witchcraft

Chapter 22

Xiao west stopped closing the door and gave Feng Qi a cold look: "He's in the hospital."

"Hospitalized?" Feng Qi was stunned, realizing that his lead might have gone cold. He hurriedly asked, "What's wrong with him? A stroke?"

Xiao west looked at Feng Qi strangely: "How do you know? He tripped and fell yesterday when he went out. He was taken to the hospital, and the doctor said he had a stroke and might become a vegetable."

"Aren't you going to take care of him?"

Why should I take care of him?

Feng Qi was surprised by Xiao Xi's indifference. He advised, "Xiao Xi! Listen to me, you're in great danger right now. Someone really wants to hurt you for some reason. There are already dozens of people who have suffered strokes and are unconscious. Think about it, Hao Jie is so young and healthy, how could he have a stroke from a fall like an old person?"

Xiao west tilted her head back, gave Feng Qi a bright smile, and said, "What's it to me!" Then she slammed the door shut.

Feng Qi stared at the closed door, a sense of helplessness in his eyes. Those willing to speak might not tell the truth. Those unwilling to speak, even if you pry them open their mouths, might not say anything. Did he really have to give up?

Chapter Eight: Reunion

Chapter Eight

Xiao Xi stayed alone in his room, surfing the internet. After more than 48 hours of continuous use, he turned off all the videos and web pages, staring blankly at Qianye on his desktop, feeling a mix of restlessness and emptiness. He thought he preferred living alone; he was happy to be free and unrestrained when Hao Jie went to work. But in just two days, he was so anxious that he couldn't do anything. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed his coat from the hanger, casually put on a bright red hat, and went out.

As Xiao Xi reached Hao Jie's hospital room, he suddenly stopped. Inside, a familiar face sat by the bedside, speaking to the unconscious Hao Jie. The person spoke softly, but Xiao Xi heard it clearly: "Jie, you also believe I did all this?"

Just that one sentence, followed by endless sighs and silence. Until a rough yet unexpectedly gentle female voice reminded him, "Henry, the performance is about to begin." Xiao Xi knew who the woman was; it was Qianye's assistant, an ordinary-looking woman. Not hearing Qianye's reply, Xiao Xi, with his sharp eyes, saw two people walking out through the glass in the hospital room door. He quickly hid in the next room.

After a long while, when the sound of their footsteps had faded, he finally came out. Pushing open Hao Jie's hospital room door, he saw Hao Jie still with his eyes closed, just as he had two days ago, seemingly only asleep. But he knew that no matter what he said, Hao Jie wouldn't react at all now.

Xiao Xi looked at Hao Jie, her words filled with regret: "If I had believed you, would you not have ended up like this? If I had listened to you and gone far away, would I not have gotten involved with him? If I hadn't been with you, would none of this have happened? You see, I always do things I regret. I have so much to say to you now, but you can't hear me. There are no 'what ifs' in this world. When will it be my turn? When will he come looking for me? It's strange, I'm both looking forward to it and afraid of it. How ridiculous it would be if we both ended up like this."

He suddenly stopped, gripping the bedsheet tightly. "We were perfectly fine, we didn't provoke him, why did he do this? He abandoned us back then and he's doing just fine, why bother making things difficult for us now? Just because we wronged him once, he wants to destroy us?" He shook his head desperately. "No, I won't let him succeed. It's just that little thing, isn't it? I've suffered just as much as him over the years, why is he so arrogant!"

His hand trembled as he touched Hao Jie's face, smiling as he said, "Jie, I love him, even now he's still my favorite. But I can't bear to see you like this. Get up, argue with me, look at me, only look at me. Stay by my side, always stay by my side. If you don't get up, I'll make the person who made you like this pay!"

"What are you going to do if he doesn't get up?" A rough, hoarse voice sounded from behind. Xiao west turned around, looked at Qing Fei who was alone, and suddenly laughed: "The lackey is here."

Qingfei's face darkened, and she asked again in a deep voice, "If he doesn't get up, what are you going to do?"

"Not very good." Xiao west leaned lazily against the headboard, looking at Qing Fei with a half-smile: "What, did he send you to clean up the mess?"

“It has nothing to do with Henry,” Qingfei said with disgust. “You trash are not worthy to speak to him.”

"Another fanatic."

"It's better than a duck."

"Hahahaha..." Xiao west burst into laughter, raising her chin high and saying disdainfully, "So what if I'm a gigolo? At least someone is willing to pay for me. With your looks, tsk tsk tsk, I'm afraid no one would want you even if you paid them. Don't talk to me about high and low status, the people you serve aren't much better off."

"Disgusting homosexual!" Qingfei's face turned pale with anger.

"Isn't your master disgusting? Homosexuality disgusting? Male prostitutes disgusting? Woman, the Henry you're talking about is even more disgusting than that."

Qingfei clenched her fists, trying to calm her anger, and then said fiercely, "I'm here to warn you not to do anything unnecessary, or you'll end up like that person in the bed!"

"Did you do this?" Xiao west was a little stunned.

