Increíble

Capítulo 34

The big forest accompanied me on a walk along the pebble path in the backyard. We both kept our heads down and neither of us spoke.

There were some grasses I didn't recognize growing in the yard, so like a naive girl who'd never seen the world before, I asked about this and that. The Great Forest only answered the questions I asked: "This is plantain, that's hibiscus, the ones behind are peppermint, the ones on both sides of the road are thyme, and the ones under your feet are sage..." I chuckled and teased him, wondering when he'd become so wooden, answering only one question at a time. He replied, "I always was a block of wood."

"Oh dear!" I hopped forward and spotted a hedgehog on a haystack. "Come look! It's so cute!" I wanted to take another step forward, but the big forest blocked my way: "This is very common in Switzerland, don't disturb it."

"Okay." I nodded obediently.

He added, "And don't get pricked by it."

Hehe. I couldn't help but force a silly smile: "So you do care about me after all."

He immediately turned away and ignored me: "I'm going to get the car and buy some daily necessities. You can play by yourself!"

I sat on the lawn, staring blankly at the hedgehog. The little creature lay contentedly on the lush green grass, seemingly observing me as well, completely still. The sun was gentle, warming me and making me want to doze off. The yellowish-brown leaves fluttered down from the trees, and I found myself leaning against a sycamore tree, feeling sleepy…

A breeze picked up, and many leaves fell with it. I was reading Eileen Chang's *The Golden Cangue* under a tree. It was strange; I hadn't been enjoying Chang's books lately. Her works, with their desolate, tomb-like atmosphere, often made me feel melancholic and cold. Yet, *The Golden Cangue* was indeed in my hands. Strange! I looked around. The surroundings were completely unfamiliar, yet somehow familiar: Oh! This must be the forest park behind the school! But didn't I leave school and go to Europe? How did I end up wandering around in the forest park near the school?

As I hesitated, a tall, handsome guy walked towards me. I looked up and racked my brain, trying to remember where I'd seen him before. Oh! It was Ouyang! Xiaoyuan's boyfriend. He walked over with a big smile, carrying a bunch of snacks: "Xiaoyuan, have you been waiting long? Are you thirsty? Hungry?" He seemed so gentle and considerate.

Huh? He called me Xiao Yuan?

I unconsciously touched my face, as if drinking nectar: that ghost had entered my dream again, and she seemed to have mastered the art of interfering with electromagnetic fields. This wasn't my memory, but hers. What did she want me to know?

"Have this!" Ouyang eagerly opened a bottle of Coke and handed it to me. "Are you hungry? I bought dried tofu, ham, cake, and sunflower seeds. Which one do you want?"

I stared blankly at the boy in front of me, who seemed to want to protect Xiao Yuan with all his heart. I couldn't understand how he could be so indifferent to her suicide attempt. I took the snacks from the small red bag. He sat down beside me, and we leaned against the big tree together. I heard a deep sigh and turned to look at him curiously: "Why are you sighing?"

His expression was completely different from before; he looked so distressed that he almost wanted to squeeze out a few tears: "I came here because I have something to tell you."

Section 87: The Castle's Lost Dreams (3)

"Go ahead and say it!" I turned back to my book.

He said, "Xiao Yuan, let's break up!"

After several pauses, I finally heard what he said clearly. How could things change so quickly?

My mind raced, yet it felt like it wasn't my head thinking. Suddenly, a piercing scream burst from my mouth. I swear it wasn't my voice; another person was inside me, angrily and furiously shouting at Ouyang, "What did you say?"

"I said, let's break up!" he repeated. A repetition devoid of any emotion. It seemed he had been planning this for a long time, letting it linger in his mind before finally uttering it, letting out a long sigh.

My hands and feet seemed to have a mind of their own; I pounded my stomach violently, and tears streamed down my face: "How could you do this? There's your child inside me!"

My head exploded with a buzzing sound.

Xiao Yuan is pregnant with Ouyang's child? They dated for four years and broke up after graduation? Xiao Yuan was already pregnant when she committed suicide in front of Ouyang?!

