiang Mu was shirtless, his hair was wet, and a towel was draped around his neck. He unlocked the phone and didn't seem surprised when he saw the message.
If he can easily obtain information, he will doubt its accuracy.
He scrolled up on his phone to take another look at his chat history with "Dwarf Cabinet".
The time was yesterday morning. The text message from "Dwarf Cabinet" read: "Brother, I've found a clue about the Kyushu Manor that you asked me to investigate. The Kyushu Manor is going to hold a wedding banquet, and they printed an invitation. I've also gotten the contents of the invitation, and I'll take a picture of it for you."
Next is a photo of the first wedding invitation Mu and Qing received. The invitation has her name, the groom's name, and the location of the wedding banquet, but not the bride's name.
Jiang Mu recalled what happened last night. When he went out, he saw Mu Heqing take out an invitation from her pocket. Her reaction was completely beyond his expectations.
He didn't understand what that expression meant.
Bored?
If it were a classmate she hadn't seen for years, she could have chosen not to go, but even though she wanted to tear the invitation to shreds, she held back.
Could there be some kind of emotional entanglement? It doesn't seem likely, at least not in the way he understands emotions.
Jiang Mu was skilled in understanding emotions; he could easily perceive other people's emotions and thoughts from their words, expressions, and actions. However, he couldn't understand the emotions Mu and Qing were expressing at that moment.
He was curious, he was really curious.
Moreover, she is also connected to Kyushu Manor.
Jiang Mu certainly knew the last bus time; he just said that on purpose.
If Mu and Qing pointed out his mistake on the spot, he could say that he remembered it wrong, and then continue to take her home on the grounds that it was not safe for her to take the bus alone at night.
Mu and Qing didn't point it out on the spot, which suggests only two possibilities: either she didn't know either, or she did know but chose not to say anything. These are minor matters; the important thing is that their relationship has grown a little closer tonight.
Once you've built a closer relationship, you can then start telling stories.
If he's lucky, he'll soon find out what's hidden inside the Kyushu Manor.
Jiang Mu glanced at the digital clock on the table. He was too late and couldn't go in with her. Mu and Qing were probably already inside the Kyushu Manor.
He lay down on the bed, in a completely black room, his gaze fixed on a point of emptiness, and slowly exhaled.
No rush. He told himself the wedding banquet wouldn't end so quickly; he just needed to wait until it was over.
…………
Anjo Kyushu Manor.
Mu and Qing did not climb into the intestine-like passageway.
She knew that the people behind the scenes definitely wanted her to climb in. At this point, she couldn't act according to their wishes.
However, she wanted to know whether the person manipulating things behind the scenes was a human or just a "person".
It can't be "him," so who could it be?
If it's a person, then that's troublesome. She wouldn't be able to handle it.
Mu and Qing simply sat down; the carpet was soft, and she found it very comfortable.
Let's wait here and see who gets impatient first. There's less than an hour until the time stated on the invitation.
She rested her chin on her hand, hugged her knees, and began to stare blankly, feeling a little aggrieved. It was the weekend, yet she still had to stay here.
There's no internet here, so I can't use my phone to scan the code.
Perhaps it was because the light was dim and the air was neither too hot nor too cold, but Mu and Qing hadn't slept well the night before and were feeling quite sleepy.
She squinted, her vision gradually blurring.
So sleepy.
I want to escape.
I want to go home, I want to eat my parents' cooking, and I want to have barbecue with my friends.
She couldn't understand how Cai had found her after seven years of peaceful life.
Who leaked her address? Could it be "him"? But didn't "him" promise her? He's definitely not trustworthy.
"Wow wow wow!"
Just before Mu and Qing were about to fall asleep, a sharp baby cry rang out.
Mu Heqing was startled awake. She stood up, and next to the door that had blocked her from going back, another small door appeared.
She walked to the small door and saw the hinges on the wall. The door had always been hidden inside the wall, but the light was too dim and the door was too well concealed, so she hadn't noticed it.
It seems this so-called Kyushu Manor should be called the Mechanical Manor, since it's full of traps and mechanisms.
The baby's cries grew louder and louder. Mu and Qing entered through the small door, walked a short distance, and saw an open door with a little light shining through the crack.
She pushed open the door, and behind it was a room with only a baby crib and a thin woman lying beside it.
The woman wore a red velvet dress and matching high heels. She was thin and frail, like a withered branch dressed in finery. With her back to Mu and Qing, she lovingly stroked the baby's delicate face on the bed.
Mu and Qing stepped forward.
The woman said, "Look at him, how ugly he is."
What? Mu and Qing were puzzled.
The woman turned to look at Mu Heqing. Her face and figure were both thin and gaunt, with slanted eyes. The only eye-catching feature was her lips, which were almost nonexistent but painted a bright red.
