Incendie mystérieux

Chapitre 4

"Who are you?!" I shouted in a panic.

The silvery light suddenly moved; it was half of the hair, the other half a pure black that melted into the night—I couldn't help but gasp. The man's hair was a bizarre, yin-yang style, half black and half white! Below it was a face as deathly pale as the silvery half of the hair. The man's entire face was pressed against the windowpane, and suddenly, he revealed a professional smile.

"Nice to meet you," his voice was unusually deep, and his overly solicitous yet strangely eerie smile sounded like the voice of a messenger from hell to my trembling heart. "I am a 'flesh and blood' astrologer. Is there anything I can help you with, sir?"

I must have been out of my mind, for I couldn't immediately recall the meaning of the phrase "flesh and blood," and instead, as if in a daze, I replied, "Push this car into the sea. Thank you."

“It was nothing.” He laughed, revealing his gleaming white teeth. Then, without me even seeing him move, the car carrying Bao’er and me sped off towards the sea. The smug smile didn't last long on my face. Seeing the astrologer left far behind, I suddenly realized—

I was in the car too!!!

Then, the sea roared and swallowed everything.

The astrologer watched everything expressionlessly until the waves subsided and the sea returned to its usual calm. Only then did he put on his hat to conceal his monstrous, shaggy hair. Just then, a clear, childlike voice rang out.

"Why are you sighing? What's so great about it that you're sighing?"

“I didn’t,” the astrologer replied. “I was just too late to get that ‘licentious’ soul.”

The little girl persisted: "You're lying! If you want to do it, no one in the world can stop you! You don't want that woman's child born of incest! You've arbitrarily changed the course of her fate, allowing her to die in the happiest way! If you continue to be so kind, I don't think you'll ever be able to break the curse!"

The astrologer raised an eyebrow slightly: "Huh? Who are you talking about, happiness?"

“Playing dumb again,” the girl’s energy suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon. “Fine, do whatever you want. Anyway, you only ever listen to 'her'…”

“Stop being stubborn, Mayo,” the astrologer said, lowering the brim of his hat, his emerald eyes gleaming in the darkness. “It’s time to move on to the next charge!”

Book One: The Seven Deadly Sins - Gluttony: The God of Love is Named Twenty-Four (Part 1)

The girl was anxious and uneasy. Her round body paced back and forth at the door for a long time, her eyes timid and hesitant, but she still lacked the courage to take that crucial step.

"Welcome to the lively and vibrant astrology shop!" Suddenly, a clear, childlike voice rang out. The girl jumped in fright, looking around but seeing no one in sight.

"What are you looking for! Can't you see?!" the little girl replied irritably. "I'm below you!"

The girl then noticed a lifelike doll, over a foot tall, standing on the dilapidated threshold of the astrology shop. The doll had long, flowing, jet-black hair and exceptionally expressive eyes; it was so realistically crafted it seemed almost alive. Just as the girl was about to bend down to check, the doll suddenly turned and slid into the room—it turned out that the doll had wheels installed at its feet, which explained why it could silently reach the girl's side.

The doll's actions clearly indicated it was leading the girl into the house, so after a slight hesitation, she followed it inside. As for why the doll could talk, the girl probably assumed it had a microphone or recording device installed, and didn't suspect anything.

When the girl entered the room, the doll was already perched confidently on the astrologer's shoulders. The girl had heard rumors that the astrologer's appearance was unlike that of a typical Chinese person, and seeing him today, the rumors were indeed true: half-black, half-white hair, shimmering green eyes, and a deathly pale complexion. Aside from that, he was quite handsome and dashing, with a striking, almost mixed-race appearance that was captivating. Only when the astrologer displayed a professional yet warm smile did the girl's trembling heart finally calm down. She asked him to do her astrological reading.

"Your Sun is in Taurus. Since Taureans have highly developed senses of touch and taste, and a strong possessive nature, they have a natural interest in food and never miss out on anything delicious. Furthermore, your Jupiter is in Cancer. Jupiter symbolizes expansion, and in Cancer, a position of exaltation, combined with Cancer's rule over the mouth and stomach, the direct consequence is an enlarged stomach that requires constant food intake. Additionally, your Moon is in Aries, forming a 90-degree square with Jupiter, a so-called 'square.' The Moon represents the digestive system and eating habits, and this square with Jupiter suggests overeating due to its influence, easily leading to obesity and often laziness. Moreover, with the Moon in Aries, one often eats too much on impulse."

