I Raise My Wife in a Supernatural Story (Infinite) - Chapter 47

Not long after entering this house from the Carnival, Qi Yan had caught a fleeting glimpse of a ghostly figure in Qiu Ran’s study wearing loungewear. That figure was Qiu Ran. Later, in Qiu Lirong’s grand music room, it was Yanyan who had been playing the piano. Although Qi Yan had a splitting headache from the sonic attack at the time, she had managed to clearly see the clothes Yanyan was wearing.

It was the exact same loungewear as Qiu Ran’s.

At first, Qi Yan suspected that Yanyan and Qiu Ran might be sisters. If not biological, perhaps they were cousins. Given the house’s expensive, vintage decor, it was clear how wealthy the Qiu family was; supporting a few relatives would not be an issue. There was also the butler who had been helping Qiu Ran; he was likely a relative, and it would make sense if Yanyan were his child.

However, despite this hypothesis, Qi Yan found no trace of anyone else in Qiu Ran’s study. If Yanyan were someone capable of playing in the music room, she should have at least left some evidence of practicing with Qiu Ran during their lives. Yet, upon investigation, Qi Yan found nothing. Both the music room and the study bore traces of only one person: Qiu Ran.

“Including the shattered images in the mirror space, after I pieced them together, I found they were all scenes from your daily life, but I didn’t see Yanyan in them once. If those puzzles represent your most cherished memories, and Yanyan appears so close to you in this script, she shouldn’t be absent from those scenes.”

Qi Yan crouched down and picked up the stack of papers she had just organized. “Before, it was all just guesswork until I saw these.” She spread the papers out so everyone could see. “The core of the image is your artwork, but in the corners of every page, there are memos left in pencil. I suspect this was the way you and Yanyan communicated.”

Communicating in a way only the two of them knew, they hid from their own mother. As long as this secret room remained undiscovered, they were safe.

No one knew there were two of them, not even their favorite uncle.

This was a secret belonging only to the two of them.

“I was also wondering who the butler was. Seeing these brief exchanges between you and Yanyan, I finally realized that he’s your uncle.”

The guide NPC in the Carnival, he was Qiu Ran’s maternal uncle.

“He’s Mother’s younger brother.”

The voice came from behind. Qi Yan turned to see that Yanyan had appeared at some point, watching them with her arms crossed.

“Ranran hates playing the piano.” Yanyan walked over to Qiu Ran, shielding her in a protective stance. “Her mother is the world’s greatest pianist, and the Qiu family is an internationally renowned musical dynasty. But so what? When it came to her generation, she turned out to be the one who didn’t like music.”

Qiu Ran had been forced by her mother to study music and play the piano since she was a child, as if it were a path she was destined to walk from birth, unchangeable. She had tried to resist, but it was not only ineffective; it triggered a war within the family.

Qiu Lirong had an extraordinary obsession with music, which extended to her child’s education. She wanted to mold Qiu Ran into the next version of herself, continuing the century-long legend of the Qiu family. Qiu Lirong was a fanatic; the madness she displayed regarding music and the piano was terrifying.

“Ranran’s dad once said that Mother is a music machine with no emotion or warmth. She herself is like a cold piano; no amount of emotion can warm her up.” Yanyan shrugged. Her tone suggested she had little affection for either of Qiu Ran’s parents. “She only chose to marry Ranran’s dad because she was picking out relatively superior sperm.”

Qiu Ran’s father had married into the family. He had no money and no respectable job. He had only two things: he was handsome and possessed an incredible sense of rhythm.

“Ranran’s dad graduated from the conservatory; he was Mother’s alumnus. But in this country, if you don’t have a powerful background, there’s no future in music, even if you’re as talented as he was. He was chosen by Mother to be a tool for sperm donation, with the sole purpose of birthing a perfect heir.”

Listening to Yanyan’s description, Qi Yan was speechless, and Jiang Miao also fell into silence.

Bai Qing didn’t understand the complexities of these human families; she simply stood quietly by Qi Yan’s side to protect her.

Qi Yan pondered for a moment and asked, “So, growing up in a long-term oppressive environment, Qiu Ran developed a second personality, that’s you. You were the one who played the piano in her place?”

Qiu Ran loved painting, but her mother absolutely forbade her from pursuing any path other than the piano. In the beginning, Qiu Ran had not hidden her hobby; she wanted her mother to know she loved painting and wanted to learn.

However, young Qiu Ran had not expected that bringing home a piece of work she was most proud of from kindergarten would result in her mother flying into a rage, screaming at her, and even locking her in solitary confinement.

From that point on, Qiu Lirong became increasingly extreme. She constantly remodeled the house, completely changing the layout of the first floor to create that circular corridor. Whenever Qiu Ran returned home, it was as if she were entering a massive cage where she had nothing to do but study and practice.

Growing up in such an oppressive and painful environment made Qiu Ran far more mature than her peers, and the long-term mental torture birthed Yanyan.

