Antiker Spiegelseelenfächer

Kapitel 4

"I'm going to investigate the murderer for you." With that, Luo Fei finished the water in her glass in one gulp.

"What murderer?" I asked, looking quite confused.

"The murderer! I went to the hometowns of the previous victims this week, and guess what I found?" Luo Fei looked at me mysteriously. I shook my head vigorously. "You're so stupid, just wait." As she spoke, she stood up and walked towards her suitcase. With her back to me, she rummaged through the suitcase while saying to me, "Mi'er, you have to be prepared, be careful not to faint." Her words sent a chill down my spine. "What is it? Fei Fei, don't scare me."

"Get ready, yay!!!"

"Ah~" I reflexively closed my eyes tightly.

"Haha~~~~~ Coward, I knew you'd be scared. No, here, I brought this back from Hangzhou for you." I opened my eyes, feeling both angry and amused. This damn woman! When my eyes landed on what she was holding, I squealed with delight, "Feifei, you know me so well! Thank you, give me a kiss~~" I gave her a hard kiss on the cheek. The gift I took from her was a silk umbrella and a cheongsam. These were things I'd always dreamed of. I'd never had time to go to Hangzhou, and although they sell them here, it just didn't feel the same. My youthful dream was to wear a cheongsam, holding an oil-paper umbrella, strolling through the cobblestone alleys of Jiangnan, walking along the West Lake. Looking at these things in my hands, I was overjoyed.

"Hey, Mi'er, are you kidding me? Look at you, so happy. What are you thinking about? You're drooling."

"Hehe, thanks Feifei. By the way, did you find anything?"

"Yes, you would never guess. Do you know what the previous victims did at your company?"

"This? I'm not sure. What's wrong? Does what you did have anything to do with their deaths?"

"Of course they have. I heard from their families that they have been sending money home frequently since they joined your company, and each time it's a lot. If they were just ordinary employees, like you, they wouldn't have that much money to send home. You earn more than 5,000 a month, which isn't even enough for yourself. I'm asking you, have you ever sent money home?"

I shook my head. Indeed, I haven't asked my family for money since I graduated and started working, but I don't have any money to give them either. Besides, I get commissions. Meizi only gets a fixed salary plus some bonuses, which is definitely less than what I get. I told Luo Fei my thoughts, "That's right. If they are all supervisors, it's still possible. Ask them when you go to work tomorrow. If not, then your boss is the most suspicious."

"Why? How is our boss a suspect?"

"You forgot, when you first joined the company, didn't your boss hint that he wanted you to be his mistress? That way you would have money to send home, right? You're so stupid. Those people are definitely being kept by your boss."

"But our boss has no reason to kill them, it wouldn't benefit him at all."

"That's true. Let's not think about it anymore. Anyway, it's all just speculation, and I'm not sure either. Tomorrow, you can ask the deceased what they did, and then everything will be clear. But you have to be tactful and not let anyone see through your act!"

"I understand, I'm not that stupid."

"Alright, I'm exhausted, I'm going to sleep now." Luo Fei patted my shoulder and went straight into the room. I sat on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and thought about what Luo Fei had just said. It wasn't impossible. Because when I first joined the company, Wang Zhengming did indeed come to see me once.

"Zimi, how are you getting used to work these past few days?"

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Wang. Everything is fine."

"That's good. Are you satisfied with the base salary of 2500 per month?"

"I'm satisfied, and besides, I get a commission."

"Hmm, how much was your monthly allowance when you were in school?"

"A month? It depends. I work part-time and my family gives me money, so I make around 1,000 a month. But it's not like being in school. At least you don't have to pay for accommodation at school, but you have to rent a place yourself. It was okay in the north, but the cost of living in the south is too high. To be honest, it's really a bit too much for me."

"Then find a rich husband. It's easy for a pretty girl like you."

"I'd rather die a glorious death than live a shameful life. There are so few young, successful, and wealthy men like Mr. Wang who are so attractive to women. I don't want to marry an old man, haha..."

