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Глава 9

Upstairs, in their own apartment, the lights were on. The living room window was open, and a blurry figure stood behind it, peering out at the two of them. Because of the backlighting, Lin Hong couldn't make out what it was, only vaguely seeing a round carapace on its back and the reflection of light refracting off its teeth.

9)

Heavy footsteps sounded, approaching from afar, carrying a terrifying force.

The footsteps grew closer, and a terrifying figure was projected onto the dimly lit wall. Lin Hong struggled in terror, trying to escape the oppressive shadow, but no matter how hard she struggled, she could not break free from this horrifying dream.

She knew she was trapped in a dream, but she couldn't wake herself up.

In her dream, she saw herself bound hand and foot, the walls of a dark room splattered with gruesome blood, some dried, some still slowly flowing. A chilling, sinister atmosphere permeated the surroundings, an atmosphere that instilled despair.

Footsteps were already close at hand, and a huge black shadow loomed over them.

A terrifying face drew near to her. She cried out, a desperate wail, unable to make out the face clearly. She only vaguely sensed that the figure was holding a white candle, slowly bending down towards her. Wax dripped onto her bare skin, the burning sensation sending shivers down her spine. The indistinct face let out a strange laugh, a sinister and chilling laugh, like an evil hand reaching into her body, as if to rip out her internal organs.

She was filled with fear of the face in her dream, yet she was powerless to resist it and could only wail in despair. The pitiful wail was so horrifying that it caused her great physical discomfort.

She could clearly hear the sound of her teeth chattering in fear, the rapid, clattering sound instantly amplified and filling the entire world. In her trembling panic, she lost control of her bladder, drenched in sweat, and woke up howling from the nightmare.

She screamed desperately, trying to sit up, but the sheets were soaked with sweat, and she was completely powerless. Then a warm hand was placed on her chest, like grasping a lifeline. She grabbed the hand with all her might, so tightly that she heard the man beside her cry out in pain.

"Lin Hong, what's wrong with you? Wake up!"

A simple, childlike voice, ethereal and intangible, seemed to drift from a distant, dreamlike realm:

The tortoise is thin and doesn't gain weight.

Skin covering hard bones

Four paws and one head

Three years to reach my doorstep

Lin Hong suddenly opened her eyes and saw Qin Fangcheng's anxious and concerned face.

She blinked blankly. Where was she? How did she get here? Her wandering gaze swept over the white ceiling and wallpapered walls. Then she remembered—this was a room in the Taizhou Hotel. Last night, she and Qin Fangcheng had hastily fled what should have been her home and come here to book a room…

She and Qin Fangcheng booked a room!

She brought the man's hand, which was gripping her tightly, to her eyes. Yes, it was a large, warm hand, belonging to Qin Fangcheng, but not to her husband, He Ming. As if throwing away a terrifying snake, she screamed and violently shoved the hand away.

Qin Fangcheng didn't seem to care at all: "Look at you, what are you doing? Forgot how you clung to me like glue last night, but now you're just throwing me aside like a tissue? What kind of trash is this? Humph! If I'd known you were this easily angered, I would have gone to find that trashy woman Fu Xiuying." Muttering to himself, he still folded the blanket and placed it behind Lin Hong's back, helping her sit up and lean against the backrest: "So you have epilepsy, huh? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Epilepsy?" Lin Hong looked at Qin Fangcheng with a dazed expression. This man was truly a gentleman. His suit and shirt were crumpled and wrinkled, as if he had grown a full beard overnight. He hadn't undressed or slept all night to take care of her, and he had no reason to do so.

"Yes, epilepsy," Qin Fangcheng said worriedly. "Last night, you had just lain down when you suddenly had a seizure, which almost scared me to death."

"Going crazy?" Lin Hong was even more bewildered. Her gaze wandered, and suddenly she saw that Qin Fangcheng's hand was covered in blood: "What happened to your hand?"

"You're still asking me?" Qin Fangcheng was furious. "When you go crazy, you bite my hand, and I scream in pain. Your little teeth are really fierce. I tried everything to get them out, but I couldn't. Look," he angrily held his hand up to Lin Hong's face, "the bone is showing. How can you be so cruel?"

"I...I'm sorry." Lin Hong lowered her head, feeling very embarrassed.

"Have you always had this illness?" Qin Fangcheng asked, supporting his injured hand as he sat down next to Lin Hong. "If you have always had this illness, I really need to reconsider."

"What are you considering?" Lin Hong asked, puzzled.

"I'll marry you." Qin Fangcheng replied seriously, "I know a little about your epilepsy. People can't be too stimulated, too tired, or use their brains too much. In your case, you need a man like me who truly loves you and can provide you with a comfortable environment to recuperate. Let's settle it then. However, you have to be prepared to be San Niu's mother. I've already decided to adopt that child as my daughter."

