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"But how could this be..." He closed the diary in frustration. Was this also something Mo Ran wanted him to know? Or was it a secret he discovered by accident?

Just then, the tranquility inside the house was broken by a series of urgent knocks on the door.

Cao Xiangui stood at the door with a solemn expression and slowly said to Feng Qi, "I know who Ran Anhui has fallen for."

Feng Qi smiled helplessly at him and said, "Grandpa, I also know some related things."

It was still a cup of tea brewed in a paper cup. Cao Xiangui held the hot tea, the late autumn chill of Zhicheng penetrating to the bone. He had only been outside for half a day, and his fingers had already lost all warmth. The old man exhaled first, then looked up at Feng Qi: "How did you know?"

Feng Qi pointed out the diary entry he had found to the old man: "In this passage, she mentions a date with that person, detailing the location and time. And I accidentally saw a photo of her and Ran Anhui in one of Mo Ran's books. Behind the photo, there were fireworks. I remember that in the past six months, there were only half an hour of fireworks on the 3rd. This means that on that day, she, Mo Ran, and that person were together. Mo Ran definitely knows who Ran Anhui likes."

Do you think Ran Moran will tell you?

Feng Qi was silent for a moment, then shook his head bitterly: "She wouldn't do that. I think she wants us to find out for ourselves."

Cao Xiangui suddenly sneered: "Of course she won't tell you. Because she is the past life lover that Ran Anhui mentioned."

"Old Master Cao..."

"Don't look so surprised. I'm sure you've had your doubts about her too."

“I just didn’t think about it that way. Because Ran Anhui’s diary always uses ‘he’ to refer to her.” Feng Qi said, then suddenly remembered the kissing scene described in Ran Anhui’s diary. It’s hard to accept… But if that person was Ran Moran, she’s the kind of person who could do something like that.

"Grandpa, how did you know?"

Cao Xiangui casually tossed the diary onto the desk, frowned, and said, "I got it from Mao Tingting."

Chapter Seven: That Night

I've been gone for so long that I've forgotten everything.

The sky back then was dotted with starlight, a pure, deep blue.

He and An Hui walked aimlessly along the old street paved with bluestone slabs, about five centimeters apart. The houses, dating from the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, exuded a sense of historical depth. The surrounding residents had already closed their doors and gone to rest. It was completely unlike the modern urban atmosphere of the upper part of the city.

An Hui liked that feeling, as if she had traveled through time and returned to a distant history.

They skipped evening self-study and wandered around this long old street.

I don't remember what we said.

The only thing I can remember is An Hui's sad expression under the moonlight. She no longer has the satisfied smile she used to have when walking down the street, nor is she as lively as before.

Standing at the foot of the city wall at the end of the street, An Hui stopped, looking solemnly at the boy before her. She said, "Si Yan, can you promise me something?"

He and she grew up together, and he knew she was always carefree and easygoing. She was guileless and naively trusting of everyone. It was precisely because An Hui was this kind of person that he considered her the most special person in his heart. In his memory, she had never asked him to do anything with such a serious expression. However, he didn't take it too seriously either, thinking she was really going to do something earth-shattering. She wasn't that kind of person.

Amused, he nodded at An Hui's serious expression and asked, "What's the matter? Why are you so serious?"

"Say yes first!"

Okay, I promise!

Looking back now, I deeply regret it. Why did I agree to An Hui's request so hastily? Why didn't I notice the different expression on An Hui's face back then?

There's no going back in this world.

An Hui said, "You have to keep your word. Listen carefully, Si Yan, Mo Ran likes you, you have to be with her!"

He froze, thinking it was An Hui joking, and said with a smile, "Hui Hui, your joke isn't funny." He thought An Hui would laugh along and say that she was lying to him. But instead, she cried.

"I like Mo Ran, and I want her to get everything she wants. Si Yan, you'll say yes, won't you? Si Yan?"

It felt strange; even hearing An Hui say such nonsensical things, he still found her soft sobbing under the moonlight quite endearing. But when he finally realized An Hui wasn't joking, his earlier thought only fueled his anger.

"I never knew you were gay! Then what were all those things you did before? Were you just playing games with me?"

An Hui grabbed his hand, sobbing, and placed it against her cheek. She choked out, "Si Yan, I know I'm strange, I can't even understand myself. But I love her, you know? I've loved her for a hundred years. I've loved her since long ago. We eloped, got caught, and died under the banyan tree, those two twin trees at school. After all these years, I finally met her, and seeing her lonely, I'm heartbroken. Si Yan, please help me, okay? You love me the most, please help me…"

He thought An Hui was simply being unreasonable: "Ran An Hui, wake up! That's just a legend! It's just a legend! How could you confuse the legends at school with yourself!"