"Really? Haha, then come find me!" I realized my mistake and was so embarrassed that I didn't know what to say.

"Haha, okay, you go back to work now. I'd be happy to help you if you have any difficulties."

"Thank you, Mr. Wang. I will handle my own difficulties. Besides, I don't have any difficulties now. Let's talk about it when I do."

I smiled and left.

"Haha, I admire girls with personality like you." Wang Zhengming has always been very good to me, maybe it's the kind of concern a boss has for an employee, but I never thought much of it until Luo Fei's words just now made me start to doubt Wang Zhengming. I put out my cigarette and went back to my room, but I couldn't fall asleep no matter what I did.

“Mi’er…” I turned around, and in the darkness I saw Meizi standing in front of my bed. “Meizi?”

Aren't you afraid of me?

Why should I be afraid of you?

"I'm already dead, I'm a dead man."

"I know, but you wouldn't hurt me, right? Otherwise you wouldn't have saved me when Xiao Cui molested me last time."

"Oh...you're too kind." As she spoke, tears of blood streamed from her eyes. At that moment, I felt a pang of fear, but I knew she wouldn't hurt me. "Meizi, tell me, is the man you're talking about Wang Zhengming? Did he kill you?"

"No, but he is indeed the father of my child, but he didn't kill me. It was a woman, a terrible woman."

Why did she kill you?

“Mi’er, stop investigating. And stay away from Wang Zhengming. I’m afraid that one day you’ll end up like me.”

"You mean your death is related to Wang Zhengming? What was that woman's relationship with Wang Zhengming?"

"Sigh~~~~~~~~ I just feel sorry for my child, he hasn't even seen this world yet." As she spoke, she took off her head, and the head in her hand stared intently at me. Then she laughed eerily, her voice growing louder and louder. Suddenly, her head flew onto me.

"Ah ...

When I arrived at the office, I glanced back at the break room where Meizi's body had been found as I entered the studio. It had been sealed off. I felt a tightness in my chest, and I didn't know why I had this feeling. Sister Huo was already there; she was always the first one to arrive at the company. "Good morning, Sister Huo."

"Good morning, Xiao Zi, you're here so early today!"

"Yes, I went to bed early yesterday, haha."

"Oh, do you have any work to do?"

"No, I submitted it yesterday. By the way, Sister Huo, you arrived at the company quite early. Could you ask me something?"

"Hehe, what do you want to know?"

"What did those girls who died do at the company?" Sister Huo's face turned pale when she heard this, but she quickly masked it and returned to normal. "It's better if you don't know, or you'll be scared when you go to their office."

"No, please tell me! I really want to know, are they all supervisors?"

"No, she's just a regular employee, so let's not ask anymore." Sister Huo ignored me.

After hanging up the phone and asking for leave, I headed for the elevator. When the doors opened, I saw Wang Zhengming inside. He was wearing a white shirt and dark trousers, his hair meticulously styled. It was impossible to believe that this series of bloody crimes was the work of this elegant and talented young man. "Good morning, Mr. Wang," I greeted him habitually. "Yes, good morning. Are you going out?"

"Yes, I just asked Sister Huo for leave." After all, she is the top leader, and as her employee, one must be respectful to the leader.

"Is there something you need?"

"No, my good friend just got back yesterday, so I'm spending time with her today."

"Oh? Boyfriend?" Wang Zhengming asked, looking at me with a half-smile.

“No, we’re girls, we live together.” But I didn’t know why I was explaining this to him. As we spoke, the elevator reached the first floor, and we stepped out one after the other. Just as I stepped out of the elevator, some force compelled me to look to my right. I saw Meizi standing by the artificial rockery in the lobby, smiling at me—a sinister smile, as if warning me to stay away from Wang Zhengming. Her smile sent chills down my spine. I didn’t notice that Wang Zhengming had stopped and was staring at where Meizi was, and I accidentally bumped into him, almost falling flat on my face. Luckily, Wang Zhengming caught me. This action brought us even closer. My heart pounded uncontrollably, and my face flushed. It was a completely different feeling from when Xiao Cui had approached me. When I came to my senses, I quickly distanced myself from Wang Zhengming, repeatedly apologizing. Wang Zhengming just smiled meaningfully. I turned to look at the artificial hill again. Plum was no longer smiling sinisterly, but her eyes were full of resentment and anger, and two bloody tears streamed from her eyes.

