Incidents mystérieux impliquant des étudiantes

Chapitre 26

"I'm not suitable." She climbed down from the high chair. "Once I'm better, Shuo, I'll help you wash the dishes." Then she hurriedly fled back to her room.

Sitting in Xiangwan's room, Huang'e had not yet returned.

I glanced at my uncle's letter but didn't open it. I placed it on the bedside table and lay down facing the wall. I wasn't as innocent as others thought. Before I even started kindergarten, I already knew about sex.

Evil revels in the taste of sin, and sex is most easily associated with this sin. I didn't learn to build high walls to protect myself from images until I entered junior high school; before that, I was forced to watch quite a lot. Not only did I watch, but I even learned about the ugly thoughts in both parties' minds.

Men look down on women, and women look down on men. Men think women are worthless, cheap goods, so easy to sleep with. Women think they can buy love and material things with sex.

It wasn't until I went to university that I gradually became immersed in this chaotic environment, and occasionally I could see people's thoughts, especially their naked desires, because they were completely unprepared.

Some boys were indeed interested in me, but I found it extremely filthy. They were wondering what it would be like to sleep with a "supernatural girl," and whether Tang Chen had already used her to death.

It's not that I can't stand any physical contact; it's not that exaggerated. Tang Chen and I often bump elbows or pat each other's arms. I'm fine with playfully hitting each other a few times with my classmates. But even if a girl holds my hand, I get goosebumps.

In this situation, how could I possibly seek out any lover? Even if I occasionally feel a surge of youthful passion, the mere thought of those sins and filth extinguishes it completely.

This is for the best. I covered my face. This way, the calamity will never be born. This flaw... isn't so bad.

Just as I was drifting off to sleep, my phone rang. To be honest, this phone is practically useless to me; I mostly use it as an alarm clock. Surprised, I got up to answer it, "Hello?"

"Hengzhi! Are you feeling better? Do you still have a fever?" It was actually that idiot Tang Chen!

"...Why did you call me?" I was completely dumbfounded. "Weren't you on a trip with the lioness... I mean, with Yuzheng?" It's Christmas Eve!

"Yes, Yuzheng is taking a bath... but I'm worried about you. Has your fever gone down?"

…This idiot who doesn't understand a single thing about human relationships!

"Don't call me! God, what's wrong with your head?" I yelled, but choked and coughed a few times. After finally catching my breath, I said, "Are your brains not working properly? You're on a trip with your girlfriend and you're calling other girls?"

“You’re not some other girl.” His voice was full of hurt.

I was so angry I could barely speak. "...Ugh~ You're her boyfriend, can't you at least consider your girlfriend's feelings? Please treat her like your one and only, okay? This is your date time, everyone else, including me, should be out of your hearts! Don't expect me to teach you this, bro! Don't call me again! I'm turning off my phone... Don't call me again!"

"Alright!" Tang Chen shouted, "Are you feeling any better?"

"I'm all set, goodbye!" I quickly turned off my phone.

What an idiot. I was both amused and annoyed. He could finally travel so peacefully with his beautiful girlfriend, and he was bothering me, his insignificant friend… He's crazy.

With Miss Lioness's imposing presence, no one will bother him; how wonderful. I really don't understand why Uncle doesn't let Tang Chen go to Tsinghua University. With Miss Lioness around, he could be even more carefree.

Looking out the window at the dreamcatcher surrounded by flames of various colors, my originally gloomy and sorrowful mood seemed to be cleansed, and I let out a long sigh of relief.

Loneliness is a good thing, to be honest. After years of constant noise and commotion, being able to be alone occasionally... is nice.

I opened the letter my uncle had written and read it with great interest under the lamplight.

The next day I felt that my cold was less severe, but I was a little weak.

Huang E went out and went crazy all night, full of energy. She bragged to me about how the monsters in the mountains had very respectfully invited her to a banquet and treated her as an honored guest.

…Even monsters hold banquets? They have such a complete social life.

“Of course, last night was Christmas Eve,” she said matter-of-factly, but I chuckled to myself.

Why are Chinese monsters going to Christmas parties with other people...? But as long as they're happy.

Since things were a bit better, I went downstairs to help Shuo. While I was wiping the cups, the front door suddenly slammed open. I almost dropped the cup I was holding… but it was a crystal cup, and it would hurt to pay for it.

