After opening the document, there was silence from the other side. Jiang Xiaosi typed again to inquire.
— *Yemiao, are you still there?*
From the speakers came soft sobbing.
— *So it turns out, I was the one who ruined him, ruined three people. It’s all my fault. I was too selfish, never able to understand his feelings.*
Jiang Xiaosi felt a bit melancholic. At first, she despised Yang Yan, hated him to the core, but after learning about his inner struggles and conflicts, she couldn’t help but feel a little pity for him. The greatest tragedy in life is having an unwilling heart bound by the most mundane capabilities. For a man, having no career, no love, no dreams, and living as a walking corpse in an empty shell of a family for so many years—Yang Yan was, in truth, a pitiful soul.
He wasn’t a good husband, and he failed to resist temptation, but at least he still had some humanity. Encountering Yemiao was his inevitable downfall; even without Yemiao, another person would have appeared. Just like how he had become a living corpse, yet the vines still tried to reach outward, his innermost desire was always to escape that life and those shackles.
The pursuit of freedom is an innate human instinct. Long Wanqiu loved him, but ever since their marriage, she treated him as nothing more than a plant to nurture. Her love was pitiful, obsessive, and selfish, while Yemiao, after all, was just a naive child who loved foolishly and blindly. All three of them were at fault, but the tragedy had already unfolded, and nothing could undo it. The only regret was for the unfortunate souls who had jumped to their deaths, dragged down with them.
— I also found a drawing by Yang Yan.
Jiang Xiaosi opened another file. It was a drawing of a young woman sitting by a window, cradling a baby in her arms, bathed in sunlight, smiling serenely like a Madonna.
Yemiao finally couldn’t hold back and burst into tears.
沈漠 (Shen Mo) stood silently by, indifferent. Love and separation, resentment and hatred, desires unmet—none of these three deserved any sympathy in his eyes.
— *Yemiao, Yang Yan is dead. It’s time for you to let go and move on to your next life.*
— *I want to go find him, but I can’t get out.*
Jiang Xiaosi looked at Shen Mo, who took out a small stone seal carved from purple-robed jade, stamped it onto the internet cable, and as he lifted it, Yemiao’s soul was forcefully drawn out.
“Thank you…” Yemiao’s figure faded until it was almost invisible, her lingering wish fulfilled.
“Woof, woof, woof!” Suddenly, a barking sound echoed from above. Pudding was jumping up, trying to reach Yemiao, but grasping only at empty air.
“Xiaobai?” Yemiao’s tears flowed freely.
“I’ll take good care of it for you,” Jiang Xiaosi promised, hugging Pudding.
Yemiao nodded and vanished.
“Well, this case is finally over,” Jiang Xiaosi sighed, holding Pudding close.
“You’re no longer in danger, so don’t come here again. And take the dog with you,” Shen Mo said as he headed downstairs, preparing to leave for class.
“What? Didn’t you agree to help me take care of Pudding?” Jiang Xiaosi hurriedly followed him, questioning.
Shen Mo paused. Recently, Jiang Xiaosi had been getting too close to him—these ties needed to be severed.
“When did I agree? It was just a temporary arrangement. Now take the dog away. If your dad won’t let you keep it, then find a friend or classmate who can. I’m sure you’re not so lonely that you don’t have anyone to ask.”
“But…”
“No buts.”
Shen Mo was about to head to Yunnan, and he wouldn’t be at home for some time. There was no way he’d let this girl use the excuse of feeding the dog to cause havoc in his house, especially when he wouldn’t be around to supervise. The thought of his precious artifacts and books made him anxious.
He slammed the door shut, leaving Jiang Xiaosi and Pudding outside.
“Don’t come back again.”
Jiang Xiaosi stood in stunned silence at the door, watching the cold professor walk away. A wave of confusion and helplessness washed over her, along with a deep sense of loss.
Was this really the end? Would they no longer have anything to do with each other?
Just yesterday, they had been through so much together in the tomb, and now, was it over so quickly?
How heartless! Jiang Xiaosi cursed silently, clutching Pudding as she slowly left T University. She didn’t dare go home and didn’t know where else to go. She knew that if she insisted, her dad would eventually give in and let her keep the dog. Every time she cried, he would soften. But she had promised him too many times, and she didn’t want to break her word again.