Chapter Eight

I squeezed my eyes shut, and when I opened them again, Meizi was gone. I looked back at Wang Zhengming, who was staring at me with a bewildered expression. I shook my head with a wry smile, quickly said goodbye to Wang Zhengming, and ran out of the company lobby as if I were escaping.

Almost ten minutes late for Black Sunday, Luo Fei and Xiao Lin were already there, but they were sitting in different spots. They both waved to me, and I realized they didn't know each other. My emotions calmed down a bit, and after introducing themselves, we sat down in a corner. Although it was daytime, the bar felt devoid of sunlight; the red candles on the table added to the ambiguous atmosphere. After we sat down, Xiao Lin got straight to the point.

"Mi'er, you said you've made a new discovery about the Meiyu case? What is it?" After these few interactions, Xiao Lin and I have become quite familiar with each other; you could say we've become friends.

"Oh, well, let Fei Fei tell you, she knows better," I said, grimacing at Luo Fei.

“Yes, I even went to the home of the deceased.” Luo Fei spoke quickly. “Didn’t your police go there? I’m telling you, you’re incompetent.” Luo Fei never knew what it meant to offend people, but what she said wasn’t unreasonable.

Xiao Lin was about to retort when Luo Fei interrupted him, "I went to Mei Zi's house this time..." Luo Fei then recounted everything she had told him to Xiao Lin. After listening, Xiao Lin nodded, "We've investigated all of this, but it doesn't prove anything. In today's society, anyone with a bit of looks can be kept by someone. Even if she was kept by Wang Zhengming, we investigated Wang Zhengming at the time, but he wasn't suspicious. There's another thing we also found strange, which we didn't tell you at the time: those women were pregnant."

Luo Fei and I gaped again. Xiao Lin looked at our expressions, shook his head helplessly, and continued, "The forensic examination revealed that the children's father is the same person, meaning they were kept by the same person..."

"That man is so strong, he can get several women pregnant, he must be amazing." Seeing Luo Fei's infatuated expression, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her. "Be serious, okay? Do you know what our purpose is? Let me finish!" Luo Fei stuck out her tongue and nodded at Xiao Lin.

"And you suspect that it was Wang Zhengming, and that he was the father, which is true. We have also verified this. However, he had no motive to kill them. In fact, Wang Zhengming really wanted to have a child of his own, and he had sufficient alibi when the victims were killed. That's why we ruled him out. The reason you didn't know is because Wang Zhengming is not an ordinary person. The city didn't want things to escalate. Besides, it was just a suspicion. In the end, the suspicion was cleared up, and the news was also blocked."

We nodded to indicate that we understood. "Besides, didn't Mi'er keep saying that the phone call she received should have been from a woman? And she told you not to touch her man, so we can't rule out a crime of passion. But we've also investigated Wang Zhengming's love life. His love life isn't very complicated. Apart from the victims, he doesn't have any other lovers. That's the tricky part. I shouldn't be telling you this, but since you're so enthusiastic, I'll reveal a little bit. But you, as a big reporter, just don't make me lose my job." We smiled.

After a moment of silence, I told them about what had just happened. Xiao Lin said it might be my imagination, and that it's easy to have such illusions when you're overthinking things. Luo Fei, however, clung to me tightly, "Mi'er, is it true? No way? This isn't the first time. I think we really should go to the temple to pray."

