Bang!
Jiang Fuyue quickly pulled the door closed again.
Jiang Han and Ge Meng, standing a short distance away, hadn’t heard the creak of the door opening but were startled by the sudden bang.
“Is it open?”
“Sisi—”
They were about to step forward when Jiang Fuyue turned around abruptly, her expression calm: “I kicked it accidentally…”
This was her explanation for the noise.
She continued, “No one’s inside, and the lights are off.”
The two hesitated, stopping in their tracks. “No one? Then where did Sisi go?”
Jiang Fuyue replied, “It’s getting late. You two should go back. I’ll have someone look for her. Most likely, she’s at her usual workplace.”
Jiang Han hesitated, “But…”
Jiang Fuyue added, “That’s final, unless you have a good reason to explain it to your families.”
The last statement silenced them, as going home too late would definitely worry their parents.
Ge Meng reminded her, “Sister Jiang, don’t forget Sister Yue knows Hu Be , who works at King! King has so many bodyguards; they’ll surely find Sisi. Let’s not add to the trouble.”
Jiang Han finally nodded, “Alright… Sister Yue, if you need our help with anything, call anytime! My phone’s on 24/7—even charging at night by my bed!”
Ge Meng chimed in, “Same for me!”
“Alright. Let’s go.”
The three exited the building.
As they walked down the stairs, a breeze blew from behind. Jiang Han sniffed the air and muttered, “Do you smell something?”
Jiang Fuyue’s gaze flickered slightly.
Ge Meng shook her head. “Smell what? I don’t smell anything.”
“It’s like a foul, rotting smell.”
“Really?” Ge Meng sniffed, “Sister Yue, do you smell it?”
Jiang Fuyue responded, “No.”
Ge Meng agreed, “Me neither.”
Jiang Han frowned. “Maybe I imagined it… but it really does smell…”
Jiang Fuyue reassured her, “There are various stalls below—selling fish, meat, and garbage is tossed around. It’s normal for there to be a bad smell.”
“Oh, that makes sense…”
By the time they left Sanliu Street, the sun had fully set, and night had fallen, with darkness enveloping everything around them.
Jiang Fuyue saw Jiang Han and Ge Meng onto their bus.
“Soster Yue, aren’t you coming with us?”
“It’s not on my route.”
“Huh?” Jiang Han remembered it was on her route.
Jiang Fuyue said, “We recently moved.”
“A new home?!”
“Yes. I’ll invite you both over soon.”
“Great!” The two got on the bus and left.
Jiang Fuyue stood there for a moment, then turned and headed back to Sanliu Street, returning to Liu Sisi’s home.
This time, she was alone. The street was dim and dark, without streetlights, and a chilly wind swept through.
But Jiang Fuyue walked steadily, reaching the entrance of the building and heading up.
She stopped at the door she had pushed open before and purposefully closed.
Raising her hand, she gave a gentle push—
In the dark, the door creaked open a sliver.
The gap slowly widened, and the foul, decaying odor intensified.
Jiang Fuyue didn’t need to enter, as the small room was visible from the doorway. She simply reached to pull the light cord—
Click!
A dim yellow light filled the room, illuminating everything inside.
The chaotic state of the furnishings showed that a violent struggle had taken place here, and the two bodies sprawled in the middle of the room revealed the outcome of that struggle…
