Chapter Thirty-Five: The Scent of Perfume

I returned to the room pale and shaken, and Mengya looked at my disheveled state with curiosity. “What happened? Did you see a ghost?” she asked.

I exhaled deeply, wiping the cold sweat from my forehead. “Ah, I almost didn’t make it back.”

“What? That serious?”

I nodded and began recounting my encounter with the ‘white-clad ghost’ in the hallway.

Just as I got halfway through my story, the lightbulb suddenly fizzled out, plunging the room into pitch darkness. The shock made my body tense.

From the abyss of darkness, faint footsteps echoed.

“Mengya! Mengya!” I called out desperately, but received no reply. Despite that, I could clearly feel the temperature in the room drop at least ten degrees—perhaps the fear in my heart was to blame. My teeth chattered uncontrollably.

Then, behind me, an icy hand rested on my neck. I spun around abruptly; the hand withdrew instantly, and nothing was there.

My mind was growing hazy from fright. Events in this room were far beyond my understanding, let alone my control.

Again, footsteps sounded behind me. I glanced back, but saw nothing. Yet, just then, those cold hands returned, once more gripping my neck.

When terror reaches its peak, it turns to rage. I was on the verge of breakdown, thinking people always called Xiao Shao timid, but my own nerves weren’t much better. I decided to risk it all—turning around, I delivered a ‘Purple Crown Back Kick’ to whatever was behind me. Not only did I hit nothing, I slipped on something, landing flat on my stomach.

“Damn it, what’s on the floor?” I grumbled, rubbing my lower back as I sat up.

As my hand slid across the floor, suddenly the room’s darkness was dispelled and light returned. Looking carefully, I realized it was the Warring States S Dragon jade pendant I’d placed on the table.

I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful—if not for that impulsive kick, my life might have ended here.

I looked around, only to find Mengya had vanished without a trace.

I hurried out of the room. The hallway was empty; all I saw were streaks of blood dripping across the linoleum.

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Bolstered by courage, I locked the door and followed the bloodstains.

The trail was intermittent, but the speed of whoever left it was evident—it must have been someone running at breakneck pace.

Suddenly, a shadow flashed past behind me, accompanied by a rush of wind.

I whipped around, but the figure had vanished. I stood still, focusing intently on every movement around me.

“Don’t move,” came a man’s abrupt voice behind me. A hard iron knuckle pressed against my lower back.

“Don’t turn around, or you’ll die,” he said coldly.

I didn’t dare turn, thinking that at least this was half a human matter, not just ghosts and monsters. If it was a person, things could be handled. So I whispered, “We have no grudges—if it’s money you want, I’ll give it to you. Why go to such lengths?”

“Take your wallet, bank cards, and throw them on the ground. And the jade pendant around your neck.”

His words stunned me—he wasn’t clueless, he knew the value of my Warring States jade pendant. I nodded, took out my wallet, phone, and removed the pendant, feigning calm. “Everything’s yours, can I go now?”

He sneered. “You think I’ll let you leave alive? If you report this, I’m finished.” He jabbed the knuckle again into my back.

I laughed coldly. “Honestly, there are three cards in the wallet, just fifty or sixty thousand. The jade pendant’s worth about the same. For this, I wouldn’t bother the police or deal with Lei Zi. It’s not worth it.”

He didn’t reply, only wiped blood from his left hand. As he moved, a pungent perfume wafted to my nose.

Smelling it, I inhaled sharply. “You…” Before I could finish, a heavy blow struck my neck. Dizzy, I blacked out.

I don’t know how long I was unconscious, but finally I slowly opened my eyes to find Mengya sitting beside me, watching me.

“How do you feel?” Mengya smiled.

“I’m okay, just got knocked out. Nothing serious.” I looked around. A slightly overweight young man was tied up nearby, a large stone stuffed in his mouth, his eyes glistening with tears—Mengya had clearly given him a beating.

“Here’s your wallet, bank cards, phone, and jade pendant. Put the pendant back on,” Mengya said, handing me my things.

I was surprised. “So, you caught him?”

Mengya nodded, glancing at the bound man.

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I examined the fat man closely, feeling something was off—he absolutely wasn’t the person from before. I looked at Mengya. “Hey, where did you go after the lights went out?”

“When the lights went out, I felt someone sneaking up behind me, but when I turned around, there was nothing. I fumbled my way out of the room in the dark and bumped into a person dressed in black. We fought—he was skilled, I couldn’t beat him, but managed to scratch his hand. He was afraid the blood would leave evidence and tried to escape. I chased after him but lost him. Just as I was about to return, I saw this fat guy lurking outside the door, so I smacked him on the back of the head and knocked him out. I tied him up and left him in the room, planning to go downstairs to find Xiao Shao and the others. Then I saw you lying unconscious—that’s what happened.”

I nodded, trying to recall the black-clad man before I fainted, but no matter how hard I tried the memory escaped me, as if I’d suffered temporary amnesia. Shaking my head, I looked at the bound fat man and couldn’t help laughing. I teased Mengya, “Mengya, you’re really something. How could you stuff such a big stone in his mouth? Take it out.”

Mengya laughed too, seeing the pitiful state of the man, and pried the stone from his mouth.

“So, what’s your deal? Why sneak up on us?”

The fat man sobbed, sighing, “I used to deliver food, but after some strange incident, my boss fired me. I had no choice—saw your room empty and wanted to steal something to eat…”

“Strange incident? What kind?” I asked, puzzled.

Upon my question, the fat man seemed terrified, as if his soul was about to flee, his face turning green. He shook his head desperately, “No, I can’t say—if I do, I’ll be taken away.”

I laughed. “Taken away?”

He nodded. “My boss said not to talk about it, or the police will arrest me.”

I thought, you’re not a three-year-old—how could a single sentence scare you so badly? Was his intelligence lacking?

“Why bother talking to him?” Mengya was thoroughly impatient and kicked the fat man in the stomach, making him gasp and nearly pass out.

Mengya was about to hit him again, but I hurriedly stopped her. “Don’t do that—you’ll kill him.”

Then I turned to the fat man with a smile. “See, my girlfriend’s a bit insane—she’s not patient. If you don’t talk, you won’t need the police; if she loses her temper, you’ll be going straight to the grave.”

“Who are you calling insane?” Mengya scolded. I winked at her, and she caught on, stepping in front of the fat man with a grim smile, cracking her knuckles ominously.

The fat man was so frightened his mind was nearly gone. He cried, “I’ll tell, I’ll tell!”

I nodded, exchanged a smile with Mengya, and the two of us sat in front of him, waiting to hear his story.

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