The Company

Chapter 8 Dumb Shop · Aquamarine Jade

Ning Qiqi was awakened by pain, a sharp agony from her waist making her gasp sharply.

She opened her eyes to see rotating laser lights sweeping overhead, with Beyoncé's "Listen" echoing in her ears.

Oh right, she had made plans to sing at a KTV with friends today. But why was she lying on the floor with such intense pain in her waist?

Tch, the smell here was still unbearable. Besides the cigarette smoke, there seemed to be another foul odor. Like the scent of blood.

Ning Qiqi tried to get up but realized someone else was lying beside her. She naturally turned her head and froze. Because the person lying face-to-face with her—was herself!

Ning Qiqi saw her own eyes wide open, dilated pupils reflecting nothing, face deathly pale with a bluish tint, hair disheveled, looking utterly lifeless... Strange, why was there a mirror wall in the private room? And why did she look so deathly?

Was it because she had rushed out too hastily today without properly grooming herself? Ning Qiqi laughed self-deprecatingly, but suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

She had clearly smiled, but the reflection hadn't smiled!

This wasn't a mirror!

Ning Qiqi abruptly sat up and immediately saw "her" chest pierced by a fruit knife. The white ruffled blouse—her favorite—now made the chest wound appear even more horrifying. Thick, uncoagulated blood still slowly seeped from the chest, soaking the already crimson carpet. The laser lights scattering throughout the room ironically illuminated "her" body, creating a terrifying beauty.

"Listen to the sound from deep within. It's only beginning to find release..." Beyoncé's voice flowed quietly through the private room.

Ning Qiqi wanted to scream, but she couldn't find her voice. Was she already dead? Was she now a Specter? But why could she still feel the pain in her waist?

Summoning courage, Ning Qiqi reached out toward the "herself" lying beside her, but stopped before touching "her" face. Because what she extended was a distinctly bony, masculine hand!

Ning Qiqi stared blankly at the hand before her, wanting to move the fingers, and found the hand's fingers moving accordingly. As Ning Qiqi trembled, the hand trembled too.

Ning Qiqi stiffly turned her head and saw in the soundproof wall's reflective glass a frightened, unfamiliar man's face... No, not completely unfamiliar—where had she seen this man before!

Hanging on the man's chest was a pendant—a crucified Christ suffering on the cross. Christ Jesus' body was carved from pale jade, the agony of Jesus' crucifixion rendered so vividly, even the blood on his body...

Blood? Wait!

Ning Qiqi stared in horror at the slender, pale hand before her, now covered in fresh, warm crimson blood."The song 'Listen' kept playing on repeat in the private room. After countless repetitions, Ning Qiqi finally trembled as she reached out her hand, stubbornly checking for breath under "her own" nose, desperately confirming that "she" was indeed dead.

She had no memory of what happened earlier. She only remembered coming to the KTV with friends, stepping out to use the restroom, then returning to the wrong room where she seemed to have seen something... then... then she woke up in pain...

How she died, how she became a man - she knew none of it...

After calming down slightly, Ning Qiqi found herself facing an even greater mystery - the room contained only her corpse and her current self, while her new body had a stab wound in the waist. Certain she couldn't be the murderer, the only suspect left was the man she now inhabited! Meaning she was now both victim and perpetrator?

Ning Qiqi sat dazed for a while before mechanically pulling tissues from "her own" pants pocket. After carefully wiping the fingerprints off the fruit knife and the blood from her hands, she stood up and grabbed the long trench coat hanging on the wall. Without daring to cast a final glance at "herself" lying on the floor, she put on the coat to cover the waist wound and walked out with her head lowered.

She remembered this KTV had a back door leading directly to a secluded alley... Walking anxiously with her head down, Ning Qiqi could only shuffle slowly due to the waist injury.

"Sir, have you seen a girl? Wearing a white shirt, not too tall, quite cute?" Suddenly someone stopped her.

Ning Qiqi looked up in panic to see it was her good friend Luo Jia! Apparently she'd been gone too long, prompting Luo Jia to come looking for her.

"Sir?" Luo Jia found this person's gaze somewhat strange. Though quite handsome, his face carried a pallid tone that felt unsettling. And there was something familiar about him...

Ning Qiqi looked down at her, lips parting as if to explain everything that had happened, but reason stopped her from speaking. Finally, Ning Qiqi shook her head and said with difficulty: "Sorry, haven't seen her." The voice coming from her mouth was somewhat hoarse, yet deep and pleasant.

Luo Jia frowned, scrutinizing Ning Qiqi in her new male body, clearly growing suspicious of this questionable-looking man.

Knowing Luo Jia's passion for detective novels - with Conan being her favorite - Ning Qiqi feared she might uncover something. Not daring to delay, she pushed past Luo Jia and hurried toward the KTV's back door. Descending the dim staircase into the quiet alley, she could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground. Lifting the trench coat under the faint light, she saw the waist wound had soaked the entire shirt with blood, her pants similarly drenched. Ning Qiqi knew her life hung by a thread - without immediate treatment, she'd soon die a second time. Yet in her current situation, going to the hospital was absolutely impossibleAt that moment, her phone suddenly rang from inside her trench coat.

