Chapter 27
1960.
Bai Zhilan.
Mr. Guan.
These pieces of information were clear, and Ning Qiuyan quickly associated them with the elderly Granny Bai. Although he wasn’t entirely certain, he boldly guessed that Bai Zhilan must be Granny Bai’s real name.
The little girl in the old photograph was now white-haired, while Guan Heng…
On the boat back to Wutong, Ning Qiuyan recalled the photo of Guan Heng, who looked just as young as he did now.
Time seemed to have stopped for Guan Heng; like someone who had died, Guan Heng was forever frozen at that age.
Reality became even more blurred for Ning Qiuyan. From seeing the video in Ray’s hands, to witnessing the brutal and terrifying “low-level Monster,” and then hearing Lu Qianque’s unabashed discussions, the previously clear chain of events became fuzzy again. The mysterious power belonging to supernatural beings made it difficult for Ning Qiuyan to completely overturn his worldview.
How old was Guan Heng, really?
How long had he lived?
Why had he become like this?
Why… had he become one of them?
A multitude of questions crowded Ning Qiuyan’s mind. He didn’t want to dig any deeper, but he simply couldn’t control himself. The fog belonging to Guan Heng and Du Island wrapped tightly around him, until the white boat docked and Uncle Ping confirmed the date of his next trip to the island.
“There’ll be a car to pick you up next time,” Uncle Ping said. “Stay at home, don’t wander around.”
“Pick me up?” Ning Qiuyan was a bit surprised. “Why?”
There was nothing about a car in the contract.
But Ning Qiuyan quickly realized that of the three times he’d gone to Du Island, only once had he gone to the dock by himself. The other two times, someone sent by Guan Heng had picked him up, including Lu Qianque.
“It’s Mr. Guan’s arrangement. No reason, just do as you’re told,” Uncle Ping said stiffly, his manner unchanged despite their previous interactions. “There’ll be a car to take you home after you get off the boat, too.”
Ning Qiuyan nodded blankly. “Okay.”
Sure enough, after getting off the boat, Ning Qiuyan saw a car waiting by the dock.
The driver wasn’t the same one as last time. After greeting him, the driver opened the door and invited him in.
Ning Qiuyan wanted to turn back and say goodbye to Uncle Ping, but Uncle Ping had already left the deck without a second thought, holding a walkie-talkie and giving orders to set sail.
Without Ning Qiuyan needing to say his address, the driver took him straight to the right place.
It was only ten in the morning when he got home. As soon as he entered, he received a call from Su Jianzhou.
Ning Qiuyan had left in a hurry that day and hadn’t had time to tell Su Jianzhou he’d gone to Du Island. But Su Jianzhou somehow knew Ning Qiuyan would be home today and immediately arranged to meet him that evening: “Same place as usual, I have something to tell you.”
Ning Qiuyan was a bit puzzled, but Su Jianzhou sounded busy, so he simply replied, “Okay.”
In a familiar environment, receiving a call from a familiar friend.
Ning Qiuyan relaxed a little.
But just after he hung up, his phone vibrated again.
It was Lu Qianque.
Lu23121873: [Now that you’re home, have a good rest, Xiao Ning.]
He didn’t call him Little Puppy anymore.
Ning Qiuyan’s gaze shifted from the message to Lu Qianque’s account.
Lu Qianque had said that his birthday was the string of numbers in his social account ID, and had even teased Ning Qiuyan to remember to prepare a birthday present next time.
Ning Qiuyan knew that Lu was Lu Qianque’s surname, and the numbers that followed, arranged in a reasonable format, were his birth date written backwards.
December 23, 1873.
He was startled.
Did this mean… Lu Qianque was already 157 years old?!
But Lu Qianque looked so young, about the same as Guan Heng. Wait, Lu Qianque had also said that Guan Heng had been searching for someone like Ning Qiuyan even before he was born, so Guan Heng must be much older than Lu Qianque.
Ning Qiuyan didn’t reply to Lu Qianque’s message.
His heart was beating fast, his breathing was rapid, and he felt as if he couldn’t catch his breath.
Stumbling into the kitchen, he poured himself a glass of cold water, and only then did the dizzy, uncomfortable feeling slowly fade away.
Hang in there, Ning Qiuyan.
He tried to calm himself down.
Just three more times.
*
At eight in the evening, Ning Qiuyan met Su Jianzhou at the barbecue stall.
Su Jianzhou had been working in the ER this week, so busy he hadn’t had time for dinner, and ordered a ton of food as soon as he arrived. But Ning Qiuyan had little interest in the food, saying he didn’t have much of an appetite.
They sat in the same tent as last time.
Ning Qiuyan looked pale, and Su Jianzhou was a little worried: “You just got back from Du Island, your body’s already weak, how can you not eat?”
Speaking of which, Ning Qiuyan was curious: “How did you know I went to Du Island?”
He hadn’t left on a Friday.
“Didn’t you ask a Mr. Lu to come pick up your phone?” Seeing Ning Qiuyan’s confused expression, Su Jianzhou added, “He said he was Mr. Guan’s subordinate, also your friend-tall, very fair-skinned, wearing a black trench coat.”
Ning Qiuyan understood; that must have been Lu Qianque. He was also puzzled: “How did my phone end up with you?”
This was exactly what Su Jianzhou wanted to tell Ning Qiuyan.
