The Ghost Lips' Unforgettable Kiss

Chapter 8

"Don't speak! I don't know who you are, but you're a kind ghost. I just don't understand why you're willing to stay with me, and why you've suffered such serious injuries to protect me!"

I held her and roared in a low voice.

"Tell me where you got that CD! Why did you give it to me! Who is Qi Silong? Does his death have anything to do with you?"

“Red text…betrayal.”

"What did you say? Who betrayed Scarlet Letter?"

"Red...character".

After she finished speaking, her body fell and suddenly disappeared from my arms, leaving only the lingering, soul-stirring scent of locust blossoms within me. She was a ghost; perhaps before losing consciousness, she didn't want to remain in my arms.

Red text? That's strange! What is she implying to me?

"Luoyi! Take care!"

I silently called out to the dark and empty streets of the Forbidden City, believing she could hear me.

I continued walking alone towards Chuxiu Palace, pondering Luo Yi's words over and over. Red letter… Red letter… Why did she say such strange things? Did she see the red letter? The terrifying red letter… I suddenly remembered something from the past. Could it be related to that incident? It happened over a year ago.

One winter evening in 2004, Pang Zhen (currently considered my fake cousin, as I believe my real cousin died in 2003) came to my dormitory from her workplace, looking very dejected. She asked me to go to the movies with her, to see the Korean thriller "The Scarlet Letter." I remember she was waiting for me alone in the theater, without any other friends, which was quite unexpected.

She said she was feeling irritable, and I immediately thought it was another handsome guy she'd broken up with; her personal relationships were always a secret. We sat there in the theater, each enjoying this famous film. It was indeed strange; I vaguely remembered the plot: Qi Xun was an excellent detective with two women deeply in love with him: his wife, Xiu Xian, and his alluring mistress, Jia Xi. He was assigned to investigate the murder of a photo studio owner. The victim's wife, Qing Xi, was a suspect, yet this woman exuded a peculiar charm that stirred his ambiguous feelings. His mistress, Jia Xi, though outwardly glamorous, was inwardly incredibly lonely, relying solely on Qi Xun's love. She was pregnant. When Qi Xun and Jia Xi were flirting, they were accidentally trapped in the trunk of a car for two days and two nights. Love seemed so fragile in the face of greedy human nature… Even on the verge of death, he fantasized about naming his unborn child Pearl. Jiaxi suffers a difficult childbirth, but Qixun only cares about his own escape... A muffled gunshot rings out, and in pain and despair, Jiaxi dies in her car, next to her lover... The film doesn't reveal who fired the shot. Incredibly, Lee Eun-joo, the popular South Korean actress who played Jiaxi, also hanged herself shortly afterward.

I clearly remember Pang Zhen was in tears. Later, she couldn't bear to watch anymore and wanted to leave before the movie ended. I asked if she was feeling unwell, but she didn't answer and ran out alone. I couldn't find her that night, and she disappeared for quite some time afterward. Could that movie have some hidden meaning that could have affected her so much? Now it seems it might be related to Qi Silong?

The Scarlet Letter—I vaguely remember that during that ghostly train journey, Pang Zhen, as a ghost, left me a scarlet letter diary. Out of anger, I threw it away, but there was nothing on it. Could it be some kind of hint to me? ... Only I had ever seen the movie "The Scarlet Letter" with her.

I still remember one of her words: "I've never been one to miss a lover, I understand your feelings. But I have to tell you that the person I was before wasn't actually your real cousin, Pang Zhen. She died two years ago... Don't try to figure out who I am. The past is no longer important. I don't want those terrible nightmares to haunt your life. Bury them, just like you bury your lover. From now on, we will be gone forever."

If the fake Pang Zhen truly loved Qi Silong, then why was she in so much pain, like "burying your lover"? Clearly, the fake Pang Zhen is real; she is the ghost lover "Jiaxi" in real life, the one I watched the movie with. From that scarlet letter, I could sense that the fake cousin was filled with sorrow. Perhaps the reason she cried was because she felt that the ending of her love story with Qi Silong was exactly the same as that in the movie "The Scarlet Letter".

