Returning - Chapter 189
Chapter 189: Suffocation
The black sedan slowly stopped in front of the three-story building clad in celadon tiles. The man in the passenger seat turned his head to look out the window, his gaze finally settling on the dust-covered house number.
The hardware store next door was open. A little boy, about six or seven years old, walked out carrying a bowl. Seeing the car parked not far away, he turned back and raised his voice, "Bro, what kind of car has little wings?"
The person inside was probably busy eating and didn't pay him any attention. The boy edged a few steps closer to the car on his own. But before he could get near, the car door suddenly flew open, startling him into retreating several steps.
A man in a suit got out of the car. Tall and stern-faced, he looked like someone you didn't want to mess with. The boy stole a few more glances, then quietly retreated back to the doorway of his own shop.
Having stared at the house number for a while longer, Xu Chengyan finally lifted his head and scrutinized the long-abandoned three-story building.
He was only supposed to be handling matters in the neighboring city. He didn't even know why he had inexplicably instructed his driver to come here.
The little boy watched him for a long time, increasingly convinced this man was peculiar. Gathering his courage, he spoke up again, "Mister, no one lives here. Are you sure you have the right place?"
Xu Chengyan smiled at him and shook his head.
Seeing that his smile was both handsome and approachable, the boy immediately lost his fear. He ran a few steps over and said, "I heard my mom say that everyone in this family died. Anyway, I've never seen anyone here. You definitely have the wrong place."
Xu Chengyan smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "What else did your mom say?"
The boy lowered his voice. "My mom won't let me come play here at night. My brother says there are ghosts inside, lots and lots of female ghosts. As soon as it's dark, he can hear them crying. He also says one of the ghosts is a child—a fierce, vengeful ghost that specifically waits to possess a child's body for reincarnation."
Innocent words spoken by a child should not have been taken seriously. Yet, hearing them, Xu Chengyan felt a chill run through him. Not the fear of ghosts a child might feel, but a profoundly oppressive, indescribable emotion.
"Are you eating or not, you little brat?" A middle-aged man walked out cursing. Seeing Xu Chengyan and the car parked on the street, he paused, his tone softening slightly. He asked, "Can I help you?"
Xu Chengyan shook his head. "Nothing. I was just… passing by."
"I thought you were interested in this house." The man pointed toward his own shop. "If you want to buy, buy that one. I heard the landlord say it's for sale. This one's a haunted house, unlucky. No one wants it."
Xu Chengyan gave a noncommittal murmur. He looked up again at the curtained window on the upper floor. Just as he turned to leave, he heard the man mutter, "So young and already shameless, fooling around and getting herself knocked up. Dead, and people are still laughing at her…"
He couldn't finish the rest of his words, because the young man he'd assumed was so polite suddenly lunged forward and punched him.
The little boy shrieked. The man was stunned for several seconds. By the time he came to his senses and tried to fight back, a burly man had quickly gotten out of the car and pinned his arm behind his back.
Terrified, the boy ran back inside, shouting for help. The middle-aged man glared furiously at Xu Chengyan. "Are you crazy?!"
Xu Chengyan took a tissue from the car and wiped his hands, then looked coldly at the man. "Watch your mouth."
After the driver had resolved the altercation and returned to the driver's seat, he noticed that Xu Chengyan was still in the exact same position, staring out at the tightly closed roll-up door, lost in thought.
He had never seen his boss so enraged. Worried, he asked, "President Xu, are you alright?"
Xu Chengyan didn't answer. He just kept staring at the dilapidated building outside.
The door was tightly shut, yet he felt his gaze had already pierced through the thick walls, peering into the bloodstained hallway inside. He clearly saw Zhao Yu's hopeless face and heard her heart-wrenching, hysterical cries.
The car window was open, but he felt so stifled he could barely breathe.
"President Xu?"
Xu Chengyan snapped out of his trance and slowly closed the window. "Let's go."
The driver started the car. Xu Chengyan's phone rang at the same time. Distracted and uneasy, he didn't even check the caller ID before answering absentmindedly. "Hello?"
"President Xu, something has happened to Miss Zhao."
A sharp pain stabbed through his temple. Xu Chengyan froze for a moment, then asked, his voice trembling, "Which… Miss Zhao?"
"The Miss Zhao Yu you instructed me to watch over discreetly. I've been keeping guard downstairs from her apartment. Just now, I saw President Xue from Huacan carrying her out. She… she slit her wrists. A suicide attempt."
Car horns blared endlessly outside. Wind kept rushing in through the window. But all Xu Chengyan felt was the world spinning. Suddenly, he couldn't hear a single sound.
With his injuries showing some slight improvement, Ji Sui couldn't stand staying in the hospital room all day. Taking advantage of the good weather, Zhuang Ye helped him downstairs for a walk in the garden.
The hospital was crowded at noon. Before the two of them even reached the main entrance, they heard a commotion up ahead. Assuming it was just a group of patients returning from lunch, they paid it no mind. But a few seconds later, a chilling, desperate roar cut through the air: "Move!"
The voice sounded vaguely familiar. Ji Sui instinctively lifted his eyes to look. There, he saw a man covered in blood, sprinting into the hospital like a man possessed, a woman cradled in his arms. Several men in black suits were following behind.
That was…
Ji Sui's breath caught in his throat. He moved to rush forward on reflex, but the sudden motion wrenched his wound, causing searing pain. Deprived abruptly of support, his whole body crumpled downward.
The sunlight stabbed straight down. His eyes burned and ached. His vision blurred. He tried to get up from the ground, but every part of his body felt drained of strength. He could only watch helplessly as Xue Zi'ang was tripped by the people in front and fell, the woman in his arms tumbling down with him.
"Zhao Yu…" Enduring the sharp pain in his chest, Ji Sui struggled to his feet. Then he saw Zhuang Ye already scoop the woman from Xue Zi'ang's arms and run frantically toward the emergency building.
To prevent Zhao Yu from being hurt in the fall, Xue Zi'ang had instinctively twisted his body the moment they went down, cushioning her so she still lay in his arms. But having carried her all the way from the car, blocked far outside, he had used every last ounce of his strength. Now, desperate to rush after them, he struggled for a long moment but couldn't manage to stand.
"She also took pills…"
Listening to Xue Zi'ang's ragged, trembling cry, seeing his face smeared hideously with blood and tears, Ji Sui felt the pain in his chest wound become suffocating. It felt as if his internal organs were being ripped apart.
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