Shen Duo made a gesture.
Two men in suits raised their guns and took position on either side of Jiang Ye’s apartment door. Another man in a suit stepped forward with a toolbox and picked the lock at high speed. There was a soft CLICK, and he made an OK gesture. The man on the right pushed open the door and carefully entered.
The group entered Jiang Ye’s apartment in an orderly fashion. One of them turned on the entryway light.
The apartment was not large, and everything inside could be seen at a glance. They checked the bathroom, the kitchen, and beneath the bed. They did not miss the corners behind the doors either, but they found no one.
One person found the source of the signal beneath the sofa cushions.
Jiang Ruochu’s phone.
Jiang Ye remembered that Jin Feize had said yesterday that a woman had left his apartment. Now it seemed that person had not been Liu Bei.
It had been his mother.
Shen Duo placed Jiang Ruochu’s phone into a clear storage bag and asked, “Student Jiang Ye, do you know your mother’s phone password?”
Jiang Ye frowned and thought for a moment. He entered his mother’s birthday.
Wrong.
Then he entered his own birthday.
Correct.
He opened the gallery. There was one video inside.
Jiang Ye already had an ominous premonition in his heart. His fingers trembled slightly as he tapped open the only video.
Li Yi’an appeared on the screen.
He was wearing a dark green shirt and sitting on the sofa in the living room. He was a handsome man. He was clearly Shenzhen’s foremost antiques dealer, someone even the top boss in the capital had to show some respect to, yet he happened to be afraid of his wife.
If Jiang Ruochu said east, he did not dare go west. If Jiang Ruochu was standing, he did not dare sit. When he went out to attend receptions, no matter how important the dinner was, Jiang Ruochu could call him back with a single phone call.
Jiang Ye looked at him, his heart very complicated.
Li Miaomiao leaned over to look and called out, “It’s my dad!”
Li Yi’an looked into the camera. There was bitterness in his smile.
He slowly began speaking.
“Miaomiao, Xiao Ye, when you see this video, you must have already encountered many things you cannot understand. Don’t panic. Your mother has already made complete preparations for you. Very soon, you’ll be able to escape danger and return to normal life.
“Miaomiao, when Dad isn’t by your side, you have to listen to your brother. I’ve already transferred all the company shares and the family’s real estate into your names. You’ll have enough money to finish your studies and live on your own.
“Xiao Ye, those things I said to you last year—I originally wanted to encourage you to settle down and study, not keep fighting with your mom. I didn’t express myself properly and made you misunderstand what I meant. Instead, I intensified the conflict between you and your mom.
“You have to believe that your mother truly has unavoidable difficulties.
“All these years, she has suffered from hallucinations. She traveled all over the world searching for a city that doesn’t exist and a person who doesn’t exist. You know your mother’s psychological illness is very severe. The doctor told me she has severe dissociative identity disorder. Sometimes she stood right in front of me, and I had no idea who the person before my eyes actually was.
“I suspected your mother was possessed by a ghost. Ignoring her warnings, I got involved in this incident.
“When I saw those headless feather-robed shamans appear in the crowd, I finally knew that this matter was far more dangerous and complicated than I had imagined.
“They’ve already discovered me. Sooner or later, I’ll lose myself and become a shaman like them.
“Miaomiao, Xiao Ye, if you see me, call the police immediately. Don’t come near me. That isn’t me. It’s only something that looks exactly like me.
“Xiao Ye, Miaomiao is young and naturally doesn’t think things through. Take good care of her for Dad.
“Remember. You must remember this.
“Do not look for your mother. Do not investigate this matter.
“Your mother is already no longer herself.”
The video ended. The image disappeared, and the screen went black.
Li Miaomiao said blankly, “What does that mean? Why don’t I understand? What happened to my dad? Where did Mom go?”
Her voice was trembling. “What’s going on? I don’t understand!”
Jiang Ye’s heart was heavy too.
He felt that his stepfather’s mental state in the video was not good. He did not know how much of what he said could be believed.
Jiang Ye knew his mom often went to see a psychiatrist, but all he knew was that she had anxiety and long-term insomnia.
What did dissociative identity disorder and being possessed by a ghost mean?
“Sorry. We have to take your mother’s phone with us.” Shen Duo took Jiang Ruochu’s phone away.
“What exactly are those headless corpses?” Jiang Ye asked.
“A type of anomalous organism. The rest is a state secret. I can’t say.”
“What happened to my parents? Can you find my mom?” Jiang Ye asked again.
“Don’t worry. Finding missing persons is a police matter. Just wait at home for news.”
“I want the truth.” Jiang Ye stared at him.
Jiang Ye’s eyes were very black, like pitch-black agate. For some reason, being fixed by his gaze carried an indescribable pressure, as if no matter what kind of lie someone told, he would be able to distinguish it.
