Lin Shuhuai struggled to pull his suitcase out from under the seat and stood in the middle of the aisle, waiting for the people in front to get off the train.
Boxi Station was a major stop with quite a few passengers getting on and off, so Lin Shuhuai could only wait patiently. Dragging his suitcase, he moved his steps forward little by little, like a turtle walking.
Just as he was about to reach the carriage connection area, Lin Shuhuai felt his wrist gripped by a pair of large, ice-cold hands. The strength in these hands was immense, leaving Lin Shuhuai unable to break free. Moreover, the hands seemed to have an intention of moving upward.
Lin Shuhuai’s heart, which had just settled down, hung in suspense once more. He whipped his head back, wanting to find the owner of these hands. However, the exact moment he turned his head, the hands on his wrist vanished without leaving a single trace behind.
At this time, the carriage aisle was packed with people waiting to disembark. Some people were standing on the seats, helping those beside them fetch their luggage. The sounds of conversation and luggage handling filled the entire carriage. The crowd pushed forward, with passengers in the back squeezing against the passengers in front.
Lin Shuhuai’s height was over one hundred and eighty centimeters, taller than most people. Therefore, he could clearly see the faces of the passengers behind him.
Having been seated in the carriage for a long time, some passengers already showed tired expressions. Seeing Lin Shuhuai’s gaze, they did not even lift an eyelid and simply continued doing their own things.
Lin Shuhuai looked around his surroundings, but he failed to find any suitable suspect.
“Hurry up and move!” The passenger behind him saw that he was not moving and hurriedly urged him.
“My apologies.” Lin Shuhuai nodded in apology. He withdrew his gaze and headed forward while carrying his suitcase.
Perhaps I have been too exhausted recently, which caused me to experience hallucinations and false perceptions. After the funeral is over, I should go see a doctor again. He comforted himself in his heart and prepared to find time to visit a doctor.
A few minutes later, he dragged his suitcase off the train.
“Hey, long time no see!” Just as he reached the exit, Lin Shuhuai felt his shoulder get patted by someone.
In the next second, a guy with yellow hair suddenly popped out from the side. Lin Shuhuai could not dodge in time, startled by the enlarged face in front of him, and hurriedly took a few steps back.
“Why such a big reaction? Don’t you recognize me anymore?” Yellow Hair laughed loudly, placing his hand on Lin Shuhuai’s shoulder.
Lin Shuhuai focused his gaze and realized it was an acquaintance, letting out a long sigh of relief. “Bing Hua, it turns out to be you. You gave me quite a scare. Do you walk without making any sound now?”
“Hahaha, I saw you up ahead and wanted to launch a sneak attack. Who knew you would still be as cowardly as when you were little.” Bing Hua scratched his head and smiled in embarrassment.
Bing Hua was his playmate from childhood. They had taken the college entrance examination for A City together, except Bing Hua’s grades were ordinary, so he got into a regular university. After that, their relationship began to fade. Up until now, they only exchanged a few greetings with each other during holidays.
“Speaking of which, why did you come back? Didn’t you decide never to return to Lin Family Village? Could it be that you also came back to attend the funeral?” Bing Hua changed the subject and asked him.
“Mm.” Lin Shuhuai answered faintly, “I came back to pick up a few things. Someone will come pick me up in a moment.” His expression was calm as he spoke simply.
Bing Hua scratched his head, already used to his cold attitude. “Well, hehe, could you give me a ride? I want to catch a lift back.”
“Alright.” Lin Shuhuai answered.
Seeming to feel a bit stuffy, Lin Shuhuai pulled down his mask to get some fresh air. The fair lower half of his face was exposed to the air, his rosy lips making his skin appear even paler.
“You are still as good-looking as when you were little.” Bing Hua’s eyes contained a look of amazement, and he uttered these words in a daze.
When Lin Shuhuai was little, he kept long hair and was always mistaken for a girl. At that time, Bing Hua did not know him yet and mistook Lin Shuhuai for his future wife the very first time he saw him. He had even thrown a tantrum with his mother, demanding to marry Lin Shuhuai, which caused a lot of jokes back then.