"Listen, I am alone at a crossroads. I'm not at home in my own home..." The ringtone turned out to be Beyoncé's "Listen," so loud the entire alley could hear it.

Damn it! She didn't want to be discovered!

Ning Qiqi fumbled to turn off her phone when someone seemed to crouch in front of her. Dazed from excessive blood loss, she helplessly reached out and murmured, "Don't take me to the hospital... Save me..."

The other person seemed to say something, but Ning Qiqi couldn't make it out clearly.

Before losing consciousness, she seemed to hear Luo Jia's terrified scream, followed by the piercing sound of police sirens rushing toward her direction.

"You've picked up another strange thing." The Boss looked up from behind the counter and said indifferently.

"It's not a thing—it's a person! Seems like he was stabbed by a thug in the alley, but his wallet and phone weren't stolen." The Doctor unceremoniously laid the man he'd picked up on the shop's rosewood table, examining the stab wound on his waist.

The Boss frowned, not because of the gruesome wound but out of concern that the Ming Dynasty rosewood table with coiling patterns and gold inlay might get stained and be impossible to clean. "Why not take him to the hospital?"

"He said not to go to the hospital while he was unconscious. Luckily, I just got back from a house call and had my first aid kit with me." The Doctor removed the man's upper garment entirely. "Boss, can't you make your shop brighter? How can I handle an emergency in such dim light?"

"If you're not satisfied, feel free to leave." The Boss lazily glanced over, but his gaze suddenly froze.

Ah, I'll have to make do. The Doctor sighed but suddenly noticed the Boss standing before him, staring intently at the necklace pendant on the man's chest.

Curious, the Doctor looked over. "A crucifix? Made of jade? How strange... Though I still wear a Longevity Lock..." As he spoke, his hands moved swiftly and skillfully without interruption.

"This isn't ordinary jade—it's Aquamarine jade." The Boss pulled out a fist-sized Night-Shining Pearl from somewhere, instantly illuminating the previously dim room.

"What kind of jade is Aquamarine jade?" The Doctor was delighted and used tweezers to tug the Boss's fingers toward his direction.

"'Jade the color of mountain darkness yet patterned, like water's deep blue yet patterned.' This phrase contains the names of two types of jade: Mountain Dark Jade and Aquamarine jade. In ancient times, feudal lords and dukes wore Mountain Dark Jade, while officials and scholars wore Aquamarine jade." The Boss narrowed his eyes, leaning in to carefully examine the blood-stained crucifix.

Watching the Boss's eyes gleam with the Night-Shining Pearl's green reflection, the Doctor thought the Boss seemed eager to claim the crucifix for himself? No way, this man isn't dead yet! How could he kill for treasure? The Doctor cleared his throat lightly, speeding up his suturing while continuing to ask, "You're talking about ancient China, right? But this is a crucifix? Could it be that official liked foreign trinkets?""Daniel, Chapter 10, Verse 6: The body of our Lord Christ is aquamarine jade... Huh, what an interesting antique. Aquamarine jade possesses the strongest soul-absorption capability, often allowing wandering spirits to attach themselves to it... Eh? This jade material seems somewhat familiar..." The Boss was murmuring something behind him, but the Doctor didn't catch a single word, completely focused on suturing the wound on the man's waist.

The moment she opened her eyes, Ning Qiqi felt as if she had awakened from some vague nightmare.

She had actually dreamed that she died, and then possessed a murderer's body!

"You're awake?" A cool male voice suddenly spoke, startling the dazed Ning Qiqi. She then came to her senses and began examining her surroundings.

The room was illuminated only by flickering dim lights. The antiques within her line of sight left Ning Qiqi gaping in astonishment. If not for the man sitting behind the counter holding a newly published bestseller, she would have thought she had traveled through time.

Ning Qiqi tried to sit up, only then noticing another person lying on the recliner beside her, fast asleep with an exhausted expression - likely the person she encountered before losing consciousness. Seeing the IV drip in her hand, she realized he had saved her.

"Thank you..." As soon as Ning Qiqi spoke, she was startled by her own voice. Although she had already realized she wasn't her former self, hearing herself produce a male voice was still unacceptable.

"Hello, this is Dumb Shop. I'm the Boss." The man behind the counter stood up. He was wearing a black Mao Suit with a vividly embroidered Crimson Dragon on his right shoulder, its piercing dragon eyes seeming to stare intently at her. A breeze blew through, making her realize her upper body was completely bare. She gasped and quickly wrapped the blanket around herself.

Though seeing a grown man making such girlish, bashful movements was rather... disgusting, even if her current body was male, she still wasn't accustomed to being shirtless! Just as Ning Qiqi was at a loss about what to do, the Boss suddenly spoke words that stunned her.

"Miss, could you tell me what happened?"

