0034 Letter
As the end of the semester approaches, it's so cold outside in Yanjing that no one wants to go out, especially in a blizzard like today. People and animals are indistinguishable from each other at a distance of 1 meter. Even Tang Xin'er and Lu Lu, who usually go to the library frequently, have chosen to stay in their dorm rooms to study.
The dormitory door was opened, and a cold wind rushed in, causing Song Ning, who was near the vent, to shiver.
Lin Qianqian came in from outside, carrying a small package in her arms, with a takeout meal hooked between her fingers. She hadn't even taken off her down jacket yet, but she started shaking the snow off it like a puppy shaking off water.
"Qianqian, did you bring me food?" Tang Xiner lifted herself up from her desk and pushed up her glasses, which were about to fall off.
"I brought it. It's too cold outside, I'm shivering." Lin Qianqian walked to her seat, put down the express delivery she was carrying, and handed Tang Xiner her meal.
Tang Xin'er accepted the envelope and thanked her. Lin Qianqian responded and then walked to Song Ning's desk, handing him the envelope she had just taken from the express delivery package.
"Thank you." Song Ning accepted it.
"What did you buy?" Lin Qianqian walked back to her seat, took off her warm clothes and protective gear, and began to unpack the package, but her eyes were fixed on the express delivery in Song Ning's hand.
"I don't know, I didn't buy it." Song Ning tore open the seal and poured out the contents.
A yellow kraft paper envelope fell out.
"A love letter? It doesn't seem like one. Who would use something like this as a love letter? And why would they use express delivery? They could just mail it directly."
Lin Qianqian's voice attracted the attention of the other two, but since their relationship wasn't close enough to gossip about each other's privacy, the other two were very discreet and only glanced at her before turning away.
Song Ning herself didn't know what it was, but she was certain that if it was a love letter, the probability of a successful confession would be negative.
She reached for the envelope on the table, which was face down, and as soon as she turned it over, her breath caught in her throat.
The envelope contained no information, only the outline of a butterfly drawn in dark red paint. The butterfly looked as if it were soaked in blood, with the red paint dripping from its wings and drying and congealing.
Song Ning smelled a nauseating odor of blood on the envelope, which caused her stomach, which had just eaten, to twitch slightly.
"What is this?" Lin Qianqian stopped unpacking the box and wanted to get a closer look.
Song Ning's hand trembled slightly, but she casually folded the envelope in half and stuffed it back into the original express delivery packaging: "I don't know whose prank it is. I've encountered this all the time before, so I'm used to it."
"What prank?" Lin Qianqian wanted to take it out to see, but she could tell that Song Ning didn't want to give it to her, so she could only hold back.
Song Ning tossed the package into the corner of her desk, tilted her head back, and laughed, "It's all about how I was bullied by others in the past. Do you want to hear it?"
Lin Qianqian's face clearly said "I want to hear it," but after glancing at Song Ning, she turned back to continue unpacking the package: "Never mind, I don't want to listen."
"Qianqian, there are times when you don't want to listen?" Lu Lu asked in surprise.
"I'm usually very eager to learn. Besides, who would dare to play a prank on her? This sounds like a lie, I'm not stupid," Lin Qianqian muttered.
Song Ning smiled.
It wasn't entirely a lie. When she first started elementary school, everyone knew she was an adopted orphan. Plus, she would yell and scream whenever someone bumped into her, which quickly made her an "oddball" in the eyes of her classmates.
And the "outcast" is always the one who gets bullied the most, especially the powerless and defenseless "outcast." So back then, there were always strange doodles, dead bugs, and disgusting snot on her desk...
"If you don't listen, then we can't listen either," Tang Xin'er joked as she ate her meal.
"Look, everyone else wants to hear it." Lin Qianqian didn't want to miss any opportunity.
"It depends on my mood." Song Ning lowered her head and continued to review, but after her gaze fell on the letter in the corner, she couldn't concentrate on the words in the book at all.
Song Ning knew that Lin Qianqian was not easy to fool. There were many things that Lin Qianqian did not reveal because of her personality, not because she was stupid.
So that night, when the four roommates secretly ate hot pot without telling the dorm manager, Song Ning made up a few pranks she had played as a child, half true and half false, to satisfy Lin Qianqian's gossipy nature.
After finishing her meal, Song Ning said she was going on a date with her boyfriend, and then pretended to take out the trash while taking out the package.
Lin Qianqian stood at the door, reluctantly seeing Song Ning off: "When is your boyfriend going to treat you to dinner? If not, I'll treat him too."
Professor Shen isn't so poor that he can't even afford a meal, Song Ning thought to herself with a smirk.
