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Capítulo 13

"Stop pretending! You should know who killed my mother. What, I'm talking nonsense? That night, I saw you come to my house with my own eyes. It was very late, my sister was already asleep, my mother probably opened the door for you, and you went inside without saying a word. I don't know what you were doing at my house so late, I just thought it was something like having my sister learn dance... Anyway, I went to bed very late, and you were still there in the middle of the night."

"You've mistaken me for someone else. The person who went to your house wasn't me."

“I wasn’t mistaken. I was watching you through the window when you went into my mother’s room.”

"I went to your house because I had something to discuss. Does that prove I committed murder?"

“But my mother died at night, and you were the only one who went to my house at night.”

"Your mother committed suicide. Why would you suspect a good person? Why would I kill her?"

“I also think that you had no reason to kill her. But if it was suicide, it must have been because you said something you shouldn’t have, making her sad and desperate, that’s why she did it.”

"Why me? I didn't say anything!"

"You didn't say anything, so why did you come to my house? You said you were a dance teacher—actually, after you first came to my house, you didn't come back for a long time... I don't know why, so I went to look for you, but I couldn't find you. I looked for you again these past two days and finally realized that you're not a teacher at all, and the juvenile office doesn't have anyone named you..."

"Oh my god! What do you want to do? Tell me!"

"I think... since the old lady is dead anyway, maybe I'll be freer now. You know, when she was alive, she often scolded me for being incompetent, for not following the right path, and for hanging out with petty thugs..."

Now that she's dead, I don't want to dwell on it anymore. I just want to be able to live a good life from now on. Besides, I need to support my sister. Didn't you like her a lot? Give me some money, and I won't say anything more.

"He's blackmailing me," Wu Bingbing thought bitterly. How did he get my phone number? Right, I wrote it to his sister. Thinking about her situation, she felt both nervous and scared, her mind going blank. She couldn't think of a single way to deal with this thug, Xu Xiaoquan. Her most immediate worry was the potential danger she might face, fearing she would bring trouble to her whole family. Besides, murder was a capital offense; if she couldn't clear her name, she would go to jail and pay with her life. After much deliberation, she finally decided to compromise and not make a scene. She asked him directly, "How much do you want?" Xu Xiaoquan said, "50,000." Wu Bingbing asked loudly, "Is that a little money?" Xu Xiaoquan said, "It's just a little to you." Wu Bingbing asked, "When do you need it?" Xu Xiaoquan said, "Tomorrow." Wu Bingbing said, "Okay, I'll give it to you. Someone in your family died; consider it a condolence payment."

And so, the next day Wu Bingbing gave Xu Xiaoquan 50,000 yuan.

Unexpectedly, more trouble followed. After receiving the money, Xu Xiaoquan called Wu Bingbing and said that he now completely understood that she had really killed someone, and that this amount of money was too little; he needed another 100,000 yuan.

Wu Bingbing finally understood. He had only seen her at his house that night, only suspected her, only tested her and tried to scare her. He hadn't expected her to actually feel guilty and actually offer him money to shut him up, which made him believe that she had really killed someone. Thinking of this, she cursed herself for being an idiot and a stupid pig.

She withdrew 350,000 yuan, which her father had saved for her tuition, in four installments and gave it all to Xu Xiaoquan. Then, Xu Xiaoquan asked for a fifth payment, demanding 300,000 yuan, saying it would be the last time.

Wu Bingbing was on the verge of a breakdown. She really wanted to stop there and let Xu Xiaoquan go to whichever police station to report the case—let him go! At worst, he'd die! But thinking about it carefully, this was a huge mess; it wasn't just about her, it involved her parents and the whole family. She decided to endure it, thankfully this was the last time.

She had 50,000 yuan left in her account, which she withdrew entirely—money she had originally planned to use for studying abroad, but now that her own affairs were in a mess, she figured she wouldn't be going abroad anymore. Not finding enough money, and with Xu Xiaoquan unwilling to give up, she rummaged through drawers and cabinets at home and found a sum of 150,000 yuan that her mother had secretly kept. But that was still far from enough. She didn't dare ask her parents for more, and was distressed, unable to think of a solution.

The more she thought about what had happened, the angrier she became. She felt it was all Jiang Lan's fault, that had caused her to end up like this. Filled with resentment, she went to the museum that afternoon, stood in front of the painting, and vented her anger through gritted teeth.