Because she didn’t want to play the piano but had to, her mother became more and more paranoid, especially regarding her education, so paranoid she would not listen to anyone. To reduce the fighting, Qiu Ran gritted her teeth and studied the piano. It wasn’t something she liked, but a task she had to complete. Like taking medicine when sick or eating to stay alive, even if she feared the bitterness or suffered from anorexia, she had to do it.

In this long, painful struggle, Yanyan was born. As the second personality, she perfectly inherited Qiu Ran’s proficiency at the piano and could take control of the body during practice. Yanyan was born for this purpose, so she never resisted the piano. It didn’t matter if she liked it or not; her existence was to complete this task for Qiu Ran.

She was born to protect Qiu Ran. Even after death separated them into two entities, she still stayed by Qiu Ran’s side, never leaving.

As the bosses of this script, they had seen many, many players, but few were as observant and sensitive as Qi Yan. Especially the additions she made to the canvas, they realized this person possessed a very soft heart.

Every player they had ever met was afraid of them, and Qi Yan was afraid too, yet she felt pity for them and even used a painting to comfort them.

This made Qiu Ran and Yanyan feel that this “Big Sister” could be a friend. And for friends they liked, they wanted her to stay.

Yanyan looked at her with a smile. “I knew Big Sister was the one most to my taste! You’re so smart and understand the human heart so well. I really want you to stay forever to play with us!”

As she spoke, the ghostly aura on Yanyan’s body churned uncontrollably. She looked incredibly excited, as if she were about to strike at Qi Yan the next second.

Qi Yan instinctively took half a step back, shielded by a vigilant Bai Qing.

Last time, it was this little ghost who had turned Qi Yan into a doll in the arcade!

Bai Qing narrowed her eyes, staring at the little ghost named Yanyan with a warning gaze. If she dared to move against Qi Yan again, Bai Qing would cut her in half in an instant.

Yanyan was Qiu Ran’s second personality. When they were human, they shared a body, but as ghosts, they had successfully split into two. However, the core of this script was still Qiu Ran alone. It didn’t matter if Yanyan was her second personality; her power was certainly inferior to the original.

With Bai Qing’s current spiritual power, killing Qiu Ran in one hit was impossible, but if it were Yanyan, it was worth a try.

Qiu Ran keenly sensed the hostility radiating from Bai Qing and the unreserved, leaking strength she possessed. She reached out and lightly pressed Yanyan’s shoulder, shaking her head to signal her not to act rashly.

“Just with the two of us together, the four of you won’t all be able to leave smoothly.” Qiu Ran looked at Qi Yan. “Why doesn’t Big Sister stay to accompany us, and I can let your friends go?”

Seeing her still targeting Qi Yan, Bai Qing was instantly enraged. She said coldly, “Don’t even think about it!”

Surging spiritual power erupted instantly. The sword light in Bai Qing’s right hand flickered. If Qi Yan had not held her back, the sword would have already swung out.

“Qi Yan?”

Qi Yan shook her head at her. “This is their territory. You won’t gain anything from a head-on confrontation alone, let alone their uncle, or even that kid Ling Yi from the Carnival, who are likely hiding in the shadows ready to help.”

It had to be said that in such a life-or-death moment, Qi Yan’s ability to remain so calm and clear-headed was truly a talent.

Yanyan snorted. “Then what can you do? Ranran is the ‘Heart’ of this world. You either win and leave, or stay and play with us. What else do you expect?”

Qi Yan smiled softly. Her eyes were exceptionally bright. She reached out and lightly rested her hand on the easel. “That’s not right. We clearly have another choice: find the ‘Eye’ of the world, and then leave.”

Yanyan’s face darkened. “You have to find it first!”

“Tsk, it’s not that hard to find.” She lowered her hand and paced back and forth. “But the point is, we are wounded and weak, with only one fighter. Her arm is injured, and facing both of you alone might be a bit of a struggle, so I have to consider causing some chaos for you.”

She spoke in a very casual tone, as if chatting about daily life, yet she was deliberately being cryptic. Not only did the two little ghosts find it nonsensical, but even Bai Qing showed a confused expression, wondering what she was up to.

Jiang Miao had already assumed a combat stance. Hearing Qi Yan say she was going to cause chaos for the ghosts, she also instinctively glanced at her.

“Don’t worry, it should be coming soon!”

Saying this, Qi Yan pulled a few pieces of paper from nowhere and held them in her hand. “No one in this family is still alive. The murderer who killed you also died here, but how did he die? Given how unscrupulous and insane he was for money, it wouldn’t be easy for an ordinary person to kill him. A malicious ghost’s obsession is usually carried from life to death. A person whose eyes only see money and interest, with no family affection, will likely be the same after death.”

She unfolded the paper in her hand; it was the divorce lawsuit found in the hidden compartment of the music room.

The secret room suddenly began to shake, as if being struck repeatedly by someone’s fists.

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