CH 73

Edited By: Dust Bunny

Gu Xizhou led the dog son downstairs to walk a lap so he could go back inside. Afterwards, he heard the sound of his phone vibrating. He grabbed it and saw a WeChat notification. 

“The old bureau chief is retiring, and our office deputy is getting promoted!”

“I was talking about this a while ago, but who do you think is gonna be the new deputy?”

“Inside story information~ I know~~”

“Don’t you play me. You know who it is? Is it someone from the office?” 

“You guess, ah~ 2333 If you want to know then beg me, ah!”

Gu Xizhou took a quick look, but he wasn’t interested. Anway, it definitely wasn’t him. If he was promoted to deputy chief, don’t talk about anyone else, even he would doubt whether there was some behind-the-scenes secret.

“Che, keeping people in suspense.”

“Say it or don’t and see if I don’t beat you to death with a hammer tomorrow.”

“They aren’t from our office. The new deputy chief is being transferred from another province. They were in the narcotics department before.”

Gu Xizhou immediately looked at his phone again after the new notification. He sat on the sofa and braced his jaw on one hand, telling Gu Ji Ji about the previous mission world, but he didn’t mention today’s public homicide case. After all, that case was really heavy.

After a moment of silence, Gu Ji Ji picked up a pencil to write: I think the key of the chains you mentioned that show up in the mission world is that the ghosts don’t necessarily all have the sound of chains, but the ghost that does must have the door to leave the mission world.

Gu Xizhou tapped the brief note lightly with his index finger. “It seems like it really is like this. Inside this mission world, there were several ghosts, but only Su Xiaomian had the chain sound. Moreover, after we opened the door, all the memories we saw were also Su Xiaomian’s.” 

Because Gu Ji Ji hadn’t entered the mission world, he could only give his judgement based on Gu Xizhou’s account. The two people chatted for a while.

Gu Ji Ji: By the way, take a leave of absence the day after tomorrow. Don’t go to work.

“What? Don’t go to work?”

Gu Xizhou was confused as he picked up the note for a look. Gu Ji Ji told him not to go to work? 

Gu Ji Ji: En. There’s a small matter you need to go handle.

“What is it?” Gu Xizhou raised his eyebrows. “It can’t wait for the weekend? Requesting leave is really annoying.”

Gu Ji JI: Help me go visit someone’s grave… You can go directly to Uncle Wang to request it. He’ll approve it.

“Who?” 

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Unfortunately, Gu Ji Ji didn’t answer his question. The room was quiet and a little heavy. Gu Xizhou only knew that the ghost who had originally been sitting on the sofa had apparently left, walking outside to the balcony.

“Fine, ba. I got it.” said Gu Xizhou quietly, looking out at the seemingly empty balcony.

The next day, Gu Xizhou had just arrived at work when he saw the forensic investigator Xiang Yuan dressed up in a big white coat from head to toe. He walked toward Gu Xizhou, pushing his glasses up his nose. He looked exactly like a dressed up animal. When he reached him, he winked and asked, “Hehe, Lao Gu, do you want to know who our new deputy chief is?” 

Gu Xizhou slightly shook his head, expressing that he wasn’t curious. Xiang Yuan rolled his eyes. “Why are you so boring? Doesn’t everyone like to gossip every day?”

“Not me, in any case. I don’t have this kind of hobby,” drawled Gu Xizhou, looking at Xiang Yuan.

“Fine, ba.” Xiang Yuan looked disappointed, but he still couldn’t help but gossip with Gu Xizhou. “One of my classmates told me our new deputy chief is the narcotics department’s leader from the neighboring province, Ma Qi, also known as the mystical Lao Ma!” 

“Mystical Lao Ma? It’s an interesting name,” said Gu Xizhou. “Why is he called that?”

“The narcotics department struggles bravely in a battle of wits against those drug dealers, and firefights routinely break out,” Xiang Yuan explained. “This Ma Qi has extremely good luck. Every time they think Ma Qi is about to be a martyr, dying heroically for a righteous cause, he unexpectedly survives because of all kinds of mystical coincidences.

“The most unbelievable time was when shrapnel from a car explosion helped him block a bullet! That probability is astronomical. It’s simply unimaginable. He miraculously survives every single time. Don’t you think it’s mysterious? I heard that this time he captured a big drug pusher, but everyone else on his team sacrificed their lives. He was the only survivor. That’s why he applied to transfer out of narcotics.”

Gu Xizhou listened to Xiang Yuan’s speech and inwardly thought: Maybe it’s not his luck, but rather he’s passing through mission worlds? 

“En,” said Gu Xizhou. “Are you done gossiping?”

Xiang Yuan nodded. “Done.”

Gu Xizhou said, “Then go upstairs, ba.”

“Why?” asked Xiang Yuan, raising his eyebrows. 

Gu Xizhou gave him a meaningful glance and lowered his voice to say, “Lao Wang is behind you.”

“What the fuck! You couldn’t have told me earlier?” Xiang Yuan was instantly terrified, turning into a gust of wind as he immediately fled to the stairs.

At work, Wang Ao especially disliked his subordinates to engage in meaningless chatter and gossip. He was at the level of King Yama, and everyone in the office was afraid of him. Wang Ao met Gu Xizhou and gave the fleeing Xiang Yuan a glance, shaking his head. “This young fellow…”

Gu Xizhou looked at Wang Ao. At work, Gu Xizhou called Wang Ao Deputy Chief, so it was the same this time. After greeting him, he recalled Gu Ji Ji’s instructions. “Chief Wang, can I request a vacation tomorrow?” 

Originally, he was worried that Wang Ao wouldn’t approve, but who would have imagined that after Wang Ao first looked surprised, he’d take out his phone and look at the date. With a face that looked like he’d suddenly seen the light, he said, “I know, you want to go see her again. I’ll approve it and arrange your work for other people.”

