Possession (5)

After helping Song Qingluo treat his wound, Lin Banxia planned to pay Liu Xi a visit to give him a heads-up. He called Liu Xi in advance, but Liu Xi didn't pick up. Fortunately, Liu Xi's place wasn't far from his, so Lin Banxia just went over directly.

Lin Banxia had been to Liu Xi's home once before, for Liu Xi's birthday. Back then, Liu Xi had just arrived in the area and didn't know many people, so he had specially invited Lin Banxia over. Lin Banxia had ordered a birthday cake for him. The two of them drank a bit in the small apartment, ate some snacks to go with the alcohol, chatted, and spent a very pleasant evening together. Since then, Lin Banxia had considered Liu Xi a friend.

Liu Xi and Lin Banxia were actually quite similar. Both had come here from other places to make a living, both were college graduates, and both had somehow stumbled into this unusual line of work.

Lost in thought, Lin Banxia found himself at the foot of Liu Xi's building before he knew it. He walked into the elevator, pressed the button, and moments later arrived at Liu Xi's door.

Liu Xi's door faced the elevator directly. Lin Banxia had just stepped out of the elevator and hadn't even had time to knock when he heard intense arguing and crying from inside. The next moment, a girl with a tear-streaked face flung open the door, sobbing hysterically. She saw Lin Banxia standing outside but didn't even look at him—she just shoved him aside and rushed into the elevator behind him.

Lin Banxia was momentarily stunned by her push. Looking up, he saw Liu Xi sitting on the couch inside. Nestled beside him was a very beautiful girl. She had an excellent figure, exquisite makeup, and fashionable clothes—a stark contrast to the crying girl. When Liu Xi saw the girl rush out of the room, he made to stand up and chase after her, but the beautiful girl grabbed his hand and cried, "Liu Xi, are you abandoning me?" It had to be said, beautiful people were simply irresistible when they acted coquettish. Liu Xi's expression instantly softened, and he didn't try to get up again. He only mumbled, "She's still my girlfriend, after all..."

"No, she's not," the woman huffed. "I'm your girlfriend."

Liu Xi laughed awkwardly.

After their exchange, they finally noticed the extra person at the door. The girl studied Lin Banxia with interest. "Liu Xi, is this your friend?"

"No," Liu Xi said stiffly. "Just a coworker." As he spoke, he walked to the doorway. He showed no intention of inviting Lin Banxia inside—instead, he braced his hand against the door frame in a defensive posture. "Lin Banxia, do you need something?"

"I have something to tell you," Lin Banxia said.

"What is it? Just say it here," Liu Xi said.

"Was that your girlfriend just now?" Lin Banxia asked.

"Ex-girlfriend, to be precise," Liu Xi said indifferently.

Lin Banxia was silent for a moment, then suddenly realized that warning Liu Xi might be pointless anyway. Even he himself might not be able to resist such temptation if faced with it, let alone Liu Xi, who was two years younger.

"What exactly do you want to say?" Liu Xi was getting impatient.

"I went to see Cheng Yuliu," Lin Banxia said.

At the name Cheng Yuliu, panic flickered in Liu Xi's eyes, but he still said stubbornly, "Who's Cheng Yuliu? Never heard that name."

Lin Banxia sighed. "I'm... not here to compete with you for anything. I just wanted to let you know—they found the body that went missing from Cheng Yuliu's home."

"Where?" Liu Xi asked reflexively.

"I heard it was in her refrigerator," Lin Banxia said.

Liu Xi froze.

"She's in a bad situation right now too," Lin Banxia said. "So I just wanted to tell you—be careful."

Liu Xi stared at Lin Banxia with a complicated expression, as if trying to determine whether Lin Banxia was deliberately deceiving him. Lin Banxia was also a bit tired. He said, "You don't have to believe me, but this thing with Cheng Yuliu will definitely make the news."

"Why are you telling me this?" Liu Xi asked.

Lin Banxia smiled bitterly. "We're coworkers, at least. I don't want to see anything happen to you."

Liu Xi pressed his lips together in silence, then said quietly, "Lin Banxia, you're really strapped for cash, aren't you?"

Lin Banxia frowned.

"I don't know what you know," Liu Xi said, "but..." He turned and went into the apartment. When he came back out, he was holding a package. One corner had been torn open, revealing a distinctive bright red—unmistakably the color of money. "But we're friends, after all. I appreciate you coming to warn me. Take this money, and don't come looking for me again."

Judging by its thickness, the package contained at least a hundred thousand yuan. If Lin Banxia took this money, he could move out of that apartment full of cremated remains. Besides, Liu Xi was the one who had made the wish—even if there were consequences, they wouldn't fall on Lin Banxia.

Looking at the money, Lin Banxia couldn't help but laugh. There was no mockery in his laughter—only genuine sincerity.

Seeing this smile, Liu Xi thought he had agreed and moved to hand over the package. But Lin Banxia neither reached out nor said anything—he simply turned and walked away.

Liu Xi stood stunned, watching Lin Banxia's retreating figure. He shouted, "Lin Banxia? You don't want it?"

Lin Banxia, with his back to Liu Xi, waved his hand lazily.

"What the hell are you laughing at if you don't want the money?" Liu Xi said, embarrassed and angry.

Lin Banxia had already entered the elevator. His voice wasn't loud, but Liu Xi heard him clearly. "I don't want to laugh either, but who can look at that much money and not laugh?! I'm not taking your money—can't I at least have a laugh?!"

Liu Xi: "..."

