Chapter 3 Appetizer (3)
Zhu Ming gritted her teeth, averting her gaze from Yin Yu’s rumpled hair and collar. “Get lost!”
Why hadn’t she escaped this illusion yet?
As if sensing her thoughts, Yin Yu’s fingertip landed on Zhu Ming’s shoulder, tapping lightly.
Her voice, seductive and teasing, echoed with amusement. “Why not continue? Mingming, admit it, you’ve been thinking about me. You never let go. I only exist here because you want me to. So why not continue to enjoy it?”
She breathed softly against Zhu Ming’s ear, her tongue flicking her earlobe.
A sharp jolt of electricity shot through Zhu Ming. Exposed and enraged, she grabbed a mop from under the sink and jabbed the wooden handle hard into Yin Yu’s stomach. “I haven’t been thinking about you! Stop talking nonsense!”
Whatever demonic fox spirit or mountain goblin you are, just get lost!
Yin Yu stumbled back, and as she fell, the world swirled and vanished like dirty water down a drain.
Zhu Ming staggered forward, finding herself back in reality.
Li Xiuya and Yun Zouchuan were standing at the doorway, one still lost in the illusion, the other wide awake.
The apartment was pitch black, the only sounds the rhythmic drumming of the rain and their breathing.
Seeing Zhu Ming had returned, Yun Zouchuan huffed. “Boss, I was pulled into an illusion too! I saw that KTV from two years ago again. Luckily, I snapped out of it quickly. I don’t see what the point of it was.”
Zhu Ming’s lips twitched. Actually, she thought, sometimes it was quite interesting.
If she guessed correctly, all three of their illusions were of a sexual nature. But for Yun Zouchuan, such experiences were few and far between. She wasn’t interested in romance and happened to be extremely averse to a particular sexual encounter she’d had, which was why she’d escaped the illusion so quickly.
Yun Zouchuan looked at Zhu Ming curiously. “Boss, why did it take you so long to wake up? And why is your face so red?”
Zhu Ming coughed. “…Children shouldn’t pry into adult matters.”
She quickly changed the subject, placing her hands on Li Xiuya’s temples. After a moment, Li Xiuya’s eyes fluttered open, still dazed.
“Wasn’t I just…”
“It’s nothing. You were hallucinating.”
Li Xiuya’s face flushed crimson. The memories of the illusion flooded back, and realizing she was back in her dark apartment, her face paled again.
She instinctively glanced at the bedroom door, fearing she would see her husband crawling on the floor. Thankfully, there was nothing there.
“It’s so dark,” Yun Zouchuan said, flipping the light switch. “The lights won’t turn on.”
Li Xiuya’s voice was tight with anxiety. “I knew something was wrong. The elevator and hallway lights are working, so why is only my apartment without power? It must be the ghost!”
“You’re right. Don’t worry, this is easy to fix,” Zhu Ming said calmly, her earlier embarrassment forgotten.
Li Xiuya looked at her expectantly.
Zhu Ming turned on her phone’s flashlight, located the electrical panel, flipped a switch, and then tried the light switch again. Voilà, the room was bathed in light.
Li Xiuya: “…”
Something felt off, but nothing seemed out of place.
The apartment, over a hundred square meters, consisted of three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. After a quick scan of the living room, Zhu Ming headed straight for the master bedroom.
Li Xiuya followed closely, with Yun Zouchuan bringing up the rear.
The curtains were drawn in the master bedroom, making it even darker than the living room. Zhu Ming swung her “magical tool” and kicked the door open, switching on the light.
Nothing seemed amiss. Or rather, that was the most amiss thing of all.
The bedroom was ordinary, with a double bed in the center. A man lay sleeping soundly on the right side. Unfortunately, Zhu Ming’s forceful entry had roused him from his slumber.
The man, Li Xiuya’s husband, was understandably grumpy at being woken up. Rubbing his eyes, he saw two strange women standing in his doorway and bolted upright in alarm.
“What’s going on?! Xiu Xiu, who are they?”
Li Xiuya wanted to ask the same question.
The normal, brightly lit room eased some of her fear, but she still kept her distance from her husband. “Honey, you were sleepwalking again. Do you remember anything?”
Mr. Li shook his head. “No.”
But he had been sleepwalking. Hiding behind Zhu Ming, Li Xiuya recounted the terrifying scene she had witnessed. The more Mr. Li heard, the more disturbed he became, sitting up so quickly he nearly knocked over the bedside lamp.
