Chapter 18 Chapter 18: The Sister Who Came Out of the Nightmare

This night I feel very heavy.The desire to find Xiao Ni soon was suppressed by my own situation, and I found that my work in the investigation company was tantamount to murder. Mr. Zhao was drunk and was sleeping soundly in the next room.I don't know what his next fate will be.I want to tell him, my name is not Jingjing, I am not benevolent to you but investigating you.But what is the use of doing so?The information about his personal assets that I got from him has already been handed over to the company, and I have no control over what will happen in the future.God, how did I take this job?

I took out my phone and the signal was fine.Fang Qiang's text message arrived early, he wrote - I feel panicked, as if an accident is about to happen, you must be careful at work.Signed is, your mast. My eyes were hot, and tears almost fell down.I sent him a reassuring text message back.Then, according to regulations, I sent a text message to Mr. Liu of the investigation company to report on the work, saying that the work was going according to plan and everything was normal. I try to comfort myself with the words of the investigation company—the work you do is a legal civil investigation, and the creditor has a legitimate right to collect debts from the debtor.However, truth cannot explain everything, especially when it concerns people and people's hearts, a few truths will appear paranoid or pale.

I couldn't fall asleep, and at half past twelve at night, my mobile phone, which had been set to vibrate, suddenly vibrated. It was a call from the painter.He said that there were voices in the studio again.what to do?Are you going upstairs to see it? I just remembered my commitment to the painter.I whispered, I'm not at home, I can't come. The painter said, what should I do then?There seemed to be someone in the studio.what Hearing the painter calling on the phone, I hurriedly asked, what's the matter? I heard the door knock.said the painter in a trembling voice. Is it really Qingqing's spirit walking around the house?My mind was running fast, and I was about to say to him, you should either go out and have a look, or stay still in bed until dawn.However, before these words came out, I heard the sound of the door opening next door.

I immediately turned off the phone. Mr. Zhao woke up.He walked out the door and vomited outside.After a while, he went into the house to sleep again. I didn't dare to talk to the painter again on the phone.Mr. Zhao may not be asleep, I have to be careful not to expose my true identity unintentionally. I lay in bed and wanted to sleep for a while.Suddenly, there was a bright lightning piercing the window, and then there was thunder, and a night rain came. For the first time, I experienced the momentum of mountain rain. It was not the sound of rain but the roar in my ears, and I felt that the mountain seemed to be cracking.

I was so sleepy, I seemed to fall asleep in a booming speaker. When I woke up in the morning, the rain had stopped.Mr. Zhao and I hurried to the cave.Mr. Zhao's complexion was not good, but he said he was very happy last night. After the rain, the mountains were covered with white mist. I imagined finding Xiaoni in the Dakarong Cave. She and Boss Xue might be having breakfast in the courtyard of a certain family where they were staying. Suddenly, a rushing mountain stream blocked our way.The water surface is about five meters wide, but the water flow is very fast, and when it hits the stone, it splashes very high.Looking along the water waves, not far away is a cave with a big mouth open, and all the water from the mountain stream poured into the cave with a roar.

Mr. Zhao said, this is the big karst cave.Inside the cave is a dark river, no one can get in.However, the water in this mountain stream is very shallow, and everyone could easily wade through it when he came here.Looking up, there are several families on the opposite side of the mountain stream, which may be the place to receive tourists.And Xiaoni may be in one of them. I went to the water's edge and tried it with my feet, and suddenly I heard someone shouting loudly - I can't pass, I will be washed away by the water! The cry came from a farmer coming up the side hillside.He approached me and told Mr. Zhao that after it rained, the mountain torrents would flood, and the water would not subside until after noon.The day before yesterday was also after the heavy rain, and someone was washed into the cave after passing here.

