Chapter 19
Suddenly, a burst of laughter erupted from the video.
It was obvious the person filming wasn’t alone; they were speaking Mandarin with a noticeable accent. Ning Qiuyan couldn’t quite understand what they were saying, but soon he saw a piece of pork appear in the frame.
Someone tossed the meat over, and the person – no, the Monster – bound by iron chains immediately lunged at it, devouring it in a frenzy.
It didn’t take long before the Monster collapsed to the ground, retching violently, and then once again hurled itself at the camera.
The video was short, ending with a blurry shot frozen on the Monster’s neck chained tightly.
“What is this?” Ning Qiuyan asked.
“Scared?” Ray took the phone from his hand, sounding incredulous. “The video’s got no beginning or end – who knows what it is. I heard them privately call this thing a Vampire.”
Vampire.
Ning Qiuyan could hardly believe it. His heart thudded wildly, his ears began to ring, and his mind was thrown into chaos.
Are there really Vampires in the world? Was this video faked? Is this ‘Vampire’ connected to those murders?
“There’s no way Vampires exist,” Ning Qiuyan unconsciously repeated something Su Jianzhou had once said. “It’s completely unscientific.”
Seeing how shaken he was, Ray said, “Who cares what it’s called? Anyway, every Huanle seller has a copy of this video. When they make a sale, they send it to the customer to watch. I know a few friends – they all have the same one.”
Ning Qiuyan’s palms grew damp with sweat. He tried to focus on Ray’s words. “Why do the sellers show you this?”
Ray put his phone away. He looked haggard, but there was a glimmer in his eyes. “They say Huanle is all-natural. The reason they dare guarantee that is because Huanle is extracted from this thing’s body. At first, I thought, even if this thing is a Vampire, if Vampires really exist, how could one be caught so easily? This video is everywhere – maybe it’s just a gimmick to sell Huanle. I think it’s probably fake.”
“…Fake?” Ning Qiuyan asked.
Ray shrugged. “Who knows if it’s real or not? Anyway, so many people died this time – we all think it’s not simple…”
It was only then that Ning Qiuyan realized someone else shared his suspicions about the murder cases.
Was he losing his mind, or was the world going mad?
“The police must have found something. The news is just fooling people,” Ray said, getting back on topic, and looked at Ning Qiuyan with pleading eyes. “Whether it’s true or not, I really don’t want any trouble.”
They stood in silence for a while.
Ray spoke again. “This is all I’ve got left… Anyway, the seller is dead, so when I finish this, I can’t buy any more. I’ll quit – I swear I won’t hurt anyone. Xiao Ning, please don’t tell anyone.”
Now Ning Qiuyan really didn’t know what to do. He felt as if he had somehow gotten himself tangled up in things he shouldn’t have touched at all, far beyond his ability or understanding.
He was only eighteen. All he wanted was to go to work, go home, start university as planned next year, and live a peaceful life.
None of this should have anything to do with him.
Yet he couldn’t help but ask, “Are there any other videos?”
Ray said there weren’t.
At last, Ning Qiuyan composed himself and told Ray, “I’m still going to tell the manager you’re here. If the manager asks you, answer him yourself.”
With that, he returned to his locker, locked it, and went back to work. When he saw the manager, he told him Ray was in the changing room and seemed a bit unwell.
After work, he saw Ray and the manager talking in the staff hallway.
As he passed the exit, Ray glanced at him.
This time, Ning Qiuyan forgot to get his hot milk.
He walked quite a distance, and it was only when his hands were numb from the cold that he remembered.
The weather was freezing, and there was barely a soul on the street.
At the crosswalk, Ning Qiuyan looked around, but didn’t see those nondescript men in black. This time, that feeling of protected safety was gone.
Snow was scattered everywhere. Aside from the street illuminated by the lamps, everything was pitch black. The alleys were dark, the buildings were dark, and under the trees it was dark as well.