I didn't answer because I really didn't know how to answer her. After a while, we parted ways with Xiao Lin. Since I had already taken leave, I didn't need to go back to the company, so I went shopping with Luo Fei. When we got to the shopping street, a little beggar grabbed us and asked for money. There are kids like that everywhere now; if you give him money, a whole bunch of them will cling to you, and if you don't, they'll pester you. I could only unladylike yell at them and leave. Luo Fei and I were eating ice cream as we walked when I suddenly felt like a pair of eyes were staring at me. I turned around and saw an old man watching us.

"Feifei, do you know that old man?" Luo Fei looked in the direction I was looking, then shook her head. "That's strange, he's been following us the whole time."

"Could he be some old lecher? Trying to hit on us because we're pretty? Hehe~~"

"You're being irresponsible. I don't think so. Shall we ask? It's annoying to be followed around like this."

"Alright, go ahead." I nodded and walked up to the old man. "Sir, do you recognize us?"

"I don't know him." That was a very straightforward answer.

"Is there anything we can help you with?"

"No." I was really a little angry, but I've always known to respect the elderly and care for the young, so I kept holding back. I held back, I held back, and I held back some more.

"Then why have you been following us?"

"Young lady, you may be in for some bloodshed soon, so be careful."

In the past, when I heard this, I would have just taken it as a way to avoid disaster by spending money, but today I have to face this issue squarely.

"Old man, is there any way to avoid this?" As I spoke, I took out my wallet from my bag, intending to give him whatever amount of money I could, as long as he knew what to do. The situation was too bizarre. Although I have always adhered to my atheism, all sorts of things made me worry and forced me to stop believing in this fantastical world.

"No, child, money can't solve this problem. I'm not trying to cheat you out of your money. If you want to know, give me a cigarette, and let's sit down. I'll tell you slowly." The old man smiled at me, which made me even more convinced of his profound wisdom, because he wasn't after money.

"Smoke? Heh, old man, how did you know I smoke?" It's just strange, how could you tell? Luo Fei, who had been waiting for too long, also came over. After learning the whole story, she quickly took my bag, took out the 555 I had just bought, and gave it directly to the old man.

"Grandpa, please take this and tell us," Luo Fei said anxiously.

The old man opened a cigarette box, then took out another one and handed it to us. He lit it with a lighter, then gave us a meaningful look and said, "Come with me."

With that, he turned and left. Luo Fei and I exchanged a glance and followed closely behind the old man. He led us around and around, into a quiet alley. We were extremely worried because we hadn't known the old man's identity and had just followed him. That was a bit too reckless.

The old man perhaps sensed our concerns. As we walked, he took out a business card from his jacket pocket and handed it to us—Zhou Yuanqi, President of the Municipal Zhouyi Association.

Chapter Nine

The I Ching Association? I'd heard my dad mention it before. One of his friends was in the association and was so accurate he could predict when his wife would die. Since this guy is the president, he must be quite skilled. Luo Fei snatched the business card and shoved me. "What's the I Ching? What is it?"

"Huh? I'm not quite sure either, but I know it's fortune telling, so it should be this." The old man smiled but didn't say anything. I don't know if I'm right.

"Mr. Zhou, how did you know I was going to have a bloody accident?"

"Haha... Didn't you always say I'm a fortune teller? Come on in and let's talk!" Old Mr. Zhou smiled kindly, and I smiled sheepishly. We followed Old Mr. Zhou to a two-story building that looked quite old. We pushed open the door and entered a main room. On the wall hung a picture of Zhong Kui catching ghosts, and on the octagonal table below was a statue of an Arhat. I'd heard of worshipping Bodhisattvas before, but what was this Arhat for? I didn't know.

"Child, come sit here. Have you been experiencing any strange hallucinations lately?"

"Yes, it was terrifying. It all started with the girl who died at our workplace." I recounted the whole story to Mr. Zhou, and he nodded. "Child, do you think these are all the work of ghosts?"

"I don't know, I don't believe in ghosts, but those dreams, and the plums I saw, were they all just my imagination?" Thinking of those nightmares, I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine.