Der umwerfende Premierminister

Kapitel 12

"Shh..." Zheng Zhihao's voice came from the darkness. As his eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, Li Hong saw Zheng Zhihao sitting cross-legged on the bed beside him. His silhouette was visible through the faint light coming through the window. He slowly turned his head and asked softly, "You're awake?"

Li Hong felt aches and pains all over her body; sleeping sitting up reminded her of her train journey home. She had now shifted from a sitting to a semi-reclining position. Li Hong sat up straight, pulled the blanket closer, and asked softly, "What time is it? Hasn't she arrived yet?"

"It's almost 12 o'clock, she'll be here soon," Zheng Zhihao said in the darkness. Li Hong could only see his eyes reflecting the light from the window, shining brightly, clearly showing his excitement.

"I'm sorry, I actually fell asleep just now," Li Hong said softly.

“It’s alright. But the real show has only just begun. Now, stop talking and just follow my orders,” Zheng Zhihao said. “She’s already arrived at this hotel!”

Li Hong felt her heart clench, and goosebumps ran down her spine. Fortunately, the air conditioning in the room was quite strong, so she wasn't too hot even wrapped in a blanket, but cold sweat still slowly broke out. She wanted to ask where the ghost was in the hotel, but she didn't ask.

“She’s on the first floor now, wandering around room 104,” Zheng Zhihao said softly, as if whispering.

“She floated toward your room. Now she’s at your window on the second floor,” Zheng Zhihao said, his voice growing increasingly agitated. “She went into your room and realized you weren’t there.”

Li Hong got goosebumps again. She seemed to see in the darkness the ghostly figure, glowing with an eerie light, wandering around her room, searching for any trace of her.

“She left your room and went to the other side,” Zheng Zhihao said, his voice tinged with unease.

"What's wrong?" Li Hong couldn't help but ask softly, feeling that Zheng Zhihao's words foreshadowed something ominous.

"Who else lives on the second floor? Someone connected to Ya Chaolan?" Zheng Zhihao asked urgently.

"No, except for the boss," Li Hong said.

“No, it’s not in the direction of the boss’s house,” Zheng Zhihao said. Like a hunting dog, he carefully sniffed the dangerous atmosphere in the air, which made Li Hong start to get nervous as well.

“Another soul field!” Zheng Zhihao suddenly exclaimed. “It’s Ma Guiping’s!”

"What?!" Li Hong was shocked. Could it be that Ma Guiping's ghost, like Bu Xie, had become Ya Chaolan's servant? Why did it appear at this time? What did Ya Chaolan want to do by releasing him?

"It's Li Li!!" Zheng Zhihao shouted, his voice almost hoarse. "It's over, it's too late."

"What happened to Li Li?!" Li Hong jumped up from under the covers. "What happened to her?!"

"Don't move!!" Zheng Zhihao jumped out of bed and shoved Li Hong to the ground, hurriedly wrapping her in a blanket. "She's not dead, she might just be appearing in a dream. Don't talk! Ya Chaolan has noticed you!"

42. Dialogue (2)

Li Hong felt drenched in sweat, unsure whether it was the heat from being wrapped in the blanket or the cold sweat from just breaking out. She sat there uneasily, staring at Zheng Zhihao in the darkness, as if he were a radar, capable of telling her where that damned ghost was.

“She’s coming this way now.” Zheng Zhihao’s voice slowly returned to calm. “Now, you absolutely cannot make any sound or breathe. Breathe slowly.”

Li Hong nodded and began to regulate her breathing. She inhaled through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, letting the air fall into the blanket. She didn't know if this would prevent Ya Chaolan from noticing her, nor did she know what action it would take once it discovered her.

In the darkness, Zheng Zhihao lit a lighter, allowing Li Hong to see his face—he then lit three more incense sticks. Although it was only for a few brief seconds, Li Hong felt that Zheng Zhihao was so far away from her, as if he were a ghost floating in the void, slowly drawing the spirit of Ya Chaolan closer.

In an instant, Li Hong felt her hair stand on end, and a familiar, chilling sensation returned. She wanted to turn around and look behind her, but she didn't dare. She sat there frozen, motionless, letting cold sweat slowly slide down her back. She knew that Ya Chaolan had arrived, had come behind her, silently and without warning.

