Chapter 3 third chapter

The night was so dark, and a little bit of accumulated fear was superimposed in my heart, so I finally gave up knocking on the door. That night, I lost sleep.Looking at the ceiling, I was thinking, is she a human or a ghost?If she is a living person, why does she take such a way to infiltrate our lives?If she finally realizes that she has lost her way and sees that Ding Zhaoyang has a new love, and she feels ashamed and unwilling to accept it, it would be a bit too insidious to adopt such a method. I looked at the ceiling and thought, maybe, at this moment, she might be sleeping right above me, or even more likely, she was trying to pass through the floor with vicious eyes, wishing she could kill me and Ding Chaoyang here together .

I shivered, wrapped the quilt tightly, waited until dawn, washed and tidied up, and went out.I made a plan, hoping to take my time.Everyone in the apartment was swarming out to make a living in the big world, and I was crammed into it, like a weak fish in the restless air. Everyone pursed their lips tightly, looking at the elevator display board boredly, as if those standing beside them were just objects rather than living beings.I remembered the Hong Kong ghost movie I watched a long time ago. Everyone stood in the elevator blankly, with bloodless faces. When the elevator door opened, they floated out like smoke blown by the wind.

These phantasms frightened me, I leaned back in the corner, buried my head deeply, and stopped looking at those faces. When I finally reached the first floor, people rushed out of the elevator, and I was the only one left with my arms folded and my head deeply buried. An old man who did morning exercises stepped in with milk fritters and looked at me. I sprint out of the elevator. The air outside is really good, and the sunlight shining in from the slant makes me feel safe all at once. I want to ask the security guard who lives in 2207. The security guards seemed to be changing shifts. I went out and walked around, and then came back. In the security room, only the talkative security guard and his partner were left.I knocked on the window, he looked up at me, opened the window, and looked at me with smart eyes as if he already knew what I wanted to ask: "Mrs. Ding, what's the matter?"

I took a special look at his badge: Gu Fuli. He noticed my gaze, smiled, as if he was shy about his name, and said: "My father gave it to me. People of their generation, you know, always like to use their children's names to reflect their ideals." I can't help but say it's pretty good.Then asked: "Do you know who lives in 2207?" He looked up at me vigorously, and slowly said: "Mrs. Ding, you know, all the owners don't want us to disclose their family information to the public, this is also our professional ethics." Ask again: "Is there any problem?"

I nodded: "Yes, I'm a little nervous, and the noise upstairs has been relatively loud recently, it wasn't like this before, so I just want to ask." Gu Fuli laughed and said that's it. The owner of 2207 moved out soon after he lived there, and the house has been vacant all the time. However, recently, the house has been rented out. That's all I know. He shut up, as if he could only tell me so much and there was nothing else he could do. I thank you, sincerely.I always feel that this Gu Fuli seems to know a lot of inside information that I don't know. I can't offend him or arouse his vigilance.

Over the years, I have trusted my instincts and it has never fooled me. Sure enough, when I turned around and went upstairs, Gu Fuli suddenly stopped me: "Mrs. Ding, there is something that maybe I shouldn't tell you." I stopped, turned, and looked at him with an expectant smile. He glanced around: "It is said that the reason why the original 2207 owners moved out was very strange. At night, there was always a faint cry of a woman, but no other business owners heard it. We also conducted investigations, but found nothing. " Seeing that I was in a daze, he said cautiously: "I hope I didn't scare you. Of course, after investigation, we are sure that this is just a hallucination, because the owner of 2207 is a little nervous like you, and he is suffering from insomnia and anxiety." , there will inevitably be auditory hallucinations."

I let out a trance, and then asked: "Who is the owner of 2207?" "A handsome young gentleman." "Where did he move to?" Gu Fuli's top line to the original owner of 2207 made me laugh, just like women rarely sincerely praise the beauty of another woman, and few men will praise another man behind his back hansome. "I'm sorry, I only know so much." Gu Fuli shrugged, indicating that he had told me everything he knew. I went upstairs disgruntled, sat there for a while, felt very tired, and didn't want to go out to be a client, yes, I don't need to expand clients, and being an insurance agent is not for making a living, I just need a suitable identity to open It's just someone else's door.

I drank a glass of milk, ate Valium, and slept hard all morning. If I didn’t sleep well, I would be pale and haggard. I don’t want to describe the embarrassment I knocked on the upstairs door, because she was suspected to be Ding Chaoyang’s ex-wife. I don't want to give her an excuse to be proud, but I want her to leave with a low self-esteem after seeing my bright and clean face.If she is really a living person. When I woke up in the afternoon, I made another facial mask, put on a gorgeous yet elegant rose red shirt and a smoky bohemian skirt, and Tingting went upstairs gracefully. I pressed my chest, took a few deep breaths, and then rang the doorbell.

