Chapter 19: Silence Is the Greatest Lie

At 7:00 a.m., a bright yellow sun rose into the sky, bathing the small village beside the river in warm sunlight.

In the fourth lunar month, peak summer bloom, the back courtyard of the He family mansion burst with competing flowers: soft pink carnations lined the pebble paths, and lotuses in water jars awoke, their pale pink petals unfurling into bright smiles, their golden stamens releasing a faint sweet fragrance.

Several graceful pomegranate trees stretched lazily at the path’s edge, their emerald canopies hiding crimson buds that looked like full-grown red pomegranates hanging from every branch; fallen flower buds plopped into the small pond, sending ripples through the water.

The pond’s surface, broken then still, reflected a girl with disheveled long hair hurrying past the shore, her expression urgent, as if pressed for time.

Ye Miaozhu sprinted past the pomegranate trees, checking her phone screen once more: several messages from a contact labeled “Yunqing.”

【I climbed out of the river.】

【The river water is freezing.】

【Where are you?】

【I want to meet you. Come find me. I’m…】

Ye Miaozhu had come here because of these messages—like a fish lured by bait.

Even if Gu Yunqing had died right before her eyes, even if she, as a medical student, could be certain his heartbeat had stopped and his body had grown cold, when she saw that familiar name appear on the screen, Ye Miaozhu still chose, irrationally, to believe in that sliver of a possibility.

Even though she knew a ghost wandered this village, stealing identities and disguising itself as a human, she was willing to risk her life for a hope that did not exist.

Women who have fallen in love are never reasonable; such creatures are inherently incompatible with the concept of “factual accuracy.”

Ye Miaozhu hurried through the circular pebble path lined with carnations, her fluttering hem brushing the lotuses in the water jars; she rushed past the courtyard and arrived at the west side of the main house, then lowered her head again to confirm the message on her phone.

Following the message’s direction, Ye Miaozhu quickly found the unlocked storage room. After several deep breaths, she pushed the door open with trembling hands.

The sealed room was dark, windows boarded shut; even in daylight, it was pitch black. Morning sunlight spilled through the open door, barely illuminating the floor at Ye Miaozhu’s feet.

She pushed the door fully open and called tentatively: “Yunqing? Are you in here?”

No response.

Ye Miaozhu stepped closer, puzzled, and scanned the room in the sunlight.

It was a sealed, dry storage room: bamboo flooring raised off the ground to ward off dampness; against the walls stood several shelves holding feminine items: a length of crimson silk brocade embroidered with flying phoenix wings.

A white jade bracelet in a brocade box, streaked with a blood-red hue; a pure gold hairpin in a sandalwood box, its tip carved into twin lotus blossoms; an intricately engraved silver headdress depicting a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix; a purple sandalwood dressing table, placed directly facing the room’s entrance.

A copper mirror, the size of a washbasin, mounted on the dressing table, also facing the door.

Several camphorwood chests filled with clothing, exuding the scent of camphor.

These were most of the items in the room.

Ye Miaozhu hugged herself nervously and called again: “Yunqing? Are you here? Is it really you?”

Then, from the darkness, a low male voice spoke.

“Did a few text messages really lure you out?” A man in a suit stepped from behind the dressing table; sunlight fell on his face—it was Zhang Yangxu: “I never thought you could be this stupid.”

“You?” Ye Miaozhu’s teeth clenched in fury; she looked down—Zhang Yangxu held two phones: his own, and Gu Yunqing’s: “You used Yunqing’s phone to trick me?!”

“It’s not that you were tricked,” Zhang Yangxu shook his head. “It’s that you chose, on your own, to believe Gu Yunqing must still be alive. Or rather—you wanted to believe? As long as the voice said ‘Gu Yunqing,’ you’d believe anything he said?”

Ye Miaozhu snapped: “I want to be tricked by him—it’s none of your business!”

Ah, right, right… After a moment, her anger cooled slightly, and she added: “Fine. Tell me—why did you use Yunqing’s phone to lure me here?”

Zhang Yangxu chuckled, raising a hand to gesture around him—at the shelves lined with the girl’s belongings: “I’m telling you I’ve found a way to leave He Family Village and return to the real world.”

“You?” Ye Miaozhu’s expression turned skeptical. “If Ning Zhe or Yunqing said that, I might believe them a little. But you? Forget it.”

“Believe me or not—I’m just telling you what I know.” Zhang Yangxu walked to the shelves.

He gently lifted the crimson brocade embroidered with flying phoenix wings and said: “This is fabric for a waistband. In Qinzhou’s feudal customs, brides wear extremely elaborate wedding gowns that make them look bulky, so a strip of fabric is wrapped tightly around the waist to cinch it, accentuating the figure—this is called a waistband. Modern society doesn’t care about this anymore.”

But He Family Village does.

“What are you getting at?” Ye Miaozhu’s expression grew increasingly impatient.

Zhang Yangxu set the fabric down and smiled: “Look at the other things—the bracelet, the hairpin, the silver headdress… all kinds of jewelry. These are dowry items.”

“Dowry?”

“Dowry.” Zhang Yangxu nodded. “The master of this mansion is marrying off his daughter. I heard the servants say Miss He is to be wed to a man from another village; the groom’s procession will arrive tomorrow to collect her. These items are her dowry.”

“So what? What does that matter?” Ye Miaozhu frowned.

“Miss He is getting married. Isn’t that clear enough?” Zhang Yangxu sighed. “Master He will send servants and maids to accompany his daughter. They’ll depart tomorrow. If you can slip in among them, you can leave He Family Village with the wedding procession.”

“Really? If I sneak into the wedding procession, I can leave?” Ye Miaozhu’s skepticism deepened.

“Yes.” Zhang Yangxu nodded. “Follow the wedding procession, and you can leave He Family Village.”

“I see…” Ye Miaozhu’s gaze dimmed. She did not ask where Zhang Yangxu had gotten this information.

—If Zhang Yangxu was telling the truth, why didn’t he hide himself and wait to leave with the procession tomorrow? Why did he specifically come to tell her? That was what puzzled Ye Miaozhu most.

The more she thought, the stranger the situation became. If the messages from Gu Yunqing’s phone had clouded her judgment and made her gullible, now that the lie was exposed, Ye Miaozhu, having calmed down, could finally examine her current state with rational clarity.

Looking at Zhang Yangxu’s gentle smile, an inexplicable sense of unease crept over her.

Ye Miaozhu couldn’t help asking again: “Are you certain? If I follow the wedding procession, I can leave He Family Village and return to the real world?”

Zhang Yangxu nodded: “Correct. Follow the wedding procession, and you can leave He Family Village.”

“You…” Ye Miaozhu suddenly realized something—a bone-chilling cold crawled up her spine from her tailbone: “Let me ask again: if I follow the wedding procession, can I return to the real world?”

This time, Zhang Yangxu did not answer.

He stood where he was, his face still wearing that approachable, gentle smile, his lips slightly curved upward, silent.

Ye Miaozhu’s worst fear had come true.

In that moment, she suddenly remembered something Ning Zhe had once said:

【Rules stay silent, but they never lie.】

“Answer me, Zhang Yangxu—why are you silent?” Ye Miaozhu gritted her teeth, speaking slowly, each word deliberate: “Or… are you not Zhang Yangxu at all? Are you the ghost?”

(End of Chapter)