After Yang Chaoyu returned home, she collapsed onto the sofa.
Sure enough, her physical constitution was still far too weak. If she wanted to stay alive, she had to strengthen her body through exercise.
Also, when she left, the grandfather watching the door had told her that if she was truly interested in Wen Shaoqiao's affairs, she could look for his daughter. His daughter had opened a board game store nearby, and he told Yang Chaoyu to stop by and ask about it when she had time.
Yang Chaoyu was somewhat suspicious of the grandfather's motives—he was probably only saying that to advertise his daughter's store. But she also found it difficult to refuse.
Come to think of it, rather than asking unrelated people, she might as well find out where Wen Shaoqiao's family lived and pay them a direct visit. However, considering how secretive Wen Shaoqiao's parents were, finding their current address would be extremely difficult. The little money she had painstakingly obtained might not be enough at all.
At once, she felt that MN's pay was a little too low.
After all, Streamers like them were risking their lives.
At that thought, she curled up farther into the sofa. She was not particularly opposed to having joined MN Corporation.
In fact, when she realized last night that Room 1302 might have merely been a hallucination, she had even felt a moment of disappointment.
She seemed to... not understand herself very well.
After a bout of wild thoughts, she gradually fell asleep on the sofa.
A sharp stabbing pain spread across her face, jolting her awake from her dreams.
She felt that she had not slept for long, but it was already completely dark outside. Just then, her phone vibrated, indicating that she had received a text message. A moment later, the screen lit up, displaying the latest message from MN.
【MN】reward delivered. Please open the door to receive it.
Yang Chaoyu's head was still somewhat hazy, and she subconsciously walked toward the door.
It was only after opening the door that she drew in a sharp breath.
A perfectly square box sat on the welcome mat.
Yet there was no one in sight.
The chilly draft from the hallway slipped into her collar. She leaned out again to check whether anyone was hiding around the corner.
She secretly warned herself: she could not open the door so carelessly in the future.
This world was very dangerous.
Only after confirming that no one was hiding around either bend did she carry the box back inside.
At first glance, she thought MN had sent her a microwave oven, but unexpectedly, the box was extremely light. After closing the door, she placed the box on the living room's coffee table and cut it open with a small knife.
When she saw another box inside, Yang Chaoyu developed an ominous feeling.
Could this be... nested-doll packaging?
Sure enough, after opening four or five boxes, she finally saw a small black velvet box placed at the very center. The box was about the size of her palm and exquisitely made. Inside was something resembling a card.
When Yang Chaoyu picked it up, she was careless and cut a wound across her fingertip.
She hissed, placed her thumb in her mouth to stop the bleeding, then turned over the blood-stained card.
The card depicted a bright and sunny girl.
The girl's face looked extremely familiar.
Yang Chaoyu stared at it for a while before suddenly realizing that the girl on the card looked about eighty percent like Wen Shaoqiao. The Wen Shaoqiao she had seen in Room 1302 and in the news already looked around ten years old, whereas the girl on this card was probably only five or six.
She looked at it for a while longer, then glanced at her thumb. Feeling that getting blood on it was rather unlucky, she pulled out a tissue and wiped the edge of the card.
After examining it from every angle, she remained somewhat uncertain.
What did this card mean?
She opened her phone and looked at the word “reward” in MN's text message, then glanced at the card in her hand.
Was this... some kind of memento?
Yang Chaoyu: It just feels a little like a supernatural phenomenon.
Unable to figure it out, she set the card down and began tidying up the package. After arranging the boxes by size, she discovered that the interiors were covered with many things resembling seals. The smaller the box, the more densely and broadly the inside was covered, giving it the feeling of a seal.
She looked at them a couple more times but did not pay them any mind.
While turning the outer packaging around, she tried to find a shipping label so she could cross out the address and phone number. But after looking several times without finding one, she gave up.
“MN Corporation probably delivers things personally. There isn't a shipping label.”
She explained it to herself this way, then glanced at the time.
It was already past the early hours.
By that calculation, she might have slept for more than five hours earlier. Yet her body still felt heavy, as if that sleep had merely been an illusion.
She hurriedly washed up, then fell asleep almost the instant she touched the bed.
Early morning.
She awoke amid an intensely rich milky fragrance.
There was some movement in the living room. Listening to it, she guessed that Wen Xiaoxiao had arrived.
Her memory was not particularly good, and she often forgot to bring her keys, so she had asked Wen Xiaoxiao to keep a spare key in case of emergencies.
Dragging her shoes along as she walked out of the bedroom, she saw an unfamiliar figure from behind in the living room and froze for a moment.
The person, however, turned around upon hearing the noise and smiled brightly.
“Master, you're awake?”
Without time to complain about the way she was addressed, Yang Chaoyu turned to stone where she stood.
“Wen Shaoqiao, what are you doing in my home?”
Wen Shaoqiao giggled and took two steps toward Yang Chaoyu, who could not help retreating.
She also glanced at the brightly lit window. Seeing that Wen Shaoqiao seemed to have a shadow, she could not help asking, “Are you human or a ghost?”
Wen Shaoqiao tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, “By today's standards, you can think of me as a paper person.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Chaoyu looked toward the living room's coffee table.
The card that she had casually placed beside the black box had disappeared.
She opened her mouth wide, unable to say anything.
She had already experienced what happened in Room 1302, so she felt that she should have developed some immunity to these matters “not spoken of by Confucius.” But when it actually happened to her, she realized that she had been far too naïve.
Her calves were trembling violently, and the shaking spread throughout her entire body. She wanted to suppress it, but her body had a mind of its own.
Yang Chaoyu exhaled and tried her best to remain calm. “So are you alive, or...?”
She had her reservations, but Wen Shaoqiao was extremely straightforward. “I'm already dead.”
Yang Chaoyu subconsciously asked, “Were you murdered?”
Wen Shaoqiao thought for a moment, then clutched her head and said, “I don't remember. My memories feel as if someone dug them out.”
“What do you remember, then?”
“I remember crawling into your body in the early hours yesterday.”
Yang Chaoyu: “...”
Just as the two of them stared at each other, a knock came from the door.
Yang Chaoyu did not go to open it immediately. Instead, she subconsciously glanced at her phone. Its screen was black, with no message notification. She still did not want to open the door, because Wen Shaoqiao was standing near the microwave oven, which was also near the entrance. If she went over, she would gradually draw closer to Wen Shaoqiao.
Her legs were still shaking, and she truly did not dare.
As she hesitated, the sound of a lock turning came from the door, and Wen Xiaoxiao's pretty face appeared behind it.
Seeing Yang Chaoyu standing at the bedroom entrance, she furrowed her brows. “The sun is already high, and you're still not up? You're far too lazy. Have you not gone to any interviews lately?”
She changed her shoes at the entrance, only then noticing Wen Shaoqiao.
Wen Xiaoxiao felt that the girl looked somewhat familiar. Before she could ask, Wen Shaoqiao cheerfully said, “master, is this your friend?”
In an instant, the look Wen Xiaoxiao gave Yang Chaoyu changed.
A strange aura spread through the air.
If an aura could become manifestation, it would probably look as if thick dark clouds had gathered above Wen Xiaoxiao's head, with faint thunder rumbling in the distance, while flashes of violet lightning periodically struck toward Yang Chaoyu!
Yang Chaoyu had a premonition: if she did not explain herself quickly, she might be beaten senseless by the hidden violent criminal before her—Wen Xiaoxiao.
Thus, she immediately raised both hands and said, “Calm down. Listen to my explanation first!”