The woman who opened the door was very different from the woman from last night.She is bright and sunny, with wine-red hair, permed to pieces, very charming, just reaching her shoulders, the sun penetrates through them, like broken red gold; she is dazzlingly beautiful, with thin and curved eyebrows, and straight nose wings The skin and earlobes are a little transparent because of the too white skin, the chin is as sharp as a little fox, smiling at me, like a little girl who has just returned from picking flowers in the field in the early morning. I was stunned by her beauty, and stared at her blankly, forgetting what to say.

It was she who looked at me earnestly and warmly and smiled: "Are you looking for me?" I was in a daze, nodded quickly, and said yes, and after a long time, I took out my business card and said, "If you have time, I would like to introduce you..." Her first reaction was different from all the people I knocked on the door. She was gentle, enthusiastic, and even had a rare respect for door-to-door salesmen. Then, I sat in her living room. The room was decorated in a simple and bright way, filled with boudoir atmosphere.Seriously, I can't believe that a woman with such a charming and delicate view of life can share a room with a ghostly woman.

It's just that she is not interested in my insurance products, just like I am not interested in selling insurance to her. We chatted for a while.The trainer once said, don’t sell products as soon as you meet a customer. Modern people suffer from loneliness. At the beginning, it’s better to talk about other things first, so as to narrow the distance between each other, let the other party gradually relax their psychological defenses, and then step by step. Mention our products. Her name is Ruan Jinji, a native of Shanghai, she has stayed in the UK for several years and plans to return to China for development. I asked, "Why don't you go back to Shanghai for development?" She smiled: "Have you ever been to Shanghai?" I nodded, yes, before I met Ding Chaoyang, I lived in the surrounding towns of Shanghai for a period of time almost every year. I like the simple and simple style of small towns in the suburbs of Shanghai. Before returning home, I would also stay in downtown Shanghai for three or two days for shopping. . She just smiled: "How do you feel walking on the streets of Shanghai?" I thought for a while: "Pedestrians on the streets of Shanghai always seem to be chased by someone with a gun behind them. If they don't move quickly, they will die." She pinched one of her fingers, giggled, and said, "Yes, I was afraid of the feeling of rush, so I chose Qingdao. I like the leisure and leisure of this city." I looked at her and thought about how to ask her if it would be appropriate to share the house with someone else. I asked her directly, but it was not good, so I slowly said: You are different from others. She tilted her head to look at me, the sun was shining on half of her face, like a woodcut. "Current urbanites are lonely and wary of others all the time. When I knock on the door, most of them are impatient or resistant. No one is as educated as you." I want to start with loneliness and slowly cut into the topic. She took a sip of black tea and said: "I believe there are still many good people in the world, and everyone deserves our respect. I don't need to buy your products, but I must respect your labor. Besides, I have not long since arrived in Qingdao. I hope to meet some friends, so that I will feel less lonely and helpless in a foreign land.” I like her exposition. She looked at me so seriously, like a sister looking at a piece of debris on her sister's eyelashes: being friends requires fate, some people, when you see them, you feel kind and deja vu; some people are by your side every day , but you feel nothing, even hatred. I agree with her, her words are very touching, which is exactly what I want, I want to cut into her life, because I want to understand her.She looked into my eyes and said solemnly, "What do you think?" I nodded: "This house is quite big, do you live alone?" She smiled: "It's not allowed to ask such a question in a foreign country, it involves privacy; but I don't care, yes, I live by myself." My heart sank all of a sudden, and my face turned pale.Seeing this, she asked with concern: "What's wrong with you, you don't look very good." I hurriedly said nothing, I occasionally feel flustered.He asked again, "Aren't you afraid that you live in such a big house by yourself?" She opened her eyes wide, looked at me, and then looked around the whole house: "There are so many people living in the whole apartment building, what am I afraid of? If it's a villa, I wouldn't dare to live in it." I