On the way back, the fluttering joy and faint excitement brought by Guan Heng’s gift had faded away. Ning Qiuyan kept his eyes fixed on the silent space behind him, took a few steps backwards, then shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to jog home.
Even after he returned home, his heart was still pounding, beating very fast.
He carefully closed and locked the doors and windows, then sat in a chair for a long while before finally calming down.
His phone chimed. The faint sound startled him so much he nearly jumped out of his chair. When he checked, it turned out to be just a boring push notification from a social app.
After returning to the chat screen, he saw again the message Guan Heng had sent.
Guan Heng: [An instrument only has value when it is played.]
Could such philosophical and gentle words really come from a being like that?
Ning Qiuyan couldn’t associate Guan Heng with the “Monster” in the video.
He had to admit that all his previous speculations and fantasies were somewhat colored by a rosy filter. If that video was real, then perhaps that was the closest a “Vampire” could be to reality.
*
Ning Qiuyan had nightmares all night.
This time there wasn’t even the usual prelude-he dreamed he was running on Du Island, just like that first night when the gunshot rang out. The forest was chaotic and he couldn’t find the exit, while a human-shaped monster chased after him.
He saw a corpse lying next to a patch of blood in the snow-not a deer, as Uncle Kang had said, but a human, their neck torn open, bitten to death while still alive.
Looking again, he saw Guan Heng standing there barefoot, dressed in a silvery-gray robe, his face as flawlessly handsome as ever, fresh blood trailing down from his well-shaped lips.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
Someone was knocking at the door.
Ning Qiuyan woke from the nightmare, feeling a cold sweat on his forehead.
Panting and urged on by the persistent knocking, he staggered to the door, his head spinning. He first looked through the peephole.
Wu Jingye stood at the door, holding a bag.
Ning Qiuyan opened the door and called, “Aunt.”
He had already changed the lock.
Wu Jingye first complained about how long it took him to open the door, then put the groceries she’d bought in the kitchen. When she opened the refrigerator and saw how full it was, she muttered about how he’d bought so much, then returned to the living room.
“What’s wrong with you, child?” Wu Jingye asked. “Why do you look so pale?”
“Had a nightmare,” Ning Qiuyan said.
He was just wearing pajamas, his hair messy, his body so thin he looked like a breeze could knock him over.
Wu Jingye stood there without any sign of intimacy, simply saying, “It’s almost New Year. I bought you some things. By the way, do you want to come to my place and spend New Year’s together?”
Ning Qiuyan had a small face and big eyes, always appearing innocent.
He looked at Wu Jingye with that same innocent gaze. “I won’t go. Anyway, you don’t like me.”
They both knew the reason.
After a moment of silence, Wu Jingye said, “I’ve received the money you sent.”
Ning Qiuyan had indeed transferred money to Wu Jingye last time, so he just replied, “Mm,” and said, “I’ll send you the rest gradually.”
But Wu Jingye said, “No need, you’ve already sent more than enough.” She mentioned a sum. “After I helped you pay off the others, there’s still tens of thousands left. I’ll transfer it back to you in a while-you can use it for school.”
Ning Qiuyan was puzzled. He hadn’t transferred that much money, and he didn’t even have that much. Why was Wu Jingye saying this?
He was about to ask, when Wu Jingye continued, “I don’t know where you got so much money, but I trust you wouldn’t do anything illegal. You don’t owe me anything, and I don’t owe you either.”
Her words were very cold.
She didn’t care where the money came from, nor whether Ning Qiuyan might get into trouble.
Ning Qiuyan asked, “When did you receive the transfer?”
Wu Jingye gave a time.
Ning Qiuyan was taken aback. He seemed to realize…the money was very likely sent by Guan Heng.
“I will take care of all your needs.”
That’s what Guan Heng had told him.
Wu Jingye’s arrival reminded him of his lonely situation, but also of all the help Guan Heng had provided.
A dense, oppressive feeling pressed in on Ning Qiuyan from all sides, wrapping him so tightly he couldn’t move. Guan Heng’s arbitrariness and control seemed to start from Ning Qiuyan’s own needs, which made him feel a momentary guilt for having maligned Guan Heng in his dreams.
