Yin and Yang - Chapter 9

Shen Qingwei and Yin Zheng descended the stairs to find the area below swarming with people. Police and hospital personnel had already arrived, and Zhao Xiaoyuan had been taken away. The scene was chaotic, with officers announcing their intention to investigate the upper floors. Yin Zheng exchanged a few words with the landlord, and the police agreed to wait elsewhere first.

The surrounding residents were either on their phones or complaining loudly about their misfortune in choosing such an unlucky place. “What rotten luck!” they grumbled, venting their frustration before demanding answers from the landlord. The scene was a cacophony of noise, with reporters having rushed to the scene, squeezing through the crowd and snapping photos with flashing cameras. Shen Qingwei pulled Yin Zheng toward the tree.

“I don’t know what happened,” a familiar voice wailed. “We were only gone for breakfast! I feel so terrible for that poor girl!”

Tears streamed down Mr. Zhao’s face as he sat slumped beside a flowerbed, his face ashen. The vitality he’d shown earlier that morning had vanished, replaced by a deathly pallor. “Sometimes I think… maybe I should just give up this old life of mine!”

“Don’t talk like that, Old Zhao,” someone nearby urged him. “You’re a victim too! If you hadn’t been so lucky, you’d be gone too.”

“Exactly! What did you do wrong? Blame your wife. She was abnormal in life, and her death has driven her completely mad.”

“Phooey! Stop talking and come home!” The man dragged away a middle-aged woman. Mr. Zhao collapsed to the ground, his heart broken. Shen Qingwei turned to Yin Zheng and asked, “Why are there reporters here? Can this even be reported?”

Normally, the government would do everything to suppress such bizarre incidents. Every case she’d handled before had been explained away with so-called scientific justifications. But this Haunted House case was different—it had directly attracted reporters and even interviews. Could it actually make the news?

“It’s probably just a sensational story,” Yin Zheng said. “This case has drawn too much attention. It’s better to resolve it first and then find a reason to suppress it all at once.”

Shen Qingwei nodded. Her gaze drifted to the spot where Zhao Xiaoyuan had been lying. Though she and Zhao Xiaoyuan had only met twice and shared no real connection, the sudden death of a healthy person left her silent for a moment. Yin Zheng said, “Let’s go give our statements.”

Police officers approached and led them to a nearby area to take their statements. When they learned the two were freelancers, they gave them a second look and warned, “This place isn’t safe. It’s best not to wander around too much.”

Shen Qingwei nodded obediently. “Understood.”

By the time they finished giving their statements, the crowd outside the Haunted House had mostly dispersed. Hu Shengsheng whispered to Luo Ying, “Master, should we go back now?”

Even sealed, the Female Ghost possessed such immense power. Last night, he had personally experienced the suffocating terror. He didn’t want to stay here another minute!

Luo Ying hesitated for two seconds before replying, “Let’s hear what they have to say first.”

Yin Zheng recounted her discoveries from upstairs, causing an uproar among the others.

“What! There’s another one? That must be the Malevolent Spirit!”

“Impossible! We didn’t sense another presence at all!”

Yin Zheng’s expression remained calm and solemn, her heroic brows furrowed slightly. Her high, straight nose and the righteous aura radiating from her brow bones commanded respect. Shen Qingwei glanced at her from the corner of her eye as Yin Zheng declared, “Our immediate priority is to identify this other entity.”

“Could it be her daughter?”

“It must be her daughter. After being dismembered, she became a Resentful Ghost.”

Yin Zheng summoned the homeowner. As the group gathered, she asked, “What was your daughter’s personality like?”

“Xiaoqian…” Mr. Zhao began, tears streaming down his face. He blew his nose and continued, “Xiaoqian had a gentle temperament. It couldn’t be her. I know my daughter!”

Yin Zheng glanced at the homeowner’s eyes, swollen from crying, the skin beneath them raw from wiping. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was deathly pale, clearly still shaken from the recent ordeal. Luo Ying said, “Let’s not wait here any longer. We should move to another place.”

Shen Qingwei looked at Yin Zheng, who nodded slightly. “Mr. Zhao,” she asked, “where are you staying now?”

“The residential complex behind the building,” Mr. Zhao replied. “I rented a place there.”

“Let’s go there then,” Yin Zheng said. The others exchanged uneasy glances, but only Luo Ying followed. She snapped, “Hu Shengsheng, move it!”

Hu Shengsheng wanted nothing to do with this anymore, and the others were even more terrified. They all made excuses about needing to report back to their sects and quickly fled, leaving only Luo Ying and Hu Shengsheng to accompany them.

