Incendie mystérieux

Chapitre 12

"Yes!" Shui Yun shrieked, "Another prostitute died today, right? Right there on Garden Street, don't think I don't know! 'Paradise on Earth'! Starting with that girl from E University last month, three have died! You're afraid of meeting the same fate, so you were forced to leave that brothel and hide back in your dorm for refuge... You wish!"

Before Yan Wuyue could react, Shui Yun had already grabbed a pillow and smashed it hard against Meng Ying's face. The pillow swept across the glass water glass on the table, and with a "crash," it shattered into pieces.

"Get out!" she spat out viciously.

After a long silence, Meng Ying seemed to have made up her mind. She suddenly stood up. "I'm leaving now," she said, her tone ambiguous. "Don't worry, I won't be a burden to you, even if I die..."

She opened the door, and from her bright red lips came sinister words, "...Even if you deliberately try to forget the fact that we are on the same path..."

"I hate her!" Shui Yun suddenly threw herself onto the bed, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably. "If only she weren't my roommate! If only I didn't even know her!"

Even a fool would have noticed the unusual ambiguity in the conversation between Shui Yun and Meng Ying. So Yan Wuyue gently, in a way that wouldn't offend her, asked indirectly, "Today... that girl on Garden Street, do you know her?"

The crying stopped abruptly. Yan Wuyue seemed to have chanted some kind of mysterious incantation, causing the weak Shui Yun to immediately cease her sobbing. Curiosity compelled her to press for an explanation.

“You don’t need to lie to me, Shuiyun. I heard everything you just said clearly. Last month, the girl from E University, Senior Tian Tian, the one you mentioned who ‘died’ on Garden Street today, is that them? What is the relationship between these three people and Meng Ying? And…” She stared seriously at the back of Shuiyun’s head, not missing a single reaction from her body, “‘Paradise on Earth,’ what exactly is that?”

Book One: The Seven Deadly Sins - Wrath: The Tragedy of Doremi (Part 5)

On her first day reporting to D University, Shuiyun was incredibly excited.

Ten years of hard work—no, thirteen years including preschool—have finally earned her this flimsy piece of paper—an acceptance letter. D University is a renowned key university in the province, and C City is a prosperous tourist destination. Being admitted to such a school makes not only Shuiyun but also her parents beam with pride.

However, her new life had barely begun when Shuiyun's young heart was deeply troubled by life's hardships. Her classmates were all living lavishly, wearing designer clothes, carrying cell phones and laptops—all of which cost money. Shuiyun's parents had been laid off five years prior and were barely making ends meet with small businesses. Raising Shuiyun's astronomical tuition fees had already used up the life savings of her entire family, from her grandmother to her uncles and aunts; how could they possibly afford her living expenses? She considered applying for a scholarship for impoverished students, but in today's society, there were countless poor students like her, and the competition was fierce. In the end, she had no choice but to embark on a work-study path.

Tutoring, twenty yuan per lesson; distributing flyers, one hundred yuan for two thousand. No matter the job, it's always tiring and hard. Seeing herself at the prime of her youth, yet struggling to make ends meet like a middle-aged man, she couldn't help but feel envious of her wealthier classmates, especially her roommate Meng Ying.

Meng Ying attracted attention the moment she entered the school. To be fair, she wasn't particularly beautiful; however, after piling on a ton of colorful makeup and donning a sexy, revealing dress, she instantly transformed into the department's number one beauty. At first, Shui Yun genuinely thought her family was wealthy, but she gradually discovered that Meng Ying's family had never sent her money. On the contrary, Meng Ying sent money home every month via postal email, without even a bank account!

It turned out that Meng Ying was born in a poor and backward rural area in central China. Her parents toiled in the fields day and night, yet they struggled to even make ends meet. Growing up, she was accustomed to poverty and hated it. Therefore, when she entered university, she was eager to escape poverty. She secretly vowed to herself that she would live a better life than city dwellers! And she soon achieved that.