Who was washed away?I blurted out, my voice changing. No idea, said the farmer, no one saw it.However, there was a shoe over there, and someone must have been washed away by the water. Some kind of premonition has made me shudder.Mr. Zhao supported me and said, no, no, let's go and see the shoes. The farmer led us along the water, and soon a shoe appeared next to a stone by the water. It was the most popular women's sandal in the city this year, with a black bow on the back. I saw Xiao Ni bought it home from the mall a month ago. I fainted when I saw this shoe. When I opened my eyes and could see things clearly, there were already many people around, all of whom were local farmers.I heard an old woman telling others that there might be two people, a man and a woman, who were washed into the cave by the flood.She said that the two lived in her house opposite the cave for several days. The girl's name was Xiaoni, and she had a cute mouth.Early in the morning the day before yesterday, the two were in a hurry to leave for some reason.The aunt said that it would be okay to wait until the water in the ditch receded in the afternoon, and they said to go to the water to have a look.After the aunt was busy with her own affairs for a while, there was no one by the ditch.

Mr. Zhao helped me to stand up.I walked up to the aunt and said, I am Xiaoni's sister, and I came all the way to find her. The aunt said in fear, it's none of my business, they are going to leave by themselves. At this time, I heard Mr. Zhao discussing with the surrounding farmers how to find the corpse. All the voices said that they couldn't find it. The cave was connected to the Yinhe River and walked from the bottom of the mountain. I cried loudly. The people around sighed and gradually dispersed, and finally only a few children from the mountain stood where they were, looking curious.

I sat on the ground and watched the rushing water.The water is estimated to be no more than half a person deep, but it is extremely turbulent. Not far away, it fell into the unfathomable hole with a drop of about two meters, making an ear-splitting roar. Mr. Zhao sat on a rock and held his head in his hands.Apparently, this accident was rare in his life experience. I stood up slowly and said to a teenage farm boy, can you find me a bird feather?Longer and prettier. feather?The boy looked at me and said, I can catch birds, wait a minute.After speaking, he greeted several other children and ran up the mountain.

After a while, the children really caught the bird, which was a beautiful thrush.I took a feather off one of its wings and let it fly. The silver-gray feathers are mixed with some crimson, as if the morning light had just hit the earth.I went to the edge of the rushing water and put the feather in the water.I looked at the direction where it was taken away by the water until I fell into the cave, and my ears were filled with the endless echo of the water. I said in my heart, Xiao Ni, my sister is here to give you feathers, you, fly... My mind was blank the entire way down and back.Until Mr. Zhao opened the car door and asked me to get out of the car, I still had the feeling that I was still by the water.

