Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: Never ending trouble

Liu the Seer and I chatted until the afternoon, finally clearing the air between us.I even offered to hire him as my supernatural consultant for a gold bar as payment, but he refused. This man is peculiar; he'd rather endure the wind and sun, dodging city inspectors, than join me in my livestreams.After bidding Liu farewell, I turned to see Xia Qingzhi, who had already made herself comfortable doing homework in my shop. This girl had clearly decided to treat the place like her own."Miss, finish your homework and head home; it's getting late." I was so tired I could fall asleep standing up and desperately needed rest."I'm here to provide clues. I found some markings my brother left at home. Could we go check them out together?" The introverted high school freshman had waited for my conversation with Liu to end before finally speaking up. I couldn't bear to turn her down outright, but making an unexpected house visit could raise suspicions. Normally, detective work is done discreetly."Some other day. I'm too exhausted right now."The anticipation on Xia Qingzhi's face dimmed, but she didn't give up. "I took photos of the markings on my phone. Maybe you can look at them first and visit my house tomorrow after you've rested?""Qingzhi, your brother's situation is very complicated and dangerous. I can't share much with you, but it's not something a high school girl should get involved in," I said firmly, knowing firsthand how perilous Hell Show could be. "Go home. I promise I'll get to the bottom of it.""But..." She hesitated, clutching her phone. Ultimately, she didn't insist further. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she muttered a soft apology and left, looking forlorn.Watching her lonely silhouette, I couldn't help but think of myself at her age. Misunderstandings and isolation are trials everyone faces, and in moments like these, no one can really help you.After she left, I sat down at my computer to document everything that had transpired the previous night. It was routine to organize events into written reports.As my computer booted up, I noticed that Xia Qingzhi had left her homework and textbooks on the table."How careless can she be?"She'd only just left; I could still catch up to her. Grabbing her things, I stepped outside to look around. Cars zipped by on the wide street, but there was no sign of her."Where did she go?"I decided to head toward her school. After all, she wouldn't want to get scolded for leaving her hard-earned homework behind.Walking along, a sudden sound of shattering glass echoed from an alleyway."Qingzhi, is that you?" I approached cautiously, peeking into the dimly lit alley.A high school girl with dyed blonde hair was waving a broken bottle menacingly."You think you're better than us? Acting all innocent and pure?"These kids today—resorting to violence at the drop of a hat. This seemed like a matter for school authorities, not outsiders like me.I was about to leave when I overheard something that made my blood boil."Strip her clothes off and record it. Let's show everyone what this pretentious slut really is!""How vile can they be?" I muttered, appalled by the venom in their words."You spend all afternoon in some seedy shop, acting pure at school? You're disgusting!""Why aren't you saying anything? Embarrassed because we caught you red-handed?"It wasn't just students speaking anymore—there was a man among them."Listen, tonight you're drinking with Brother Chen. Don't play hard to get, or you'll regret it.""Damn it," I muttered, stepping into the alley."Hey, you cowards! Ganging up on a girl? Have you no shame?"One thug with an earring pointed at me. "Who the hell are you? Mind your business unless you want trouble!""I wasn't planning to interfere, but you insulted my shop. That's crossing the line." I rolled up my sleeves. "Bring it on, all of you. Don't say I didn't give you a fair shot."Years of police academy training meant these street punks were no match for me. While I wasn't great at handling ghosts, taking down a few thugs? Child's play.After a brief scuffle, during which I took a few hits, I finally unleashed my trump card: an 8,000-volt stun gun. Watching the thugs convulse and foam at the mouth in the alley gave me a strange sense of satisfaction."Behave yourselves next time. Remember what this feels like before you bully anyone again."With the thugs dealt with, I turned to the girl in the corner. Her school uniform zipper was torn, and she hugged herself tightly against the grimy wall. Her bag lay in the mud, covered in footprints.For the first time, I noticed how delicate her features were, though they were marred by fear and pain."Qingzhi, it's over now," I said softly, patting her head.She looked up, biting her lip to hold back tears, though the streaks on her face betrayed her emotions."It's okay. You're safe now," I reassured her as she clung to my jacket.In that moment, I understood something: