Chapter 321

The scene before his eyes began to merge with an old photograph; it was the bloody past Qi Fei had uncovered upon arriving in Baicheng, the massacre that had occurred at Zhong Xiaoyu's home—Xi He had replicated the crime scene from back then.

The first person Qi Fei thought of was Zhong Kui; he could not let her see this scene.

He looked around in a panic. Fortunately, Zhong Kui had not appeared. Just as his heart, which had been hanging in his throat, was about to settle, the familiar sound of high heels came from behind him.

Qi Fei hurriedly turned around, wanting to stop her from approaching, but it was already too late. The usually composed Zhong Kui stood rooted to the spot like a stone statue.

Qi Fei didn't know what to do for a moment and cautiously called out Zhong Kui's name, but she seemed to have blocked out all the sounds in the world, her gaze cold and stern as she stared at the blood-stained room, saying nothing.

Suddenly, she looked up and laughed loudly. This laughter was more harrowing than crying, so much so that everyone at the scene was stunned and involuntarily stopped what they were doing. Even the corpses of Wu Chongyue and Zhu Haitang seemed to have regained consciousness; under their drooping eyelids, those murky pupils looked at Zhong Kui, filled with numb sorrow.

Just as Qi Fei was about to drag her away from the scene, Zhong Kui's laughter stopped abruptly. She said coldly, "Xi He, you truly miss Zhong Xiaoyu."

"Kui, what are you talking about?" Qi Fei did not understand the meaning.

"He killed two people just to replicate the scene of the Zhong family massacre, wanting to awaken the Zhong Xiaoyu that I have suppressed." Zhong Kui revealed a ruthless look. "Hmph, in your dreams! I hate being manipulated the most." As she said this, she turned around and walked away without looking back.

Leaving only Qi Fei in this place permeated with the smell of blood.

He looked around, unable to understand.

Was it Xi He who missed Zhong Xiaoyu? How could anyone in this world kill because of longing?

He didn't have time to dwell on this question and chased after Zhong Kui. In the countryside, Zhong Kui was walking toward the direction of Zizai Shan.

The green mountains were vast and distant; they looked so close, yet he could never reach them.

Halfway there, Zhong Kui suddenly stopped.

Qi Fei didn't dare to get close and stood far away watching her.

He saw her take off her high heels and stand barefoot on the road. Her alluring, head-held-high posture changed; that was the beginning of a transformation.

The wind blew through the harvested fields, lifting her long hair, and before long, she turned and walked in Qi Fei's direction.

Looking at that face which had shed its arrogant appearance, Qi Fei knew that the person before him was no longer the girl he loved.

"Qi Fei, I'm sorry, I have to come out and have a talk with you." That bookish tone—he knew immediately it was Zhong Xiaoyu.

"Xi He's goal has been achieved," Qi Fei said worriedly.

"I think we have both run out of patience for this cat-and-mouse game. My business with him must come to an end," Zhong Xiaoyu said, her hands silently clenching into fists. Although her hands were still trembling and she looked as fragile as a leaf in the wind, Qi Fei saw an unprecedented firmness in her eyes.

"What do you intend to do?" Qi Fei asked. "We don't even know where he is."

Zhong Xiaoyu looked straight into his eyes and said, "We don't need to find him; he will come to find me."

As her voice fell, the distant mountain forest rustled in the wind. Deep in the dense woods, it was as if a pair of eyes were watching them, covetous and triumphant...

The noon sun shone on the man's upright face. He was wearing a black trench coat and chatting freely with the girl opposite him.

At first glance, this was truly a decent young man, but it was a pity that those slightly narrowed eyes, which constantly darted around, betrayed his true nature.

The girl opposite was still young, wearing exquisite makeup and a newly bought Chanel suit; it seemed she wanted to make a good impression on the other party.

This was a blind date, and it seemed they both had a good impression of each other.

"Um, you studied in the United States for seven years; didn't you find a foreign girlfriend?" the girl asked tentatively.

Regarding this kind of question, the man appeared well-versed: "At that time, I was just worried about not being able to graduate and not being able to answer to my parents. How could I have the heart to date?"

Hearing this, the girl used her hand to tuck her long hair behind her ear. Her lowered head and bashful look made the man feel affection, and he leaned forward and asked, "I heard you were an undergraduate and master's student at Nancheng University. In those seven years at university, did you ever..."

"No," the girl answered decisively. "By the way, Ziwu, are you a relative of our General Manager Tian?"

"Oh, no. General Manager Tian and my mother are best friends. She watched me grow up from childhood. Although we aren't relatives, we are closer than relatives," said the man named Ziwu, his face unable to hide his pride.

Hearing this, the girl looked at him with a bit more admiration: "A boy as excellent as you is still single now; you're truly a rare animal."

"Maybe I was waiting for a good girl like you?" Ziwu said, reading the situation. Seeing the other party blush, he immediately explained, "I'm joking. Sorry for being frivolous; please don't mind."

Seeing the other party smile without speaking, Ziwu began to probe further: "By the way, Shuangshuang, do you have any plans for the evening?" Ziwu asked.

"No~" Shuangshuang answered, unable to hide her eagerness.

"Then, would you like to go to my place and sit for a while?" Ziwu asked immediately. The set of questions was like a formula, falling into place naturally.

"Ah, I'm not mentally prepared to meet your parents yet." Shuangshuang did not explicitly refuse.

Ziwu seemed to have anticipated this answer long ago and said, "Don't worry, I rented a place near my unit, and it's just me alone."

"Aren't you a local of Nancheng? Why do you still need to rent a place?"

"The commute is too far; it's more convenient to rent a place."

The word "convenient" was particularly pleasing to Shuangshuang's ears. She whispered, "Is it convenient for commuting or..."

This long road, he didn't know when it would come to an end. He didn't know why he had woken up in such a strange, savage place.

All around were tall pine trees, swaying like ghost shadows in the twilight after sunset.

"Help! Is anyone there?!" he shouted loudly. His voice startled several wild birds that were roosting, and they flew away with a flutter.

As night fell, strange sounds began to come from all around, as if wild beasts were prowling around him, ready to bite his throat at any moment.

He couldn't remember why he had come here. Clearly, everything had been normal during the day; he had attended a social engagement and was slightly tipsy after drinking some alcohol...

However, he couldn't remember anything that happened afterward.

By the time he woke up again, he was already lying on a narrow mountain path. This road only had one direction. He had walked for a whole day, cold and hungry, yet he still couldn't see the end. Now that it was dark, he had nowhere to go. He cried to heaven, but heaven didn't answer; he cried to earth, but earth didn't respond...

"Whose prank is this, anyway..." he muttered, wandering, not knowing where to go. Suddenly...