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墨書 Inktalez
That morning, I still woke up late and felt sore all over. After washing up, I saw Bai Qiling and Mu Xuanche chatting, which reminded me of a serious issue.
Shangguan Mingyue was now part of the Cult of Spirits and deeply in love with someone from that cult, unwilling to return to the Xuanzong.
I was torn inside, wondering whether I should tell Bai Qiling.
If I told him, it would feel like I was sowing discord, but if I didn’t, it seemed unfair to Bai Qiling that Shangguan Mingyue was acting this way.
I found myself in a dilemma.
At that moment, Mu Yan noticed me and called me over, so I obediently walked to him.
He brought me to his side, and Mu Xuanche wrapped his arm around me, gently kissing my hair. "How are you, Yan Xi? Did you rest well? Are you still feeling unwell?"
Feeling a bit shy in front of Bai Qiling, I merely nodded bashfully and replied, "I'm fine; it doesn't affect me."
Mu Xuanche smiled gently. "We've all been too tired lately. Now that this matter is almost settled, and since you've been worried with us before, why don't we take this opportunity to rest? This afternoon, I'll take you shopping at the Department Store. How does that sound?"
I felt delighted. "Really?" It had been a long time since I last visited a mall.
Mu Xuanche smiled indulgently at me and tousled my hair. "Of course it's true. We'll go to the department store this afternoon; you can buy whatever you like."
I shyly hugged him back, smiling sweetly.
After all, I was a woman—what woman didn't enjoy shopping? It was simply part of being female.
Bai Qiling stood nearby and teased, "Mu Xuanche, are you going to buy something for your brother too?"
Mu Xuanche chuckled and lightly punched Bai Qiling on the chest. "Stop being jealous. I'll buy you anything you want. Besides, you have money yourself."
Bai Qiling pinched his voice and made a flirtatious expression. "I just want you to buy things for me."
I shivered at his antics; goosebumps covered my arms. "Hey, can you be a bit more normal? I've never seen you like this before; no wonder you didn't act like this in the past—it's terrifying."
Bai Qiling pouted and shot me a glare but said nothing in response.
Mu Xuanche smiled lightly at our playful banter and went along with us.
After finally stepping out, I naturally wanted to dress up a bit.
As a result, we dawdled until around five or six in the afternoon before heading out.
"You know, it's already evening. Couldn't you have waited until tomorrow? You just had to put on makeup and all that. Women are such a hassle," Bai Qiling remarked. I heard him teasing me but didn't take it to heart.
"Mu Xuanche, if you have free labor, why not make use of it?" I said deliberately. Didn't he want Mu Xuanche to buy him something? No problem; after all, Mu Xuanche was wealthy, but I still needed him to carry the things I bought.
Mu Xuanche smiled slightly, his thin lips pressed together, not saying a word. Bai Qiling was just joking around; seeing that his brother wasn't helping him this time, he could only laugh and curse lightly.
Mu Xuanche drove through the crowded city and parked in the underground parking lot of the mall. There weren't many cars in the lot, probably because it was getting late. He parked not far from the exit.
When he turned off the engine, the car made a strange noise—"clunk," as if it had run over something that wasn't soft, accompanied by a grinding sound from the machinery itself.
"I guess the car needs repairs," I muttered to myself as I felt a jolt in my seat, as if the tires had hit something.
It seemed that due to our frequent use of the car on roads it wasn't really suited for, it might be showing signs of wear.
A sudden loud "bang" startled me; it felt like the car door had hit something soft yet resilient.
"Ah." When I opened the door, I accidentally pushed a girl down. She landed on the cement ground in front of me, wearing a Pink Princess Dress and red patent leather shoes. Scrapes marked her face, arms, and legs. Her hair was down with a pink hairpin stuck on one side, making her small face look even more pitiful. The dust and scratches didn't detract from her delicate features.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! Let me help you up. Are you hurt anywhere?" I bent down slowly to help her up, trying to speak in the gentlest tone possible.
Her eyes were filled with tears; they glistened as she pouted her lips as if about to cry. Without saying a word, she broke free from my grasp. Pointing towards the department store upstairs with one finger and shaking her head, she ran towards the exit.
I watched her quickly retreating figure, completely unlike someone who had just been knocked over by me; within seconds, she vanished from sight.
"Hey, what just happened?" I was momentarily stunned.
Bai Qiling suddenly spoke up beside me: "That girl seems suspicious."
"Hey? You're overthinking it. What if the kid is just running around and happens to bump into us? I'm starving. Let's hurry up." I pulled them both towards the Department Store.
"I love coming to the mall at this time. There are hardly any people." I dashed to the snack area, grabbing everything in sight. "The best part is that no one is fighting me for snacks."
"Yan Xi, eat fewer snacks. We're going to have dinner later," Mu Xuanche reminded me, breaking his usual silence.
Since I had been following Mu Xuanche around, it had been a while since I last visited a mall, so of course, I was excited to explore everywhere.
"I know, I know. Aren't we taking a break today? Just go along with me, Mu Xuanche."
I pouted playfully at him.
Mu Xuanche sighed, leaning down to whisper in my ear, "There's something off about this place. I'm here to relax today, so I don't want us three getting involved in anything troublesome. So, Yan Xi, once you finish shopping, let's leave quickly."
"You too! Bai Qiling is acting crazy, and you're going along with it? You two are really something. Besides, there’s no ghost in this world that can scare us. If anything dirty comes our way, we'll take care of it." I laughed as I bounced around, deliberately dragging out the last word.
"Thud." The sound of something dropping into my shopping basket was jarring. I turned wide-eyed to see a bag of snacks had fallen into my cart.
"What the heck? Can't the supermarket Salesperson at least keep the products organized? This just fell on its own."
"It fell from the top shelf; do you think it was an accident?" Bai Qiling's voice sounded off, tinged with disdain.
"What did you see, Qiling?" Mu Xuanche pulled me closer to Bai Qiling.
"A hand pushed that bag of snacks off the highest shelf just now."
"Bai Qiling, are you just making excuses not to shop with me? Why would you lie like that? It's creepy at night." I complained with a smile.
"Yan Xi, stop joking around. There’s definitely something wrong here; you can see that," Mu Xuanche said gently.
"Thud, thud, thud, thud." Hesitantly turning back, I saw bags of snacks falling from the highest shelf. No, they were being pushed off.
The sparsely populated mall suddenly felt eerie. "Mu Xuanche, Qiling, what... what is happening? Why are these snacks falling from above..." My lips parted slightly in shock as my eyes widened in disbelief.
The sound of "tap, tap, tap" echoed throughout the mall.
The few people inside noticed the strange occurrences and began to murmur among themselves. The Duty Manager quickly instructed the Salesperson to pick up the items scattered around.
Suddenly, a loud crash resonated as a shelf collapsed in front of me, blocking our path like a river.
I felt a surge of anxiety; it had been a long time since I encountered anything unsettling. Back then, I was always with Mingyue.
"Yan Xi, don't be nervous. Just go around," Mu Xuanche said, extending his hand toward me, while Bai Qiling nearby rummaged through something.
Right, I could go around. Carefully and quietly, I maneuvered past. Sweat dripped from my forehead, and I dared not breathe too loudly, fearing I might disturb someone.
(End of Chapter)
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