Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"Shhh… shhh…"

The faint rustling sound echoed in Xiao Rushi's ears, gradually pulling her to consciousness and confirming her suspicion – someone was indeed moving slowly inside the room.

From the entrance, to the window, then slowly approaching the side of the bed.

As the footsteps halted by the bed, Xiao Rushi's heartbeat almost did too. Trembling, she opened her eyes. Though enveloped in profound darkness, she could still discern the rough outlines of the furniture in the room.

Turning slightly, Xiao Rushi looked to her right where the footsteps had stopped. Fortunately, there was no "person" there.

Relieved, she realized she was soaked in cold sweat. The damp sensation of her nightdress sticking to her skin was uncomfortable. Wanting to change into dry clothes but with the bedside lamp on Su Qian's side, she turned inward, addressing the vague silhouette, "Husband, could you turn on the light?"

The other side of the bed was eerily silent. Thinking he hadn't heard, Xiao Rushi was about to call out again when she noticed something amiss – it was too quiet.

If Su Qian was indeed beside her, she should at least be able to hear his breathing. Yet, Xiao Rushi heard nothing, and the shadowy figure remained. An intense chill enveloped her, and she wondered if it was due to the naturally cold temperature of this old western-style house, or some other chilling presence nearby.

Cautiously, Xiao Rushi reached across the bed to confirm if someone was beside her. Finally, her hand encountered an obstruction – a human body.

"I called out to you so many times. Why didn't you respond?"

Whispering with a touch of grievance, she reached out and gave the person's arm a gentle shake.

But the moment she touched that arm, an intense urge to pull away overcame her. She wanted to retract her hand, for the body felt unnaturally cold, as if she had grasped a rigid block of ice.

"…Husband?"

Xiao Rushi's trembling voice echoed in the darkness. The next moment, Su Qian finally replied, "Huh? Rushi, I just went to the bathroom. Did you want the light on?"

His voice, deep and clear, came from the direction of the bathroom.

Su Qian wasn't on the bed at all!

Xiao Rushi's eyes widened in alarm. Her fingers, acting faster than her thoughts, quickly released their grip. Yet, the arms she'd touched moved, reaching out to grasp her wrist with a chilling grip, cold enough to burn the skin.

"Ah!"

Her shrill scream alarmed Su Qian, who hurriedly turned on the light. He then chuckled in mild exasperation, "Why are you on the floor?"

The bright light enveloped Xiao Rushi, yet it couldn't soothe her shattered nerves. She stared at her wrist, noticing a distinct, hand-shaped bruise.

Su Qian approached, bending down to embrace her, assuming her scream resulted from her fall, "What happened? Did you fall off the bed?"

"... But I didn't fall by myself."

By this point, Xiao Rushi was on the brink of tears. Wiping her face, she cried to Xie Yinxue, "That night was just the beginning. Since then, every morning, I'd wake up under the bed."

Xie Yinxue pondered for a moment, then inquired, "Only under the bed?"

"Yes, even after returning home," Xiao Rushi nodded, her eyes glistening, "And her figure became clearer, until... one night, she shook me awake and accused me of stealing her bed!"

As she recalled the terrifying memory, terror filled Xiao Rushi's eyes.

Since her return from the Su ancestral home, she'd suffered from insomnia, relying on medication to sleep. That fateful night, despite finally falling asleep, she was soon awakened by an icy chill. Upon opening her eyes, she saw a woman in red with black hair lying beside her. As their eyes met, the woman shed tears of blood, reaching out with a mournful plea: "I'm so cold... stop taking my bed..."

In panic, Xiao Rushi scrambled out of the room, only to discover her blue silk dress had inexplicably turned a shocking red, a cruel reminder that it wasn't a dream.

After listening to Xiao Rushi, the first to react was Lady Xiao, who asked in alarm, "... Rushi, wasn't it Su Qian who carried you back that night?"

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Xiao Rushi looked puzzled, "That night, as soon as Su Qian parked the car, I ran into our house by myself."

If that was the case, then who was the woman in red that Su Qian carried into the house that night?

"Oh, I must have remembered it wrong." Lady Xiao forced a laugh, but her eyes betrayed her worry.

In retrospect, their focus on Xiao Rushi's condition led them to overlook the oddity of that night. The way Su Qian had raced inside, it didn't look like he was carrying an adult woman.

Xiao Xulin looked distressed, leaning on Xie Yinxue and asked helplessly, "Mr. Xie, do you have any solutions for my daughter's condition?"

Xie Yinxue shook his head, "It's easy to counter a haunting. The real challenge is understanding why it happened."

