Chapter 84: Soul Separation: I Hook You and You Bite
Late at night, a bar in Shucheng was crowded.
Ying Siqian, pretentiously sitting at the bar with a cocktail in hand, ran a hand through his slicked-back hairspray, his gaze frivolously searching for his prey. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he noticed a woman with curly hair, a sweater, and high heels approaching. She sat down on a nearby stool and asked the bartender for a Bronx.
Ying Siqian then pushed his wine to a seat next to the girl. His movements were casual and unconcealed, full of the aura of confidence in winning.
He greeted her familiarly: "Hi beautiful lady, are you alone?"
The girl glanced at him, her lips curled up, and she moved away reservedly: "No, I'm waiting for a friend."
Ying Siqian took the girl's answer of more than two words as a sign of goodwill and smiled even brighter: "Add WeChat?"
Trying not to sound offensive, he quickly added, "I'm new to the city and want to make some friends."
The girl's delicate eyelashes fluttered as she smiled, "Okay."
Ying Siqian had a handsome face, and though he had some thug-like habits, he was quite successful in the love world—a fact Ying Zhiwei couldn't quite understand, even anonymously posting online asking why anyone would eat from trash cans. Of course, the women themselves couldn't be blamed; they were simply naive and blinded by Ying Siqian's hypocritical facade, believing in the "playboy-turned-prodigal" literature. That's why they made the mistake.
After a while, the two of them were chatting happily and drinking one glass of wine after another. Ying Siqian's face was already showing signs of drunkenness.
The girl continued to praise him softly: "...Then your grandfather is really unreasonable. You are so outstanding, but he still keeps the company and doesn't give it to you."
Ying Siqian drank another glass of wine: "Exactly, I've been studying so hard, but that old man still refuses to give up his seat. Tsk."
The girl sighed sincerely: "Oh, I wish my boyfriend was as good as you."
Ying Siqian's vanity was well satisfied, and he almost felt ecstatic: "What's so difficult about it? Can't you just change your boyfriend?"
The girl laughed: "Oh, that's disgusting~"
Ying Siqian took advantage of the situation and approached, saying with a smile, "What's wrong? Is it not good? Tell me the truth, I like your style."
The girl covered her face shyly and said, "Really? What if my boyfriend comes to my house?"
Ying Siqian sneered disdainfully: "Humph, just let him try. I'm not bragging, even if it's a fierce ghost, I can still deal with it."
The girl punched him shyly: "You are such a joke~"
Before Ying Siqian could respond, he was suddenly slapped by this spoiled slap and sent flying far away. He rolled off the high stool and hit the side of someone else's sofa booth.
He was stunned and tried to stand up by holding onto the edge of the sofa: "You...???"
The girl turned around gracefully on the stool, holding her face in her hands and blinking: "Can't you clean up anything? Then..."
Before she could finish her words, she actually pulled the head off her neck and held it in her arms: "What about this?"
Ying Siqian choked suddenly. He opened his eyes wide and found that the guests around him were completely indifferent to this horrifying scene. The bartender didn't even raise his eyelids and continued to mechanically shake the shaker. The music around him did not stop, and the dynamic drum beats hit his heart, giving him a vague sense of uneasiness.
"Sir, why are you sitting on the floor?" The waiter came over, smiled and extended his hand.
Ying Siqian subconsciously grasped the other person's hand, exerted force, and sat back on the ground - but he was still tightly grasped by the waiter's half hand.
The waiter looked at his broken wrist and said, "Ah... sir, you are too strong."
In an instant, the rock music reached its climax, the light ball spun, and the light flickered, but everyone in the audience suddenly turned their heads in unison to look at Ying Siqian. Their postures were stiff and their faces were pale and cold. They were actually corpses that had been dead for a long time. The air-conditioning vents kept spewing out eerie white steam, which instantly turned the bar into a hospital morgue.
The girl holding her head smiled slightly: "What's wrong, my new friend?"
Even though Ying Siqian had drunk a lot, he finally reacted. He angrily threw away the broken wrist and got up from the ground: "Who? Come out! What's the point of a sneak attack?"
Crash—several corpses obediently moved aside, revealing a man sitting in the middle of the booth with his feet up, chewing on a lollipop. “Hey, Master Ying, we meet again.”
