Qui d'autre pourrais-tu aimer à part moi

Chapitre 13

Su Youqing continued, "I asked him what the 'Nuwa Project' was and what its specifics were. He told me it was a project concerning the future of humanity. If it succeeded, he would not only receive immense honor but also a large sum of money, and many large corporations were involved. I felt a man should have a career, so I didn't stop him. Now I regret it so much. If I had stopped him then, he wouldn't have died so tragically. It's all my fault, my fault!" Thinking of Director Sun's death, Su Youqing burst into tears again, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Please accept my condolences." With the four people comforting her, Su Youqing stopped crying. "Excuse me, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

Xia Chen then asked, "What is the relationship between Director Sun and Dr. Zuo?"

"They were high school classmates and very good friends. My husband helped Dr. Zuo get transferred to Yishi College."

I overheard them talking about things like "Project Nuwa," "Desert Worm," "Blood Core," and "Brain Eye" when they were together; I only remember a few of those.

"Dr. Zuo was also involved in the 'Nuwa Project'?"

“I think so, and it was through my husband’s introduction. My husband even celebrated for Dr. Zuo on the day he joined.”

Hu Rongrong asked, "Dr. Zuo is about the same age as your husband, why isn't he married?"

“My husband told me that Dr. Zuo fell in love with a girl when he was in college. Shortly after the girl agreed to be his boyfriend, she was diagnosed with cancer and died less than a year later. Dr. Zuo loved that girl so much that he never had another girlfriend.”

Hu Rongrong then asked, "So, Dr. Zuo has a girlfriend now, did you know that?"

Su Youqing seemed somewhat surprised. "Are you sure? Neither my husband nor I have heard him mention it."

"I'm pretty sure it's our good friend Qi Xiaoke—the female student who died in the infirmary!"

Su Youqing said apologetically, "I'm sorry."

"Getting back to the main point," Xia Chen asked, "Have your husband and Dr. Zuo had any arguments or unpleasant incidents recently?"

Su Youqing retorted, "What does this have to do with my husband's death? Dr. Zuo died a long time ago."

Ye Cheng said, "Please answer the questions we have raised."

"No, but they've been getting together a lot lately to talk about a certain topic, and I've overheard some of it."

Ye Cheng asked in surprise, "What are they talking about?"

Su Youqing did not answer. "I have said enough. Now you need to answer my questions. What do you know about my husband's death?"

"The implication is that if Xia Chen and the others don't tell her what they know, she won't tell you the most crucial questions."

"Are you sure you want to know? Reality is often very cruel." Ye Cheng doubted that Su Youqing, this delicate woman, would be able to bear it if she knew the truth.

Su Youqing bit her lip and uttered a few words, "I need to know, I absolutely must!"

Ye Cheng gestured to Xia Chen with his eyes, "You speak."

"What I'm saying represents only my personal opinion and has nothing to do with the police. From what I understand, the 'Nuwa Project' might be some kind of medical project involving the human body. Dr. Zuo and others are responsible for researching a mysterious animal called the 'Northern Desert Sandworm,' also known as the Death Worm. For some reason we don't yet know, someone switched the medicine given to Qi Xiaoke, Dr. Zuo's girlfriend, with worm eggs, leading to their deaths. The sandworms hatched from the human body retain some of the host's memories. For some reason, one of the sandworms believed that her death was related to your husband and killed him. You are very likely to become the next target. We suspect that the person who switched the medicine might be Nurse Song, but we have no evidence. Now it seems that your husband is also a suspect."

Su Youqing lowered her head and remained silent for a while.

Xia Chen took a sip of water and said, "This is my opinion on the case. If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do, because we don't have any direct evidence."

Su Youqing suddenly asked, "Did they have a fight?"

"What?"

“They had a fight. On the morning of the day Dr. Zuo had the accident, he came to see my husband and the two of them started arguing. I had never seen them argue before, but I eavesdropped for a while. The topic of their argument was whether or not to leak the top-secret details of the ‘Nuwa Project’ to outsiders. They argued for more than an hour, and in the end, Dr. Zuo left with a face full of anger.”

Xia Chen continued, "That's right. Dr. Zuo suspects that Director Sun switched the pills to keep it a secret, so he came back for revenge. If that's the case, I'm 100% sure who the next target is."

“I know too.” Ye Chengjiang turned his gaze to Su Youqing.

"I don't know who it is." Luo Shimin tugged at Xia Chen. "Tell me who it is quickly."

Xia Chen pointed at Su Youqing and said, "It's her! Sandworms might be waiting for her somewhere."

Despite being watched intently by an elusive assassin, Su Youqing showed little fear. "It's not a sand worm, it's an intestinal worm. My husband has mentioned that name before. What do you plan to do if it appears?"

Ye Cheng touched the police badge on his collar. "Grab it, kill it!"

"Then let me be the bait to lure it out."

023 Terrifying Intestinal Worms

Ye Cheng looked Su Youqing up and down. She needed to re-evaluate the woman in front of her, for beneath her seemingly fragile exterior lay a strong heart.

