Geister des alten Grabes

Kapitel 27

"You mean, she didn't go home?"

"I guessed."

Yang Mian thought for a moment and asked, "Do you have her home phone number?"

"Yes, in the dorm. What are you doing?"

"I think someone really wants it."

Ziyuan was a little confused, and Yang Mian said again, "Gu Xing comes here every day to see if Xu Chen has returned."

"Is the Gu Xing you're talking about the older brother Xu Chen often mentions from when he was little?"

"Yes, I was with them when I was a child too."

"I haven't heard Xu Chen mention this before."

"......"

Seeing that Yang Mian didn't speak, Zi Yuan said, "The phone number you need is a long-distance number, I can't remember it, I need to go back to the dormitory to get it. Which dormitory do you live in? I'll bring it to you in a bit."

"No need. Just tell me which dormitory it is, and I'll have Gu Xing come find you."

"Alright, I'd also like to see Gu Xing."

Ziyuan then told Yang Mian which dormitory she lived in, and then left. Only then did Yang Mian realize that Ziyuan was actually a teaching assistant.

Ziyuan returned to her dorm room, found Xu Chen's phone number, and thinking that Gu Xing would be coming later, she started tidying up the somewhat messy room. While tidying up, she accidentally dropped a photo. Ziyuan was a little anxious to tidy up as soon as possible, so she just put the photo on the table.

Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door. It seemed that Gu Xing had arrived. Zi Yuan opened the door.

Yang Mian: Hello

Gu Xing: "Hello"

Da Kai: "Hello"

Li Xu: "Hello"

Zhang Da: "Hello"

Ziyuan hadn't expected five guests to arrive, making the already cramped room even cramped.

When Gu Xing saw Zi Yuan, he immediately recognized her as the woman with dark pupils whom he had met on his way back to the dormitory.

Yang Mian then pointed apologetically at Gu Xing and said, "This is Gu Xing. The others are just a bunch of good-for-nothing friends who insisted on coming along. Sorry to bother you."

"No, it doesn't matter, please come in." Ziyuan greeted them as she entered, and said to Gu Xing, "Xu Chen often mentions you, saying that she had a very nice older brother when she was little."

Yang Mian told me that you can find Xu Chen.

“I have her home phone number,” Ziyuan said, pouring a few glasses of water and handing them to everyone. “Why don’t I call her home and ask her?”

After Ziyuan finished speaking, she didn't wait for Gu Xing's reply and started making a phone call. Gu Xing was very anxious and wanted to stand behind Ziyuan to listen, but when he saw Yang Mian and his group of onlookers, he felt embarrassed and could only stand there and watch Ziyuan make the call.

Ziyuan spoke for a few minutes, then put down the microphone and turned to Gu Xing and the others, saying, "Xu Chen's mother said that Xu Chen did not return home."

Gu Xing was disappointed again. Zi Yuan looked at Gu Xing's expression and said to him, "Gu Xing, are you Xu Chen's boyfriend now?"

Gu Xing didn't know how to answer, so he stood there without saying a word. At this moment, Yang Mian noticed a photo on the table.

"This photo is..." Yang Mian picked up the photo and asked Zi Yuan.

“Ah, this is a photo of me, Xu Chen, and her mother from a year ago,” Zi Yuan replied.

"Is this Xu Chen's mother?" Yang Mian said in surprise, then handed the photo to Zhang Da beside him.

Zhang Da was surprised when he saw it. Zi Yuan didn't notice, and was just telling Gu Xing about Xu Chen.

“To be honest, I’m actually a psychologist.” Zi Yuan frankly told Gu Xing, “Xu Chen is a very strange girl. Since she was little, some unbelievable things have happened around her. Also, sometimes she talks to herself. So, her mother was worried that Xu Chen might have some kind of mental abnormality, so she found my college professor to treat her. Later, that professor immigrated, and he entrusted Xu Chen to me.”

Gu Xing listened attentively, and the photo was passed to him.

Ziyuan continued, "When I first met Xu Chen and witnessed some incredible things, I knew that this was beyond what psychology could..."

