CH 7

The staff hesitated.

Lin Xinghe suddenly burst into tears and said: "... Sister, tell me where his wife lives. I promise I'll only take a look from far away. I won't bother her. I'll give up as soon as I take a look. He has a wife, but he lied to me about being single. He lied to me about his feelings. It's not worth it to waste my feelings on this type of douchebag. I'll just take a look—a look from really far away—and move on."

She cried like a pear blossom carrying the rain (1).

The staff is also a woman and women are the most empathetic. Seeing how Lin Xinghe was only a young girl who was deceived, she couldn't help but soften up. She handed over an address to Lin Xinghe and whispered, "Sister Meng is a pitiful person. Just look from far away. Don't disturb her."

Lin Xinghe got the address and immediately left the rescue center.

There is a small town at the base of the mountain. There weren't any high-rise buildings. The houses were all self-built and short. Most of them were only two-story. There was hardly anyone on the streets. For each house, the door was closed shut and the curtains were drawn tight.

Only a few shops were open for business. One or two silhouettes could vaguely be seen through the thick hanging screens that kept out the wind. They were all female.

A Door God was posted on every home's door (2).

The most common Door Gods are Shentu, Yu Lei, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu, and they are always painted on red paper. But in this town, the Door God was a woman wearing a red dress (3) and she was painted on white paper. She had black hair that fell to her feet and a small, palm-sized face that lacked any facial features.

This woman was on every door.

It was two o'clock in the afternoon, the most lively time of the day. Still, Lin Xinghe got goosebumps just looking at this scene.

She soon found the door to Sister Meng's house which was shut tight like all the other houses in this town.

She tried knocking.

Nobody answered.

... There must be someone inside the house. If not, the staff wouldn't have given her an address and would have said that Sister Meng wasn't in town.

Lin Xinghe knocked on the door again: "Hello? Hello? Is anyone there? I'm here to return the money."

There was finally movement inside the house. The window to the right of the door was pushed halfway open. A face poked out, looking at her with a wary expression: "Who are you? What money?"

It was a woman in her 30s or 40s. She should be Sister Meng.

Lin Xinghe said: "I take it you're Sister Meng. Your husband lent me some money a few years ago. I was in a rough financial situation and didn't get to pay it back. My conditions are better this year and I saved up enough money..." She patted her backpack, "I can't get over the burden in my heart when I owe someone money. I wanted to pay him back in person, but I couldn't get in touch with him. I remembered him mentioning this address before so I came here. Don't worry, I included the interest for the past few years."　

As she said this, she sneezed.

"... It's really cold outside. Can I go in for a cup of tea? I'll leave after I finish returning the money and drinking the tea. I won't trouble you."

Sister Meng glanced at her a few more times. Thanks to Lin Xinghe's harmless, well-behaved appearance and her sincere tone, she let her in.

Lin Xinghe entered and calmly assessed her surroundings.

In the illusion, there was a pool of blood beneath the male corpse. This carpet wasn't here.

It looks brand-new like it hasn't been used for very long.

The walls were very clean without any traces of bloodstains but there was the faint smell of paint.

Lin Xinghe finished her assessment and asked Sister Meng: "Was your house renovated recently? The smell of paint is a bit strong."

"Things naturally get old after being used for a long time. I repainted the wall a few days ago." Sister Meng brought over a cup of hot water and sat down on one end of the sofa. Her expression was haggard and there were unconcealable dark circles under her eyes. After sitting down, she kept clenching the corners of her clothes. She looked very uneasy.

Lin Xinghe asked: "Is your husband home? I want to thank him in person."

"No, he's away on business. How much do you owe him?"

Lin Xinghe said: "He lent me 5,000 yuan a few years ago. I'll pay you 6,000 yuan after interest..." She opened her backpack and pretended to reach for the money. When she looked like she was about to pull it out, she wrinkled her nose and said, "Sister Meng, why do I smell blood? It seems to be coming from over there by the carpet..."

Sister Meng's expression stiffened slightly and she said, "No, I just swept the house."

Lin Xinghe said, "Oh, then maybe there's something wrong with my nose. By the way, which Door God is posted in this town? Is it the Snow Woman? I heard a legend that your town has a Snow Woman... I heard your husband mention it a few years ago too. He said that the Snow Woman..."

Sister Meng, who had been restless until now, stood up abruptly and her voice became sharp: "There is no Snow Woman. You outsiders shouldn't believe in rumours. I don't want the money. Hurry up and leave."

Having got the information she wanted, Lin Xinghe didn't stay much longer and obediently left Sister Meng's house.

Lin Xinghe gained a lot of intel from this trip and she proved one matter.

The illusion created by Little Xue Ji was taken from real life.

Sister Meng's husband who was in the illusion was already dead.

But neither the staff at the rescue center nor Meng Sister mentioned a word about his death. On the contrary, they tried to conceal it.

... Why?

The sky was already dark by the time that Lin Xinghe walked back to the rescue center.

The town was even more deserted in the early evening. None of the houses turned on their lights. Only the streetlights that came on one after another illuminated the town.

And under the dim streetlights, the red-clad woman acting as the Door God on all the homes looked even creepier.

The woman obviously had no facial features, but it felt like each one she walked past had a pair of eyes that followed her every movement. She felt like she had a thorn in her back.

Lin Xinghe finally met up with the other four candidates when she returned to the rescue center.

Frozen pale and shivering head to toe, they were huddled by the heater sipping hot water. The group looked tired and haggard. The girls' faces were bruised from the cold.

Chai Yong and the others were surprised to see Lin Xinghe, especially when they saw her alive and well, carrying a backpack, wearing a thin down jacket, and having such great spirits it's like she just ate. Their expressions were just splendid.