Possession (4)

"Living until now, I've only just discovered that besides the cold eight-digit number in my bank account, I have nothing." Cheng Yuliu finished the last drag of her cigarette, her expression dazed.

This was supposed to be a tragic story, but for some reason, when Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo heard her say this, they both felt she deserved a beating.

"What happened later? The person who died in the funeral parlor was related to you, right?" Lin Banxia tried hard to shake off the corrosion of capitalism and asked, "And my colleague—"

"Colleague? You mean that colleague of yours named Liu Xi?" Cheng Yuliu smiled with great interest, her smile filled with malice. "But don't you go framing me. While I'm no saint, I wouldn't kill someone on purpose. That person just had bad luck." She giggled.

Lin Banxia furrowed his brows. Song Qingluo said softly, "After this incident, you made another wish?"

Cheng Yuliu said coldly, "That's right. After making one mistake, I made another. I made another wish to my shadow."

"What wish?" Song Qingluo asked.

"I wished for them to come back to my side," Cheng Yuliu said. "I said to my shadow."

"I wish for them to come back to my side." On the verge of a mental breakdown, her mind in disarray, Cheng Yuliu made this wish. At that moment, upon seeing the pile of fused corpses, her spirit had completely shattered. In the pitch-black room, Cheng Yuliu was like someone grasping the last blade of grass by a swamp. Under the flickering candlelight, her fingers scratched at the faint reflection on the floor as she uttered those words in despair.

The shadow suddenly flickered, like a candle about to burn out. That familiar voice sounded behind the woman again, its lips right next to her ear, whispering gently. It said, "Okay."

The dream came true again.

Cheng Yuliu's dead relatives came back.

That morning, Cheng Yuliu heard a knock on the door, a sound she hadn't heard in a long time. Having made her wish the day before, she rushed to the door in pleasant surprise and opened it. The next moment, she saw her husband, her child, and her parents-in-law—they had returned, but in the form of corpses.

To this day, Cheng Yuliu still can't quite recall the memory of that morning. By the time she became conscious, it was already the next morning. She was staring blankly at the floor, cleaning the bloodstains under the refrigerator. The once-empty refrigerator was now stuffed full. A dark liquid trickled down the side of the fridge, pooling on the floor into a disgusting crimson puddle.

But Cheng Yuliu was no longer afraid. She numbly cleaned the floor, humming the nursery rhyme her child loved to hear before bed.

The corpses were still squirming, making a nauseatingly viscous sound. Cheng Yuliu's nerves, completely shattered by fear, could no longer react. She quietly cleaned the floor, closed the refrigerator door, and walked slowly to the center of the living room, where she lit another candle.

The candlelight was faint, illuminating Cheng Yuliu's face. She lowered her head, wanting to find the last support for her soul.

However, she was disappointed. There was nothing beneath her, not even darkness remained.

Cheng Yuliu's shadow was gone.

As she said this, Lin Banxia glanced down at the floor. Sure enough, there were only two reflections on the floor; Cheng Yuliu's shadow was nowhere to be seen.

Cheng Yuliu said with a smile, "See? I didn't lie."

Lin Banxia said, "So you've made so many terrible wishes, why do you still want to look for the shadow? Do you... want to make another wish?"

Cheng Yuliu gave Lin Banxia a sinister look and said, "Of course I still have a wish I want fulfilled. I want them to be restored to their original state." She pointed at Song Qingluo. "You said you could do it, right?"

Song Qingluo ignored her, seemingly lost in thought.

"What about Liu Xi? Why did he meet with you?" This was what Lin Banxia wanted to know the most. "What did you do to him? Why did he also win the lottery? And why is there someone who looks exactly like him following him around?"

Cheng Yuliu said coldly, "Him? He's just a thief. If he hadn't taken my shadow, I wouldn't be in such a pathetic state."

"Taken your shadow?" Lin Banxia said in surprise.

"I don't know how he did it either," Cheng Yuliu said irritably. "Anyway, he took my shadow. I wanted him to give it back, but he wouldn't agree—that's why I was looking for him."

Lin Banxia hadn't expected that. He had thought it was Cheng Yuliu who had threatened Liu Xi.

"Alright, I'm done with my story," Cheng Yuliu said. "I've told you everything you wanted to know. Now give me the thing." She extended her hand toward Song Qingluo, wanting the plastic wrap in his hand.

Song Qingluo glanced at her but didn't move. He said slowly, "Sorry, I can't give it to you."

Cheng Yuliu said sinisterly, "You're going back on your word?"

Song Qingluo said flatly, "Of course I keep my word. It's you who went back on yours."

Cheng Yuliu was stunned.

Song Qingluo said, "What I said was, if you could give me what I want, I would help you restore them. What I want is your shadow. Your shadow is already gone, so what do you have to trade with me?"

Cheng Yuliu was slightly taken aback, clearly not having expected things to develop this way. Her mouth opened and closed, wanting to say something, but for a long while, no sound came out.

Song Qingluo paid her no mind, turned around, placed the plastic wrap back in the box, and was about to lock it. Seeing this, Cheng Yuliu suddenly flew into a frenzy, rushing in front of Song Qingluo to snatch the thing from his hand.

