Dracula

Chapitre 26

If that's really the case, then she won't even be able to protect her last female friend. Good heavens, she looked up at Hei Bao, her mind racing with questions: "Why? If we really are destined to be the Four Symbols, why can't we even protect ourselves and those around us? If this is a test from heaven, how long will this test last?"

Hei Bao simply observed her with the wisdom of a cat, and aside from having bright eyes, there was nothing else to tell Qin Jin.

She called Ke Liang, who was sleeping in. Qin Jin, exasperated, told Ke Liang what had happened the night before. Ke Liang finally woke up with a start. He thought for a long time on the other end of the phone, and then said, "Are you sure she's really possessed by a ghost?"

“Really, her expression and her feelings have completely changed. We grew up together, and although we were good friends, we were also rivals. If there's anyone in this world I understand best, it's Shishi. How could I not know how she feels? Although she seems normal now, the feeling she gives me is that she's become a different person,” Shishi said with certainty.

Ke Liang said urgently, "I'll be right there. I've prepared some black dog blood to pour on her later. If she really gets it on her, it will have a reaction."

Qin Jin pondered, "Wouldn't that be bad? If she doesn't have the body, she'll be very sad because I'm actually doubting her now."

"Let's give it a try. At worst, I'll say it's a birthday present. If it really takes hold, we'll have to do our best to save her, otherwise even Shishi will die."

Qin Jin hung up the phone and called Lu Ziming again, but Lu Ziming refused outright: "How could a wicked woman like Tang Shishi be possessed? It's good enough that she's not possessed by a ghost. She must have gone somewhere to play yesterday and got a shock."

"But……"

"There's no 'buts' about it. I'll be there in a bit, and we'll talk about it then."

Qin Jin cautiously opened the door to see if Shi Shi was eavesdropping, but as soon as he opened the door and poked his head out, he met a pair of eyes, clear and bright, staring intently at him—it was Shi Shi's face.

Qin Jin still forced a smile and asked, "Is there something you need?"

"No, let's go downstairs!"

The two went downstairs one after the other. Qin Jin noticed that Shi Shi was always trying to shrug her shoulders, as if she was struggling. She was secretly alarmed. The first time she saw the female ghost possess Shi Shi, she was pressed against her back. Could it be the same this time?

She secretly observed him while picking up Hei Bao, trying to glean something from his cat eyes. Just as she was about to look at Shi Shi with Hei Bao in her arms, Shi Shi suddenly turned around and said, "This cat is really annoying. It's started shedding, and it's left my designer clothes all over the place."

Qin Jin's heart skipped a beat, and she no longer dared to hold Hei Bao to see if he was possessed by a ghost. The two of them just sat quietly facing each other on the sofa.

Shishi lazily painted her flamboyant fingernails, her posture exuding a touch of charm that felt so familiar.

Qin Jin was feeling anxious when the doorbell rang. She felt a thousand times lighter, as if she had heard heavenly music.

It was Lu Ziming who came in. He laughed loudly as soon as he entered and said, "Come on, upper body woman, let me see what's wrong with you. You scared Qin Jin."

Shishi's eyes suddenly turned into razor blades, slashing Qin Jin sharply.

"What do you mean by 'upper body' or 'lower body'? What kind of show are you putting on today? What delicious food did you bring?" Shishi greeted her with a charming smile.

"What else do you need that you need someone like us to guide you?" Ke Liang followed in, covered in sweat, clearly in a real rush.

He was still holding a small bag in his hand, and Qin Jin gave him a look, but he didn't look at it.

Shishi was standing there, about to turn around and talk to Ke Liang, when suddenly a packet of fishy-smelling liquid was poured over her head, and she stopped abruptly.

Anyone can tell that it's black dog blood; anyone who's ever played a ghost-catching game knows that.

They waited for a reaction, but no one saw any reaction; there was no sign of it being put on their body.

Shishi stood there angrily, turned around, and instead of looking at Ke Liang, stared at Qin Jin and said, "You doubt me?"

Every sound was tinged with blood, and Qin Jin was stunned by this turn of events. She never expected Ke Liang to act so directly, leaving no room for maneuver.

Shi Shi sneered a few times, wiping the dog blood off her face. Lu Ziming punched Ke Liang to the ground, yelling "Bastard!" The four of them shattered like broken glass. Qin Jin's heart was broken. She didn't actually doubt Shi Shi, but she clearly felt that Shi Shi had changed. She just wanted to save her friend and didn't want her friend to be used anymore, but she didn't expect that this would hurt Shi Shi's feelings.

Lu Ziming, holding Shishi, shouted at the two men, "What else do you see besides ghosts? There are only the four of us left, yet you still doubt each other and kill each other. How can this be?"

Shishi glanced at Lu Ziming as if she had suffered a great injustice, then stormed out of the door.

The three chased after it, only to see the red sports car speeding away. Lu Ziming got into his car, ready to give chase, while Qin Jin and Ke Liang were about to get in as well, but the car door was closed.

"I don't think Shishi wants to see you."

