Shen Mo paused for a moment, then hung up the phone with a sharp *click*.
Xiao Tang felt even more frustrated—did Shen Mo understand or not? He knew Shen Mo disliked phones and computers, but there was no other choice. Even though Shen Mo loathed ghosts, he always valued human lives above all else.
After hanging up, Shen Mo’s expression grew serious, and Jiang Xiaosi, who had overheard the entire conversation, felt a surge of excitement, her expression smug.
Wow, a police investigation! It must be related to the series of bizarre suicides this month!
Professor Shen…
Now she knew who this guy was. No wonder Devan was taken down so easily. Facing someone from the Shen family, Devan never stood a chance.
“Can you go online?” Shen Mo suddenly asked.
Looks like you need me now, huh? Jiang Xiaosi proudly raised her chin.
“Of course.”
“Do you have QQ?”
“Obviously.”
Shen Mo got up and walked upstairs, with Jiang Xiaosi quickly following behind. “Do you have a computer at home?”
Shen Mo coldly replied, “Naturally.”
Xiaosi…
“I thought we’d have to find an internet cafe. You have a computer, so why can’t you go online?”
Shen Mo opened a door, revealing a desktop computer inside.
“My niece’s computer. She comes to stay sometimes.”
Jiang Xiaosi quickly booted it up. “Do you hate electronic devices?”
Although she came from an era of oil lamps, she was fascinated by computers, the internet, and anime. There was so little to do in the past, life was way more boring than now. Things like phones and refrigerators had made life so much easier—why didn’t he like them?
Shen Mo couldn’t be bothered to answer her. He stood at a distance, staring at the screen, pondering the possibility that Ye Miao’s spirit was committing crimes through the internet. If she were physically present, exorcising her would be easy, but if she was working through the internet, he was at a loss. The thought of using a phone or a computer made him feel irritated and queasy. It wasn’t a matter of learning how to use them—he just couldn’t accept it on a subconscious level.
“There are so many viruses! How long has it been since this was used?” Jiang Xiaosi asked as she ran a virus scan, logging into QQ invisibly. The screen started filling up with non-stop notifications, and the icons jumping around made Shen Mo’s eyes hurt.
“Hehe, sorry, give me a moment.”
Jiang Xiaosi quickly replied to all the messages, her fingers dancing across the keyboard at a speed that left Shen Mo stunned. Before he could even see what she typed, she had already written a long response and closed the window. In less than a minute, she had replied to everything.
“All done, let’s get started. I’ll add that person first.” Jiang Xiaosi typed in the QQ number she had overheard. Ye Miao’s username was “Xiao Miao,” a simple name with no special characters or symbols.
“Aren’t you scared?” Shen Mo asked, noticing her eager expression. He could tell just by looking at her that she had faked fainting when facing the vampire earlier. He already had a low opinion of her due to her questionable behavior, and now he was even more disgusted.
“Scared? Do you think all girls are timid?” Not only did she do business with ghosts, but she also often chatted and played games with them as a kid. But this was her first time chatting with a vengeful ghost on QQ. Interesting, really interesting!
Shen Mo sneered from the side. Yeah, a girl who started tasting the forbidden fruit at such a young age couldn’t possibly be timid. What was the world coming to?
Jiang Xiaosi, being her usual carefree self, had forgotten all about that incident. She had no idea that Shen Mo was internally despising her.
“It didn’t go through. I was directly rejected.” Jiang Xiaosi scratched her head in confusion. Didn’t that young officer on the phone say it would be easy to add her?
Shen Mo paused for a couple of seconds and then said, “Try changing your gender to male and see if it works.”
Jiang Xiaosi gave Shen Mo a puzzled look but did as he suggested. She changed her gender to male, her age from 15 to 28, and her username from “Guo Buli Baozi” to “Feng Wuya.”
“It worked!”
What’s going on? She widened her eyes and checked Ye Miao’s profile. This time, she didn’t even need verification—it was added easily without any prompts.
Originally, Jiang Xiaosi had been thinking about what verification message to send.
Something like, “Hey, Ye Miao, I’m one of your kind!” or “I’m the ultimate ghost buster!” or “I’m a Taoist, dare you add me?” or maybe even “Little ghost, little ghost, I’m a zombie!” Alternatively, she could have gone with something simple and cliché, like middle-aged men and women trying to cheat online: “Hi, wanna be friends?” or “I’m so lonely, need someone to chat with.” But none of that was necessary.
Ye Miao’s QQ account was a VIP one. Her username, “Xiao Miao” was bolded in red using Microsoft YaHei font, and her QQ avatar was just a simple, blood-red square with no patterns or designs. It stood out starkly at the top of Jiang Xiaosi’s QQ friend list.
Her QQ signature was also simple: “This person is dead, for any issues, burn some paper.”
…
It was a very common QQ signature, but given the context, the fact that it was true made Jiang Xiaosi shiver despite herself. It was both amusing and chilling.
Shen Mo frowned without saying a word. Even just through the screen, he could sense the cold, eerie aura. The screen was emitting a faint blue light that seemed to steal your soul. Ye Miao’s ghost was indeed attached to the internet. But if they wanted to get rid of her, they would need to force her out first.
“What should I say to her?” Jiang Xiaosi turned to Shen Mo.
“Say whatever you want.” Shen Mo gestured for her to take the lead.
So, Jiang Xiaosi quickly typed:
—Ye Miao?
—[Drooling face with heart eyes] Yes, handsome?
Jiang Xiaosi paused, and so did Shen Mo…
—[Bowing with hands clasped] Nice to meet you.
