Chapter 42 Nightmare

Winter in South City

It was dry and cold, and extremely unfriendly to Yi Jiu's face. She looked at herself in the mirror again, and the mirror was applying lotion on her face.

There were faint dark circles under her eyelids. The violent storm last night forced her to drink a bottle of vodka and stimulate herself with drunkenness before she could fall asleep.

Coupled with the indulgence at night these past few days, the so-called self-regulation, apart from being able to drink without anyone caring and being able to sleep until dawn, the other states are worse than being free and happy at home.

She scratched her hair dejectedly, a small tuft of her long hair stuck in the gaps between her fingers. Although she had plenty of hair, she felt sad to lose a small tuft of hair. She was so young, and she was losing her hair.

She turned her head and looked at the table. There was a pile of unfinished takeout, a bottle of vodka that had fallen on the floor, and a few cigarette butts in the ashtray that had been puffed on, pretending to have satisfied her craving for cigarettes.

She patted the mirror with water, and her behavior was really disgusting.

Today is the last day of December. I reviewed this year's achievements for a while. Her working time was OK in the first half of the year, but she was a waste in the second half of the year. She was a complete waste. She did nothing. It really didn't fit her image as a model worker.

I basically stopped working in the second half of the year, and my life went through a lot of ups and downs.

And her private messages on Weibo are all asking her what she is doing?

Her Weibo account is certified by Chengjiang Group and Yueshang Entertainment actress Yi Jiu.

In addition to relaxing in South City, I also try to find my past self and the memories of my mother that are left in this city.

Yi Jiu took out his mobile phone and searched on Baidu, "Nancheng Flower Bed".

There is very little information about the Nancheng Flowerbed, only a few pictures and some very conceptual texts.

Nancheng Flowerbed, located in the center of Pingjiang District, was a place where people spent their evenings in the past. With the economic development of Nancheng, the place was demolished and razed to the ground in 2014. A new Pingjiang District Ancient Building Pedestrian Street was built.

Razed to the ground?

What a wonderful text! If you don’t know, you might think there is a treasure buried here and you have to dig deep into the ground to dig it out.

So this is not intentional! This is God's will!

Yi Jiu muttered to himself, as if he had seen through the other party's intentions, "The writer who wrote this report, are you very proud? You are so arrogant! You have successfully cut off the clues on me."

Yi Jiu took out his memo and wrote down this sentence proudly:

The Nancheng Flowerbed was rebuilt in 2014, and it is suspected to be hiding a secret.

Anyone who has ever existed, no matter how long ago, has left traces. In fact, everyone has countless threads on their bodies, which connect other people together and constitute life opportunities.

Yi Jiu put down her phone. She was standing in a dead end in Pingjiang District, having just walked past the so-called South City Flowerbed. Following the directions on the map, she successfully turned into some unknown place.

Yi Jiu sighed and slapped his forehead with his right hand.

Fortunately, this place is not Haicheng, otherwise she, who is a top star, would have fallen into the status of a fool. Just thinking about it is a horrible and socially dead thing.

No! This is enough dark history to be used to tarnish the image of the country.

At this moment, there was a sound of a girl crying, "Oh oh oh."

A little boy wearing a ghost mask and making a fierce gesture said to a little girl, "Hand over the protection fee quickly, or I will beat you to death."

The little girl was so frightened that she trembled and fell to the ground. The little boy laughed loudly beside her, "Hahahahahaha."

He went up to the little girl and tried to snatch her schoolbag, emptying everything out. There was a clattering sound of books falling to the ground, and the girl's voice became louder. The little boy picked up a few coins and said disdainfully, "Damn! Only fifty yuan, you poor bastard..."

The little boy felt pain in his hand, Yi Jiu grabbed his wrist, snatched the fifty yuan, and lifted her up. The little boy was about to kick Yi Jiu, but Yi Jiu would never give him a chance.

She grabbed the boy's kicking foot and let go of her other hand, causing her to fall headfirst. The boy screamed in fear and he glared at her, "Do you know who I am?"

"Oh! I don't know, I'm not interested, who cares?" Yi Jiu spoke very arrogantly.

"Just wait! When my sister comes back, you're dead!" The little boy threatened fiercely. Seeing Yi Jiu didn't say anything, he thought the threat worked. "My sister is super rich, top class, understand? If you put me down, apologize to me, and give me 1,000 yuan, I won't bother with you."