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Mystery of the Dry Well

Xiao Qi is a police officer who loves my real cousin, Pang Zhen. According to hints in the plot of *The Scarlet Letter*, he also loves a lover, possibly a ghost cousin who looks very much like his real cousin. Their ending… is like that of Qi Xun and Jia Xi in *The Scarlet Letter*. Later, Jia Xi dies in the car due to Qi Xun's selfishness and greed. So, could we hypothesize that Qi Silong is a heartless man who betrayed the ghost who also loved him madly…?

Did the real Pang Zhen really die in the car accident? What grudge did the real and fake Pang Zhen have against Qi Silong? Following the logic of *The Scarlet Letter*, Jiaxi and Qi Xun's wife Xiuxian were friends in the film. So, besides being rivals between a human and a ghost, perhaps the real and fake cousins were also good friends. In *The Scarlet Letter*, there's a third woman, Qingxi, who didn't appear in my experience. If their *Scarlet Letter* connection is real, then that more alluring woman (or ghost) should exist… Qi Silong's love for her should stem from a case. Could it be that the third woman (or ghost) once invited Xiao Qi to help her solve a case?

Having clarified the four-way relationship between Qi Silong and the woman, the current question is: who is the third woman, and who is she? Could it be the faceless woman in black who has lost her clothes? Otherwise, why would she have a mysterious CD and mention the Scarlet Letter—a logical implication regarding Qi Silong's role? Could a female ghost have seen the movie "The Scarlet Letter"? Why would she use such modern language to hint at me? She helped me, and loves me so much; would she only want to tell me about Qi Silong? Obviously not. The only possibility for her involvement in this case is that she is connected to the painting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival." Perhaps she initially sought out Qi Silong because of that painting.

But isn't that painting perfectly intact in the underground artifact storage room of the Forbidden City? ... My mind was in a mess. Although I believed my guess was reasonable, no one could prove that my assumption was true.

Just then, the SOS call on the walkie-talkie crackled with static, interrupting my train of thought. I looked around alertly, then cautiously felt inside my pocket. Oh no, those two CDs were gone! Did Luo Yi take them when we hugged earlier? Maybe she did, or maybe she was afraid someone would take these important things away, so she took them.

I ran along the palace wall, and soon the cries for help stopped. I put away my phone and jogged in the direction where the sound signal was clear. Sure enough, I saw a small courtyard. The small palace under the moonlight was deep inside. There were no signs here, and it was not on the map of the Forbidden City. I determined the location, slipped inside, and leaned against the corridor to peek inside.

"Help!"

I heard cries again, this time not from a walkie-talkie, but from ahead. The muffled voice came from the well, confirming my judgment. The sound was coming from beneath the gray earthen platform ahead, where there was a clump of weeds, and wild thorns swayed in the howling north wind. Strange shadows swayed in the moonlight. I stopped and waited quietly for the second cry for help. Sure enough, when the woman's pitiful voice rang out again, I realized that there was a well deep in the grass, and the woman calling for help was probably down there.

Just as I was about to step forward, I hesitated. The video I had first seen flashed through my mind, and I realized a terrifying truth: the DV recording of Qi Silong's February 17th diary, preserved in file number 1644 which I considered the truth, was actually a complete "movie" script—a story that never happened. The events described in the so-called February 17th diary were being acted out by me; it wasn't the story of Qi Silong and the well at all—it was my story. This inevitably reminded me of something the pretty girl from the Republican-era Beiyang Army ghost film crew had said before midnight:

"You'll find yourself in a movie." That's the implication; I might be the protagonist in this life-or-death drama in which I star.

