For the past month, the Shi family’s Southern Manor had appeared cold and desolate on the outside, but things inside the shell were far from peaceful.
Perhaps only the private doctor who frequently visited the estate knew just how ridiculously ill that Second Young Master Shi truly was.
It was said that he initially had a fiancée who was not looked upon favorably. That girl liked him very much, yet she was always met with his cold and indifferent treatment.
Although the girl nominally had a contractual relationship with him, in reality, the signing column of the Marriage Agreement bore only her own name. The man was cold-hearted and ruthless, while the girl was kind and pure. Everyone believed she was simply bringing humiliation upon herself.
However, the plot reversed.
On the day of the Lantern Festival, the girl unfortunately met her demise while out on an outing. They had originally assumed that the traditionally heartless Second Young Master would casually find a patch of earth to bury her in, but the reality was that he didn’t even get to see her for the last time. The only thing he obtained of hers was the cloak stained completely with fresh blood.
The very first time the doctor stepped into his room, his eyes immediately caught sight of that exceptionally crimson cloak. Because the doctor failed to control his expression of horror, Shi Lijiin threw him out on the spot.
Word had it that he constantly guarded that cloak, as if he were guarding the girl herself.
Until the blood on it dried, hardened, and even turned somewhat dark, he refused to discard or wash it, likely because it was the only thing the girl had left behind.
Later on, his temper grew increasingly worse. The psychological illness that had originally lingered purely due to childhood trauma was infinitely magnified, leading to a state where, although his appearance looked normal, his behavior was extremely bizarre. He would either torment others or torment himself.
Gradually, no longer did anyone dare approach Shi Lijiin. Even Shi Feng and Jason, who were closely related to him, only dared to linger outside his door for a brief moment, perhaps out of fear, or perhaps out of an inability to bear watching any longer.
Bowl after bowl of herbal medicine was delivered inside day after day, yet his condition still showed no signs of improvement.
Shi Feng later discovered that he had poured all that medicine into the flowerpots. As an older brother who lacked the ability to protect him when they were young, he could now only sit in a wheelchair and watch him suffer in vain as an adult. Ultimately gritting his teeth, Shi Feng had the medicine replaced with sedatives so that Shi Lijiin could rest peacefully.
When he was young, he relied on drinking medicine to calm his mind. After growing up, he no longer did. Deep down, the man’s stubborn pride refused to admit he had any illness, choosing instead to believe that being unable to sleep was merely insomnia, that having nightmares was merely hallucinations, and that wanting to torment people was merely his hands itching.
Even now, looking as pale as white paper, he could still smile and say he was fine.
Yet when he took the tablet and discovered a familiar little round marker wandering across the map software, it felt as though a thin film about to rupture deep within his heart was being torn apart bit by bit, accompanied by the clear, dull thumping sound of his heartbeat.
Gu Qingjiao, so you are here.
In Western mythology, departed souls go to a beautiful heaven, but in this realm rich with demons and monsters, a soul is very likely to remain lingering by the side of others.
Therefore, she stayed behind because she could not bear to part.
Rack his brains as he might, Jason simply could not understand why he kept wandering around yet failed to find Gu Qingjiao, and yet still remained so happy.
Until he heard him say with absolute confidence: “She always used to come to this place. She must still be here.”
Jason: “What?”
Jason: “Right, the Second Young Master is right!”
As a highly paid private bodyguard, Jason’s duty was to ensure the employer’s safety without leaving his side. Yet lately, he had been so idle that he could only sit on a bench drinking tea and listening to music, while occasionally casting a glance at Shi Lijiin, who was chasing after phantoms in the distance.
Actually, doing this had one advantage: Shi Lijiin was gradually willing to take his medicine again, because Shi Feng had tricked him into believing that only by finishing his medicine could he encounter Gu Qingjiao.
Facts proved that he was indeed easy to deceive when it came to the topic of Gu Qingjiao, but everyone soon discovered another bad habit he had picked up: he loved mixing Maotai into his medicine, and he enjoyed drinking it with particular relish, as if he were reminiscing about some wonderful memory.
That afternoon, clutching his rumbling stomach, Jason raised his head to take a look at him, only to find a black dog lying in the field opposite them.
The black dog had previously been raised by Grandpa Long. After the Lantern Festival incident, worried that the elderly man would be startled and affect his health, Shi Feng had granted him a three-month vacation to return to his hometown.
With the three months now up, that black dog had obviously grown quite a bit larger, though lacking an owner’s discipline and care, its temperament had inevitably grown a bit wild. Especially upon seeing Shi Lijiin approach, it was so frightened that it immediately tucked its tail and bolted.
Failing to entice the dog, Jason felt a bit dejected, but seeing Shi Lijiin appear by his side the next moment, he inadvertently bared his big teeth in a grin. “Second Young Master, did you find Miss Gu today?”
Holding a tablet in his hand, Shi Lijiin’s gaze suddenly turned gloomy. “She ran away again.”
“It’s fine, then we’ll look again tomorrow. Second Young Master, I’m hungry.” Jason whined with a bitter expression.
Shi Lijiin didn’t take a single word of what he said to heart. After straightening his shirt collar, he went off to search again.
Fortunately, he had previously instructed people to install sleeping pods in four different locations. As night fell, wherever the location marker for Gu Qingjiao appeared, he would temporarily rest in that pod. Once he noticed the location had changed, he would immediately emerge and continue searching.
Later on, rumors spread that the girl in Southern Manor who haunted the Second Young Master’s soul was both a cure and a poison.
Gu Qingjiao sneezed several times, thinking to herself whether someone was secretly cursing her.
Filled with inexplicable suspicion, she cast a glance toward the next compartment, because although the little girl in the neighboring room had quieted down for a few months, she would still complain to others about her cousin’s personality every three or five days.
