Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 85: Addict
"Mm." Qin Jian was terse, unwilling to say another word, even if you pried his mouth open. I mechanically followed behind him, feeling colder and more uneasy the deeper we went. This was a particularly deep corridor dedicated to the deceased, with walls lined with names and memorial tablets, adorned with flowers—this was the so-called Green Tower Memorial Hall.
Finally, Qin Jian stopped walking. Following his intense gaze, I dropped the heavy fruits I was holding, which rolled all over the ground. What I saw was a solemn photo of a deceased person, their eyes deep and serious, with the name: Qin Shuying.
"You... your mother..."
"She died a long time ago; I can't remember how many years it's been. I grew up in an orphanage." This time, Qin Jian spoke several more words, clarifying many of my questions. But I still felt something strange about his demeanor, as if he had become a different person, and this new person's impression in my mind was not very clear.
Qin Jian was an orphan raised in an orphanage. His mother passed away early on—perhaps it was after he became aware of things, or maybe during his innocent years.
I panicked for a moment before scrambling to pick up the scattered fruits.
"It's rare for you to be so thoughtful; you bought all the fruits my mother liked but never got to eat." Qin Jian squatted down with a wooden expression, picked up a red Fuji apple, and took a deep sniff as if he were savoring the essence of the apple itself. He smiled contentedly and said, "Thank you; that's really considerate of you."
His words startled me so much that I fell back onto the ground, staring at him blankly. Then I waved my hand in front of him and trembled as I asked, "Qin Jian, why has your voice changed?" Indeed, that last sentence he uttered sounded distinctly feminine, like a woman who had endured hardships speaking politely to me.
Qin Jian pointed at the memorial tablet and smiled. That smile was so eerie that it sent chills down my spine; I wanted nothing more than to leave this place immediately.
"Ma Qi, I remember you; you appeared in my dreams after I died."
What the hell? People can still dream after they die? That's just too much to scare someone! I thought Qin Jian was trying to frighten me by deliberately disguising his voice as a woman's. After a brief moment of panic, I quickly regained my composure and sneered, "Qin Jian, have you forgotten what I do for a living?"
Qin Jian ignored me and walked stiffly toward the memorial tablet. Just as I was about to press him further to reveal the truth behind his frightening facade, a shadow detached itself from Qin Jian and vanished in an instant. Looking back at the photo of Qin Shuying, it seemed like she was smiling at me.
Qin Jian stood there like a wooden statue. I cautiously approached him but didn't dare to tap him on the shoulder from behind; instead, I moved to his side to observe him. He had his eyes closed, breathing evenly with slight snoring sounds—enough to prove that he had not woken up since getting drunk.
Damn it! Was Qin Shuying impersonating Qin Jian's tone to lure me here? Did Qin Jian know how to look?
Without hesitation, I drew symbols in the air and chanted the awakening spell: "Mummy mummy hum, wake up quickly, Urgent Command!" Qin Jian jolted as if someone who had been asleep for ages suddenly opened their eyes wide in disbelief and asked how I ended up here.
"Could I be brought here by his mother? No, I once again lied kindly, 'You're just dreaming. When I asked about your route, you told us to come to Blue Moon Square, but it turned out Blue Moon Square was transformed into Taling. In this place, I saw your mother's name... Qin Jian. I'm sorry, I always thought she was still alive.'
For some reason, upon hearing this, Qin Jian's face went pale, and he staggered step by step toward his mother's memorial tablet, muttering to himself, 'Who says my mother is dead? She lives on in my heart. My mother is immortal.'
Seeing the expression of despair on Qin Jian's face, I instantly understood everything.
For a long time, Qin Jian had relied on the belief that his mother was alive as his support for living. He had buried the truth deep within himself, holding onto the memory that she was still by his side. That’s why he had exhibited those abnormal behaviors before. Aunt Qin's purpose in bringing me here was simple: one was to let me know the truth, and the other was to help Qin Jian step out of the shadow of losing his beloved.
'Qin Jian, we are both suffering. At least you know who your mother is and have an unforgettable past with her. As for me, I have nothing. What does that count for? If you want to self-destruct or fall into depravity, or even if you want to throw caution to the wind, that's up to you. But from now on, we are tied together; whatever you do, I will do too.'
This was my last resort; I didn't know if it would work on this guy.
Qin Jian stopped in his tracks and said in a low voice, 'If I were to die, would you come with me?'
'To do it, yes,' I replied firmly. My words shocked Qin Jian slightly; he slowly turned around, his eyes already filled with tears that he struggled to hold back.
'Ma Qi, don’t think that this will move me. The upcoming case is even more complicated; you need to toughen up.'
'Toughen up.' He didn’t cry; I did. In fact, I wanted to tell him that he still had a relative—someone who was human yet not human, a ghost yet not a ghost—my master and also his biological father. But I couldn’t say it; I feared it would trigger him after he had just stabilized his emotions.
Qin Jian bowed deeply to his mother, Qin Shuying, and with a bitter smile said, 'Mom, I've come to see you today. In the future, I'll be very busy; don't worry about me. I'll live well.' This was my buddy Ma Qi; I gave him a thumbs up in admiration.
Just then, someone shouted loudly from outside, 'Who’s in there?'
Qin Jian forced a smile and said, 'Someone's coming; we need to think of a way to cover our story so we won't raise any suspicions.'
I understood what Qin Jian meant—once others started questioning us, problems would follow one after another. Any normal person wouldn’t be wandering around at midnight unless we were both crazy. I thought to myself: how could there be two such cool and handsome lunatics!
Qin Jian was familiar with the terrain here and led me back the way we came."
A man dressed in a uniform, looking somewhat annoying and holding a flashlight, spotted the two of us and exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm Lai Shu," Qin Jian stepped forward and discreetly handed him a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes.
The man named Lai Shu grinned upon receiving the favor and said, "Too busy? You chose this time to come!"
"Everyone understands, right Lai Shu? I didn't misjudge."
"Hey, buddy, what time is it? You need to hurry out of here. If anyone finds out, my job is at risk."
"We're leaving now." Qin Jian led the way while I followed closely behind. We quickly reached the door. Lai Shu was smoking, and Zhonghua looked quite pleased, his greedy expression suggesting he would swallow the ash and paper if he could.
As we hurried along, a figure suddenly crossed our path. It had a sharp face and a hunched back, shivering as if it were cold. It approached us without hesitation and extended its hand, asking, "Got any cigarettes?"
Comment 0 Comment Count