Like Shui Yun, Meng Ying had also considered working part-time while studying, but she was either afraid of hardship or thought the pay was too low. She didn't care about small profits at all; what she needed was an opportunity to make big money, hundreds of dollars! She wandered the streets all day until one day, a man stopped her and handed her a small pink card.

"Paradise on Earth" Business Center...

Faced with the rosy, money-making machine of this "paradise on earth," Meng Ying surrendered almost without resistance. With the money she earned from prostitution, she bought Lancôme cosmetics, wore ONLY and JACK & JONES clothes, sported Belle shoes, and changed her expensive phone every three months—in short, she lived a life of unimaginable luxury for a poor student. The deeper she sank into that filthy vortex, the emptier she became, and the more empty she felt inside. That enormous black hole in her spirit needed money to temporarily plug it. Materially, she was incredibly wealthy, enough to proudly walk past envious glances. Yet, spiritually, she was terrified of even the slightest hint of contempt from others. She feared being alone.

She hopes that someone is like her.

And that person was Tian Tian.

Although Tian Tian was two years older than her, she was quite immature mentally, obsessed with vanity, and dressed extravagantly every day to attract boys and improve her ranking among the school's beauties. Coincidentally, her family's finances suddenly fell into difficulties, and she, who was used to spending lavishly, couldn't be frugal for a while, constantly complaining that she didn't have enough living expenses. So Meng Ying took advantage of the situation and offered her a well-paid "part-time job."

Chatting with someone costs 400 yuan per session.

Since the bait smelled so enticing, the fish naturally bit without hesitation. Although she earned 400 yuan per chat, the "Paradise on Earth" business center and the intermediary Meng Ying secretly took 300 yuan as commission. The remaining meager 100 yuan was hardly enough for Tian Tianhua! A pair of Belle shoes cost 300-400 yuan! So, she naturally started offering other "services"...

Meng Ying's second downline was Shui Yun.

Similar to Tian Tian's experience, Shui Yun also started as a chat companion. However, Shui Yun had a boyfriend studying in another city, and the two agreed to get married as soon as they graduated from university. Out of respect for her boyfriend, Shui Yun made three rules with Meng Ying as soon as she entered "Paradise on Earth": she would only accept clean orders (not providing sexual services) and not accept lewd orders; she would only chat with him and would not provide anything else.

Meng Ying mocked her for being foolish. A vegetarian meal would at most yield a net income of 100 or 200 yuan, while a meat meal was different; if the customer was satisfied, it could even earn more than a thousand yuan, a difference of more than tenfold. But no matter how much she pleaded, the usually meek Shui Yun was unusually determined not to agree.

As fate would have it, just as Shuiyun was happily weaving beautiful dreams of the future, a long-distance phone call from her boyfriend ruthlessly shattered all her illusions. They broke up; his voice on the phone was as cold as ice, the reason being incompatibility. Shuiyun cried and repeatedly pressed him for an answer, but he stammered and refused to answer. Finally, he reluctantly blurted out, "I think she's more suitable than you."

Shui Yun was stunned. For two whole days, she locked herself in her dorm room, crying and sobbing, refusing to eat or laugh. Even Meng Ying couldn't bear to watch. She reached out and gently stroked Shui Yun's hair, then suddenly cursed angrily, "Men are all the same! They're always looking for something new and then getting tired of it!"

"You're so silly!" She lovingly cupped Shuiyun's face. "If they don't want me here, there are plenty of other places that will! Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged men are crawling all over the streets, aren't they? With such a pretty face, how could you be afraid of not finding a man? Listen to me, starting tomorrow, find a new man and forget 'him,' understand? Don't be spineless!"

Shuiyun's tears streamed down her palm; she was so weak she didn't even have the strength to nod. Meng Ying held her tightly to her chest and whispered in her ear:

"You didn't get hurt by that guy, did you?"

What? Shuiyun didn't understand what she meant for a moment.

"Silly girl..." Meng Ying's voice grew more tender, "You and that heartless man... you didn't 'do' it, did you?"

