By February of this year, I had finally legally become an adult.
But as luck would have it, my birthday falls on February 29th…a date that only comes around once every four years…so I rarely get to actually celebrate it. Not that it matters; I’ve never been big on birthdays anyway.
The traditional solar term Guyu passed, and then came Lixia…the official beginning of summer.
Zhang Youning had been keeping her distance with a fierce sense of boundaries. To be more precise, she was actively avoiding me. I hadn’t stepped foot in Anying Dessert Shop since, nor had I tasted her signature mango mini-cakes.
Alright, fine. The truth is, I missed them terribly.
I even snuck over to Lilac Street a few times just to spy. I hid myself well; except for Wuxue and Jinhu, absolutely no one noticed me. But the cravings eventually got the better of me. In a stroke of genius, I decided to recruit a random pedestrian as my personal shopper. Most people couldn’t resist a good tip, so thanks to my brilliant brain, I finally got my hands on that dream cake again.
It felt bizarre, though. I was paying fair and square with my own money, so why did it feel like a heist? I couldn’t shake this lingering sense of guilt.
I had no idea how long things would go on like this.
The new neighbor across the hall was a total enigma. In all this time, I had never once seen her. Honestly, I’d never even seen her door open. The only sign of life was the faint, occasional glow slipping through the cracks late at night.
Meanwhile, the police had ramped up their search for Shen Leqing, staking out Meng Wuyang’s gravesite, several of the Meng family’s properties, and the school. But half a year went by without a single lead. Some people were even starting to whisper that she was already dead. The three of us had tried texting her, but every single message was bounced back or blocked.
As the days grew longer and the world burst with new life, everything else seemed to return to its regular rhythm, moving smoothly along its designated tracks.
“Hey, miss, could you do me a quick favor?”
I was back at my usual spot on the sidewalk, hunting for a passerby. The midday sun was brutal. Sweating through her clothes, the young woman was visibly annoyed at being interrupted. She frowned and tried to brush past me, but I stepped into her path.
“Please, pretty sister, just a tiny favor! I won’t make you do it for free…I’ll pay you.”
She finally stopped, staring at me blankly, waiting to hear me out.
I pointed to the shop across the street. “Could you go over to Anying Dessert Shop and buy a mango mini-cake for me? Here’s 50 bucks. The cake is 35, and the rest is yours to keep as a tip. Pretty please?” I blinked my eyes as winsomely as possible, lightly tugging at her hand.
Maybe she just couldn’t stand my whining anymore, because she finally gave in. A few minutes later, she walked out carrying the cake box.
She handed it over, along with some loose change. “The cake was only five bucks. Here’s the rest back. I’ll just take the fifteen for the errand.”
I froze, thoroughly confused. “Wait, wasn’t it always thirty-five? When did it drop in price?”
She shrugged. “No idea. If you’re good, I’m heading out.”
Still baffled, I thanked her anyway. Once she was out of sight, I stole a glance back toward the dessert shop.
And in that exact second, my eyes locked right with Zhang Youning’s.
My heart leaped into my throat, and my legs moved before my brain could stop them…I bolted. It wasn’t until I had run a good mile away that it hit me: Wait, why the hell am I running?
Zhang Youning hadn’t even given chase. Instead, I was drenched in sweat, and the cake inside the box had completely slid to one side. I sighed in frustration and decided to just go home.
The atmosphere in the apartment stairwell felt off today. Despite the blazing sun outside, the hallway felt chillingly bleak.
I unlocked the front door and pushed it open. Instantly, the thick, metallic stench of blood hit me square in the face.
Then, I saw her. Lying right in the center of the living room, covered in blood, was Ningyu.
Panic seized me. Dropping the cake, I lunged forward.
Ningyu was already dead. Her once-beautiful white fur was stained a horrific crimson. Her belly had been sliced wide open, spilling her organs across the floor. Her ears and tail were severed. She hadn’t even been able to close her eyes.
Why? Who could do something this monstrous to a helpless cat?
Tears burst from my eyes. Ignoring the pool of blood, I gathered her broken little body into my arms and sobbed uncontrollably. She had finally found a home. She was just a poor, hard-of-hearing little cat.
Suddenly, I thought of Rongcai. Carefully setting Ningyu’s body down, I sprinted into the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and tore through every room in the apartment. I turned the place upside down, but found nothing but stray cat hair.
“A-Ling!”
I had completely lost my mind. Blinded by rage, I didn’t care who it was…I lunged toward the voice, knife raised.
Zhang Youning gasped, visibly startled by the sight of me. As I swung the blade, her reflexes kicked in; she grabbed my forearm, twisted my wrist to disarm me, and kicked the knife away. As all the strength drained from my body, she caught me before I could collapse.
“A-Ling, don’t cry.” Unbothered by the blood staining my clothes, she pulled me into a tight embrace, using her sleeve to gently wipe away the tears and gore on my face.
I used what little strength I had left to push her away and stand up. Fearing I might grab another weapon, she rushed over and kicked the fallen knife all the way out onto the balcony.
I glanced at her arm. I wasn’t sure if I was seeing things, but a dark stain was seeping through her pink sweater. I must have accidentally nicked her during our scuffle.
Her face was a mask of terror and worry. Backing up against the display cabinet loaded with awards, she extended her uninjured hand, cautiously trying to approach me again.
“A-Ling, be good. Come to sister.”
It was strange…her speech was remarkably fluid today.