"It's all your fault, it's all your doing... I've been blackmailed, extorted time and time again, accused of being a murderer. But it was all your doing! Didn't you tell me to listen to you? Is this the result of listening to you? Now, only you can prove that I'm not a murderer; only you can prove my innocence and show that I didn't do it. I beg you to come out! No matter what it takes, just tell me the truth, otherwise I will suffer day and night."

She looked up at the painting. The woman remained indifferent and motionless.

"Come out now! Why didn't you show up when I needed to talk to you? Why do you keep following me when I don't want to see you? Are you scared too? Otherwise, why don't you come out? I said, come out now, I don't have the patience to wait for you. It's extremely urgent, someone's holding a knife to my throat. Do you know that? If you don't come out, you'd better never come out."

You can just die and rot in there! — You damned slut, you dare to do something but not take responsibility, you pin your own problems on others, you'll be a coward even as a ghost! You filthy woman! Die! —

After launching into a scathing attack, she received no response and had no choice but to leave in frustration.

Back home, she received another call from Xu Xiaoquan. She stuffed the last of the money she could find into her suitcase and resolutely went to meet him again. This time, Xu Xiaoquan didn't meet her outside; he booked a room at a privately owned hotel near a gas station in the northern suburbs. Although she was somewhat suspicious, she still mustered her courage, went upstairs to the room, threw the money at him, and said, "That's all. That's it!"

Xu Xiaoquan waved a wad of cash in his hand: "That's all, it's fine. No money... not enough money... just say so, you have to sacrifice yourself and play with your buddy this once."

As Wu Bingbing was about to leave, Xu Xiaoquan rushed over and blocked the door. He pushed her against the wall, pressing his body against hers. He grabbed her shoulders with both hands, staring at her with a lewd look. Desire made his face flush red, and the pimples on his face looked like they were about to burst, making Wu Bingbing feel disgusted.

As Wu Bingbing was pinned down on the bed, his face moving above hers, she felt an unprecedented humiliation and rage. Her eyes blazed with fury, and she raised her head to bite his shoulder hard. Xu Xiaoquan screamed, but she wouldn't let go. When he finally pushed her away and stood up, a hole appeared in his shoulder, flesh and clothes mingling, and blood gushed out like a fountain. This enraged Xu Xiaoquan. His face contorted in pain, and he attacked her wildly, kicking and punching her with both hands and feet, all the while cursing profanities.

Wu Bingbing's head was repeatedly slammed against the ground, her face quickly becoming covered in bruises, blood gushing from her mouth. Before she could even get up, she was kicked to the ground again, rolling several times before flying up and crashing into a chair, her ribs cracking. Then her mouth was gagged, her clothes almost completely stripped off, her whole body wracked with pain, her chest feeling suffocated. She stopped moving, but was dragged into the bathroom. Xu Xiaoquan tore off a waterproof sheet, spread it on the floor, and dragged her onto it, panting heavily as he viciously said, "I'm going to kill you! Kill you! —"

"Ding-dong! Ding-dong! ——"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Xu Xiaoquan was startled and stopped.

"Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong! ——"

The doorbell kept ringing, and Xu Xiaoquan, a little nervous, crouched down. The doorbell just wouldn't stop ringing; it seemed it would keep ringing forever if he didn't open the door. He quickly tidied himself up, closed the bathroom door, took a deep breath, and went over. Amidst the incessant ringing, he opened the door—thinking that whoever it was, unless they were a policeman, would yell at him—but the door opened, the ringing stopped, and apart from a gust of wind blowing in, there was no one there. He cursed and slammed the door shut.

When Xu Xiaoquan went to the bathroom, he couldn't open the door despite twisting the lock. Turning around, he was surprised to find a disheveled woman standing behind him. Thinking Wu Bingbing had run out, he lunged at her. The woman turned around, revealing yellow eyes, a bluish-purple face, a gaping maw, and menacing fangs…

Xu Xiaoquan immediately fainted from fright, collapsing to the ground like a sack of rice. The female ghost straddled him, bent over, and buried her head, biting off his neck in one bite. She then stretched out her sharp fingers, pried open his chest, pulled out his heart, lifted the hem of his skirt, and stuffed it into a cloth bag inside.

The moment Wu Bingbing woke up, she screamed. Someone helped her up from behind and gave her some water to help her catch her breath. At first, she thought it was a hotel staff member, but upon closer inspection, she realized it was Jiang Lan. For some reason, Wu Bingbing started crying.