To put it bluntly, none of those things ever happened to Qi Silong; the one who actually wrote the diary was me: I encountered a beautiful, faceless female ghost in a black dress in the Forbidden City, and then she appeared at the edge of a well. I imagined that next, under the silvery moonlight, water would appear in the dry well, and below that, a terrifying female ghost's face… I felt like a clumsy extra, running around in a plot designed by a terrifying shadow. Besides getting that beautiful, kind female ghost's embrace, what else was real?

Who is directing this play? Is Luo Yi detached from this conspiracy? Perhaps she doesn't know the story that's about to unfold either. She just gave me a disc that can guide me to the truth. But what if that beautiful actress from the Republican era is actually her? Maybe she does know. I don't know either. But the story that follows will definitely be even more dangerous and unpredictable. In any case, I must hold on until eight o'clock tomorrow morning. Even if I sacrifice myself, I must find out part of the truth and try to tell Tang Yuqing so that she can continue to unravel the mystery.

Thinking of this, my stubborn heart went wild again. It was like a person who didn't want to be a hero but picked up a blunt knife called foolish courage at the crossroads of death, and then had to show courage and determination. Since death had chosen me, I would not back down. No pain, no gain. Only by fighting can I have a chance.

It was pitch black all around, and the howling night wind blew against the red walls, making a series of howling sounds. I didn't know where I was or why I was here. Without thinking, I rushed through and quickly arrived at the pile of weeds. Sure enough, I found a well platform in the corner. I imagined that there must be a well opening below, so I hid next to the well platform. Then I took out the mirror that I always carried with me and turned to the side to reflect everything below the well.

The moonlight, like water, shone on me, making my uniform appear as grayish-white as the well platform. I held my breath and looked down, a nameless sense of mission urging me to be brave. I carefully examined my surroundings, adjusting the mirror to a certain angle, hoping to see the beautiful face described in the diary. But the woman's face that I expected to see reflected in the mirror did not appear. The silvery light below the well was as beautiful as the moonlight on a lotus pond, exactly as described in Qi Silong's diary, but I looked until my eyes were sore, and I saw nothing.

Suddenly, a pair of red things appeared. Then, I saw a pair of embroidered shoes slowly rising from the bottom of the well to the top. The white soles of the shoes gleamed eerily in the moonlight. Next came a woman's red skirt. Her legs were indistinct between red and white, but rather a blur, as if bleeding. Her face was definitely facing down. She rose up like this, but suddenly, I saw a horrifying scene. Below her thighs was a white face, slowly rising towards the top of the well. The reflection of the silver light grew stronger and stronger, and the embroidered shoes in the mirror became more and more sinister, getting closer and closer to the top of the well.

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Unsolved Ghostly Chain

A dark, ghostly figure slowly rose from the well. A pair of embroidered shoes, reflected in the silver light at the bottom, rose eerily. It seemed as if a woman with a high-piled bun was below. Where had her body gone? Just as I was still reeling from the shock, a familiar woman's voice came from the well:

"Don't go, it's cold at the bottom of the well, please hug me."

I asked in surprise:

"Who exactly are you?" I gritted my teeth, waiting for an answer.

"Your woman, can you hug me just once?"

"Don't try to scare me, I'll tear off your mask today!" I roared, trembling with fear.

"I won't hurt you, as long as you can turn around, look behind you, and then hug me."

I won't believe you!

"You definitely will."

"Who exactly are you? Whether you're human or ghost, I'm going to see your true face today!"

I screamed hysterically, a twisted courage surging through my body. I stood up, about to put the mirror away, but the reflection suddenly revealed a scene behind me: a pair of eerily white arms reaching out towards me. I felt my eyes being covered. In the silvery moonlight, I could see out of the corner of my eye a person dressed entirely in white behind me, lunging at me frantically. I whirled around, noticing the impending danger, and drew my pistol. At that moment, the strong hand of the person in white covered my eyes, and a chilling wind swept across my neck. I tried to break free, but suddenly my hand touched the ghost's hand. Panic gripped me; it only had three withered fingers. I pulled the trigger behind me.