Lin Hong blinked: "I'm already married."

"Then why are you living outside?" Qin Fangcheng sneered, "instead of living with He Ming and his family? I'm afraid it's not just He Ming and his family who dislike you, but even He Ming regrets marrying you, right? In the end, I'm the one who's unlucky, hmph."

"What are you saying, muttering to yourself?" Lin Hong found it amusing: "Things aren't like you think at all. I don't have epilepsy at all."

“But you really did have a seizure last night,” Qin Fangcheng confirmed. “The brain lesion caused electrical activity, which led to your jaw clenching, foaming at the mouth, body spasms, and confusion. Wouldn’t you say that’s epilepsy?”

"So what if I am? Can't I get sick?" Lin Hong got angry and decided to act unreasonably. She didn't like Qin Fangcheng's description of her illness. The description was more terrifying than the illness itself. If others knew that a woman had seizures, it would damage her image.

Qin Fangcheng didn't take it seriously at all: "So what if I have epilepsy? I used to have seizures a lot when I was a kid, and then... hehehe." He suddenly laughed strangely and stopped talking.

Lin Hong looked at him suspiciously: "Don't grin like that. When you grin like that, nothing good ever comes of it."

Qin Fangcheng laughed even more unrestrainedly: "You're so smart. Even when I was in college, I still had seizures frequently, almost once a month. Later, I got together with a girl from the vocal music department, rented a place to live outside, and made love diligently every night. My illness just disappeared on its own. So, your illness isn't a big deal either, as long as you make love with me..."

10)

"Shut up!" Lin Hong interrupted him, annoyed. "I don't have epilepsy at all. What happened last night was a nightmare." She covered her face weakly with her hands. "A terrible nightmare, it was so terrible. I still tremble all over when I think about it."

"Oh," Qin Fangcheng suddenly realized, "So it was a nightmare, no wonder."

“So—” Lin Hong raised her head and warned Qin Fangcheng, “Don’t go out and tell anyone that I don’t have epilepsy at all. And—and—and about last night, I really want to thank you for taking care of me last night. Thank you for your sincere help. I will definitely repay you when I have the chance in the future. But you are not allowed to tell anyone about things like booking a room.”

"What am I supposed to tell others?" Qin Fangcheng laughed angrily, "Tell them that we booked a room together, but I sat on the carpet all night, and you even bit my hand like this?"

"I've already thanked you, what more do you want?" Lin Hong rolled her eyes at him.

"What else can I do? I'll just go all the way and deliver the good deed to your door." Qin Fangcheng leaned over and said, "Do you have the strength to get out of bed? If not, I'll go upstairs and buy you some food."

“Wait a minute,” Lin Hong raised a hand, gesturing for him to come over: “Fang Cheng, I had convulsions last night because I remembered something, something very… terrifying.”

"Something terrifying?" Qin Fangcheng's expression suddenly changed: "Lin Hong, look how nice the weather is outside today, can we talk about something happy?"

"What are you afraid of?" Lin Hong looked at Qin Fangcheng in surprise, then suddenly remembered the terrifying escape last night: "By the way, Fangcheng, you still haven't told me what you saw when you opened the pig's door yesterday that scared you so much?"

Qin Fangcheng reacted quickly: "Did you speak with Zhao Zhuo on the phone yesterday?"

"Zhao Zhuo?" Lin Hong's mind was becoming clearer. "Right, Zhao Zhuo, he suddenly left inexplicably yesterday. He looked into my bedroom... and then suddenly became terrified. How come we didn't realize it at the time? He must have seen something to become so irrational. What did he see?"

"You've finally remembered these things now." Qin Fangcheng slowly sat down, bringing the hand that Lin Hong had bitten to his mouth and breathing on it. "Last night, after you fell asleep, Zhao Zhuo called me."

"What did he say?" Lin Hong asked anxiously.

"He...didn't say anything." Qin Fangcheng's eyes became very strange, avoiding Lin Hong's gaze.

"Didn't say anything?" Lin Hong looked at Qin Fangcheng in surprise.

"He didn't say anything." Qin Fangcheng turned his head away, avoiding Lin Hong's questioning gaze.

Lin Hong got angry and grabbed his arm: "Fang Cheng, don't try to lie to me. What exactly did Zhao Zhuo see in my house?"

Qin Fangcheng turned his head and said something strange: "You should ask yourself that, Lin Hong. You stay at home every day, haven't you ever seen her?"

"So, you saw it last night too?" Lin Hong stared intently at Qin Fangcheng.

Qin Fangcheng hesitated, looking at Lin Hong for a long time before slowly nodding. Lin Hong immediately grabbed him and pressed, "What exactly did you see?"

Qin Fangcheng slowly removed Lin Hong's hand: "Tell me the truth, Lin Hong, have you really never seen that thing?"

