Incendie mystérieux

Chapitre 35

"Who else could it be but me? What do you think, Wuyue?"

The moment "Yan Qi" spoke, goosebumps rose all over Yan Wuyue's body. Indeed, no one but Yan Qi could call her "Wuyue" in such a tone, yet... her voice sounded so unfamiliar.

That wasn't Yan Qi's own voice.

"It looks just like her, doesn't it?" "Yan Qi" seemed a little proud, constantly stroking the "new" face, quite satisfied with her masterpiece. "No, it's practically a carbon copy! The same facial features, the same skin and hair, plus the completely identical voice... Ah..." She sighed contentedly at herself in the mirror, "She really is a beauty!"

"You just said," Yan Wuyue's heart pounded with panic, "that was Zhan Xiaohui's voice?"

Yan Qi didn't even bother to look at her, only glancing at her briefly through the crack above the mirror. "Of course. Wouldn't it be easy to give herself away just because of her pretty face?"

What on earth is she doing...? Could she have gotten plastic surgery to look like Zhan Xiaohui? Yan Wuyue's mind went blank for a moment, and without thinking about how abruptly her words "exposed" were, she blurted out:

"Do you want to become the second Zhan Xiaohui? It's useless." She compared Yan Qi's thoughts in her mind. Even if "Yan Qi" became exactly the same as Zhan Xiaohui, she was afraid that her senior brother would not fall in love with her again. Why couldn't the usually icy Yan Qi see through such a simple truth?

"Why didn't it work?" Yan Qi suddenly put down the mirror in her hand and shouted at her in a shrill voice, "Speak! Speak now!"

In a panic, Yan Wuyue had no choice but to bite the bullet and go ahead. "Uh... because..." A sudden thought flashed through her mind, and she exclaimed, "Because Zhan Xiaohui has a great figure!" Her height exceeded the average height of Chinese men, and her height advantage over other women was entirely due to her long, shapely legs—legs comparable to those of actresses like Karen Mok. Although Yan Qi wasn't short, she was still considerably shorter than Zhan Xiaohui's towering figure. Yan Wuyue secretly thought, even if facial plastic surgery could be done, height couldn't be operated on, could it? She had heard of a height-increasing surgery that involved sawing open the legs, inserting several steel needles into the bones, and fixing them with screws... The thought alone sent chills down her spine.

Unexpectedly, her wild thoughts actually inspired "Yan Qi". "That's right!" she slapped her forehead. "How come I didn't think of this problem! But..." Her face changed in an instant, and she suddenly revealed an extremely cunning smile. "Anyway, there is an astrologer. Just ask him to solve it."

"What?!" Yan Wuyue pricked up her ears, making sure she hadn't misheard. "An astrologer?"

Yan Qi suddenly stood up from her chair, startling Yan Wuyue. "Yes, that's it! Ha, ha!" she muttered, not even glancing at Yan Wuyue beside her, and walked out of the dormitory with her head held high.

"No way?" Yan Wuyue's heart pounded violently. She wanted to call out to Yan Qi, but swallowed the words back. Had Yan Qi signed a contract with the astrologer? But wouldn't that mean Yan Qi would have to exchange her body for it? ... She dared not think any further. "Why is she so stupid?" Her fists clenched into a ball, slamming them hard on the table, again and again, as if striking her own heart. "What is worth risking your life for? You can always find another boyfriend, but if you lose your life..." She almost lost control of her emotions. "If you lose your life, everything is over, don't you understand!"

No, now is not the time for blame. Since Yan Qi is still alive, perhaps things haven't gotten to the worst point yet; we must stop it quickly! She stood up abruptly and rushed out of Yan Qi's dormitory with the speed of a tornado.

While running, she didn't forget to dial her senior's number. As if testing her patience, the phone rang for a very long time; she had never felt time pass so slowly. Ultimately, her determination to die prevailed. A male voice answered on the other end, "Hello?"

"Senior brother? Come to No. 666, Frozen Street, quick! Something urgent has happened!" She shouted into the phone with all her might, afraid he might not hear her.

"What?" The other person clearly didn't understand. "Who are you looking for?"

"Is that my senior brother's phone?" Could it be that I dialed the wrong number in my haste? "Senior Brother Xiao Lan."

"Oh," the other person replied slowly, "Wait a moment, I'll call him."

Then there was silence. The long wait was driving Yan Wuyue crazy. Fortunately, just as her temper was about to erupt, her senior brother's voice appeared. He didn't even greet her in a very listless manner.

She repeated her request, only to receive a listless reply from her senior.

"...What important matter...?"

"It's Yan Qi!" She didn't know how to explain for a moment, standing in the middle of the road gesturing for a long time, but still couldn't express herself. "Anyway... if you don't come, something will happen to her!"

"No! No! No!" He suddenly trembled, his voice shaking. "I don't want to see her again... just don't let her get involved with me!"