With a loud "bang!", the recoil of the gun almost made me fall over. A dull thud made me believe that the target had been hit. However, after the bullet was fired, I smelled a refreshing fragrance.

"Luo Yi! It's you!"

I regret it so much! The deadly scent of locust blossoms! How could I have been so impulsive as to fire the gun!

"Take off your clothes!"

I searched frantically for her shadow, but it was as if nothing had happened. My fearful screams didn't echo in the grass; everything seemed eerily quiet, except for the lingering smell of gunpowder from my muzzle… Ignoring the ghost in the well, I frantically searched the grass, hoping to find Luo Yi's body. Sure enough, I saw a slender figure lying in the grass. I rushed over, picked her up, and held her tightly in my arms, but immediately sensed something was wrong. It wasn't just the weight; Luo Yi's hair was thick, obscuring her face, but this person didn't even have a complete head. Moreover, what was truly horrifying was that her lower body was covered in blood, a blurry mess. I lit a lighter, and in the darkness, an incredibly terrifying scene appeared before me—a scene of utter devastation. A woman's naked lower body was covered in blood, her abdomen cut open, and there was a mangled, half-born child, the infant already fragmented… She was a pregnant woman experiencing a difficult labor.

The tragic woman's body was mostly gone; her swollen face had been peeled away, leaving a bloody, mangled mess that was horrifying enough to make one vomit. And there was half an infant! My God! ... I was so tense that the world spun around me, my sticky hands convulsing, and the hand that was holding the corpse's lower body fell limply to its side. Suddenly, a short metal chain on the corpse's ankles caught my attention. Clearly, she had used this as shackles before she died, and she would never have had a chance to escape.

If it wasn't Luo Yi, then who was she? In the instant I hesitated, the embroidered shoes that had emerged from the well had already hooked around my neck. Then, a foul, fishy smell made it hard for me to breathe. I was terrified. I grabbed the embroidered shoes and pressed a lighter against the surface to set them on fire! The eerie shoe that was gripping my neck was set ablaze, and the satin surface burned intensely. The burning shoe became even more frantic, gripping my throat tightly. I quickly flipped the burning shoe over onto the ground. To my surprise, due to the dense weeds around us and the strong night wind, the dry grass actually caught fire.

Suddenly a north wind blew, and I caught fire. My face was scalded and twisted. My other embroidered shoe ran away. I heard a scream, and then my head was suddenly hit hard by something. In my hazy consciousness, I seemed to realize that the scream was coming from my own throat. Then I knew nothing more.

When I woke up again, I felt myself lying on a very hard bed, staring at the white ceiling and surrounded by many filing cabinets. I didn't know where I was lying. Next to me was a young policewoman, facing me, twirling a pretty pen in her hand. My head was very dizzy, and my whole body ached. It felt like my clothes had been changed. Why was that?

"You're awake?"

"Who are you? Oh... it's Ning...?"

It took me a while to recognize her; she was Ning Yu, the internal affairs officer of the security department, who had greeted me when I reported for duty. It turned out I was in the break room of the internal affairs office of the security department.

"How did I get here... It's like I'm on fire."

"The eastern patrol received a distress call and they found you."

"Should I call for help?"

“Around 2 a.m. last night, an actress from the film crew said that she saw a police officer fall into the toilet during filming. They pulled you out, and when the captain and the others arrived, you had already been rescued but were unconscious, covered in dirt, and almost drowned.”

"Me drowning? A female actor from the film crew?"

"Stop pretending. The captain is furious with your behavior. Why did you fall into the women's restroom? Are you a pervert, or were you trying to molest the actress? She reported the incident in tears. Everyone knows what happened. You will be charged with attempted rape."

"I raped someone?... I was fucking attacked by a ghost."

"Did you encounter a ghost? Or did that pretty actress meet you? Don't try to be clever. Faced with the facts, you'd better confess honestly. Do you need to hold a gun when you go to the toilet?"

Ning Yu's beautiful face suddenly turned cold, and she questioned him.