As he spoke, he raised his hand and steadily took a long white box thrown by the headless woman opposite.
Ying Siqian widened his eyes, subconsciously touched his pocket, and his face instantly turned ugly.
Ruan Meng shook his head, opened the box and took a look: "Well, you bite the straight hook too."
I still overestimated this guy.
Outside the bustling bar, the sign hanging on the door was flashing happily - "We are full today, please come next time."
-
"We're about to take off. Why hasn't Siqian arrived yet?" Uncle Ying kept looking at the time, growing impatient waiting in the VIP lounge. He turned to his daughter and asked, "Mengmeng, did your brother tell you where he went?"
Ying Simeng twisted her fingers and bit her lower lip nervously: "No."
The second uncle of the Ying family was familiar with his daughter's personality. Seeing this, his face immediately sank: "Mengmeng, did your brother go out to make trouble? The third master is still here, don't let your brother do whatever he wants." He has always doted on his son. He didn't say this because he was really angry, but took the third master in front of him into consideration and said it deliberately for the other party to hear.
Ying Simeng stamped her feet in grievance: "I didn't... He didn't return to the hotel last night. I sent him a message, and he said to meet at the airport tomorrow. He also asked me not to tell you more. I really don't know anything!"
Mr. Ying San lay on the sofa, his hands folded and his eyes closed, ignoring the arguments around him and not responding.
"Where can this kid go at this time?" Uncle Ying's face was full of confusion. He held his phone and dialed again and again: "Let the whole family wait here, ah, this kid."
He completely ignored the fact that his niece Ying Zhiwei was also in Shucheng. When arranging the flight seats, he only booked tickets for his own family, whether intentionally or unintentionally. As for how his niece would get back or whether she had the money to buy a ticket, he didn't consider it at all, or rather, he didn't care to consider it at all.
After all, when he was a child, the older generation treated him the same way. They only cared about his eldest brother, who was always shining. So now, he only cared about his own children. What was wrong with that?
"Attention passengers traveling from Shucheng to Hecheng: Your flight... is now boarding. Please bring HAO%$... your personal belongings... click..."
For some reason, the sweet announcement sound got stuck twice and ended abruptly after a sharp rustling sound of electricity.
Uncle Er of the Ying family stood up from the sofa in dissatisfaction, looked around, and found that the VIP waiting room was empty except for them, and the surroundings were dead silent.
The Third Master suddenly opened his eyes, grasped the end of his cane with both hands, puffed out his cheeks and slowly stood up, his whole body exuding an air of vigilance and alertness. He whispered, "Which side are you from? Since you're here, why not show yourself?"
"Grandpa?" Ying Simeng hid uneasily behind his father, shrinking his neck and saying nervously, "I don't see anyone."
As he was speaking, the glass sensor door slid open, and a round-faced woman in a flight attendant uniform walked in with her hands clasped and her head held high. She had a very standard smile on her face, exactly the same as the airline's promotional poster on the wall. She had exquisite makeup, a straight posture, and her smile revealed just eight teeth.
"Good morning, dear passengers!" The woman's smile remained unchanged, but her pseudo-human face gave people a very scary feeling. "Due to weather reasons, this flight has been delayed. To help our distinguished guests pass the time, our staff has specially prepared a special program."
She clapped her hands, and the lights in the waiting room suddenly dimmed.
Uncle Ying still hadn't reacted: "What is this??"
With a "pop" sound, a spotlight like that in a stage play came down, illuminating the two people who appeared unexpectedly.
Ying Simeng turned pale with fear, and clutched the edge of his father's clothes. "What is that, Dad?"
The spotlight illuminated two people, a man and a woman, their skin a pale white. At first glance, it looked like they were covered in lead powder, resembling corpses freshly decorated by an undertaker. They wore blood-stained clothing, and it was unclear whether the blood was real or fake. The scene had the feel of a cheap American blood-and-blood film set.
The man's eyes were dull, his hands folded in a prayer gesture, and he read aloud, "Ah! Brother, we have very little time left. Please take good care of our two children!"
The woman took out a black lacquered box, blood seeping from the corners of her eyes. "This contains all our belongings. The top layer is all yours, but I hope you can pass the things on the last layer to the children when they grow up..."