His blanket slipped, revealing his bare chest. Noticing the strangers in his room, he quickly pulled the covers back up. He slept in only his underwear, and while he wasn’t usually self-conscious, the situation was undeniably awkward.
“Even if I was sleepwalking, I wouldn’t be crawling on the floor. Xiu Xiu, are you having hallucinations again?” Mr. Li asked worriedly. “Maybe I should take tomorrow off, and we can go to the hospital. By the way, who are your friends…?”
He didn’t believe anything was wrong with him, and Xiu Xiu had been acting strangely for days.
Hallucinations? Looking around the bright, familiar bedroom, Li Xiuya began to doubt herself.
Zhu Ming added softly, “Deposits are non-refundable.”
Li Xiuya’s conviction returned instantly. “It wasn’t a hallucination! Honey, get dressed. These are experts I’ve hired. There’s something wrong with our house, and I want them to take a look.”
Seeing the couple about to argue, Zhu Ming intervened. “It’s alright, Mr. Li. You can stay in bed if you like. He’s not the key to this issue.”
As Zhu Ming walked further into the room, Mr. Li’s expression hardened. “What are you doing? You can’t just barge into someone’s house! This is trespassing! I’m calling the police!”
Zhu Ming twirled the stick in her hand, smiling. “Be my guest, Mr. Li.”
“You!” Mr. Li sputtered, wanting to throw her out, regardless of decorum. “And I’m not Mr. Li! My name is—”
Zhu Ming interrupted smoothly. “It doesn’t matter. Ms. Li’s husband is Mr. Li for short. Your actual surname isn’t important.”
Mr. Li: “…”
Despite saying Mr. Li wasn’t the key, Zhu Ming still circled the bed, making both husband and wife increasingly tense. Mr. Li, in his pajamas, seemed particularly uncomfortable.
He looked as if he were enduring this for his wife’s sake, but his patience was wearing thin. “Are you done? My house is perfectly normal. We don’t need any ‘experts’ performing rituals. Please leave.”
“Found it,” Zhu Ming said, stopping by the bed, her gaze sharp as a knife. Mr. Li looked up, meeting her eyes, and shivered involuntarily.
The woman was tall and well-built, probably over 1.7 meters, her shirt tucked in to emphasize her slim waist and long legs. But that wasn’t the point. The point was that she was slowly rolling up her sleeves, revealing lean, toned muscles on her arms.
The sense of power she exuded, previously hidden by her clothing, now radiated outwards. Mr. Li’s eyes widened, sensing danger. He saw Zhu Ming’s fingers tighten around the stick, and in the next second, it whistled through the air towards him.
He could almost imagine his brains splattering across the room.
Mr. Li recoiled in terror, only to realize the stick wasn’t aimed at him.
The cloth-wrapped stick whooshed past his head, heading straight for the pillow behind him.
The man on the bed, his expression a mixture of shock and confusion, suddenly moved as if possessed. With an impressive display of flexibility, Mr. Li reached back and grabbed the stick.
He couldn’t believe it, wondering if he was dreaming. His hand, acting on its own accord, held the stick firmly.
Zhu Ming let out a chilling laugh that sent shivers down Mr. Li’s spine. Then, she kicked him off the bed.
Unable to withstand the force, Mr. Li lost his grip, his fingers catching on the cloth wrapping as he fell, finally revealing the true nature of the “magical tool”—a black crowbar.
Li Xiuya gasped, stepping back, too horrified to speak. Her husband rolled onto the floor, confronting Zhu Ming in that same unsettling, crawling posture.
Zhu Ming twirled the crowbar, the air whistling around it. Ignoring Mr. Li, she swung again at her target.
At the last moment, realizing he couldn’t stop her directly, Mr. Li opted for a different tactic. Twisting his body, he lunged towards Li Xiuya.
He moved like a striking snake, his body contorting and writhing. But even more disturbing than his movements was the expression on his face. His eyes were wide with the same fear and confusion as Li Xiuya’s. He even cried out, “Wife, save me!”
Li Xiuya stood frozen, unable to move. How could she save him? In that moment, she wanted to run.
Just before Mr. Li reached her, a strong hand shot out, grabbing his arm and slamming him to the floor. An immense, terrifying force, even stronger than the kick he’d received earlier, pinned him down.
Yun Zouchuan crouched beside him, holding him immobile with a single hand.
Simultaneously, with a loud, room-shaking thud, the pillow on the bed exploded, scattering its buckwheat hull filling everywhere. Zhu Ming poked around inside with the crowbar and pulled something out.
“Found it.”
She held up the crowbar, displaying her find to Li Xiuya. “This is the cause of your troubles.”
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