Ning Qiqi quickly lifted the blanket to check - she hadn't changed back! How could this person tell she was actually female?

"Pfft, Boss, where are your eyes? Calling this grown man a 'miss'?" The Doctor hadn't been sleeping deeply and had woken up when Ning Qiqi rose. Putting on his glasses, he checked the patient's condition and frowned, "Although I've sutured your wound, for safety's sake, you should still go to the hospital."

Ning Qiqi completely ignored his words, instead stammering as she asked the Boss, "H-how did you know I'm a girl?"

The Doctor happened to be changing the bandages at that moment. Facing that flat chest, he was thunderstruck, "Y-you're a girl?" No matter how he looked, the person before him appeared to be a complete man!

"I believe it's all because of this aquamarine jade Christ statue you're carrying on your person," the Boss said calmly. "You can tell me what happened to you. Perhaps I can help."Ning Qiqi hesitated for a long moment before finally revealing the entire incident she had encountered to the two of them. Recalling the overwhelming terror of opening her eyes to see her own corpse, she couldn't hold back her tears.

The Doctor watched as this 1.8-meter-tall, burly man wept like a delicate flower, clenching his fists and rubbing his eyes with an almost coquettish innocence, causing goosebumps to rise on his skin. But after she finished her story, he still pulled out a tissue and handed it over. "So, you're actually a murderer now?"

"I'm the victim! Wait... you believe what I said?" Ning Qiqi stopped crying, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Yes, I believe you." The Doctor glanced at the Boss standing beside him. It wasn't that he believed her, but that he trusted the Boss. Though the matter of soul transference was bizarre, he had witnessed even stranger things around the Boss.

Suddenly, the Doctor frowned. Had the red Dragon on the Boss's clothing just moved? He swore the tail had twitched! That was impossible, right? The Doctor took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes—he must be seeing things from lack of sleep.

"Excuse me, is there a mirror here?" Ning Qiqi let out a soft sigh. Though she couldn't be sure these two truly believed her story, having someone to confide in had lifted a weight from her heart.

The Boss nodded and retrieved an ancient bronze mirror from a nearby curio shelf.

Ning Qiqi took a deep breath and turned the mirror over. In the blurred reflection, a handsome face emerged—elegant and refined, appearing just over twenty years old, and somehow familiar.

Ning Qiqi suddenly recalled someone and set down the mirror in shock.

The Doctor picked up the book the Boss had been reading from the counter and handed it to Ning Qiqi. "That's right. If I'm not mistaken, this recently bestselling mystery novel, Listen, was written by 'you'."

On the back cover was printed a dashing, spirited face—identical to the one she had just seen in the bronze mirror.

Ning Qiqi stared at the mirror before her. The full-length mirror reflected a handsome but pale-faced man, so clear she could even see his eyelashes distinctly, leaving her no room for denial.

They said the person in the mirror was named Xiao Ji—the renowned mystery novelist Xiao Ji.

Ning Qiqi was now at the Doctor's home. The kind-hearted Doctor had taken her in, and the wound on her waist had begun to heal. The Doctor went out to work during the day, leaving her alone in the modest-sized house.

Yet, she always felt she wasn't truly alone—a sensation that grew stronger whenever she looked in the mirror. Ning Qiqi gazed at the face in the reflection as if confronting a stranger, yet this stranger's expression shifted with her own.

She couldn't resist touching the Aquamarine jade crucifix hanging on her chest. The Boss had said her soul had possessed Xiao Ji's body because of this pendant, but it looked utterly ordinary.

"I must be dreaming..." Ning Qiqi frowned and sighed.

"I'd rather it were a dream," a sudden voice echoed in the room. Ning Qiqi felt the crucifix in her palm grow warm, and when she focused, she was startled to find another person had appeared in the mirror!"Ah!" she screamed, falling to the ground. When she looked ahead, there was no one there—only emptiness. But as her gaze returned to the mirror, a man identical to her current body stood elegantly, slightly leaning forward to look at her awkward state lying on the ground.

"Tsk, at least I'm this handsome—don't waste my body!" the person sighed exaggeratedly.

Now there were two Xiao Jis in the mirror: one solid and one ethereal. The person had the same smile, same features, and even wore the same clothes as her reflection, but appeared semi-transparent, like a ghost.

"You... are you Xiao Ji?" Ning Qiqi felt she had grown resilient enough to handle any situation calmly. So even seeing a ghost in broad daylight didn't faze her much; she just glanced around to confirm the ghost was only visible in the mirror, not in the air.

"Yes, I'm Xiao Ji, the rightful owner of the body you're in now. Hey, little girl, do you know what exactly happened?" The semi-transparent Xiao Ji frowned, looking equally puzzled.

Ning Qiqi helplessly recounted the whole story, hoping Xiao Ji could tell her what had occurred!

"Murderer!" Ning Qiqi gritted her teeth.