Bloody images of suicide flashed through my mind, images I didn't want to think about, but some force was controlling my thoughts. There were even two voices ringing in my head, a buzzing sound turning into noise, like the roar of an airplane about to land. My head was throbbing; I thought I was going to die.

Oh my god!

I just saw the warm sunshine and a cute hedgehog, and now I'm about to be tortured to death by this ghost.

Is there anyone who can come and save me?

The thought popped into my head in a moment, flashed through my mind, and then I completely fainted...

When I woke up, it was still dark.

A large hand covered my eyes, but the palm was warm, making me feel like I was still alive. Perhaps sensing the twitching of my eyelashes, the hand slowly moved away, allowing me to see the light again.

"Awake?" The person in front of me was Mingyang. "You had such a painful dream! Your brows were furrowed so tightly, as if you were about to fall into some abyss. I was so worried."

I suddenly felt so agitated I wanted to cry: "Then why didn't you wake me up?"

“Little Crow,” his expression suddenly turned serious, “I know you’re not having an ordinary dream. Some force is driving you to uncover some truth. If I wake you, you’ll keep having this dream. Should I interrupt you again and again, or should I let you get closer and closer to the mystery? When the mystery is revealed, there will be no more fear. People are afraid because they only have a superficial understanding of what they are trying to understand. Before the fog is lifted, your heart is always in suspense, but when the fog clears and you see clearly, you will tell yourself, ‘It’s nothing special, I’m not afraid anymore.’ Right?”

It turns out that he had been teaching me how to overcome fear.

I couldn't help but sob softly, but I was very grateful: "Thank you."

"Silly girl, you're my wife, why are you thanking me?"

Here he comes again. I was about to kick him when I suddenly noticed someone behind him—the old man in the wheelchair. Oh no, I should call him uncle; he's Mingyang's father. But instead, he reached out his arm and called to me, "Child, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

I stood up from the grass and walked over. His withered hand grabbed me and wouldn't let go. He stared into my eyes for a long time: "I never imagined that the little baby from eighteen years ago would grow up to be so beautiful. You've had a hard life too." His rough fingers gently brushed my eyelashes. "You've suffered a lot because of these eyes, haven't you?"

I nodded sullenly, feeling terrible inside. My own father had never said such warm words to me.

He held my hand with one hand and Mingyang's hand with the other: "Now it's all good, the children are back with me. If your mother were still here, she would be overjoyed."

“Uncle…” I hurriedly pulled my hand away, but the old man pulled it back: “Don’t call me uncle, call me dad.”

I stood there, stunned.

He continued with a sigh, "If your grandmother were still alive, she would be so happy to see this. You and Mingyang are a match made in heaven. Come, come, come, come back inside with me. I'll show you pictures of him when he was little. You must be curious about what your future husband was like back then. Let me tell you! He was quite the rascal..."

I was led along like that. Mingyang pushed the wheelchair along, smiling at me incessantly, his smile as silly as mine.

Dinner was pear and cheese fondue, a Swiss meal, probably because their chef is a blond, blue-eyed European. The butter and juice here are especially good, but I only crave the juice and dare not indulge in the butter. Apple once told me that Westerners are all tall and big because they eat too much butter. I don't know if that's true, but I really miss my Apple. I'm thinking of calling her, even though I'll probably hear her yelling and scolding me, I really miss her angry little face.

Section 88: The Castle's Lost Dreams (4)

"What are you thinking about?" Mingyang clinked his glass against mine. This pure wine, which Europeans consider extremely delicious, was so bitter it was impossible to swallow. I picked up my glass and took only a small sip; the purplish-red liquid touched my lips, and I quickly pulled it away. But Mingyang's reminder made me realize that all the men at the table were staring at me. Well, even the waiters and butler were men; it seemed like I was the only silly little girl in the family, and I wasn't exactly presentable.