Lin Banxia ended up walking home, saving two yuan on bus fare in the process. He stopped by the supermarket near the complex and bought dinner. He was going to call Song Qingluo to ask if he wanted anything, then remembered he didn't have Song Qingluo's phone number. After thinking about it, he spent the extra money and bought a boxed meal for Song Qingluo too.

When he got home and pushed open the door, a rich meaty aroma hit him. Song Qingluo walked past carrying a bowl of braised pork. Lin Banxia swallowed. "You're cooking even with your hand injured?"

"It's fine. You already bandaged it for me," Song Qingluo said. "Good timing—let's eat." He handed Lin Banxia a pair of chopsticks.

Lin Banxia felt a bit embarrassed and asked how much the groceries had cost, offering to pay Song Qingluo half. Song Qingluo shook his head and said there was no need.

It had to be said, Song Qingluo's cooking skills were quite good. The braised pork was rich and glossy, tender and juicy, bursting with flavor—absolutely delicious.

"How did it go with Liu Xi?" Song Qingluo asked.

"Not great," Lin Banxia said. "He... didn't really believe me."

"Even if he did, it wouldn't matter," Song Qingluo said calmly. "Very few people can resist temptation."

"True," Lin Banxia said with a bitter smile. "So what do we do? We can't just watch him walk to his death."

"Let's wait and see," Song Qingluo said. "I'll talk to them and have them send someone to handle it."

Lin Banxia asked cautiously, "Handle it... that won't cost Liu Xi his life, will it?"

Song Qingluo smiled. "We're a legitimate organization."

Lin Banxia: "Oh..."

Song Qingluo: "Just with the occasional minor accident."

Lin Banxia: "..." Maybe don't add that last part.

The next day, Lin Banxia learned that Liu Xi had resigned from work. He wasn't too surprised, though his coworkers were gossiping up a storm. They said Liu Xi had turned bad the moment he got money—dumping his girlfriend of several years just like that. The girl had come to make a scene for a whole day yesterday, but since they weren't civil servants and Liu Xi had disappeared, there was nothing she could do no matter how much fuss she made.

There was also news about Cheng Yuliu. Although the body had been found, the police still couldn't figure out how she had stolen it. Cheng Yuliu refused to talk, insisting that the body had come back on its own. Stealing a corpse was normally a serious offense, but considering she was the deceased's family member and the last surviving relative, the police only detained her for a few days before releasing her. As for the body, it was cremated.

Lin Banxia had heard all of this through the grapevine. It seemed that ever since he moved into that apartment, his life had become filled with strange occurrences—or more accurately, he had started noticing many things he'd never noticed before.

After Ji Leshui moved to Song Qingluo's place, he hadn't seen those terrifying visions for a long time. He had been plotting with Lin Banxia to take the opportunity to move out and live with his girlfriend. But who would have thought—one day everything was fine, and the next day he came crying to Lin Banxia, saying his girlfriend had broken up with him.

"Why did you break up?" Lin Banxia asked, puzzled. "I haven't even met her yet, and you've already split?"

"I don't know," Ji Leshui said mournfully.

"Well then... hope you find someone new soon?" Lin Banxia said.

Ji Leshui walked away crying, saying he was going to the supermarket nearby to buy some deli food and have a drink with Lin Banxia. Lin Banxia watched him enter the elevator with deep sympathy.

Five minutes later, Ji Leshui came screaming back up in the elevator, banging on the door frantically. "Lin Banxia, something terrible happened! The boss is in trouble!!!"

Lin Banxia immediately opened the door. "What happened??"

Ji Leshui was gasping for breath. "I just saw the boss downstairs! He looked like he was being held by two strange people. It was too dark, I couldn't see clearly, but one of them was terrifying—definitely over two meters tall. The boss looked like a toy next to him!!! Those two had him sandwiched between them and forced him into the empty building next door. Hurry up, grab something, we need to go save him!!"

Lin Banxia couldn't let this stand. He rushed to the kitchen and grabbed the rolling pin and the clothes-drying pole. After a moment's thought, he also grabbed a fruit knife and stuffed it in his pocket. Then he and Ji Leshui hurried downstairs.

Song Qingluo was basically their lifesaver—how could they just stand by and watch their savior get bullied?

With this thought in mind, Ji Leshui and Lin Banxia rushed to the building next door.

The occupancy rate in this complex was pitifully low. The only unlucky fool who had been suckered into moving in was Lin Banxia himself, and the building next door was no exception—at night, you could barely see a single light on.

As a result, only one elevator was running, and there was just one corridor light in the hallway, let alone any surveillance cameras.

When they reached the first floor, they saw the elevator display showing the number eight. It seemed those people had taken Song Qingluo to the eighth floor.

Ji Leshui and Lin Banxia hurried after them. Just as they watched the elevator doors slowly close, Ji Leshui suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He thought for a moment, then whispered, "Banxia, isn't this building... the one with the lit window?"

Lin Banxia: "...I think so."

Ji Leshui: "I'm... kind of scared."

Lin Banxia reassured him, "There's nothing to be scared of."

Ji Leshui had just let out a breath of relief when he heard Lin Banxia add hesitantly, "But now that I think about it, what I saw at that window that day was actually pretty terrifying 0.0"

Ji Leshui was instantly filled with despair. "Lin Banxia, you are NOT allowed to make that face!!!"

The author has something to say:

Lin Banxia: Then what face should I make?

Ji Leshui: Something fierce!!

Lin Banxia: ??(╯°Д°)╯ Like this??

Ji Leshui: Fiercer!!

Lin Banxia: (｀皿?)?Like this!!

Ji Leshui: That works!!

Lin Banxia: 0.0 Still kind of scared even after being fierce.

Ji Leshui: ...