Xiao Ji froze, then clutched his stomach and laughed heartily. "You think I'm the murderer? Although I don't remember what happened either, I'm quite sure I wouldn't be bored enough to go sing alone in a KTV room."

Ning Qiqi was stunned. "You mean... the real murderer is someone else? But I... I even wiped the fingerprints off the murder weapon..."

"I only remember it was my first day in this city. Everything after that is a blank." Xiao Ji stroked his chin, thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers and grinned casually. "No matter if we don't remember—let's go check out the scene!"

"The scene?" Ning Qiqi furrowed her brows tightly, partly afraid to revisit the place where she died, and partly... "Aren't you afraid the police will arrest you?"

"After all, I write mystery novels—I should be able to spot some clues. Let's go, let's go!" The Xiao Ji in the mirror crouched down to meet Ning Qiqi's eye level, patted her head, and beamed brightly.

Though it should have been impossible to feel anything, looking at Xiao Ji's smile in the mirror, Ning Qiqi truly felt as if a warm, solid hand had patted her head, filling her with courage.

"Oh, right, before we go out, shave the beard and change into some clothes. Make me look handsome, okay!"

Ning Qiqi stared at the cheerful Xiao Ji in the mirror, unsure what to say.

In the mirror, the two shared identical faces. One was gloomy, the other all smiles.

On the way to the crime scene, recalling the terrifying moment she opened her eyes to see her own corpse, Ning Qiqi shivered with cold fear. The bit of courage she had mustered earlier had vanished without a trace.

Only the warmth from the Aquamarine jade crucifix on her chest remained.

She knew Xiao Ji was always by her side, but she couldn't see him—only catching glimpses of his frowning profile occasionally in passing glass or mirrors.It turned out she wasn't the only one feeling lost. He wasn't as indifferent as he appeared to be.

Did he have parents? Did he have friends? Was there someone he loved? And his readers—now that he was dead, would they grieve for him?

At least she still had her body—she could speak, move around, and communicate with others. But he was left with only a soul—no one could see him, no one could hear his voice, no one could prove his existence.

Thinking of her parents and her large circle of friends, Ning Qiqi couldn't help but feel her nose sting with emotion... The dead could not return to life; she could no longer be revived. But at the very least, she had to catch the murderer who had killed her and destroyed her life!

Ning Qiqi glanced at the figure reflected in the glass door, thinking he looked somewhat lonely. Unsure how to comfort him, she steeled herself and went inside the KTV to book a private room.

While paying at the front desk, a familiar figure flashed past her, hurriedly heading toward the crime scene room—she couldn't be mistaken, it was her good friend Luo Jia.

Why was Luo Jia here? What purpose did she have returning to this place? Could she... be connected to her own death? A sudden thought crossed Ning Qiqi's mind—she'd always felt something was off about encountering Luo Jia on the night of the murder... Now she understood! Luo Jia was a mystery enthusiast while Xiao Ji was a famous mystery novelist. The reason she recognized Xiao Ji was because Luo Jia had even bought his novels! So why hadn't Luo Jia recognized "Xiao Ji" that night?

The deeper Ning Qiqi thought about it, the more chilled she felt—was she actually suspecting her own good friend?! Alone in the KTV, Ning Qiqi broke out in a cold sweat from her thoughts. She shook her head—since there were doubts, she should investigate and get to the truth!

Following Xiao Ji's instructions, she turned the music volume to maximum. Seizing a moment when no one was around, she stepped out, bypassed a passing waiter, and casually walked toward the room where she had been murdered.

The door to the room wasn't properly closed, as if someone had already been there. Pushing it open, a chill greeted her face. The carpet in the room had been replaced, and only a small ceiling light was on, shining directly onto the black marble table where a vase of white chrysanthemums stood.

Ning Qiqi still remembered the scene she saw when she opened her eyes that night. Looking at the pure white chrysanthemums glowing under the light, she couldn't help but shudder.

"Well, it seems the police have thoroughly examined this place," Xiao Ji's voice drifted eerily through the dark, empty room. A cold sensation rose from her feet, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Ning Qiqi rolled her eyes irritably. "Did you really think the police would be as incompetent as those in your novels?"

"Sigh, I came here hoping I might remember something," Xiao Ji's voice wavered uncertainly in the room, sounding as if he was looking around.

Ning Qiqi stared blankly at the bouquet of white chrysanthemums on the table. After a moment, she suddenly said, "What if we can only remain like this?"

She didn't know why those words came out—perhaps she subconsciously believed Xiao Ji wasn't her murderer, and so naturally began considering the future.

Could she continue living in someone else's body? Even if she wanted to, Xiao Ji, as the original owner, wouldn't allow it, right? But she couldn't accept dying without knowing the truth...

A light laugh came from the darkness. "Silly, don't waste time on useless thoughts. Look at the upper right corner of the room."

Ning Qiqi looked up and saw a small red light in the spot he mentioned. She gasped, "Is that... a surveillance camera?"

"Yes. I think the camera should have recorded what happened that night. Let's go ask at the monitoring room."