When Gu Xizhou heard Wang Ao, he complained in his heart: Who is this person? Even Wang Ao knows them, and apparently Gu Ji Ji goes to give them offerings every year.

What the hell, don’t tell me Gu Ji Ji has a long dead first love?

“You must also not always feel responsible. It was just an accident.” Wang Ao looked deeply concerned. “It wasn’t your fault.” 

“En… I know.” Gu Xizhou thought for a moment before deciding to show a heavy expression. He said, “Then I’ll go up first.”

“Go, ba. Go, ba.”

Wang Ao looked very worried when he was talking, and Gu Xizhou could clearly perceive it. Apparently, he was worried that he would take things too hard. Gu Xizhou realized that the person he was going to visit wasn’t Gu Ji Ji’s lover. Maybe it was someone Gu Ji Ji met at work who died for some reason, and Gu Ji Ji felt responsible?

As he was working, Gu Xizhou sat in the office and thought for half a day. 

After work, he told Gu Ji Ji that the leave of absence was approved.

“Can you finally tell me who it is I’m going to see now?” Gu Xizhou said. “I’m still confused. I still have to go either way.”

Gu Ji Ji was silent for a long time before only writing down an address and a person’s name for Gu Xizhou: Wen Hong Public Cemetery Row 19 Plot 33. Tong Jia.

Gu Ji Ji: Remember to buy flowers for her. You can’t burn paper offerings inside the cemetery, and don’t forget to pay the management fee. 

Seeing that Gu Ji Ji wrote “her”, Gu Xizhou asked probingly, “What was your relationship to her?”

Gu Ji Ji: Classmates.

Gu Xizhou’s heart gave a “WTF”! It wasn’t an old lover!

His curiosity satisfied, Gu Xizhou no longer probed for details. After all, from Wang Ao’s tone, Gu Ji Ji seemed to have something to do with the other person’s death. If he continued to ask, Gu Ji Ji might explode. 

“Okay, tomorrow I’ll buy flowers and send them to her.” Gu Xizhou straightened up and thumped his chest.

Gu Ji Ji: En, thank you.

Gu Xizhou saw those two words “thank you” and narrowed his eyes——He felt that Gu Ji Ji was particularly sincere in writing them. It seemed like Gu Ji Ji was the first person to ever thank him.

Gu Xizhou began to feel a little curious about what kind of person Tong Jia was. After all, Ji Ji was a fashionable and good looking handsome guy, and adding in his career upped his charm value. 

The next morning, Gu Xizhou got out of bed before his cell phone even rang and washed his face because he was especially curious about Tong Jia’s appearance. Gu Ji Ji didn’t tell him, and there were no photos at home. His curiosity made his spirit tremble with excitement.

Gu Xizhou walked to the door and turned around, giving the empty room a coquettish look. He asked, “Ji Ji, are you sure I shouldn’t dress up a little, or go get a haircut or something? After all, I’m going to see your classmate!”

Gu Ji Ji: ……

The pen on the table began to move, and a note was stuffed into Gu Xizhou’s hand. There were only two words——No need. 

Gu Xizhou opened his mouth, still wanting to say something, but his house’s ghost had already lost patience, directly pushing him on his way without delay.

“Wah, I just wanted to let your classmate see your best side!” Gu Xizhou said, stupefied. In response, the door was slammed.

Gu Xizhou raised his eyebrows, “Biting the hand that feeds.”

Gu Xizhou first went to a flower shop to buy a bundle of chrysanthemums before following Gu Ji Ji’s address straight to Wen Hong Public Cemetery. As soon as he arrived, Gu Xizhou heard a buddist sutra: Om Mani Padme Hum. The chant cycled endlessly. 

Standing at the main road entrance into the cemetery, Gu Xizhou looked at the tall hillside and shrugged his shoulders. There weren’t many people at the cemetery at the moment, but there were inevitably a few in twos and threes walking along the lane built upon the hill.

Gu Xizhou asked a few people en route. It seemed that several people had come to see off close relatives. A few of them went the same way for a while. Among them was a pot-bellied woman who was also climbing the mountain. Her eyes were red, and she had clearly just been crying. Gu Xizhou walked behind the group and couldn’t help but look at her. This mountain road was built with cement, and the whole hill was very steep. Even if you were walking on the cement stairs, you couldn’t help but be afraid if you looked behind you.

“Aah——”

The woman shrieked as one of her feet stepped on empty air. Gu Xizhou grabbed the railing on the side and supported the woman who had nearly fallen. 

“Hu…” The woman let out a breath as her friends came over one by one and repeatedly thanked Gu Xizhou.

Gu Xizhou waved his hand and said, “It was no problem.”

Afterwards, the group split ways with him, and Gu Xizhou continued to climb the road.

Row 19, Plot 33, Tong Jia… 

“32……

“33！”

Gu Xizhou finally reached his destination. He was out of breath. He walked in front of the gravestone, wanting a look at the face of Gu Ji Ji’s classmate.

Looking at the photo in the upper right corner of the gravestone, Gu Xizhou sank into deep contemplation. 

This is Gu Ji Ji’s classmate?

Was he played with?

In the photo on the gravestone was a girl with a childish appearance. He concluded that this girl wasn’t more than 14 years old.

As expected—— 

After a second, Gu Xizhou’s eyes moved to the birth and death dates on the tombstone. Subtracting the two, the girl was only 13 when she died.

But… the date of birth was actually the same as Gu Ji Ji’s.

Gu Ji Ji didn’t lie to him. This girl should have been his junior high classmate, but… why did Gu Ji Ji want to give offerings to this girl?