Jiang Lan was no longer the ghost; she had completely transformed into the elegant, serene woman from the painting. She put Wu Bingbing down, walked coldly to the window, and gazed at the darkening sky outside, seemingly waiting for someone to speak. When Wu Bingbing saw Xu Xiaoquan's blood-soaked body on the ground, she screamed again.

"Do you want to call someone over?" Jiang Lan said. "I'm not afraid. It's you who will be arrested."

Wu Bingbing immediately fell silent, asking in a low voice, "He—is he dead?"

"He's dead. What? You didn't want him to die, did you?"

"No. He deserves to die, he deserves to die. He just tried to kill me—"

"Hmph, if I hadn't come, you'd be dead already. Yet, you're still protecting his family. I told you to kill that girl, but you wouldn't listen. You won't kill others, but others will try to kill you!"

Just then, she heard a police siren approaching. Jiang Lan, who was standing by the window, stopped speaking and looked out from behind the curtains. She saw a police car arriving at the hotel. "Oh no," Jiang Lan said, "the hotel staff have called the police. You have to leave quickly."

Wu Bingbing panicked, quickly wiping the blood from her face, picked up her suitcase, and opened the door. But it was too late. She heard someone approaching from across the hallway and hurriedly retreated. She heard hurried footsteps outside. Someone said as they walked, "There was a woman screaming loudly half an hour ago, but now she's silent..."

Wu Bingbing murmured in a hurt tone, "It's over, it's over! I'm going to be arrested—"

Suddenly, there was a rapid, heavy knocking on the door.

Someone shouted, "Open the door! Open the door! Police!"

Wu Bingbing looked at Jiang Lan anxiously: "What should we do?"

Jiang Lan said, "Promise me you'll listen to me from now on."

"As long as you don't let me kill anyone."

"Hmph, go negotiate with the police!"

As she spoke, Jiang Lan jumped out of the window and disappeared.

Wu Bingbing cried out, "Don't go! Save me! I'll do whatever you say!"

Jiang Lan reappeared, hovering outside the window: "From now on, obey me? Never again negotiate with me? Never again defy my will?"

"Fine, anything is fine!" Wu Bingbing cried, clutching her head. "Hurry up and think of something!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Jiang Lan jumped into the room, flicked her skirt, and flew out the window, leaving behind the loud bang of the door being kicked open.

Wu Bingbing felt as if she had plunged headfirst into the belly of the wind, her clothes billowing and making a "whooshing" sound. When she opened her eyes, she was still startled. They were flying over a group of rooftops, diagonally across a street, and then flying towards another group of buildings. She saw Jiang Lan with her arms outstretched, flying like a large bird, while Wu Bingbing was being held by Jiang Lan with a strap, her arms crossed over her chest, her teeth chattering with fear. Jiang Lan told her to let go of her arms, and she tried carefully to open them, and it felt like she had spread her wings; her body felt much lighter, and she was no longer nervous.

Night had fallen, the streetlights were on, and the streets were bustling with cars and pedestrians, everyone hurrying home after a long day. Jiang Lan paid no heed to any of this, shouting and laughing as she flew freely, occasionally somersaulting. Wu Bingbing watched her, filled with envy. She imitated Jiang Lan, raising her head and soaring upwards. After a moment, she uttered "down!" and plummeted downwards. At that moment, she cried out excitedly, glancing at Jiang Lan with admiration and gratitude.

They flew over street after street, over residential areas, and when they reached the crossroads in the city center, they deliberately circled the giant lamppost twice. Then they chased after a tram coming from the other direction for a while. Next, they flew to a new urban area, seeing the brightly lit shops and restaurants below, with crowds of people going in and out. Everyone on the streets was busy walking, seemingly oblivious to their presence; except for one or two children, no one looked up at the sky. As they flew, a cloud of black mist suddenly appeared—the stench from the chemical plant. They cursed loudly and shot upwards like arrows.

Looking down from the heights, the crowded city gave Wu Bingbing a sense of alienation. The streets resembled tiny ditches, all the vehicles looked like beetles of all sizes, and the pedestrians crawled around like bees and ants, scrambling into the honeycomb-like buildings and anthill-like bungalows.

How wonderful it would be if everyone could fly! I really want to fly like that and never come down.

"Only angels and devils can fly. If you can't be an angel, then be a devil!"

Wu Bingbing was taken aback. Jiang Lan said, "Don't be afraid, of course I know what you're thinking!"

Jiang Lan exclaimed, "Let me take you on a long trip!"