Lin Hong stared at him and said loudly, "I really didn't see anything. I've never seen anything in the house before. Fang Cheng, are you even a man? Can't you just tell me straight? What did you all see?"

Qin Fangcheng stood up and paced back and forth in the room a few times. Then he stopped and said something that made Lin Hong speechless with anger: "Lin Hong, it's good that you didn't see it. Since you didn't see it, there's no need to talk about it anymore. It's pointless."

Upon hearing this, Lin Hong flew into a rage, but before she could speak, Qin Fangcheng quickly continued, "By the way, Lin Hong, when you woke up just now, you said something that reminded you of something. What was it?"

Lin Hong didn't say a word, pulled the blanket over her head, and lay down on the bed ignoring Qin Fangcheng.

This stammering man really infuriated her. In fact, a large part of the reason she ultimately couldn't be with Qin Fangcheng was because of his weak and indecisive personality. Lin Hong had given him countless chances before, but each time he would feign ignorance and pretend to be a virtuous gentleman, squandering all those opportunities. Then he met that trashy woman, Fu Xiuying, who used her children to entangle him, leaving him completely bewildered and unable to escape. He Ming, on the other hand, wasn't so hesitant. From the moment he saw her, he launched a relentless offensive of love. Women always give up their reserve under such irrational bombardment, and this Qin Fangcheng didn't even understand such a simple principle.

Qin Fangcheng sighed, sat on the bed with his back to her, rummaged in his pocket, finally pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and started smoking. The two remained silent for a long time. Finally, Lin Hong couldn't stay in bed any longer, got up, put on her slippers, and went to the bathroom.

She spent over twenty minutes in the restroom, feeling her mind become somewhat hazy and confused. She realized her attitude towards Qin Fangcheng was strange; it seemed she saw him more than just a close male friend. She hadn't expected things to develop this way, yet a terrifying force seemed to be pushing their lives towards the same point. Although she was completely innocent, she felt a constant sense of guilt, as if she had done something wrong.

Why is this happening?

Looking in the mirror, she lovingly massaged her face with her fingers. Her pale skin, lacking the nourishment of love, was gradually losing its vitality. Was this the marriage she longed for? If so, she would rather choose rebellion... Suddenly, she froze. In the mirror, she saw a grotesque face grinning behind her. In an instant, her blood froze. Almost instinctively, she screamed, turned around, smashed open the bathroom door, and rushed out.

"Fangcheng, Fangcheng, I see it! It's chasing me!" She rushed out and crashed into Qin Fangcheng's arms, causing him to fall onto the bed. She clung to him tightly, her nails digging deep into his muscles.

"Fangcheng, I see it! I see it in the mirror! It's here! It crawled out of the pig's room and chased me here!"

Chapter Four: The Vicious Nanny

1)

Qin Fangcheng walked to the bathroom door and looked inside. Then he quickly closed the bathroom door. "There's nothing there. You're just too weak-willed. But—we really should leave here. Let's go!" He was almost impatient and dragged Lin Hong away quickly.

The two left the room, checked out at the front desk, and then Qin Fangcheng drove Lin Hong to a clinic to have his injured hand bandaged before they went to a noodle shop for breakfast. During breakfast, Lin Hong was restless, constantly feeling something following her from behind, and a chill running down her neck. No matter how Qin Fangcheng tried to reassure her, she couldn't calm down.

After breakfast, it was almost noon. They had spent too much time in the room, and Qin Fangcheng's expression grew increasingly grim. When he dropped her off at the hospital entrance, he said, "You're just worrying and scaring yourself. Don't do that again." Then, unexpectedly, he reached out and pinched Lin Hong's chest hard. Having been a gentleman all night, he finally revealed his true colors as a man. Before Lin Hong could react, he slammed the car door shut and sped away in his Mercedes.

Lin Hong stood there motionless for a long time, her blank gaze fixed on the direction Qin Fangcheng had gone. Such is the way of life: destined to meet, yet destined to be apart. She and Qin Fangcheng had once been so close, yet now they had drifted so far apart. She only hoped that they would remain trustworthy friends forever, just as they were now.

After a sigh, Lin Hong walked wearily to the ward area to complete the visitation procedures. However, when she mentioned He Ming's name, the nurse sitting by the window said, "Is he the patient who was under observation last night? He's fine now and has been discharged and gone home on his own."

"What?" Lin Hong was taken aback and hurriedly asked, "When was he discharged from the hospital?"

The nurse checked the records and said, "He went home last night. Go to the internal medicine department now; he might have already come back for a follow-up appointment."

Lin Hong panicked. He Ming had gone home last night, which was completely unexpected. She didn't dare to go home all night. What if He Ming asked her about it? She went to the clinic but didn't see He Ming. She hurriedly hailed a taxi and rushed home.