smiled in disguise and said, "If it were me, I would find someone to share the rent with. In this way, I will not only eliminate loneliness but also strengthen my courage." She shook her head: "I like to have a complete private space, and I don't like to share it with others." I oh, there is no need to ask, according to her preference, she will not easily let others live at home.If so, that shadow from last night?I felt chills in my heart, and when I looked at her again, there was some apprehension in my eyes, and I didn't know what to say.She looked at me, pursed her sexy and beautiful lips, smiled slightly, and said after a while: "I feel that you are not very suitable to be an insurance agent." I smiled noncommittally: "Yes, I don't plan to do it for too long, but I have been bored at home for a long time, and I want to find a chance to cut into real life." She folded her arms and expressed interest in my life, and I embarrassedly mentioned my profession.Her eyes were wide open, her long eyelashes flickering at me and she said, "My God, I'm talking to a writer." My face turned red. I seldom talk about my occupation in front of people. First, it feels like showing off. Second, many people will immediately show sympathy for me once they know my occupation. and pity.Because in the impression of most people, if it is not very popular, the writer is a profession with nobility and a poor life. For thousands of years, everyone has been accustomed to using poor and sour as the attributives of a scholar.Many times, once I tell my profession, I have to accept blind sympathy from others. I hate this feeling. I wish I could throw the manuscript bill in their faces and tell them that I live a superior life than them.However, the oriental tradition of keeping restraint as a virtue has always stopped me in time. If sympathizing with me can make them feel superior and happy, then let them pity me. Ding Chaoyang always comforts me like this. I was full of anger. Fortunately, Ruan Jinji didn't sympathize with me, on the contrary, she showed admiration, which greatly benefited my vanity. At the end, I said to Ruan Jinji: "Actually, I live downstairs from you." Ruan Jinji's eyes widened, her beautiful mouth opened slightly and she said, "Wow, it's incredible." "If you have time, you are welcome to come to my house to play." Ruan Jinji asked, "You live by yourself too?" "No, with my husband." Ruan Jinji's eyes opened again: "I can't tell, you're married." I didn't explain that Ding Chaoyang and Ding Chaoyang were just cohabiting. I looked at my watch and said, "You are welcome to chat with me at any time. He is usually not at home during the day." She said yes, we left each other on the phone, and I didn't dare to tell her about the figure that floated into her house at midnight. I thought, maybe she would be frightened, and maybe she thought I was a hallucination that was wrong. She is the beautiful riddle who lives above me. She saw me off, and watched me walk into the elevator with her beautiful eyes squinting, calmly, a little dazed, as if there was something wrong, and she couldn't get back in her mind. On the night when Ding Chaoyang came back, the doorbell rang again, and great fear filled my heart. I hugged Ding Chaoyang's arm and stared at the ceiling. The panicked Ding Chaoyang looked at me, and then at the ceiling. His eyes were full of doubts. Finally, I couldn't bear this scary secret alone, so I told him about the stalking that night, and told him that the upstairs was so beautiful. Like Ruan Jinji, Ding Chaoyang said coldly, "Don't talk to strangers casually." He looked at me thoughtfully, then at the floor, and said to himself, "How is it possible? Are you watching ghost movies at home again?" I swear, he hugged me in his arms at once and said stop thinking about it.As he spoke, he hugged me tightly. In the darkness, the doorbell rang shrill and long. He held my hand so hard that it seemed as if he wanted to pinch into the muscles of my arm. I pushed him away: "You hurt me." He looked at my arm as if he was woken from a dream, said sorry, and kissed my arm with his lips. I dodged it and said, "Shall we go and see?" He froze for a moment, neither answering nor denying.I jumped out of bed, dressed quickly, and threw his clothes over while the clock on the wall read 12:00 midnight. I dragged his hand and approached the door step by step. The doorbell had stopped ringing. In such a quiet night, I suddenly wondered whether the ringing of the doorbell just now was a habitual auditory hallucination because of panic. Through the cat's eyes, I saw only the dim and ambiguous stair lights in the empty corridor, which was so lonely. Suddenly, Ding Chaoyang stuffed me behind him and slammed the