because of Hell Show, because of her brother's disappearance, I might be the only person in the world who could truly understand Xia Qingzhi.Back at the shop, I lent her one of my shirts to replace her torn uniform, and we ate dinner under the curious gazes of passersby."By the way, Qingzhi, there's something I need to mention," I said as we ate."Hmm?""Usually, clients pay for the meal...""Sorry, I'm wearing headphones. Can't hear you."Twenty minutes later, we arrived at her apartment complex, drawing stares from nosy neighbors."What should I say if your parents ask who I am?""Just say you're a teacher from my school, here for a home visit."But when we entered her home, it turned out her parents weren't there."Perfect. Show me your brother's room. Let's get this over with quickly."She led me to a small, cluttered room that had been turned into a storage space."Where are the markings?""Under the bed."Moving the clutter aside, I crawled underneath and used my phone's flashlight.Near the wall, I found crooked red letters carved into the wood."They're dark in color—looks like someone carved them with a knife dipped in blood."The words read:"When will this nightmare end? I don't want to stream anymore. I'm going to die soon.""My score is negative. I can feel them coming for me. Don't take me away—I don't want to die!""Are they in the hallway? At the window? Or by my bed?"These desperate scrawlings were likely his last words, but they offered little insight beyond confirming the terrifying reach of Hell Show."Did your brother leave anything else?" I asked.Xia Qingzhi thought for a moment, then took out a framed photo."This is the only picture he left behind. It was with me when he disappeared."It was a family portrait featuring Xia Qingzhi, her parents, and a tall, athletic boy holding a basketball—his face obscured.I held the photo frame and examined it carefully. The boy in the picture was tall and fair-skinned, but his face was blurred and unrecognizable."Except for this photo, my brother has disappeared from every other picture. I don't know why, but every time I look through the album, I feel terrified," Xia Qingzhi said."Why is this one so different?" I asked. The idea of someone vanishing from photographs sounded utterly surreal. If I hadn't heard Xia Chi's name from the paper doll interviewer, I might not have believed Xia Qingzhi at all."My brother handed me this family photo himself before he disappeared. That day, he said many strange things, but when I woke up, I couldn't remember anything except that I was clutching this photo tightly in my hand," she explained."So, this is essentially your brother's last memento." If Xia Chi's disappearance were treated as a criminal case, this photo would be one of the few clues I had."Have you ever opened the frame?""No, I was afraid of damaging it."Looking at the photo alone revealed nothing, but my intuition told me there was more to this frame.I asked Xia Qingzhi to fetch a small screwdriver. Sitting on the floor, I carefully disassembled the frame."Just as I thought..."On the back of the family photo were six words: Meihua (means Plum blossom) Luo, Meihua Gu."What does this mean?" Xia Qingzhi leaned closer, her face filled with confusion."Plum blossom?" I instinctively touched my right wrist. During the signing ceremony for the Hell Show, a strange insect had bitten me, leaving a plum blossom-shaped scar."Could that unicorn-headed, centipede-like creature be the Meihua Gu? Is this how the Hell Show controls its hosts?" I couldn't confirm whether the information Xia Chi left behind was accurate, but at least it gave me a direction to investigate."Don't tell anyone about these words, the photo, or even your brother. Understand?""Why?""Because they're dangerous—extremely dangerous," I said. Xia Qingzhi, engrossed in the conversation, was leaning so far forward that she was almost on top of me."Alright, I'll stay here to document everything. You should go shower and change—you look a mess."After urging Xia Qingzhi to leave, I documented the markings and the photo. Although I'd never met Xia Chi, I could now roughly sketch out his personality in my mind."Are you the one who led me down this lightless road, expecting me to take over your role? But why don't I have any memory of you?"I never shy away from considering the worst-case scenario. It was possible that Xia Chi and I had known each other long ago.After finishing my documentation, I stepped out of the room. The sound of running water from the bathroom indicated Xia Qingzhi was still showering."This girl's lack of vigilance is worrying. Good thing it's me here—if it were someone with ill intentions..."Just as I reached the door, I heard the sound of the security door unlocking. The sudden noise made my heart leap into my throat."Can't be this unlucky, can I?"The door opened, revealing a stylish woman in her forties with a graceful demeanor."Uh... hello," I stammered.Finding a disheveled stranger in one's home would alarm anyone. Her mouth