charme félin

Chapitre 5

"My child, everything in this world has a cause and effect. But remember this: what is true may be false, and what is false may be true."

"Huh? What do you mean? Is it true or false?" I was a little confused and suddenly felt that this Mr. Zhou was a bit like a charlatan.

"Haha, don't you believe me?" He seemed to be able to read my mind. I quickly shook my head. "No, I'm just curious." Of course, I had to explain. There's a saying that true masters don't reveal their abilities.

Mr. Zhou stopped talking, got up, took out a pack of cigarettes from the bookshelf next to him, and handed me one. “Sometimes, you have to keep a normal mindset. Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘If you haven’t done anything wrong, you have nothing to fear’?”

"But Mr. Zhou, could you please tell me how I can escape this calamity?" I was a little anxious, after all, I didn't want to die. I was still young, only 23 years old, and there were so many things I hadn't yet tasted.

"Don't worry, there's a solution. Just listen to this old man's advice: no matter what happens, face it calmly."

"Old man, is it really a ghost haunting me?" I finally voiced my question.

"Hehe, what do you think? Ghosts are just a thought in people's minds. Think about it yourself, but you are destined to suffer this calamity."

"Huh? Mr. Zhou, why do you sound like a monk?" Luo Fei blurted out her question. Good heavens, she really isn't afraid of offending people! Although I had the same question, I didn't say it aloud. Honestly, don't they know what restraint is? Sigh...

Mr. Zhou was not angry at all; instead, he chuckled. Luckily, he was a kind man and didn't hold a grudge. Otherwise, wouldn't he have scolded Luo Fei?

However, to be fair, he really did resemble a fortune-telling monk. But such people seem to be quite mystical, and he didn't resolve my doubts about what was going on. It seems he didn't fully understand either. I was afraid that if I asked any further, I would only get the reply, "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed." Oh well, I decided not to ask anymore. We got up and took our leave.

"Mi'er, do you think he's trustworthy?" Luo Fei asked, pulling my arm as soon as we came out.

"I don't know, didn't he say? Truth and falsehood are intertwined." To be honest, I'm confused myself. This old man just appeared out of nowhere, asked me for a cigarette, and then led us to this godforsaken place, only saying a few words. It's really hard to believe him. But is there really a ghost? I still don't understand. Was everything before just my own illusion? I don't believe it. I didn't do anything to wrong Meizi, so why is she clinging to me? I didn't touch her man; it was her man who approached me, okay? Besides, I'm not that desperate a woman who'd touch any man. I really don't understand.

"Feifei, I think we should start with Wang Zhengming; that might be faster."

"But didn't Xiao Lin say they investigated him?"

"They were being too obvious; they definitely wouldn't be able to find anything out."

"So you mean... Ah!!! Don't tell me you're going to..."

"Yes, that's what I think too. Haven't you heard the saying, 'You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub, and you can't catch a rogue without risking your wife'? It's better to catch tiger cubs from the tiger's den, right?"

"I don't agree. It's too dangerous for you."

"It's okay, I'm so capable, it'll be fine. I believe I can definitely catch the mastermind." After saying that, I patted Luo Fei on the shoulder, but she just shook her head helplessly. "But you'd better find a better way, at least one that can guarantee your safety."

"Yes, I know that. I want to find Xiao Lin and discuss it with him."

"Huh? Looking for Xiao Lin? That works too. At least he's a policeman, so we can work together from the inside."

"No, it's not that I want to cooperate with him, it's that I want to ask for his opinion." After saying that, I looked at Luo Fei and smiled.

"Huh? Mi'er, you've fallen for Xiao Lin, haven't you? You forgot we're looking for a rich man. He's just a policeman, he's broke. Although he's very handsome and manly, never mind, whatever you want. As long as you like him, that's fine." Luo Fei waved her hand irritably after saying that.

To be honest, I really can't say for sure if I've fallen for him. We haven't known each other for very long, but I have a strange sense of dependence on him. I took out my phone and dialed his number, but the phone kept ringing and no one answered. A little disappointed, I hung up the phone and went to KFC with Luo Fei. We walked around for a while, and it was already past 5 p.m. when we got home.

As soon as I got home, the phone rang. I took my phone out of my bag and saw it was Xiao Lin calling. I answered.

"Hello……"

"Mi'er, you called me? I was in a meeting, sorry."

"Yes, it's okay."

"Hehe, is there something you need?"

"It's nothing important, I just want to get closer to Wang Zhengming, maybe that will help us find the murderer faster..."

"No." Before I could speak, Xiao Lin interrupted me, "Zimi, I'm warning you not to do anything reckless. The police will handle everything, and I swear I will guarantee your safety. What you're doing is too risky. I don't agree."

"You disagree? Who are you to me? Your disagreement doesn't matter. I've already made up my mind. I'm just informing you, not discussing it with you. Get that straight." I was furious too. Why was she talking to me so loudly?

"If you're not anyone to me, then why did you call me to tell me this?" Xiao Lin's tone was clearly laughing.