How could he be so heartless! Yan Wuyue's anger surged, and he wanted to retort immediately, but when he thought that Yan Qi might only listen to him, he forcibly suppressed his anger. "Senior brother, I'm begging you, okay? Something really happened to Yan Qi. If you don't come, she might die... After all, she used to be your girlfriend. Can you bear to watch her die?"

"She...she's going to commit suicide?" the senior brother asked in surprise, clearly misunderstanding Yan Wuyue's words. However, she had no intention of correcting him, and gave a vague reply, then continued her tearful and manipulative tactics. The senior brother seemed to be frightened by the news of "Yan Qi's suicide," and finally reluctantly agreed to her request.

"No. 666 Frozen Street, a real and vibrant astrology shop, don't go to the wrong one!" she reminded them one last time.

Thus, in the vibrant astrology hall, in this theater where all the actors have gathered, the grand show is about to begin.

Let's wait and see.

Volume 3 Hell Records: My Eyes Are Only on You (Part 18)

Inside the astrology shop at No. 666 Frozen Street, a steaming feast of dairy products had already been prepared. The astrologer held a liter of family-sized plain yogurt, and even Maya had a full cup of milk in front of her. She took a sip, exclaimed, "Too bland!", and then laboriously lifted a spoon almost half her height, scooping out a large handful of milk powder. The astrologer slowly sipped, the yogurt, still chilled from the refrigerator, slid gently down his throat with a shiver. Satisfied, he withdrew his gaze and casually asked a perfectly ordinary question:

"Don't you like it?"

In a corner where he didn't need to look, lay a glass of milk, now completely cold, a thick layer of milk skin floating on the pure white liquid, giving it an exceptionally pristine appearance. Behind the milk was a blurry silhouette, a figure deliberately hidden in the darkness. She showed no intention of answering the astrologer's question, maintaining a deliberate silence.

She was waiting.

When a figure quietly opened the door of the astrology shop and was exposed to the pale air, her skin immediately tensed up, as if she were a wild beast on high alert before battle. However, as the figure's slender and elegant outline appeared, her alertness vanished without a trace.

"Hey, tomboy." The first person to greet her—no, the object—was Maya, and her tone was more like an interrogation than a polite greeting, "What are you doing here? Talking business with the master?"

Yan Wuyue hesitated, slowly surveying every plant and tree in the astrology shop with her gaze. Her eyes swept across the astrologer's face, finally settling on the dark figure in the corner. Her body swayed slightly involuntarily.

Was that Yan Qi? Or Zhan Xiaohui? It was too dark for her to see clearly.

An idea that had been brewing for a while was finally taking shape... Yan Qi made a contract with the astrologer, first stealing Bai Ling's face and pretending to be her with her senior brother, and now it's Zhan Xiaohui's turn? All of this was just so that she could stay with her senior brother forever and eliminate one rival after another... But if that's the case, where did the real Bai Ling and Zhan Xiaohui go?

She shivered unexpectedly. It was the height of summer, yet a chill crept into her heart. It wasn't that she was unaware of the "business" of astrologers; she simply couldn't imagine that Yan Qi could be so ruthless in eliminating dissidents… Yan Qi, who had once been like a sister to her…

How could she do this?! A sudden surge of anger ignited in Yan Wuyue's heart. She felt both heartache and sorrow. Did waving the banner of love grant the right to sacrifice others with a clear conscience, treating their lives as worthless? Her philandering senior brother certainly deserved punishment, but not death; and Yan Qi, who had lost herself in love, shouldn't she be reflecting on her actions even more?

"Yan Qi, come back with me!" she shouted. "You're not allowed to cause any more trouble, do you hear me?"

"Oh dear, what an impolite girl!" The astrologer took a leisurely sip of yogurt, smacking his lips in satisfaction. "Has no one taught you basic manners?"

"Stop with your sarcastic remarks!" Yan Wuyue was furious, not only at Yan Qi but also at the astrologer's instigation. "I don't care what strange contract you made with Yan Qi, cancel it all from now on, it's all null and void! I'm taking Yan Qi right now..."

"Who gave you permission to do this?" A cold voice interrupted her, devoid of any emotion. "Who gave you the right to overstep your bounds? Who do you think you are?" Her voice grew increasingly loud and shrill. "The embodiment of justice? Ha, that's hilarious!"

The shadowy figure moved until it was just cut off by the sunlight streaming through the window—half of her face was illuminated by the sunlight, while the other half remained shrouded in darkness. It was a face that Yan Wuyue had known for five years, a face that had once belonged to a girl named "Yan Qi," but now the expression on that face was so unfamiliar that it chilled her to the bone.

"Yan Qi..." Yan Wuyue called her name weakly, trying to find a trace of familiarity, "Even if you become as beautiful as Senior Sister Zhan Xiaohui from head to toe, as long as your heart still belongs to you, Senior Brother will still..."