“In short…” The astrologer immediately fell silent when he noticed the girl’s face turn purplish-blue. Actually, even without his astrological analysis, anyone with a discerning eye could tell the girl was the type to overeat; just the sight of her sitting there, her face and body constantly glistening with sweat, was enough to make one recoil. The weather wasn’t hot, and the astrologer was wearing a thick overcoat, yet the girl was drenched in sweat, her arms bulging like Michelin Man tires. She neither nodded nor shook her head at what the astrologer said, only breathing heavily.

"In short..." The astrologer was also feeling extremely troubled, and could only force a smile. "Although your birth chart shows an unfavorable aspect, but..." He racked his brains for a long time, and his distressed appearance was so funny that even the doll on his shoulder couldn't help but twitch, its shoulders shaking as if it were chuckling. "Anyway, as long as you have perseverance, well, persistence, you will definitely... should... probably... perhaps... there is nothing in the world that cannot be done."

The girl walked out crying, and as soon as her plump body disappeared, the little girl's voice rang out viciously.

"Fatty!"

"It's so late!" the astrologer exclaimed hastily, "A guest is a guest! How rude of you!"

“Did I say anything wrong?” the doll named Maya retorted defiantly. “I was just stating what I saw! Unlike some people…” She grabbed the astrologer’s silver hair and said sourly, “They put on such a hypocritical act, humph, so fake! It’s disgusting, it makes me want to throw up! If I looked like her, I would have banged my head against a wall and died long ago, I wouldn’t dare to come out and embarrass myself!”

“But, Maya,” the astrologer replied, “human bodies are different from yours. Even if they possess youthful beauty, with the passage of time, their former rosy cheeks, full breasts, and slender waists will gradually wither and lose their shape. Humans can only indulge in pleasure for a maximum of fifteen years, and to maintain their figure, they need a much longer time, even a lifetime, of relentless struggle against appetite and laziness.”

Maya blinked her large, cat-like amber eyes. "That's so profound... I don't understand what you're saying." She jumped off the astrologer's shoulder with a chuckle and spun around quickly. "However, in order to look better in skirts in the summer, I solemnly announce that I will start dieting from today, with a goal of losing 3KG! Please send half of your usual blood to my room tonight, thank you."

“Okay, okay,” the astrologer said with a big smile. “Summer is a great season for losing weight.”

Summer is the best season for losing weight. Ma Yan munched on a McDonald's crispy ice cream cone while discreetly observing the scantily clad beauties passing by on the street. Everyone was dressed sexily, their hair piled high, slender arms peeking out from brightly colored tank tops, and pairs of fair legs visible beneath thin skirts or hot pants, all chatting sweetly under their respective parasols.

It was strange, Ma Yan couldn't help but wonder. Summer had only just begun, and the temperature had only risen by 5 or 6 degrees Celsius, yet the women of the entire city seemed to have become much prettier and slimmer overnight—it seemed the old saying, "Clothes make the man," was indeed true. She patted her full stomach; under Etam's T-shirt, her lower abdomen was slightly protruding—she had to do 50 sit-ups tonight to nip that little belly in the bud!

Ma Yan is nineteen years old, a freshman in college, and will be a sophomore next semester. Today is her high school reunion, their once-a-year event. It's also the first formal gathering of her high school classmates since she started college. A smile of satisfaction crept onto her face. She wondered how they were doing now. They probably wouldn't even recognize her! Since starting college, Ma Yan has become so much prettier than she was in high school…

Book One: The Seven Deadly Sins - Gluttony: The God of Love is Named Twenty-Four (Parts 2-3)

"Squad leader!" she heard someone call her. "Hey, here!"

She smiled, as if all the flowers on the street had bloomed on her face. Then she gently lifted her skirt, her high-heeled sandals touching the ground, and walked in a straight line—this white skirt was specially bought to match her T-shirt, and the way she walked gave her an ethereal, almost otherworldly air. Also, the bag she was carrying today was borrowed from her mother, and the shoes were just bought on sale a couple of days ago—

In short, perfect!

Most of the students had arrived; the boys were much the same as before, almost all of them sporting buzz cuts, except their T-shirts were now much brighter than before. Looking at the girls, Ma Yan was immediately struck by their beauty. The young buds buried in mountains of books and seas of exercises during high school had now blossomed into dazzling flowers, their mouths filled with the most...