Luo Ying didn’t want to go either, but how could she let her sect lose face? So she steeled herself and trailed behind Shen Qingwei.

Shen Qingwei glanced at Hu Shengsheng. “Did you see the Female Ghost last night?”

Hu Shengsheng was already on edge. This reminder drained the color from his face, and his body swayed like a willow in the wind. He barely managed to steady himself. “I did,” he stammered.

“What did that ghost do to you?”

Hu Shengsheng who’s closing his eyes brought forth the image of that blood-stained face, those crimson eyes, that vivid red snaking across the pale skin. He fought down the terror clawing at his chest, his body trembling violently.

Shen Qingwei glanced at him sideways before walking over to Yin Zheng.

*****

Soon, they arrived at Mr. Zhao’s residence. The first impression was one of immaculate orderliness. Every item was neatly arranged, even the two remote controls on the coffee table lay side by side. Three pairs of slippers were lined up by the door: a matching pair for a couple and a single pair in pink, around size 36 or 37—clearly a girl’s.

Noticing Yin Zheng’s gaze, Mr. Zhao said, “I’m sorry if you’re startled. I’ve always pretended my wife and daughter are still alive, so…”

Shen Qingwei looked around. The layout did bear a resemblance to the other house, from the slippers and three umbrellas by the door to the three cups on the coffee table, the throw pillows, and the kitchenware.

Yin Zheng stepped inside and asked Mr. Zhao, “May I look around?”

“Of course!” Mr. Zhao replied. “Please, feel free to look anywhere!”

Yin Zheng nodded slightly. This apartment also had two bedrooms and a living room, with the secondary bedroom adjacent to the master bedroom. Unlike the Haunted House, a bathroom separated the two bedrooms here. Yin Zheng pushed open the door to one of the rooms. Inside was a bed with pale pink sheets, adorned with several stuffed animals. The window was open, letting in bright sunlight. The room wasn’t large; a single glance took it all in. Yin Zheng walked over to the desk by the window and noticed two photo albums on the surface.

“Is this your daughter?” Yin Zheng asked, holding up one of the albums. Mr. Zhao entered the room and nodded. “Yes, that’s Xiaoqian.”

The girl in the photos looked about fifteen or sixteen, her smile shy and her gaze averted from the camera, giving off an impression of timidity and fragility. Another photo showed the girl with an adult woman.

“That’s my wife,” Mr. Zhao choked out, his eyes reddening again. He wiped his eyes as Yin Zheng picked up the other photo. The woman’s face was pale, and though she smiled, no joy seemed to reach her eyes. Shen Qingwei stepped closer to Yin Zheng and glanced at the photos again, noticing something odd.

Neither the mother nor the daughter looked at the camera.

Shen Qingwei asked, “Mr. Zhao, did you take these photos?”

Unlike Yin Zheng, who was always serious, Shen Qingwei exuded a casual, innocent, and youthful charm. Her simple attire, indistinguishable from that of an ordinary college student, made it easy for people to lower their guard and feel warmly toward her.

Mr. Zhao replied, “Yes, I took them. My wife wanted to go out for a walk that day, so I accompanied them.”

Shen Qingwei nodded. Yin Zheng paused for a moment, then asked, “Mr. Zhao, I recall your wife has been ill for several years. Could you show me what medication she’s been taking?”

“Of course,” Mr. Zhao said, rummaging through the room. Yin Zheng frowned slightly as she watched him search. After a while, he finally found a bottle in a box and handed it to her. “This is it.”

Yin Zheng examined the square, rectangular bottle. It was different from the one she had seen earlier. “Is this the only medication she’s taking?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Mr. Zhao confirmed. “Is there a problem?”

“No,” Yin Zheng said, returning the medicine bottle. “I just wanted to learn more. Would you mind telling me about your daughter?”

“It couldn’t possibly be my daughter,” Mr. Zhao said firmly, the moment his daughter was mentioned. “She’s been timid her whole life. There’s no way she could do something like this.”

“What’s your relationship with your daughter like?”

Mr. Zhao sighed softly. “When she was little, I was always away for work, so her mother raised her. She’s never been very close to me, and she’s always been a little afraid of me.”

“Once, I went to a parent-teacher conference and overheard someone say she was a ‘fatherless child.’ That’s when I realized she’d been bullied at school all along.”

“She’s just like her mother—too afraid to argue with others. She always endures everything in silence, never telling us when she’s been wronged.”

Mr. Zhao wiped his eyes, which were bloodshot. “How could a child like that harm anyone? It’s impossible. Didn’t you say earlier that some ‘Master’ had turned our house into some kind of haunted place? Could he have released the ghosts?”

