Chapter 163 This place not only has snacks, things to see, and things to do, but also some daily necessities, including pajamas.
There are snacks, things to see, and things to do here, as well as some daily necessities, including pajamas and slippers. Wang Yu also told He Zhao some information, such as: "There are no cameras in this detention room, so don't worry. Human rights are guaranteed. As long as you see no one outside, you can change your clothes. Wearing everyday clothes all the time is quite tiring, so change your clothes and get some rest."
"However, there are cameras all over the outside of this room, and there are also a lot of talismans pasted on the door. If any person or ghost tries to go out, it will be detected immediately."
Wang Yu rambled on and on, finally sneakily slipping a paper talisman into He Zhao's hand. He Zhao was startled, hid the talisman, and then heard Wang Yu continue, "I've really downloaded a lot of novels, some of them are really good, you absolutely have to read them!"
She explained many things and told He Zhao, "If you need anything, just knock on the door. When the guards come, tell them you want to see me. Although Senior Qiao won't let me come, I can, don't worry. I definitely believe you. No matter what reason Jiu Qing used to detain you, I believe you are innocent!"
"If you ever host a party to ward off bad luck, don't forget to invite me!"
He Zhao guessed that Wang Yu's last sentence sounded incredibly sincere. She nodded, indicating that she understood. Wang Yu couldn't stay any longer; a moment later, someone knocked on the door, signaling Wang Yu to leave quickly.
Wang Yu left reluctantly, repeatedly reminding him not to forget her when the banquet was held. Now, Xiao Hei was eating more delicious food than she was, and Wang Yu was truly resentful.
After Wang Yu left, He Zhao started flipping through the novel catalog on the tablet, but to be honest, Wang Yu read too many different kinds of novels. And probably to hide information, there weren't any novels that were particularly obvious or particularly short.
She patiently flipped through the pages and discovered that the novel Wang Yu had downloaded was completely unsuitable for her.
Wang Yu is an omnivore, reading all kinds of sexual orientations—boy-girl, girl-girl, BL… He Zhao found it all quite a headache. She's a lesbian, and has only ever read lesbian stories; how could she possibly read anything else? But then she swiped her finger down and discovered a different book at the bottom.
What's different is that it has the letters "gl" in parentheses after it, and there is only this one copy.
At that moment, He Zhao suddenly felt a stroke of good luck. Wang Yu wasn't very reliable, but he certainly had a knack for cleverness. However, while he was somewhat clever, he wasn't very clever; there was only one GL book, and he didn't even think to slip in a few more to cover it up.
Moreover, each book had its sexual orientation indicated at the back. Among a sea of markings, this GL book stood out all by itself. If Jiu Qing were to search it, she would definitely become suspicious. He Zhao opened the GL book and, as Wang Yu had instructed, scrolled directly to the end.
However, the last few pages were blank. He flipped through several pages but couldn't see any words. He took a deep breath, switched to night mode, and only then did the words appear.
Good heavens, there are even encrypted files like this.
The note clearly stated that He Zhao shouldn't worry, as Qiao Yanyu was working hard to solve the case and try to release He Zhao as soon as possible. Furthermore, the paper talisman given to her was a locator talisman, made by Qiao Yanyu herself, which would allow Qiao Yanyu to know He Zhao's exact location. It also served as a warning; the closer a ghost got to He Zhao, the hotter the talisman would become. Now, it's definitely not just Jiu Qing who wants to cause trouble for He Zhao, but also the Tonghuan Society.
Qiao Yanyu temporarily yielded to Jiu Qing because it was safer to stay in the Countermeasures Bureau than to have to set up a stall outside.
He Zhao felt a warm glow inside after reading those words. But then, the system popped up at that very moment:
[Host, the system is definitely not the kind of shady system that knowingly forces you to set up a stall when there's danger outside! Qiao Yanyu has misunderstood the system; you should explain.]
He Zhao was currently feeling soft-hearted, touched by Qiao Yanyu's unconditional trust in him, so it was a bit pointless for the system to come out and try to get attention at this time: "What's it to you! Shut up!"
He Zhao now truly felt like a kidnapped princess, trapped in a tower—no, underground—waiting for a valiant female knight to rescue her. Just as Qiao Yanyu unconditionally trusted He Zhao, He Zhao also unconditionally trusted Qiao Yanyu; she was certain she could solve the case and rescue her.
To be honest, although she was locked up, the room where she was held was actually quite nice, much better than the one at Lin Gao's. The room was quite large, about 30 square meters, with a standard 1.5-meter single bed, and all the lights were on. The toilet was a semi-enclosed type, with a partition about half a person's height, and the bathroom was the same, with a shower.
Aside from the restriction of freedom, everything else is pretty good.
Not knowing the time had initially made He Zhao a little anxious. But now that he had the tablet in his hands, displaying the time, all his anxiety vanished.