door open. Only then did I realize that he was holding a baseball bat. What about the sick living..." Ding Zhaoyang hesitated for a while, but didn't insist anymore. I took his hand and tiptoed upstairs. The 22nd floor was as quiet as a dreamland, but we were like two thieves walking at night in brocade clothes. I put my index finger on my lips, attracted him, and leaned on the door of 2207. A burst of small laughter came from the door, like leaves blown by the wind, or like elves in the empty valley laughing and playing. Ding Zhaoyang's face was a little pale. I clearly heard a voice as sweet as sugar and as beautiful as ice saying: "Mo Xiao, he is here..." At this time, Ding Chaoyang, who has always been brave and unrepentant, let go of my hand like a hare, rushed downstairs, and left me alone in front of the door of 2207. I watched him disappear on the stairs like a fool. The figure at the corner gritted his teeth desperately, trying to calm down his panicked heart. Then, my index finger finally pressed in the direction of the doorbell. The sound inside, like a radio suddenly turned off, stopped abruptly.Then, a faint light came out from the gap in the door, and soon the door opened, and I saw the beautiful and outrageous Ruan Jinji again. It sets off even more whiteness, and the butterfly bone is more beautiful. She looked at me and suddenly smiled: "It's you, is it because the husband is not at home and can't sleep alone?" I laughed too, trying desperately to figure out what to say.After a long time, Ai Ai said: "He is back, but I was too excited to write a novel at night, and I couldn't sleep, so I wanted to come up to see if you were asleep." "Heh." Ruan Jinji smiled, and opened the door wide: "I have had several sweet dreams, but since I was awakened by you, and since you are here, I will chat with the writer for a while." I know what I said seems very selfish. After all, it's only my own business that I can't fall asleep. Why should I destroy other people's dreams?Fortunately, Ruan Jinji was calm and not angry at all. She seemed to see through my mind, poured me water and said, "It's nothing. When I was in England, I often knocked on my friend's door when I couldn't sleep." I held the water glass, pretending to want to walk around, and looked from room to room. Ruan Jinji followed behind with arms folded, and said with a smile, "Fortunately, you are not a man in love with me, otherwise, I would have doubted you." Coming to knock on the door is a long-planned catch." I smiled embarrassingly, because of the panic just now, my mind went blank, I couldn't find a suitable topic, I sat there for a while, and then I left and went downstairs, causing her to complain behind me that I didn't bother her enough. It's too disrespectful to leave so soon after falling asleep. I begged for mercy and said that I would treat her as an apology by treating her to dinner another day. If I didn’t go on, my husband would definitely think that I had disappeared while sleepwalking.Afterwards, he joked, "I don't want him to see a single beauty who is as beautiful as a goblin living upstairs." She hit me casually and said, "You are a writer after all, I can't be poorer than you." When I went home, Ding Chaoyang was already lying on the bed with his eyes tightly closed. I yelled on his face, and he quickly opened his eyes, looking at me in shock. I saw that she was the only one at home, and there was absolutely no other living life in that house except her.Indeed, I looked around Ruan Jinji's house holding the water glass, every room was empty and quiet, and the only living thing was Ruan Jinji. Ding Chaoyang put his hands on my lips: "Little Pea, stop talking, I'm tired, go to sleep." That night, he went to bed early exhausted. I knew it was not because of the exhaustion of the journey, but because his heart was full of fear. In the past, he also went on business trips, and when he came back, he looked like a hungry wolf. My fingers crossed into his hair, stroking him, he said warm words, trying to give him some comfort, his voice became smaller and smaller, and the snoring gradually started. I couldn't fall asleep, so in order not to worry him, I pretended to be sleepy. After a while, I heard him calling me in a low voice: "Little Pea, Little Pea..." The voice was small and cautious, it didn't seem to wake me up, but to test whether I was asleep, I turned over, ground my teeth a few times, and remained motionless, as if I was in a sweet dream. I felt him lie on my face, stared at it for a while, then tiptoed up, and then, I heard a slight clicking sound, which sounded like nothing in the dark night.I opened my eyes wide, held my breath, and listened to the voices next door. I heard soft walking, and