Lin Qianqian, who was completely obsessed with Song Ning's sister-in-law and boyfriend, leaned against the door, looking exactly like a wife seeing her husband off to war with tears in her eyes: "Can't you really take me to see him? A photo will do."
"In a while." Song Ning said, holding the trash and the package.
"You've said that so many times already," Lin Qianqian persisted.
"Qianqian, how much longer are you going to stand here? It's so cold," Tang Xin'er urged from inside the house.
"I'm leaving." Song Ning turned around.
"Are you coming back tonight?" Lin Qianqian asked.
I definitely won't reply.
Changqing has a school bus, but it's too crowded during peak hours, so most students choose to bring their own bicycles.
Song Ning also has one, which she bought together when the dormitory purchased bicycles, but in this weather, Song Ning really wasn't in the mood to ride it.
Song Ning wrapped her down jacket tighter around herself, boarded the bus, and headed to the east gate, which was closer to Shen Yuxiu's residence.
Shen Yuxiu was not at home.
Before coming, Song Ning had confirmed that he had a seminar today and was still off campus, so he wouldn't be back for a while.
And that suited her perfectly.
She had planned that if the contents of the letter were what she expected, she would tell him; if not, she would flush the toilet.
Song Ning took out the package with free shipping. She had already read the information on the package many times on the bus.
No. 108 Jiefang Avenue, Binhai District, South Jiangsu
She looked up the address online; it was a prison in South Sudan.
As for this "Mr. Ding" and his contact information, she won't be able to find them for the time being.
Song Ning sat down on the sofa without taking off her leather five-finger gloves.
She took the envelope out.
The smell of blood on the envelope had dissipated somewhat; it wasn't as strong as when it was first taken out.
Song Ning glanced at the butterfly again, and the urge to vomit returned.
She didn't want to look anymore, so she turned the envelope over and carefully opened it.
The sealant was very strong, and it took some effort to fasten it without damaging the envelope.
After finally opening the seal, Song Ning pried it open and looked inside.
There was a piece of paper inside.
She reached in and took out a folded A4 sheet of paper, the A4 paper she usually uses for printing.
There were a few shallow creases on the paper, which she had just made.
Song Ning opened the paper, and before she even read the words, the image of a butterfly fluttering sideways in the lower right corner of the page flew into her mind.
A woman sat in a rocking chair in the courtyard, holding a book. Her long, wet hair cascaded over her shoulders. Sunlight shone on her, revealing her fair skin, voluptuous figure, and alluring yet not gaudy appearance.
She was wearing a sleeveless linen blouse, the buttons undone, slightly open, revealing her neck, where half a butterfly could be faintly seen in flight.
The white paper was damp, and a ring of water spread across the butterfly. Song Ning raised her hand blankly, touched her face, and when she looked at it again, her gloves were covered in tear stains.
Song Ning took off her right glove, wiped the tears from her face, and took the letter in her left hand, carefully reading its contents.
The contents of the letter were printed out, and the butterflies looked like they were drawn by someone, photographed, and then pasted onto the paper before being printed.
"My lovely little murderer, my dearest friend's daughter:"
Do you know how happy I am to think that you are still alive? I'm so excited that I can't sleep every night.
And you? You must think of me often too, right? But don't worry, we'll see each other again soon.
I'm really looking forward to it. I hope your choice this time won't disappoint me.
By the way, the tattoo on your chest is beautiful, very similar to the one on your mother's body, but I think you probably don't remember what your mother's tattoo actually looked like, after all, you were so young back then.
"It's okay, I can draw it for you. Don't forget this time."
There was no signature, only that butterfly.
The upper part of this butterfly is exactly the same as the tattoo in her mother's photo, and also the one on her chest. The only difference is the pattern on the wings.
Song Ning's face turned pale, his right hand, which was resting on his lap, clenched into a fist, and blood churned within him.
She couldn't remember what the butterfly looked like. The tattoo on her chest was chosen because she wanted to cover up her scars, so she chose the tattoo from her mother's photo. However, since the back half of the tattoo was covered, the back half of her body was designed by Song Ning herself.
Why is the person writing this letter so certain? He couldn't possibly have seen her mother's tattoos! That place is too private; her mother wouldn't show it to anyone else.
Also, why did he call her a murderer? Who is he a friend of? Her mother's? What is his relationship with her mother? And what is this "choice" he's talking about?
Too many doubts and speculations surfaced in Song Ning's mind, and the memory palace that she had once believed in began to collapse once again.
If she hadn't suspected since childhood that her mother hadn't died in a car accident, she might have taken the letter as a prank. But now, the letter felt like a confirmation of her long-held suspicions, making it hard for her to believe.
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