"I...did go to the restroom, but there were no actresses there. I'm investigating something."

"No matter what it was, the fact that you were holding that police pistol in the women's restroom meant you had lewd intentions."

Ning Yu's gaze sharpened, and after speaking, she produced a miniature recorder, her tone becoming stiff.

"I did fire a shot, and I hit someone, but that person disappeared afterward."

“Pang Yuling, the team values you highly and promoted you from the police academy, but your performance yesterday was truly disappointing. I am now speaking to you on behalf of the Security Department. Your statement has been recorded and is being used as evidence in this investigation. I am now formally questioning you about the two bullets missing from your pistol. I hope you will cooperate honestly; otherwise, the Discipline Inspection Department will contact you later.”

"Okay, I did lose two bullets, but it was a special experience."

I knew this bad luck would happen, but what could I possibly hide from this sharp-tongued policewoman?

I recounted my experience in the restroom last night during rehearsals for the film crew at the Forbidden City, omitting the events that followed. She seemed to listen half-heartedly, her pen slid across the paper as she jotted down notes. But then, an ornament on her table caught my attention—a nine-linked metal ring, a folk game called the Nine Linked Rings… but seven links were already untied, leaving two knots unbroken. Ningyu liked playing the Nine Linked Rings? My nerves immediately tightened. I didn't know what it was connected to, but I had an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

“Pang Yuling, you’re lucky. Because it involves your reputation and influence, the actress has dropped the charge of attempted rape against you. She didn’t even leave her name. We’ll put that aside for now. But we’ll get to the bottom of those two bullets.”

"I didn't lie, and I didn't offend any actress at all. If you don't believe me, I can confront that woman alone. She must have seen a ghost! I fired the bullet, but... everything is a mess!"

Helpless, I spread my hands, somewhat hysterically, and stammered out my innocence.

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Girl in Red in the Ghost Cave

"Are you sure you're not lying? You know, not being able to explain where the bullet went could get you into big trouble."

“I never lie. I did see Qi Silong holding the ancient painting. He attacked me, so I shot him... But then, strangely enough, he did bleed, but then he stopped bleeding…”

"You didn't find any shell casings either?"

"That's right."

"Okay, please sign the record you just made."

I sat up, still feeling a burning pain in my face. Ning Yu took the interrogation record and showed it to me. There wasn't much to see, so I just signed it. But as I was about to give it to her, I suddenly realized that there were a few words in the record that I recognized. It was as if I had seen that kind of handwriting somewhere before... I remembered! Those words had appeared in the diary of Huang Juan, a palace maid from the Republican era!

I shuddered, staring wide-eyed with a convulsive expression, my eyes darting around. Suddenly, I glanced quickly at Ning Yu, who looked quite surprised:

"Why are you looking at me? Is there something wrong with the record?"

"Ah, that's absolutely right. I was so dizzy from the fever that my eyes kept rolling upwards involuntarily."

"That means it has no pupils?"

She gave a sly smile. No pupils? Was it an implication or a threat? My hair stood on end, and I mechanically smiled back, but my gaze swept over the handwriting at the bottom of the notepad. Those words really resembled the characters in the dying diary of a palace maid from the Republican era. She seemed to notice me scrutinizing her and quickly hid her gloved hands behind her back, which only fueled my suspicion. I hadn't noticed her hands before; why wouldn't she let me see them? ...

"We need to put this material in your personal file." Whether her words were a threat or a reminder, I was even more confused.

"Do I have a personal file?"

“Every employee of the Palace Museum has a numbered file; this is an organizational matter.”

She looked me up and down a few times, then walked disdainfully toward the filing cabinet.

"My file has been transferred over?..." I was skeptical, thinking that it was quite fast.

Just as she reached for the folder, I noticed that the glove on her right hand seemed a bit deflated, as if a finger was missing?! A "ghost" with three fingers? Ning Yu, who is she...?

"You are not allowed to leave here. It will be time for work soon, and someone will continue to investigate you."