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墨書 Inktalez
In the midst of the chaos, I hurriedly grabbed the photo and hid it, disregarding the possibility of being scolded by Yilan Shan. She rushed in, and upon seeing me, shouted angrily, "Where did you find that dress?"
"On the wardrobe," I replied, my face surely flushed, my voice barely above a whisper, almost inaudible to myself.
Her anger seemed to reach its peak; her current demeanor was a far cry from the elegant young lady I had first encountered.
"…Quickly take that dress off," Yilan Shan said before leaving. I hesitated, staring at my reflection in the mirror, reluctant to remove the dress. Just as I raised my arm, a question I had long wanted to ask Yilan Shan suddenly came to mind.
I wondered if this question would provoke her… Witch! The image of her burning Hell Money in the dead of night and the sight of Mute Aunt involuntarily linked them to what Yang Gang had said.
If I asked Yilan Shan if she was a Witch, how would she react? Perhaps she would flatly deny it, or maybe… she would kick me out of her house.
To be safe, it was better not to ask. Thud thud thud… bang bang… whoosh! A mix of sorrowful, mournful, and passionate sounds filled the air—was it noise? I lowered my wrist and tiptoed out of the bedroom to find the source of the sound.
The noise came suddenly and felt eerie. It resembled a brat messing with a speaker, mixed with music and what sounded like a woman sobbing.
There was no one outside in the corridor—strange! With such loud sounds, didn’t Yilan Shan hear them? But when I located the source of the noise, I was stunned; it was coming from one of the locked rooms.
Was this room now unlocked? Who opened it? Or was Mute Aunt up to something inside? The latter seemed unlikely. If it wasn’t Mute Aunt, then who could be inside? Didn’t Yilan Shan say there was no one here? Where was that sound coming from? As these thoughts raced through my mind, an unsettling chill crept down my back. This world had no ghosts; besides, how could there be ghosts in broad daylight? Gathering my courage, I pushed open the door.
The room was dark and empty; yet that sound persisted. As I stepped inside, I was enveloped by an odd atmosphere.
The door closed silently behind me, and suddenly I felt drained as if some mysterious force had sapped all my energy. Now all I could do was blame my recklessness; there seemed no other way to save myself.
What was I thinking? Knowing something was off yet still coming in? Laser lights—definitely laser lights—flashed in time with the music, slowly revealing a figure within the light…
"Ah… I don’t want to look…" I covered my eyes and shouted desperately, shaking my head to reject everything I saw before me.
The door made a heavy thud as someone entered. Yet my mind remained foggy; in my daze, it felt like someone helped me up, and I sensed my fingers leaving the cold tiles on the ground.
Slowly opening my eyes, I was met with the surprised gaze of Yilan Shan. "Ding Li, why did you faint?"
"Did I faint?" In a daze, I struggled to recall what had just happened. "I saw... I saw someone, and there was music!"
"What person? Music?" Yilan Shan looked incredulous as she helped me sit back on the bed. "You never went outside; how could there be music? Besides, I didn't hear any music."
Her words forced me to believe her, as I realized I was still in the same place. So what I had seen earlier was an illusion? Or was it due to that white powder I had stepped on?
"You haven't taken off that dress yet?" Yilan Shan's expression changed rapidly, her concerned gaze shifting to one of reproach and anger as she stood up and stormed out.
I was taken aback and began to remove the dress. After putting on my own clothes, I felt a bit dizzy when I stood up and reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. My neck felt empty, and then I remembered the Jade Guanyin Chain.
The Chain was gone? I crouched down to check the floor—nothing! Lifting the blanket, a photograph caught my eye. It was a faded picture of a sunny girl wearing a dress that looked exactly like the one I had just worn.
The dress was still here, but where was its owner? This was too strange. Turning the photo over revealed neat handwriting: Gu Xiaofang. I tucked the photo into my pocket, steadied my emotions, and folded the dress neatly before placing it back where it belonged.
Who was Gu Xiaofang? This question replaced the one I had been pondering moments ago.
Stepping outside, I saw Yilan Shan gesturing animatedly with her aunt. From her demeanor, it seemed she was either questioning or scolding someone. When she heard my footsteps and turned to look at me, her expression was odd. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much better," I replied, full of apologies for having meddled with something that didn't belong to me. "Sister Yi, I'm going to do some laundry."
"Go ahead!" Her tone was flat and expressionless; she didn't even glance at me.
Doing laundry was actually quite simple; they had a fully automatic washing machine. All I needed to do was toss the dirty clothes into the drum and add a small amount of detergent.
Leaning against the wall, I wiped my damp hands on my apron and took out the photograph to examine it again. Gu Xiaofang was also a beauty, her serene smile radiating happiness and contentment.
What connection did she have with Yilan Shan's family? Who was she to them? If she were a family member, that seemed unlikely. The bedroom I stayed in proved otherwise; it belonged to the maid...
Was she the previous nanny?
Yilan Shan called me from outside to come eat, and Mute Aunt's cooking was indeed delicious. In between bites, I casually asked, "Sister Yi, who is Gu Xiaofang?"
As soon as the question left my lips, it felt like I had dropped a bomb. Yilan Shan, who was chewing her food, looked stunned and remained silent for a while.
I ignored her reaction, eagerly awaiting her answer to my question.
"How do you know about her?" Yilan Shan's response was oddly curious. Nevertheless, I took out the photo to show her.
"The photo, it's under that skirt."
Yilan Shan didn't take the photo; she didn't even lift her eyelids. In a calm tone, she said, "She was a foolish girl who, for a man who didn't love her, became heartbroken and completely disregarded our advice. She insisted on leaving."
"She left?" My mood soured, and I lost my appetite for food. That skirt seemed to have a life of its own, swirling in front of my eyes. "But... why didn't she take her clothes with her?"
"Are you questioning me?" Yilan Shan couldn't remain calm; her face turned green with anger as she slammed the wooden chopsticks on the table. "You young kids just don't understand. Men are unreliable, yet you insist on believing in empty promises of love. When something goes wrong, all you can do is torment yourself."
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