"Ugh, I'm full." I wiped my mouth with a napkin, got up from my chair, and ran quickly towards the stairs, leaving the group of men, young and old, looking on in astonishment. I rushed into the bedroom the housekeeper had arranged for me, grabbed a large pink down pillow, and collapsed onto the bed, tears streaming down my face. So that's how much I wanted to go back—even if Apple slapped me a few more times, I still wanted to go back. If I had to find a precise word to express my feelings, it would probably be homesickness!

The door opened, and someone came in. I thought it was the great forest, but it wasn't him.

"Are you full? I don't think you've eaten much." Mingyang stood at the head of the bed and smiled at me. As if by magic, he produced a big, bright red apple from behind his back.

As soon as I saw what he was holding, I burst into tears.

He was startled and pounced on me, patting the back of my head: "What's wrong, little girl? Who bullied you?"

I deliberately glared at him fiercely, snatched the apple, and took a big bite, crunching loudly as I chewed. He chuckled, "It was meant for you anyway. You have to tell me why you're crying?"

I tilted my head to look at him: "You've never spoken so gently before, it's not like you at all!"

He cried out that he was innocent: "God is my witness, I have always been tender and loving towards you, my affection as endless as the Yangtze River..."

I quickly covered his mouth and pretended to vomit.

He laughed nonchalantly, leaned in and squeezed me to sit down, "Actually, you must be feeling incredibly sweet inside. You little brats, you love to say one thing and mean another."

I rolled my eyes at him, completely unconvinced, but he said in a very proper manner, "Actually, let me tell you! This is the first time in my life I've ever been this nice to a girl, I've been incredibly nice to her."

"Keep it up!" I don't believe it.

"Ah!" He suddenly exclaimed, arms outstretched, which shocked me greatly. "We are currently crawling forward through a hail of bullets in the midst of love..."

I was so happy I almost spat out my apple, and I was so overwhelmed with laughter I couldn't straighten up. He lay down comfortably on my bed, spread-eagled, and tapped my forehead with a knocking motion: "How's it going, little girl, are you feeling better now?"

I looked at him with a little gratitude, but alas! He wasn't my apple.

Someone knocked on the door, and the Great Forest entered.

I quickly jumped off the bed, about two meters away. Mingyang sat up and looked at me strangely: "I'm not a tiger, why are you hiding so far away?"

Big Forest's voice was as serious as a postman's: "Your phone call. Lewis wants to see you."

Mingyang gave an "oh" and lazily got up and went outside.

I muttered to myself, "Isn't Lewis an Olympic champion?"

Big Forest said, "You're talking about sports stars. This Lewis is a woman who used to be Mingyang's classmate."

I chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Oh, yes! So many people share the same name, just like how many Spanish people have names that sound like football stars." Big Forest left in silence, the door closed, and I felt a pang of loneliness again.

Inside this huge, castle-like building, there might even be ancient ghosts from the last century running out! As I hugged my pillow and thought about this foolishly, it felt like I had fallen into a hole.

Actually, it wasn't a hole; it was the bed I was lying on. The middle seemed too soft for sleeping, and it kept sinking downwards. Just as I was about to call for help, I realized all the surrounding furniture had vanished, leaving only the bed. The headboard was very old, covered in layers of cobwebs, and above my head, I could see enormous spiders spinning white silk. I had the urge to struggle and jump up and rush out, but my limbs were weak, and my consciousness was fading; I actually started to drift off to sleep…

At night, I heard hurried footsteps echoing from the roof of the room, pacing back and forth repeatedly. I was annoyed; who would stay up all night and pace back and forth like that?

I was cold, and a sentence kept repeating in my head: You should get up and go upstairs to take a look.

"Oh!" I responded heavily, getting up. Suddenly, I realized my body was covered in broken spider silk, and tiny goosebumps immediately appeared on my arms. I raised my left hand to pat the spider webs off, and they fell to the ground, making faint, baby-like cries. What was that sound, so eerie?

Section 89: The Castle's Lost Dreams (5)

But I didn't have time to think, because I heard even more hurried footsteps coming from the ceiling above me.