Maybe she could leave Pudding with Li Yueyi for now. But Li Yueyi was also troubled by her own pregnancy, and Jiang Xiaosi didn’t want to burden her. Besides her non-human friends, who might end up turning Pudding into lunch if they got hungry, Jiang Xiaosi didn’t have many normal friends who could help her take care of a dog.
“Sorry to bother you, Yueyi, but could you please take care of Pudding for a while?”
“No problem. I love animals,” Li Yueyi said, patting Pudding’s head. “So, what are you going to say to Shao Bing when you meet him the day after tomorrow? Do you think he’ll be mad when he finds out?”
“Even if he gets mad, he still needs to know. He’s responsible for this too—it’s his child. You both need to figure out what to do next together.”
Shao Bing definitely needed a lesson, but how severe it would be depended on his attitude. After Yang Yan’s situation, Jiang Xiaosi wasn’t as impulsive as before. She realized that as an outsider, she didn’t know the full story and had no right to decide for them. What mattered now wasn’t punishment but resolving the issue. So, the most important thing was to stay calm and discuss what to do with the baby.
“What if he says to abort it?”
“No way!” Jiang Xiaosi clenched her fists in anger.
Li Yueyi sighed. “Then why are we even discussing this? Clearly, you’ve already made up your mind. You just want to convince Shao Bing to accept the baby.”
“There’s no way we could actually keep the baby, right? Neither of us is capable of raising a child. Our parents would kill us if they found out.”
“Don’t worry, you can secretly give birth, and I’ll raise it!” Jiang Xiaosi promised confidently, patting her chest. She had taken care of cats, dogs, and even monsters—how hard could a baby be?
“You? You can’t even keep a dog!” Li Yueyi shook her head in disbelief.
Jiang Xiaosi’s enthusiasm deflated. She realized that if she raised a baby, she might get too attached and wouldn’t be able to let go. She might even end up turning the child into a zombie, denying them a normal life.
On Sunday morning, there was another knock at the door. Shen Mo angrily opened it, expecting Jiang Xiaosi, but instead found Chen Anyuan.
“Professor…” Chen Anyuan stammered, taken aback by Shen Mo’s dark expression.
“What is it?”
“Xiangya called. They said that, following your instructions, the curse seems to have mostly lifted. The archaeological work is progressing smoothly, and they expect to be back in two weeks. They said if you’re busy with classes, there’s no need for you to go—they can handle it.”
“My instructions?” Shen Mo frowned. What instructions? He had only given them some old remedies to slow down the curse, and he hadn’t been sure if they would work. How could it have been resolved so easily?
“Fine. Cancel my flight. Tell them not to let their guard down for a second, and to contact me immediately if anything happens.”
Chen Anyuan nodded. “Professor, are you heading out?”
“I’m going to the City Museum later. A farmer found a *shou mian wen yan* (a bronze vessel with beast patterns) and wants me to authenticate it.”
“Do you need a ride?”
“No, it’s not far. I’ll walk.”
Chen Anyuan glanced around the kitchen and upstairs, but there was no sign of the little girl or the dog from the other day.
On his way to the museum, Shen Mo was unfortunate enough to run into Jiang Xiaosi again. She was standing by the flowerbed in the square. Shen Mo ignored her and kept walking, but faint sounds of an argument reached his ears. He turned around and saw a young man, about seventeen or eighteen years old, tall, handsome, and dressed stylishly, standing in the shade of a tree.
Was this her boyfriend?
Shen Mo’s pace slowed, and an inexplicable anger flared within him.
“How can you be so irresponsible? The baby is clearly yours!” Jiang Xiaosi’s face flushed red with anger as she pointed at Shao Bing.
Shao Bing looked at her impatiently. “How am I irresponsible? What baby? Stop talking nonsense!”
“Don’t deny it! I’ll ask you one more time—what do you plan to do about this baby?”
“What baby? What are you talking about? Even if there is a baby, how do I know it’s mine?”
As soon as the words left Shao Bing’s mouth, a fist came flying toward him. All he heard was a loud crack, and suddenly his jaw was dislocated. Blood flowed from his nose and mouth, and the pain brought tears to his eyes.
Jiang Xiaosi was stunned, staring at Shen Mo, who had appeared out of nowhere. She didn’t know what to say.
Shen Mo turned his head and, furious, yelled at her.
“How old are you? Can’t you think before you act? How could you fall for such a scumbag?”
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