"Then do you know who my sister is? I also have a sister who is also very rich, super rich, top class, understand?" Yi Jiu said sarcastically. The little boy retorted: "If your sister dares to come, I will catch her and sell her. Sell her into the mountains, where she will be bullied every day..."

Yi Jiu saw a water tank at the entrance of the alley, so she threw the little boy into the tank and pushed his head in. The little boy was struggling, so Yi Jiu let him go. The little boy looked at her with tears in his eyes, and became even more angry. He actually cursed her in the Haicheng dialect, "You little bastard! Xiang Wuning!!!"

"My sister is a top omega in Haicheng, rich and pretty. She will be back tonight, and I will make you and your sister lick my ass. By then, you, a thief, will be dead."

"You bully others because you rely on your strength and height. But when you meet someone stronger than you, you just say something about my sister? Ha!" After Yi Jiu finished speaking, he pushed the little boy into the water and listened to the little boy begging for mercy.

Yi Jiu said: "Go and apologize!"

The little boy said reluctantly to the little girl, "I'm sorry."

After saying this, Yi Jiu took the little boy out of the water tank. The little boy ran away angrily, saying, "Just wait for me!"

Yi Jiu half squatted down, handed the tissue to the little girl, and helped her pack her schoolbag. The little girl smiled shyly, "Thank you, big sister."

"Where is your home? Do you need me to take you back?"

"OK."

Yi Jiu held the little girl's hand and walked out of the alley. Seeing groups of people walking around, Yi Jiu felt a lot more relieved.

Yi Jiu asked: "Do you know all the ancient buildings here?"

The little girl nodded, and Yi Jiu handed the notebook in her hand to her. She specially bought a check-in book for internet celebrities’ ancient buildings in Pingjiang District.

She pointed to a Lihua Winery above and said, "Little sister, can you take me there?"

"This is my family's wine shop," the little girl said. "My father is not here today. If you want to stamp the seal, you have to wait until tomorrow."

Yi Jiu stood at the door of an ancient building, on which hung a plaque that was originally gilded with four large characters: Lihua Wine Shop.

Under the direct sunlight, it is dim and dull, just like the economy of South City.

This southern city is adjacent to Beijing, but it is developing so slowly.

At this time, a faint aroma of alcohol gradually penetrated into Yi Jiu's nose as the little girl opened the door. As if it had magic, it hooked Yi Jiu unconsciously to follow the little girl's footsteps.

"I'm back. Who are you?" A woman's voice came from inside the house, and the little girl said, "Sister, she saved me. Lu Huai was bullying me again just now."

The girl's sister sighed, "Lu Nai! You should avoid him from now on. There's nothing you can do about it because his family has a backstage."

Yi Jiu is not keen on gossip, such domineering things.

Lu Bai also has a backstage. He just mentioned his sister. Is her last name Lu? She was too lazy to guess. If she was lucky enough to meet him, she would think about it.

The girl's elder sister finished talking to her younger sister. She was very grateful to her younger sister for saving her life. She asked, "Hello, my name is Shi Ling."

"Are you...Shi Ling, the president of the Student Union of the Kyoto University School of Performing Arts?" Yi Jiu asked.

"Do you know me? Who are you?"

Know each other, how could I not know each other?

Two years ago, I was invited to visit and study at Kyoto University, and you, as the president of the student union, came to receive me. She vaguely remembered that this person was from the directing department.

"My name is Jiu." Yi Jiu was afraid that his identity would be revealed, so he had to use the pseudonym Jiu. Shi Ling glanced over and found that Jiu looked very familiar. Could it be the top star Yi Jiu?

Shi Ling is not a fan, but Yi Jiu is really popular.

She graduated from the Directing Department of Kyoto University and often heard her teacher talk about Yi Jiu's superb acting skills. The year before she graduated, Yi Jiu was invited to Kyoto University. Yi Jiu was humble and knowledgeable, and she could speak a few words on any topic.

"Sister, Sister Jiu is a tourist who wants to get a stamp." The younger sister of the Shi family explained the purpose of Yi Jiu's visit.

Yi Jiu coughed lightly and said, "I admire the ancient buildings and traditional culture of South City, so I want to collect all the seals. If there is a chance, I can also invest in them."