Thump, thump, thump...

Thump, thump, thump...

Who's running around up there? I'd love to see.

Pushing open the door, the heavy, ancient wood creaked, creating a sense of unease and oppression. The main lights in the corridor were all off, except for a row of small lights emitting a pale, bluish-white glow, like a guidepost leading me upstairs.

Strange, there was no one walking around on the third floor! Not even a shadow. White curtains fluttered on the balcony at the end of the corridor, the French windows were open, and the wind was blowing in from outside; it was cold. I hugged my arms, regretting not wearing a windproof coat. There were people talking, like whispers; listening carefully, I realized it was a woman's voice, soft as sugar water.

My feet were moving, seemingly not under my conscious control, but they were indeed moving forward, leading me to the open balcony window. I stepped onto the bluestone steps of the balcony, but before I could cross them, I was stunned by the sight before me.

A fashionable blonde woman with long, wavy hair was speaking with her arms around a man's neck. I could vaguely hear a few sensitive words: "That country girl isn't good enough for you, kick her away..." At first, it was just a buzzing murmur, but as the wind blew, the voice grew louder and clearer: "That country girl isn't good enough for you. You are the only son of the Di family, you must have a respectable and noble mistress. I have always loved you, only I am worthy of you..."

The blonde woman was facing me directly. She seemed to see me, but made no attempt to hide it. A sly smile appeared on her lips as she stuck out her tongue to lick the man's earlobe.

"Lewis..." The moment the man spoke, my mind went blank, and I couldn't hear anything else...

That voice was so familiar, ingrained in my very bones. How could I not recognize it? It was Mingyang speaking. Lewis? Wasn't that the phone call Da Senlin made him come out to answer this evening?

Are they... here at midnight, pouring out their hearts to each other?

Like a wounded child, I was intensely traumatized. I left the chilly balcony, rushed down the stairs, and plunged into my room. But the room was so dark! So dark! I wanted to cry, suddenly realizing how insignificant I was, that I had no home anywhere.

He suppressed his grief and sorrow, not letting it out.

Suddenly, the heavy wooden door opened again, wobbling and cracking open, letting in a bluish-white light from the corridor.

I stared at the faint light and heard the sound of a woman walking by in high heels, but I saw no one, only the sound, not even a shadow. Then the heavy door creaked shut with a dull thud.

Footsteps approached me, growing closer. I opened my eyes wide in the darkness, but to no avail. Loud laughter echoed from inside the house, growing louder and louder. My heart pounded with anxiety, and finally, I couldn't help but shout, "Who's in the house?"

I stood up and stood in the middle of the room, turning left and right. Yes, nowhere was safe. Even sitting on the floor against the wall, I worried that a figure might suddenly appear on the wall. These terrifying images whipped at my already fragile nerves. Where could I escape to? My hands and feet were ice-cold, and I shivered uncontrollably. I crouched down, hugging my shoulders, when I heard a rustling sound, like a woman's soft laughter. I carefully turned my neck to look behind me and saw a long dress. I couldn't make out the color in the darkness, but the moonlight on the windowsill told me that the hem of the dress was fluttering lightly.

Who is standing behind me?

Slowly looking up, I saw a familiar pale face, with long hair hanging down in front of her cheeks, like a ghost doll in the middle of the night.

I managed to make a sound from my throat: "Xiao Yuan, I don't know you, and I have no grudge against you. Why won't you let me go?"

She laughed strangely: "Who would let me go?"

I carefully suppressed my fear and tried to communicate with her: "If you really hate that Ouyang, you can go find him yourself. I think you're already very capable; you can control my brainwaves so easily, so you can certainly control his. You could even intrude on him while he's asleep, or tempt him to commit suicide." Saying these words startled even myself. Am I that kind of person? Would I persuade her to kill someone just to get rid of a ghost?

She sneered, "If it were that easy, I would have done it already." She floated up to me in an instant, extending her slender fingers, the sharp nails lifting my chin. "What did you just see?"