Zheng Zhihao had now turned around and was still sitting cross-legged. He took a deep breath and grasped the small soul bottle that Li Hong had seen before. He didn't speak, nor did he make any of the dramatic movements Li Hong had imagined when summoning a spirit. He simply sat quietly, waiting for the ghost opposite him and behind Li Hong. Her current position was quite awkward, situated between Zheng Zhihao and Ya Chaolan. She couldn't see the ghost.

"You summoned me?" A voice rang in Li Hong's mind, like wearing high-fidelity headphones. The sound came from all directions, making it impossible to discern its direction. Li Hong knew that this was Ya Chaolan's voice. It had begun to converse with Zheng Zhihao, but she could also hear Ya Chaolan's almost telepathic voice, which surprised her greatly—perhaps it was because she was between the two of them that she could hear this voice.

“I summoned you. Thank you for your hard work,” Zheng Zhihao said. Li Hong’s ears were covered, so she couldn’t hear him very clearly.

"How do you know my name?" Ya Chaolan asked, and Li Hong could tell that it was very puzzled.

“I found out you used to live here,” Zheng Zhihao said. “And you died here, didn’t you?”

"Yes."

"Were you murdered?"

"Yes."

Do you remember who killed you?

"Remember."

Where is he?

"It's very far."

"Tell me his name."

"I have no idea."

Li Hong felt a pang of disappointment. But this was understandable, because Ya Chaolan had been murdered here, and she certainly didn't know anyone in the area (although she might have friends, the chances were slim; someone unpopular even in her birthplace wouldn't easily make friends elsewhere). Therefore, it definitely wasn't someone she knew who committed the crime. Asking the killer's name directly wouldn't yield an answer, but the question still needed to be asked.

"Where is your body?" Zheng Zhihao asked again after a moment of silence.

As Zheng Zhihao finished speaking, an image appeared in Li Hong's mind. It was a place she seemed to have been before. The surrounding woods and open plain reminded her that this was the burial site she had seen in her dream.

“Tell me the name of the place.” Zheng Zhihao had seen the same scene in his mind, but he didn’t know where it was, so he asked.

There was no response, and no images appeared.

"Can you take me there?" Zheng Zhihao asked again.

There was no response.

"I can avenge you."

"Need not."

"Don't you want revenge? Why don't you leave here? You could easily find an unconscious baby and reincarnate it, why don't you do that?"

There was no response.

"I summoned you because I want to know about your life. Can you tell me?"

“You want to absorb my energy. You have the Soul Bottle,” Ya Chaolan said. “I came here because I need the woman you are protecting.”

An image of herself appeared in Li Hong's mind—a sleeping image, a scene of her fast asleep in her room. She was startled, not expecting Ya Chaolan to mention her, and even to present such a scene.

"You want to take her away, is that right?" Zheng Zhihao said calmly.

"Yes."

"Let her go. If you want revenge, we can do it for you."

"I promised Xiao Hei. Xiao Hei needs this woman."

"Who is Xiao Hei?"

Another image of a beautiful black cat appeared in Li Hong's mind, gazing at her with its blue eyes. This was the first time Li Hong and Zheng Zhihao had seen a black cat. It truly seemed extraordinary, with deep, penetrating eyes that appeared to see right through you.

"Little Black's soul has left; it's gone."

There was no response.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Li Hong's arm, making her flinch. However, due to Zheng Zhihao's warning, she didn't change her posture, but instead took a deep breath to endure the pain. This pain was the same as last night's, emanating from the mark. That's right, this was the black cat's soul; it had entered Li Hong's body.

The pain intensified, making Li Hong feel she was about to burst. She couldn't make a sound, she couldn't let Ya Chaolan behind her notice her presence. She gradually bent over, completely covering her mouth and nose with the blanket; she was about to cry.

Zheng Zhihao also noticed Li Hong's sudden change. He knew that the black cat had come to claim his life again. This startled him, but the conversation wasn't over yet; Ya Chaolan could spot Li Hong in front of it at any moment.

“Xiao Hei is still here,” Ya Chaolan said calmly.

"Either let her go, or tell me the clues," Zheng Zhihao said urgently. "I order you to."