"I almost didn't recognize you, you've become even more beautiful!"

Ma Yan then began performing the duties she had done two years prior, meticulously counting the number of people. There were a total of fifty-seven people in the class, and fifty-four were present; three were missing.

"Yan Wuyue!" a girl named Bai Min exclaimed. "There are twenty-four girls now, but two are missing... There's one more, who could it be?"

As for the absent boys, there was no need to count them all; Ma Yan knew exactly who they were. Shuai Bufan, the most handsome boy in her high school class, tall and always sporting a bright, sunny smile. Not only were his grades excellent, but he was also a top basketball player. Back then, 80% of the girls in the class were infatuated with him, attending every basketball game without fail. Later, he was admitted to the National University of Defense Technology with outstanding grades and became a soldier. After a year apart, she imagined Shuai Bufan, having undergone the baptism of military service, must be even more mature and charming now. Last night, when Ma Yan mustered her courage and, for the first time ever, dialed the phone number she had treasured for four years as the class monitor, when that familiar yet unfamiliar male voice, which had been absent for a year, answered her request, she was practically ecstatic.

And he actually stood me up today!

Ma Yan's smile froze; although she remembered the fashion magazine's advice to show only eight teeth in a standard smile, the muscles in her face were no longer under her control, and her heart plummeted from the peak of hope to the bottom of despair. Shuai Bufan didn't come! This sentence kept echoing in her mind, leaving her without the strength to even give orders. She felt as if all the beautiful flowers before her had withered and lost their luster in an instant.

Shuai Bufan is nowhere to be seen. And who are they dressing up so beautifully for?

The monkey seized the opportunity to take over. He uttered only one sentence, which, like the sweet dew of Guanyin Bodhisattva, brought all the flowers and plants to life again. Waving his phone around calmly, he shouted:

"Don't panic! The handsome guy is coming soon!"

"Really?" Ma Yan immediately perked up.

The monkey chuckled twice. He wasn't particularly handsome, but he was naturally humorous and always the class clown. At that moment, he winked at Ma Yan and said, "And, the handsome guy's girlfriend is coming too!"

What?! The girls felt their hearts sink. That heartthrob, Shuai Yifan, actually had a girlfriend? What kind of outstanding girl could stand beside him, arm in arm, sharing his success and joy? Envy and jealousy flickered across their faces. Monkey, seizing the opportunity, smugly savored the thrill of having the secret to himself, and mysteriously added fuel to the fire:

"I might as well reveal another secret, hehe," he chuckled dryly, "the handsome guy's girlfriend is from our class!"

Like a stone thrown into still water, the monkey's words caused a huge uproar! They glared at each other with hatred, as if facing mortal enemies rather than high school classmates. After a period of feigned probing and fiery interrogation, the twenty-four girls unanimously ruled out each other as suspects and focused their attention on the two absent individuals.

Yan Wuyue, Jin Feifei.

"Yan Wuyue, it must be her!" Mentioning her name instantly extinguished the girls' fighting spirit. Why? Because she was outstanding. Her intelligence was undeniable; she was top of the class academically, and quite beautiful, with delicate features. Although she was a bit carefree and had a temper, this only added to her genuine and natural charm, and quite a few boys in the class had crushes on her. The girls had also talked about it; to be honest, among the twenty-six girls in the class, she was the only one worthy of Shuai Bufan.

As for Jin Feifei, she's not even worth mentioning...

The group sat in a luxurious private room at the karaoke bar, singing songs with half-hearted enthusiasm, their eyes glued to every movement at the door. A tall figure loomed in the shadows before the ornate glass door, and then, a dashing and imposing figure appeared before them.

He'd become even more handsome—that was the unanimous feeling. His tanned skin, his crisp, well-fitting military uniform, and his signature sunny smile made him even more charming than before. Facing the crowd, he simply smiled and said, "Sorry I'm late." In that instant, a burning flame of love reignited in the hearts of the twenty-four girls.

However, before they could answer, a slender and graceful figure emerged from behind the tall and imposing Shuai Bufan. The girl wore a fiery red evening gown-style halter dress; the fabric draped smoothly over her figure, revealing a pair of long, straight, and slender legs. She was stunningly beautiful, with snow-white skin and large, bright, dark blue eyes like grapes. Her figure was model-perfect. Upon seeing the girls, she greeted them shyly, "Everyone, long time no see! How are you all?"

