Ji Fuyao
A year?
Wen Ya frowned. A year had passed and they still hadn't had their souls exorcised? Wasn't the Zhao family in Qicheng? Why was no one taking care of them?
The longer a ghost lingers in the human world, the deeper its obsession becomes, gradually causing it to lose its mind and eventually become an evil spirit driven solely by its obsession. Dispelling such an evil spirit is much more difficult. Wen Ya hadn't seen a ghost linger for so long in a long time. The last time, the long-tongued ghost was tormented by its obsession, it was only for half a year. Because no one cared about these wandering ghosts in that area, it wasn't until she returned that she began to deal with them.
"We need to hurry," Wen Ya murmured.
Si Mucheng didn't understand what he meant, but he was very enthusiastic: "Then let's go to his company and take a look?"
Wen Ya pondered for a moment, then nodded.
Without further ado, Si Mucheng said goodbye to Aunt Chen and then took Wen Ya out the door.
The game company Zhang Wei worked for was located in an industrial park in Qicheng. The park was quite large and housed several other companies. The company Zhang Wei worked for was actually a small, unknown company, but it was his only hope for making a living in this city.
Si Mucheng had never been here before and was a little confused when he entered the park. Fortunately, Zhang Wei suddenly appeared, floated to his side, and led them to a building.
Wen Ya remained calm, secretly observing. Si Mucheng, standing beside her, had already read the sign at the entrance. He muttered, "...Game development...never heard of it. Definitely a small company. So, big shot? Should we grab someone and ask them what's going on?" Suddenly, he thought of something and became very excited, "Should we sneak in and pretend to be a cleaner? Or a delivery guy? I'll go get a couple of outfits?"
Wen Ya sighed as she watched him ramble on. What was going on in his head?
Just then, someone came out of the building and glanced at the two people at the door with a hint of wariness. Si Mucheng, who was never embarrassed, saw the name tag on the person's arm and his eyes lit up. He excitedly went up to them and said, "Hello!"
The woman was a girl in her early twenties. She was startled by Si Mucheng's advances, but Si Mucheng's sunny and handsome face made her cheeks blush slightly.
Si Mucheng's puppy eyes sparkled, and he called out to his sister with genuine sincerity: "Sister, are you free now? Sorry to bother you for a second~"
The girl subconsciously smoothed her hair and whispered, "What's wrong?"
"You work for this company, right? How's your company? Are the benefits okay?"
As he inquired about the company, the girl asked curiously, "You...you don't look very old, have you graduated? Are you looking for a job?"
“Ah,” Si Mucheng thought of a good excuse, his eyes darting around, “We’re doing research. You know, some school assignments are like this, all over the place. Our topic is about online games, so my idea is to do some on-site interviews. Sister, your company develops games, right? Have you released any games? Maybe I’ve played them myself.”
The girl was already dizzy from him calling her "sister" repeatedly, and stammered, "Our company does develop games, and we currently have two projects in progress, but none of them are finished... Oh right, a year ago we almost released a game, but..."
"I've got it!" Si Mucheng was a little excited. It seemed that this girl really knew something.
Wen Ya, who was standing to the side, had been listening for a while and her brows were already furrowed. She didn't understand why Si Mucheng was asking these irrelevant questions. She stepped forward and asked, "Do you know Zhang Wei?"
Si Mucheng: "!!!"
Upon hearing this, the girl was startled, and swallowed back all the words she was about to say: "You...you know Zhang Wei?"
A hint of annoyance flashed across Si Mucheng's face, which didn't escape the girl's notice. She widened her eyes and said, "Are you Zhang Wei's family members? But his matter is already settled. Didn't his parents say they wouldn't pursue it? Why are you here? I... I don't know anything, and it's none of my business. Sorry, I have to go get my afternoon tea." With that, she turned to leave.
Si Mucheng cried out, unwilling to give up, "Sister, don't go!"
But the girl ran away in a flash.
Si Mucheng sighed, opened his mouth to look at Wen Ya's calm face, then helplessly closed it again. After several attempts, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Great God, why did you suddenly bring up Zhang Wei..."
"We didn't come here to ask him about something?"
“No…” Si Mucheng tried to explain “what is a roundabout way”, but Wen Ya’s calm expression made him feel that even if he explained it, she didn’t seem to understand.
Wen Ya, who was always straightforward, caught the word "investigate" in the girl's words. She suddenly realized that something was wrong with Zhang Wei's death. In fact, she didn't care how the ghost became a ghost; the ghost needed her because it couldn't reincarnate due to its obsession.
Si Mucheng glanced at Zhang Wei, who was still floating in mid-air with an honest and unassuming expression, and asked him with a bored look, "Do you know that girl from earlier?"
Zhang Wei's reaction was a little slow; he paused for a moment before nodding.
Si Mucheng was somewhat exhausted. This guy was truly a spineless coward; he wouldn't say a word unless asked, and you couldn't get a single word out of him. Just as he was about to ask something else, Wen Ya spoke up again: "How did you die?"
Good grief, it's that direct and offensive vibe again.
Zhang Wei seemed to be pondering, but how could a ghost not remember how it died? He thought for a while before slowly raising his hand and pointing to a patch of ground in front of the building.