Easier said than done. Ning Qiqi cursed under her breath, then added, "Although I wiped the fingerprints off the murder weapon, the killer's prints should still be somewhere in this room, right?"Xiao Ji sighed, "How many people come and go from a KTV private room in a single day? There are countless overlapping fingerprints, too chaotic to collect any usable evidence."

Ning Qiqi flipped up the hood of her jacket and put it on. Just as she turned around, the private room door was pushed open, revealing Luo Jia standing at the entrance holding a slightly wilted bouquet of white chrysanthemums.

"You finally came, Mr. Xiao," Luo Jia said calmly. She glanced at the white chrysanthemums in her hand and continued, "I was... Ning Qiqi's friend, the girl who died here... I've been waiting for you here every day, while also replacing the flowers. Although Qiqi never liked white chrysanthemums, I... I..."

Luo Jia began to cry as she spoke. Ning Qiqi felt a lump form in her throat - so Luo Jia had been coming here daily to mourn her, while she had just been suspecting her own best friend!

"You must be wondering why I've been waiting for you," Luo Jia continued after composing herself slightly. "I don't know if you remember, but on the day Qiqi died, you passed right by me."

Ning Qiqi felt guilty - of course she remembered! She had been terrified out of her wits!

"I'm actually your super fan, but I didn't recognize you at the time because you looked so pale, almost like a different person."

"Haha... You've been waiting here for me - it couldn't possibly be just to get an autograph, could it?" Ning Qiqi was extremely nervous but forced herself to make a joke.

"After you left, I... I discovered Qiqi's body..." Luo Jia took a deep breath, looking pale as she recalled witnessing her best friend's death scene, but she persisted: "I screamed and ran to the front desk for help. That's when someone rushed out nervously from the monitoring room nearby and bumped into me. I caught a glimpse of that person and only then remembered that you were Xiao Ji..."

"You saw the murderer?" Ning Qiqi asked excitedly, stepping forward.

Just then, a unfamiliar young man emerged from the adjacent private room. He pulled out an identification badge, "My surname is Xiao. Mr. Xiao, please come with me to the police station to assist with the investigation."

Ning Qiqi clenched her fists, seeing Xiao Ji's smug face reflected in the glass surface nearby. She hated with all her being that he had no physical form.

Otherwise she would definitely beat him up!

This was Ning Qiqi's first time visiting a police station. She was taken directly to an interrogation room.

The interrogation room was exactly like those shown on television - just one table with two chairs, no windows, completely dark except for a single lamp on the table illuminating her face, making her extremely tense.

"Relax your expression. You're not a criminal, so why are you so nervous?" Xiao Ji's frustrated voice came from beside her.

She felt guilty! Ning Qiqi really wanted to argue with him, but given the circumstances she couldn't speak, so she could only glare while listening to Xiao Ji nagging in her ear.

At that moment, the interrogation room door creaked open. The young officer they had encountered at the KTV entered, sitting down opposite her with a serious expression.

Ning Qiqi's nerves tightened again. Only when Xiao Ji noisily urged her to speak did she purse her lips, gather her courage and ask: "Aren't there surveillance cameras in the KTV private rooms? They must have recorded what happened that day. Could I take a look at the footage?"Ning Qiqi felt a chill run through her entire body at the thought of witnessing the events of that night again. Although she had experienced death once, she couldn’t recall the specifics of what had happened, nor did she have any memory of the pain before dying. If she had to watch how she died one more time, she feared she wouldn’t be able to bear it.

The other party hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Immediately, someone brought in a laptop. Officer Xiao clicked open a file, and a window filled with static appeared on the screen.

Ning Qiqi watched in confusion as Officer Xiao fast-forwarded the video at four times the speed, only stopping at a certain point to resume normal playback.

The static crackled for a while before the image suddenly appeared. On the LCD screen, "Xiao Ji" staggered to his feet, pulled a tissue from the coat of the corpse opposite him, and calmly wiped the fingerprints off the murder weapon. He then stood up, walked to the door, put on his overcoat, and quickly left. The door of the KTV room continued to sway, the laser lights on the screen still sweeping across the scene, while Ning Qiqi’s body lay quietly on the ground.

“Damn, the tape’s been erased. Someone deliberately left the part that makes you look guilty,” Xiao Ji’s anxious voice reached her, sounding both distant and as if it came from another world.

Hah, wasn’t it indeed from another world?

“Then... what should I do?” Ning Qiqi muttered softly.

“Don’t be afraid. Tell the police what your friend said—the person she saw coming out of the surveillance room. That person is more likely to be the murderer!” Xiao Ji’s voice whispered close to her ear.

“I didn’t kill anyone. That Luo... ahem... the victim’s friend said she saw someone coming out of the surveillance room. Someone must have erased the tape to frame me.”

“Miss Luo has already told us about that.”

Ning Qiqi and Xiao Ji both breathed a sigh of relief in unison. However, Officer Xiao immediately added, “But I can’t rule out the possibility that you are accomplices.”