“The lead singer of the band you met at N°, Ray, was brought to the ER one afternoon,” Su Jianzhou said seriously. “He was shivering all over, limbs twitching. Our preliminary examination suggested withdrawal symptoms from drug addiction, so we called the police right away.”
At that time, Ray was occasionally lucid and recognized Su Jianzhou as a friend of Ning Qiuyan, so he handed over the phone belonging to Ning Qiuyan to Su Jianzhou.
When the police arrived, they questioned Ray. Only then did Su Jianzhou learn that Ray was involved in a murder case that had occurred in the forest the previous day. The police investigated his whereabouts and the people he had come into contact with.
That night, Ray, who had not yet been cleared of suspicion, escaped from the hospital and disappeared. A day later, he was found dead in the suburbs, his neck severely injured, almost decapitated.
This case, along with several others, made the social news and was believed to be connected to a recent influx of contraband into Wutong.
Ning Qiuyan had already learned of Ray’s death from Lu Qianque, but hearing the full story still left him deeply shaken and fearful.
Seeing his face suddenly turn pale, Su Jianzhou thought he was grieving for the loss of someone he knew and comfortingly patted his shoulder. “The deceased is gone. He broke the law himself, so you don’t need to be too sad for him.”
“Luckily, Mr. Guan sent someone to pick you up to Du Island early, and fortunately Ray ran into me at the hospital.”
“Otherwise, just having your phone on him would have caused you a lot of trouble.”
Ning Qiuyan nodded.
Su Jianzhou then asked, “But how did your phone end up with him?”
The widely discussed blood donor murder case had already been closed, so Su Jianzhou didn’t connect this case to the previous one.
Ning Qiuyan had considered whether to tell Su Jianzhou about recent events, but he had promised Guan Heng not to reveal anything about them. Seeing Su Jianzhou’s worried face, Ning Qiuyan really didn’t want to give him any more disturbing information and put him in danger.
“I forgot it at N° during my last shift.”
Ning Qiuyan moved his lips and said this to Su Jianzhou.
Su Jianzhou didn’t suspect anything.
The boss brought over drinks. Su Jianzhou thanked him, opened one for Ning Qiuyan, and reminded him, “From what I see, all these recent incidents are somehow related to the Underground Plaza. I called you here today just to tell you not to work at N° anymore. No matter what, your safety is the most important.”
Su Jianzhou’s concern, in a way, aligned with Guan Heng’s.
Actually, Ning Qiuyan had already been thinking the same. He held his drink and nodded, “Okay.”
“Why did you go to Du Island early this time? And stay so long?” Su Jianzhou asked. “Did something happen to Mr. Guan’s health? You left in such a hurry.”
The conversation became lighter.
At least, for Su Jianzhou.
Ning Qiuyan could only vaguely reply, “Yes.”
Su Jianzhou said, “From how you described him before, Mr. Guan seems like a really good person. I hope he’s alright.”
Ning Qiuyan could only say again, “He’s fine now.”
They chatted.
Ning Qiuyan told Su Jianzhou about the scenery on Du Island this time, spoke of Guan Ziming who worked at the farm, and Granny Bai who spent all day in the kitchen and cooked delicious meals. He talked about the mushrooms drying in the forest, the hermit crabs by the sea, the rooms in the mansion filled with collections, and the sunrise paintings by Guan Heng.
Ignoring the unbelievable details, Ning Qiuyan found that the Du Island he spoke of was no different from before. Life seemed peaceful, with a sense of tranquility after everything had settled.
As he talked, Ning Qiuyan felt much more at ease.
He had truly returned to real life now. As long as he didn’t dig any deeper, the future would be no different from the past.
The boss brought out freshly grilled dishes.
The steaming skewers were neatly arranged on the plate, making mouths water.
The weather was cold.
With a mall and a school nearby, new customers soon arrived.
The aroma of food in the tent and the laughter of the diners were full of the warmth of everyday life.
Ning Qiuyan hadn’t had much appetite, but seeing Su Jianzhou eat so heartily, he ate a little too.
A young couple walked into the tent and sat in a corner.
The boy was ordering food, and the girl held his arm.
They must have been regulars too. The boss asked the girl, “Would you like some grilled Crucian Carp today? I killed them this afternoon and haven’t put them out yet.”
The girl smiled sweetly, “Sure, thank you! Please pick the biggest one for me! The one with the fewest bones!”
The boss agreed.
Soon, he lifted the curtain and came in carrying a red plastic bucket, intending for the girl to choose herself.
Ning Qiuyan first smelled the distinctive fishy scent.
Then, as the boss walked by with the bucket, he saw inside the freshly gutted Crucian Carp, their bellies slit open, innards removed, eyes wide.
At that moment, he couldn’t hold back and ran outside the tent to the trash bin, covering his mouth.
He vomited up everything he had just eaten.
Su Jianzhou followed him out and handed him a bottle of water.
After rinsing his mouth, Ning Qiuyan leaned against a tree trunk and caught his breath for a while.
Suddenly, in the dappled light and shadow of several wutong trees, he seemed to see Guan Heng standing there. He was still wearing that silver-gray long robe, barefoot, his long hair lazily draped behind him, eyes lowered, looking down from above.
“Such a timid child,” Guan Heng said, just as he had last time, his tone gentle.
“What are you looking at?” Su Jianzhou asked, patting Ning Qiuyan’s back and glancing in the direction he was looking.
Ning Qiuyan blinked. There was nothing there.
It was all just his imagination.