When she arrived at her building, she got out of the car, hurriedly paid the fare, and rushed into the building. When she was almost at the entrance, she stopped.

He Ming walked down the stairs step by step. The nanny, Xiao Zhu, had a gloomy face and supported his arm. When he saw Lin Hong's pale and uncertain face, He Ming smiled and said, "I thought you had run away again. I was just about to go look for you."

"Where can I run to?" Seeing that He Ming was in good physical condition and spirits, Lin Hong calmed down and hurriedly stepped forward to take over for Xiao Zhu: "What's wrong with you? You were supposed to stay in the hospital for observation, but you came back alone in the middle of the night. What am I supposed to do if something happens to you?"

He Ming, however, was unconvinced: "What could possibly happen? I'm not a three-year-old." He reached out and smoothed Lin Hong's wind-blown hair: "I've made up my mind. From now on, we won't cook at home anymore. If we want to eat, we'll eat out. I'm also planning to sell the entire company. Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. The money from selling the company will be enough for the two of us to live on for the rest of our lives. From now on, I'll take you around the world, to travel to different places, and we'll never have to serve those bastards again."

Knowing that what He Ming said was utterly impossible—how could one live in this world and act as one pleases, with everything going according to one's will?—Lin Hong didn't want to be too defiant, so she just smiled and said, "You make it sound so real." After saying that, she felt a stiffness in the back of her neck. Turning around, she met the little pig's angry eyes. She quickly looked away, not daring to meet the little pig's gaze. So many strange things had happened at home these past few days, and it seemed that every single one of them was related to this little nanny. She was terrified of this country girl.

Little Pig, however, was very dutiful, following closely behind them until He Ming took out a hundred yuan from his pocket, handed it to Little Pig, and said, "Little Pig, you're off today. Go and wander around the streets by yourself." Only then did Little Pig grunt, take the money from He Ming's hand, and walk away with heavy footsteps.

After the pig left, He Ming turned around and looked at Lin Hong carefully, saying, "Are you alright? She's just like that, acting strangely. She was like that at my dad's house too. Don't worry about it."

Lin Hongqiang laughed and said, "It's nothing, why would I hold a grudge against her?"

“That’s right,” He Ming nodded. “That’s more like it. You were like that last night. You’re not like that at all. Don’t do that again.”

"Last night..." Lin Hong lowered her eyelids guiltily, stealing a glance at He Ming out of the corner of her eye. Things were strange; she had a clear conscience, yet she felt as if she had done something to wrong He Ming, and a sense of guilt lingered in her heart. She wanted to explain to He Ming why she wasn't home last night, but in these situations, not explaining was the wisest course of action; the more she explained, the more confusing it would become. Just as she was hesitating, she heard He Ming continue:

“…I know you can’t swallow this, and what Xiaozhu did was really too much. But she was wronged and that’s why she did it. She always gets bullied by my mom and my second sister at home, but my dad has always treated her like his own daughter. But I never expected her to dare treat you like this…” As he spoke, he lovingly lifted Lin Hong’s sleeve and ran his fingers over the bruises on her arm: “…Don’t take it to heart. Let’s just let it go. I’ve already warned Xiaozhu not to tell anyone.”

Lin Hong hummed in agreement, but inwardly she was utterly astonished. She had clearly been with Qin Fangcheng last night, and she couldn't understand a word He Ming said, but she didn't dare to ask, fearing that He Ming would really investigate. Although He Ming was an upright and honest man, it was best if such a thing didn't happen. If she were to encounter it in a situation like this, she could only silently deny it.

Suddenly, He Ming smiled and pointed to a rice noodle roll shop in front of him: "Come on, we had hot pot yesterday, let's have rice noodle rolls today." After saying that, he walked in excitedly, found a seat and sat down, then patted the person next to him: "Honghong, come to me, didn't you used to like squeezing in with me the most?"

"Look at you!" Lin Hong felt a long-lost warmth in her heart. She walked over and nestled into He Ming's arms. While listening to He Ming order food, she secretly lifted her sleeve and looked at the bruises on it, feeling very confused. This was really strange. When did these bruises appear on her body? How come she didn't know at all?

He Ming looked at her with a half-smile, then suddenly laughed: "Seeing how aggrieved you are, hehe, no wonder. Now that you've entered the He family, you have to get through this. There's something you don't know. What happened to you last night, my second sister also went through."

"Really?" Lin Hong said with a smile, "Tell me about it." She was surprised to discover that she was actually quite adept at deceiving people. Perhaps deceiving men was a woman's innate talent? She thought that once she knew what He Ming's second sister had experienced before, she would know what she had encountered last night.

As she thought about it, she felt as if her brain was splitting apart.

2)

"The reason she's called Little Pig is because her surname is Zhu," He Ming finally said.