—[Red lips emoji] I used to love reading Jin Yong’s novels. My favorite characters were Huang Yaoshi and Wu Yazi. Can I call you Wuya? O(∩_∩)O~
Jiang Xiaosi started wiping the sweat off her forehead. Both of those were older men, so it seemed Ye Miao’s taste was similar to hers. This vengeful ghost didn’t feel like a vengeful ghost at all—could someone be impersonating her?
But the speed of the replies was faster than lightning. Almost as soon as Jiang Xiaosi finished typing, the other person had already responded. Jiang Xiaosi saw that their reply was timestamped at the exact same moment as hers.
If this were a human, that speed would be way too fast. Even she, who could type up to 400 characters per minute, couldn’t keep up. If everyone she chatted with online could reply as fast as Ye Miao, she’d be thrilled. She was an impatient person, and waiting for others to type always made her feel like she was growing old.
—[Smiling and nodding] Same here. I also admire Yang Xiao and Qiao Feng. Being a good man means taking responsibility and bringing happiness to the woman you love.
Shen Mo’s expression started twitching as he read the conversation.
—[Tears streaming] Nodding, yes! A man who is deeply devoted and faithful until death is the most attractive. [Red heart emoji]
And so, Shen Mo continued to watch in exasperation as these two girls chatted about Jin Yong’s novels and their ideal men, with time ticking away. Shen Mo, who never wore a watch, calculated the time in his head.
“Get to the point quickly. We’re running out of time.”
Jiang Xiaosi reluctantly ended the conversation, feeling a little disgusted with herself as she gradually steered the chat toward the real issue.
—You’re such a smart and insightful girl!
—[Blushing face] Really? I haven’t met a guy I can chat with like this in a long time. The guys I used to talk to were either obsessed with games or work. So annoying! [Cigarette-in-mouth emoji]
—You’re too kind. I’ve never met such a cute girl online either.
—[Shy, blinking eyes] Really? Thanks. But sadly, I’m cute, but no one loves me. [Puppy-eyed emoji]
—[Rose emoji] That’s impossible. Any good man would know how to cherish you.
—[Crying emoji]
—What’s wrong? Did you get your heart broken? Did the person you love hurt you?
—Yeah, I can’t find him no matter what I do. Can you help me find him?
Jiang Xiaosi turned to Shen Mo. “She’s looking for someone.”
“Ask her what his name is.”
Jiang Xiaosi kept typing.
—Where should I look? What’s his name? If I can help, I will.
—His name is Yang Yan. He lives in Wanhe District, Tamu Street, Jinxiu Huadu, Building 6, Unit 2, Apartment 1901. I’ve asked so many people to help me find him, and they all promised, but none of them found him. [Angry face] [Blood-dripping knife]
Jiang Xiaosi’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at Shen Mo. His frown deepened.
—The address and name are so detailed. If this person is still alive, he should be easy to find. Don’t worry. [Hug emoji]
—I’m sure he’s still alive, but I don’t know where he’s hiding. Can you find him in a week? [Puppy-eyed emoji]
—Okay.
With a smack, Shen Mo slapped Jiang Xiaosi’s hand away, but it was too late—the message had already been sent.
“You must never casually agree to anything or make any promises when dealing with ghosts!” Shen Mo growled.
Jiang Xiaosi flinched. Her dad had warned her about this before, but because she was a zombie herself, she never felt afraid. She had been careful with her words while chatting with Ye Miao, but at that moment, it felt like she was bewitched. By the time she realized it, she had already made a promise.
Suddenly, it was as if the computer turned into a blood-filled aquarium. Blood started seeping out, dripping slowly and leaving bright red streaks. One after another, photos of the men who had jumped to their deaths appeared on the screen, their heads shattered and brains splattered.
Huge, blood-red letters burst out of the QQ chatbox, jumping onto the computer screen.
—Hahaha, I don’t care who you are or why you’re here. Remember what you said! If you don’t find him by next Wednesday, you’ll end up just like them! [Dozens of grinning, teeth-baring emojis forming a giant skull]
Jiang Xiaosi frowned and was about to type something else, but Shen Mo stopped her.
“What more do you want to say to her?” She didn’t seem to realize that her own life was now hanging by a thread. How could she not be scared?
“She made a request, so I need to make one too. Ghosts are tricky. If you don’t set clear limits, they’ll find a loophole, and you won’t even know how you died.” She was well-versed in word games, so she continued typing in the chatbox.
—I’ll keep my word, but what if he’s left Taoyuan City or gone abroad?
—He hasn’t gone far, I know it! I can still sense him! [Crying emoji]
—“Far” and “near” are vague concepts. You can reach the other side of the world through the internet and still call it close. I think a week is too short. Since you’ve already waited over a month, wait a little longer. Give me two weeks. By midnight on Wednesday of the following week, I’ll find him for you.
—Fine, since you’re so confident, I’ll give you one more week.
—But I have one condition. During this time, you can’t ask anyone else to help you find him, and you can’t harm anyone else. If you trust me, leave everything to me.
—[Handshake emoji] Deal. But if you don’t find him, I promise you’ll die a hundred times more horribly than they did.
—Okay, but I need to know why I’m doing this. Why are you looking for him?
This time, the reply didn’t come as quickly as before. The pause lasted half a minute, and Jiang Xiaosi almost thought her computer had frozen. After a long wait, a line of eerie red text appeared on the screen.
—Because he killed me and the child in my womb.
With a click, the computer automatically shut off, leaving the screen pitch black.
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