Le tombeau de Qin Shi Huang

Chapitre 14

"I know... but it really hurts..."

“Let’s try again.” Zhi Mei nodded.

However, the second hypnosis session didn't make much progress, abruptly stopping when Jian Xiang uttered the twelfth word. Zhi Mei was clearly suffering even more than before; her eyes were filled with tears, and she was extremely agitated.

"You're bullying me! You're bullying me!"

Even though Zhi Mei had begun to resist, Jian Xiang still relentlessly forced her to undergo a third hypnosis session. Just like in a pornographic film with sadomasochistic themes, Zhi Mei finally weakly agreed. Seeing her cry so hard because of him, Jian Xiang felt a complex and unusual pleasure welling up inside him.

"This time we will definitely succeed, Meimei. I believe you can pull through."

---hqszs

Reply [76]: As a result, the third hypnosis attempt not only failed completely, but Zhi Mei also hid in the corner of the room like a wounded fawn, hugging her legs and sobbing in pain. The transparent hair clip that was originally fixed on her ear also fell off her messy long hair and onto the floor.

Jian Xiang was at a loss in this situation; he simply couldn't bring himself to pull her back onto the mattress and continue the hypnosis. However, deep down, he desperately wanted to know how Zhi Mei would react when the "key" was read to its twentieth word, or even further.

"Meimei, just once! Just once more!"

No matter how much Jianxiang insisted, Zhimei just kept crying and didn't respond to his requests at all.

Should he really give up? — Jian Xiang held Zhi Mei's curled-up body tightly, his heart in turmoil. She bent her arms to protect her chest, her hands gripping Jian Xiang's collar tightly, causing the thread of the first button on her shirt to come loose.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..." Holding the sobbing Zhi Mei, Jian Xiang could only pat her back gently and apologize to her repeatedly.

Perhaps Zhi Mei's past could be revealed in other ways, without necessarily resorting to such cruel methods. Jian Xiang began to consider whether another possibility existed. However, finding out the true origins of an amnesiac girl who was constantly on the run in Kaohsiung City was an extremely difficult task. In his own precarious situation, it was incredibly difficult for Jian Xiang to maintain his usual work standards at the police station while simultaneously searching for Zhi Mei's past.

—Although both of them were eager for hypnosis to reveal the lost memories, the actual process was ineffective and only increased their suffering.

Jian Xiang's thoughts were in turmoil. He could feel the damp warmth of Zhi Mei nestled against his chest, tears streaming down her face. He couldn't think of any more appropriate words of comfort, so he could only silently wait for Zhi Mei to cry herself to sleep. He had already made up his mind that he would no longer expect Xia Yongyu's powerful hypnosis to have any positive impact on the case.

"Sword Xiang, I beg you..."

Zhi Mei suddenly spoke, this was the first time she had called his name so intimately.

"Hmm?"

“Continue experimenting with that hypnosis technique.” Her tone was subtle yet firm.

Jian Xiang was startled by Zhi Mei's answer, because he had already decided to give up. "But..." "Please don't give up... okay?" Zhi Mei said, "I will endure it, I won't cry anymore, really. Because I will never give up, I must find out who I really am."

"No, I can't bear to see you suffer any more."

"I'm not afraid of pain!"

"I can't do it."

"Now that there's finally a way to regain my memories, no matter how painful it is, I won't give up! Please help me..." Zhi Mei lifted her tear-streaked face. "You can hold me down! That way I won't be able to escape! Or, I'll let you tie me up! Tie my hands up so you won't get hurt... Also, if you're afraid I'll scream, just gag me with a cloth... Is that alright?"

Unexpectedly, Zhi Mei was so stubborn. She broke free from Jian Xiang's arms, turned around, and crawled to the wardrobe in the corner of the room. She opened the wardrobe drawer, took out a roll of red plastic rope, and firmly handed it to Jian Xiang.

"Do you really want me to do this?"

"real."

Jian Xiang stared intently at Zhi Mei's features, confirming the courage in her eyes once more. He pulled out the end of the red plastic rope. "Where should I tie it?"

---hqszs

Reply [77]: "Both feet, and both hands..." Zhi Mei turned her back to the sword in front of her, and crossed her fists behind her back.

Jian nodded, took out his Swiss Army knife from his pocket, and cut two pieces of plastic rope to the appropriate length. He began to bind Zhi Mei's wrists.

"You can tie it tighter."

He kept an eye on Zhimei to see if she was in pain from being tied up, and then pointed his sword at her bound hands. Zhimei immediately lay down, straightened her legs together, indicating that she was prepared to have her feet tied.