There was no response.

“We can bring you the murderer, as long as you give us clues.” Zheng Zhihao glanced at Li Hong, who was curled up in the quilt, and became more and more anxious. He was about to get out of bed, ready to make a move if Ya Chaolan discovered her.

There was still no answer.

"A clue!" Zheng Zhihao growled in a low voice, "Otherwise, the murderer might never come back! You're low on energy right now; you need our help!"

"You want me to let her go? In exchange?" Ya Chaolan finally asked.

“Yes! An exchange. Leave a mark as proof.” Zheng Zhihao said, raising his right hand.

43. Diary (1)

The pain at the mark made it impossible for Li Hong to hear the conversation between Zheng Zhihao and Ya Chaolan. She continued to fight the knife-like pain with all her might, trying her best not to make a sound. So when Zheng Zhihao pulled back the covers and lifted her up, Li Hong realized that Ya Chaolan's ghost was no longer behind her. Now the pain was subsiding, and the room lights were on.

Her face was covered in tears and snot, making it a complete mess. Although she had wiped away a lot of tears and snot on the blanket, Zheng Zhihao almost burst out laughing. He quickly grabbed some tissues to clean Li Hong up, comforting her as he did so: "Look, the mark is gone."

"Where did it go?" Li Hong noticed then that the marks had disappeared. She checked the marks on other parts of her body, and they had all vanished without a trace, her skin returning to its original fair appearance. She was both surprised and delighted. "What did you say to Ya Chaolan? Did she let me go?"

“Yes, she agreed to let you go, but I have to bring the murderer to her within a week.” Zheng Zhihao said, raising his right hand. “See that? The mark.”

"Huh? The mark is on your hand?" Li Hong grabbed his hand, examining it as she asked, "What happened?"

"This is the transaction. The mark is the proof."

"Are you kidding me?!" Li Hong suddenly roared, "Why did you agree to her? If the murderer isn't found within a week, you'll die, won't you?"

“Yes,” Zheng Zhihao said calmly.

Li Hong was stunned. She hadn't expected Zheng Zhihao to do this. He had calmly saved her for the third time, but it had put him in danger.

"Alright, alright, I believe we'll find Ya Chaolan's body within a week, and then it'll be over." Zheng Zhihao patted Li Hong on the shoulder. "Don't worry."

Li Hong's tears slowly flowed again. She couldn't speak and just stared blankly at Zheng Zhihao.

"Stop crying!" Zheng Zhihao said as if giving a command. "What's the use of just crying! Ya Chaolan has already given us a clue."

Li Hong finally realized that now was not the time to cry. She hastily wiped away her tears and asked in a hoarse voice, "What clue did she give me?"

“Although it’s not a direct clue,” Zheng Zhihao frowned, “Ya Chaolan told me that she left her luggage here when she stayed, and her diary was there.”

Would the killer leave these things behind?

She said the murderer didn't have time to destroy it.

"Where are those things? Did she tell you?"

"I saw the footage; it was in a room, a really dirty and messy room. But I don't know which room in the hotel it was."

The image of the log cabin's storage room suddenly popped into Li Hong's mind. She seemed to be in a daze for a moment, then said, "I know which room it is. Your deal was too unprofitable."

"What do you mean? Do you know where the diary is?"

“When I went to the storage room to look for the register in the afternoon, I saw a ghost standing on a travel bag. I had seen that bag in my dream, but I didn’t realize it would be a clue at the time. I don’t know who the ghost is, but now I think that bag is Yachalan’s luggage.”

Zheng Zhihao grabbed his hair in frustration. "Oh dear, what a huge loss. But how was I supposed to know you saw the bag in your dream? You never mentioned it."

“I don’t know whose bag it is, and at the time I was only focused on burying the body, so I thought the bag belonged to the murderer.”

"Okay, okay, let's hurry up and find that bag." Zheng Zhihao said, standing up.

"Shall we go now?" Li Hong hesitated, looking at the dark mass outside the window.

“I’ll go by myself. I know where the storage room is.” Zheng Zhihao said, starting to look for a flashlight.

"Leave me here alone?" Li Hong said helplessly as she watched him bustling around. "What if something else comes?"