She suddenly fell silent, swallowing the words "leave you" whole. What her senior brother truly couldn't tolerate wasn't her face or her figure, but her possessiveness and suspicion. Even if she changed bodies again and again, appearing with him in countless beautiful forms, they would still inevitably end in a breakup... "Forget it, Yan Qi," she gently shook her head, "Let go when it's time to let go, give your senior brother his freedom, and give yourself peace."

Before she could finish speaking, she felt a scorching gaze upon her. "You're telling me to let go?" Yan Qi shrieked, "Seeing me so heartbroken and distressed, you actually kick me when I'm down and tell me to break up?"

"No!" she hurriedly explained, "I'm doing this purely for your own good! Even if it hurts, a short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one. Why put all your eggs in one basket? Why not..."

"Wow!!!" Yan Qi suddenly slammed onto the table, spilling the milk in front of her. The milky white liquid sprayed onto the table, slowly and eerily spreading everywhere. She lay there stiffly on the puddle of milk, crying with snot and tears streaming down her face:

"I'm not reconciled, so very reconciled! When he was pursuing me, he showered me with sweet words and made countless vows of eternal love. I always believed that we would be together forever! And before, he was always so devoted to me. Whenever I mentioned breaking up, he would beg me desperately. Once, he even knelt down in front of me! Who knew that he would change as soon as he started working? He actually dumped me the moment he opened his mouth—dumped me! Ha, ha!" She laughed wildly twice, her laughter as dry and dull as a dried bat's.

"Yan Qi!" The door flung open, and a flushed-faced boy burst in. Was it her senior? Yan Wuyue's nerves immediately tightened. She glanced uneasily to the side; the astrologer and Maya were drinking milk, seemingly oblivious to everyone else. It seemed they were determined not to interfere in the love-hate entanglement of these three humans.

The senior brother's anxious gaze swept past Yan Wuyue's body, looking around anxiously. "Where's Yan Qi? Didn't you say she was going to commit suicide?"

"Uh..." It seems he misunderstood. Yan Wuyue didn't dare look at him too much, but simply pointed slightly in Yan Qi's direction. Her senior brother followed her finger and suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Eh!"

"Xiao Hui, what are you doing here?" he asked.

Volume 3 Hell Records: My Eyes Are Only on You (Part 19)

"What, Xiao Hui?" Yan Wuyue rubbed her eyes hard to make sure who was standing in front of her. Her senior brother gently pulled Yan Qi into his arms with a warm and affectionate expression, constantly murmuring Xiao Hui's name. This scene seemed familiar, and Yan Wuyue's mind went blank as if struck by lightning; in an instant, she understood everything.

"You're the only one in my eyes," yes, therefore, only in her senior brother's eyes will Yan Qi become the person he loves most. First Bai Ling, then Zhan Xiaohui, and in the future, there may be many more and more beautiful women, but no matter how their appearances change, she will always be Yan Qi, and can only be Yan Qi. Therefore, the women replaced by Yan Qi have no other fate but to disappear…

"You ate them, didn't you?" Yan Wuyue asked. "Only you could make them disappear without a trace, not even leaving a bone behind..."

The astrologer slowly raised his head, his deep gaze meeting hers, and she felt a jolt in her heart. "That was her wish," he said, a hint of helplessness in his voice, "Even without making a pact with me, she would have found a way to achieve her goal..."

"To preserve the love that rightfully belongs to her?"

"You're wrong." The undisguised eye contact gave Yan Wuyue the illusion that what filled those icy green eyes wasn't ruthlessness, but rather a nameless sadness like smoke and mist, as if "what she really wanted to regain was the self-esteem she once had, the self-esteem that had been loved and cherished."

Perhaps even she herself didn't realize that she wasn't driven mad by deep affection, but simply couldn't accept the fact of being abandoned. It was the pride of being admired; whether it was her senior brother or not didn't matter. As long as that person thought of her, remained infatuated with her, and loved her deeply forever, she would be content—this was something he had read in her eyes the first time he met Yan Qi—how similar! The exact same thought process as "her," simple, persistent, single-mindedly believing she loved "him," yet failing to understand that what she loved wasn't anything else, but "love" itself—a pitiful woman bound by her own imagined "unwavering love"!

"What's more, there's this thing causing trouble." Through some kind of magic trick, the astrologer pulled a huge record from his pocket. Yan Wuyue had never seen a record like this before; the front was entirely blood-red, extremely glaring. The cover didn't indicate the record's title, only three lines of small print on the back. Yan Wuyue leaned closer and softly read:

Do you want to see the "demon"?

For just one cent

The gates of hell will then be open to you.

"What does this mean?" she wondered to herself. The astrologer, as if guessing her thoughts, spoke slowly with a serious expression:

"Hell Records - if I'm not mistaken."