"You're Mu Heqing? You're such an inconsiderate child, not even knowing to greet your elders." The woman stood up, walked up to Mu Heqing, and looked down at her.
Mu Heqing then realized that the woman was very tall, especially after she put on high heels. When she looked down at Mu Heqing, her eyes were icy.
Mu and Qing realized that this woman disliked her and even resented her.
"Hehe, Yijuan, Xiao Mu probably doesn't recognize us, so we can't blame the child." A man's voice came from inside the room again.
Mu and Qing were startled and turned around to see a short, stout man wearing a black suit and tie. His round face was full of smiles, and he looked very kind.
The man walked up to Mu and Qing and introduced them: "Little Mu, you may not know us, but we know you. We are Li Shi's parents. You can call me Uncle Li, and she can be called Aunt Yijuan."
The tall, thin woman and the short, stout man stared at Mu and Qing together, one with a cold, resentful look, the other with a kind and friendly one.
They are a couple with strikingly different personalities.
Mu Heqing didn't seem to notice anything. She nodded and said, "Hello Uncle Li, hello Aunt Yijuan. I'm here for Li Shi's wedding. May I ask where Li Shi is?"
She was going to give him two hundred yuan as a gift.
"Hehe, no rush. Xiao Mu, you and Li Shi were high school classmates, it's probably been seven years since you last saw each other," Uncle Li said.
"It should be, but I haven't counted the exact time," Mu Heqing said with a smile.
"Today is Li Shi's big day, and his aunt and uncle would like to ask you for a favor. He has been wanting to see you for a long time. We think you must be very important to him, and we believe you can persuade him."
Mu and Qing remained silent.
The tall woman, Yijuan, got angry again: "Your elders are talking to you, why aren't you responding?"
"Excuse me, Uncle, please continue," Mu Heqing said apologetically.
Uncle Li asked, "So, are you going to agree or not?"
Mu Heqing said helplessly, "I'll try my best."
"It's not just 'try our best,' it's 'absolutely necessary!' Do you know, it's all because of you that we..."
"Yijuan!" Uncle Li interrupted Yijuan.
"Xiao Mu, your Aunt Yi Juan is just like that, she gets emotional, but she doesn't mean any harm, please forgive her," Uncle Li said apologetically.
This couple, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, were perfectly clear to Mu and Qing.
"It's alright, Uncle and Aunt. What do you want me to say to Li Shi? We haven't seen each other for so many years, we might have become estranged." Mu Heqing's tone remained polite.
"Xiao Mu, come with me."
Uncle Li led Mu and Qing out of the room, and Yi Juan picked up the child and followed.
The small door that Mu and Qing had entered through had long since disappeared, and another passage had appeared before them.
The passageway was no longer as narrow as when she had first entered, and the overhead lights were brighter, with beautiful gold and red overlapping flower patterns on the walls on both sides.
This manor originally had normal roads.
After walking for a while, a row of portraits appeared on the wall, like paintings in an art exhibition.
Uncle Li stopped and showed the paintings to Mu and Qing.
Mu Heqing looked at the first portrait from left to right.
The first portrait is of a man whose appearance has been meticulously depicted with oil paint. He has a perfect face, a smile, and looks to be only a teenager, dressed as if he were from a hundred years ago.
Mu and Qing walked to the second portrait, which was of a woman. This painting was done in watercolor, and the woman was slightly older than the man in the first painting, but her appearance was still perfect.
She continued walking forward.
The third, fourth, and fifth paintings depict men and women of different ages and genders, but they all share one thing in common: a perfect face.
Mu and Qing took a step back. The painting techniques and the state of the figures in the different paintings were different, but there were similarities among them.
Or rather, there are similarities.
These people all looked perfect, just like the Li Shi she remembered.
Uncle Li took the child from Yi Juan's arms and touched the child's face with his short, round hands.
"Xiao Mu, what do you think of this child's appearance?" Uncle Li asked.
Mu and Qing looked at the child; he was just an ordinary baby, not particularly beautiful or cute, but not ugly either.
“Very cute,” Mu Heqing said.
It's basic politeness to compliment someone else's child on how cute they are; nobody wants to hear someone say their child is ugly.
But Uncle Li said, "This child is too ugly. Why can't he be as beautiful as the people in the paintings?"
Mu Heqing asked, "Is this your child with Aunt Yijuan?"
"Grandson," Uncle Li said.
So it's his grandson. The genes are there. Unless there's a genetic mutation, wait, Mu and Qing suddenly realized something was off. If Uncle Li and Yi Juan are Li Shi's parents, then how could her high school classmate Li Shi be so exquisite and beautiful?
And why hasn't Li Shi shown up at his wedding?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