"You don't need to know who did it." Qingfei said this and turned to leave. Suddenly, Xiaoxi went berserk, lunging at Qingfei, grabbing her hair, and throwing her to the ground: "You did it!"

Qingfei struggled desperately, but Xiaoxi, though small, was still a man and her strength was no match for his. She could only dodge Xiaoxi's rain of punches. But she refused to back down and roared, "What's so great about hitting a woman! If you're so capable, go tell the police that I caused the stroke in that bed, and see who believes you, you madman!" Xiaoxi was blinded by rage and wouldn't listen to a word. He sat on Qingfei and slapped her several times.

When the nurses, guards, and doctors rushed in, Qingfei's face was already purple and blue and was unrecognizable.

When Qianye arrived at the police station, he saw Qingfei crying miserably, and Xiaoxi was in no better shape, with several bloody scratches on her face from her fingernails. He met Xiaoxi's eyes for a moment, then immediately looked away. Xiaoxi, however, had been staring at him intently ever since Qianye entered the room.

They reached a private settlement.

Xiao west remained silent throughout, only staring at Qian Ye. Only after they parted did Qian Ye approach Xiao west and say, "Xiao west, long time no see."

Xiao west curled her lips into a sarcastic smile and said, "Long time no see, big star."

"I don't want to ask why you fought, but I hope you won't be involved anymore." After saying this, Qianye was about to take Qingfei to the car and leave. Xiaoxi grabbed the hem of Qianye's shirt, but his face showed embarrassment. It seemed that he only realized it after he started to act. When he saw Qianye turn his head, he awkwardly let go: "Are you... alright?"

Qianye was taken aback and turned her head away: "It's alright. So, let's not see each other again. And please don't come to my performances again."

"You knew I was coming?"

"Qingfei told me."

Xiao west snorted coldly and asked, "Why did you hurt Hao Jie?"

"Believe it or not, it wasn't me. I never had any contact with Hao Jie."

“You don’t need to do it yourself. I don’t know anyone else who would do these things besides you.”

Qianye looked at Xiaoxi's distrustful expression and suddenly gave a miserable laugh: "In your mind, am I this kind of person?"

"Yes, you are the kind of person who would do anything for your future."

"It's too hurtful to hear you say such things," Qianye said. "After all, you are someone I have protected with all my heart."

Xiao Xi fell silent. He knew Qian Ye well, and seeing her alive now, his longing hadn't ceased, his heart pounding even harder. Even years of hatred, resentment, and suspicion vanished in a few words. But after only a moment's hesitation, he shook his head and said coldly, "Qian Ye, perhaps we are no longer who we once were. I don't understand you. I only know that the person who cared for me the most, who never abandoned me even in my darkest moments, is now a numb, unresponsive vegetable. You have so much, why take away what little I have left?"

Qianye wanted to explain, but in the end she shut her mouth, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

When Feng Qi received Yu Ye's call, his usual lighthearted banter was tinged with an unusual excitement. Yu Ye said, "Hey, big reporter, guess what I found out?"

"The murderer?" Feng Qi held the phone between his ear and shoulder, shrugged, poured some porridge into his own bowl, and then poured some into Fei Xue's and Xiao Hei's bowls.

"Just a hair's breadth away~" Yu Ye chuckled, "So how did the murderer commit the crime!"

"Isn't it witchcraft? Something you're good at."

“There’s more than one kind of witchcraft… never mind, I couldn’t explain it to you. Just know that after my research on Yu Gang these past few days, I’ve discovered that what caused his stroke was a kind of Gu. And this Gu is extremely interesting; it’s transmitted through male bodily fluids. Big reporter, do you understand what I’m saying?”

Feng Qi was stunned: "A man? It's semen?"

"Not exactly, but it was definitely through sexual intercourse. It's a bit unethical to say, but I drugged Yu Gang's wife and then applied a special liquid to his body to find the other person's semen residue. Well, that residue contained components that cause strokes and comas." Yu Ye paused here, "As for what those components are and how they were made, I think you don't want to know, and you don't need to know."

Feng Qi was a little suspicious: "Why are you being so cooperative this time? You used to keep it completely secret from me?"

The laughter on the other end of the phone grew even louder: "That's due to my professional ethics. This isn't my business, so I don't need to adhere to professional conduct." Besides, this time the incident was probably aimed at her, a point Yu Ye certainly wouldn't tell Feng Qi.

"The perpetrator must have been a man?"

"Please, my dear reporter Feng, if you're curious, go find the answer yourself. I'm just telling you the facts as I know them."

"Well, thank you anyway."

"No, no, no, there's no need for such formalities between us. If you have the chance, just patronize my business." Yu Ye paused, then said, "I'm doing a reverse experiment, and I might be able to wake Yu Gang up in a day or two. When that happens, you might as well ask him directly."

Feng Qi was stunned again, and asked anxiously, "Can they be saved? Then can you wake up all the victims?"

“If I wanted to, I could save everyone. However, I would only save Yu Gang for free, because I was curious about who did such a clumsy thing. As for the others, I would save them, but they would have to pay a price, and I don’t know if they can afford it.”

Feng Qi fell silent, knowing what the price Yu Ye mentioned meant.