Then, they flew out of the city, over ponds, through forests, and over hills large and small, weaving among wisps of white clouds. They looked up at the moon, so large and translucent, orange-yellow, and longed to fly up to it in one breath. Countless stars surrounded them, bright and clear; they wanted to reach out and pluck one. Looking down, however, darkness enveloped the ground; cities and villages huddled pitifully, like bushes teeming with fireflies. As they flew aimlessly, a flock of geese suddenly appeared. They mischievously intercepted them, disrupting their formation. Jiang Lan even plucked a goose feather, causing the straggler goose to scream shrilly.

Bingbing knew they were flying north. They had already flown over the green fields of the south, and all she could see ahead were barren fields after autumn. She felt the wind growing stronger, the air growing colder, and a layer of ice forming on her face. They flew over vast plains and then over rolling mountains. She didn't know how much time had passed when Jiang Lan led her downhill. She saw a large river, and beyond that, mist-shrouded peaks. They stopped in front of the outermost mountain, then circled its summit once, seeing the village and houses below. Bingbing felt a strange familiarity, as if she had seen it in a dream. Bingbing asked, "Where am I? I've been here before." Jiang Lan didn't answer, saying, "You couldn't have been here before; it's 3000 kilometers from your home!" Bingbing's mouth dropped open in astonishment.

As they were heading back, passing through a small city, they suddenly heard shouts. Looking closely, they saw three thugs chasing a girl on a street corner. They had grabbed the girl and were tearing at her clothes. Two of them were thrown down. Jiang Lan rushed forward, grabbed one of the men by the neck, and lifted him up, hanging him upside down from an advertising billboard on the fifth floor. Amidst his screams and cries, the other two men fled in terror. When Wu Bingbing went to help the girl, the girl was so frightened that she pushed her away, not even picking up her shoes, and turned to run in another direction, glancing back in fear as she ran.

As they took flight again, Wu Bingbing recalled the scene from just moments ago and couldn't help but laugh. Jiang Lan's laughter was even louder, and they soared straight into the sky amidst their laughter.

Back in the city they started from, it was already dawn. They had flown all night, but Wu Bingbing felt no fatigue or exhaustion; she had never felt so excited. They stopped for a while at Jiang Lan's house in the western suburbs. Jiang Lan remembered something, took out a beautifully wrapped gift box, and then the two flew off again. When they arrived at a brand-new apartment building, Jiang Lan handed the gift to her, saying that a friend lived in apartment 601 upstairs, and it was her birthday. Since she herself was already dead, giving her a gift would frighten her; she asked Bingbing to take the gift box to her, telling her not to say it was from Jiang Lan, but rather from another female classmate.

Jiang Lan stood there waiting, while Wu Bingbing quickly ran to the building, went upstairs and knocked on the door of room 601. It took a while for a beautiful woman in pajamas to open the door for her. She was surprised when she saw her, and after hearing the reason, she accepted the gift box and closed the door without even saying thank you.

When Wu Bingbing saw Jiang Lan, she was still puzzled. Before she could ask, Jiang Lan said, "She was surprised to see you because she knows you." Wu Bingbing was confused and said, "I've never seen this woman before." Jiang Lan said, "Just because you haven't seen her doesn't mean she hasn't seen you." Saying this, she pulled Wu Bingbing into the air, and they flew around the building once, finally stopping outside a sixth-floor window. Because the curtains were drawn, they couldn't see anything inside. Jiang Lan told her, "It's that woman from before. Let's admire her looking at the gifts."

Jiang Lan gently blew a breath, and a crack appeared in the curtains from the inside. She nudged Wu Bingbing's head, making her look inside. Wu Bingbing saw the woman sitting on the sofa, unpacking a gift box and talking to someone in the inner room. When the gift box opened, the woman fell out, revealing a bloody mess of internal organs, which terrified Wu Bingbing, causing her to scream loudly. The person in the inner room rushed out. Wu Bingbing was stunned; it was her father. Seeing that he was also wearing pajamas, the terrified woman threw herself into his arms.

Jiang Lan whispered in her ear, "Your father's colleague, what if you kill her one day!"

Then, Jiang Lan took her and flew away again. When she was dropped off downstairs at their house, she seemed not to have any idea what was happening. It wasn't until she entered the house and opened the door that she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As soon as the door opened, Mom rushed in, anxiously saying, "Where have you been? I didn't sleep all night. I called all your classmates' houses, but I couldn't find you. I was wondering if you were staying at Guo Kai's, but his phone was broken and I couldn't get through. Your dad was away on a business trip yesterday, and his phone was off. I was so worried. I remember Guo Kai went to his internship; has he come back yet?"

