Chapter 33

Chapter 33

As they watched Yang Xianxian’s sweet smile, everyone tightened their grip on their weapons, ready to fight at any moment.

With Yang Xianxian at the center, the group had instinctively formed a ring around her.

Jiang Lulu hid behind Xie Qingling and peeked out, lingering terror filling her eyes.

The air was taut with hostility, the silence so complete that a falling pin could have been heard.

After a while, Ling Fang said to Shen Huaizhou, “Release her from the illusion. Let’s see what happens.”

Shen Huaizhou nodded. Once he dispelled the illusion, Yang Xianxian was pulled out of the dreamscape.

She blinked. Her father and mother were nowhere in sight. All she could see were several uncles and aunties surrounding her with oddly shaped weapons in their hands. Her small face instantly turned deathly pale.

Yang Xianxian burst into wailing sobs. “Bad people! You’re all bad people! Where are my mommy and daddy? Give my mommy and daddy back!”

After looking around, Yang Xianxian picked Yu Wei, the person who appeared the fiercest, and began punching and kicking him. “Bad guy, bad guy! I’m calling the police to arrest you! You big bad guy!”

But punching and kicking was all she did.

It was the ordinary strength of a little girl – not even enough to tickle Yu Wei.

Yu Wei tightened his grip on the great blade in his hand, then lowered it. He looked at this little girl who did not even reach his thigh, his face filled with pain as he struggled to decide what to do.

At a loss, he turned to Ling Fang for help. “Director…”

In fact, it was not just Yu Wei. Everyone else also turned to Ling Fang, awaiting his instructions.

Could they really attack a child who looked so much like an ordinary human?

What if there had been a misunderstanding?

What if there was more to the situation than they knew?

Although all of them had drawn their weapons, not one person moved.

Painted-Skin Ghosts were troublesome. Far too troublesome.

Ling Fang sighed. “Shen Huaizhou, cast another illusion and contain her for now.”

With Flowers in a Mirror, Moon on the Water, Yang Xianxian once again sank into a boundless, beautiful dream.

Within the dream, Yang Xianxian would forever wait for her father and mother to take her home, and the most delicious fried chicken would still be waiting for her.

Yang Xianxian quieted down. A hopeful smile returned to her tear-streaked face, and the scene instantly fell silent once more.

Ling Fang said, “Old Yu and Shen Huaizhou, stay here and watch Yang Xianxian. Keep a close eye on her condition. If she is a Painted-Skin Ghost, don’t let her suddenly attack anyone, and protect yourselves as well.”

“Ye Anran, stay and assist them. I don’t want any more casualties.”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

“Got it.”

Ling Fang turned to Dai Xingyu. “Dai Xingyu, come back to the Department with me to search the records. We’ll also ask Headquarters for guidance and see if there’s a way to quickly determine Yang Xianxian’s identity under these circumstances.”

“Understood.”

That left Xie Qingling.

Ling Fang looked at Xie Qingling, then glanced at Jiang Lulu.

“Xie Qingling, you’re responsible for getting your friend settled,” Ling Fang said. “Once Yang Xianxian’s situation has been resolved, we’ll discuss what to do about your friend afterward.”

“Understood.”

And so, Yu Wei, Shen Huaizhou, and Ye Anran remained inside the Killing Field, keeping Yang Xianxian under guard for the time being.

Ling Fang and Dai Xingyu returned to the office to search for a solution.

Xie Qingling, meanwhile, stayed with Jiang Lulu.

After leaving the underground parking garage, Xie Qingling asked Jiang Lulu, “Lulu, where do you need to go? I’ll give you a ride.”

“I left some things at the law firm. Just take me there, and I’ll leave as soon as I’ve picked them up,” Jiang Lulu said.

The trip from the Children’s Palace to the law firm took about fifteen minutes.

Xie Qingling considered it for a moment, then nodded. “All right. Get on.”

The two climbed onto the motorcycle and soon left the Children’s Palace behind.

Now that the matter of the Painted-Skin Ghosts had been resolved, Xie Qingling did not drive too quickly. She traveled along the road at a normal speed, and the motorcycle’s movement was exceptionally smooth.

Driving in front, Xie Qingling asked, “After you pick up your things from the law firm, should I take you back to campus? Jiajia has been really worried about you these past few days.”

“Mm-hmm! Of course!” Jiang Lulu wrapped her arms around Xie Qingling’s waist and rested her face against her back. Smiling, she said, “Qingling, I’m so lucky to have met you! You’re my very, very best friend!”

Xie Qingling did not respond to that. Instead, she asked, “What are you planning to do after you get back to campus? Keep looking for work? Or… take some time to rest first?”

“Of course I’m going to keep looking for work!” Jiang Lulu’s voice was brimming with excitement, hope, and anticipation for the life ahead of her. “After everything that happened, I understand even better how precious and beautiful life is. I survived against all odds. I won’t squander this hard-won life.”

“I don’t want to drift through life doing nothing or waste my time. I want to enjoy my life to the fullest. The world is huge, and there are still so many things I’ve never tried. I want to try them all, one by one. I want to climb mountains and watch the most beautiful sunrise from the sea. How could I let this defeat me? Don’t worry. I won’t be beaten!”

At that moment, the motorcycle came to a stop at a traffic light.

Although she did not look back, Xie Qingling could imagine Jiang Lulu speaking with a smile, her face full of longing.

Jiang Lulu was in such high spirits that she seemed on the verge of humming a song.

Xie Qingling gave a vague murmur of acknowledgment.