Instead of receiving good news, Yu Ye received news that Xiao west had also suffered a stroke and was hospitalized.

Feng Qi had left his contact number at various hospitals, intending to call him whenever someone suffered a stroke and lost consciousness. After several fruitless trips and seeing a few routine patients unrelated to the case, Feng Qi was weary of receiving such calls. But this time, it was Xiao Xi. The last person Hao Jie mentioned who knew the truth. No, there was also himself. Thinking of this, Feng Qi smiled. Could it be that he too would encounter such danger?

After leaving Konishi's hospital room, he went straight to Chiya's accommodation.

Qingfei blocked the door, preventing him from entering. He smiled, slipped past her outstretched arms, and kicked the door a few times. Normally, he wouldn't be so reckless. But Qingfei was too persistent; no matter how much he pleaded, she wouldn't let him see Qianye. His hopeless kicks, however, managed to open Qianye's door.

The door opened quietly, and Qianye, dressed in a white shirt and gray linen trousers, appeared before them expressionlessly. He glanced at Qingfei with icy eyes and said coldly, "It's just a meeting; there's no need to make such a scene outside."

Qingfei felt wronged, lowered her head, sat down, and stopped blocking Feng Qi.

Freed from his restraints, Feng Qi stood up straight and said with a smile, "Qianye, let's talk."

"I thought we had nothing left to talk about." Qianye stood at the door, showing no intention of backing down. Feng Qi smiled dismissively: "Qianye, do you know that Xiaoxi had a stroke and was hospitalized?"

Qianye raised an eyebrow: "Who is Xiaoxi?"

"The male dancer at the Maya Bar, your former neighbor, do you want me to tell you more?"

"Hao Jie told you."

"You're too cruel. Do you know how much Xiao Xi idolizes you? His house is full of your posters, his computer is full of your videos. He came to almost every show when you performed in Zhicheng. Is reputation that important that you have to hurt so many people?" Feng Qi recalled Xiao Xi's resolute gaze and saw Qian Ye's unmoved face, and a surge of anger rose in his heart.

"Whom did I hurt?" Qianye said in a low voice, "I just wanted to stand higher, why do you say I hurt others? I know you think I did it. Xiaoxi has become like this too. Perhaps there really is a god we can't see in the dark, judging our sins."

Feng Qi frowned, looking at Qian Ye, who was speaking softer and softer, almost to herself.

"If you think I did it, then I did it." Qianye suddenly looked up and smiled brightly at Feng Qi: "You are a reporter. Writing the truth is writing, and writing the falsehood is also writing. Good or bad, true or false, beautiful or ugly, are not all in your pen. If you want someone to be good, you can spare no effort to praise them. If you want someone to be bad, you can exaggerate all their shortcomings a hundred times or ten thousand times and tell the world about them."

“I am not a person with that much power.”

“Take it one step at a time. Who doesn’t take it one step at a time?” Qianye laughed with a hint of self-deprecation. “So, Feng Qi, how do you plan to write about me?”

"I write the truth as I know it."

"The truth is that I did not hurt anyone. I only met Yu Gang, Hao Jie, and Xiao west once. Do you want to believe this truth?"

Feng Qi remained silent. He had initially thought Qing Fei might be the culprit, but Yu Ye had told him the killer was a man. All the evidence now pointed to Qian Ye. Qian Ye's current attitude made his initial certainty waver. Was he really the killer? If he was, would he write it down? And if he did, would anyone believe him? All these questions flashed through his mind in an instant. In the end, he said to Qian Ye, "I won't write everything down. After all, no one would believe me. Just tell me, did you do it?"

Qianye shook her head: "No."

Feng Qi laughed: "Then I know who the murderer is." After saying that, he waved his hand and pointed at Qing Fei: "It's her."

Qianye and Qingfei were both stunned and looked at Feng Qi. Qianye spoke first, breaking the silence: "Are you kidding me?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Feng Qi took a voice recorder out of his pocket and turned it on. The recording was of Xiao Xi and Qing Fei's conversation in Hao Jie's hospital room. After listening to the conversation, both of their expressions changed.

Feng Qi patted his sleeves and said, "I planted a small listening device in Hao Jie's hospital bed. Not only that, I also collected a lot of evidence that Qing Fei is the murderer. As long as we hand it over to the police, everything will be over."

"Azure Jade!"

"It wasn't me!"

Two voices rang out simultaneously. Qingfei looked at Qianye in a panic. Ever since Feng Qi started playing that dialogue, she had been observing his expression. The further he played, the uglier his face became; she knew it was an expression of anger.

Qianye calmly replied, "It wasn't her."

Feng Qi laughed: "If it's not her, then could it be you?"

Chapter Nine: The Internet

Chapter Nine

Qianye glanced at Qingfei, gesturing for her to leave. Qingfei was extremely reluctant, but she still went out the door.

Feng Qi waited until Qing Fei closed the door before saying, "Did you let her out because you have a secret to tell me?"

"It's not exactly a secret, but you don't need to provoke me. I don't believe you really think Qingfei is the murderer."

"Why don't you believe it? The evidence is conclusive."