"Are you from Haicheng?"

"......I guess so." Yi Jiu nodded.

Shi Ling's face darkened instantly, and he said "oh" in a very cold voice, but Shi's younger sister suddenly said, "Sister Jiu, my sister wants to hold a cultural exchange meeting for pear blossom wine tonight. You can come and participate."

"Is it okay?" Yi Jiu became interested and looked at Shi Ling. Shi Ling finally nodded and said, "We welcome you."

Yi Jiu curiously asked the younger sister of the Shi family, "Is your sister unhappy?"

"Sister Jiu, my sister is not unhappy with you."

"Ten years ago, a man from Haicheng came to my father and said he wanted to promote our pear blossom wine, but he never heard from him again. All the money my father invested was gone. Our pear blossom wine is the most authentic one, but we were forced to give up a lot of shares. Those who took the shares made the pear blossom wine very badly."

"Little sister Shi, can you tell me where the nearest shopping mall is? And can you take me out?"

"No problem." Shi Xiaomei took Yi Jiu out of the ancient building area and told her the name of the shopping mall, "The nearest shopping mall is Vientiane City."

Yi Jiu came to a popular coffee shop in Mixc and placed her order at the bar. She looked up and saw a dark brown woman sitting by the armrest. She had slightly curly and soft hair, which made her skin look even whiter under the light and shadow. She was wearing a beautiful khaki coat.

Yi Jiu wanted to see the scenery on the second floor, so she held the stairs and got closer and closer to the khaki man until they were separated by two steps.

"No. 200, the guest's coffee is ready."

Yi heard that her order was ready, and she turned around and saw President Mu. President Mu said, "What a coincidence! Yi Jiu."

"You alone? And you want to have two drinks."

President Mu shook her ring and said, "I'm married. What do you think? Should I say hello to my family?"

Yi Jiu curled her lips and smiled. She suddenly glanced at the fortune tree beside her and heard the waiter below urging her.

Yi Jiu turned around and went downstairs, but stopped.

Why did He Jingxin dye her hair in this way?

She has always liked straight black hair, so why did she get a perm to give her hair a charming, slightly curly look? It was the end of the year, so she shouldn't be busy with group affairs and have the leisure to come to South City.

She returned to the bar, took the coffee, and ordered two cakes for the Shi sisters.

......

Pingjiang District, He Family Villa

The violent storm in the early morning raged on the garden outside the house. Petals fell to the ground and branches were bent over.

The wind seeped into the house through the gaps in the French windows and blew the photo album to South City in 2014. Thunder and lightning roared in the sky, illuminating a photo that showed a man in his twenties standing in front of a flower bed in South City.

Memories seemed to open a gate and flooded into He Jingxin's dreams like a tide.

The dream was full of Yi Jiu, including the cute Yi Jiu, the middle school student Yi Jiu, and the top-ranked Yi Jiu. Except for the middle school student Yi Jiu, everyone else left her.

He Jingxin sat next to the junior high school student Yi Jiu. She seemed to be abandoned here by others. She was crying and she walked over to her, "Why are you crying?"

"I can't find the way back to my world. It's all your fault. You took me away in a Maserati and messed up my life."

"Who asked you to come to junior high school to save me? You didn't have any good intentions. I don't want you to meddle in my business. You did it to satisfy your selfish desires, to satisfy your desire to control me, and to make my father support you in the Aoki Group."

Junior high school student Yi Jiu's eyes were filled with grievance, and that layer of mist made He Jingxin feel even more distressed. She reached out to wipe the tears from her eyes. She hugged Yi Jiu with both hands, not allowing her to leave her, "I rescued you from the bully in junior high school, without any selfish motives of my own."

"I don't believe it! I want to leave your world!!!"

In this virtual world, a virtual door appeared with the word "Exit" written on it. This is the exit.

He Jingxin blocked Yi Jiu's way, grabbed her wrist, and pleaded, "Yi Jiu, please don't go, please don't leave me, okay?"

"If I'm not leaving, then you should leave! Disappear from my world!"

He Jingxin felt her body lighten, and a huge force sucked her away from the virtual door. He Jingxin herself entered a white light, and Yi Jiu in front of her disappeared. The virtual white light completely covered her vision.

