Margaret's Secret

Cai Jun's brand new thrilling masterpiece, *Margaret's Secret*, released in 2005.

The first mysterious sheepskin

April 1, 2005, Shanghai.

This story begins on April Fool's Day in 2005.

April 1st. Friday. A chilly, damp spring day in Shanghai. It wasn't until I stepped into the "YunJ" office on the thirteenth floor of a building on Nanjing West Road that I suddenly realized what day it was.

At 3:45 PM, the YunJ chat room officially opened. The beautiful host first introduced me to the netizens, along with my two recently published books, *The Deserted Village Apartment* and *The 19th Level of Hell*. These two books sold quite well, and many netizens and readers were speculating whether I was the protagonist in the story. Was one of the female protagonists in the book still wandering in the subway?

Later, netizens raised many strange questions, which made me extremely anxious. I spent two hours in agony, and just when I was about to escape this misery, a netizen named Delamor appeared.

De La Morne?

The strange name appeared on the screen like a ghost, and I held my breath for several seconds, as if a needle had pierced my brain.

Netizen Delamour: "I've read your novel 'The Head of My Lover,' in which the female protagonist takes away the head of her beheaded lover. Why did you write it this way? Is it because of Stendhal's 'The Red and the Black'?"

As I read this text, the needle pierced my mind even deeper. I almost forgot all my questions, and all that seemed to be before me was a crescent moon.

Strangely, on the afternoon of April Fool's Day in 2005, in a chat room on Y, I found myself engrossed in a novel I had written five years earlier.

I didn't know how to answer. At that moment, the host said that time was up and it was time to end the chat. He added that he would invite me to visit again in the future.

The chat finally ended, but I was still thinking about that netizen named "Dramore," whose strange question kept bothering me.

Stepping out of the office building, the streetlights were already on, and a cold wind blew against my face, giving me a strange feeling.

Suddenly, a voice rang in my ear: "Excuse me, are you Mr. Cai?"

I turned around nervously. It was a young man, probably in his early twenties, tall and thin, dressed entirely in black, which matched the night perfectly. He moved suspiciously, looking around as if someone was following him, and then approached me.

My guard was up: "Yes, it's me. How did you know?"

"I've seen your photo." Under the light, I gradually made out his face. He looked more like a college student; his eyes, though not large, were dark and bright, and his face was pale and thin. At first glance, he resembled Jay Chou somewhat.

How did you know I would be here?

“I’ve been waiting for you for a while. I know you’re chatting on CloudNet, so I’m waiting for you here.”

A strange expression suddenly appeared on his lips: "I had a feeling you would come this way, and I was right."

His tone was like that of a wizard, so I became even more cautious: "Enough, who exactly are you, and why are you looking for me?"

“My name is Lin Hai. I have something important to tell you, and you must listen to me.” He took another step closer to me.

What's all this mystery about? He suddenly leaned close to my ear and said in a chilling tone, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

I was stunned by those words. This ghostly boy had asked me the most terrifying question in the world.

Before I could react, his second whisper came: "I'm being haunted by a ghost, and it's right next to you."

Upon hearing those words, I felt a jolt in my heart, and a chill swept over me, as if that ghost had "passed" through my body.

I immediately froze. This guy named Lin Hai seemed more like a ghost. Could this be an April Fool's joke?

"I'm sorry, maybe I was too direct. Can we find somewhere to talk?" Lin Hai said softly when he saw my hesitation. "This afternoon you were chatting on Y, and I was in the internet cafe across the street. I went into the chat room and asked you a question—why did the female protagonist in 'The Lover's Head' take away the head of her beheaded lover?"

My eyes widened immediately, and a name blurted out: "Delamore. You're that online friend named Delamor."

"Yes, you ended the meeting without answering my question, which is why I'm waiting for you here."

I felt a strange excitement; this "De La Mole" was right in front of me. I agreed to his request, and we walked together to a small café across the street.

On April Fool's Day night, business was slow at the coffee shop. Lin Hai found an inconspicuous corner and sat down opposite me.

Although Lin Hai looked haggard, he was indeed a handsome young man, especially with those Jay Chou-esque eyes, which should be very attractive to girls.

The night was dark outside the window, and we began an unusual conversation in this dimly lit café.

Little did I know, a nightmare was about to invade my life!

(2)

There were only the two of us left in the coffee shop.

"Alright, tell me, what exactly do you want from me? And what's this so-called ghost you're talking about?"

Lin Hai's face was still pale. He pursed his lips, looked around again, and then slowly said, "In your novel 'The Head of My Lover,' the female protagonist takes away the head of the person she loves because she believes she will be with him forever. But why is the ending so perplexing?"

"Oh, perhaps I was indeed influenced by Stendhal's *The Red and the Black*. Real-life love stories aren't what people expect; I just didn't want to repeat myself. But what does any of this have to do with you coming to see me?"

Lin Hai smiled mysteriously, and suddenly said to me, "Do you know the name Margaret?"

I was taken aback. Margaret, what did that mean? I was becoming increasingly confused by what he was saying. Could he be a highly intelligent madman like Zhou Xuan, the character I wrote about in "Ghost Inn"?

I got a little angry: "Could you please explain yourself clearly? What exactly are you trying to say? I don't have that much time to play mind games with you."

Lin Hai's face turned very embarrassed. He hurriedly said, "No, please don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to tease you. I just want to tell you about the strange things that happened to me."

I calmed down and asked him to explain the whole process in detail.

So Lin Hai recounted his terrifying experience to me:

Lin Hai is a recent college graduate who currently works in a technology park, primarily selling computers and software. He's not particularly busy, and in his spare time, he often listens to music. He doesn't like so-called pop songs; he generally appreciates classical masterpieces, such as the works of Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach. These days, there aren't many young people like him who enjoy this kind of music.

That afternoon, the weather was a bit

……