soft talking, as if begging and praying, the long night, time slowly flowing, has he been convinced that she has become a ghost, wandering around this building ?What kind of secret is hidden in his heart that I don't know? When he came back, the clock on the wall rang three times, and it was three o'clock in the morning, that is to say, he stayed next door for a full two hours. In the morning, I pretended I didn't know anything. Sitting at the dining table, Ding Chaoyang was a little haggard, staring blankly at the breakfast, unable to take a bite. After he went to work, I opened the door next door, and the dust on the floor was trampled up. On the floor and on the bed, there were shredded clothes everywhere, like fallen leaves. How much hatred does it take for a man to vent his hatred on the clothes of the deceased?I tried to find a clue on these messy clothes, but failed. The closet was still very full, she had too many clothes, Ding Zhaoyang only destroyed some of them, most of them were underwear, and those revelations of missing persons, especially her name, were all torn into pieces by him. I don't know what the word is. I became friends with Ruan Jinji, she is a very lazy woman, always calling me upstairs to taste her British snacks and British dishes.She read all my works, and whenever I went upstairs to taste her food, she would tell me about her reading experience, and said more than once: "You are a smart woman." I just laughed, a lot of people said that, and some editors told me that after reading my murder mystery novel, they doubted whether a woman like me could marry, because sleeping next to me was a horrible thing. I am very proud, and being able to give people such a feeling is the best compliment to my work. One night when Ding Chaoyang was not at home, I once again stayed inside the small louvered door in the corridor, and I once again witnessed the woman who rang the doorbell sneak into Ruan Jinji's house. I didn't hesitate, and after seeing the shadow floating in, I went to ring the doorbell of Ruan Jinji's house. This time, I didn't want to explore the secrets. I just wanted to help her, because, I'm sure, the house she lived in was a bit evil, and I wanted to give her some remind. Ruan Jinji was wearing a big rose-red nightgown, and the yellow nightcap on her head was like a stamen of a flower. She rubbed her eyes and asked me, like a child unwilling to be woken up, I said: "Jinji , did you hear any unusual sounds?" She seemed to be awake, looked at me inexplicably and said, "No, I slept soundly, what's wrong?" I groaned, and seeing my solemn expression, she seemed to realize that I was not joking, so she pulled me back: "Today is not April Fool's Day, so don't scare me with suspense novels." I smiled bleakly, and said, "Maybe I'm hallucinating. In fact, the last time I rang the doorbell was not because I was insomnia while writing a novel..." She widened her eyes, looked at the corridor with her head out, Huarong lost color in an instant, grabbed my hand, and asked eagerly, "Why is that?" I suddenly felt that it was a bit unkind to talk about ghosts and ghosts with a single woman in the middle of the night: "Actually, it's nothing, I just remind you, you must lock the door before going to bed." "No matter how brave I am, I won't sleep with the door open." As she said that, she pulled me in and demonstrated how she locked the door: "Don't worry, I'm not a three-year-old child, I won't be so ignorant." Self-care ability, in the middle of the night, if you say something inexplicable, it will scare me to death, how can I sleep?" "How about you come to sleep at my house?" Ruan Jinji patted me and said: "A young woman who was just in her youth sleeps in the house of a loving couple, let alone sleep." My face turned red to the neck, and I wondered if she had the habit of leaning on the railing at midnight If so, when Ding Chaoyang hugged me and begged me on the balcony, she must have heard it. Fortunately, Ruan Jinji didn't care about my embarrassment, she just dragged me into her house, and flicked on all the lights: "Let me tell you, I'm a little scared. As compensation, you have to accompany me to look around from room to room. Only then can I let you go, otherwise, I won't have to sleep in the middle of the night." She took me by her soft hand and looked from room to room, even the closets and wardrobes. Then she let out a long breath and said, "From now on, if you come up in the middle of the night to scare me again, I will punish you." You sleep here with me." Seeing her smile so wildly made me very sad, because I never doubted my eyes, and I even believed with some certainty that there was a ghost lurking in her house, maybe, now, she was lurking