"Huh?" Gu Xing looked at the photo in his hand and widened his eyes in surprise, which interrupted Zi Yuan's words.

"What is it?" Ziyuan asked.

"Is that slightly chubby woman in there Xu Chen's mother?" Gu Xing asked Zi Yuan, while the others held their breath, waiting for Zi Yuan's answer.

"Yes, what's wrong?"

“That’s strange,” Zhang Da said. “The mother I saw near the lab building last time was a different person. By the way, Miss Zi, have Xu Chen’s parents ever been divorced?”

"I haven't heard of it, I don't think so."

Yang Mian took the photo again and looked at it, saying, "Last time we all heard Xu Chen call that woman 'Mom,' so doesn't Xu Chen have two mothers now?"

"Miss Zi, why don't you make another call and ask Xu Chen's parents how many mothers he actually has?"

Ziyuan said awkwardly, "Isn't this too abrupt?"

Just then, the phone rang. Ziyuan answered it, and Zhang Bei's voice came from the other end.

“Ziyuan? I’m Zhang Bei. I think I’ve found something that interests you.”

What is it?

“I found the information on that building. It was employee housing for a state-owned textile factory. And there’s something else you wouldn’t expect.”

"What is it?"

"My father's old comrade-in-arms, Xu An, was a cadre in that textile factory back then..."

"Wait, what did you say?" Zi Yuan suddenly raised her voice. Gu Xing and the others looked at her strangely.

Zhang Bei, on the other end of the phone, was also startled and asked, "What's wrong?"

"What did you say your dad's comrade-in-arms's name was?"

"Xu An, he also has a daughter named Xu Chen."

...

Silence fell... Everything quieted down, including Ziyuan, Gu Xing and his group who were completely bewildered, and Zhang Bei on the other end of the phone.

Chapter Sixteen: The Building

Zhang Bei sat in her office chair, a cup of coffee on her desk emitting a fragrant aroma, a cigarette dangling from her hand, lost in thought.

Just after lunch, he called Ziyuan to tell her that the building Huang Yi mentioned had been found, and that he had also discovered that his father's old comrade-in-arms used to be a cadre in that state-owned factory. Unexpectedly, after only a few words, the other end of the phone hung up, leaving Zhang Bei completely puzzled.

Just as I was making wild guesses, I suddenly heard a commotion outside. I heard the secretary shout, "Hey, do you have an appointment?" Then she shouted, "Hey, you can't go in."

With a loud bang, the door was flung open, and Ziyuan and a group of men Zhang Bei didn't recognize entered. The secretary was desperately trying to stop them, explaining to Zhang Bei, "Dr. Zhang, they just barged in like this, I..."

Zhang Bei waved for his secretary to leave. At this moment, Zi Yuan went straight to Zhang Bei's desk and started ransacking it, as if she were going to raid the house. Zhang Bei looked at the men who came in with Zi Yuan and asked, "Who are they?"

Ziyuan seemed not to hear, but instead asked Zhang Bei, "Zhang Bei, didn't you say you had information about the person upstairs?"

"Oh! Yes, here it is." Zhang Bei took out a piece of paper and handed it to Zi Yuan. Zi Yuan took it and looked at it for a while, and found that it was just some very simple introduction, which seemed to be an auction list.

Zhang Bei looked at the group of men for a while, then asked Zi Yuan, "Who are they?"

Ziyuan merely glanced back at them, as if she had just forgotten their presence, and replied, "They are students at my university; this is Gu Xing."

Ziyuan gave a brief and concise introduction, as if she were describing some dispensable furnishings in her own home. Gu Xing and the others could only give Zhang Bei an awkward smile. After Ziyuan finished introducing Gu Xing and the others, she looked at the list again. It listed a housing allocation building for a factory that was forty years old and was scheduled to be demolished. However, the factory was heavily indebted and facing bankruptcy. Therefore, the land and the building were to be sold together, with the demolition and reconstruction costs to be paid by the buyer.

After gesturing for Gu Xing to sit down, Zhang Bei sat back down on the sofa herself and said to Zi Yuan, "I reckon this is the building Huang Yi was talking about."