Si Mucheng was stunned for a moment. He recalled the blood-covered appearance of Zhang Wei when he first met him: "Did he fall from a building?" It did seem like it.
Zhang Wei nodded.
"Why is that?" Wen Ya felt that she was really influenced by Si Mucheng, and she even had the attitude of getting to the bottom of things.
Si Mucheng realized that he had forgotten to ask the most important question after talking so much with Zhang Wei. He asked with great interest, "Was it an accident? Or... did you jump on your own?"
Zhang Wei looked confused. After a moment, he slowly said, "I forgot..."
Wen Ya's heart sank. Her worst fears had come true; Zhang Wei had already forgotten about her.
"How could I not remember!" Si Mucheng was speechless.
“It’s been too long,” Wen Ya said calmly. “He’ll forget even more later.”
At that time, he will forget where he came from, who he was, and even his name. He will only remember his deepest regret before he died, and then, in a daze, driven by his obsession, he will become an evil spirit, bounded by dreams.
You probably won't get anything from Zhang Wei. He's already told Si Mucheng everything he remembers, but those are just fragments, without any specific information, like what his game was called or what happened before he died.
Si Mucheng murmured, "I still need to ask that young lady from earlier."
But since they had already been exposed, there was no point in staying there any longer, so the two returned to the Si family home.
Wen Ya still decided not to bother Si Mucheng, but Si Mucheng was not one to give up easily. After returning home, he hid Wen Ya's travel bag.
Wen Ya: ...
For the first time, Wen Ya realized that people shouldn't get too close in their interactions. She had only failed to refuse Si Mucheng once, and he had already taken advantage of her.
Aunt Chen, oblivious to the subtle tension between them, hesitated and secretly asked Si Mucheng, "Xiao Cheng, do I only need to prepare your room, or do I need to prepare a guest room?"
Si Mucheng took a moment to process what Aunt Chen meant, and he was shocked: "Aunt Chen! We're not like that! Da...Wen Ya, she...she's a guest!" He was wondering why Aunt Chen's eyes looked so strange when he first got home!
Aunt Chen hesitated to speak, but seeing that she was still doubtful, Si Mucheng explained to her again and again with great conviction, until he finally convinced Aunt Chen to put those misunderstandings out of her mind.
Before Si Mucheng could even catch his breath, his parents, upon hearing that he had returned with a girl, surprisingly came home on time that evening, much to their surprise.
Upon meeting Si Mucheng's parents, Wen Ya became even more reserved, and solemnly greeted Si Licheng and Chen Hui: "Hello, Uncle and Aunt, I'm sorry to bother you."
Si Licheng and Chen Hui looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then Chen Hui said gently, "Don't be shy, just make yourself at home."
Wen Ya nodded.
Turning around, Si Licheng and Chen Hui called Si Mucheng into the study for a talk. Si Licheng exuded an aura of authority, while Si Mucheng appeared obedient. Although he was already taller than his father, he still felt a little intimidated every time he saw him.
Si Licheng said in a deep voice, "You brat, did you bully them?"
Si Mucheng was surprised.
Chen Hui also looked disapproving: "As a boy, you can't treat a girl unfairly. Give in to her. She seems simple-minded and can't hide her feelings. She's still at an age where her emotions show on her face."
Simu Cheng realized what they were talking about and couldn't help but shout, "I'm innocent!"
He finally understood what kind of misunderstandings a naturally grumpy person could cause. Who did he think he was? How dare he bully that great god!
So Si Mucheng went to great lengths to explain to his parents that he didn't have the guts to bully Wen Ya, but halfway through his explanation, seeing the suspicious looks in his parents' eyes, he suddenly realized that what he needed to explain wasn't whether he had bullied her or not, but rather his relationship with Wen Ya! This was truly a huge misunderstanding!
After he concealed the ghost stories that no one would believe, briefly explained why he and Wen Ya had returned to Qicheng together, and sincerely stated that he was just being hospitable and invited Wen Ya to stay at his home, and that their relationship was completely innocent.
"No matter what, I can't just leave her alone in this city where she knows no one!"
Si Licheng and Chen Hui believed Si Mucheng's words. Although they knew the two weren't in a relationship, they both believed in science. When they saw Wen Ya, they couldn't help but wonder why this girl, who looked so fair and clean, was involved in such feudal superstitions… However, they heard it was a family tradition, and besides, back in Xiqiao Village, no matter what caused Si Mucheng's persistent high fever, this young girl had done her part. Furthermore, she looked quite young, and it must be tough for her to make a living alone.
Si Mucheng's parents were open-minded and cultured. Even if they had some objections, they didn't show it on their faces. They were very polite and told Wen Ya not to be reserved and to stay at home.
Wen Ya spent her first night in Qicheng in a guest room at Si Mucheng's house.
Actually, she wasn't picky about the environment; she had slept anywhere when she was practicing her spiritual cultivation. However, this guest room, with its soft mattress, enveloped her body, making her feel so relaxed and drowsy that she almost lost her sense of vigilance.
She never told Si Mucheng that she had actually been to Qicheng, but it had been so long that her only impression of the place was the dimly lit library on the Zhao Family Road sightseeing route.
That night, perhaps because the bed was too comfortable, she dreamed of the past, something she hadn't done in a long time.
Those blood-red, heartbreaking memories.
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