"No! It's not a legend, it's true. I know! I still remember, when he was reincarnated, he said, 'In the next life, don't be my lover, be my closest person.' Look, she's my closest person now, she's my sister, my dearest sister. Siyan, why don't you date her? Are you going to watch me die?"

He finally couldn't take it anymore, abandoned An Hui, and left without looking back. When did she become so hysterical? Has she gone mad?

Even as he grew further away from An Hui, why did her sobs become clearer and clearer? So clear it seemed to be right beside his ear, like the night wind blowing relentlessly along the riverbank. It sent chills down his spine.

Xie Siyan suddenly opened his eyes, his whole body already soaked in sweat.

I dreamt of An Hui again, I dreamt of that night.

If it weren't for that night, none of this would have happened.

Xie Siyan stared blankly at the azure ceiling, then finally raised his hands and covered his face. Low sobs rose and fell in the night. He murmured the girl's name.

“Drawing…”

As Xie Siyan stepped out of the stairwell as usual, he saw an anxious figure under a large tree not far away. He frowned and turned to leave through another exit. But the person saw him and quickly ran over.

"Siyan!"

Xie Siyan lowered his eyes and coldly looked at Mao Tingting who was running closer.

What are you doing here?

The girl looked uneasy, and disregarding Xie Siyan's habit of disliking others getting close, she grabbed his arm. "Siyan, I'm sorry, I told you..."

The morning wind was biting cold. Xie Siyan shrank his neck, staring at the girl's panicked expression. He brushed her hand away and asked, "How much did you say?" His tone changed from indifference to danger, each word dripping with chill.

Seeing his expression, Mao Tingting took a step back. As if she had made a huge decision, she bit her lower lip and said fiercely, "I told that old man who keeps bothering you at school about An Hui, that so-called dream girl!"

"You!" Xie Siyan raised his right hand sharply, but stopped when he saw Mao Tingting close her eyes: "Why?"

She understood him, so she knew she had crossed a line. She couldn't talk about An Hui, much less tell someone who was investigating the matter. Although she knew she couldn't match the old man's shrewdness, deep down she absolutely wanted to tell him. If she didn't, that person would keep harassing Xie Siyan. She wanted him to live an ordinary life, she wanted him to be happy, and she wanted his life to not be overshadowed by the shadow of Ran An Hui.

"You know why I did that."

"You should know what I hate most!"

"Huihui is dead! And you are alive!" Tears streamed down her face. She felt wronged. Why couldn't he understand her feelings?

"I don't need you to remind me. It's precisely because she's dead that she shouldn't be disturbed by these people!" Xie Siyan recalled last night's dream, his ferocity growing stronger: "Why won't any of you leave her alone!"

"Wouldn't it be better to let those people find the real murderer? Wouldn't it be better to let Huihui find true peace? You were clearly with me when Huihui left. Why didn't you explain when others misunderstood you? Just like before, it wasn't you who abandoned Huihui and found someone else. It was clearly Huihui who insisted on you being together, why didn't you explain! Why let others misunderstand you?" Mao Tingting poured out all the words in her heart in one breath. These were words that had been bottled up inside her, and she had to get them out. She had been a considerate confidante enough; she wanted more.

She thought he would be angry, but he wasn't.

He just stood there in a daze, and after a long while, he said painfully in a voice that only he could hear, "That's because I owe her."

Upon hearing Xie Siyan's words, she reflexively shouted, "You owe her nothing! It's not your fault that Huihui encountered what happened! If it weren't for that day, when she insisted on going to the old street; if it weren't for her making such a strange request; if it weren't for..."

"If I hadn't left in a fit of anger," Xie Siyan chuckled.

"So you still feel guilty after all." A cold voice came from behind the two of them. Mo Ran slowly approached, revealing a smile: "So energetic so early in the morning, I could hear your conversation from far away. Xie, let me give you a piece of advice: stay away from things or people that could put you in danger." When she mentioned "people," she deliberately emphasized it, and her sidelong glance at Mao Tingting made Mao Tingting furious.

"Who do you think you are?" Mao Tingting sneered, widening her eyes and glaring at Mo Ran.

Mo Ran completely ignored Mao Tingting's provocation, and only said to Xie Siyan jokingly, "My mom's watching from upstairs. You're not going to make things difficult for both of us, are you?" Xie Siyan looked up at the building and sure enough, a woman's figure flashed past on the Ran family's balcony. He said nothing more and turned to leave. Mao Tingting immediately followed Xie Siyan away.

"Speak louder, say a few more words, and the Ran family will have one less secret." Mo Ran glanced at the rooftop, smiled contemptuously, and slowly walked out.

"Ran Anhui is a lesbian, and her partner is her own older sister. Grandpa, this sounds like something out of a novel." Feng Qi sat upright on the sofa, his brows furrowed. This discovery was already a gain for him. He wasn't a policeman; he didn't need to solve cases. Unearthing something explosive and sensational was enough. The daughter of a high-ranking official in our city is a lesbian—that's hot enough.