fell open, and she dropped her shopping bags, scattering fresh red apples down the hallway."Honey! There's a thief!" she shouted.From behind her emerged a tall middle-aged man, along with neighbors wielding rolling pins, ready to help."Wait! I'm not a thief! I'm Xia Qingzhi's teacher, here for a home visit!" My words made them pause briefly, but before I could explain further, Xia's mother spotted Xia Qingzhi's torn school uniform carelessly thrown on the sofa."This... this is..." She picked up the uniform with a trembling hand, her eyes welling with tears. Then she noticed Xia Qingzhi's muddy gown discarded near the bathroom door."You! You animal!"Her cry of rage reignited the crowd's fury. Before I could say another word, they descended upon me."Call the police!""Beat him up!"Hunched over with my hands protecting my head, I couldn't help but recall a line from Lu Xun: "Faced with a thousand fingers pointed in scorn, I remain humble and steadfast in service.""Just don't hit my face..."By the time I sat in the city police station's interrogation room, ten minutes had passed."Gao Jian, you show up here more regularly than I clock in at work. Even Old Huang at the gate knows you by now," said Tie Ningxiang, holding an ice pack to my swollen arms. "They went pretty hard on you—your arms look like frozen radishes.""Senior, can't you cut me some slack? I'm miserable enough already. Easy, easy—that hurts!""You deserve it. If I caught you alone with a girl in her house, I'd beat you up too." Tie Ningxiang glanced at Xia Qingzhi, who stood nearby, looking worried and guilty. "Don't fret. This guy's as tough as an ox. He can handle it. Once your statement is done, you can head home. We've checked the surveillance footage, and we won't hold this strange uncle accountable.""Hey, don't call me a strange uncle! I was being a good Samaritan!""And? The family even offered you compensation, but you refused. What do you want? Two big banners of gratitude?" Tie Ningxiang plopped down beside me. It had been a long day for her, too. "Stick around after they leave. I have a few things to discuss with you.""Why are you acting so close all of a sudden? This feels ominous."After Xia Qingzhi and her parents left, Tie Ningxiang returned to her serious demeanor and slammed a stack of case files onto the table."The evidence matches your account. The shallow well contained the remains of five victims: the landlord's sister, his childhood friend, his two ex-girlfriends, and his former boss. These five seemingly unrelated individuals are all connected to one person: the landlord's son, Lu Xing."We've already ruled out the elderly couple as suspects, but we still can't understand why they repeatedly condoned their son's atrocities, even helping to cover them up.""Maybe it's blind parental love?" I shrugged nonchalantly."Look at me, Gao Jian," Tie Ningxiang said, her tone suddenly sharp as she grabbed my shoulders. Our faces were only inches apart. "I don't know why you went to the Peaceful Inn alone in the middle of the night, nor how you pieced together the details of the case. But I do know that this case isn't as simple as it seems. Lu Xing is still at large, and you're hiding something from me."From this close, I caught the faint scent on her. "What could I possibly be hiding? I'm just an ordinary guy running a... niche shop.""You're lying. We were the top students of our year—you can't fool me." Tie Ningxiang let go of my shoulders. "One day, I'll uncover everything, and you won't get away with it."I stared at her for a moment before smiling bitterly. "Do you really want the truth that badly?""People's lives are at stake!""Alright, I'll tell you.""Go on!" She turned on the recorder and crouched down next to me."Actually... you look pretty cute when you're mad."Bang! The door to the interrogation room slammed shut as she stormed out, leaving me alone in the cold room.For a fleeting moment, I had genuinely considered telling Tie Ningxiang about the Hell Show and everything I'd been through recently, but it was just a passing thought.If my streams ever failed, perhaps disappearing quietly, like Xia Chi, wouldn't be such a bad way to go."At least it would be peaceful, without hurting anyone else."I returned to the adult store and collapsed into bed, not waking up until the afternoon the next day.After my workout, I went to the bank to exchange the gold bars for cash and then bought a suitable suit at a specialty store.Looking at myself in the mirror in the fitting room, I adjusted my tie and said, "I never imagined the first time I'd dress so formally would be for my ex's wedding."That evening, I walked around Tingtang Road until late before heading home, thinking to myself, "Tomorrow, I'll say goodbye to everything and start over."The morning sun rose as usual, and after a good night's sleep, I finally shed the fatigue from the past few days.I washed my face, put on my suit, polished my shoes, and thought, "The ex's wedding really is something to look forward to."