“We can’t rule that out yet,” Yin Zheng replied.

Mr. Zhao wept uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face. “Don’t wrong my daughter! Don’t wrong my daughter…”

Yin Zheng paused for two seconds. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. She and Shen Qingwei glanced at each other as Mr. Zhao said, “They’re here.”

Several men in sharp suits stood outside, wanting to speak with Mr. Zhao. Luo Ying entered the room and asked Yin Zheng, “Have you found anything?”

“Not yet,” Shen Qingwei replied. “Has Immortal Master Luo discovered anything?”

Luo Ying shook her head. “Could the other ghost be his daughter?” she asked.

Yin Zheng explained, “We need to see her face to confirm.”

Luo Ying didn’t want to return to the haunted house, but she couldn’t show weakness in front of the younger women. She maintained a stern expression and remained silent. In the sudden quiet, the voices at the living room entrance became particularly clear.

“Mr. Zhao, please consider it carefully. The price isn’t an issue. I’m just particularly interested in your house and want to use it as the basis for a screenplay.”

“Yes, Mr. Zhao, please think it over. Last time, Mr. Dong also mentioned wanting to film a movie in your house. Have you made up your mind yet?”

“No, no!” Mr. Zhao pushed away the several sharply dressed men. “I don’t want anything! Stop bothering me!”

“Hey, hey, Mr. Zhao!”

Mr. Zhao slammed the door shut, his face flushed with anger. Hu Shengsheng stepped forward to calm him down, while Luo Ying stood silently by. Shen Qingwei spoke up, “Oh dear, I left something in there. Senior Sister, would you come with me to get it?”

Yin Zheng tilted her head and replied, “Alright.”

Mr. Zhao, still worried, offered, “Should I come with you?”

“No need,” Shen Qingwei said. “We’ll be right back.”

Mr. Zhao could only grumble a few more times as Shen Qingwei pulled Yin Zheng toward the elevator. Standing near the elevator were the same sharply dressed men from before. Shen Qingwei leaned casually against the wall, flicking her hair, releasing a faint fragrance into the air. The men turned to look, visibly startled by the sight of Shen Qingwei and Yin Zheng’s faces.

As they exited the elevator, one of the men handed them a card. “Ladies, are you interested in acting?”

Shen Qingwei picked up the card, her slender, well-defined fingers holding it delicately. She glanced at the card, read the company name aloud, and asked skeptically, “Are you sure you’re not scammers?”

“How could we be?” the man protested. “Two ladies with such refined elegance and stunning beauty are perfect for our industry!”

Their auras were strikingly different. Yin Zheng exuded a detached, ethereal beauty, while Shen Qingwei possessed the allure of a bewitching enchantress, her expression both innocent and alluring—truly exceptional!

Shen Qingwei leaned closer to Yin Zheng and said, “We’ll need to think about it. By the way, what brings you here?”

“Ah, have you heard of the Haunted House?” the man lowered his voice conspiratorially.

Shen Qingwei feigned surprise. “The Haunted House!”

“Are you going there?”

“We wouldn’t dare,” the man replied. “Our company boss heard about the Haunted House and insisted on filming a movie there.”

He’s practically courting death, Shen Qingwei thought with a cold smile, feigning curiosity. “Did the owner agree?”

“We’re still negotiating. Is there any deal money can’t close?” He gave Shen Qingwei a meaningful look. The man beside him answered a phone call. “What? When’s the meeting? I understand.”

After hanging up, he whispered in the man’s ear, “Mr. Zhao and Mr. Fu have already had dinner.”

Shen Qingwei’s ears twitched. “Then you should get back to work,” she said. “See you around.”

The man in front of her mimed making a phone call. “I’ll be waiting for your call,” he said.

Shen Qingwei smiled and watched them leave. Turning her head, she saw Yin Zheng staring at her with an intense gaze. She blinked and said coquettishly, “Senior Sister…”

“Do you enjoy acting?” Yin Zheng asked.

“No, I don’t,” Shen Qingwei replied, sounding aggrieved. “I only talked to those people for your sake, Senior Sister. You owe me compensation.”

Yin Zheng tilted her head, studying the girl before her. Even as a child, Shen Qingwei had been mischievous and clever, and now she was even more so. Her eyes held both innocence and allure, no wonder the man had called her “special.” Shen Qingwei tugged at Yin Zheng’s sleeve. “Senior Sister…”

Yin Zheng sighed, helpless. “What kind of compensation?”

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling Shen Qingwei’s skin with shifting patterns of light and shadow. Her eyes sparkled like starlight, shining brightly. She opened her arms, her gaze full of anticipation. “Senior Sister, hug me.”

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