“You bought these again.” Wu Jingye looked at the guitar case on the table, her expression wistful. The words she wanted to say remained unspoken in the end. “Live well. She’ll be watching over you from above.”
After speaking, she grabbed her backpack, stepped out in her high heels, and opened the door to leave.
Inside the guitar case was the guitar gifted by Guan Heng.
Ning Qiuyan took it out, knowing that now, no matter what, he could never repay the debt, nor could he ever give Guan Heng a gift of equal value.
*
On New Year’s, Ning Qiuyan received a message of well wishes from Su Jianzhou, who was working overtime at the hospital. It was clearly a mass message, identical to those sent by other friends and classmates on his phone. Then, he received a distinctly different message from Lu Qianque.
Lu Qianque: [Happy New Year, Little Puppy. Do you still like the hug pillow I gave you?]
Ning Qiuyan had his legs wrapped around the hug pillow, comfortably nestled in its arms as he replied: [Happy New Year. I don’t like it.]
Lu Qianque: [Lying isn’t what good kids do.]
Ning Qiuyan thought that, despite Lu Qianque not looking much older than him, he always spoke in such a strange way.
Lu Qianque: [Aren’t you going to send Mr. Guan a message to wish him a Happy New Year?]
Ning Qiuyan glanced at the bright window outside.
At this time, Guan Heng must be resting, right?
Lu Qianque: [Mr. Guan doesn’t have many contacts on his phone. You’re one of them.]
Lu Qianque: [It’s a pity my helicopter was commandeered by the kids at home, otherwise I’d fly over to keep Mr. Guan company.]
Lu Qianque: [If only a certain Little Puppy could send him a message.]
Ning Qiuyan: “……”
How did Lu Qianque ever manage to sound so aloof in his emails before?
Ning Qiuyan rolled around on his bed twice, then seriously began editing a message: [Mr. Guan, Happy New Year. Wishing you a speedy recovery.] He paused, replaced “speedy recovery” with “good health,” paused again, and then deleted “good health” as well.
For someone with a serious illness, words are sometimes powerless-he knew this better than anyone.
In the end, he sent a simple message: [Mr. Guan, Happy New Year. Wishing you all the best in the coming year.]
What he didn’t expect was that the reply came almost immediately.
Guan Heng: [Happy New Year.]
Ning Qiuyan looked out the window, confirming that it was definitely daytime.
Ning Qiuyan: [I thought you’d be resting now.]
Guan Heng: [Mm, they’re celebrating. The firecrackers are too loud.]
Ning Qiuyan couldn’t help but smile.
This side of Guan Heng felt novel to him, as if he finally had a touch of earthly warmth. He could almost imagine Guan Heng, eyes lowered, lazily typing out this message on his phone.
The people on Du Island were already extremely careful about Guan Heng’s fragile sleep environment. Even if they set off firecrackers, it would be very far away, but with Guan Heng’s terrifying hearing, he would definitely hear them.
Thinking of this, Ning Qiuyan recalled the Monster in the video, his relaxed body tensing up, limbs gradually growing stiff.
In just a few days, he would be going to Du Island.
Because of that video, he’d recently been thinking often about the two puncture wounds on his neck after his first return from Du Island, and he also frequently remembered the red, unknown liquid in Guan Heng’s glass.
He often broke out in a cold sweat from terror, but just as often found himself enveloped in the sense of security Guan Heng gave him.
Perhaps, most importantly, curiosity had won out. In any case, Ning Qiuyan could no longer endure this mental state.
That night, Ning Qiuyan finished his early shift. Standing at the entrance of N°, he drank a bottle of hot milk, shivering from the cold. Finally, the band that had finished their performance came out.
Ray saw that he was still there, paused, and asked why he hadn’t left yet.
At midnight, snow began to fall from the sky.
Ning Qiuyan breathed in the cold air and said to Ray, “Can I watch that video from last time again?”