"Novels aren't as exciting as real life. The myriad aspects of human nature—if you write about them, each person is a fascinating novel. It all depends on how you discover them. Solving cases is the same." Cao Xiangui exhaled a puff of smoke, his right hand tapping the table repeatedly. It was a habit of his; he would gently tap the table whenever he was thinking. Now he knew who Ran Anhui's so-called past-life lover was, but it didn't help much with the case.

That girl surnamed Mao speaks in a roundabout way, it's not pleasant.

"Grandpa, you've met Xie Siyan a few times. Do you think he likes Mo Ran?" Feng Qi suddenly remembered something, but wasn't quite sure.

Why do you ask that?

"I haven't had much contact with Xie Siyan, but I have had contact with Mo Ran. My feeling is that Mo Ran doesn't like Xie Siyan, or rather, she doesn't like anyone. And what about Xie Siyan? What kind of feelings does he have for Mo Ran? Didn't he date the younger sister first, and then the older sister?"

According to Mao Tingting, he didn't like the end of the dyeing process.

Upon hearing this, Feng Qi joked, "You don't like Mo Ran, but you like her, right?"

"That's what she thinks. Besides, she was with Xie Siyan on the day An Hui died, so she has an alibi."

"You believe it?" Feng Qi didn't believe that an old fox like Cao Xiangui would easily believe the words of a little girl.

“I believe them, because they have other witnesses.” Cao Xiangui stubbed out his cigarette and stood up. “Young reporter, we need to rethink our thinking.”

An Ying stood stiffly on the balcony, silent, watching the three people below walk away. Beside the withered spider plant, her face appeared exceptionally pale. Her hands gripped the stone countertop tightly, her eyes fixed maliciously on their retreating figures. Then, she saw Mo Ran's contemptuous smile. Her fingers dug even harder into the stone countertop until her nails scraped against it, making a rough sound.

"An Ying, I'm going to work." Ran Qilei walked to the door, glanced at the balcony, sighed, then closed the door and went downstairs.

She hasn't been to work for a week.

The driver was waiting downstairs. As soon as Ran Qilei came down, he opened the car door. Holding the open car door, he hesitated for a moment and said to the driver, "Mr. Chen, to the Central Hospital."

Ran Qilei went to see Qin Shan, the director of the neurology department, as they were old friends. Upon seeing Qin Shan, he got straight to the point: "Old Qin, could you prescribe some more of the medicine you prescribed for my daughter last time?"

Qin Shan paused in his pouring of tea, looking at Ran Qilei with a puzzled expression: "Your daughter isn't..."

"It's An Ying. She's like Huihui now, unable to sleep at night and always talking nonsense."

"Was it because your daughter's death was too much of a blow to her?"

"Maybe so, she hasn't been to work for a week now."

Qin Shan calmly looked at the middle-aged man with a worried expression. He was no longer the powerful Ran Qilei of Zhicheng, but an ordinary man. What he needed most wasn't a friend's sympathy, but a doctor's advice. He placed the tea in front of Ran Qilei and said earnestly, "Treating neurasthenia can't rely on medication forever. It mainly depends on your own and your family's efforts. Try to accept it."

Ran Qilei forced a smile: "Given the current situation, I'm afraid we can't do without medicine."

"Is it that serious?" Qin Shan was somewhat surprised.

"She is prone to overthinking."

"When will you bring your sister-in-law to my place? I'd like to give her a proper look."

Ran Qilei looked troubled: "She doesn't think she's sick and needs to go to the hospital." He sighed deeply, recalling his wife's recent behavior.

Last night, she even stood up in the middle of the night, woke him up, and pointed fearfully out the window, saying, "Qilei, look, Huihui is outside. She's carrying a knife and she's going to kill me."

After putting the medicine Qin Shan gave him into his bag, Ran Qilei slowly walked out of the hospital. In just over a week, he seemed to have aged considerably. Even taking a mechanical step felt difficult.

It was a clear day outside; the sun was already up at ten in the morning. Ran Qilei shielded his eyes with his hand, squinting.

For once, the winter in Zhicheng was sunny.

The moment he got into the car, he seemed to see a familiar-looking passerby.

It wasn't until long after the car had left the hospital that he remembered seeing that person before. It was the young reporter who had interviewed them at the hospital the day Huihui passed away.

Feng Qi had come to the hospital to cover a news story about injuries sustained in a fight, but unexpectedly saw Ran Qilei. Ran Qilei didn't seem to recognize Feng Qi and looked haggard.

In the hospital ward, he met his interviewee. A foul-mouthed thug, even though he was beaten so badly he couldn't find a single wound on his body, still acted as if he feared nothing. When Feng Qi entered, he was chatting and rambling with a few people nearby.