somewhere in the corner He looked at us with a cold smile. Thinking of this, I feel cold sweat oozing from my heart.On the lips, I apologized to her vainly, and said that I just read the news on the Internet, saying that a white-collar beauty in Shanghai was raped and killed by the security guards in my home, and I suddenly thought of her, so I wanted to remind her. She seemed very touched, and suddenly gave me a hug and said with emotion: "You are so kind." I also hugged her hard, and suddenly, I smelled a strange smell, not purely cosmetic smell, weird, faintly emanating from her. I sniffed subconsciously and said, "What's the smell?" Ruan Jinji seemed a little dazed, and said, "Is there no smell?" No, it does have a strange smell. Ruan Jinji's face was a little red, she looked around, and suddenly smiled in relief, and said, "I see, I boiled donkey-hide gelatin for beauty treatment last night, and it really doesn't smell very good. Sample." I believed it, because her words were sincere and her eyes were sincere. After returning home, I desperately thought, is that the smell of donkey-hide gelatin?I suddenly remembered that some people said that a place with ghosts would emit a mildew smell in the dark. Thinking about it, my heart ached. At noon the next day, Ruan Jinji called me to go upstairs to taste her donkey-hide gelatin beauty jelly, and I was having a hard time wondering whether there were ghosts in the world, so I went, and she brought me one from the refrigerator, and I carefully After savoring it carefully, it tastes delicious, not the same as last night. Seeing my doubts, she smiled a little: "This thing is delicious to eat, but when it is boiled, the taste is unbearable." I was a little embarrassed when she saw through my thoughts. When I went to the kitchen to put the bowl, I saw the opened box of donkey-hide gelatin. There was a shopping receipt under it. I quickly scanned it. At a glance, the purchase time was this morning. My heart flickered again, and I suddenly felt a little strange. Why did she tell me to eat donkey-hide gelatin? Only those who want to cover up lies will try their best to prove something to those who have doubts. Could it be that she... Ruan Jinji shouted in the living room: "What are you dawdling in the kitchen for? My donkey-hide jelly is not free. In return, you will accompany me to see the house." She plans to open a beauty salon, and recently she is looking around for front rooms. Whenever I have doubts, I don't want to write, so I just go with her. I followed her to see a few facade houses, and when I passed by the old city, I suddenly thought of Licun Road, the famous Banxian Street in this city. It has been stepped on for more than a hundred years, showing a hard light.On these steps, there are many people who claim to have opened the eyes of the sky, and they clamor to meet everyone they meet. They are like weeds with tenacious vitality, they are banned and expelled again and again, and soon they appear here again. I used to disdain their quack tricks so much, but now, because of the confusion in my heart, I really want to take Ruan Jinji there to see if anyone will say that she has too much yin. On the pretext of taking Ruan Jinji to eat authentic Korean cuisine, I passed by Licun Road. I'm very disappointed, those gray people sitting on the steps only said that we have strange appearances on our faces, and wanted to meet us, but no one said that Ruan Jinji or me had Yin Qi. Dispirited, I ate a meal of bibimbap with Ruan Jinji, and visited a few houses with the high-spirited Ruan Jinji, and then went back. After running for a day, I was so tired that my legs were sore and my hands were weak, so I didn't cook dinner, and ate outside with Ding Chaoyang. While eating, I suddenly burst into tears. The sudden tears made Ding Zhaoyang stunned. He held my hand , Said: "Little pea, what's wrong with you?" I couldn't speak, I just cried, I felt like a huge shadow was hanging over my life and I couldn't break free. Ding Zhaoyang put down his chopsticks and lost his mind with me.After returning home, all my patience finally collapsed this night. I hooked his neck and asked word by word: "Honey, you actually know who the woman who rang the doorbell is, right?" He looked at me, his eyes were filled with despair, and he slowly lowered his head: "No, I don't know who she is." Groups of doubts, like lingering flowers, bloomed in my heart one after another.In fact, I already knew her name, Xu Zhilan, from the missing person revelation.But Ding Chaoyang refused to admit to death that he already knew her identity. When a man vows to guard a secret to the death, what can I do? Ruan Jinji is still busy looking around the house, seeing her happy without