As the two cars disappeared from sight, Ke Liang and Qin Jin stood there blankly.

"You really are..." Qin Jin was so angry that she couldn't speak.

Ke Liang lowered his head and said, "I'm really afraid of being possessed, it would make you very unsafe."

“But we’ve gone too far. Shishi is our friend, and it seems like nothing’s wrong with her right now.”

"Yes, there was no reaction at all." Ke Liang was also very sad.

The two turned around and saw a foot dangling in the air.

"Grandpa, show yourself!"

Ke Liang's grandfather appeared from the air, his eyes also fixed on the direction the car had gone.

"Strange, although the black dog blood didn't cause any problems, I still feel that something is wrong with this matter," Grandpa said, touching his handsome face.

Tang Shishi's home looks shrouded in gloom today, unlike a normal place to live.

Qin Jin stared blankly into the distance, pondering what had happened. She had always assumed it was the upper body, and that it was Lan Qi who had possessed it. But what if it wasn't the upper body?

Thinking of this, Qin Jin asked her grandfather urgently, "Could it be that she has changed, and it's not that she's possessed, and that no one is controlling her?"

"It's not impossible. This is becoming a demon, which means that the demonic nature in a person's heart has been completely awakened. She is no longer the person she used to be. Although it has nothing to do with the upper body, it is even more terrifying than the upper body."

Grandpa was still talking nonstop, while the two of them had already gotten into Ke Liang's car and started looking for the missing Shi Shi and Lu Ziming.

If Shishi really becomes a demon, then Lu Ziming will be in danger.

Lu Ziming kept pressing the accelerator forward, determined to find Shishi. There was always an inexplicable relationship between him and Shishi. He knew that Shishi liked him, but he could never let go of his initial feelings for Qin Jin.

He disliked Shishi's domineering nature, and her personality wasn't his type. Shishi wasn't the person he loved, so why was he in such a hurry to find her? Was it really just friendship? Was it really just a bond forged in life and death? Lu Ziming didn't dare to think so much. He had always avoided his feelings. In his eyes, he and these people were just candles in the wind, which could be blown out at any moment. He didn't dare to think about love or sweetness at all.

His many dangerous experiences had made it difficult for him to control his emotions. He felt he wasn't a good man, unable to provide a woman with a happy and stable life. If he loved someone but constantly made her live in fear, what kind of man was he?

He thought painfully, what right did he have to love? He was just a policeman, a useless one haunted by a ghost. He wasn't like Ke Liang, the heir of a Taoist ghost-catching family, nor was he as wealthy, powerful, or influential as Ke Liang, and he certainly didn't have a past life entanglement with Qin Jin like Ke Liang. If Ke Liang's past life was the male ghost his grandfather spoke of, then that past life's love was already unshakeable. He was just a dull, penniless little policeman. What happiness could he bring to Qin Jin or Shi Shi? He couldn't even protect them.

From Qin Jin at the very beginning to Shi Shi now, he has never actively pursued any woman. Perhaps his biggest failure lies in being too rational and too mature!

He wandered around the small town, trying to find that familiar figure. Scenery, like life, is fleeting; what passes before your eyes is but a passing cloud. A person needs someone they truly care about to live a meaningful life, and to keep their journey from losing sight of their purpose.

As darkness fell, his anger towards Qin Jin and Ke Liang subsided. Lu Ziming realized that his outburst was actually just a result of his long-standing repression. The two of them were always so in sync, making it impossible not to feel jealous.

Jealousy wasn't because she liked Qin Jin, but because she envied that someone else could have such a perfect love in their life, while she had nothing.

As dusk settled, he was still aimlessly searching for Shishi when he suddenly saw a car drive by. The woman inside looked so familiar—could it be Shishi? His spirits lifted instantly, and he floored the gas pedal to give chase. But the car kept driving further and further away from the city. Lu Ziming was convinced it was Shishi; she must be upset and wanted to find a quiet place.

Strange, why was there someone at the intersection waving at him while dragging a small child along? He didn't notice as he drove past, and at another intersection, there was another person waving frantically at him while dragging a small child along. The previous intersection was so far away from this one; how could a person walk faster than a car?

He felt a chill run down his spine, knowing something was wrong, and continued driving. Sure enough, he encountered that person again, dragging a child and waving at him.

He stared intently, no wonder it looked so familiar; it was Yingqi and the ghost of the little boy. The little boy was being held by Yingqi, who was anxiously shouting at Lu Ziming. He couldn't hear what she was saying through the car window; the streetlights were a stark white, and Yingqi's face was filled with anxiety. Her hand kept waving back, as if telling him to go back.

He couldn't care about anything else now. Seeing that Shishi's car was about to disappear from sight, he stepped on the gas and rushed after her, still with questions in his mind.

Shishi parked the car in front of a building and then slipped inside.

Lu Ziming quickly parked the car and followed him inside. As soon as he entered the building, he heard a whooshing sound of wind, then a muffled thud above his head, and he collapsed to the ground unconscious.

