TPGA - 35

Quietly approaching the front of Mei Xue’s room, they heard faint voices from inside. It was Jiang Caiping’s voice. Strange, Mei Xue was already dead—so who was Jiang Caiping talking to? Could it be... she saw Mei Xue’s body and couldn’t handle the shock, going mad? Or perhaps there was someone else in the room?

While they were speculating, the door suddenly opened. Upon seeing who opened it, Chun Xiu was instantly terrified, screaming, “Ghost! There’s a ghost!” She hid behind Ji Rong, trembling like a sieve.

The person who opened the door was none other than Mei Xue, who was supposed to be dead. Not only Chun Xiu, but even Ji Rong was frightened pale, standing there with legs shaking uncontrollably.

Jiang Caiping came over, looking around in confusion, “Ghost? Where’s the ghost?”

Chun Xiu trembled as she pointed at Mei Xue, stuttering, “Th-there... right there!”

Hearing this, Jiang Caiping immediately frowned and placed her hands on her hips, “Feng Chun Xiu, don’t go too far! First, you accuse my sister of being an accomplice to the assassin, and now you say she’s a ghost. Are you done?”

“No, she... she really is a ghost!” Chun Xiu dared not peek out, her voice trembling with fear.

Jiang Caiping was both angry and amused, pointing at Mei Xue, “Look carefully! My sister is a living, breathing person. She has a jaw, and she casts a shadow. How does she look like a ghost?”

Ji Rong took a closer look and found that indeed, as Jiang Caiping had said, Mei Xue cast a long shadow. Apart from being a bit pale, there was nothing unusual about her. Could it be... she really wasn’t a ghost?

Thinking this, Ji Rong forced a smile and said, “Younger Sister Caiping, don’t be angry. Chun Xiu was just... joking with you. How could Mei Xue possibly be a ghost?”

Upon hearing this, Chun Xiu, hiding behind her, urgently tugged at Ji Rong’s clothes, panicking, “Sister Ji Rong, Mei Xue was clearly already...” Before she could finish, Ji Rong pulled her hand forcefully and laughed, “Alright, come out now. Stop fooling around.”

Chun Xiu shook her head vigorously, refusing to come out. At this moment, Mei Xue walked around to Ji Rong’s back, looking at Chun Xiu, who avoided her like a snake or scorpion and didn’t dare to look directly at her. Mei Xue’s lips curved slightly, and she said with a half-smile, “What were you about to say? That I was clearly already...?”

“I...” Chun Xiu managed to utter one word before Ji Rong cut in, “Nothing. She just heard me say you weren’t feeling well and thought you’d be lying down.” Then, she whispered in Chun Xiu’s ear, “Look carefully. Mei Xue has a shadow. She really isn’t dead!”

Hearing this, Chun Xiu hesitantly raised her head and indeed saw that Mei Xue cast a shadow. Ghosts don’t have shadows, which meant that the person standing before them was very much alive and not a ghost.

Realizing this, Chun Xiu let out a long sigh of relief. However, doubts quickly arose in her mind. She had clearly checked Mei Xue’s breath earlier—she was dead! Why did she now appear completely fine? This… was simply unreasonable. Tentatively, she asked, “Are you… alright?”

Mei Xue smiled faintly and replied, “Of course I’m fine. Do you think something should be wrong with me, Chun Xiu?”

Chun Xiu forced a weak smile and said, “No, I was just saying it casually.”

Ji Rong interjected, “Can we sit inside for a moment?”

Jiang Caiping was about to refuse when Mei Xue spoke up, “Of course we can. The cook gave us two extra apples. Let’s go in and share them.”

Once they were inside, Jiang Caiping tugged at Mei Xue’s sleeve and whispered, “Sister, why are you being so nice to them? Have you forgotten how they treated you before? They’ve been like this for years—I don’t believe they’ve suddenly changed their ways.”

Mei Xue patted her hand and reassured her, “I know what I’m doing. Let’s go.”

As soon as Chun Xiu entered the room, she hurriedly looked toward the corner of the cabinet and the floor. She remembered that Mei Xue had bled profusely, staining both the cabinet and the floor—it had been terrifying. But now, there wasn’t a trace of blood on the cabinet, and the floor was spotless. This whole situation was bizarre.

“What are you looking at?” Mei Xue’s voice startled Chun Xiu, who nervously replied, “Nothing. I just think your furnishings are nice, and… this cabinet is quite unique.”

“Aren’t all the rooms decorated the same way?” Mei Xue said while placing slices of apple in front of them. “By the way, why did you two come over so late? Was there something on your minds?”

Ji Rong quickly responded, “Nothing important. Earlier, I heard that your wound was hurting, so I came to check on you. But then you suddenly opened the door—were you planning to go out?”

Jiang Caiping chimed in, “No, Sister said she heard someone outside. I thought she was joking because I didn’t hear any knocking. But when I opened the door, there you two were.”

“Sister has sharp ears,” Ji Rong remarked. Meanwhile, Chun Xiu kept stealing glances at the cabinet, unable to make sense of what was happening.

Mei Xue noticed her actions and said, “Chun Xiu, why do you keep staring at the cabinet? Could it be that even now, you still think I’m in cahoots with Shen Yunyi and that I’ve hidden her inside? Shall I open the cabinet for you to see?”

Chun Xiu felt extremely uncomfortable and forced a laugh. “We grew up in the same village—I trust you completely. What I said earlier was all nonsense; don’t take it seriously.”

“Is that so?” For some reason, Mei Xue’s smile seemed cold. “Earlier, while I was resting on the bed, I had a strange dream. I dreamed that you stormed into my room shouting about finding an assassin. When I refused, you pushed me violently against the cabinet, causing my head to hit the sharp corner and die.” As she spoke, she pointed to the cabinet Chun Xiu had been covertly eyeing. “Right there!”

Chun Xiu shuddered, her hands tightly clenched. “How could you have such a ridiculous dream? I… would never do that to you.”

Mei Xue stared at her intently. “It does sound absurd, but the dream felt terrifyingly real. Even now, I can still vividly recall the sight of myself bleeding profusely—the blood flowing all the way to your feet!”

“Ahh!” Chun Xiu screamed. Ji Rong quickly intervened, “Such a horrifying dream—it’s frightening just to hear about it. Let’s not talk about it anymore.”

Even Jiang Caiping nodded in rare agreement. “Exactly. They say dreams are the opposite of reality—the worse the dream, the better things will turn out in real life. So, Sister, you’ll definitely be safe!”

As they spoke, Ji Rong stood up and said, “Since everything seems fine with you, we’re reassured. It’s late—we won’t disturb your rest any longer. Let’s talk another time.”

Mei Xue smiled slightly. “Alright, I’ll see you out.”