Yin and Yang - Chapter 12

The truth behind the Haunted House was far more complex than they had initially imagined. Shen Qingwei, in particular, had initially believed it was simply a murder case, perhaps involving a deranged mistress who later transformed into a malevolent spirit, wreaking havoc. But when they learned that this spirit had been artificially created, the situation began spiraling into unpredictable territory.

“Does the Master know about all this?” Shen Qingwei suddenly asked, her voice sharp. Yin Zheng remained silent.

If the Master knew these things and still chose to refine the mistress into a malevolent spirit to suppress another, wouldn’t that make him an accomplice to evil? And if he didn’t know, could it mean he had been deceived as well?

The crucial questions remained: Who was this Master? Where was he? And whose life force had been used to refine the malevolent spirit?

The mysteries persisted, but regardless, the truth about the Haunted House seemed to be emerging. Without hesitation, Shen Qingwei and Yin Zheng entered the teahouse. The owner greeted them with a cheerful “Welcome, young ladies! What can I get for you?”

It had to be said, Qingping City had been attracting more and more visitors lately, and the number of beautiful women had also increased. The owner beamed. Shen Qingwei replied, “Just a pot of ordinary tea, please.”

“Ah, and I’ll throw in some complimentary snacks for you ladies,” the owner added with a smile.

He then called over a staff member to lead Yin Zheng and Shen Qingwei inside. Yin Zheng paused at a private room, and Shen Qingwei said, “This one will do.”

“This room?” The waiter scratched his head. “The previous guests just left, and I haven’t cleaned up yet, miss. Would you like to go to the next room instead?”

Shen Qingwei insisted, “This one.”

The waiter relented. “Alright, I’ll tidy up quickly. Please wait a moment.”

Shen Qingwei and Yin Zheng stood at the doorway. The room wasn’t particularly messy; a teapot and two cups sat on the table, along with several plates of pastries. The pastries appeared untouched, as if they had fallen to the floor when the table was jostled—each piece remained intact. Apart from this, there were no other notable discoveries.

The two women waited until the waiter had cleared the table before settling in. The room was close to the entrance, and on the quiet afternoon, with the window open, voices from outside drifted in.

“Hey, Mr. Zhao was here earlier. Did you see him?”

“Yeah, I saw him. Poor Mr. Zhao—losing his wife and child like that. It really proves the saying: ‘No good deed goes unpunished.'”

“I’ve never seen the guy he was meeting with before.”

“Ah, you wouldn’t know. He’s Mr. Fu, the CEO of some company. After hearing about Mr. Zhao’s story, he wanted to buy the rights to make a movie. Mr. Zhao has turned him down countless times. They nearly had a shouting match in that room just now.”

Everyone turned to look at the window of Shen Qingwei and Yin Zheng’s private room. The two women sat quietly by the window, Yin Zheng holding a cup of tea, its misty steam curling upward with an ethereal grace. Across from her, Shen Qingwei beamed at her with a sweet, endearing smile that instantly warmed the heart.

Shen Qingwei had clearly overheard the conversation nearby. She murmured, “Mr. Fu… why does that name sound so familiar?”

Yin Zheng set down her cup and replied calmly, “The agency.”

“That’s right!” Shen Qingwei nodded. “Wasn’t that the manager who mentioned him? Mr. Fu?”

“Perhaps,” Yin Zheng replied in her cool, clear voice. While Shen Qingwei was adding the manager on WeChat, Yin Zheng had risen to examine the room. A faint burnt smell still lingered in the air. With a wave of her hand, she dispelled the odor. Apart from that, there were no other traces. She gazed out the window for a long moment before Shen Qingwei announced, “I found him. His name is Fu Yuan.”

Shen Qingwei showed Yin Zheng the information she had found: Fu Yuan was the owner of an agency, over forty-five years old, widowed five years ago, and living alone with no children. Studying his photo, Shen Qingwei remarked, “He doesn’t have a good face.”

Yin Zheng scrutinized the image for a moment and said, “It would be good to meet him.”

Shen Qingwei tilted her head. “As long as Mr. Zhao meets with him again, we’ll be able to see him too.”

But when that next meeting would occur was anyone’s guess. Yin Zheng didn’t press the matter. She circled the private room while Shen Qingwei asked, “Did you find anything?”

“No,” Yin Zheng replied. “Let’s head back for now.”

On the way back, Shen Qingwei suddenly suggested, “Why don’t we check the surveillance footage?”

If a fourth person had indeed been present that night, they would surely have been captured on camera. Yin Zheng, seeing Shen Qingwei’s unwavering confidence, didn’t want to discourage her. But she knew that if such footage existed, the police would have already uncovered it. How could there be no mention of it?

Whether this fourth person was even at the scene remained a question. Still, Yin Zheng didn’t want to dampen Shen Qingwei’s enthusiasm. The two hailed a taxi and returned directly to the Haunted House.

“Should we contact the police?” Shen Qingwei asked.

Yin Zheng shook her head. “Let’s not alert them just yet.”

If the police contacted Mr. Zhao again, it would only spook him. Besides, their theory was still just speculation, with no concrete evidence. Shen Qingwei agreed that it was best to avoid alerting the authorities for now, so she devised a different approach.

In the surveillance room, she insisted, “My house was robbed! I need to check the footage!”

The uniformed security guard said, “Miss, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but the company has procedures. We need a police report before we can show you the surveillance footage.”