Book One: The Seven Deadly Sins - Wrath: The Tragedy of Doremi (Part Six)

"Do...do...what?!" Shui Yun's cheeks flushed bright red, and she abruptly pushed Meng Ying away. Meng Ying seemed quite satisfied with the outcome; she slowly smoothed her hair and launched into a long-winded speech.

"That's the wise thing to do. In the past, people valued chastity, emphasizing that a woman's virginity must be given to her husband on her wedding night. Haha, what a feudal dreg! Even if you specially save your virginity for your husband, what's the use? Can you guarantee that he will treat you well for the rest of his life, and cherish and love only you? Don't dream! Men become bad as soon as they have money. Keeping mistresses and having extramarital affairs are traditional habits of wealthy men, aren't they? Even the most beautiful female celebrity is forgotten after three to five years once she's married, let alone ordinary girls like you and me. If we marry an honest and upright man, although we don't have to worry about competing for his affections with younger and prettier girls every day, we'll still have to worry about that for the rest of our lives." Suffering and poverty, working yourself to the bone for a house and money, only to become a haggard, worn-out woman—what's the point? As for those girls who give their virginity to their boyfriends, they're even more foolish! A boyfriend is not a husband; there's a whole ring between them! Even serious boyfriends might break up and go their separate ways, let alone some playboys who just want to seduce and deceive. He's all set; after he's done, he just walks away, leaving you with nothing! All that talk about love not caring about forever, but about the experience, or about a night of passion leading to a hundred days of kindness—I spit on it all!

Perhaps overwhelmed with emotion, Meng Ying's heaving chest rose and fell after she finished speaking. Shui Yun had stopped crying, not out of relief, but out of utter despair. Meng Ying's words weighed heavily on her fragile heart like a boulder, leaving her utterly hopeless. A dark, bleak future seemed to beckon her from ahead.

"I don't want that!" She grabbed Meng Ying's arm, like a drowning person grasping at a straw, desperate and reckless, "Then what should I do? What should I do..."

Meng Ying smiled smugly. She sat down affectionately next to Shui Yun:

"Therefore, women in today's society are completely useless if they rely on men. We women can only make a lot of money and stand out from the crowd by relying on ourselves. Every woman has the capital to do business. What 'Paradise on Earth' Business Center does is simply to assess your assets and help you manage your finances so that your business can grow bigger and more prosperous!"

…Shui Yun would never forget that nightmarish day. After a fierce bidding war among several senior members of "Paradise on Earth," member number 007 ultimately won Shui Yun's virginity for 5,000 yuan. Because it was her first time, "Paradise on Earth" treated Shui Yun quite well, only charging a 30% commission. Considering Shui Yun's shyness and timidity, and the inconvenience of going to a star-rated hotel with clients, Meng Ying gave up her rented apartment at No. 29 Garden Street, which they privately called "The Ecstasy House." Many apartments in that area were rented by escorts like Meng Ying for regular clients. "Paradise on Earth" also set up lookouts in the Garden Street area to alert them to any police activity. In addition, the lookouts also served to suppress local thugs and protect the personal safety of the escorts—it could be said that, as a sex service agency, "Paradise on Earth" had arranged everything perfectly. According to Meng Ying, you can rest assured that there will be absolutely no problems!

Seeing No. 29 Garden Street in the distance, a house that looked like a dark, grotesque monster, Shui Yun's legs began to tremble uncontrollably. She vaguely saw a bald, obese man crouch down and squeeze into the monster's mouth, and then, just as the monster was about to pounce and devour her! She cried out in panic, but Meng Ying, without a word, grabbed her arm and shoved her into the dark room. She wanted to escape, to rush out and breathe some fresh air, but her legs were shaking uncontrollably. Someone reached out and grabbed her waist, and the door slammed shut in front of her…

Dawn was approaching, and a thin, sparse ray of sunlight pierced through the deep, dark clouds, making the clouds appear even more menacing and sinister. The light was so blurry, so distant, and then, in an instant, it was completely suppressed by the dark clouds, leaving no trace. Shui Yun sat blankly on the stone steps by the moat, her shoes already soaked by the icy water, but she was completely unaware.