Clutching the crystal glass tightly, I stared in disbelief at the imposing lioness.

It must have been that phone call yesterday that ruined everything. I'm innocent, God… and Tang Chen just doesn't understand social etiquette; he didn't mean anything by it, and neither did I…

She lunged behind the counter, shaking me violently, "Where's Tang Chen? Where is Tang Chen?"

Huh? I'm completely confused. "...Wasn't he on a trip with you?"

"He didn't come back?" she shouted at me. "That's impossible! Where else could he have gone?!"

“You can search for it yourself…” I said, my voice trembling.

Wait a minute. Does she mean... Tang Chen is missing?

"He's gone?!" I jumped up. How could someone so big just disappear?! "Did you call the police? Why did he suddenly disappear..."

Her beautiful face contorted slightly. "...We had a fight last night."

"Because he called me?" I asked cautiously.

"He called you?!" She shook me even more violently.

…That's called incriminating myself. "He was just asking if my cold was getting better! You know that kind-hearted fool, he doesn't understand social niceties at all…"

She stared at me, as if she were enduring some kind of pain. "Tell me honestly, did you...did you...did that with him?"

I understood what she meant, but how was I supposed to prove it? I replied, on the verge of tears, "I didn't...do that with anyone. These days, the 'virginity mark' isn't popular anymore, and I have no proof..."

Then I was "initiated" again. She brutally stormed into my heart, interrogating me directly. The high walls I had painstakingly built were immediately shattered by her rage. That Huang'e had already fled the moment she stormed in, what a load of rubbish about a Golden-Winged Roc!

I guess she got the answer she wanted, then threw me aside and covered her face, bursting into tears.

Hey! Aren't I the one who should be crying?!

Shuo, who had just returned from the herb garden, glanced at me and then at Miss Lioness. "So lively so early in the morning?"

The lioness recoiled as if burned, her expression changing drastically upon seeing Guan Haifa. She forced herself to regain her composure, angrily slammed Tang Chen's luggage onto the counter, and prepared to leave.

"Wait!" I shouted as I got up. "Did you call the police or not?! Tell me how they disappeared!"

"How would I know? Go tell the police yourself!" Without turning back, she wiped away her tears and walked out arrogantly.

Holding Tang Chen's luggage, I realized that the situation was very serious.

Good heavens, Tang Chen has disappeared!

Just as I was frantically searching for my phone, Shuo calmly took down the crystal glass that I had almost crushed. "What's the rush? I'll be back this evening."

"Really?" Clutching Tang Chen's luggage, I almost burst into tears.

"Heh." Shuo chuckled lightly, "When have I ever said anything that hasn't come true?"

I calmed down a little. But it was still so long into evening, and I paced back and forth, anxious and worried. Finally, Shuo couldn't stand it anymore and kicked me out of the house, telling me to go for a walk to clear my head.

Where could I possibly go? Huang E was terrified and immediately flew out to look for someone. I rode my motorcycle up the mountain to cry to the old man. Although it was against the rules, He still secretly sent five battalions to search for me.

Strangely, Tang Chen's whereabouts could not be found through these "channels".

He was like a piece of Tang Sanzang's flesh, and his every move would attract the attention of all the local monsters. His arrival in Kaohsiung with Miss Lioness caused a commotion. But he vanished without a trace, and no matter how the old man tried to use his "connections," the local monsters swore to the heavens that no one could touch a single hair on his head.

"That shrew next to him is so fierce, who wouldn't want to die?" the monsters complained.

As darkness fell, the last glimmer of golden light began to fade. Hugging my knees, I sat before the old man's desk and wept.

"Why are you sitting in the wind crying? You'll have a headache when you wake up tomorrow."

I looked up abruptly, and Tang Chen was staring at me with an innocent expression.

I jumped up, hit him twice hard, and then hugged him and burst into tears.

The old man was stunned by how he suddenly appeared.

Tang Chen said that after he had a fight with his girlfriend, the "lioness" pushed him out of the room and locked the door. He was at his wit's end, and finding some change in his pocket, he decided to go downstairs for a drink.

Their accommodation happened to be in Xizi Bay. He grabbed a bottle of coffee, walked to the railing, and gazed at the waves in contemplation.