I got out of the car and it was already evening.I saw strange houses surrounded by a courtyard with trees and wells.I asked, where is this? Mr. Zhao said, this is Ziyuan, I see your condition, you must be unable to go home, first stay here for one night, adjust your mood, and then go back tomorrow and tell your aunt about your cousin. I said no.But as soon as he took a step, his body shook.Mr. Zhao helped me into a room.He said, you go to sleep for a while, I live next door, here is very quiet, just suitable for you to rest. When he went out, he turned back and said to me, I went to the gate to get a letter, and someone said that my letter was with the guard.Strange, no one knows that I live here.I'll go and have a look, you have a good rest. After Mr. Zhao left, I called Aunt He and said that I had returned to the city and had something to live in Ziyuan tonight.I fell asleep after the phone call.In the dream, I felt that my body was struggling.When I woke up, I saw a dim yellow lamp hanging from the ceiling. I don't know what time of night it is.I tried to sit up, but my body couldn't move.When I regained consciousness, I realized that my hands were tied behind my back.hey-hey!I heard a sneer, and when I looked sideways, Mr. Zhao was walking in from the outside with a ferocious look on his face. It's over!I cried in my heart. Mr. Zhao stood by the wall and said in a low voice, gnashing his teeth, the play is over!I really admire your ability. I struggled to sit up.Leaning on the head of the bed with hands behind his back.I said, I don't understand, Mr. Zhao, why are you doing this? Hey, let me let you understand.Mr. Zhao took out a piece of paper from the envelope and said, what is this?The court summons was just sent to Ziyuan today.All my shares in the building materials factory have been frozen by the court.The court will be held in a few days, and all these assets will be awarded to my creditors.I am now completely penniless, like a beggar.You are so cruel, you used the loan application to lie about my assets, and you still dragged me so that I would not let me go far away.Miss Jingjing, you are so vicious! There was a buzzing in my head, and I felt like the sky was falling.A strong desire to save myself made me say stubbornly, Mr. Zhao, you have misunderstood.These things have nothing to do with me, I really want to help you with the loan.Think about it, I am not the only one who knows about your shares in the building materials factory. As soon as I finished speaking, Mr. Zhao rushed over and slapped me hard.There was blood in my mouth.Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. He growled and said, Jun, Xiao Jun, whose name is this?What a Miss Jingjing, let me read something to you. I saw that my mobile phone was already in Mr. Zhao's hand, and he read the text message on my mobile phone.He also said that I will not read the ones you have already read, and if you haven’t read the few text messages from this afternoon to evening, I will help you.He read to the phone screen: Jun, I haven't heard from you since I contacted you last night. I'm worried.Have you been with the subject of the investigation at night in the past two days? This is too dangerous, and you should take extra precautions.Quick text message - your mast. Mr. Zhao stopped, looked at me and said, Miss Detective, you are amazing!Take it easy, I'll read you a relaxing text message. Xiaojun, thanks to your encouragement, I have caught the ghost in the studio.Guess what?It turned out to be a black cat, which was probably a unwanted stray cat that had been harassing me for a year lol. --sand. President Zhao stopped again and said, Sha?Who is Sha?It's for painting.I don't have any ghosts there, so it's haunted here, isn't it?His hand danced in the air, and he continued to read. Your mission is complete, you can leave him and go home——Liu. There was a fierce light in Mr. Zhao's eyes.He said grimly, Miss Jingjing, it's a pity that you were already asleep when this text message came.Otherwise, you may really slip away.I looked up the mobile phone number of this surnamed Liu. In the business world, no one on the surface knows that this is the mobile phone number of the boss of the investigation company.Hehe, even if you are unlucky, I am also unlucky now!Only one of us two unlucky people can stay now, do you agree? I yelled, Zhao Kaimiao, you are not allowed to mess around!What I am doing is a proper civil investigation, and you will bear legal responsibility for anything you do now! legal liability?Zhao Kaimiao grinned grimly.I believe that everyone who knew him before this, including me, would not have imagined that he would have such a terrible grin.He shouted, the builder owes me several million yuan in building materials, who is legally responsible?The real estate developer owed more money to the builder, but he slapped his ass and went abroad, leaving behind an unfinished building and killing a bunch of people, who is legally responsible?I've seen through it now, I've seen it