Ning Qiqi and Xiao Ji froze. Officer Xiao said sternly, “Mr. Xiao, how much do you remember about what happened that night?”

Of course, she remembered nothing at all! Ning Qiqi steadied herself, pressed her hands against the table, and said calmly, “I have the right to remain silent. Please refrain from questioning me until my lawyer is present.”

Xiao Ji drifted around the interrogation room in frustration. This girl must have watched too many American TV dramas... Where would he get a lawyer from?

Ning Qiqi sat dazedly by the roadside, staring at the crematorium across the street. The gray smoke symbolizing the departed rose slowly into the sky, and she couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart.

Her body had been cremated today.

Logically, since it was involved in a murder case, her body shouldn’t have been cremated so quickly. But it seemed her parents had intervened, wanting her to rest in peace sooner.

Yet here she was, alive and well, just in a different body.

Ning Qiqi adjusted the sunglasses on her face. Stubble still dotted her chin, unshaven. No one would have guessed that this disheveled man was the famous mystery novelist, Xiao Ji.

But perhaps he was now about to become Xiao Ji, the murder suspect.Ning Qiqi smiled bitterly. Although the police hadn't publicly announced the suspect's identity, she had indeed been summoned for questioning, and people near the KTV had recognized Xiao Ji's face, not to mention the blood he left behind in that private room. Speculative reporters had already written exaggerated stories in the newspapers.

Yet she couldn't resist attending "her own funeral," watching her parents emerge from the mourning hall from a distance. In just a few days, their temples had turned gray. She desperately wanted to rush over and tell them she wasn't actually dead.

Her hands, hidden beneath a black trench coat, clenched into fists. Ning Qiqi restrained her emotions, fearing someone might recognize her, and bit her lip as she deeply bowed her head.

While staring blankly at the patterned floor tiles, a pair of red high heels suddenly entered her field of vision. Startled, she looked up to see an exquisitely made-up doll-like face.

Upon seeing her, the woman immediately stomped her foot and cooed in a petulant tone, "Xiao Ji? Where have you disappeared to all these days? Where did you go? Your phone's been unreachable! Do you know you missed your book signing at the bookstore the day before yesterday?"

Ning Qiqi blinked in confusion behind her sunglasses. Naturally, she didn't dare use Xiao Ji's original SIM card and had gotten a new one, so no one could reach her. Facing the beauty's expectant gaze, Ning Qiqi resorted to an overused tactic—amnesia.

"You... who are you?"

The woman made a strange expression, then told Ning Qiqi she was Xiao Ji's beautiful editor, Shasha. They had come to H City for his new book signing tour but had lost track of him a few days ago. Chattering incessantly, Shasha dragged Ning Qiqi away from the crematorium and drove back to the city center.

Shasha must know something; otherwise, she wouldn't have known to come to "Ning Qiqi's" cremation site, as the police hadn't released the victim's real name. But asking more might lead to mistakes, so Ning Qiqi obediently sat in the passenger seat, diligently playing the role of someone with amnesia.

Shasha brought her to a five-star hotel downtown. Ning Qiqi quietly sat on the sofa and took a sip from a bottle of mineral water.

After staring at her for a long time, Shasha suddenly burst out laughing. "Young Master Xiao, I didn't believe you when you said you had amnesia, but seeing you act like a timid bride now, I'm starting to believe it a little."

Ning Qiqi smiled shyly. She knew what kind of person Xiao Ji was. While staying at the kind doctor's home, she had searched online for information about him. Xiao Ji had achieved fame at a young age, was arrogant, spoke without filter, and had offended many in the industry, yet still had countless fans. Ning Qiqi felt the Aquamarine jade crucifix on her chest suddenly grow warm. She knew Xiao Ji couldn't resist emerging again, but without a mirror nearby, she couldn't see him.

Ning Qiqi stroked the crucifix through her clothes, removed her sunglasses, and looked at Shasha. "Shasha, do you know what happened that night?"

Shasha's meticulously drawn eyebrows furrowed prettily. "No, I just went to the crematorium today on a whim, never expecting to actually find you."

Keeping her eyes fixed on Shasha's expression, Ning Qiqi said calmly, "That night, I couldn't have gone to the KTV alone to sing, could I?"Shasha's beautiful eyes flickered with a shifting light. "You said you were meeting with fans that night, so I went to see a friend. Who knew something like that would happen later?"

"Oh?" Ning Qiqi drew out the syllable skeptically, suddenly losing patience with their cat-and-mouse game. She pulled out her phone from her coat pocket, pressed the call button, and said calmly, "Officer Xiao, come in now. The murderer is right in front of me."

Shasha's face instantly paled upon hearing this. Simultaneously, the suite door swung open and several police officers rushed in, restraining her as she tried to flee. Her delicate face contorted with rage as she screamed, "Don't frame an innocent person! I have an alibi!"