Just then, he saw a refined elder riding a white horse strolling over. "Sir, how come you are alone in such a dangerous place?" the elder said gently.

It's strange enough to see people riding horses, but maybe it's part of some cultural festival.

"Whether it's dangerous or not depends on your mindset," Tang Chen replied gently.

His answer probably pleased the elder, who invited him to mount his horse and took him to a rather imposing mansion for tea.

"You're staying here as a guest, please excuse my lack of hospitality." The elder kindly invited him to sit down and have some tea. They chatted for a while and had a very pleasant conversation.

The elder said his surname was Zheng and that he had come for the marriage of one of his subordinates. He had crossed the sea three times, but the matriarch of the Jing family was reluctant to let her daughter marry so far away, and the matter was at a stalemate, so she could not return home for the time being.

Tang Chen was momentarily confused. "Aren't the seven young ladies of the Jing family temporarily residing in Taiwan?"

The elder was overjoyed. “These seven of my subordinates have been with me for a long time and have never had to leave. They are of excellent character and I cannot bear to see them all alone. However, I, as their elder, am asking for their hand in marriage. I fear that the young ladies may find it presumptuous, and I may also be threatened by my power. I am of noble birth and dare not trouble myself, but could you please ask Commander Wu to act as matchmaker?” As he spoke, he handed him a letter.

Tang Chen answered, "But I wonder who the Commander-in-Chief Wu is?"

“What can you do to me, Mr. Shan?” the elder said with a smile. “The Commander-in-Chief Wu and Mr. Shan are close friends, even to the point of life and death. Now you’ve come to question me, Mr. Shan. I’ll have to trouble you to handle this matter.”

I was gaping, as if listening to a Chinese myth. "...And then?"

"Then I saw it was getting dark, and you were squatting in the wind crying again." He scratched his head. "Who are the seven young ladies of the Jing family? And who is the Commander-in-Chief Wu?"

The old man and I looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

“…Since the prince has already spoken, you should just accept it.” The old man’s tone was helpless.

"...A matchmaker must be blessed with both happiness and longevity, and have many children and grandchildren." My face darkened. "What kind of matchmaker am I, a woman with no destiny for marriage, destined for a life of hardship and wandering, who has never even had a boyfriend?"

In the end, I accepted the letter, and when I saw the signature, my heart sank.

"Hengzhi, so you are the Commander-in-Chief Wu?" Tang Chen asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

I gave him a resentful look. What was the point of having this best friend? He just keeps causing me trouble!

He was truly devastated.

Having taken on this hot potato, I went home crying that very night and wrote a letter to my uncle.

My uncle replied quickly, somewhat embarrassed, saying that he had become a monk at a young age and was not familiar with worldly marriage customs, let alone those involving spirits and deities. He did, however, instruct me to handle the matter carefully.

Thank you so much for your suggestion! I don't know how to handle this properly. But what should I do? I'm completely unfamiliar with wedding customs. I've never even had a boyfriend, let alone thought about marriage!

The old man immediately waved his hand, telling me not to ask him, "I'm still all alone today. If you want to ask, ask someone with a family!"

I asked around and found out that not many of the local earth gods actually get married. In fact, very few of the officially registered gods have married and started families. Either they had families before they became gods, or it's the "military commanders" who are still very popular who tend to marry each other.

Lord Zheng, known as the Holy Lord who opened up Taiwan, was of noble birth. His subordinates had difficulty finding suitable wives, so they traveled all the way to Penghu to seek the hand of the daughter of the Jing family.

Who knew that when the marriage negotiations fell through, they would turn their attention to Tang Chen and me, these unlucky souls.

"Why make things so complicated?" Huang'e said impatiently. "Those seven hanged ghosts aren't anything special. Just let Lord Guoxing raise his troops, go in, and snatch them. Once they're back, let's see what they want to do with them..."

I quickly covered her mouth. "It's not your place to speak, shut up!"

Relying on these unpopular people is useless. I'd better go myself...

Although I didn't want to drag Tang Chen into this, I couldn't drive myself. After dragging it out for a week, I finally got a ride in his rented car to that haunted guesthouse.

The guesthouse owner had no intention of hosting us, but I was in a bad mood. "...Are you going to let us stay one night, or am I supposed to go online and expose your haunted house?"