through, in short, you were the one who knocked me down with the last punch, Miss Jingjing, it's fair for me to bring someone to be buried with me before I die, right? Zhao Kaimiao is crazy!I know how scary it is to lose your mind.I thought of the mast, that his arms might never wrap around my body again.I also thought of Xiaoni, and I saw her tilting her head and calling me sister.I said in my heart, sister, maybe we are destined to be together... At this moment, a girl's voice called "Sister" sounded outside.I immediately recognized that it was Xiaoni's voice.I was stunned. I can't help but say to myself, Xiaoni? Zhao Kaimiao was also taken aback, and then swooped over and forced a towel into my mouth. I know it's pitch black outside now, but Xiao Ni's cry is getting closer and closer, sister——sister There is no doubt that it was Xiaoni who rescued me. She came from the water, and there was no space between us. With a bang, the door was pushed open, and Xiao Ni, who was dripping wet, walked into the room, her hair was still dripping with water. Zhao Kaimiao stood in the corner of the room dumbfounded. Xiao Ni rushed to my side all of a sudden, pulled out the towel from my mouth and said, sister, what's wrong with you?I came home when I heard you were in Ziyuan.Everything seems to be in a dream.I stared blankly at Xiao Ni and said, why are you covered in water? This garden is too dark, Xiaoni said, I fell into the pond when I was looking for you.Oh sister, your hand... Before Xiaoni finished speaking, Zhao Kaimiao had already grabbed her away from behind.He twisted her and said, are you a ghost or a human? Xiao Ni struggled and shouted, you are the ghost!Let me go, or I'll call 110 and call the police. Come on—I cried out in desperation. Zhao Kaimiao said viciously, "Call for help. There is no one in this courtyard. It's useless to shout out your throat." Xiaoni and Zhao Kaimiao bit and cursed while fighting, but in the end she was tied up and pushed to sit on the ground by him.He glanced at the blood on the back of his hand bitten by Xiao Ni, stared at me with straight eyes and said, OK!What do you mean by lying to me to go to Longfeng Mountain? I ignored him, but looked at Xiao Ni who was already very scared and said, Xiao Ni, don't be afraid!This man is crazy, he will wake up in a while. I am crazy!Zhao Kaimiao yelled, "You two sisters conspired to deceive me. One moment it was a bank loan, and the other moment it was to climb a mountain to find someone. I was driven crazy by you!" I wanted to explain that going to Longfeng Mountain was not a lie to him, but looking at his distorted face, I knew it was useless to say anything now.Fortunately, Xiao Ni is not dead, this is my greatest comfort at the moment.The rushing water flow appeared in front of my eyes, was it the feather that drifted away with the water that brought Xiaoni back? Zhao Kaimiao took a few steps back and forth in the room, shaking his body like a wild animal.He suddenly turned around and tied Xiaoni's and my feet separately, pulled out a sharp knife, waved it in front of me and said, "Do you see what this is?"Those underworld guys once wanted to take my kidney and cornea, and this knife is ready to fight them desperately.It's all right now, I'm done with everything, and I'm not afraid of anything.This knife will serve you, Ms. Jingjing, your corneas and kidneys may be more valuable than mine, right? I screamed instinctively, and for the first time in my life, the sound of despair and fear came from my throat.At the same time, Xiaoni's cry was mixed with my voice, Zhao Kaimiao couldn't help but took a step back and shouted, "Shut up, I don't want to do anything yet."If you two want to live longer, just stay here obediently, do you hear me?It's useless to bark, I'll cut your throat as soon as I get tired of hearing it. Zhao Kaimiao walked to the door and turned off the lights in the room with a bang.I heard him go out and slam the door shut. The room was plunged into darkness, and I felt myself dripping with cold sweat.I said to Xiaoni's figure, Xiaoni, what time is it now? Xiao Ni said in the dark, it was 11 o'clock at night when I came to see you, it is already midnight now.Sister, will he kill us? Don't be afraid, he dare not.I said words of encouragement to Xiaoni, but my voice trembled a little.Zhao Kaimiao's sudden departure made me even more suspicious. What did he do?Was it a dreadful preparation?All kinds of knives, big and small, and plates or bottles for holding things... I am not afraid of death at this time, but I am afraid that the things on my body will be put on the plate. elder sister Xiaoni's wailing made my heart hurt in the dark, and I thought that no matter what, Xiaoni should not suffer this bad luck.What should I do, will I plead with Zhao Kaimiao then?Let him keep Xiao Ni, and I will accept my fate. This desolate purple garden is the place where Zhao Kaimiao and I met many times. Miss Jingjing's charm used to be here with ease.But now, will she die in Ziyuan like the