Amidst their conversation, a woman’s voice came over.
“Lin Shuhuai, Lin Shuhuai, over here!”
Lin Shuhuai looked in the direction of the sound and saw a middle-aged woman walking toward him. The woman was slightly chubby, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt with a piece of black cloth stamped with a lotus tied around her arm.
“I waited for you at the West Gate for half a day without seeing you. I thought you missed your station. I did not expect you to be at the North Gate.” Second Aunt Lin said as she grabbed Lin Shuhuai’s suitcase and dragged it away.
“Second Aunt…” Lin Shuhuai parted his lips, wanting to interrupt Second Aunt Lin’s actions. But Second Aunt Lin acted as if she had not heard his words, forcefully pulling his suitcase over and dragging it forward.
Lin Shuhuai frowned, but he did not stop Second Aunt Lin’s actions either. He still needed to return to the village and could not fall out with them right now.
Bing Hua grinned broadly, revealing his bright white teeth inside. He stepped up to Second Aunt Lin and said with a smile, “Second Aunt, I am a good friend of Brother Lin. I am also returning to Lin Village this time. Could you let me catch a ride?”
If one ignored his head of yellow hair, Bing Hua’s looks could definitely be considered easy on the eyes. He had a baby face, looking like a high school student, which was extremely pleasing to elders.
However, the moment Second Aunt Lin saw him, her expression changed instantly, “Who are you? Why are you standing so close to Lin Shuhuai, and what is your relationship with him? Your hair is yellowish and messy, making you look like an improper person at first glance.”
Bing Hua was between laughter and tears, “Second Aunt, I am Xiao Hua. Do you not recognize me anymore? I was even held in your arms when I was little!”
After listening to Bing Hua’s words, Second Aunt Lin suddenly realized, “You are the youngest child of the Bing family. I have not seen you for a long time, and you have grown so big.” As she spoke, her tone softened slightly, but her face still carried an indifferent expression.
Second Aunt Lin sized Bing Hua up and down, her murky eyes rolling around constantly, and she even let out clicking noises with her tongue, as if calculating something in her heart.
Bing Hua felt immensely awkward at this moment, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. His eyes drifted around, colliding unexpectedly with Second Aunt Lin’s gaze.
He saw her staring at him eerily. That gaze was like a hungry wolf ready to swallow him into her stomach at any moment. Bing Hua was startled in his heart and could not hold back a shiver.
“Keep up then.” Second Aunt Lin rolled her eyes at him. Afterward, she switched to a different expression and turned her head to look at Lin Shuhuai.
“Ah, walk this way. Your brother and I have been waiting for you for a long time.” Second Aunt Lin said, walking forward.
Taking advantage of her inattention, Bing Hua quietly leaned close to Lin Shuhuai’s ear and whispered softly, “Your family relative is way too creepy. I feel that something is wrong, so we had better be careful.”
“Mm.” Lin Shuhuai nodded.
Strange, it is too strange. Why do I feel like there is an evil aura on her? Was she like this in the past?
He had also noticed Second Aunt Lin’s expression just now. Her expression was far too wrong, her entire person exuding an indescribable weirdness.
He could not equate the Second Aunt Lin in front of his eyes with the Second Aunt Lin in his memories.
“It is fine. Let us observe the situation first.” Lin Shuhuai suppressed the unease in his heart and followed along.
Bing Hua clicked his tongue and strode forward to catch up. Suddenly, he felt a gust of cold wind blow past his ear, followed by a heavy force striking him. Caught unprepared, Bing Hua fell flat on the ground.
Lying on the ground, he raised his head and looked behind him. He saw that the area behind him was completely empty, without even a human silhouette in sight. There was only a fallen leaf swaying as it drifted down from the air to the ground.
They rode in a minivan. Aside from Lin Shuhuai and Bing Hua, there were quite a few other people sitting in the vehicle. These people were dressed just like Second Aunt Lin, wearing black cloth strips around their arms. Lin Shuhuai estimated that they were all people from the same village.