Everyone was stunned. Who was she? She was in our class, and she knew us... But she was definitely not Yan Wuyue!

"I'm Jin Feifei, don't you recognize me?"

What?! Even a bolt from the blue couldn't compare to the screams erupting from the private room. Jin Feifei? That super-fat Jin Feifei, so obese she was practically dripping with fat, her features barely discernible? Because of her obesity, she had always been the ugliest girl in her class, suffering constant bullying. Many boys present had harassed her. Who would have thought that once she lost weight, she would become such a stunning beauty…

The class reunion instantly turned into a personal press conference for Shuai Bufan and Jin Feifei. Everyone threw down their microphones and crowded around them, determined to hear the story of their love.

"Actually, it's nothing," Shuai Bufan said with a bright smile. "We met on QQ, so you could say we had an online relationship. After dating online for two months, I suggested we meet in person, but she absolutely refused."

Of course not! Many girls secretly scoffed. If they really saw Jin Feifei's face, the handsome guy would be scared to death!

"After my repeated requests, she finally told me hesitantly that she was afraid I wouldn't like her," Shuai Bufan smiled confidently, gently taking Jin Feifei's hand, whose face was flushed with embarrassment. "How could that be? Am I the kind of person who only looks at appearances and not inner qualities? So we finally met."

The monkey chimed in, "Turns out she's a stunning beauty, right?"

"Oh my god," Bai Min pinched Jin Feifei's arm, then pinched her own, "You've really lost so much weight! You're completely transformed! How many pounds have you lost?"

“It’s not that exaggerated,” Jin Feifei chuckled. “When I graduated from high school, I weighed about 140 pounds, and now I weigh less than 90 pounds.”

A full 50 pounds! That's terrifying! Losing 50 pounds in just one year! The girls, without a doubt, stared at their dreaded fat and vowed to completely eliminate it. Shuai Bufan gazed at her affectionately, "You must have suffered a lot for me." His sparkling eyes clearly conveyed this message.

Ever since returning from the class reunion, Ma Yan had been determined to lose weight. She wasn't fat to begin with; at 1.58 meters tall and 96 pounds, she was considered well-proportioned. However, given the current fashion trend of being extremely thin, and the inspiration from the "ugly duckling" Jin Feifei, she was determined to lose weight until she was below 90 pounds. Just as she was lying in bed resting, feeling dizzy from hunger, someone came to find her.

It was Bai Min, Zhao Shasha, and several other girls. As soon as they met, Bai Min couldn't wait to tell her, "Class monitor, we have something to tell you."

“It’s about Jin Feifei,” Bai Min said. “After we went back, we couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong.”

To be honest, Ma Yan had her doubts. Losing weight is never easy, and rapid weight loss can be harmful to the body, let alone Jin Feifei losing 50 pounds in a year—it's too fast and too drastic. However, Ma Yan could only admire her willpower and had no other thoughts.

“I asked her how she lost weight,” Bai Min continued. “What she told me was nothing more than the diet and exercise methods introduced in fashion magazines, nothing special. To be honest, I’ve tried almost all of those weight loss methods,” Bai Min admitted casually, “but I didn’t see any of them help me lose tens of pounds.”

Zhao Shasha interjected, "I know Jin Feifei well. She's a glutton, especially for fried chicken wings and drumsticks. I even saw a handsome guy buy her KFC chicken wings the other day."

“That’s strange,” Ma Yan said, puzzled. “Logically speaking, someone who loses weight rapidly should be most afraid of rebounding, so she should definitely be careful about what she eats. Not to mention high-calorie fried foods, she should even eat less meat… How could she eat greasy chicken wings without restraint?”

“Also, class monitor,” Bai Min added, “that day I touched Jin Feifei’s arm, and I felt…” She deliberately lowered her voice so that only the few of them could hear, “her skin felt so bad. It was dry, hard, and lacked elasticity.”

A certain idea vaguely surfaced in Ma Yan's mind, but she dared not voice it aloud. She guessed that Bai Min had already reached her own conclusion and was only telling her about it on purpose.

"I suspect she's had liposuction!"

As expected, Bai Min couldn't hold back and blurted it out herself. Ma Yan sighed inwardly, "Even if she's had liposuction, so what? We can't control what other people are fat or thin, and besides, it's none of our business."