I stood rooted to the spot. After a moment’s hesitation, she stepped forward, caught my hand, and pulled me forcefully back into her arms. The last of my walls crumbled, and I completely broke down, sobbing into her chest.
She gently patted my back, her other hand softly brushing the stray hairs from my forehead. “Good girl, A-Ling. Don’t cry. Sister is right here.”
Right then, my phone buzzed.
I pulled away and checked the screen. It was a text from an unknown number. It was a photo: a cramped, filthy rat cage, and trapped inside was Rongcai.
Adrenaline surged. My fingers shook violently as I typed: Who the hell are you?!
The reply came almost instantly: Come to this address within half an hour, and I’ll give you back your cat. Remember, come alone. I’ll be watching.
Then, a strange address popped up. The location was the basement of an abandoned department store. It was completely deserted; meeting someone in a place like that was a surefire way to get killed.
As much as I loved Rongcai, I wasn’t suicidal. I looked down at Ningyu’s lifeless body, forced myself to calm down, and fired back a reply.
Fine.
I exchanged a knowing look with Zhang Youning, and then I set off alone.
Half an hour later, I was standing at the entrance to the basement.
I’m here. Where’s the cat?
Walk inside. There’s a black car. The cat is in the trunk.
I locked my phone, slipped it into my pocket, and stepped into the darkness. The basement had fallen into deep disrepair. The overhead lights flickered erratically, and some were entirely dead. The deeper I went, the blacker it got.
The space wasn’t huge, and it didn’t take long to spot the black sedan. Keeping one hand in my pocket, I reached out with the other to pop the trunk.
The moment it opened, a sharp blade lunged directly at me. My reflexes saved me; I dodged just in time, whipped out the pocket knife I’d been concealing, and stabbed it viciously into the attacking hand.
As the trunk lid swung fully open, I wasn’t surprised at all. I looked at the figure huddled inside with a cold smile.
“Long time no see, Leqing.”
She was unrecognizable. Emaciated and gaunt, her hair was a tangled, dry mess. Her clothes were tattered and filthy, and she reeked of a sour, rancid odor. My knife had pierced right through her right forearm. Blood was pouring out, turning her already sickly skin an even paler shade of white.
Keeping that smile pinned to my face, I grabbed her wounded arm and yanked her out. “Must be exhausting, hiding like a rat for so long. Dealing with the grief of losing your family while running from the law… you’ve really had it rough.”
She had snapped completely. Snarling, she kicked hard into my stomach. I stumbled back, giving her the opening she needed to scramble out of the trunk, snatch up her fallen blade, and lunge at me again.
I managed to twist away so she missed my vitals, but the blade tore deep into my thigh. Agony flared through my body, forcing a sharp gasp through my teeth.
“I’ve been staking out your apartment for weeks just for this moment!” her voice rose to a hysterical shriek. “It’s all because of you! You’re the reason I’m like this!”
She drove the knife toward my throat. I ducked, spun behind her, and delivered a brutal kick to her back, slamming her face-first against the concrete wall.
“You brought this entirely on yourself!” I hissed, pinning her tight. “You helped an organ trafficking ring kidnap and slaughter children! You covered up Meng Renxing’s crimes to save your own skin! How is any of that my fault?”
“They were my only family!” she sobbed, tears finally spilling over as she thrashed against the wall. “You ruined my life! If it weren’t for you, how would anyone have found out about Wuyang’s illness? How would they know about the basement room, or that Wuyang had a heart transplant?!”
I let out a mocking laugh. “Lady, anyone with a basic brain could have uncovered that with a real investigation. What makes you so sure I was the one who blew the whistle?”
Trapped against the wall, her voice broke completely. “I just wanted my sister to live! I just wanted my only family to stay with me! What did I do wrong?! If it weren’t for you and your mother, I would never have ended up like this!”
I shook my head. There was no reasoning with a lunatic. “Save it. Shut your mouth and tell it to the cops. They’re already here.”
Right on cue, the echo of rushing footsteps echoed from the distance. In a desperate surge of adrenaline, Shen Leqing broke free from my grip, tackled me to the ground, and drove the knife downward once more.
“If I’m going down, I’m taking you to hell with me!”
I didn’t give her the chance. I grabbed her wrists, forcing the blade to veer off course. It grazed my neck before slamming into the dirt right beside my head.
The police burst into the area. Seeing them, she ripped the knife out of the ground and, without a second’s hesitation, plunged it straight into her own throat. A torrent of crimson erupted, spraying all over me.
“Wen Ling… let’s be best friends in the next life.”
The police pulled me up as paramedics rushed in. Everything around Shen Leqing blurred. The pain in my thigh was agonizing, but with blood covering every inch of me, it was impossible to tell how badly I was wounded.
I unclipped the voice recorder disguised with a pinhole camera from my chest, handed it to an officer, and finally let out a breath.
Exhaustion finally pulled me under. My eyelids grew impossibly heavy, and my balance gave out as I tipped backward. Just before I hit the ground, I thought I saw Zhang Youning sprinting toward me. It looked like she was crying.
Whether she was crying or not didn’t matter anymore. All I knew was that I was dying.
Well, damn. Looks like my soul is about to transmigrate ahead of schedule in this life.
My body felt lighter and lighter, as if I were floating in midair, drifting across the blurred line between reality and illusion.
“Yuning… I miss you.”
The voice came out of nowhere, startling me. I spun around, only to see a figure standing deep within the distant mist.