Seeing this, Song Qingluo turned to dodge. But in the next moment, Cheng Yuliu somehow pulled out a sharp knife and lunged at Song Qingluo. The sight made Lin Banxia's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets, and he yelled, "Watch out—"

At this point, the distance between them was extremely close, and with a table right behind him, Song Qingluo had no room to retreat. He reacted extremely fast, directly grabbing the sharp blade, then giving a hard push—shoving Cheng Yuliu away.

Cheng Yuliu was pushed to the ground. She was about to charge forward again, but after glancing down at the knife in her hand, she froze in place.

The once razor-sharp blade was now bent into a strange shape. It was also stained with fresh red blood, which was dripping down the edge.

Song Qingluo stood there indifferently, his right hand hanging at his side. The blood from his fingertips formed a thin stream, dripping onto the wooden floor.

Lin Banxia rushed forward, took Song Qingluo's hand, and examined the wound. "Are you alright?!—That's a huge gash, we need to treat it right away."

Song Qingluo was silent for a moment. "Let's go."

Lin Banxia carefully supported him as they walked out.

Cheng Yuliu sat dazedly on the floor, muttering "don't go," but lacked the courage to stop them again. She watched the door slam shut, then staggered to her feet and went to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator door, hugged the shapeless mass of flesh with all her might, buried her face in it, and began to wail. She said, "I want to be with you all forever—forever—"

Lin Banxia was used to seeing the blood of the dead, but he hadn't seen much blood from the living. He couldn't help but feel anxious, constantly wiping away the blood with the tissues he carried. Song Qingluo's hands, like the rest of him, were handsome, with skin as white and smooth as jade and long, slender knuckles. But now, there was a gruesome wound on one of these beautiful hands, from which blood was pouring out incessantly.

"This wound is too deep. You need to go to the hospital for stitches," Lin Banxia said.

"No need." Song Qingluo was completely unconcerned. He casually flicked his hand, shaking off a lot of the blood.

"How can you say that?" Lin Banxia frowned. "What if it leaves a scar..."

Song Qingluo said, "It's fine. What's a man afraid of a scar for? My hand hurts, you do it."

Lin Banxia: "Do what?"

Song Qingluo: "Call the police, of course."

Lin Banxia paused. "The police...? We're... calling the police now?"

"What else?" Song Qingluo said. "Are we just going to let her stay with those corpses?"

Lin Banxia thought that made sense. He silently took out his phone, dialed 110, and gave a rough summary of the situation, not daring to be too specific. When the operator heard there were corpses, they immediately said they would dispatch someone.

After hanging up, Lin Banxia hesitated. "Then... what if the police see the corpses moving?"

"They won't see it," Song Qingluo said. "The corpses won't be moving anymore."

Lin Banxia was taken aback.

Song Qingluo said softly, "Remember the plastic wrap I used earlier?"

Lin Banxia nodded.

Song Qingluo said, "It's a special kind of tool. Its specific function is a bit complicated, but one of its effects is to plunder the 'activity' of an object while restoring its damaged state."

Lin Banxia understood now. A look of sudden realization crossed his face. "So it can be used for mortuary makeup!"

Song Qingluo: "...I suppose so."

"What's next?" Lin Banxia asked worriedly. "Something must have happened to Liu Xi, too. I need to go check on him." Seeing Cheng Yuliu's state, if Liu Xi continued down the same path, his end would probably be similar to hers.

Song Qingluo pondered for a moment. "Let's go back first. I'll think about it."

Lin Banxia agreed, "Right, you still have that wound. Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital? Such a big gash—" He nagged for a long time, but Song Qingluo wouldn't listen, refusing to go to the hospital under any circumstances and insisting on going home.

After getting home, Lin Banxia found some rubbing alcohol and knelt by the sofa, carefully cleaning and bandaging Song Qingluo's wound.

Song Qingluo lowered his eyes, gazing at Lin Banxia. The young man before him was as quiet as when they first met. He had a handsome face, but not the kind with an aggressive beauty. The corners of his eyes drooped slightly, and his hair was a lighter shade than most people's. Even when he wasn't smiling, he looked exceptionally gentle.

Song Qingluo's heart stirred slightly. He asked softly, "Do you bandage wounds often?"

Lin Banxia hummed in agreement and casually mentioned that he and his younger sister often got hurt when they were kids, so he got good at it after doing it so many times.

"You have a sister?" Song Qingluo asked.

"I guess so," Lin Banxia said, the corners of his eyes curving up. "But she's my cousin, not my biological sister."

Song Qingluo let out a soft "oh."

Lin Banxia said nonchalantly, "My parents passed away early, so I grew up with my Aunt. In that sense... it's a bit like that Cheng Yuliu." After saying that, he felt a little embarrassed. "Of course, I'm not as rich as her."

"No." Song Qingluo shook his head gently. "You're not alike. Not at all."

Looking at the serious expression on Song Qingluo's handsome face, Lin Banxia felt his own face grow warm for some reason. He gave a small laugh and uncomfortably averted his gaze.