Yes, that wealthy cousin and her mother had arrived merely claiming to pay a New Year visit, but that New Year visit ended up stretching from the Lantern Festival all the way to Qingming.
The Gu family had two tombs to sweep during Qingming: one belonged to the head of the Gu family, and the other belonged to Gu Qingjiao.
After burning paper money for the original owner’s father and herself, Gu Qingjiao returned to the back seat of the car, lay down lazily, and fell asleep in less than ten minutes.
She had no idea how long she slept, but she was ultimately woken up by an automatically popped-up dialogue box from the system.
Tangyi: [It is so hilarious! Usually, she acts like a holy virgin, and won’t let me touch a single thing belonging to Gu Qingjiao. But the moment she arrives in front of her own biological sister’s grave, her true colors are completely exposed. Her expression was cold as ice, and I thought she would shed a few tears, but guess what she did? She actually climbed onto the car and went to sleep!]
Paodan: [Haha, being her cousin is truly one of your greatest sorrows.]
Tangyi: [So lazy and loves to sleep. That person really thinks she’s the descendant of some wealthy family, cooped up at home all day without even looking for a job.]
Paodan: [Hmm. Actually, jobs are pretty hard to find nowadays. If I had known earlier, I would have studied hard for the college entrance exam and gone to university. Hey, Tangtang, have you figured out what kind of job to look for after graduation?]
Tangyi: [Why would I look for a job? My dad has plenty of money. In the future, I’ll definitely just marry a wealthy husband and become a rich lady.]
Paodan: [Huh? But you’re only eighteen.]
Tangyi: [What’s there to be afraid of at eighteen? In another two years, I can get a marriage license. Unlike Gu Qingshou, who is already in her twenties and can’t even get married, doesn’t even have a boyfriend, yet still fantasizes about a wealthy husband. It’s hilarious, right?]
Unable to hold back any longer, the system wished it could magically grow a pair of claws to drag Gu Qingjiao up: [Host, wake up! They are talking bad about you, look!]
Drooping her eyelids listlessly, Gu Qingjiao replied unenergetically, “Mhm, okay, I know.”
System: [Get them.]
Not yet fully awake, Gu Qingjiao waved her hand lazily and said, “Why bother bickering with a child?”
System: [She is no child anymore. She’s eighteen; in another two years, she can even get a marriage certificate. And you? What are you doing? Oh, right, you’re sleeping.]
Gu Qingjiao sat up from her seat as if struck by divine enlightenment.
This little glitch was really bringing up every wrong topic; how did it even have the nerve to deliberately steer the conversation in this direction? Earnestly, Gu Qingjiao asked: “Fine, then let me ask you, what happened to the handsome husband you promised? The wealth? The glamorous life? Little glitch, I trusted you so much, and all you did was feed me pie in the sky.”
System: [There is one! There is a male lead in the novel, he just hasn’t appeared yet. Rest assured, Host, in a few days there will be a grand elite banquet where all the big names in the business world will be present. At that time, your handsome husband will appear there. Trust me, he will definitely satisfy you.]
Gu Qingjiao’s expression softened considerably. That’s right, she wanted to see what her future husband looked like, just how much money he had, and whether it was enough to fund her daily barbecue, hotpot, and mutton skewers.
Meanwhile, the two young girls chatting away gradually steered their conversation toward the topic of the elite banquet:
Paodan: [With so many wealthy heirs showing up at the same time, is there any one of them you want to marry?]
Tangyi: [If I’m going to marry, I’ll marry the best. I’m waiting for Shi Lijiin.]
Paodan: [Huh? Hahaha.]
Tangyi: [Don’t believe me? I can really marry him.]
Paodan: [Ahahaha.]
Tangyi: [Anyway, just wait and see when the time comes. As long as he shows up, I definitely have a way to make him like me.]
Paodan: [Alright, alright, I wish Tangtang complete success!]
This location was an art cemetery developed by the Shi Group. Back then, when the head of the Shi family was young and promising, he personally designed two solitary mountains into the beautiful scenery it was today. His original intention was to give the departed a pleasant and secure resting place; thus, this location was nestled against the mountains and rivers with fresh air, allowing one to hear beautiful classical music playing with every step taken. Even though a sweeping glance across the mountain revealed whole patches of graveyards, it didn’t feel chilling or terrifying in the slightest. On the contrary, many wealthy families actively vied and scrambled to reserve plots here in advance.
Unexpectedly, political fortunes shifted unpredictably, and the top-tier luxury cemetery he had once designed ultimately became his own final resting place.
After finishing his incense burning, Shi Feng turned to look at the other person inside the car and smiled, saying, “Xiaojin, come over and kowtow.”
Shi Lijiin played with his tablet on his own, taking a moment to extend his index finger and shake it at him.
Shi Feng didn’t say anything further. He figured it was normal that Xiaojin was unwilling to pay respects to their father; after all, during the darkest days of his childhood, their father hadn’t even set foot inside the gates of Southern Manor once.
Shi Feng: “Then I’m done. Let’s go home.”
Shi Lijiin tossed aside his tablet and straightened his collar in the rearview mirror.
“Gu Qingjiao is here, right?” he asked.
A wave of inexplicable disappointment washed over Shi Feng’s heart. He thought that Xiaojin agreeing to come with him wasn’t to visit their father’s grave, but because someone else was also buried somewhere on this mountain.
Hesitating slightly, he pointed toward a certain direction at the base of the mountain. “Yeah, it seems she’s buried somewhere in the Anyuan Garden area? Her family took care of the funeral arrangements, so I’m not too sure.”
Brushing off his cuffs, Shi Lijiin stepped out of the car on his long legs and said calmly, “I’m going to go see her.”