When her husband was alive, she didn't need to be strong; in his presence, she was a woman as gentle as water. After he left, her heart turned cold, the water froze, and she revealed her fiercest side. Her husband had been her everything, but he was dead. Whatever the reason, he was dead, and she would avenge him!

"You are a strong woman," Ye Cheng praised.

“I wouldn’t call it being strong,” Su Youqing said softly. “Hardship makes women strong. I didn’t need to be strong before because he was there, but now that he’s dead, I need to do something for him. Our meeting was purely accidental. It was a summer afternoon in college. I was strolling on campus when a sudden thunderstorm started. We took shelter in a teaching building. Suddenly, there was a clap of thunder, and I was terrified, screaming and yelling. He pulled me into his arms and said, ‘With me by your side, you won’t be afraid of thunder.’ The world went quiet, so quiet that you could only hear our heartbeats.” Talking about the past, the sadness on Su Youqing’s face disappeared, replaced by a faint happiness.

Hu Rongrong and Luo Shimin yearned for this kind of love, and Ye Cheng seemed to be influenced by it as well. Only Xia Chen didn't seem to feel anything. He coughed lightly and said, "Let's discuss where to set up an ambush. Only by being well-prepared can we be absolutely sure of success. Tonight's operation cannot afford any mistakes."

The result of the discussion was that the ambush site would be set up at Director Sun's house. It was a small place with no outsiders, so all the methods could be used without being seen by others.

Su Youqing knew every corner of the house, giving her a significant advantage. With everyone united in their determination to catch the intestinal worms, they had the right people; all they lacked was the right timing.

The group rushed to Director Sun's house and carefully inspected the water pipes, air conditioning vents, drains, and other pipes leading from the outside into the house. They found no traces of the "demon's mark," the marks left by intestinal worms. Ye Cheng then checked under the bed, under the sofa, and on the corners of the table, confirming that the worms hadn't already infiltrated the house. The group then spent the afternoon setting up countless traps throughout the room, making full use of every item in Su Youqing's house, even the chopsticks. Ye Cheng sharpened them.

The sun was about to set. Luo Shimin stood in front of the living room's floor-to-ceiling window, her feelings a complex mix of anticipation and excitement, tinged with a hint of fear—in short, a bittersweet experience. She was a girl who refused to live an ordinary life; she had long been fed up with the monotonous routine. Xia Chen's appearance had changed her life.

Xia Chen sat on the sofa not far away, drinking water. Ye Cheng and Hu Rongrong started arguing again behind him for some reason. Su Youqing was cooking in the kitchen. As Xia Chen put down his water glass, he saw the afterglow of the setting sun shining on Luo Shimin. At that moment, Luo Shimin looked beautiful. Xia Chen walked over to Luo Shimin. "What's wrong? Are you scared? Why don't you and Rongrong go back? Ye Cheng and I are enough here."

Luo Shimin didn't answer him, but asked, "Do you think Qi Xiaoke, who turned into an intestinal worm, will come tonight?"

Xia Chen paused for a moment, then said, "Maybe, maybe."

"What should we do if we catch intestinal worms? Kill them or hand them over to scientists for research?"

Xia Chen hadn't considered this question and didn't know how to answer. The intestinal worms retained a portion of the host's memories from their previous life; to the two girls, they were half Qi Xiaoke, half their good friend. "If we catch them, we'll release them in the northern desert." This was the best outcome Xia Chen could think of.

"You're so kind!" Luo Shimin turned around, a faint smile on her face.

"Everyone, come and eat." Su Youqing had prepared a table full of dishes; this might be the last time she cooked. She made all of Director Sun's favorite dishes, and cooking reminded her of Director Sun.

At the dinner table, Su Youqing ate silently, while Hu Rongrong and Ye Cheng were still arguing. They changed the subject and were arguing about who picked up a piece of rib first. The two had been arguing ever since they met, as if they were born to find each other and argue.

Luo Shimin picked up a bite of food and tasted it; it was quite delicious. "Teacher Su, you're a great painter, and I never imagined you could cook so well. It looks, smells, and tastes amazing."

Su Youqing shoveled a small mouthful of rice into her mouth, chewed a few times, swallowed, and said, "When we first got married, my cooking wasn't very good, but every time I cooked for my husband, he said it was delicious. Once, I forgot to add salt when I was cooking, but he still ate it with great relish. From then on, I don't know what happened, but my cooking just kept getting better and better." Before she could finish speaking, tears streamed down her face again. Hu Rongrong and Ye Cheng stopped arguing, and the room fell silent.

"Teacher Su, please don't cry. Director Sun certainly doesn't want you to be like this either."

"Luo Shimin is not good at comforting people; this is the only sentence he can think of."

Unexpectedly, her words had an effect. Su Youqing wiped away her tears and said apologetically to the four of them, "I lost my composure. I'm sorry. Everyone, please eat quickly. You'll have more energy tonight if you eat well."