Luo Jia peeked out from behind Officer Xiao, glanced at Shasha's distorted expression, and stated firmly, "That's right! I saw the person coming out of the surveillance room—it was her! She's that stalker who's been obsessively following Xiao Ji! Everyone in our fan club knows about her!"

Ning Qiqi took a deep breath and offered a weak smile. "Officer Xiao, could I rest for a while before coming to the police station to give my statement?"

The officer sympathetically patted "Xiao Ji's" shoulder before leading the still-protesting Shasha away. Luo Jia bowed deeply toward "Xiao Ji" before following them out.

Deathly silence filled the room. Ning Qiqi walked over to the full-length dressing mirror, staring at the unfamiliar male reflection. Clutching the aquamarine jade crucifix hanging on her chest, she sighed and said, "The murderer has been caught."

As her words faded, a faint shadow suddenly materialized beside Xiao Ji's reflection in the mirror, gradually coalescing into a translucent figure identical to Xiao Ji.

Ning Qiqi still couldn't help glancing behind herself uncomfortably, but like previous times, found nothing there. The spectral Xiao Ji was only visible in the mirror.

"Hey, we had an agreement! We were supposed to gradually tease out her contradictions! This is the climax of a mystery novel—how could you skip it!" The mirror-image Xiao Ji made choking gestures at Ning Qiqi's neck, but being incorporeal, he could only pantomime without any real threat.

"What mystery? Shasha committed an almost perfect murder. But you tell me—how was the case actually solved?" Ning Qiqi felt her temples throbbing more intensely. Damn mystery enthusiasts—she'd become collateral damage in all this.

Xiao Ji immediately deflated.

The truth was, everything about this situation was absurd. It all started when Xiao Ji declared online that his new book "Listen" depicted the perfect crime that nobody could surpass, triggering massive controversy and countless fan arguments across the internet.

Shasha had originally been Xiao Ji's manager, while simultaneously being a pathologically obsessed fan. Exploiting her position, she stalked Xiao Ji relentlessly, severely disrupting his daily life. When Xiao Ji and his company could tolerate it no longer, they fired Shasha. Considering her mental state, they didn't publicize this widely, which allowed Shasha to use her "manager" identity to secretly arrange a fake fan meeting, luring Xiao Ji to the KTV.Originally, Shasha had planned a perfect crime based on Xiao Ji's new book, intending to kill Xiao Ji before committing suicide so they could be together forever. However, Ning Qiqi accidentally entered the wrong private room, and in her panic, Shasha's knife missed its mark slightly, stabbing Xiao Ji in the waist instead. Thus, Xiao Ji escaped death, but Ning Qiqi, who witnessed everything, was killed by the deranged Shasha.

Although Shasha had erased part of the KTV room's surveillance tape, Luo Jia's testimony shattered her pre-prepared alibi. Moreover, the police discovered a third person's bloodstain on the blood-soaked carpet at the scene. DNA tests confirmed the blood matched Shasha's. Later, the police found blood-stained clothes and the murder weapon in Shasha's temporary rental apartment, finally identifying her as the perpetrator.

But since Shasha's whereabouts remained unknown, Officer Xiao proposed cooperating with "Xiao Ji" to attend Ning Qiqi's funeral and lure Shasha out.

What perfect crime? It was all nonsense. In reality, there were too many unpredictable factors—like Ning Qiqi's accidental intrusion, the hidden camera in the private room, and Luo Jia's eyewitness account. It was all theoretical. Sounded flawless in theory, but in practice, it was impossible to succeed.

As for "Xiao Ji" wiping fingerprints after waking up, Ning Qiqi explained that she had just regained consciousness, realized she was being framed, and knew the weapon must have her fingerprints, so she did it. Officer Xiao was half-convinced but reluctantly accepted her explanation.

It seemed this matter had come to an end.

However, only the antique shop's Boss, the Doctor who saved her, and the real Xiao Ji knew that Xiao Ji's body now housed a different soul.

"Ugh, still not satisfied! Look, Shasha even pretended to be my editor—clearly she wanted to attempt the perfect crime again! I wanted to see how she planned it! Why did you stop so abruptly?" The disappointed Xiao Ji kept muttering.

"What do we do now?" Ning Qiqi glared at Xiao Ji's reflection in the mirror. The killer was caught, and her original body had turned to ashes—so what next? Clutching the Aquamarine jade pendant on her chest, Ning Qiqi didn't know what to say.

The Boss of the antique shop had mentioned that if Xiao Ji wanted to return to his body, he could help.

Did that mean Xiao Ji could return to normal, and she would be the one to disappear in the end?

"We... we should go to the Dumb Shop." After struggling for a long time, Ning Qiqi decided to return his body to him. Perhaps she had died because of him, but that didn't mean she could shamelessly continue living in his place.

It was all fate's cruel trick.

Though the sun shone brightly outside, the Dumb Shop remained gloomy, as if forgotten by the sunlight.

"You've decided? To return the body to Xiao Ji?" The Boss looked up from behind the counter, narrowing his phoenix eyes at her.