“Can’t you make an exception?” Shen Qingwei blinked her large, watery eyes, her gaze lingering meaningfully. The young guard who met her gaze immediately looked away. “I-I’m sorry, but it’s really not possible.”

Shen Qingwei’s frustration welled up. If it hadn’t been so long, she wouldn’t need to check the footage at all. But three months had passed, and much of the scene had been disturbed. She and Yin Zheng had no other options.

Seeing her dejected expression, the security guard softened. “Miss, when did you realize your things were missing?”

“Three months ago,” Shen Qingwei lied without a trace of embarrassment. “I’ve been abroad on business for the past two months. I just returned a few days ago to find my home completely ransacked. I’m starting to wonder what you security guards are even for!”

The guard, already flushed from her earlier reprimand, turned even redder. “Then… Miss, please register first. We’ll contact the police and get back to you with an explanation?”

Shen Qingwei was about to protest when Yin Zheng tugged at her sleeve. She pouted, scribbled an address in the registration form, and handed it to the guard. He paused, surprised. “You’re from Building 17 too?”

“That’s right,” Shen Qingwei said. “But my apartment was burglarized before the murder occurred.”

The security guard muttered, “How do you know that?”

Shen Qingwei opened her mouth to answer, but Yin Zheng interjected, “Because we left before the murder happened, we’re not sure exactly when the burglary occurred. If it’s convenient, could you please show us the surveillance footage from before the incident?”

Her reasoning was sound, her demeanor calm and authoritative, and her expression serious, carrying the air of a senior official handling official business. The security guard, already struggling to deal with Shen Qingwei, completely lost his composure when faced with Yin Zheng. He hesitated, his face showing his reluctance. “Miss, it’s not that I don’t want to show you, but it’s against regulations. And besides—”

He paused for two seconds, glancing outside. Shen Qingwei frowned at his mysterious behavior. “And besides what?” she pressed.

“Besides, the surveillance cameras in Building 17 have been broken for a long time.”

Shen Qingwei was astonished. “What?”

The security guard knew he was in the wrong. Their residential complex wasn’t particularly high-end, but its location in a good school district meant there were many renters, attracting all sorts of people. The surveillance cameras in Building 17 had been broken for ages, and they had reported the issue for repair. However, the maintenance company hadn’t gotten around to their complex yet, and then the incident in Building 17 occurred.

Because of this incident, the entire security company had been fined heavily. The matter was only suppressed last month. Now, hearing Shen Qingwei’s words, the security guard had to explain the situation in detail again. Shen Qingwei glanced at Yin Zheng, and both unconsciously frowned.

“The surveillance cameras are broken,” Shen Qingwei said, biting into her popsicle. “Doesn’t this seem a bit… off?”

Beside her, Yin Zheng held an ice cream cone. She didn’t particularly enjoy cold treats, so she took a few bites and set it aside. Shen Qingwei, sitting beside her, asked, “Senior Sister, aren’t you going to finish it?”

Yin Zheng looked down at the cone still in its box and replied, “You can have it.”

Shen Qingwei took the cone and scooped up the creamy top with her spoon. Instead of eating it herself, she brought the spoonful to Yin Zheng’s lips. “It’s hot,” she said. “You should have something cool.”

Yin Zheng blinked at the spoonful of cream, glanced at Shen Qingwei, and caught her own reflection in those eyes, along with a hint of anticipation. Her heart tightened, and she averted her gaze. “I’m not hungry. You eat it.”

Shen Qingwei’s eyes darkened at the gentle rejection, but she didn’t press further. She bit down on the spoon and devoured the cone in frustrated bites. Though the cream was sweet, it didn’t taste as good as it should.

Yin Zheng patiently waited for her to finish. As the sunset painted the sky in crimson hues, Shen Qingwei asked, “Are we still going over tonight?”

“Mm-hmm,” Yin Zheng replied. “To prevent anyone from going up there.”

For example, those fearless livestreamers and people who enjoy exploring haunted houses. Shen Qingwei nodded, found a nearby trash can, and tossed the box inside. The two walked back together, their shadows stretching and overlapping. As they entered the elevator, Shen Qingwei asked, “Senior Sister, are we going to confirm whether there was a fourth person in the haunted house that night?”

Yin Zheng glanced at her. Shen Qingwei continued, “And whether that fourth person was Fu Yuan?”

“Mm-hmm,” Yin Zheng replied. “That’s why we still need to wait.”

“No need to wait anymore,” Shen Qingwei’s eyes lit up. “I have a plan.”

Yin Zheng frowned. “What plan?”

Shen Qingwei said, “The surveillance cameras are broken, right? I have other cameras.”

Yin Zheng didn’t quite understand. She followed Shen Qingwei into the elevator. After pressing the button for the twenty-fourth floor, Shen Qingwei said, “Little sister, come out.”

She called softly, “Qingwei?”

Shen Qingwei pulled out her phone, found Fu Yuan’s photo, and addressed the empty space above them. “Come out. I want to ask you something.”

Yin Zheng remained silent. The elevator was quiet, with only Shen Qingwei’s voice echoing. Just as Yin Zheng was about to speak, Shen Qingwei added, “Must be boring just hanging around. If you don’t come out now, I’ll let you experience it again—”

Before she could finish, a head slowly materialized in the corner above them. Yin Zheng stood still, her expression serious. Shen Qingwei beckoned to the head with a seductive smile, “Come here.”

The head: ……

Not really feeling like coming over right now!

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