Chapter 1
“Auntie Geng—“
“Auntie Geng, are you home?”
Inside the house, a black and white television was playing, singing, “The sword in the left hand and the liver and gallbladder in the right light up the world of yin and yang. The five-flowered horse, the golden fur, and the iron blood are used to achieve justice.”
Geng Youqin was stepping on a sewing machine, making clothes while occasionally glancing at the television.
Hearing a forceful knocking on the door, she unconsciously frowned.
When she opened the door, her initial displeasure vanished, replaced by a warm and gentle smile.
“What’s wrong, ChongChong? Why are you in such a hurry?”
Before they even met face to face, her soft voice Heard.
“Auntie Geng, Miaomiao fell into the water.”
“What?!”
“Fell into the water? How did she fall, and where is she now?”
“Did you two go somewhere to fool around again?”
Geng Youqin anxiously grabbed Cong Qi’s arm, only then noticing that she also looked disheveled.
Cong Qi was drenched, her naturally curly hair sticking together, a few strands of water grass still hanging from her neck, and a faint scent of aquatic plants wafted from her body, clearly from the nearby lake.
“She’s in the Third Hospital.”
“Why did she end up at the hospital? How serious is it?!”
Geng Youqin’s lips turned pale, and her body staggered as if she couldn’t stand.
“Where did you two go, why would you take Miaomiao to the lake?”
Her tone was gentle, but her words were piercing.
Cong Qi felt a bit uncomfortable deep inside. She wanted to say that she didn’t take Miaomiao out; it was actually…
However, when she met Geng Youqin’s anxious and worried eyes, and considering Miaomiao’s situation, she swallowed her words.
Reaching out to support her, Cong Qi said, “Auntie Geng, when I pulled Miaomiao out of the water, I found that she not only choked on water but also had a bleeding wound on her forehead. I don’t know if it happened before she fell into the water.”
“The doctor said that because of the wound on her forehead, she’s still unconscious. You should hurry to the Third Hospital with clean clothes and money.”
Hearing that her daughter was unconscious, Geng Youqin’s heart sank.
Then, hearing the latter part of the sentence, she couldn’t help but complain, “Cong Qi, you and Miaomiao were together, and you can’t even cover the medical expenses. What if the doctor refuses to treat her without payment? What will we do?”
After saying this, she didn’t give Cong Qi a chance to respond, turned around, grabbed her wallet, and quickly put on some clothes before heading to the hospital.
Cong Qi thought, ‘I didn’t bring any money with me today.’
She didn’t follow to the hospital but went downstairs to change her clothes.
In House no. 101, Xu Huiying was preparing for her classes.
Hearing the door opening, she guessed that only her daughter would come home at this time and didn’t bother to look up. She casually said, “You came back early today!”
Normally, as soon as they had a day off, Cong Qi would be out the door like a cat or dog released from a cage. She wouldn’t come back home until she had spent the entire day outside.
She would prefer to go hiking, walk along the streets, or sit by the lake…
In short, she wanted to spend her time outside and claimed to be at home to enjoy the feeling of not having to work.
Xu Huiying wondered why her daughter had so many quirks.
“Mom~~~~~”
It was a tone that had been heard for nearly twenty years, a tone used when feeling wronged.
Xu Huiying paused, holding her pen, and was about to ask what her daughter had done this time.
But when she looked up, her eyes widened.
“What’s going on?”
Xu Huiying quickly ran to the bathroom to get some dry towels. “How did you get so wet? Your entire body is soaked. Did you run home like this from somewhere? You must have been seen by so many people in this state.”
“It’s because of Miaomiao.”
“What does that have to do with Miaomiao upstairs?”
“She fell into the lake, and I went down to rescue her.”
Cong Qi took the towel, but halfway through, she put it down again. She threw the towel on the chair and rushed into the bathroom. “Mom, let’s talk later. I need to wash my hair and take a bath. The smell of this water is making me sick.”
Xu Huiying:…
Indeed, there was a foul smell.
This girl, the way she spoke was unclear. How did Miaomiao fall? How is she now? Is there any connection with her? None of that was mentioned.