knowing why, I feel a little uncomfortable, many times, I want to tell her: "You know, I saw a female ghost float into your house in the middle of the night." But every time, I didn't say anything, after all, it's a matter of nothing, why should I drag one more person into panic?When shopping, I often buy some so-called evil charms, hang a copy at Ding Zhaoyang's house, and give her another copy, no matter whether it is really useful or not, just take it as psychological comfort. At first, she still accepted it. Seeing me endlessly tossing these weird things into her house like a dealer of evil spirit pendants, she quit, and the house that was said to be good was made like a witch's ancestral hall.After finishing speaking, he put away the pendant, stuffed it into a garbage bag without hesitation, and said angrily: "You can give it if you want, and I will throw it away if you give it away." I looked at her silently with some grievances. Seeing this, she was a little embarrassed, shook my shoulder, and said half coquettishly and half seriously: "Okay, okay, I know you are doing it for my own good, please, everything must be done. To some extent, don't you think these disgraced monsters are ugly?" I silently took out a few pendants from the trash bag and hung them back on the wall. She crossed her arms and looked at me from afar.Seeing me looking at her confidently, she stuck out her tongue, put her hands next to her ears, made a gesture of surrender, ran over, hugged me who was shaking, and said with emotion: "It's better to go back to China. Treat me so well." When I didn't write and Ruan Jinji didn't go out, we chatted in her living room under the sunshine all over the floor. She lazily talked about what I had seen and heard in England, and I said I would tell her about my novel ideas.She interjects from time to time. It should be said that she is a woman full of vigilance and logical thinking. Sometimes, when I conceive a story, I am worried that the fragmented plots cannot be linked together. It's seamless. Occasionally, I would talk about Ding Chaoyang, she listened quietly and smiled calmly.She always called Ding Chaoyang your husband, your husband. I felt guilty, so I blushed and confessed, saying that Ding Chaoyang and I were just living together and not married. She froze for a moment, and then said, "Is that so..." Look thoughtful. As she spoke, she lit a cigarette. She was smoking beautifully, and the curling smoke hovered around her fingertips, making her look even more sexy.I just laughed at her, what a waste of such a beautiful youth to be so lonely. She flicked the cigarette ash disdainfully: "Even if it turns into dry grass, it can't be cheap, a stinky man who doesn't deserve me." As she said that, her eyes turned cold, she fixedly looked at the setting sun outside the window, and smiled mischievously. I suddenly felt that she was a little mysterious, got up to go to the bathroom, and when I pressed the flush button, I inadvertently caught a glimpse of a scarlet thing on the ground, bright and clean. I thought it was a hairpin she accidentally dropped, so I picked it up for her and put it on the dressing table. When I held it in my hand, my heart suddenly froze. It was not a hairpin, but a painted nail cover. It was like a nail wedged into my memory, so firmly remembered by me. Because, I have seen it in the middle of the night countless times, with a sneer, leaning into the cat's eyes. My mind went blank. Ruan Jinji shouted in the living room: "Hey, miss, do you want me to fish you out of the toilet?" I quickly threw it on the ground as if it was burning. Yes, I am sure that ghosts don’t need to wear nail covers. Yes, the contacts these days have convinced me that there is only Ruan Jinji living in this house. Ruan Jinji lazily changed the TV channel and said, "My dear, it's not my black tea that ruined your stomach, right?" Seeing that I didn't respond, she shook her hand in front of my eyes: "What's wrong with you?" I rubbed my eyes: "It's nothing, maybe I'm a little dizzy after sitting for too long." I sat down, and a pair of whiny men and women were flirting on TV, and I stared at the TV.What was shown on TV, but I didn't understand at all, my head was running fast, I was thinking about this woman named Ruan Jinji, yes, before she moved into 2207, our life was peaceful and peaceful. Moreover, the first time she knocked on the door, she received me warmly and politely. There must be a reason behind all the anomalies of good intentions. I even began to suspect that Ruan Jinji was not her real name. So, the woman who rang the doorbell at midnight, could it be her? From time to time, I looked at her quietly, trying to find a little flaw in her. She was staring