Then the light for left turns turned green. Xie Qingling made the turn and followed the flow of traffic.

Jiang Lulu froze, then reminded her, “You went the wrong way, Qingling. This isn’t the road to the law firm.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s all the same,” Xie Qingling said. “I’ll take you by a shortcut.”

“Oh. Then hurry, okay?”
The motorcycle continued until it reached a relatively secluded stretch of road.

Hardly anyone could be seen on either side. Only the occasional low growl of a passing car broke the quiet.

Jiang Lulu looked around. Just as she was about to ask whether Xie Qingling had taken a wrong turn, Xie Qingling stopped the motorcycle of her own accord.

She removed her helmet and climbed off. Without looking back, she said to Jiang Lulu, “I’m thirsty. I’m going to buy some water.”

With that, she walked toward a solitary roadside shop.

A shop at an intersection with so little foot traffic did not see many customers, and the owner had little enthusiasm for serving them. Hearing footsteps, he merely glanced at the customer from where he lounged lazily in a reclining chair and told her to help herself.

Xie Qingling took two bottles of water from the cooler, pulled out her phone, tapped it several times, and then paid the owner.

After doing all this, Xie Qingling did not leave in a hurry. Instead, she bent over the counter and said something to the owner.

About five minutes passed.

Xie Qingling still had not emerged from the shop. Watching her from afar, Jiang Lulu gradually ran out of patience.

She was just about to walk over and ask what was wrong when Xie Qingling came out carrying two bottles of water.

She tossed one to Jiang Lulu, then gulped down her entire large bottle before saying, “I’m starving. I just went through a battle, and I’m a little tired. I need to replenish some energy.”

“You should drink too,” Xie Qingling said.

Jiang Lulu held the water in her hand and shook her head. “I’m not thirsty yet.”

“Oh. I see.”

Xie Qingling returned to the motorcycle but did not get on. She stood beside it instead, taking her time as she studied Jiang Lulu for several moments.

Jiang Lulu did not understand the look. Growing irritated, she demanded, “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“No reason. I’m just thinking about something.”

Xie Qingling suddenly asked, “Lulu, our Director is pretty good-looking, isn’t he? I think he’s quite handsome.”

“Huh?”

Jiang Lulu froze, unable to understand why Xie Qingling would suddenly ask such a question. Even so, she readily replied, “I think so too. Your Director definitely counts as a handsome man! Why are you asking? Are you interested in him?”

Xie Qingling shook her head. “I just find something strange.”

“If you think the Director has an attractive skin, then a Painted-Skin Ghost should like it too. Why didn’t you make a move?”

“Wh-what?” Jiang Lulu stiffened.

“I’m saying the Director is a human man, and a Painted-Skin Ghost should be satisfied with his skin. So why didn’t you attack him when you were under the Painted-Skin Ghost’s control?” Xie Qingling asked. “Didn’t you say the Painted-Skin Ghost controlled your mind and filled your head with the urge to kill? The Director kept you by his side and was clearly wary of you, but you don’t seem to have attacked him even once.”

Jiang Lulu’s already pale face turned even whiter. She gave a dry laugh. “I… I wanted to, but I was no match for him. I couldn’t do it.”

“If you’re so weak that you won’t attack when you can’t win, what was the point of the Painted-Skin Ghost controlling you? It seems to me that even while under its control, you could still think pretty clearly. You were remarkably good at judging the situation – just like a normal, lucid human.”

Jiang Lulu’s face turned ashen. “What are you implying? What exactly are you accusing me of? We’re friends. Don’t you think this is going too far?”

Xie Qingling merely watched her without speaking.

“I haven’t caused you any trouble, have I? I took care of myself, didn’t I? If you didn’t want to help me, you could have just said so. What’s the point of making snide remarks after the fact? If you don’t want me as a friend anymore, then I’ll never bother you again! We’ll go our separate ways and be done with it!” Jiang Lulu said furiously.

Xie Qingling remained expressionless.

After a moment, Xie Qingling sighed softly. “Lulu, I said something to you in the underground parking garage.”

“What did you say?”

“Now that the Painted-Skin Ghosts were dead, the mind control they placed on you should be gone.”

“So?”

“The truth is, I don’t know whether a ghost’s methods disappear when the ghost itself dies,” Xie Qingling said softly. “I lied to you. But you – you said the control was gone without the slightest hesitation. Isn’t that a little too convenient, Lulu?”

Jiang Lulu’s face turned an ugly shade of gray.

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about. The Painted-Skin Ghost’s control really did disappear. I truthfully told you everything I could feel.”

“Even then, all I thought was that you might have lied to me about something. Even if everything you first told me about those ghosts had been a lie, I still believed you were Jiang Lulu, my friend. Maybe you only lied because the Painted-Skin Ghost was controlling you. Maybe it was a deeper kind of control that you simply weren’t aware of yet. I was still trying to think of a way to free you from its control and return you to normal.”

Xie Qingling turned to face Jiang Lulu directly, her expression growing grave.

“But now, I’m almost certain that you’re the third Painted-Skin Ghost. You aren’t my friend,” Xie Qingling said.

Jiang Lulu smiled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You were the one who said the Painted-Skin Ghosts were a family of three. What does that have to do with me? If you keep this up, I’m going to get angry.”

Xie Qingling ignored her. Looking at the unopened bottle of water in her hand, she suddenly asked, “You haven’t eaten or drunk anything since we met, have you?”

“You still haven’t taken a sip of that water. Are you simply not thirsty, or are Painted-Skin Ghosts unable to consume human food and drink?”