girl who died in the well in the garden?She had seen the woman in white at the well, the waiter who was raped and threw herself into the well. Did she appear from the well to remind her to stay away from this place? elder sister Xiao Ni's voice was fearful and helpless. I said, Xiao Ni, you shouldn't have come here.How did you get home from Longfeng Mountain? Xiao Ni told me her experience in the dark.After she went to Longfeng Mountain, she was indeed with Boss Xue.They originally wanted to stay until school started, but one night a few nights ago, Boss Xue forgot to turn off his mobile phone after talking with a classmate, and suddenly received a call from his uncle.Said that he was looking for him everywhere. His father was in a car accident and was dying. He is now in the intensive care unit of the hospital, waiting to see him for the last time.Boss Xue's tears came out all at once, and he cried all night.Early the next morning, they went down the mountain to go home. When the mountain stream was flooded, Mr. Xue dragged her across the river. She was washed down by the water and lost one of his shoes. Mr. Xue grabbed her and finally passed river. Back in the city, Xiaoni accompanied Boss Xue to the hospital and saw that his father was dying.Boss Xue roared, what kind of car hit my dad, I will kill the driver!His father took his hand and said, kid, don't mess around, someone else lost the money.Boss Xue was still furious.His father said in a weak voice, son, your father crashed the car on purpose.This happens many times.we need money... Boss Xue's father died after saying this.Boss Xue wept bitterly, saying that he was sorry for his father, that he didn’t know anything, that he relied on his father to go to school and treat his mother who was paralyzed in bed, why had he never thought of such difficulties... Xiaoni accompanied Boss Xue to deal with his father's funeral. Today, she suddenly thought of home and cried a lot. Thinking of her mother and sister Jun, she felt that she was not human at all, so she ran home in tears.After returning home, she hugged her mother, and then turned around and asked, where is my sister?Her mother said that she had just returned to the city after going to Longfeng Mountain for business, and she was in Ziyuan tonight, so she didn't know what she couldn't go home for.But I always hang on to her, worrying about what will happen to her... As soon as Xiaoni heard this, she rushed to Ziyuan. I listened to Xiaoni's narration in the dark, and thinking about the scene where she ran around in the purple garden and fell into the pond to find me, my heart felt like a knife. I said, Xiao Ni, my sister hurt you... It was a night full of fear and despair, the entire Purple Garden was silent, and the breath of death lingered in the darkness. The desire to survive made my nostrils gasp, I asked in a low voice in the dark, Xiao Ni, can you move? I heard Xiaoni's struggle, she said, sister, I can't stand up, he connected the ropes of my hands and feet together. I said, you wait for me. I slowly moved my bound legs out of the bed, trying to stand on the ground.But because his hands were tied behind his back, he rolled onto the bed as soon as he lost weight.I held back the pain and slowly moved to Xiaoni's side.I gasped and said, with my back turned to me, I bit the rope off your hand with my mouth. This is how hope came, I bit the rope on Xiao Ni's wrist with my teeth, and tore it apart bit by bit. At this moment, the sound of opening the door was heard, the lights were turned on, and Zhao Kaimiao walked in.After he closed the door with his backhand, he rushed over and pushed me away, yelling at the tip of my nose, trying to run, it's not that easy. His reappearance made me shudder, and I thought he was ready for that horror.I said, our matter has nothing to do with my sister, you have to let her go, otherwise I won't be able to spare you even if I become a ghost. He grinned ferociously and said, did you know you could become a ghost?It's a pity, judging by your appearance, you are still a student, right?What Miss Jingjing, a white-collar worker at the bank, tell me, how much money did the investigation company pay you for doing this? I said, it's none of your business. He raised his head and shouted to the roof, money!The world is crazy for money!My mother also came out of the government department to start a company for money, and now I have nothing, what kind of devil is this money! Zhao Kaimiao's hoarse voice made me calm down.I said, why do you destroy yourself?If you don't want to go to jail or even be shot, you can still earn money when you run out of money. When I said this, I thought I could impress him, but he blurted out, "Fuck off!"The money I earned for ten years was swallowed by the unfinished building. Do you think it is so easy to make money?It's good to die, I don't want to think about anything... Zhao Kaimiao's voice became weaker and weaker during the roar, and the fierce light in his eyes also lost its sharpness, which