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墨書 Inktalez
I hesitated for a moment and typed out a polite question: "Are you still working at your old company?"
Qiqi replied instantly: "I jumped ship ages ago! The colleagues there were such idiots; I almost got into a fight with one of them on my last day!"
"No wonder... I actually went to your company today but couldn't find you." I managed to hold back from mentioning Receptionist.
But it seemed Qiqi knew what I was about to say. She sent the next message directly: "That Foolish Receptionist didn’t tell you I died again, did she?!"
I was taken aback by that line and didn't know how to respond for a moment.
It was as if that topic had flipped a switch in Qiqi.
Next, she sent five or six voice messages, each lasting several seconds—
"I’m telling you, that Foolish Receptionist really deserves a slap! I almost got into it with her back then..."
"She's the cousin of that Wise Guy from Design Group Two! You know he tried to steal my clients, right? What a weirdo..."
"Ever since I left, whenever someone goes to the front desk looking for me, that idiot woman tells them I've died! Can you believe how unethical that is?! It's driving me crazy..."
I patiently listened to her string of voice messages.
It felt like Qiqi's throat was about to smoke from all the talking.
From what she said, I gathered the gist of the situation—
Receptionist was a relative of her competitor, and the reason she claimed Qiqi had died was simply due to their previous conflict, an attempt to gloat.
Thinking about it...
Was it because he believed the rumors that Brother Lin said something happened to Qiqi during the day?
But if that were the case, why was Xinchuan so eager to send him away?
No, that doesn’t add up.
Although Qiqi's explanation sounded reasonable, there had to be something more to this situation.
I recalled the events carefully.
Thinking back, when the Receptionist said those things to me, it didn't seem like she was acting out of spite or revenge.
Moreover, I had been feeling dizzy and nearly lost my balance, yet she kindly helped me steady myself.
If she truly held a grudge against Qiqi, she wouldn’t have been so polite once she realized I was Qiqi's friend, right?
Perhaps it was because I had taken a shower that I felt my mind had cleared up quite a bit.
Reflecting on everything that had happened over the past few days...
I didn’t reply to Qiqi but instead opened Xinchuan's chat window.
Since I drove away, Xinchuan had been messaging me continuously.
I skimmed through the messages; about half were pleas for me to answer his calls, while the other half expressed concern about where I had gone and urged me not to trust Chen Feiyang.
As I was reading the messages, he sent another one: "Anan, can we talk properly?"
I frowned and finally decided to call him back.
"What do you want to talk about?"
As soon as the call connected, I asked him directly.
"Anan, I'm so glad you finally answered!" Xinchuan's tone was cheerful.
"I just want to hear your so-called explanation."
"First, tell me what Chen Feiyang said to you tonight. Why did you go to Dongning Cemetery? Anan, do you know how worried I am about you? Your injuries haven't healed yet; you shouldn't..."
"Xinchuan, this is my chance to give you an opportunity to explain. I don't want to hear your lectures!"
I had had enough of Xinchuan's patronizing tone, as if I were a child.
In the past, I enjoyed his meticulous care, but that was only as long as he remained loyal to our relationship and marriage!
What right does a cheating husband have to lecture me?!
I was impatient. "If you don't have anything to explain, I'm hanging up."
"Don't! Anan, please don't hang up!"
Hearing that I was about to end the call, Xinchuan immediately panicked.
He quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I've upset you again."
"Don't say anything useless."
"Okay, okay... Just tell me what you want to know, and I'll explain everything to you."
Although Xinchuan's tone was sincere, there was something off about his words.
He was clearly unwilling to come clean and wanted me to squeeze out the truth bit by bit, testing how much of his secrets I had uncovered.
What a clever tactic of retreating to advance.
I didn't want to drag this out with him. I got straight to the point: "Who are the letters you hid in the storage room addressed to?"
"…"
As expected, Xinchuan chose silence once again in response to my question.
I let out a cold laugh. "Xinchuan, do you think this is amusing? You're the one who said you wanted to talk, yet now you're the one keeping quiet. Since you never intended to explain anything to me, why bother sending me so many messages?!"
"I was just worried about you." Xinchuan sighed heavily on the phone. "Anan, those letters weren't written for anyone else. You have to believe me; I have never betrayed you. I don't know what Chen Feiyang has told you, but you mustn't trust him. Just tell me where you are, okay? I'll come pick you up and explain everything you want to know."
"Do you really think I'm a fool?"
What could possibly be said over the phone that couldn't be discussed in person?
I was tired of hearing the word "explain," and I hadn't heard a single useful thing from Xinchuan yet.
If I nodded and went back now, who knew what kind of poison or trap awaited me at home?
Only a fool would willingly walk into a trap.
"Xinchuan, don't waste your effort. I won't go back until I uncover the truth!"
I made my stance clear to Xinchuan without hesitation.