Xu Huiying worried about the girl upstairs, Qu Miaomiao, while wondering if this had anything to do with her own daughter.
When Cong Qi finished showering, Xu Huiying quickly sat her down and took a towel to help dry her hair.
While drying, she asked, “Did she fall into the lake near our house?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a railing. How did she fall over it?”
The railing is about 1.3 meters high.
“I don’t know.”
“How come you didn’t know when you went out together? Did you inform Aunt Geng? Did you answer Aunt Geng the same way?”
“Mom~~~”
“How would I know what happened? We did go out together, but I was just being a third wheel.”
As soon as they arrived at the small park, Miaomiao headed towards the island in the left side of the lake with Yu Lekang.
Cong Qi, being considerate and not wanting to disturb their romance, had an outgoing and cheerful personality. She decided to watch the fishermen instead.
But soon, she heard someone shout that someone had fallen into the water.
Cong Qi was a good swimmer, so when she heard someone had fallen into the water, she rushed over, thinking that if no one else jumped in to help, she could be of use.
Little did she know, the person in the water was Miaomiao, and Yu Lekang was nowhere to be seen.
“Mom, Miaomiao must have had a fight with Yu Lekang . Maybe he pushed her in, that’s why he’s missing.”
Cong Qi wrinkled her nose with righteous anger.
“Is Miaomiao okay?”
“The doctor said she’s not seriously injured, but she hasn’t woken up yet. I didn’t have any money with me, and I’m all wet, so I had to come back to find Aunt Geng first.”
“Did you tell Aunt Geng about Yu Lekang?”
Cong Qi widened her eyes slowly.
Slapping her forehead in frustration, she said, “I forgot!”
Xu Huiying glanced at her careless daughter and poked her temple irritably, “You can forget something so important, but you can’t forget to come home?”
Cong Qi’s beautiful eyes showed a hint of helplessness.
“I told Aunt Geng about Miaomiao in the hospital, and she rushed out. It’s not too late.”
“Mom, can you be gentler when you poke me? It hurts.”
Cong Qi rubbed the sore spot and whimpered softly.
“Then why are you still sitting here? Go to the hospital to see Miaomiao and tell Aunt Geng about Yu Lekang.”
Cong Qi didn’t see the need, “The doctor said Miaomiao will wake up soon, and when she does, she’ll tell Aunt Geng. They might be back by the time I’m halfway there. Why bother making an unnecessary trip?”
The doctor said the rescue was very timely, and choking on water has been cleared, with no life-threatening danger.
Xu Huiying looked at her daughter with transparent but somewhat foolish eyes, and she massaged her temples with a headache.
Nevertheless, she patiently tried to explain it to her, breaking down the reasoning.
“Aunt Geng has always been against MiaoMiao dating Yu Lekang. You know that, right? Miaomiao is so afraid of her mom, how could she dare to say Yu Lekang did something there? If she said it, she’d be slapping herself in the face, admitting that she’s not as good at judging people as her mom.”
“If Miaomiao doesn’t say anything, everyone knows you two are together. Aunt Geng is sharp-minded; don’t let her unfairly pin the blame on you.”
Cong Qi hesitated for a moment, blinked innocently, and said, “Mom, why are you thinking so complicatedly? It can’t be that bad, can it?”
Aunt Geng shouldn’t be that unreasonable.
“But, Mom, should I go to the police station first?”
Xu Huiying’s temples pulsed. She slowly closed her eyes and sighed.
Forget it.
Everyone in their family, especially Cong Qi, had always been a bit naïve, lacking any ulterior motives.
“Why report it? Did you personally witness Yu Lekang pushing someone? What would you say to the police? I told you to talk to Aunt Geng, let her confirm it herself.”
That Yu Lekang, always resorting to violence without any restraint, and then vanishing without a trace. He seemed to have no moral boundaries. Who knows if he might go crazy one day if provoked?
What if it affected Cong Qi?
“Don’t meddle in other people’s love affairs.”
“Okay, okay,” Cong Qi said, appearing nonchalant. Seeing her daughter’s carefree attitude, Xu Huiying got angry again and used her ear-pinching technique.
“Ouch, ouch, it hurts, Mom, let go!”