She couldn't suppress the urge to vomit. She felt nauseous, filthy, disgusting, and vile, all seeping through her skin and into her body like sharp steel needles piercing her heart, causing pain and discomfort to every one of her 36,500 pores. She only wanted to vomit, to expel everything that shouldn't be in her body, but having not eaten all night, she futilely vomited up some acidic water, which vanished without a trace in the yellowish moat. Perhaps for a moment, Shuiyun considered jumping into the river to wash away her sins with the torrent. However, when the sun once again pierced through the clouds and shone on the golden moat, she had already dragged her drowsy body away.

They left this "paradise on earth" from then on.

She stopped working as a chat companion and instead took up tutoring honestly, earning twenty yuan a lesson. She didn't spend a single penny of the money she received from prostitution; instead, she deposited it in the bank and never touched it again. Perhaps many years later, when that money reappears, it will be time for her atonement? She even found a boyfriend who was a graduate student, turned over a new leaf, and lived a simple, peaceful life ever since…

As Yan Wuyue pressed her for answers, memories flooded Shui Yun's mind. How could she bring it up? Admit to having willingly fallen into prostitution? No, impossible. This secret was one she couldn't tell anyone; she had to take it to her grave. So, Shui Yun sighed bitterly.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand any of it. What 'paradise on earth'?"

“I know absolutely nothing,” she replied firmly.

Book One: The Seven Deadly Sins - Wrath: The Tragedy of Doremi (Part 7)

October 3rd, cloudy turning overcast.

The man didn't quite remember what had just happened. Perhaps he was too busy, or perhaps he was too tired. He stood blankly in front of the bathroom mirror, filled with confusion. The mirror reflected the face of a well-maintained middle-aged man, his gaze sharp, his cheeks flushed with excitement. Excitement, yes, that's right. The man took a deep breath; the rich scent of a woman instantly filled his nostrils, the lingering stimulation sending shivers down his spine. In the mirror, through the half-open bathroom door, a pink bed was faintly visible, and on the bed lay a shapely calf… The man smiled smugly; he finally remembered everything from the previous night. The girl had said her rented apartment wasn't safe, so they'd come to his place, and then… they'd reached climax several times… His smile, still basking in the afterglow of climax, suddenly froze. Following the calf upwards, he seemed to see something red… No, nothing but a calf, no knee, no thigh, the cut on the sheet appearing even more vibrant and beautiful than the rest… The man instinctively raised his wet hands, only to find that even his fingernails were stained with bright red blood. The sink was filled with a deep red, cheap and unreal ink. After a brief moment of mental blankness, the man let out a meaningless scream, a scream that ripped through the pre-dawn darkness.

C City Daily Special Edition: Female College Student Brutally Dismembered, Murderer Arrested at the Scene!

This newspaper reports: At 3:00 AM today (October 3rd), a scream suddenly rang out from Building C of the Paradise Residential Complex, prompting residents to call the police. Police quickly arrived at the scene, apartment 602 in Unit X. The victim, Ms. Meng (female, 19 years old, a university student in the city), had already been stabbed multiple times and was dead. Her body had been dismembered, and the crime scene was gruesome, with blood everywhere. The suspect, Mr. Wang (male, 38 years old), was covered in the victim's blood, clutching his head and screaming in agony. According to the latest news from this newspaper…

Xie Fengze handed the special edition to Yan Wuyue, "Have you seen it? This time, it's Meng Ying's turn to suffer misfortune..."

Yan Wuyue nodded silently. "Shuiyun, I haven't dared to tell her the news yet, I'm afraid she won't be able to handle the blow."

"There's a clue that wasn't published in the newspaper, but I think I might as well tell you," Xie Fengze's sharp eyes seemed to pierce through people's hearts, "There are three words carved with a knife on Meng Ying's chest... Do you know what they are?"