indicated that his crazy blood was beginning to cool down, and I suddenly felt that my ending might not be that bad. My judgment was quickly confirmed, he took a few steps back and sat on the chair, his expression changed from ferocious to dazed... At this time, I heard a sound coming from the well platform outside. It was the sound of someone fetching water with a wooden bucket.It is already midnight, who will draw water from the well? Zhao Kaimiao also heard the voice, his face was facing the direction of the door, a little dazed. Soon, the sound on the well platform disappeared.Just as I was wondering, a woman's cry made my hair stand on end.The cry is not loud, but it is thin and long, like a steel needle piercing your heart. I thought of the woman in white who had appeared by the well. Zhao Kaimiao walked over and opened the door, maybe it was too dark outside, he put his hand on his forehead to cover the light in the room and looked outside. The creepy cries disappeared the moment the door was opened.Zhao Kaimiao walked out the door, and I heard his footsteps heading towards the well platform. Suddenly, there was a man's scream, it was Zhao Kaimiao's voice, this kind of scream from the lungs indicated that something terrible happened outside. Before I could react, the figure of a woman rushed into the room.Oh my God, this is a woman with a dark face, with draped hair, two empty eye sockets, no lips, and a blood-red tongue hanging out of her exposed gums. Xiao Ni and I both screamed. Suddenly, this female ghost turned into a girl, she was Xiao Leng, the only waitress in Ziyuan's dormitory department, and she opened the courtyard door for me when I came here before.She threw the mask off her face on the ground, knelt down and untied the rope that bound my hands. I don't know what to say, I just read in my mouth, Xiao Leng, Xiao Leng... While untying the rope for me, she said that the villain surnamed Zhao was fainted by me.He went to the duty room after dark and threatened me, telling me to leave his business alone, otherwise he would ask the boss to fire me.But I really can't stand it anymore.One of our waiters was killed by these men, I want to avenge her... The rope between me and Xiaoni was untied, and I stood up, my legs and arms were already numb.Xiao Ni hugged me and cried, sister I hugged Xiaoni's head, and suddenly saw Zhao Kaimiao standing at the door.He looked at everything in the room, obviously no desire to attack.He held on to the door frame as if he couldn't stand still. Suddenly, a person rushed into the room and pushed him to the door. It was Fang Qiang!He hugged me, touched Xiao Ni's head and said, I couldn't sleep all night, so I got up and went to Xiao Ni's house. Aunt He was so anxious that I heard that you rushed over after Ziyuan. I hugged Xiao Leng and told Fang Qiang that she saved us.Xiao Leng lowered his head in embarrassment. Zhao Kaimiao was still standing against the door frame, his face was dazed and numb.Fang Qiang glanced at him and asked me, do I need to call the police? I said, no need. Now, that unforgettable summer vacation is long gone.I'm about to graduate from college and I'm preparing for a postgraduate entrance examination.Professor Feng said that I have better aptitude for psychology and suggested that I develop in this direction.Importantly, he said my death delusions were gone.I tilted my head and asked him, since when did I have delusions about death?Professor Feng smiled, patted me and said, okay, okay, I know you are naughty, this is the real you. Fang Qiang's affairs went smoothly.A few days ago, I told him that in order to take the postgraduate entrance examination, we have to reduce our appointments.He kissed me on the face and said, well, it will be like three autumns.He also told me that their company's giant advertisement on the unfinished building is about to be taken down, because the unfinished building has been auctioned, the triangular debt trapped in this building has been resolved, and a new company is coming to complete the building.I thought of Zhao Kaimiao, and he might get better from this.I don't hate him, and I feel somewhat guilty, but it's all over. Xiaoni is facing a new hurdle just like me, except that she is facing the college entrance examination.Aunt He is married to a painter. After going to art school to work, she is too busy to take care of Xiao Ni. I still go to her house every weekend.Xiao Ni would come down from the stairs and hug me every time, calling out sweetly, sister——sister I asked about the situation of her classmate Xue Boss, Xiao Ni turned her head to the side, her silence made it inconvenient for me to ask more questions. Recently, I met the writer Mr. Yu Yijian at an activity held by the school literature club.He planned to write a book after hearing my experience, and I agreed.Just as a person has a nightmare that needs to be told to solve it, I also hope that after he writes all this down on paper, Xiaoni and I and many more people will have good luck from now on.