As he spoke, there was a crisp "crack" sound, and the two men's heads tilted to one side, obviously broken.
"Ahhhhhh!" Ying Simeng was so scared that she closed her eyes and screamed.
The second uncle of the Ying family's face turned pale and he looked around: "Who is doing this?! Come out!" He subconsciously wanted to take real action, but because this was a public place, he still had some concerns.
The Third Master's expression was gloomy, his cheeks twitched, and he finally remained silent.
The spotlight gradually dimmed, and the man and woman disappeared as the lights went out. Not far away, another beam of light suddenly lit up.
Another girl appeared under the light, her face also pale under the spotlight.
The girl knelt on the ground, repeatedly knocking on the door. Her tone was still very out of place, and this deliberately exaggerated performance was inexplicably creepy: "Uncle, please save my brother, okay? He is very ill, why don't you call a doctor for him? Please save him... Please save him..."
She repeated this sentence mechanically, then suddenly raised her head and stared at everyone: "Do you want him to die?"
The second uncle of the Ying family was so obviously slandered that veins popped up on his forehead. He became angry and embarrassed. He stretched out his hand to make a seal and was about to summon the ghost, but was stopped by the crutch of the third uncle next to him.
"Third Master?"
"Master Ruan, if you have anything to say, please speak up," Third Master Ying snorted unhappily, "I wonder how my youngster has offended you?"
The overhead light tubes lit up one after another, making a series of clicking sounds.
Behind the ever-smiling flight attendant, a skinny old man in a black double-breasted silk shirt appeared. Next to him, the man, woman, and girl stood side by side, with indescribable weird smiles on their faces, and their necks and limbs were covered with marks of stitches.
Uncle Ying's eyes fell on the square black box held by the man and woman. His cheeks twitched slightly, and he felt doubtful: "That box...?"
As if to answer his confusion, Ruan Mengxiu raised his hand with a forced smile, and the smiling flight attendant took out a long white box and handed it to him respectfully.
Uncle Ying's eyes widened, his blood boiling: "That's mine, when did you steal it?!"
"It seems you still don't understand this drama!" Ruan Mengxiu shook his head: "Alright, I'll take the things and return them to their original owner. There's no need to do this, but since I'm here, I'll just return the favor."
The person asking for help is related to Long Zhu and has the potential to help Sister Qing. As a favor to him, he doesn't mind giving an extra token of his loyalty.
Besides, he couldn't stand these short-sighted and greedy people.
"How did the head of the manor know that girl Zhiwei?" Third Master Ying tried to get more information out of him, "This is the first time you've personally spoken up for someone."
Ruan Mengxiu said slowly, "Ying Lao San, you're getting more and more confused as you get older. What were you thinking? Instigating everyone to fight Xiao so you can sit back and reap the benefits? Don't think we mountain people are fools who don't know the ways of the world. Don't blame others either. Your family's decline isn't because of the Bai family, or the Zhang or Li family, it's because of you, Ying Lao San. Tolerating a fool to eat up your eldest brother's family is the kind of behavior that would be punished by being tied up and drowned in a pond in our Ruan Family Village."
It was rare for him to say so many words in one breath, and he felt it was a complete waste of words, so he simply put away the key and prepared to turn around and leave.
"Wait!" Uncle Ying was a little afraid of Ruan Mengxiu. He looked at the box as if a piece of flesh had been gouged out of him, but he didn't dare to fight with Ruan Mengxiu openly for it. He could only swallow his anger and bravely stopped him and asked, "You took the things too. Where's my son? He hasn't been seen for a long time. This must be related to you, right?"
Ruan Mengxiu turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Young man, our Ruan family never does kidnapping. Don't you know where your child is?"
As he spoke, his eyes swept past him meaningfully, and with a wave of his hand, the corpses, with lights flashing in their eyes, staggered and followed him away.
Uncle Er of the Ying family was sweating all over, his heels went limp and he slumped down on the sofa. Suddenly, he noticed the suitcase that had been placed beside him.
The suitcase was 28 inches in color and was black. The equipment was completely normal during security check, but when he pressed lightly on the leather surface with his hand, he seemed to feel something was wriggling.
He swallowed in disbelief, put the box down with trembling hands, and hurriedly opened the lock...
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