“Don’t just ignore your mother’s words. Did you hear me?”
“I heard you, I heard you”
Xu Huiying’s words had finally made an impact on Cong Qi.
Upon arriving at the hospital, they made it crystal clear about Yu Lekang’s involvement.
After listening to it all, Geng Youqin’s face grew stormy, and she seemed on the verge of grinding her teeth to bits.
Looking at her eldest daughter lying unconscious in the hospital bed, her delicate face drained of color, she was torn between frustration at MiaoMiao’s disobedience and the unceasing ache in her heart.
She wanted to lash out in anger, but there was no one to blame!
Beside her was the person who had genuinely saved their Miaomiao. If she were to shift all the blame onto Cong Qi, Xu Huiying and her husband would surely demand an explanation.
She not only couldn’t express any resentment but had to express gratitude to Cong Qi.
“ChongChong, luckily you were here today, otherwise Miaomiao could have…”
Cong Qi quickly reassured Geng Youqin, “Auntie Geng, please don’t worry. Miaomiao has her good fortune, when I jumped in, another boy jumped in too. There are still good people in this world.”
When she heard about the other boy, Geng Youqin’s expression changed slightly.
“Yes, no matter what, Auntie appreciate it,” she managed a forced smile.
Just then, the doctor arrived.
“Doctor, when will my daughter wake up? Isn’t the injury on her forehead not serious?”
Wang Derong was also puzzled. They had examined every aspect, but they couldn’t find the cause of her unconsciousness.
He explained truthfully, but Geng Youqin couldn’t accept it.
“Why can’t you find the cause? Is it because the hospital equipment isn’t advanced enough? Can’t we invite a more reliable specialist to take a look?”
Facing the patient’s family’s questioning, Wang Derong remained calm.
“Please don’t worry, the necessary tests have all been conducted, and our hospital has the latest equipment. There is no oversight. The patient’s vital signs are normal, with no abnormalities. Her current condition seems more like… she’s asleep?! I suggest we observe a little longer. If she doesn’t wake up after twelve hours, we can invite other experts for consultation.”
“Yes, Aunt Geng, please don’t worry. Let’s wait a little longer.”
“…”
Cong Qi’s soft and coquettish voice, as sweet as lightning, seemed to pierce through the chaotic haze in Qu Miaomiao’s mind.
She suddenly opened her eyes.
Her eyes were as lifeless as inanimate objects, staring fixedly at the ceiling without making a sound for quite some time.
Cong Qi was the first to notice and exclaimed excitedly, “Aunt Geng, Miaomiao’s awake!”
“Miaomiao, you’re awake…”
Before she could finish her sentence, another, sharper voice cut through hers.
“Miaomiao, how do you feel? Is there any pain anywhere? Tell me!”
Geng Youqin left the doctor behind and rushed to the bedside, gently touching her daughter’s pale face with concern.
But in the next moment, her overwhelming maternal love froze in place, replaced by cold, hateful eyes.
“You want me to tell you? Will you help me? Your heart only belongs to Qu Siyuan.”
Geng Youqin’s pupils dilated, and her heart skipped a beat, causing her to instinctively release her daughter’s hand and take two steps back in panic.
“Miaomiao, what are you saying?”
Qu Miaomiao stared at her coldly.
After what felt like an eternity, her neck, creaking like a rusty machine, slowly turned towards Cong Qi, making a series of eerie, mechanical clicks.
The situation was Incredibly bizarre, and she seemed like a malevolent spirit just crawled out of hell.
Cong Qi shuddered in fright.
Could it be true… the rumors of spirit in the lake with a large stick are real?
“Miaomiao…”
Cong Qi swallowed hard and cautiously asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
Her gaze was unnerving, straight and unsettling.
Cong Qi blinked her eyes and turned to look at Geng Youqin, who wore an equally startled expression.
Qu Miaomiao seemed to realize that something was amiss.
“…Mom, where’s your white hair?”
“Cong… Cong Qi?”
“I’m not dead?”
Then, the next sentence came out in rapid succession:
“You also… not… dead?”
Geng Youqin and Cong Qi: …Is she really possessed?