“A prostitute…” Yan Wuyue answered softly.

"Hmm?" Xie Fengze's expression immediately turned serious. "To put it more broadly?"

“Prostitute Mi…” she answered weakly, “The three characters together make ‘prostitute do re mi,’ right?”

"Oh?" He seemed quite surprised, then looked at her properly. "I didn't realize you were so clever!"

"Ah, I love posting on the detective and mystery sections of BBS forums, and I've even participated in several detective and mystery competitions jointly organized by Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, and other universities." After all, she's a mystery novel enthusiast; she's read countless stories by Poirot, Queen, Kogoro Akechi, and Kosuke Kindaichi, not to mention Dobermann and Sherlock Holmes. Yan Wuyue thought to herself, "Do-Re-Mi," which reminds her of the theme song from *The Sound of Music*, that lively song title is indeed "Do-Re-Mi."

Let's all learn from the beginning. It's best to start here. When you're studying, learn ABC first. When you're singing, start with Do-Re-Mi, Do-Re-Mi, Do-Re-Mi. These three notes are exactly Do-Re-Mi, Do-Re-Mi, Do-Re-Mi Fa-So-La-Ti. ...

She couldn't help but shudder. Was "Fa" next? No, something seemed off. Shui Yun had said that the girl from E University was the first victim last month, but why was "Duo" on Tian Tian's body?

"A girl likes detectives? That's quite rare." Xie Fengze gave a slightly "I see" look, then suddenly changed the subject: "By the way, do you believe in astrology?"

Astrology? Although Yan Wuyue was quite interested in it and had even taken some basic astrology courses on her own, her unpleasant experience at K University told her that mentioning astrology, especially astrologers, often brought ominous signs. So she answered cautiously:

"It's so-so. I think astrology is similar to a regular psychological test; it's all about belief. Ultimately, the idea that the positions of the sun, moon, and the nine planets can influence a person's entire life is still a bit far-fetched. After all, we're all atheists..."

“I didn’t believe in it at first,” Xie Fengze suddenly smiled bitterly. “I’m a highly educated intellectual, after all. How could foreign superstitions like astrology influence me?”

Yan Wuyue held her breath and listened quietly as he continued.

“But,” his voice suddenly dropped, “I was quite surprised that he spoke so accurately about my fate from birth to the present.”

he?

"It happened during summer vacation. I was in H City attending an academic conference, and with nothing to do, I was strolling around the streets when some guy who called himself an 'astrologer' stopped me. He said it was a 'trial opening,' offering free astrological readings for the first fifty customers, and even said, 'If it's not right, you can slap him,'" Xie Fengze chuckled. "Anyway, I was determined not to let him take a single penny, so I went with him. And then…"

"What was the result?" Yan Wuyue asked anxiously. She had a vague sense of foreboding.

"Have you ever heard of 'the Moon conjunct Mars'?" he asked seriously.

"The Moon conjunct Mars?" Yan Wuyue seemed to have heard that somewhere before. She suddenly realized, "This is an extremely ominous aspect!"

In a person's birth chart, Mars conjunct the Moon (at zero degrees) represents intense emotions. Its downsides can include explosive anger or sudden emotional reactions. People with this aspect often have a bad temper. If this aspect is well-balanced, intense emotions can lead to powerful activities and achievements; however, if it is flawed due to other aspects, it can cause jealousy, irritability, and emotional setbacks. In any case, people with this aspect not only have intense emotions but also tend to act impulsively. Their emotions can make them blind, ignoring the importance of caution and common-sense warnings. The weakest point in Xie Fengze's birth chart is Mars, which is in its detriment in Taurus, indicating deep materialism. Furthermore, Mars squares the North Node in Leo, representing the direction of one's life. When one's pride is challenged, Mars is more likely to be activated.

The astrologer casually turned his gaze to Xie Fengze, his green eyes as calm as a still lake.