The rumble of thunder woke her up. She was sitting on the sofa on the first floor of the hall, with a photo album on her knees. The album fell to the ground, and the photo fell at her feet. There were two sentences written on the back:

——I came to South City for a trip. I sent you a bottle of local specialty pear blossom wine, and I also met an interesting and quirky omega.

——Cheng Zhoucheng, 2014

And her phone jumped to the year 2014,

Text message from Cheng Zhoucheng:

——Jing Xin, there is a senior executive named Mr. Yi in your group. Can you help me take care of her daughter Yi Jiu for a few days? When I come back, I will treat you to a meal.

She was breathing heavily, like a bird that had lost its wings and had fallen into an abyss. Her light pajamas were soaked with sweat, but the heater on the first floor quickly evaporated the sweat.

MixC

President Mu pulled He Jingxin, who had locked herself in the villa, out with all his might, and first took her to a hair salon.

President Mu dyed her long hair dark brown and permed it into a curled style, not wavy, but slightly curly. She abandoned her previous long straight black hair.

This style is elegant, and the slight curls at the ends of the hair make it more gentle and soft, which not only improves the appearance but also highlights the cool temperament.

She dragged her to the Mixc shopping mall and bought several sets of beautiful clothes. Finally, the two of them wore the same best friend outfits and came to this Internet celebrity store and sat on the second floor near the handrail.

President Mu really admires her.

Just because of Yi Jiu's words, "Get out of my world", she had nightmares for several days in a row and was depressed all day. She cursed Yi Jiu again in her heart, she was going to torture He Jingxin crazy.

Why didn't she see before that He Jingxin was so fragile and obedient. No! Yi Jiu said so many things, why did she only remember those sad and unpleasant words.

"Yi Jiu said that she has infinite possibilities in 2025. This also means that you have infinite possibilities."

Infinite possibilities?

He Jingxin felt a sudden fear in her heart. Yi Jiu would fall in love again and she would have a new partner. She held the mug in her hand and shook out the brown coffee liquid.

"If you can't let go, then pursue Yijiu. All the good things Yijiu gave you are gone, so you can tear down and rebuild everything you created for Yijiu. As the old saying goes, a forced melon is not sweet, but you have to take a bite and taste it."

"Is it really possible?" He Jingxin said timidly, and she selfishly admitted that she was a person who would never be satisfied.

At the cocktail party a few days ago, she would not let Yi Jiu dance with others.

She would only hold Yi Jiu in her hands, and she hoped that Yi Jiu would love her, love her well.

Yi Jiu wanted her to get out of her world, and she wanted everyone to get out of Yi Jiu's world even more. Only her own world was closest to Yi Jiu, so close that there was only a door between them. When he opened that door, Yi Jiu could see her for the first time.

"He Jingxin, where did your fighting spirit go? I tell you, you look half dead."

"You will fail in love, business, and eventually all your friends. The people you love and the people who love you will all abandon you. This is the worst, you will become the loneliest person."

The loneliest person!

He Jingxin raised his eyes, and his bloodshot eyes stared at her.

President Mu understood and just listened. She softened her tone and added some teasing to break the silence. "In terms of love, shamelessness is the way to go. You have to abandon your dignity and be shameless. You have to believe in your beauty. All love begins with the explosion of hormones."

"You two met each other a few days ago. It was fate."

Before President Mu came to South City, she didn't want He Jingxin to have anything to do with Yi Jiu anymore. However, there was an irresistible force that tied He Jingxin and Yi Jiu together again and again. "Yi Jiu lived alone in a single apartment in Chaojiang District. She rented a three-bedroom, two-living room house and paid a month's rent. She lived alone. This was an opportunity."

This seems to be destined.

A man in a black windbreaker and a hat walked in. Hearing the other party's order, He Jingxin held the mug in his hand. That was Yi Jiu's voice.

Even after many months, she could still smell Yi Jiu's unique pheromones. The scent of the pheromones was getting closer and closer, floating along the handrail to her earlobe, and the sound of footsteps was getting closer and closer.

Hearing the voice of the waiter downstairs, Yi Jiu turned back and saw He Jingxin letting President Mu, who had just come out of the bathroom, sit in her seat. She herself hid next to a fortune tree.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Yi Jiu leave.

President Mu walked over and said, "There will be a pear blossom wine cultural event tonight. Please accompany me to see it."