"What? Class monitor, you're not kidding, are you?" Bai Min was so anxious that her veins were bulging. "Liposuction is considered plastic surgery! She's an artificial beauty! (If she can be considered beautiful, Ma Yan clearly heard Bai Min think that in her mind.) Not only that, she also lied to Shuai Bufan, saying that she had successfully lost weight... How could our class's top handsome guy be deceived by a woman who rose to power through surgery?"

“That’s right, that’s right!” The other girls nodded vigorously, chattering amongst themselves. “No wonder I thought she’d grown taller. Maybe she even had knee-lengthening surgery?” “Her face too. Since nobody recognizes her now, she might as well have had plastic surgery too. How shameless!”

Listening to their complaints, Ma Yan couldn't help but feel annoyed. "But Shuai Bufan said he's not the kind of person who only cares about appearances and not inner qualities. Maybe he prefers Jin Feifei's personality."

"Hmph, hard to say!" Bai Min said viciously. "Anyway, it won't be long before Jin Feifei gains weight again because of her gluttony. At that time, hmph..." Her gloating expression made Ma Yan's skin crawl.

However, Bai Min's prediction did not come true. A little over a month later, during the seven-day National Day holiday, Ma Yan went to Shanghai, the city where Jin Feifei's university was located. She had learned that Shuai Bufan had also taken the holiday to visit his girlfriend, a rare opportunity. When she arrived at her lodgings, wow, quite a few female classmates shared the same thought: Bai Min, Zhao Shasha, and all twenty-four girls except Yan Wuyue were there.

Jin Feifei busied herself arranging accommodations for them, and a few beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Shuai Bufan, standing beside her, pulled her into his arms with concern. This immediately drew the attention of all the girls, who stared at the two of them with eyes practically spitting fire.

"This is our last chance, class monitor!" Bai Min shouted enthusiastically, insisting that Ma Yan take some action. Ma Yan sighed inwardly. To be honest, watching her crush being affectionate with another woman filled her with a bitter, gritty feeling. If it were Yan Wuyue, or some other girl with both beauty and talent, it wouldn't be so bad. But unfortunately, it had to be Jin Feifei, whose looks had always been at the bottom of the class. Before, as long as there was Jin Feifei, who was fat and ugly, as a point of reference, other girls could appear slim and beautiful. But now? No one dared to walk with her, because she was the embodiment of perfection.

"Forget it, there's no hope." Ma Yan's heart sank into despair. She silently packed her bags, preparing to go back. At this moment, Bai Min coldly asked:

"You're not thinking of betraying us, are you, squad leader?"

Ma Yan stopped what she was doing. In that instant, memories flooded her mind—memories she didn't want to recall, memories of sin.

"Bai Min," she gasped, "let's not talk about that anymore...we were both so young and immature back then..."

“But you founded it all, Captain!” Bai Min deliberately drew out the word “Captain,” “To protect that person from bad guys… and now you’re abandoning us team members and running away alone!”

“That’s right,” Zhao Shasha chimed in. “We’re at a critical juncture right now. As a member of the ‘Handsome Guys Protection Team,’ I propose that Bai Min take over as captain and lead us through this difficult time!”

And so, after a democratic election, Bai Min replaced the passive Ma Yan as the captain of the "Handsome Guys' Guard," ordering Ma Yan to atone for her mistakes and forbid her from running away. The twenty-four girls clasped their hands together and swore, "We will definitely expose Jin Feifei's true colors!"

Book One: The Seven Deadly Sins - Gluttony: The God of Love is Named Twenty-Four (Part Four)

First, they took Jin Feifei shopping, walking from one street to another. When they got hungry at noon, they decided to treat Jin Feifei to lunch at KFC. Firstly, compared to the Western and Chinese food options in Shanghai, KFC was obviously much cheaper; secondly, it had Jin Feifei's favorite fried chicken wings.

Bai Min ordered a table full of fried chicken: chicken cartilage skewers, chicken wraps, popcorn chicken, Orleans-style roasted wings, and spicy chicken burgers—three of each—piling them generously in front of Jin Feifei. "Eat up, don't be shy," she said to Jin Feifei with a smile.

Jin Feifei hesitated for a moment. The golden fried chicken in front of her was tempting, but being stared at by forty-eight dark eyes made her feel uncomfortable. So she smiled politely and said, "Why aren't you eating? Let's eat together."

"We're not hungry," they answered in unison. Then, twenty-four pairs of eyes shone even brighter. "You eat it."