Chapter 132

In the 4K high-definition image, that shiny glass marble was so certain, so clear, that he could almost see his own reflection in it.

Glass marble, glass marble!

His mind repeated it. The blurred childhood memories, mixed with his mother's face, the lush vegetation of Nanling, the moss covering the ancient stone statues, the serene, wind-eroded faces of gods and Buddhas, and the Yuantuo carrying the broken stone tablet in the ancient gate.

Everything, everything, surged out like a tide.

"Marble rolls, rolls into the hole,

One, two, three, count them clearly,

Four, five, six, chasing in a hurry,

Seven, eight, nine, win it in hand!"

The childish voice repeated.

His mother's young, gentle face leaned down toward him and said, "You have one, and you have one too."

"You have one too." He muttered, "Also..." Everything was like being soaked in yellowed water waves, twisted and blurred to the point of suffocation.

That childish hand reached out from beside him and caught his mother's marble.

It was the marble in the hand of the person in the video!

Although this person was wearing a mask, this marble was enough for Qi Fei to be certain that they had met. On the edge of distant memories, in the enlightenment era of the beginning of life, they had met!

The nursery rhyme rang in his ears again. It wasn't the young him humming it alone, but two people singing it back and forth!

Almost neurotically, he rushed to Liu Tong's office and stopped Liu Tong, who was about to get off work.

"Captain Liu! Why did you let me investigate Zhang Juying's case?!" Qi Fei stared at Liu Tong with red eyes, his throat dry and almost tearing.

Liu Tong blinked innocently at him: "I just felt that there were many unreasonable aspects to what Zhang Juying said, and it was different from typical medical disputes. What's wrong?"

"I..." Qi Fei felt a lump in his throat. He didn't know why, but the image from the surveillance was branded in his mind like a seal, repeatedly warning him not to speak.

"I..." He tried to break through his own words again, but failed.

Liu Tong noticed Qi Fei's abnormality and asked with concern: "What's wrong with you?"

Qi Fei ruffled his hair irritably and finally left a sentence: "Forget it! I'll talk after I've investigated it clearly!"

It seemed Liu Tong didn't know about this.

However, someone had sent Zhang Juying to the police station—the person in that video.

He knew that the person he could ask for help wasn't Liu Tong.

The sound of footsteps came from the corridor of Guiyue Apartment. Before Qi Fei could knock, Meng Apo was already waiting for him behind the security door with a vigilant look.

"I want to see Zhong Kui." Qi Fei's attitude was firmer than ever. Looking at the indifferent Meng Apo, he held up his laptop: "Don't worry, I'm here for work!"

"Apo." Zhong Kui's charming voice sounded behind Meng Apo.

Under the dim light, her porcelain-doll-like face was bright yet gloomy. She waved her hand lightly: "Let him in."

Meng Apo dared not disobey Zhong Kui's order.

Luosha had already been brought over, curled up by the heater, making a purring sound.

"I have something to show you!" Qi Fei said impatiently, opening his laptop in a flurry.

As the screen lit up, Qi Fei's fingers moved excitedly on the touchpad. Because he was shaking the whole time, it took several tries before he clicked on the video.

"23 minutes and 54 seconds, 23 minutes and 54 seconds..." He muttered, finally dragging it to that frame.

With his blood boiling, the moment the image appeared, he suddenly remembered Zhong Kui's breakdown in the Yun Shen Secret Realm. At the last moment, he covered the screen with his hand and turned to face Zhong Kui, who was still watching him scramble in a leisurely manner.

"Are you ready?" Qi Fei said solemnly, "I think I've found that monster."

When she heard the word "monster," a human emotion finally appeared on that unrealistically beautiful face. She frowned slightly: "Today? It's an inauspicious day for everything; it seems the date wasn't calculated correctly."

"That superstition of yours is a setting Zhong Xiaoyu gave you. Don't believe it!" Qi Fei's hand slowly reached out.

He stared at Zhong Kui's face, incredibly nervous, fearing that she would have a personality collapse the moment she saw that person.

However, when his hand completely left the screen, the room was unusually quiet, and nothing happened.

Qi Fei stared at Zhong Kui's face, and Zhong Kui's ethereal big eyes looked at the screen for a long time before suddenly, unexpectedly, her eyeballs moved to look at Qi Fei.

This expression was truly eerie, making Qi Fei panic for a moment.

"Ho, how is it?" He approached cautiously, "Are you Zhong Kui or Zhong Xiaoyu now?"

Zhong Kui looked at him expressionlessly and didn't answer.

Qi Fei reached out and waved in front of her, but was grabbed by Zhong Kui, who revealed a charming smile: "How is it? Scared to death, right?"

When she said this, Qi Fei breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the person in front of him was still Zhong Kui.

"Have you seen this person?" Qi Fei was surprised by this overly normal reaction, which made him feel even more uneasy.

"I don't know him. Isn't this just an ordinary doctor?" Zhong Kui's answer surprised him.

"No, don't you think this person looks a lot like me?" Qi Fei asked, unwilling to give up.

Zhong Kui shrugged: "Not really, completely different."

Qi Fei was left doubting his life by Zhong Kui's words and had no choice but to find Meng Apo.

"Apo, take a look, does this person look a lot like me!" Qi Fei said.

Meng Apo's drooping corners of her mouth hadn't relaxed since Qi Fei came in.

Her triangular eyes glanced at the screen, then at Qi Fei, and she spat out two words stiffly: "Not alike."

"Zhong Kui, I remember you told me you knew about the marbles. Do you remember? You must know something. How do you know about my childhood?" Qi Fei asked Zhong Kui for confirmation again.

Zhong Kui looked at him with slight confusion: "I said that?"

"Yes, you said, 'That's right, just like the glass marbles you got when you were a child.'" Qi Fei repeated Zhong Kui's words from back then in a convincing manner.

Zhong Kui was thoughtful, then a cold, elegant smile appeared on the corners of her mouth: "I believe you. It seems my friend is messing with my memories again. The more something is erased, the more important it is. Since we've reached this point today, tell me, what special significance do marbles have for you?"

This voice was different from when Qi Fei first came in; it was deeper and colder. The powerful and confident Zhong Kui had returned.

Zhong Kui lit the sweet, cloying incense. The smoke curled, slowly entangling in the air like small snakes.

Qi Fei took a deep breath, trying to find a logic he could narrate in that blurred image.

"I vaguely remember that before I went to kindergarten, my mother would take me to Nanling to play. That place was usually very empty, and often for a whole half-day, it was just us. I don't know why she didn't like taking me to parks or amusement parks, places with more children. This led to me having no playmates since I was a child; it was just my mother and me, playing in Nanling."