"I, I..." I really didn't know what to say for a moment. Thinking about it, why should I tell him? But I had already said it. "I just wanted to tell you so that it would be easier for you to handle cases in the future. What other meaning could it have?" The reason was a bit high-sounding, but it was still acceptable. I think he could accept it.

“Mi’er, I know it might not be the right time to say this, but to be honest, I really want to protect you. I don’t want you to keep wearing that mask of strength, unrelated to this case. Of course, I also don’t want you to do anything that will harm you. Promise me, okay? Don’t do anything foolish. The opponent isn’t as simple as you think. If they were, we wouldn’t have been able to find a single flaw for years, letting the murderer go unpunished. This isn’t something you can handle on your own. I will do my best to help you, but I don’t want anything to happen to you. Do you understand?” He finished speaking and fell silent. After hearing these words, I didn’t know whether I was moved, happy, or something else; my thoughts were a complex mix. A long silence followed on the phone.

"Mi'er, please give me an answer."

"Huh??? Oh, I don't know, let me think, let me think..." After saying that, he hung up the phone, took out a cigarette and lit it, but didn't smoke it. He watched the smoke dance in front of him. Maybe he should be happy, because he realized that he also liked him a little. Thinking about what he just said still made his heart keep pounding. Although he often encountered such dialogues before, this time was obviously different. How should I answer him?

"Hey, did he confess? Did he confess to you? Hehe, look at you with that silly, happy face. Tch~~" Luo Fei sat down next to me, holding a big tub of ice cream. I rolled my eyes at her and snatched the ice cream from her hand, but unfortunately, because I hadn't flicked the ash off my cigarette for a long time, it all fell into the ice cream. Oh no, I couldn't eat it. I smiled sheepishly at Luo Fei, "Are you sent by God just to bully me?" Luo Fei yelled.

Chapter Ten

I slept soundly all night because of Xiao Lin's call yesterday. Although I didn't give him an answer, I know my choice was right. When I woke up this morning, Luo Fei had already prepared breakfast. When she saw me come out, she grabbed me and pulled me over. "Hey, I said, Aunt Fei Fei, can you be a little gentler? It hurts!" I said, rubbing my arm where she had pulled me.

"Hehe, excuse me, Miss. Come here. I just have something to ask you. Why don't you go wash your face and brush your teeth first, and I'll ask you later?" She pushed me towards the bathroom as if she were being very generous.

"Feifei, what are you doing? What do you want to ask? Just ask, why are you being so mysterious?" I was really confused.

"It's nothing, hurry up and do it." After saying that, she closed the bathroom door.

I shook my head helplessly. The thought of giving Xiao Lin an answer today made my heart pound. When I looked in the mirror, my face looked like a monkey's bottom. "Shameful! Pathetic," I laughed self-deprecatingly.

I finished washing my face with my head down. When I looked up, the bathroom light suddenly went out. Because our house is an old-style house, the bathroom has no windows, only a small skylight, which we've covered with blinds. After the light went out, the bathroom was shrouded in darkness. I groped for the doorknob, but I couldn't turn it. Fear suddenly overwhelmed me; people are most vulnerable when they're afraid. I pounded on the door and shouted, "Feifei, open the door! Is there a power outage?" But there was no sound from outside. I became even more frightened, kicking and pounding on the door, but I still didn't get a response from Feifei. I was desperate. I closed my eyes, and Xiao Lin's handsome face appeared in my mind. It's over. Everything is over before it even started. Is my life going to end like this?

Just then, the lights came on, but not with a bright white light; instead, they glowed a ghostly green, adding an eerie touch to the darkness. I slowly stood up. "Mi'er..."

I turned to look in the direction of the sound. Meizi stood in the mirror—no, it was as if she were embedded in the mirror, like a painting, but not beautiful, but terrifying. Her hair was disheveled, and the whites of her eyes took up four-fifths of their surface. There was no blood, and her body was wrapped in a white cloth. I backed away step by step, but she didn't move. Only when her body touched the wall did I feel a little safe.

"Meizi, I did nothing wrong to you while you were alive, please don't torture me anymore, okay?" My voice was trembling, I could feel it myself.

"Hahahaha~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sorry to me? Maybe, you didn't apologize to me, but you touched my man." Meizi said angrily.

"No, I didn't touch your man. You know that. I told you everything before you died." I hurriedly explained. Indeed, I had told Meizi everything before, although we weren't exactly inseparable, but it was close enough.

"Hmph, women are all hypocrites, I don't believe it." At this moment, Meizi didn't look like a ghost, but rather like a resentful woman who had been abandoned.

"Meizi, please listen to me, okay?" At this moment, I was no longer afraid; I just wanted to help her get out of her wrong mindset.

"No, I don't want to hear you, you bitch." As she spoke, her hand—not a claw, for it was withered and reduced to bone, with long nails—was completely different from what I'd seen before. Instinctively, I tried to back away, but I couldn't. I realized there was nowhere left to retreat behind me, only the cold wall. But I knew that if I didn't retreat, I would die. Her claws were about to grab me, and behind them was Mei Zi's狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious) face. Suddenly, the wall behind me softened, and I leaned back as if grasping at a straw.

"Thump..." It hurts, but the darkness disappeared, replaced by Luo Fei's gradually enlarging pretty face.