at the TV, watching it very intently. Who is she? After a while, I went to the bathroom again, picked up the nail, stuffed it into the pocket of my jeans, and then, with the excuse that it was time to buy groceries, said goodbye and went out. I didn't go shopping for groceries, but when I got home, I opened the phone book and found Li Changfeng. He wrote several love letters to me when I was in high school. When I was about to graduate, he asked me why I didn't accept his courtship. Looking at the tips of his toes, he thought for a long time and said, "I don't like boys who like to eat snacks." He left angrily. He always likes to sneak potato chips into my table hole. In fact, he never eats snacks. He bought those potato chips because he saved his pocket money, because I love potato chips. In fact, the reasons for love and not love have always been excuses.We are all used to giving a reason for everything, and he can't bear it. I regard his love for three years as a shortcoming to reject him. But 7 years later, I needed him so urgently, because it was said that after graduating from university, he was assigned to the Public Security Household Registration Office in this city. I needed his help to verify my suspicion of Ruan Jinji. After I reported my name, Li Changfeng was silent for a long time, then smiled and said, "Actually, I don't like snacks." I said I know, please forgive me... Li Changfeng's voice was as warm as the sunshine in March. He chatted with me for a while, and he misunderstood what I meant by calling.Perhaps, he thought it was after many years that I suddenly remembered his kindness, and he called him after being emotional. 我耐着性子，听他讲某某同学的恋爱修成了正果，某某和某某终于分道扬镳，又回忆了一会往事，才小心翼翼地试探道：“豌豆，这些年，你过得怎样？” 我说还是老样子。 他笑了笑说：“怎么会呢，你的每一本书我都认真拜读呢。” 我倍觉汗颜，当你不爱一个人，而另一个人一直不能放下对你爱的期望，他的好和关注，在不爱者这里，就成了尴尬和愧疚。 我干干地咳了两声，清嗓子，表示有事需要他帮忙。他爽快而期待无限地说：“你的事就是我的事，豌豆。” 我让他通过公安户籍网查一下上海是否有阮锦姬这个名字，我跟他说是哪几个字时，他突然问：“为什么要查这个名字？” 我浅浅地笑了一下，说：“我想了解她。” Oh.又玩笑道：“不会是情敌吧？” 我呵呵地干笑了两声，说你真会联想，他说职业病么，查完就给我电话。 果然不出我所料，上海并没有阮锦姬这个名字，同音不同字的倒是有两个，但是，一个是50岁的中年女子，一位是12岁的小女孩，都不符合楼上的阮锦姬的标准。 我对李长风道了谢，正要扣电话，他却急急追问晚上一起吃饭怎么样？ 我的踟蹰让他有些受伤，恹恹说：“如果你没时间，就算我没说。” 我有点不好意思，好像自己处心积虑地把他利用完了就甩到一边不理了一样，忙说：“今天我还有点事，我们改天可以吗？” 他的声音刹那欢快。 对阮锦姬的发现，我决定不告诉丁朝阳，总觉得这其中有个巨大的谜团，不仅是丁朝阳不愿揭开的，甚至，是他要竭力要掩饰的。 阮锦姬终于选好了门面房，她每天盯着工人装修，很晚才回来。午夜里，我们的门铃还会被按响，只是，我已不再惧怕了，倒是丁朝阳，日益消瘦憔悴，家里的门上和窗子上挂满了辟邪符，是他从庙里求来的，拿回家，也不和我解释，挂得到处都是，家里被这些奇形怪状的辟邪符装点得乌烟瘴气。 趁他上班，我打开隔壁房间，里面的辟邪符更多，几乎没了一寸空白，简直成了储藏辟邪符的仓库。 直到这天夜里，我被丁朝阳的尖叫惊醒，沿着他颤抖的手指，我看见了窗帘上有个恍惚的影子在飘移，是的，依然是她，在窗帘上影影绰绰。 我按亮了灯，窗帘上的影子，便消失了，我在心里，笑了一下。 天亮后，丁朝阳突然说：“小豌豆，我们搬走吧。” “你不是不想卖这房子么？”我看着他，不动声色。 “不卖，放在这里，我们另买房子住。” “房子空得时间长了，容易招贼，你没看报纸上说有些长期不住人的房子，被贼盯上后，就成了贼窝。” 他呆了一下，长长叹着气，用几欲崩溃的眼神，看着我。 我握了握他的手，说没事的，大不了，她回来了，我走就是，我不会让你为难。 他狠狠地甩了一下脑袋，大声呵斥道：“别说这样的话！！” 我转过去，抱着他的头，他无力地依在我胸前，像个无助的孩子，过了一会，摇摇晃晃地站起来，洗了脸，上班去了。我站在窗上，目送他的车子缓缓远去，又抬头望了一眼楼上，一滴冰凉的液体，滴到了我鼻子上，阮锦姬正在晾衣服。 我嗨了一声，她探出身子，冲我笑，我说：“一会，我上楼找你。”她咧着嘴，早晨的阳光洒在她脸上，明媚又妖娆。 我站在阮锦姬面前，慢慢伸开手，那枚猩红的指甲，静静地卧在我掌心里，我看着她的眼睛：“有一个多月了，经常有人在午夜按我们的门铃。” 阮锦姬并没有我想像中的慌乱，她捏起那枚指甲，举在阳光里看了看，说是么。 “你认识这枚指甲么？” 她看着我，笑，不说话。 “我认识它，它被戴在那个貌似女鬼的女人的手上，一次次伸向我家的猫眼。”我看着她的眼睛。 她说：“这样啊……” “但是，我从你卫生间里捡到了它，你知道，鬼是不需要戴指甲套的。”我冷而锐利地看了她：“我还知道，你不叫阮锦姬。” 接下来的一切，和我想象的不一样，所有被揭穿内幕的人，都会慌张，狡辩或者歇斯底里。她没有，她只是眯起眼睛，用浩淼的目光穿越了长长的睫毛，看我，并镇定地点了一支烟，姿态惬意而轻描淡写：“我猜，你想知道的很多，比如，我真正的名字叫什么，还有，午夜去按你家门铃的女人，是不是我？我为什么要那么做，对么？” 她是那么理直气壮，我反倒像个迫不及待要吃热粥的小丑。 “我会慢慢告诉你。”她倒了一杯茶，给我：“我习惯早晨喝茶，这会让我一天都清醒而镇定。” 我没有去接那杯茶，而是，直直看了她：“你究竟是谁？为什么要这样？” “其实，我故意让你捡到那枚指甲套的，因为我需要你的配合。”她答非所问：“因为，凭我自己的力量无法抵达真相，我确实不叫阮锦姬，但，请你不要追究我的真名，就当我真的就是阮锦姬，好么？” 她神态暗淡，甚至浅浅的哀伤在她瞳孔里汇集：“因为我无法相信许芝兰失踪了，我怀疑她死了，死于谋杀。” 我瞪着眼睛看她，我怕，因着我的一句话，她就会中断陈述那个我那么想了解内情的女人。 “你不会知道，她有多么爱丁朝阳。”她拧着眉头，喷了几口烟，又扫了我几眼：“说真话，我挺恨你的，因为，我以为是因为你，芝兰才遭遇黑手，和你接触了之后，才知道不是这样，芝兰是我最好的朋友，我们读一个幼儿园读同一所小学读同一所中学，直到高三那年，我去了英国，虽然相隔万里，但，我们的联络，一直没中断过。我了解她的恋爱她的婚姻，直到我收到她最后一封邮件，她说她发现自己陷进了一个巨大的阴谋中，她要崩溃了。然后，我失去了她所有的消息。三个月前，我回国后，才被朋友们告知她失踪了，在5年前。” “然后呢？”我看着她。 “然后，我不相信这是真的，直觉告诉我，她凶多吉少。而且，唯一一个知道内情的人是丁朝阳，你认为呢？” 一只鸟，尖叫着，从窗外掠过，我没有答她，是的，对，是丁朝阳。我早已疑窦丛生，但，又是那么地不愿意往深里去想，因为我爱他，没有人能比他给我更好的爱。 我想起了那个夜里，丁朝阳挥着棒球棍不留生路地砸出去的样子。是的，他的心里，装满了惊恐，甚至，即使许芝兰活着，那一晚，他亦是铁了心，要断了她的生路。 人，总是这样，滔天大错一旦犯下，为了掩盖，会做得更是心狠手辣。 我缓缓低下头，眼泪一滴一滴地落下来，关于对丁朝阳的猜测，我那么不愿听下去却又想知道。 阮锦姬定定地看着我：“我曾经去报案，但是，没有尸体，他们不给立案。再说，没人愿意出力未必落好地去翻腾一个早已尘埃落定的失踪案，所以，我才去按你家的门铃。”说着，她从壁橱里拖出一口箱子，打开：“这是我全部的道具，我在英国学的是戏剧化妆，所以，化妆成芝兰的样子，对于我来说，不是件难事。” “昨天晚上，你从窗外用了投影？” “是的，到底你是写悬疑小说的，一些事，端倪一露，你就明白了。”知道我为什么这么做吗？她合上箱子：“那晚，你闻到的也不是阿胶味，是你来得太快了，我没来得及洗净的化妆油彩味。” "Know." 我的心情，已逐渐平静，从按门铃到现在的所有脉络已很是清晰地展现在我心里：在英国学戏剧化妆的阮锦姬回国后，怀疑丁朝阳在5年前谋杀了她的闺中密友许芝兰，并对外谎称失踪。 为弄清楚这件事，她在午夜化妆成许芝兰的样子按门铃，试图迫使心里有鬼的丁朝阳精神崩溃，向鬼魂忏悔坦白了曾经的罪恶。可是，她低估了丁朝阳，虽然他已心下惶惶，却顽强地坚守了那个秘密，不曾吐露半分，无奈之下，她只得让我发现她的鬼祟端倪，并前来揭发，因为，凭这段时间的了解，她认为，我应该不会拒绝配合她的计划。 “其实，从你第一次来敲门，我就猜到你是有目的的，不过，我没想到，你能这样镇定从容。”她用哀求的目光看着我：“你会帮我吗？” “或许，我会告诉丁朝阳你是谁。”我淡淡地看着她，内心的矛盾却汹涌澎湃。 “你不会的。”她很自信。 "why?" “我相信直觉，甚至，我相信你和我一样，对他，充满了怀疑。” 我没有否认，望着雪白的墙壁，慢慢说：“你想要我帮你做什么？”