At this point, there was nothing left to hide.
After hearing my words, Xinchuan fell silent for a moment before asking, "Are you safe right now? You're not with Chen Feiyang, are you?"
"No," I replied irritably. "I'm perfectly safe, so you don't need to worry."
"That's good. You must—"
Before Xinchuan could finish his sentence, a sudden noise interrupted him.
A clear female voice came through the phone.
"Patient in Bed 6! Please come to the examination room for a check-up!"
The nurse's voice rang clearly in my ears.
It dawned on me that Xinchuan must be in the hospital right now.
I almost forgot that he impulsively took a handful of pills when he stopped the car earlier.
Regardless of whether those pills contained any dangerous substances, taking so many at once...
Even with Golden Throat Lozenges, there was no guarantee that nothing would go wrong.
He would definitely need to get his stomach pumped at the hospital.
I couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry for him.
But then I thought again.
What was I doing, worrying about this scumbag at a time like this?
Yet another thought crossed my mind.
Xinchuan had taken so many pills at once, and he was still able to call me as if nothing had happened, without even going for emergency help...
Could it be that the medication wasn't as terrifying as I imagined?
No, that couldn't be right.
Although I did see him take the pills, who knew if what he took was the same as what he had put in my drink?
What if that was just a smokescreen to trick me into letting my guard down?
This time, I absolutely couldn't be so careless!
I steeled myself and coldly said to Xinchuan, "Is there anything else? If not, hang up."
"Anan..."
"Mm?"
"Just give me a little more time, okay?" Xinchuan's tone was heavy. "Give me some time... Trust me, I will explain everything to you."
"Don't you find that annoying to hear yourself say?"
After saying this, I didn't give Xinchuan a chance to respond and hung up the phone.
The screen of my phone dimmed, and the room returned to a silence that felt almost suffocating.
Looking out at the desolate night sky, I suddenly felt a sense of emptiness inside.
Xinchuan's words kept replaying in my mind.
With my eyes closed, I could almost see the expression and gaze he had when he said those things.
I couldn't understand.
How could someone speak such lies with such heartfelt emotion?
It made it hard to be on guard.
That night, I had another nightmare.
It was still that dark Alley, still those two loathsome drunks...
But this time, I dreamed of Qiqi.
Qiqi appeared in my dream, bravely standing in front of me to protect me from those two drunken men who were harassing me.
Despite being slimmer than me and shorter in stature, when she stood before me, she seemed taller and more imposing than any hero from the movies.
When one of the drunkards stabbed me hard in the stomach with a dagger, Qiqi suddenly appeared behind him, swinging a brick and smashing it against his head.
As the drunkard cried out in pain, clutching his head, Qiqi bent down and reached out her hand to help me escape.
But I couldn't move at all.
I wanted to grasp her hand, but it felt as if my limbs were bound, completely immobilized.
Seeing that I couldn't leave, Qiqi had no choice but to stay and protect me.
Without hesitation, she charged at the drunken man approaching me again, fighting them with a reckless determination.
I lay on the ground, clutching my bleeding stomach in agony, struggling to endure the pain.
How I wished I could stand up and help her.
But the pain was overwhelming.
It felt like every nerve in my body was about to snap.
I simply couldn't get up.
I could only lie in the pool of blood, watching helplessly as Qiqi gradually fell at the hands of the two drunken men.
Even though she was in dire straits, she kept turning back to shout at me—
"Anan, you have to run! Get out of here! Hurry..."
Qiqi's loud voice, in that moment, became increasingly clear and sharp, like a knife cutting through my dreams...
In the next second.
I woke up in a cold sweat from the nightmare.
I shouted Qiqi's name, sitting up abruptly in bed.
After a moment of daze, I finally came to my senses and realized that I was no longer in that alley but safely lying on the soft bed of a hotel.
I struggled to move my stiff and numb fingers.
As I touched them, I discovered—
Despite it being a bleak winter, the mattress was soaked with my sweat.
Recalling just now...
The dream had felt too real.
I could still remember Qiqi's desperate eyes from the dream.
For some reason, I felt a sharp pain in my heart.
But clearly, I hadn't even seen Qiqi that day. Why was I suddenly having such a nightmare?
I felt uneasy, as if this was some kind of ominous premonition.
I struggled to free myself from the torment of the nightmare and dragged my weak legs into the bathroom for a shower.
Only then did I manage to wake up a little.
After thinking for a moment, I decided to send Qiqi a message: "Are you awake? The plan for tonight hasn't changed, right?"
Qiqi replied instantly: "Don't worry, I won't bail today!"
Seeing the cat emoji from Qiqi finally eased my mind.
I reassured myself not to overthink it.
It must have been because I was so scared that day, leaving a significant shadow in my heart, which caused me to have such nightmares one after another.
It was just a nightmare, after all.
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