"Boss, you're finally awake. Looks like it worked quite well, hehe~~" Luo Fei looked at the tennis racket in his hand and grinned foolishly.

"You used it to spank my butt?"

"Yeah, otherwise how could you fall asleep in the bathroom? Did you think about Xiao Lin all night last night?" Seeing Luo Fei's sly face, I really wanted to punch her.

"What did you say? Asleep? I fell asleep in the bathroom?"

"Yes, I couldn't wake you up no matter how I called you. I finally managed to drag you to the sofa."

"No way? Was I dreaming just now?" Ignoring Luo Fei's surprised look, I pushed her aside and ran to the bathroom. Looking at the kick marks behind the door, I was sure I wasn't dreaming; I really did experience those things.

"How did you get this door?" I asked Luo Fei, pointing behind the door, wishing I was really dreaming.

"Huh? That's weird, what happened?" Luo Fei scratched her head, looking puzzled. "Boss, aren't you in a hurry? It's almost 8 o'clock, we'll be late if we don't hurry."

"Ah!! Why didn't you say so earlier?" She quickly washed her face, grabbed her bag, and ran out. Luo Fei shook her head helplessly behind her.

I arrived at the company before 9 o'clock and had just sat down when Sister Huo came over and asked me with a questioning look on her face, "Xiao Zi, are you alright?"

"Huh? Is there something I should do?" I was a little confused by her question.

"Oh, it's nothing, it's nothing, hehe~ You don't look well." After saying that, Sister Huo looked at me like I was a monster for a while, then turned and left. I felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze; Sister Huo had been acting strangely lately.

Maybe I'm going through menopause? But I still seem like an old maid. Lost in thought, I couldn't help but stifle a laugh, yet I didn't seem like an old maid. I could feel how sinister my laugh was. Oh well, he's my superior, a leader, I have to respect him.

"Mi'er, we're going to see Xiao Cui after get off work this afternoon. Do you want to come?" Ouyang's sudden voice made me feel awkward, as if she had seen through my thoughts.

"Oh? You're going to see Xiao Cui? I don't think I'll have time. Please give him a good word for me when you go." Thinking about Xiao Cui's situation, I did feel a little guilty. I had completely forgotten about him in such a short time. Too many things had happened.

"What's the point of bringing him? He's in such a state now. But we were colleagues after all, so it's only right to go and see him. If you don't have time, then forget it. He doesn't recognize anyone anymore anyway."

"Ouyang, do you think Xiao Cui has really gone crazy?"

"Is this fake? If I saw a dead person, I might go crazy, I'd be scared to death, it's so terrifying." After saying that, Ouyang deliberately trembled all over to prove how terrifying it was, and I couldn't help but laugh at her expression.

It's the off-season for renovations lately, so there's practically no work. Normally, the company's designers don't need to create their own drawings, but I don't like having draftsmen do it because they can't effectively convey my ideas. Right now, I'm so bored I just want to sleep. Even though I just started work this morning, I'm just too idle. That's the downside of having too many designers.

I spent the morning bored, downloading some materials online and chatting. It was a dull morning. I checked the time; it was almost time to leave work. Just then, the phone rang.

Hello, who is this?

"Xiao Lin, Mi'er, have you made up your mind?" Xiao Lin's magnetic voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Oh, Xiao Lin, me? Hehe!!"

"What are you grinning about? You've been tormenting me for the past ten hours, keeping me up at night and unable to eat or drink."

"I mean, are you police officers this thuggish even when you're on duty?" I couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark to Xiao Lin, who seemed different from usual.

"No, but I can for someone I like." Suddenly, his voice deepened.

"Huh? Hehe, really? So you like so many people, so you can just do whatever you want with them? No wonder our company people doubt your ability to get things done."

"Haha, you have such a sweet tongue! Let's have lunch together. I'm downstairs at your company now. You should be off work by now, right?"

"Okay, wait for me, I'll be right down." I hung up the phone, swiped my card, and headed out. Just as I stepped out of the company gate, I saw Xiao Lin standing there. For some reason, I suddenly felt embarrassed. Maybe everything feels uncomfortable once things become clear.

"What do you want to eat?" Xiao Lin asked excitedly.

"Why are you so excited?" I was annoyed.

"Hehe, of course I'm excited. I've been single for 26 years, and I'm about to have a girlfriend. Of course I'm excited."

"Who wants to be your girlfriend?" Seeing how happy he was made me furious.

"Someone, I'm not sure, but she's probably a very cute girl, but sometimes she acts like a shrew?" He deliberately scratched his head.

"Who are you calling a fierce woman?" I went up and kicked him.

"Ah!! You're like you're trying to murder your husband?" Luckily, he was in plainclothes today, otherwise the image of the People's Police would have been ruined by him.

We went to the McDonald's downstairs from the company and found a window seat on the second floor. He ordered and came upstairs, and there was a period of silence.

"Mi'er, have you made up your mind?" Xiao Lin broke the silence, looking at me with expectant eyes.

"I don't know, maybe I've already thought it through? Hehe~~" I answered his question with a silly smile.