He gently raised her snow-white left foot and slowly wrapped the plastic rope around it. Zhi Meilu's legs, visible outside her knee-length skirt, were slender and shapely, their curves alluring and sexy. He maintained his even, rhythmic breathing, not giving himself a chance to let his mind wander.

"alright."

"And my mouth. My handkerchief is in my coat pocket, hanging there."

Jian Xiangyi took her handkerchief, crumpled it into a ball, and carefully placed it into her mouth. At this moment, Zhi Mei was completely unable to resist. The room was silent; only their rapid breathing could be heard.

Zhi Mei nodded to him, then decisively closed her eyes.

The following morning, Jian Xiang endured the pressure of the branch chief's stern reprimands for the entire morning. In fact, the branch chief wasn't a hot-tempered superior; when faced with subordinates who performed poorly in handling cases, he always corrected them with a calm and impartial attitude. But this seemingly objective attitude, to Jian Xiang, became a cold indifference. This torment, compared to the usually swift and forceful scolding of Team Leader Gao, was far more unbearable for him.

The hypnosis on Zhimei was successful—she said it herself. However, Zhimei was unwilling to immediately talk about the past she remembered. Jianxiang didn't understand what she was hesitating about, only knowing that Zhimei was indeed such a stubborn girl.

“Jianxiang, I remember Sizhao and Yongyu, those two men who loved me so deeply, and all sorts of things that happened before them.” Zhi Mei’s calm demeanor now was completely different from the frantic, delirious state she had been in while enduring the hypnotic stimulation. The gloomy expression caused by fear was no longer visible on her face. “But, can I think about it? I need to think carefully before I can decide whether to tell you.”

"I wish you could tell me now."

“No,” Zhi Mei replied, “It’s too dangerous…” “Dangerous? What do you mean?”

“No matter what, I really can’t say it right away. Jianxiang… do you know? I… I’ve fallen in love with you, and I hope you’ll never leave me. But I’m afraid…” “Meimei, your memories have returned—tell me, what are you afraid of?”

"I'm afraid... I'm afraid... I'm afraid that if I tell you about my past, you'll leave me!"

Unable to persuade Zhi Mei, Jian Xiang had no choice but to leave his phone number. "No matter what time it is, as long as you decide you're willing to talk to me, just call me right away, OK?"

"Mmm." Zhi Mei, still lying on the mattress, smiled slightly. "Jian Xiang, I'm so tired. Can I take a nap?"

"You're finally willing to sleep."

"laugh."

"I won't bother you. I have to go back to the station to report for duty."

---hqszs

Reply [78]: "Keep it up..." Zhi Mei closed her eyes, "I love you."

Jian Xiang was in a daze, the scenes from yesterday vividly flashing before his eyes. It wasn't that he had never been in love before, but among the three women he had met before Zhi Mei, Jian Xiang couldn't find any truly attractive qualities in them. Thinking about it carefully, what they had in common with Zhi Mei was their gentleness and obedience, which was enough to arouse Jian Xiang's strong protective instincts. However, the slight willfulness and capriciousness, the hint of initiative and boldness in Zhi Mei's personality were completely absent in the other three.

He only got up and left after watching her fall into a deep sleep. Returning to the branch office near dusk, he was oblivious to the sidelong glances from his colleagues and the reprimands from his superiors. At that moment, Jianxiang had only one thought: this was the love he truly sought—however, that night, Jianxiang held a silent cell phone with the power on. Jianxiang knew that once Zhimei made up her mind, she wouldn't change it, so even if he went to Zhimei's house after get off work, she wouldn't tell him what he wanted to know. He could only wait, wait for Zhimei to call… but she didn't call all night.

Amidst the surging emotions, Jian Xiang waited until dawn. As if through contagion, insomnia was passed on to Zhi Mei.

As soon as the work meeting ended close to noon, Jianxiang rushed out of the police station as if fleeing. He could no longer suppress the torment of longing and was no longer willing to wait for Zhimei's call—he wanted to see her immediately and know the answer right away.

Arriving at the main road in Yancheng District, he passed by the pharmacy with its floor-to-ceiling glass windows reflecting the colorful light of a television screen again. He turned into a small alley and parked his motorcycle in front of the building where Zhi Mei lived.

This old building, which the owner couldn't afford to live in, sublet to some low-wage office workers. Zhi Mei lived on the second floor, and Jian Xiang anxiously rang her doorbell after parking his car.

—No response?

—Did she go out? Or…did she run away? Or…? An ominous sixth sense struck him once more, making his heart tighten. After not hearing Zhi Mei's reply from the loudspeaker, Jian Xiang decided to ring the doorbells of all the residents in the building.

