Transmigrated into a Trashy A and Ended Up with My Grudge-filled Best Friend and My Own CP - Chapter 25

The group froze at the words, halting their search as they turned their attention to Ye Ye.

“Seems my luck is holding up well,” Ye Ye boasted, covering her cheeks with her hands. “What a fortunate Ye Ye I am.”

“The wealthy lady is actually a man.” Ding Moyan was taken aback, finding this revelation unexpected. She was the first to snap out of it, stepping forward to examine the items Ye Ye had discovered.

“Right, a man,” Ye Ye replied with a sweet smile. “Which makes this storyline even more intriguing, doesn’t it?”

They were adoption certificates and group photos, all concerning children from the Ouroboros Orphanage.

The two adopted children matched the “two sons” mentioned in the autobiography.

Ding Moyan found it strange children adopted at over ten years old. Normally, families preferred toddlers who wouldn’t remember their past, or at least five- or six-year-olds. Teenagers, already aware and attached to memories, were often avoided for fear they might grow up ungrateful.

The photos were yellowed, old black-and-white prints.

In them, two handsome young men in suits stood beside two thin, frail children. The children’s eyes were vacant, while the men smiled warmly, each with a hand resting on a child’s shoulder.

Behind them was a fountain and a wooden plaque bearing the orphanage’s name. The fountain’s stone carving depicted a massive serpent devouring its own tail.

The serpent sculpture immediately reminded Ding Moyan of a certain creature, the Ouroboros.

Self-referential, an endless cycle, or perhaps rebirth.

What connection did this have?

The photo exuded an eerie aura, and staring at it too long made her eyes ache unnaturally.

Ding Moyan pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to ease the sudden heaviness in her chest. She wasn’t sure why her mood had soured so abruptly.

“There’s writing on the back,” Ye Ye said, flipping the photo over. Scribbled there were notes about the pickup time and some neurotic ramblings.

“Today is the day we visit the Ouroboros Orphanage with my dear husband. We are all very satisfied with today’s outcome.”

Ye Ye read the words theatrically, her voice rising and falling dramatically. When she finished, she paused, her round eyes locking onto Ding Moyan.

“Tsk, ‘dear husband’, how nauseating. They seem so in love~”

If the wealthy “lady” of this house was actually a man, then what did that make the Long-Tongued Female Ghost they had encountered earlier?

Yu Sisi wasn’t one to misidentify genders. She voiced her confusion: “So who was that female ghost? She died so horribly, what role did she play in this villa?”

Wang Ye suggested, “A maid? Or a mistress?”

Yu Sisi nodded. “A mistress? That’s plausible. Otherwise, her gruesome death wouldn’t make sense.”

“I’m going out to check something,” Ding Moyan muttered, her irritation mounting. She tugged roughly at her collar, an ominous premonition clawing at her chest.

Ye Ye returned the items to their original spot, slipped her hands into her pockets, and tilted her head at Ding Moyan, lips curling into a smile. “Sister, I’ll keep you company.”

Ding Moyan neither refused nor agreed, merely giving her a brief glance before walking out.

Ye Ye chuckled meaningfully, tapping a finger against her chin before skipping after her.

Wang Ye moved to follow, but Yu Sisi held her back.

To ensure Ye Ye could have some alone time with Ding Moyan, Yu Sisi, who played both father and mother roles, had to handle some issues for Ye Ye.

First, she couldn’t let Wang Ye go over.

“Wang Ye, come take a look at this with me. There’s dried blood on it, I think it might be useful for catching ghosts,” Yu Sisi said, picking up a metal candlestick and spinning a lie. “Don’t worry, Mo Yan is strong. Nothing will happen to her. Let’s search for things to help her complete her personal task faster.”

Afraid she couldn’t hold Wang Ye back, Yu Sisi added, “If we find any important clues, Mo Yan will definitely praise you and think highly of you.”

Hearing this, Wang Ye thought it made sense. He was foolish and useless going over might just get in Mo Yan’s way and cause trouble.

Better to quietly find something useful to lighten Mo Yan’s personal task.

Wang Ye nodded and accompanied Yu Sisi to examine the suspicious metal candlestick.

Ding Moyan stepped out the door.

Her neck had grown stiff from constantly bending down to search for things. She squinted slightly, tilting her head back and rubbing her neck.

“Neck sore? Need me to massage it for you?” Ye Ye slowed her steps, deliberately sneaking a hand toward the back of Ding Moyan’s neck.

The icy, slithering touch of fingers like a snake’s swept across her skin, sending a shiver down Ding Moyan’s spine. Her closed eyes flew open.

Just as she was about to leap eight feet away from Ye Ye, her gaze abruptly landed on the third-floor hallway.

Suddenly, Ding Moyan suppressed her startled expression and stared solemnly at the third floor. “There are portraits up there.”

Ye Ye, who had been preparing to flee to avoid getting hit by Ding Moyan, also looked up at the sound of her voice.

Indeed, the third floor was lined with portraits.

The two hurried upstairs. In this tense, dangerous, and eerie place, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down.

Anything they found could be the key to saving a life at a critical moment.

The third-floor hallway had no rooms just a circular corridor filled with black-and-white portrait frames.

“These portraits all have personal introductions underneath,” Ding Moyan murmured, scanning the rows of labels: male servants, chefs, gatekeepers, and others, each marked with the date they entered the villa.

Further along were the portraits of the Shen family’s children.

“Look, this one kind of resembles that Long-Tongued Female Ghost,” Ye Ye said, frowning slightly as she pointed at one of the photos. She had a deep impression of that ghost after all, she had nearly died at its hands.

However, the woman in the photo wore an extravagant princess dress, standing outside the villa. She was beautiful, holding flowers with an innocent, radiant expression.

The contrast with the nearly decapitated Long-Tongued Female Ghost was too stark, making it hard to reconcile the two.

Ding Moyan compared the image in her mind with the portrait. The ghost did bear some resemblance to the woman in the frame.

“Very similar. It might actually be her.”

Reading the introduction beneath the photo, Ding Moyan continued, “Shen Hualing, of the Shen family’s main branch.”

“Half-sister to Shen Changle, the Shen family’s second daughter. Lively personality, gentle nature, deeply doted on at home. Everyone adored this kind-hearted young lady.”

As she spoke, Ding Moyan’s gaze suddenly froze on a particular spot in the portrait. Her pupils constricted sharply, then locked onto a detail in the image with horror.

She stared intently, her heart seeming to stop beating in that moment.

Ding Moyan opened her mouth, her eyes filled with disbelief: “There’s something here that shouldn’t be present.”

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