He woke up with a splitting headache, only to find himself tightly bound. Looking up, he saw countless lights in the distance; he had been taken to the rooftop and was tied to a pillar of the rooftop open-air bar.

He immediately thought of Shishi, wondering how she was doing. "Shishi, Shishi," Lu Ziming cried, his voice trembling with worry.

But Shishi's voice came slowly: "I'm fine, you don't need to worry."

As Shishi emerged from the shadows, she indeed exuded an eerie aura. He was shocked. Could Qin Jin be right?

"You're surprised, aren't you? Actually, it's nothing. Qin Jin didn't do anything wrong today, it's just that her method was too stupid." Shi Shi's voice was cold. She held a fruit fork in her hand and gently rubbed it against the rim of her wine glass.

"Are you really possessed? Who possessed her? Don't hurt her!" Lu Ziming shouted.

"No, I wasn't possessed. Anyone can see that if I were possessed, being doused with black dog blood would have severely damaged my vitality and caused my soul to be scattered. But I'm perfectly fine, which proves that I'm still me!" Shishi's smile became even more charming.

"what is going on?"

"Actually, I just wanted to ask you, do you like me or not?"

Shishi leaned closer, half-pressing against Lu Ziming's chest, and waved a fruit fork in front of his eyes.

"If you like me, give me your eyes as a midnight snack! It'll be a sign of your loyalty. I don't know why, but I feel so hungry."

Lu Ziming looked at her and asked, "What if I don't like you?"

"If you don't like it, I'll bite you off piece by piece, so that you'll never be reborn and will suffer a fate worse than death. There's nothing that I, Tang Shishi, can't get. I'll eat you into my belly."

Shishi's words were so soft, yet every single one was incredibly malicious.

Lu Ziming couldn't help but ask, "Why? Why did you become like this?"

"Because of jealousy." Shishi seemed angry.

"Because I'm jealous of Qin Jin, because I'm jealous of Ke Liang, because I'm jealous of you, because I'm jealous of everyone!" Shi Shi shouted loudly.

"But why are you jealous?"

"What do I really have? Besides countless assets, what else do I have? I have no family, no friends, no love, no warmth."

“No, don’t you still have us?” Lu Ziming said. “Have you forgotten how we relied on each other and got through one hardship after another? Don’t you remember?”

Shishi's eyes seemed to be confused for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.

“None of you like me. You don’t like me because you love Qin Jin. Qin Jin will always be loved by everyone. Ke Liang has everything, and he is more talented than me. I am just a superfluous person.”

"Shishi, are you crazy? How could you be an unwanted person? Don't you remember how much we cared about you? No matter what, I cared about you and loved you. I've been looking for you all day."

Shishi's eyes became confused again. Just then, a voice came from behind her: "Don't trust him, kill him."

Another person appeared from the shadows; it was Lan Qi.

Lu Ziming got involved in this supernatural event because of his investigation into Lan Qi's case. He had seen so many photos of Lan Qi and couldn't forget this alluring woman.

Lu Ziming sneered, "Lan Qi, it really was you. Why do you always hurt Qin Jin and Shi Shi? Why will you never let go of your best friends?"

"Because I was lonely, why was it me who died and not them? Why didn't they come to keep me company? Why can they have such a wonderful life, while I can never have it?"

Lu Ziming sighed. It was all jealousy. Women's jealousy is so strange. They can be jealous of those who are rich and those who are in love, jealous of those who are dead and those who are alive, and jealous of those they can't have. So what is truly eternal?

Lan Qi said in a strange voice, "Kill him, and you can have him."

Shishi's face became expressionless again. She slowly raised the fruit fork, as if she wanted to stab it down.

Lu Ziming just stared blankly at her. At this point, saying anything would be useless. He suddenly laughed: "You look ugly when you're hypnotized!"

But the fruit fork didn't come down. Shishi seemed to be recalling many past events: Qin Jin rescuing her in the private cemetery, everyone running with her outside the village, unwavering loyalty, time travel, laughter, tears, sadness, and injustice. If that fork went down, all the mistakes would be irreversible. Yet, she couldn't resist the power of that voice. Perhaps it was her own inner fragility and a woman's most sensitive jealousy that had harmed her, giving Lan Qi an opportunity to take control of her body.

However, as she looked at the smiling face of the man in front of her, she thought about the harsh words they exchanged when they first met in the hotel, the danger she encountered in the police building, and how he always ignored her yet unconditionally believed in her at crucial moments.

No! A voice inside him grew louder and louder. No! He absolutely couldn't hurt the person in front of him, and he absolutely couldn't hurt Qin Jin.

Two voices clashed, and Shishi grew increasingly pained, her head feeling like it was about to explode. Lu Ziming looked at her with great concern and shouted at Lan Qi, "Shut up! Don't force her anymore. Just kill me yourself."

"No, I just want to see the expression on her face when she kills the person she loves most. Hasn't she always been a queen who is high and mighty? She thought that we commoners had to listen to her. Now I can manipulate her. Now killing you is as easy as stepping on an ant."