Shen Duo did not avoid those dark eyes at all. He looked directly into Jiang Ye’s gaze.
“The truth is that we will definitely go look for your mother.”
“You know where she went.” Jiang Ye’s words were not a question, but a statement.
Shen Duo did not answer. He only said, “The problems your parents encountered aren’t something a high school student like you can solve. It’s useless even if you know. The more you know, the more dangerous it becomes.”
“I am their son,” Jiang Ye said, word by word. “I have the right to know.”
Shen Duo was unmoved by either softness or force. He gave him a business card.
“Leave the rest to us. Be good and wait at home. If anything comes up, contact me. Headless corpses are anomalous organisms and are not protected by national law. You didn’t break the law by dismembering it. Although it isn’t illegal, try to do less of that kind of thing in the future.
“I’ll arrange two bodyguards to follow you until we can confirm you’re safe.”
After he finished speaking, he glanced almost imperceptibly at Jin Feize, who was standing in the doorway, then quickly went downstairs.
Li Miaomiao sat where she was, silently shedding tears.
From last night until now, she felt as if she had been wrapped in a burlap sack and punched senseless. She was dazed and at a total loss.
“Can Mom still come back?” she asked.
Jiang Ye was silent.
The information Li Yi’an’s video revealed was far too little. He had not even said what exactly had happened to Jiang Ruochu.
Jiang Ye knew he had done it on purpose. He did not want Jiang Ye and Li Miaomiao to end up like him.
Jiang Ye remembered the messages Jiang Ruochu had sent him before she disappeared.
She had known what she was about to encounter. Before disaster descended, she had wanted to see him one more time.
But he had not given her that chance.
His heart felt as if someone had seized it, and his breathing grew stifled.
But Li Miaomiao was still crying. Even if he was afraid, even if he was grieving, he could not show weakness in front of her.
She was a sixteen-year-old girl. After encountering a change like this, it was already not easy for her not to break down. If the only brother she had was at a loss too, she would definitely be even more frightened.
“Brother…” Li Miaomiao called him.
“It’ll be all right,” Jiang Ye suddenly said.
Jiang Ye’s tone was steady and calm. “You’re a minor. I only just became an adult. She won’t leave us alone. Before she comes back, I’ll take care of you. Li Miaomiao, don’t cry. Go to school, eat, and sleep like usual. Do whatever you’re supposed to do. We’ll wait for her to come back together.”
Li Miaomiao stared at him. Tears the size of beans kept pouring out.
Although her grades were bad, she was not some naive fool.
She knew her brother was comforting her.
Dad was gone. Mom’s whereabouts were unknown, and she was probably in grave danger too. She was about to become a child with no father or mother.
But she also knew Jiang Ye was not much older than her. They were not even biological siblings. He had no obligation to take care of her at all.
Even if she could not be as calm as Jiang Ye, she could not drag him down.
She wiped her tears hard and said, “I won’t cry anymore.”
“Are you still going to sleep at my place?” Jin Feize asked.
Jiang Ye shook his head. “Teacher Shen sent bodyguards. There shouldn’t be any major problems.”
Jin Feize showed a disappointed expression. “Ah… but I’m so lonely by myself.”
Expressionless, Jiang Ye said, “Sorry. We still have things to do, so we won’t disturb you any longer.”
After saying that, Jiang Ye closed the door.
“Li Miaomiao,” Jiang Ye said, “I have something to tell you.”
Li Miaomiao tried hard to steady herself and asked, “What?”
Jiang Ye turned on the computer.
“Look. This is Mom’s personal homepage. It lists the papers she produced over the past few years. She said she discovered a prehistoric civilization in Western Yunnan that worshipped nothingness. The people of these tribes firmly believed that the operation of all things in the world obeyed the will of this god of nothingness.
“Do you know what ‘shaman’ means here?”
Li Miaomiao shook her head.
“It means shaman. It’s Yi language,” Jiang Ye continued. “After this paper, all of Mom’s other papers were blocked.”
“Could the internet just be bad?” Li Miaomiao asked.
Jiang Ye shook his head. He opened the homepage of the School of History at South China University and scrolled to a notice from last year.
The title was: Notice Regarding the Dismissal of Professor Jiang Ruochu from the Archaeology Department at South China University.
Jiang Ye said, “Mom was fired last year.”
Li Miaomiao froze in shock.
Jiang Ye quickly browsed the news.
“Mom’s research wasn’t supported by the academic mainstream. Many experts said she was spouting nonsense, and they said the evidence she photographed was all forged. These past few years, Dad was the one funding her so she could go to different places for field investigations.”
