Shen Suian stood in the only relatively clean spot in the room, surveying the small area of devastation around her. A shiver ran down her spine.
Fortunately, the room was dimly lit, sparing her from too many eye-searing scenes. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure she could have remained composed.
Tap, tap, tap—
The sound of footsteps echoed against the floor, particularly heavy and grating in the confined space.
A tall, slender figure approached slowly. The dimness didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest. His posture was lazy and relaxed, yet it carried an overwhelming sense of pressure.
From the shadows came faint rustling sounds, as if someone was trying not to disturb anyone. The movements were light, but the room was too quiet to conceal them.
Shen Suian wanted to move closer, but her body felt as if it had been nailed in place, unable to budge an inch.
Her delicate brows furrowed slightly.
Snap—
A crisp snap of fingers rang out. The next moment, a candle was lit, its faint, flickering flame becoming the only source of light in the darkness.
The glow on the corpses, severed limbs, and pools of blood shifted between deep and shallow, eerily reminiscent of scenes from a horror movie.
Adding to the atmosphere, a faint breeze blew in, accompanied by the rattling of something loose.
This ambiance sent chills straight to the soles of one’s feet.
The man sat casually in a chair, his long legs crossed naturally. His elbow rested on the armrest, and his slender, pale fingers curved to support his head. The candlelight shone directly into his eyes, as if glimmering with light, but upon closer inspection, one could see an impenetrable gloom within.
His facial features were sharp and well-defined, cast in varying shades of light and shadow. His thin, crimson lips were pressed together slightly, and an aura of terror surrounded him.
He sat like this, silent and unmoving.
Shen Suian stood at his side, pressing a hand to her throbbing temple.
She admitted she had a strong stomach, but even she couldn’t endure such a scene for long.
She sighed softly, her tone tinged with complaint. “Little Bai, what are you up to?”
Whether it was her imagination or not, the moment those words fell, the man tilted his head and stared directly at the spot where Shen Suian stood. His mesmerizing, fox-like eyes instantly filled with a dazzling, starlit glow.
Shen Suian’s figure stiffened slightly.
She was certain she was reliving that dream again. The exact timing was unclear, but she guessed it was sometime after the apocalypse.
What she wasn’t sure about was whether Xie Yubai had just seen her.
But no one would give her that answer.
The man seemed to recall something, and the light in his eyes shattered bit by bit. A self-mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips.
Perhaps he was truly ill.
For a fleeting moment, he had actually seen the person he longed for most.
He reached into his pocket, and the sensation beneath his fingertips made him exhale in relief.
It was strange. The person he had once loved to the point of agony—after just four years, he had nearly forgotten her voice. As for her appearance, if not for the single remaining photo in his possession, he would have almost forgotten that too.
Deep in his memory, that person had loved calling him “Little Bai.” She had loved pumpkin porridge, desserts, candied hawthorns, and spicy food even though she couldn’t handle it…
What did she love most?
The man’s thoughts drifted.
He vaguely remembered a dream where he had watched her, her face as small as a palm, blooming with a radiant smile as she said, “What I love most is Little Bai.”
Yes, she loved… him the most!
But—
Confusion flickered in his eyes.
It had been so long since he last heard that address, heard her voice, or had anyone say they liked him…
So, he had to find her, find the girl he held dear in his heart.
“Please, please, let me go…”
A figure tremblingly crawled out of the darkness, her long hair a tangled mess, her body stained with patches of blood, looking utterly disheveled.
She reached out to grab the man’s pant leg but jerked her hand back just before touching it.
“P-please… I, I really don’t know anything, anything at all…”
His thoughts interrupted, the man frowned, clearly displeased. The ferocity between his brows grew heavier, and the slightly upturned corners of his eyes were tinged with cruelty and bloodlust.
Hearing the woman’s trembling voice, he sneered, tilting his head slightly. The corners of his lips curled into a smile, his voice lazy and low, yet strangely pleasant: “Don’t know?”
His tone sounded almost like a casual conversation with a friend, but to the woman, it was like the whisper of a demon.
Her trembling body shook even more violently.
“I, I really don’t know, I…”
“Does it not know either?”
The woman froze, lifting her head, her pupils trembling in shock.
How could he know?
Had they hidden something from her?
But no one would give her the answer now.
“I don’t have the patience to watch you think.” The demon above her slowly spoke. “Tell me, how do I bring her back?”
“Who?”
She noticed that when he mentioned that person, the man’s emotionless eyes flickered with a rare warmth, and his voice softened considerably: “My wife.”
The woman’s eyes widened, the tightly wound string in her mind snapping completely. Even her inner fear was momentarily forgotten as she screamed uncontrollably: “You’re insane! You killed so many people… all for a dead woman? You’re insane… ugh.”
Before she could finish, her neck was seized in his palm, and the fading fear surged back.
“D-don’t kill me…”
As the oxygen she inhaled grew scarce, her vision blurred. Driven by the instinct to survive, she pounded frantically against the man’s arm. Those cold, bloodthirsty eyes lingered in her mind.
“Her, her fate was inevitable… I, I can’t change it… she… please…”
The hands clutching the man’s wrist fell limp. Even in death, she couldn’t understand—she had merely stated a fact, so how had it come to this?
The man expressionlessly shook off his hand, took out a tissue, and meticulously wiped his fingers, which resembled works of art. When his gaze fell on the red stain on his sleeve, the pressure around him grew even heavier.
Shen Suian was already stunned.
Not just because of the woman’s words, but also because of the Xie Yubai before her now.
He had changed so much.
Changed so much that she no longer recognized him.
“Little Bai…” she murmured softly.
What had happened during the days she was gone?
Why did he kill those people?
Who was “it”?
She was already dead—how could she be brought back?
【