Chapter 37: Bishushanzhuang

The hotel where Bai Fugui, Feng Yu, and their family stayed was located outside Guzhen, a leisure estate built in the Bishuihuiwan below the Xuanhu Waterfall, covering about one hectare—roughly the size of a proper elementary school.

The design concept of Bishushanzhuang was highly novel, its layout and décor following recent European styles that clashed sharply with the ancient, poetic Jiangnan water town of Guzhen, as if it had been cut and pasted from some other place.

In fact, that was exactly the case: Bishushanzhuang was not an ancient structure but a brand-new development completed just a few months ago; reportedly, its investors had obtained insider information about Guzhen’s upcoming large-scale construction and had spent a fortune to secure this land downstream of the Xuanhu Waterfall in advance.

The Bai family were the first guests to check in at this estate; Zhang Yangxu refused to book a room here purely to avoid bad luck.

Under the bright moonlight, a magpie spread its wings, riding the cool evening breeze and landing on the hair of a statue in the estate’s side courtyard—a statue of a white Shaonv , holding a clay jar in both hands, from which clear water poured out—an artificial fountain.

Beneath the gentle trickle of the fountain, a well-dressed woman in a purple dress sat on a wicker chair, her gaze repeatedly fixed on a winding path leading out of the estate; her expression betrayed anxious anticipation.

Seeing no one around, the magpie perched on the statue lightly fluttered down beside her, transforming into a tall, handsome young man whose pale, slender hand—like a woman’s—gently tapped Feng Yu’s shoulder.

“Who—!”

Feng Yu instinctively cried out, until Ning Zhe’s hand covered her mouth again; only then did her tense body relax: “Ning Zhe?… When did you get here?”

“I flew here,” Ning Zhe said half-jokingly, then transformed back into a black-and-white magpie, perching on Feng Yu’s shoulder: “The He family village is destroyed, but the ghost’s rule didn’t vanish—it transferred to me.”

That meant Ning Zhe now possessed the ability to “steal another’s identity through false perception.”

“Really…?” Feng Yu turned her head, astonished at the small bird perched on her shoulder: “I thought only humans could be stolen from.”

“I thought so too,” Ning Zhe reverted to human form, standing before Feng Yu and raising his hand: “Let’s find somewhere private to talk.”

“Alright.”

Feng Yu led Ning Zhe to a small pavilion surrounded by flowerbeds and ornamental trees—remote and hidden enough that, before Guzhen’s scenic area was fully built and Bishushanzhuang opened to the public, it was utterly deserted, visited only by gardeners during the day.

The two sat facing each other in the pavilion; Feng Yu asked her most urgent question first: “What exactly happened in the He family village? In the final seconds before returning to the real world, I heard two different screams and cries—and then everything ended. How… how did you do it?”

“I told you—I killed the Snake God and the ghost,” Ning Zhe spread his hands. “As for how, don’t ask. Just know I kept my promise.”

He didn’t want to reveal too many details about matters concerning himself, and instead asked: “What about you? What did you experience in the He family village while we were separated?”

Feng Yu nodded and recounted her experience truthfully.

—After “Zhang Yangxu” was crushed to death by roof tiles, the ghost didn’t vanish—it reappeared before her as Ye Miaozhu, trying to persuade Feng Yu to listen to its explanation.

But Feng Yu’s mental state was already on the brink of collapse; in her frenzy, she first gouged out her own eyes, then stabbed her eardrums with two chopsticks—rendering herself completely blind and deaf, the ghost finally had no way left to reach her.

“I told you your mental state was bad,” Ning Zhe said, surprised. “But if ear damage isn’t treated professionally, you won’t live long—you were trying to kill yourself.”

“I… I didn’t know,” Feng Yu shook her head, dazed. “I had no other choice. After Zhang Yangxu died, it became Ye Miaozhu; after Ye Miaozhu died, it became Xie Sining… the ghost kept changing into different people to lure me—I… I really had no choice…” “It’s over now, it’s alright, Auntie,” Ning Zhe cut her off as she began slipping into hysteria again, pulling a napkin from his pocket to hand her for wiping tears: “Your makeup’s ruined—your husband will notice if you go back like this.”

“Mm…” Feng Yu took the napkin, wiping tears as she spoke: “He won’t notice. We’ve slept in separate rooms for years.”

“I’m not interested in your marital life—telling me that’s pointless,” Ning Zhe shook his head. “What about your daughter, Bai Zhi? I need to know about her.”

It would be even better if I could get her computer and read her diary entries directly.

“Ah! Yes, yes… Ah-Zhi.” At the mention of her daughter, Feng Yu’s enthusiasm surged; she pulled an iPad Mini from her purse, unlocked it, and handed it to Ning Zhe: “I couldn’t bring her computer, but I backed up her diary—please look… I really need to know what happened to Ah-Zhi?”

Why had Bai Zhi repeatedly dreamed of scenes from the He family village? She’d never even been to Guzhen…

“Alright, let me see… the private diary of a problem girl… looks just like a galgame.”

Ning Zhe opened the file; the first line read: “This world is beyond saving.” He rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes: “Damn, so edgy.”

Bai Zhi’s diary carried intense emotional weight; her first entry was written five years ago, when she was just fourteen, in seventh grade; she attended a prestigious private school in Yongzhou, where relationships among new students ranged from friendly to distant.

Some boys showed friendly interest because of her beauty; some girls clung to her because of her wealth—but Bai Zhi shut them all out, refusing even the most basic interaction with anyone.

In her diary, she labeled her classmates: childish.

“My god…” Ning Zhe quickly finished reading her three years of junior high diary, feeling like he’d just watched “Bai Zhi (in dark mode)”: “Auntie, do you know your daughter has severe chuunibyou?”

“What’s chuunibyou?” Feng Yu’s expression was anxious.

“Right—people your age don’t really get the anime world,” Ning Zhe wasn’t surprised by her reaction.

He swiped the tablet screen, preparing to skim through Bai Zhi’s high school diary—when suddenly, the sky above darkened.

“What’s happening?” Ning Zhe turned his head; the once-bright moon had vanished, as if a bulb had been unplugged—the entire world plunged into pitch black, not a single star visible.

In the impenetrable darkness, only the iPad in Ning Zhe’s hand emitted a soft milky glow; the distant estate remained dark and silent, the sound of flowing water audible.

But the next second, the entire estate suddenly lit up—every lamp in every room ignited simultaneously, brilliant light piercing through the castle-like rooftops, as if a giant bulb had been switched on in the night, glaringly bright.

Then, piercing screams erupted from within the estate.

“Someone’s dead!”

Ning Zhe looked down—the first line of Bai Zhi’s high school diary read: “Ghosts are everywhere.”

(End of Chapter)