You Mingxu took a shower and sent them a text saying not to wait for the two of them for dinner, then slipped under the covers and hugged his arm. He let out a soft "Mm," his eyes still closed, and pulled her into his embrace, continuing to sleep.
When You Mingxu woke up, it was already dark outside. The room was dim, with only a small lamp lit in the corner.
A figure sat by the edge of the bed, like a shadow in the gloom, lost in thought.
You Mingxu sat up. "Yin Feng?"
He turned his head. "Awake? Are you hungry?"
You Mingxu replied, "A little." She got up, washed her face, and felt more alert. When she walked back, she found him still sitting motionless in the same spot.
You Mingxu didn't feel like moving either. The dim light and the silence around them, as quiet as an empty valley, made her feel inexplicably melancholic. She walked over, sat down beside him, and wrapped her arms around his.
Yin Feng sighed softly, pulled her into his arms, and lay back on the bed with her.
In a daze, she asked, "Why did you sigh?"
"I want to possess you," he whispered. "Why do I want to possess you so badly? So you have nowhere to escape."
You Mingxu cursed under her breath, "Psycho."
He said, "What's wrong with being a psycho?"
She pushed him away. "I'm hungry. Let's eat first."
He hummed in agreement. "I knew you'd be hungry. I've already prepared food. It's on the table."
You Mingxu was a little surprised. He was quite capable—she hadn't heard a sound while she was asleep. He must have had the kitchen deliver it.
In the dim light, she could vaguely make out something placed on the small square table in the corner of the room.
Yin Feng said, "Turn on a light so you can see more clearly." His voice was slow and low.
Suddenly, a strange feeling gripped You Mingxu's heart. Everything around them was still quiet, with nothing out of the ordinary. He sat silently beside her. Her heartbeat quickened uncontrollably. She knew he was watching her.
"Okay," she replied.
Her hand fumbled along the wall and turned on another light, casting the room in a half-lit, half-shadowed glow.
This time, she could see clearly: on the small table was a large, semi-circular crystal cover. She could vaguely make out something inside but couldn't discern what it was.
You Mingxu glanced at Yin Feng.
His face was expressionless, and he wasn't looking at her eyes. Instead, he seemed unusually calm as he stared at... the wall.
You Mingxu's heart suddenly softened into a mess. The tension she had felt because of his gloomy mood vanished without a trace.
She suddenly laughed and said, "Do you really want me to see it? Are you sure?"
Yin Feng slowly glanced at her, then smiled too. "Of course, I'm sure. But are you brave enough to look?"
You Mingxu said, "Why wouldn't I be?"
Just as she was about to get up and lift the cover, Yin Feng's gaze remained fixed on her. But at that moment, her phone rang. Yin Feng frowned and said, "You Mingxu, do you dare answer it?"
You Mingxu chuckled. "Don't throw a tantrum!" She picked up the phone but froze when she saw the caller ID.
It was Ding Xiongwei.
When Ding Xiongwei called during his vacation, it was never good news.
She looked up and met Yin Feng's icy gaze. Quickly, she said, "Sorry, just a moment." She answered the call, and after just a sentence or two, her expression changed drastically.
Ding Xiongwei said, "Something's happened at Mengshan's house!"
—
The sun slanted westward, casting a golden glow on the wooden floor. The rhythmic "thump, thump, thump" of a basketball echoed brightly across the court.Xu Mengshan wiped the sweat from his forehead, sitting on the sidelines gulping down water as he stared blankly at the people still playing on the court.
A childhood friend came over, sat down beside him, and nudged his arm. "What do you think of her?"
Xu Mengshan followed his gaze to the edge of the court nearby, where several girls were watching the game. Among them was a slender, pretty girl who seemed to be looking in their direction. He had noticed earlier that she had clear eyes and an elegant demeanor.
Most of his buddies were already married, leaving Xu Mengshan as the only single one left.
Xu Mengshan tilted his head back to finish the water, then violently crushed the plastic bottle. "Let's talk about it later."
His friend persisted, "What do you mean 'later'? You're not getting any younger, and your parents are hoping every day. She seems to like you too. Even though you're a bit reserved around girls, there's still hope if you put in some effort."
Xu Mengshan chuckled. Reserved? If only you knew how playful and lively I used to be around girls.
Seeing his silence, the friend grabbed his arm. "Come on, let's all go have dinner together. Give it a try, huh? It's not like we're asking you to sacrifice your chastity tonight."
Xu Mengshan didn't move, wearing a faint, ambiguous smile. "Enough, don't drag me along today. I promised to have dinner at my parents' place. I just finished a case and haven't been back in a long time."
His friend asked, "Really?"
Xu Mengshan replied, "I swear."
His friend sighed and said, "Alright then. But next time, you have to come."
Xu Mengshan grunted in agreement.
Xu Mengshan's parents also lived in the city, but since housing in the urban area was too expensive, they lived further out, almost at the edge of the neighboring county. By the time Xu Mengshan reached his parents' building, it was just getting dark. Humming a tune, he climbed the stairs. Seeing the familiar door, he felt a sense of comfort and pulled out his keys.
The door opened. Xu Mengshan, still agitated by the way the girl had looked at him that afternoon, felt an impulse to turn and run. He didn't look up as he took a few steps inside, then suddenly froze from head to toe.
The smell of blood.
He smelled a thick, pervasive odor of blood.
Xu Mengshan jerked his head up, momentarily unable to process what he was seeing.
Blood.
Blood everywhere.
On the walls.
On the table.
On the floor.
A silent, blinding crimson.
His parents' living room wasn't large. The once white walls were now stained all over. Splatters and drops of red, as if smeared by a wicked hand. It was like countless eerie, crimson flowers blooming silently around him.
A bone-chilling cold surged from the depths of Xu Mengshan's heart. His limbs felt stiff, and a hoarse roar tore from the deepest part of his throat: "Dad—Mom—"
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