"When transiting Mars is conjunct your natal Mars, which is when Mars returns, you must not use extreme methods to vent your anger, guest."

Book One: The Seven Deadly Sins - Wrath: The Tragedy of Doremi (Part 8)

"To be honest, I didn't take the astrologer's threats to heart at all. Those charlatans use the same old tricks, deliberately spreading alarmist rumors to swindle money from their customers. So I just smiled and prepared to leave the astrology shop."

"Before leaving, he called me back. 'Guest,' he said, 'there are millions of people born on the same day, month, and year, so it's not surprising that they might have the same birth chart. Of course, they can't all follow the exact same path of destiny, but the forces of nature are so mysterious that we shouldn't underestimate them.'"

I chuckled inwardly, 'Then, according to your instructions, how can I resolve the violent energy in my destiny?' I asked him.

The astrologer's expression immediately darkened. "Fate is determined by heaven, but human effort can make a difference. Please try your best to control your 'Mars'."

Xie Fengze let out a soft breath, as if he were somewhat tired. Yan Wuyue was eager to know what would happen next, and under her repeated urging, he drank some water to moisten his throat. Then, he suddenly changed the subject.

"Yan Wuyue, have any of the books you've read mentioned dreams?"

"A dream?" Yan Wuyue's first thought was of Sigmund Freud's *The Interpretation of Dreams*. He believed that dreams are the fulfillment of desires, not mere accidental associations—the common saying, "What you think about during the day, you dream about at night." So she replied, "According to his theory, dreams are unconscious desires that, due to the relaxation of censorship during sleep, take the opportunity to bypass resistance through disguise and intrude into consciousness to become dreams."

"Really?" He chuckled dryly. "So, desires that can't be satisfied in reality will come true in dreams?"

Freud divided dreams into manifestations and latent meanings. Manifestations are the mask of latent meanings, concealing desires (latent meanings). Desires repressed during the day are satisfied by manipulating dreams to bypass censorship. Theoretically, this is indeed the case…

“You may not know me very well. Those who know me well know that I am usually quite easy-going and not stubborn at all. As for interpersonal relationships, I have never had a falling out with anyone, so they all say that I am not like a Taurus.” Xie Fengze rested his chin on one hand, as if he had endless worries. “But it wasn’t until I had those dreams that I realized how similar I am to Ma Jiajue deep down.”

"In my dream, I kept killing people over and over again, killing one after another... They were all women..."

Yan Wuyue stood motionless at the gate of D University, under the sun. She ignored the surrounding noise and the students coming and going. Her mind was a blank; she had completely forgotten her purpose for leaving the university: to buy a return train ticket. She simply stared blankly for hours on end. The university security guards, annoyed by her presence, yelled at her to move aside, but she remained as unmoved as a statue.

Inside a taxi parked at the entrance, two pairs of mysterious eyes were watching her every move. One asked:

"See that?"

"Of course!!! I'm not blind! I can't see something this big!" The latter was clearly extremely excited. "I didn't expect that guy to be so powerful! I can't wait to play with it!"

"Don't be impatient," he said in a calm tone. "What follows is a battle of wills."

Shui Yun ran over from afar, "Yan Wuyue, what are you standing here for? Did you buy the tickets?" The only response was Yan Wuyue's silly smile. Shui Yun grew anxious; was she suffering from heatstroke? Why was she acting so foolishly? She could only pull Yan Wuyue back to the dormitory and pour her a glass of water. The latter didn't drink the water, but instead stared intently at Shui Yun with a strange look. That look sent chills down Shui Yun's spine.

“Shuiyun,” she spoke, her voice low and strange, “Are you hiding something from me?”

Shui Yun was startled, then put on a fake smile. "Me? What do I have to hide? You know better than anyone the shameful things I've done since I was a child, don't you?"

Yan Wuyue turned her head to the side, shaking it so slowly it was reminiscent of a zombie's movements. "A paradise on earth," she said without blinking, her eyes unmoving, "you're lying."