Ziyuan put down what she was holding and said, "No need to guess anymore, it must be this building. Why don't you tell me about your father's old comrade-in-arms?"

Zhang Bei found it strange that Zi Yuan cared about this matter. Curious, Zhang Bei asked Zi Yuan, "How can you be so sure it's that building? And why are you so concerned about my dad's old war?"

Ziyuan was getting impatient. She stamped her foot and said, "Speak quickly."

Zhang Bei was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly explained, "Because my dad works in a government agency, we asked him to help us find the building. Later, he asked the neighborhood committee where Huang Yi lived when he was a child, and found the building. That's when he learned that one of his old comrades-in-arms used to live there. So I asked my dad for his phone number so I could ask him about the building before. My dad said he had moved twice. Luckily, my dad kept in touch with him, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to find him."

At this point, Zhang Bei chuckled, "It's quite a coincidence, actually. After exchanging pleasantries with him on the phone, I learned that he has a daughter at your university..."

Zhang Bei then asked Gu Xing and the others, "His name is Xu Chen. Do you know him?"

Gu Xing and the others didn't know how to answer, so they could only stare at Zi Yuan.

Ziyuan asked Gu Xing, "Gu Xing, do you also live near that building?"

"A building?" Gu Xing blinked. "What building?"

"Xu Chen should have lived in an apartment building when he was a child, didn't you know?"

Yang Mian replied thoughtfully, "We visited her home when we were young. She didn't live in any high-rise building." Gu Xing immediately chimed in, "She had just moved in then."

"Moving?" Ziyuan looked at Zhang Bei, who nodded. "Yes, my dad said Xu An has moved twice."

Ziyuan asked Gu Xing, "When did she move in?"

"I can't remember exactly, it was probably before I started elementary school," Gu Xing said.

Yang Mian interjected, "Two years later, she moved away again."

"So, Xu Chen used to live in that building when he was a child, and then he moved away and moved to your place..." Zi Yuan couldn't think of anything more when she said this.

Zhang Bei was also confused at this point, and asked Zi Yuan, "What's wrong with Xu An's daughter? Do you know her?"

Ziyuan did not answer Zhang Bei's question, and Zhang Bei did not bother her either. She could only watch her quietly with Gu Xing and the others.

"Zhang Bei." Zi Yuan suddenly whispered, startling Zhang Bei so much that she almost dropped her cigarette butt onto the high-end carpet.

"What is it?" Zhang Bei put out her cigarette and asked Zi Yuan.

"Do you remember Huang Yi saying that once when he and Xiao Jing went to that building, they saw a woman... a young girl... a little girl..." Zi Yuan muttered to herself, and without waiting for Zhang Bei's reply, she suddenly exclaimed, "That's right, that girl might be Xu Chen."

Then Shion murmured softly, "And who are the others?"

After listening to Zi Yuan's incoherent words, Gu Xing couldn't help but ask her, "What exactly happened?"

Ziyuan sat down, rubbed her temples, and then said to Gu Xing, who was waiting anxiously, "I don't know what happened to Xu Chen, but one of my patients died. Before she died, she encountered some strange phenomena. After she died, even I started to feel something was wrong. Anyway, I don't know how to say it."

Ziyuan glanced at Zhang Bei and then said to Gu Xing and the others, "He is Dr. Zhang. One of his patients also mysteriously committed suicide a few days ago. Coincidentally, my patient and his patient were childhood sweethearts, and they even went to play in the same building when they were young. It just so happens..."

Ziyuan paused, touched her flushed face, and then said, "It just so happens that Xu Chen lived there when he was a child, as you all heard just now."

Zhang Bei was confused again and asked Zi Yuan, "What's wrong with Xu Chen? What does she have to do with Huang Yi and Wang Yujing's deaths?"

“She was one of my former patients. Strange things always happen around her.” After saying this, Ziyuan let out a heavy sigh of relief. She was almost overwhelmed by the barrage of questions.

Gu Xing, preoccupied with Xu Chen, asked Zi Yuan, "Miss Zi, do you know where Xu Chen is right now?"