"Fine, I'll just treat it as a vacation." He Zhao changed into his pajamas, lay on the bed, and started playing a game while eating the potato chips Wang Yu had brought him. It was one of those simple games with no difficult controls, like going down a hundred floors. Although these games weren't challenging, they were great at killing time, and most importantly, they didn't use much battery.
Someone would deliver food at the appointed time; it was clearly takeout, but thankfully it wasn't bad and was edible. Li Xia, who spent a lot of time in the Countermeasures Bureau, would often come to see her. She visited more often than the people from Jiu Qing or Wang Yu.
Although Li Xia doesn't work in the field, her condition isn't good either. As an office worker, Li Xia expends even more energy than others, and the long periods of inactivity have led to her poor health. The dark circles under her eyes are even more pronounced, making it look like she hasn't had a good night's sleep in days.
He Zhao couldn't help but offer a few words of advice: "Comrade, health is the foundation of revolution. What will happen if you don't rest properly? While you're at it, please also persuade Sister Qiao to eat and sleep on time. Even if she can't eat on time, she absolutely mustn't forget. I'm really afraid that before I even get out of here, you'll all collapse first."
Li Xia smiled wryly, "I know. I have a holiday in a couple of days, and I'm going to go home and get some sleep. I can't keep going like this. There's just too much going on. Senior Qiao's side is making pretty good progress. I've received a lot of information, but it's quite difficult to summarize it all. But don't worry, things are looking promising. You'll be able to leave here in a few days."
"I'm doing very well here, eating and sleeping well." He Zhao was absolutely right. Wang Yu even brought her a change of clothes and a hairdryer. There was a power outlet, which met He Zhao's daily needs. When she got really bored, she could knock on the door and call the people from Jiuqing over for a chat.
Aside from being a little boring, everything is fine.
"Hmm." Li Xia actually envied He Zhao's positive attitude. If she were locked up, she would definitely be miserable and desperately trying to find a way to escape. This was already He Zhao's seventh day of imprisonment. She chatted with He Zhao for a few more minutes before leaving the place where He Zhao was being held.
He Zhao has a really good attitude. As a homebody, with games to play, novels, comics, TV series, and movies to watch, she's not really bothered. Her longest record is staying home for a month without going out, so seven days is a piece of cake for her.
Having not seen Qiao Yanyu for a long time, He Zhao felt extremely missing her.
As for her customers, they would think about her occasionally, and then nothing more. But unlike He Zhao, her customers were going crazy missing her. They hadn't seen He Zhao for seven whole days, and they were longing for her with bated breath, but the stall wasn't set up, and they couldn't even leave their place.
They can only live in their own little world, sighing and complaining.
Originally, one or two of them only longed for the white rice at He Zhao's stall. As dead people and ghosts, they couldn't taste any flavor, but they could still eat their favorite food through He Zhao's stall. They could even recall long-forgotten memories through that delicious food.
They initially thought that He Zhao's stall only served that purpose. But after He Zhao stopped setting up his stall for seven days, they discovered that he offered them much more than that. There was something else they couldn't refuse—a brief period of freedom.
Only when He Zhao's stall is open can they leave the place of their death and walk through this once very familiar, yet now somewhat strange, city. Guided by the depths of their souls, they slowly make their way to the stall.
The saying "You only know what you've got when you lose it" seems especially true today. Confined to that small plot of land, only able to watch living people walk around in front of you, dark thoughts begin to fester: Why? Why have I become a ghost? And they are still living freely? Why can they walk around freely, while I am trapped and can't even take a single step? I could have done it before, even just for a moment. I could walk outside before!
Such thoughts churned in his mind, only to be nipped in the bud by the guests. Everyone knew that He Zhao would not accept a ghost who had committed evil deeds against ordinary people as a guest.
Although they didn't know what He Zhao was doing, he was probably just temporarily distracted. But if he really made a mistake, not to mention whether he would be caught by the investigators and suffer a severe punishment, his stall would be completely out of reach. So, despite their resentment, the customers still held their ground.
Unlike most of the guests, some ghosts were extremely anxious. These were He Zhao's true regulars: the Mud Ghost, the Old Woman, and even the Child Ghost. The Child Ghost was particularly anxious, extremely anxious. With Qingming Festival fast approaching, it still hadn't seen its friend, and He Zhao had disappeared without a trace. It was truly terrified that something had happened to He Zhao. If something were to happen to her, wouldn't it never see its friend again?!
The Mud Demon and the old woman were simply worried about He Zhao. The Mud Demon, huddled under the manhole cover, clutching its trident, sighed incessantly; it truly cared for He Zhao, fearing something might happen to her. Just as the Mud Demon was lamenting, the woman in the red wedding dress suddenly appeared at their door.
The moment the red wedding dress was discovered to have an eerie aura, even the Mud Ghost showed an expression of disbelief.
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