Bingbing said weakly, "I don't know. I'm staying at a girlfriend's house. It's okay, Mom, I'm fine. You should get some sleep!" She then went inside.

She closed the door, stood by the window, and muttered to herself, "How could this happen?"

After saying that, she covered her face with her hands and cried.

Chapter Thirteen

The bloodshed in the foggy night shocked and enraged Wu Bingbing. She retrieved her father's hunting rifle and two boxes of loose ammunition from a dusty corner of the storage room. As night fell, she set the gun up on the bedside table, staring out the window, waiting for her opponent to arrive…

That night, Wu Bingbing wandered alone in the park. The three-day deadline was fast approaching; if she didn't kill Xu Miaomiao before midnight, Jiang Lan would cause her trouble and even threatened to rip out her heart. What to do? She racked her brains but couldn't come up with a solution. Suddenly, a white figure flashed out from behind her. Jiang Lan was standing behind some bushes, watching her intently. Jiang Lan said, "Geng Qingshan is already locked up. His collusion letter has been intercepted by the investigators. The evidence is irrefutable; his life is in danger. I have plenty of time to torture him. There's still one thing I haven't done: the girl I asked you to kill. If you get rid of her, all of Dr. Meng's heart transplant patients will die—not including you, of course. You can't die yet; I can't live without you!"

Wu Bingbing kept her head down and didn't answer. Jiang Lan said in a commanding tone, "You're going to her house tonight, and I'll go with you. You have to do it! I'm telling you to go willingly, not to possess you, so you can fulfill your promise to me and prove your loyalty! Don't hesitate, don't try to back out, and don't betray me and ruin my plans like you did last time. If you do that again, I'll rip your heart out!"

Wu Bingbing looked up, her face already streaked with tears. "I don't want to ruin your plans, and I don't want to betray you, but why are you forcing me? Two adults in her family have already died. That little girl is pitiful enough without parents; she's only 12 years old and has to live alone. Why do you have to hurt her?"

"That's just a small life. I have to kill her. I have to complete my plan."

"Your plan? Haven't you killed enough people? How many more do you want to kill?"

"I'm going to kill them all! All those doctors and nurses who harmed me; all those who colluded with Dean Geng and Dr. Meng; all those who bullied and humiliated me from childhood to adulthood; and all those I disliked and who made me uncomfortable!"

"Good heavens!" Wu Bingbing exclaimed, "Are you ever going to stop?"

"Kill these enemies and gather all their souls together, so that I may recover my lost soul and no longer wander among mortals."

Wu Bingbing had a premonition that, based on what she had just said, Jiang Lan would also kill her father.

Sure enough, Jiang Lan said, "Your father is also someone who harmed me. As for him—I won't be lenient; as for Dean Geng and Dr. Meng, I'll let them die slowly; as for your father, I can spare him from torture; when and how he dies will naturally depend on your attitude. If you don't kill that girl today, I'll kill your father tomorrow. Think it over carefully, and make your choice tonight!"

After saying that, Jiang Lan leaped away and quickly disappeared into the night fog.

When Wu Bingbing got home, she closed the bedroom door, threw herself onto the bed, and burst into tears.

Crying, I wondered, what should I do?

—I have already harmed Xu Miaomiao's family. Her mother's death and her brother's death were both caused by me. I am a sinner! I cannot harm this child anymore.

—If I don't listen, she'll kill my dad tomorrow, she will, what should I do?

As midnight approached, she wiped her face, which was streaked with dry tears, and quietly went out the door. She walked to the street, hailed a taxi, and went to Xu Miaomiao's house.

As she got off the bus, she looked around for a while, checking if anyone was there. The old man in the gatehouse was dozing off in his chair. She tiptoed into the courtyard. Because it was so late, all the houses had turned off their lights, and the whole courtyard was asleep. Apart from the sound of her footsteps, there wasn't a sound.

She quietly walked upstairs, stood at Xu Miaomiao's door, and pushed it twice; the door was locked from the inside. She looked back warily for a moment before knocking with relief. She knocked and called softly, "Xu Miaomiao, open the door. Xu Miaomiao, open the door." But no one answered for a long time. She became anxious, knocking louder and calling louder, "Xu Miaomiao, open the door! Wake up, open the door!"

The door was opened. Xu Miaomiao stood there, still sleepy-eyed, her hair a mess.