"Hello?" A strange male voice came through shortly after. "Who is it?"

"police."

"What is it?" The middle-aged man's tone was full of wariness and hostility.

"I want to search the room of one of the tenants in this house," Jian said to the flat-topped panel. "Please open the door for me."

"Which floor's tenant is it?"

"It's not your home."

"Go!" A monotonous ringing followed, and the door lock sprang open from the inside. The speaker then fell silent.

Jian Xiang closed the door behind him as he entered the house. Two dusty motorcycles were parked in the entryway on the first floor, and a row of rusty, peeling green mailboxes hung on the wall, just as he had seen the day before. He strode up the stairs and ran towards the second floor.

He quickly arrived at Zhi Mei's room, and as expected, no one answered whether he asked or knocked loudly. However, to Jian Xiang's surprise, his eyes were filled with tears.

"Open the door! Open the door! Open the door..."

Jian Xiang was frantic, his voice choked with emotion. In a sudden impulse, he stopped pounding on the door and instead kicked it open with all his might. The fragile wooden door slammed heavily against the wall with a loud cracking sound, and the wooden strips on the door frame shattered and warped.

He thought he heard a slight gasp from inside the room.

"Meimei? Are you in there?" Jian Xiang shouted as he rushed into the room.

The room's furnishings remained unchanged, the only difference being that the lady of the house was gone. Jianxiang noticed several bottles of skincare products lying on the floor, and the telephone receiver next to the dressing table was not properly hung up.

"Please answer me. I am Jian Xiang, where are you?"

Jian Xiang felt as if he were talking to thin air, yet he was absolutely certain he hadn't misheard. His gaze fell on the two large wooden cabinets in the corner. "Meimei? Are you hiding in the cabinets?"

There was still no answer. He decided to walk closer to the cabinet and open the door.

---hqszs

Reply [79]: --What's wrong with her? Strange...

Jian opened the first wardrobe door with a heavy heart. Inside hung a riot of colorful seasonal clothing. Zhi Mei wasn't there.

Next is the second cabinet.

"Meimei! Why won't you let me open the door?" Jian Xiang felt a strong resistance coming from the doorknob as he pulled open the cabinet door. Zhi Mei was indeed inside.

“Ugh… Ugh…” A muffled groan came from inside the cabinet.

"Meimei, open the door!"

After a few seconds of stalemate, the strong-armed swordsman quickly opened the cabinet door. However, to his surprise, as soon as the door opened, the muzzle of a Smith & Wesson pistol was firmly pressed against his forehead.

In that instant, Jian Xiang raised his hands, not daring to move rashly. At the same time, he saw Zhi Mei kneeling at the bottom of the cabinet, her eyes revealing a fierce look.

"..." The Earth seemed to stop rotating for a moment.

Zhi Mei's hair was disheveled, and her expression was filled with fear. She quickly realized that the gun was pointed at the man she had fallen in love with just yesterday: "Jian Xiang, it really is you! It really is you! I didn't mean to..." As she spoke, she burst into tears.

With his own sidearm pointed at his forehead, Jian Xiang felt both shocked and distressed. His mind went blank; he couldn't understand Zhi Mei's inexplicable behavior at all. He carried the weeping Zhi Mei out of the wardrobe and gently laid her against a cushion.

"...What exactly happened?"

Just then, a bizarre and strange memory crashed into Jian Xiang's mind like a thunderbolt.

—A similar scene occurred when Xia Yongyu summoned Zhong Sizao's spirit!

After successfully possessing Zhong Sizao's ghost, he began to weep incessantly. His body curled up into a ball, and he refused to answer any calls he heard.

Then, Zhong Sizhu punched him, and then desperately fled into the closet at the far end of the bedroom. More importantly, he refused to let go, clinging tightly to the closet door.

Looking back, his final expression was as if he had been scared to death... In addition, Jian Xiang had learned about the process of the "ghost killing" magic from Xia Yongyu, and had witnessed Zhi Mei's behavior firsthand, so he finally realized that Zhi Mei had also encountered a ghost!

Whether it's Zhong Sizhao's ghost returning to the human world or Zhi Mei still living in front of us, both mistakenly believe that Jian Xiang is a ghost because of their experience of encountering a ghost.

That's why they refused to answer or open the door. As Xia Yongyu recorded in "Summary of Strange Events," evil spirits would relentlessly search for their hiding places and seize the opportunity to take their lives. Zhong Sizao's dismemberment and Xia Yongyu's throat being severed by an iron shovel were both tragic deaths at the end caused by evil spirits.

But how exactly did Zhimei get entangled in this terrifying curse?

"Meimei!" Jian asked emotionally, "What exactly happened last night?"