Chapter 38 Yin Shen Tattoo ① Sense of Boundaries Don't say he doesn't have things...
But it was very slight.
Looking up in confusion, he caught the moment when Wei Li abruptly pulled his hand back, and the fleeting awkwardness on his face.
This expression was rarely seen on his face. Lan Shuyin couldn't help but pause, and inexplicably thought of that night when Boss Wei had shown a similar attitude.
After a brief moment of distraction, Wei Li regained his composure, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Sorry for being rude." He cleared his throat, his voice regaining its gentle tone. "The wasabi here is a bit strong..." His gaze shifted slightly, naturally ignoring her earlier question. "What did you just ask?"
Lan Shuyin suddenly realized that he hadn't missed the conversation, but he simply didn't want to engage with it.
She didn't want to spell it out, so she smiled and said, "It's just that the banquet wasn't quite what I expected. I thought there would be a lot of people, but there were only six. How can you be so sure that these six people can solve each other's puzzles?"
At that moment, the waiter brought in two servings of Wagyu beef, sea urchin, and caviar.
Kui Li didn't seem to care if others overheard. "The Night Banquet has its own way of selecting people. If you think of the Night Banquet as an information network, the theme of each banquet will be released through specific channels. Those who hold related secrets or crave the answers will naturally hear the news."
"To put it bluntly, those chosen are never any specific person, but rather the secrets they carry, and the resonance those secrets evoke, and moreover..."
"As the banquet comes to a close, each participant receives a unique 'gift' from Neon Night, which is what makes them flock to it and willingly step into this net."
...
The meal took more than three hours to finish.
It's not that we really have endless topics to talk about, although there are certainly many things to discuss, but...
The question that had been avoided made Lan Shuyin realize that beneath Wei Li's affability lay clear boundaries.
She seemed to have inadvertently crossed that line. So she only asked about the banquet and the Jiang family, without asking a single question about him or the treasure hunters' profession. Before coming, she had considered asking a few questions, but now she understood: his gentleness was a form of cultivation, not an indication of complete openness.
She genuinely thought Kui Li was a good person and cherished the help he had given her. So she secretly reminded herself that she should be more tactful in her interactions with him in the future and not be so straightforward, lest she scare him away.
It was already past three in the afternoon when they left the Japanese restaurant. Kui Li said, "Where are you going? I'll take you."
"No need," Lan Shuyin politely declined his offer. "I'm just browsing around the mall. Anyway, thank you so much. Please feel free to ask if you can help me in the future."
She was considering whether to find a noodle shop for another meal—a piece of sushi was served every fifteen minutes, and she couldn't digest it as quickly as she ate it. She didn't dare to ask for more rice because of her image, and she was completely unsatisfied!
But to Wei Li, this seemed to foreshadow the end of a relationship.
Although she was smiling, her politeness and attentiveness carried a deliberate distance, as if she had reverted to her former cautious and reserved demeanor.
Kui Li's gaze paused slightly, and the smile on his lips faded a little.
Just as he was about to say something, a hurried shout suddenly came from afar—
"Miss Lan!"
Following the sound, they saw Fang Huan stride up the escalator and hurry towards them. His forehead was damp with sweat, and his breathing was not yet even, but he still maintained his proper demeanor, giving Lan Shuyin a perfectly timed smile, "What a coincidence, I didn't expect to meet you here."
Lan Shuyin glanced at him, raised an eyebrow slightly, and said, "What a coincidence? I feel like President Fang came here specifically to see me."
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Fang Huan's face as she looked away instinctively, then noticed the young man standing quietly beside her and was taken aback.
"Did you need something?" Lan Shuyin asked directly.
"Yes." Fang Huan snapped out of his reverie, his expression more solemn than ever before. "I've come to thank you for helping me and the Fang family..."
"No need for thanks," Lan Shuyin said calmly. "Being unrelated is the best way to express your gratitude."
However, Fang Huan hesitated for a moment, then disregarded the bustling environment and stepped forward, saying in an almost earnest tone, "Miss Lan, would you do me the honor of having a cup of coffee? Just for a moment."
His perfunctory politeness concealed an undisguised anxiety in his eyes, which aroused Lan Shuyin's suspicion. She could only think, "What happened to your brother again?"
"No." Fang Huan shook his head, as if he had made up his mind, and gritted his teeth, saying, "It's me."
"..."
She speaks harshly and is not suited to say such things in front of cultured people.
Lan Shuyin turned to look at Wei Li, who had been standing quietly to the side, and asked, "Shall I go first?"
She originally intended to make an excuse to leave, and then firmly refuse Fang Huan's advances once he caught up with her.
However, Wei Li seemed to have misunderstood and actually said, "I also want to drink coffee, let's drink together."
This doesn't sound like something he would say.
Lan Shuyin stared at him in surprise.
Before she could respond, Fang Huan had already agreed, "Of course! Miss Lan's friends are my friends!"
Since things had come to this, Lan Shuyin thought it best to let it go and give Kui Li face.
Anyway, I've got nothing else to do these past few days, so I might as well use this time to pass the time.
"Alright, lead the way." Lan Shuyin glanced at Wei Li, who was also staring at her, his eyebrows raised, looking rather triumphant.
She responded with a helpless smile, but was very puzzled.
Why does it suddenly feel like... his sense of boundaries isn't as strong anymore?
Never mind, maybe he really is thirsty.
...
Fang Huan led the two through the shopping mall, across the street, and through a maze of crisscrossing alleyways. After about ten minutes, the modern atmosphere gradually faded away, and they finally arrived at Beijing's famous antique street.
The streets are lined with shops with upturned eaves and are bustling with people.
"Kui Li..." Lan Shuyin couldn't help but ask the person next to her in a low voice, "Is this coffee absolutely necessary?"
Kui Li nodded with a smile, "Yes, I absolutely have to drink it."
"Alright, let's see what he's really up to."
Fang Huan led them into a quiet, cobblestone alley, eventually stopping in front of an inconspicuous wooden door. He took out his key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open with a creak.
"Miss Lan, please."
Lan Shuyin stepped inside and found that behind the door was an extremely spacious antique shop. The main entrance facing the street was tightly closed, isolating the bustling noise from the outside world to only a faint background sound.
The shop was dimly lit, and as far as the eye could see, there were various porcelain, jade and bronze artifacts on display, as well as some strange trinkets that I couldn't name.
Fang Huan pressed the switch, and the lights came on. There really was a coffee machine at the corner bar.
"Geisha or Yirgacheffe?" he asked.
Kui Li turned her head to look at Lan Shuyin.
"You drink it." She shook her head.
“Geisha,” Wei Li said.
"Is pour-over okay?"
"Can."
A moment later, a rich, fruity fragrance slowly spread through the air.
After Wei Li accepted the coffee, Lan Shuyin finally spoke, "You brought us here specifically, surely not just to treat us to a cup of coffee?" Seeing Fang Huan's gaze unconsciously glancing at Wei Li, she added, "Just say it, he's not an outsider."
Upon hearing this, Fang Huan remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "That day... you actually already dealt with that thing, right?"
"What?"
"The special bureau people searched my house for two days, scanning with various instruments, and finally told me that there was no trace of any spirits left behind."
Lan Shuyin guessed, "Maybe it ran quite far."
“They said that if it had only run away temporarily, it wouldn’t have left without a trace. This kind of complete purification means it can never come back, so…” Fang Huan looked at her with a complicated expression, “You deliberately made us worry back then, didn’t you?”
Upon hearing this, Lan Shuyin was surprised. No matter how powerful the expulsion array was, it could only expel the evil spirit. How could it make the evil spirit disappear completely? She clearly saw the evil spirit escape through the wall at that time.
But she didn't show it on her face, and asked calmly, "What exactly are you trying to say?"
“You are a truly capable person, Miss Lan.” Fang Huan’s voice carried a resolute determination. “Therefore, I would like to ask you to help me one more time.”
He rose and walked to the display shelf beside him, gently pressing his finger on a carving. The entire wall of bookshelves slowly slid open, revealing a deep, secluded chamber behind them.
A strange, musty smell wafted towards us.
"The Fang family has been in the antique business for generations. In my generation, it was inevitable that we would think about exploring new avenues. A few years ago, business was dismal. Through an introduction, I came into contact with some... special items from Siam."
He turned on the dim wall lamp, the light illuminating the outlines of several objects covered with red cloth inside.
"We brought back several amulets that were said to attract windfall wealth, as well as a statue of the Goddess of Wealth. At first, it did seem to work; the shop's revenue visibly improved. But not long after, strange things started happening—there were always mysterious footsteps coming from the dead of night, and the night watchmen began to fall ill one after another..."
He took a deep breath. "I wanted to find the middleman and return the items, but I found out he had already passed away. I didn't dare to handle them myself, so I could only lock them in this secret room, thinking that sealing them away would solve everything."
“Until two months ago,” Fang Huan’s voice was tinged with bitterness, “Fang Xin brought his friends to this shop, which is usually just a place to store old things. Somehow they stumbled into the secret room and touched the statue of the Goddess of Wealth.”
"After that, he started acting strangely. He became mentally confused, would wake up in the middle of the night, and would always say that there was a woman in ancient costume sitting by his bed, staring at him fiercely. Later, he had nightmares all night long, and his health deteriorated..."
Lan Shuyin looked around the secret room and found nothing unusual.
She asked, puzzled, "According to you, the spirit that was haunting your brother has been dealt with, hasn't it?"
Fang Huan, however, rolled up his left sleeve to his elbow.
On the inside of his forearm was a row of scripture tattoos. The surrounding skin was bluish-black, with twisted veins bulging and writhing like a spider web, as if something alive was crawling under his skin. Even more eerie was the ominous black aura emanating from it.
Lan Shuyin's eyes widened involuntarily.
"This is the amulet that was tattooed together with the talisman when we got the talisman. It was said to bring wealth. But ever since Fang Xin's accident, it has started to turn into this... Recently, it has been burning hot all night, like something is drilling inside it."
Fang Huan's voice trembled as he looked up at Lan Shuyin, his eyes filled with pleading, "If you can save my brother, you can definitely save me too... Please save me, Miss Lan."
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