In the previous Shen family inheritance case, Mr. Shen Yisen's will clearly stated that whoever received the Hell Record would be the heir, and this will itself was recorded on a blood-red record. To fight for the record and the inheritance, the Shen siblings quickly engaged in a heinous and bloody crime; everyone was a murderer, without exception. Upon closer examination, could money possess such immense power that it could transform four people from normal humans into bloodthirsty beasts in an instant? If we compare this to the description on the Hell Record…

Do you want to see the "demon"?

Right in front of you.

The blood-red record smiled so alluringly.

“I’ve listened to this record, from beginning to end.” His expression was indifferent, even his voice was icy. “Human emotions have no effect on me, so I can’t tell you how you felt after listening to it. However…”

His tone changed.

"There's only one song inside, and it's sung over and over again."

Yan Wuyue's pupils widened silently, as if she had grasped some clue.

"You're the only one in my eyes!"

Almost simultaneously, the two uttered the phrase in unison. However, one guessed first and then was surprised, while the other, after being surprised, looked at the other's wide-eyed eyes and smiled gently.

"Wait, so you mean..." Yan Wuyue clutched her head, determined to figure it out, "Yan Qi's abnormal behavior is entirely because of this ghost record? I'll smash it right now and be done with it!" She then tried to snatch it by force.

The astrologer didn't seem to move, and the record was hidden away again, as naturally as if it had vanished into thin air. "This is outrageous!" Maya exclaimed. "This isn't my business, sir! It's just that this tomboy is being unreasonable, that's why I interrupted! Hey!" She pointed her tiny finger at Yan Wuyue with an air of authority, clearly naming him. "Yan! Do you know how much effort the master put into getting this record? And now you want to smash it!"

"What's so special about collecting something so strange?" Yan Wuyue asked somewhat guiltily, her confidence waning. "If it weren't for this causing trouble, why would Yan Qi... have made a deal with you..."

A dangerous smile flickered in the astrologer's eyes. "You think that everything that happened to Yan Qi can be summed up by simply blaming this record? Yan Qi did nothing wrong; her mistake was hearing that damned song on this record. Is that what you mean?"

He gradually became excited. If his gaze could materialize, it would surely be an ice blade that could pierce the heart, sharp and bone-chillingly cold.

"A record will not cry over lost love, nor will it swear a curse against a fickle lover; a record will not kill a rival in love, nor use her corpse as a bargaining chip, but only seek to be nourished by the rain of love in its lifetime—only humans can do all this."

Yes, the Hell Record does possess a seductive power, but it cannot directly control one's mind. Without the thirst for power and wealth, the Shen siblings would enjoy their sibling bond, dying a poor and ordinary life bound by blood ties; without the possessiveness of love, Yan Qi could only silently wish her senior brother happiness in the future, finding her own harbor after setbacks. However, their inner desires are not so simple. For what they want but cannot obtain through legitimate means, the Hell Record whispers, "Go take it!" In the intricate web of paths, leading to either light or darkness, the one who chooses which path to take is none other than themselves. Once they succumb to their base desires, the gates of hell open.

The devil then revealed himself.

Volume 3 Hell Records: My Eyes Are Only on You (Part 20)

At this moment, the senior brother was completely immersed in the gentle embrace of "Zhan Xiaohui" and had no time to care about anyone else. Yan Wuyue only caught a glimpse of this out of the corner of her eye, and couldn't help but feel her hair stand on end and cold sweat pour down her back.

The expression on Yan Qi's face, nestled in his arms, was it one of contented happiness or a ghostly, sinister look? Surely, in his senior brother's eyes, he only saw a beautiful, alluring face? Just then, his gaze accidentally met Yan Wuyue's in mid-air, and he suddenly shuddered.

"By the way, where's Yan Qi?" The person in his arms was clearly the one he had been talking about, but he was completely unaware of it. "You said she was here...?"

His frantic gaze swept quickly across the entire astrology hall, scrutinizing every suspicious shadow, yearning to find the figure of the girl he once deeply loved. Unconsciously, Yan Wuyue held her breath, staring blankly at him with her mouth agape.

A pair of soft arms wrapped around his neck like snakes, supple and flexible. Yan Qi slowly raised his head from his embrace, gazing into the eyes that were searching for him:

Are you looking for Yan Qi?

"I'm sorry, Xiao Hui." The senior brother hurriedly apologized, "It's not what you think... It's because Yan Wuyue said she wanted to commit suicide, so she asked me to come and persuade her... Really, since we broke up, there's nothing between us anymore."

Yan Qi's voice is sweet and gentle, yet it has a dangerous and alluring quality that is particularly chilling.

"real?"

"Of course!" A few fine beads of sweat appeared on the senior's forehead, showing that he really cared about Zhan Xiaohui. "I swear."