The moment the two of them entered the vehicle, the people inside looked at them in unison, their gazes sending a chill down one’s spine.
Lin Shuhuai felt inexplicably that these people were here to keep watch on him. The vigilance and unease in his heart grew stronger.
However, his mind soon had no extra space to carefully investigate further.
Because the vehicle had started moving.
The driver was an old hand who drove extremely fast. Meanwhile, the journey to Lin Family Village was far too long and bumpy, taking several hours to complete. The minivan’s windows were closed tightly and airtight, leaving the outside situation completely invisible.
Lin Shuhuai felt as though he was sealed inside a large box filled with the smell of gasoline, leaving him unable to catch his breath.
Leaning against his seat, Lin Shuhuai only felt his head growing dizzy while his stomach churned continuously. He wanted to vomit but could not throw anything up.
The surrounding people were still chatteringly discussing matters, which made him feel even dizzier. He could only close his eyes and forcefully endure the discomfort.
Suddenly, Lin Shuhuai felt a soft laugh sound by his ear. Following that, a pair of ice-cold hands pressed against his temples, rubbing them gently.
The ice-cold sensation traveled from his skin into his brain, dispersing the discomfort in his heart.
“Mm.” Lin Shuhuai let out a comfortable, quiet hum, his furrowed brows gradually smoothing out.
Suddenly, the pressure on his temples intensified slightly, and there seemed to be a heavy breathing sound lightly brushing past his ear. However, this feeling lasted for only a single second before vanishing without a trace.
With his eyes closed and his head resting against the headrest, his brain was so muddled that he did not notice this abnormality at all.
“Achoo! Why is it so cold? Old Wang, you aren’t so stingy with gasoline money that you didn’t turn on the air conditioner, right?” One of the villagers rubbed his hands together and shivered.
“Bullshit! Am I short of your little bit of money? You are such a weakling that you can’t even stand this temperature.” Wang Tie cursed, but he also felt that the temperature inside the vehicle had dropped significantly, to the point where goosebumps had raised on his hands.
Strange, I clearly remember the temperature was just right. Wang Tie grumbled in his heart while turning the air conditioner higher.
The temperature inside the vehicle gradually returned to normal.
Wang Tie continued to drive, his gaze shifting upward. Suddenly, Wang Tie’s body went stiff. Through the rear-view mirror, he saw a man who did not belong in this vehicle.
The man’s face seemed to be covered in a layer of black mist, allowing only the outline of his facial features to be seen. Even so, one could guess that the man possessed handsome features.
His frame was broad, holding Lin Shuhuai tightly in his arms like a hungry wolf guarding its food, allowing no one else to peek at it. His hands massaged the young man’s temples, helping to ease his discomfort.
Under his technique, the corners of the young man’s lips in his arms curved upward into an arch.
Lin Shuhuai simply leaned in the man’s arms like a little black cat, tucking away his claws, gentle and obedient. His dark red lips glistened with luster, tempting one to knead them.
Wang Tie’s throat moved up and down as he instinctively swallowed his saliva.
Seeming to notice Wang Tie’s gaze, the man looked toward the rear-view mirror. His gaze was fierce and violent, carrying a deep sense of warning. Wang Tie’s entire body froze, unable to move even a single finger.
He had an illusion that he would be torn apart by the man at any moment.
It’s over, I have encountered an unclean thing. Only this single thought remained in Wang Tie’s mind. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his heart was beating violently.
His palms sweated slightly, and his hands holding the steering wheel began to waver. It was not until a sharp turn came that Wang Tie managed to break free from that terrifying gaze.
When he looked into the rear-view mirror once again, the man had long since vanished.
The journey was very long. The asphalt road turned into a dirt road, and they finally arrived at Lin Family Village.
“We are here, we are here! Everyone wake up.” Wang Tie opened the car door and urged everyone to get out of the vehicle.
Lin Shuhuai opened his eyes, let out a few low coughs, and then dragged his suitcase out of the vehicle.