Ning Qiqi twisted her fingers, nodding with difficulty, and said self-mockingly, "Last time, I had no say in how I died. At least... this time, let me make my own decision."

"Oh? And what's your opinion?" The Boss raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting past her to look behind her.Ning Qiqi felt a chill run down her spine. Besides her and the boss, she knew Xiao Ji must be present in the shop. But the boss seemed able to see Xiao Ji without needing a mirror? Suddenly wanting to check on Xiao Ji, she hastily pulled a mirror from her pocket and aimed it behind her.

Xiao Ji’s pale face appeared in the reflection, his spirit form appearing more translucent than usual—so faint she could barely discern his expression. She could even see his lips moving, yet no sound reached her ears.

Instinctively, Ning Qiqi turned her head in panic, but only empty air met her gaze. When she looked back at the mirror, she found only her own reflection staring back. No matter how desperately she called for Xiao Ji, he never reappeared.

“What’s happened to him?” Ning Qiqi pleaded, her eyes clinging to the boss behind the counter like a drowning person grasping at straws.

The boss replied with compassion, “A soul separated from its body can linger in this world for no more than seven days. At high noon on the seventh day—when yang energy peaks—it dissipates like smoke. And today... is the seventh day.”

Ning Qiqi felt as if struck by lightning. Only after a long, long while did she find her voice again: "What... were his last words?"

"He said, take good care of his body."

After that, Ning Qiqi became Xiao Ji.

Xiao Ji's soul never returned. The days spent with Xiao Ji felt so illusory that Ning Qiqi couldn't help but wonder if Xiao Ji had actually died long ago, and if his soul had merely been a figment of her imagination.

The aquamarine jade crucifix never grew warm again.

She would often stare blankly into mirrors, filling the room with them everywhere, hoping to catch another glimpse of that figure. But she never saw him again.

Many times, she returned to Dumb Shop, hoping to gain some insight from Boss. Yet Boss merely glanced at her indifferently, advising her to forget the past and not cling to it.

Was forgetting truly the best choice?

In that dim antique shop, she remained lost in thought for a long time before finally deciding to give the aquamarine jade crucifix she wore around her neck to Boss.

Perhaps this was right... it was time to let go of the past and start a new life.

Yes, Ning Qiqi was dead, but Xiao Ji had to go on living.

She would live on as Xiao Ji.

As Xiao Ji, she naturally couldn't write mystery novels anymore. But under Xiao Ji's name, she became an editor at the publishing house where they had once collaborated. She had originally been a Chinese literature student and loved reading novels. Though she struggled at first, she worked hard and gradually got on track.

Occasionally, when she looked in the mirror at that handsome face, she sometimes missed the proud smile that used to appear on it.

But she couldn't smile like that—no matter how hard she tried, it never looked the same.

She still remembered him teaching her how to use a razor. Though she often nicked herself at first, she eventually became proficient. She remembered him teaching her how to tie a tie—she had only known how to tie a red scarf knot before, but now she could even manage a Windsor knot. She remembered him telling her to take good care of his body.

She never forgot.

Until one day, her editor-in-chief handed her a manuscript, saying the author had specifically requested her.

Before entering the meeting room, Ning Qiqi only had time to glance at the cover and was shocked to see it was "Listen II." Pushing the door open in astonishment, she saw a delicate-looking girl standing up gracefully.

"Hello, my name is Ning Qiqi," the other said with a proud, radiant smile—a familiar brilliance on an unfamiliar face.

Huh? Ning Qiqi froze completely, mechanically lowering her gaze to the author's name on the cover: "Ning Qiqi" written clearly in three characters. She looked up, staring at the other girl. Was this all a coincidence? It had to be!

Then, she noticed the very familiar aquamarine jade crucifix hanging around the girl's neck.

The other girl gave her a broad smile, winked playfully, leaned in and whispered with a laugh: "Looks like you've been taking good care of my body!"

Explanation of translation choices:**

Maintained consistency with glossary terms (Boss, Ning Qiqi, Xiao Ji, Xi, Dumb Shop, aquamarine jade)

Preserved the emotional tone and pacing of the original

Handled cultural elements like "红领巾系法" (red scarf knot - common Chinese school uniform) by explaining rather than literally translating

Kept the novel title "Listen II" untranslated as it appears to be a proper title

Maintained the conversational flow while ensuring grammatical correctness in English

Handled the gender pronoun complexity (the protagonist occupies a male body but maintains female identity) by using "she" consistently for Ning Qiqi's consciousness

Preserved the dramatic reveal and humorous tone in the final exchange"I'm more than what you made of me. I followed the voice you think you gave to me. But now I've got to find my own, my own..."

Faintly, the familiar melody of "Listen" drifted through the air once more. Ning Qiqi smiled slightly and proactively extended her hand: "Hello, I'm Xiao Ji. Nice to meet you."

The other person grasped her hand, shaking it firmly up and down. They looked at each other and smiled, everything understood without words.

(End of Chapter)