The dining table fell silent, so quiet that you could hear everyone chewing. The four of them lowered their heads, shoveling food into their mouths. The food on the table was swept away like autumn leaves in the wind.

After dinner, Su Youqing headed towards the bedroom, but Xia Chen stopped her. "It's only a little past eight o'clock. It's a bit early to go to bed now. Why don't you chat with us for a while? I'm a new transfer student and haven't heard you give a lecture yet."

"You'll hear me." Su Youqing yawned. "So much has happened today, I'm really exhausted. I don't know what will happen tonight. I'm going to sleep for a while. After this is over, we'll have plenty of time to chat."

"Alright then." Xia Chen looked at Su Youqing's retreating figure and saw loneliness in her.

Ye Cheng stood up from the sofa. "She's asleep, but we can't sleep. Everyone, get back to your posts. Let me say one more thing: safety first. Life is more important than anything else."

Hu Rongrong said impatiently, "I know, you talk too much nonsense." She and Luo Shimin stood guard at the door with a net. Ye Cheng glared at her, his eyes clearly conveying six words, "You better watch out!" He hid under the bed; after all, he was a police officer. Ye Cheng slowly crawled into the small, dark space, his nose less than ten centimeters from the bed frame, feeling somewhat oppressed. Xia Chen was slightly better off; he stood by the window, hiding behind the curtains. Everything was ready; they were just waiting for the mysterious intestinal worm to appear.

Su Youqing turned over twice in bed and then stopped moving. It was unclear whether she had fallen asleep or not. The room was completely dark; the darkness felt like a heavy stone pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe.

silence.

A deathly silence.

Hu Rongrong's palms were sweaty, and her body was trembling slightly. Luo Shimin was also afraid, but she pretended to be nonchalant, took Hu Rongrong's hand, and whispered in her ear, "I read in a book that humans instinctively avoid fear, but fear is like the night—it's unavoidable. Once you're entangled by fear, it will slowly devour the bright parts of your life, gradually eroding your courage until your mental world collapses. There's only one way: you must conquer fear, devour and digest it, and it will become the power of courage."

In Hu Rongrong's eyes, Luo Shimin seemed like a completely different person, and it was surprising to hear her say such things. "Where did you hear that from?"

"I really love the 'Ghost Stories' series by a horror novelist named Sanshengshi. You should check it out when you have time."

Hu Rongrong shook her head. "I think our experience is terrifying enough already. There's no need to add to the horror."

"Shh..." The two were talking louder and louder, and Ye Cheng couldn't help but peek out from under the bed. "If you two keep talking louder, people downstairs can hear you."

Luo Shimin playfully stuck out her tongue, Hu Rongrong glared at Ye Cheng, and the two stopped talking.

Half an hour passed, and Xia Chen's legs were starting to go numb. Ye Cheng, hiding under the bed, was extremely bored. Luo and Hu, the two women at the door, were no longer afraid and were even a little sleepy.

An hour passed, and Xia Chen's feet were both sore and numb. Ye Cheng remained motionless for an hour, feeling as if countless ants were crawling all over his body. Hu and Luo, the two women at the door, nodded their heads like chicks pecking at rice.

Two hours have passed...

Three hours had almost passed, and Luo Shimin yawned repeatedly. She lowered her voice and called into the house, "Do you think the intestinal worms will come back? I don't think so."

Xia Chen drew back the curtains, revealing half his face. "It's not certain yet. Let's wait patiently a little longer."

Hu Rongrong peered under the bed but couldn't see Ye Cheng. "You stinky cop, why aren't you saying anything? Are you asleep?"

Ye Cheng's voice came from under the bed, "Don't talk nonsense, I'm contemplating life."

As they spoke, the sound of water dripping came from the kitchen, drip, drip...

Everyone's hearts jumped into their throats, and Hu Rongrong's voice trembled slightly as she spoke, "They're here...are they here...?"

No one answered her.

Tick-tock! Tick-tock!

A minute later, the sound of the water grew faster and faster, but there was no other sound.

Su Youqing couldn't contain herself any longer and sat up abruptly. "Waiting like this isn't going to work. I'll go see what's going on."

"Don't move, I'll go." Ye Cheng crawled out from under the bed and walked step by step toward the kitchen.

As they reached the door, Hu Rongrong said in a barely audible voice, "Be careful."

Ye Cheng smiled and nodded.

He walked step by step toward the kitchen, peered into the doorway to make sure there was nothing amiss, and then went inside.

The sound of water disappeared.

But Ye Cheng did not come out.

Five minutes passed, and Ye Cheng still hadn't come out.

Hu Rongrong pulled Xia Chen and Luo Shimin, saying, "Something must have happened. Let's go take a look."

Before the three of them even reached the door, Ye Cheng came out of the kitchen, holding something shiny in his hand. "The kitchen faucet is broken."

"Boring." Hu Rongrong felt relieved.

Thump thump thump...