Worried, Li Miaomiao said, “Did Mom go crazy from doing research? Didn’t she always have anxiety? She had to take medicine every day just to fall asleep.”
“Dad mentioned an incident in 2005 in the video just now. Where did Mom go in 2005? Why can’t I find anything about it at all?”
Jiang Ye browsed Jiang Ruochu’s personal homepage. It listed her published papers by year, and he discovered she had not written a single paper between 2005 and 2009.
His intuition told him Shen Duo definitely knew the inside story, but that guy was unwilling to tell him.
Jiang Ye’s head ached as if it were splitting. He closed his eyes and pressed his temples.
Li Miaomiao was also lost.
This matter was tangled and confusing. Even Jiang Ye could not figure it out, let alone her, when her mind was already a pot of boiled paste.
Jiang Ye forced himself to search for all kinds of information. Li Miaomiao felt she should help, but did not know where to begin, so she sat blankly to the side.
She stared at the flickering computer screen in front of Jiang Ye. The pages flashed back and forth, but she did not absorb a single word.
All she saw was her father’s body without its head.
Her eyes stung, and she wanted to cry again. Afraid Jiang Ye would see, she quickly lowered her head to look at her legs.
At that moment, she suddenly discovered that her pantyhose had been ripped at some unknown point.
Li Miaomiao made a soft sound of surprise.
Beside her, Jiang Ye opened WeChat and tapped into the chat with Candy-Loving Witch.
Argos: Who exactly are you? How much do you know about my mom?
Li Miaomiao said, “Brother, I think I put on the wrong pantyhose.”
“What pantyhose?” Jiang Ye asked casually.
“Didn’t I sleep in Senior’s bedroom just now? There was originally a pair of pantyhose by his bed. Maybe his girlfriend left them there.”
What had happened today had been far too horrific and brutal. The fact that the senior she had a crush on might have a girlfriend did not hit Li Miaomiao nearly as hard. It did not stir up even the slightest ripple in her heart.
She continued, “I happened to be wearing a pair too. I took them off on the bed when I slept. When I got up, I was in such a rush that I put on the wrong pair. What should I do? This is so embarrassing.”
Li Miaomiao rambled on. It went in Jiang Ye’s left ear and out his right.
Candy-Loving Witch had not replied. Frowning, he scrolled upward through the chat history, trying to find clues to this person’s identity.
“This is the pair!” Li Miaomiao suddenly pointed at his phone.
He had just happened to scroll to the leg photo Candy-Loving Witch had sent him.
“It’s these pantyhose. Even the ripped part is exactly the same!” Li Miaomiao pointed at her thigh and showed him the rip on her leg.
Jiang Ye finally came back to himself and noticed what Li Miaomiao had just said.
The pattern of the pantyhose in the photo was identical to the pair on Li Miaomiao’s legs.
…What was going on?
Jiang Ye’s expression froze over as if sealed in ice.
Why would Jin Feize have Candy-Loving Witch’s pantyhose?
Just then, a new WeChat message popped up.
Candy-Loving Witch: I’m your precious little baby, of course~
Jiang Ye remembered the several times he and Jin Feize had happened to meet, that new scarf, the milk tea and school-area food Candy-Loving Witch showed off in her Moments, and her excellent popularity among classmates wherever she went…
Jiang Ye slowly understood something, and his expression turned very ugly.
Before, he had never thought in this direction. Now that he did, the similarities and coincidences between Candy-Loving Witch and Jin Feize lined up one by one like puzzle pieces clicking into place.
Li Miaomiao saw the WeChat chat name on Jiang Ye’s phone and recognized it as his girlfriend’s ID.
The pantyhose belonged to his girlfriend. Why would they appear in Jin Feize’s bedroom?
There was only one possibility.
Her brother’s girlfriend was two-timing him, hooking up with both her brother and Jin Feize.
Only belatedly did she realize that her brother had not only run into ghosts today, but had also been cheated on by his girlfriend.
“Brother…” Li Miaomiao asked quietly, “What should I do with these pantyhose?”
“Throw them back from the balcony,” Jiang Ye said coldly.
The balconies of Jiang Ye’s apartment and Jin Feize’s apartment were right next to each other. One toss would send them back.
Li Miaomiao did not dare make a sound. She went into the bedroom, silently took off the pantyhose, and threw them back to Jin Feize’s place from the balcony.
On the other side, Jin Feize did not receive a reply from Jiang Ye. With a swipe of his finger, he closed WeChat.
He looked at the quilt Li Miaomiao had folded, then left the bedroom and made a call to the housekeeper.
“Mr. Gao, please come to my home tomorrow and replace my bed with a new one.”
“A-Ze, what’s wrong? Was it uncomfortable to sleep in?”
“No,” he said. “Someone else slept in it. It’s dirty.”