Hearing his response, Xiao Rushi, with tears in her eyes, misunderstood, thinking he couldn't help. However, Xie Yinxue then asked, "May I inquire if you and your husband are each other's first marriage?"

"Of course, it's our first marriage." Xiao Siyu interjected, "Our family would never let my sister marry a divorced man."

Yet, Xie Yinxue looked up to the third floor where the woman in red was and quoted an old proverb, "A bond formed over a single day as a couple, endures a hundred reincarnations. Xiao Rushi, if she claims you're stealing her bed, she must have once been wedded to your husband, Su Qian."

"A wife from a past life?" Xiao Rushi pondered, "I've read horror novels where men are haunted by debts of affection owed to their wives from previous lives."

"No, from this life," Xie Yinxue slightly smiled and continued, "The red dress and tears of blood signify a vengeful spirit who died harboring resentment. But you've been haunted for a month without any significant harm. Most victims of such hauntings face deadly consequences within a week. Have you seen blood?"

"No, it's just this life." Xie Yinxue smirked and sighed, "A vengeful ghost in a blood-tear red dress surely died with resentment. But by your account, she's been haunting you for a month. Other than frights, you've suffered no real harm. Those haunted by such spirits usually face a tragic fate within seven days. Have you seen any blood?"

Xiaoru Shi murmured, "…No."

Indeed, she had never been hurt to the point of bleeding, and even after enduring a month of torment, her complexion now looked even rosier than Xie Yin Xue's.

"Mr. Xiao, Mrs. Xiao, regarding Su Qian, I suggest you look into it more thoroughly," Xie Yin Xue shifted her gaze and addressed Xiao Xulin and Mrs. Xiao. "That woman attached herself to Miss Xiao at the Su family's old residence, precisely during the Qingming festival—"

Xie Yin Xue paused, her gaze towards Xiaoru Shi filled with a touch of helplessness. "I suspect she couldn't rest in peace due to her unfulfilled life. And this year, since no one from the Su family paid respects at her grave, she couldn't contain her resentment and appeared."

Hearing this, Xiaoru Shi fell silent.

Because she felt that Xie Yin Xue was right.

On her first day at the Su family's old house, she had heard footsteps. Although nothing happened to her and the footsteps merely followed her, everything changed seven days later after she accompanied Su Qian to clean their ancestors' graves.

Thinking about it now, it makes sense. With her presence, how could the Su family let her see the grave of Su Qian's ex-wife? Considering the comparable social standings of the Su and Xiao families, as long as no one wanted to delve deeper, the Su family could keep this secret forever.

Moreover, even now, the Xiao family hasn't shown any intention to investigate the Su family.

The exorcists they had invited did dispel the ghost for her. It worked, but every time after Su Qian visited her—she would be haunted by that female ghost again.

So, could it be…

Su Qian had a wife before her?

"Many say that marriage requires matching social standings," Xiaoru Shi gazed down at her wedding ring, softly saying, "Turns out matching standings don't guarantee a harmonious union."

She had dated several boyfriends before marriage, but none lasted due to vast social differences. She chose to marry Su Qian not out of deep love, but because he was the most suitable match.

Observing this, Lv Shuo discreetly asked Xiao Siyu, "Why isn't your sister upset about hearing that her husband had a previous wife?"

"I thought my hints were clear enough," Xiao Siyu replied cautiously. "Otherwise, why do you think I initially suspected Xie Yin Xue of scamming… specifically, scamming my sister?"

After pondering for a moment, Lv Shuo realized and exclaimed, "Your sister was previously…?"

"In our family, I'm the obedient one, and my sister is the wild one. You should understand from this," Xiao Siyu sighed. Even though he dyed his hair, he was still a good boy. The Xiao family never had any prejudice about social standing. If Xiaoru Shi hadn't been scammed by a deceitful lover, her parents wouldn't have insisted on her marrying someone of their social standing. "She chose to settle down and marry Su Qian because their family backgrounds were a match. She never hid her past from Su Qian or his family. When Su Qian showed acceptance and his family didn't object, they started dating. We thought my sister was lucky to marry such a good man like Su Qian, only to discover later about his ex-wife."

Perhaps because Su Qian was once quite the playboy, when he found a match in Xiaoru Shi, his family helped conceal his past, hoping for a happy future for them.

Xiao Siyu pressed his lips together, "My sister is more honest than Su Qian."

Lv Shuo looked puzzled, "If that's the case, why does that woman haunt only your sister and not Su Qian?"

"The reason she haunts Miss Xiao and not Su Qian is simple," Xie Yin Xue retrieved a golden triangular talisman from her sleeve. "Miss Xiao, keep this talisman close. Even if you don't wear it, as long as it's near you, you'll never encounter that woman again."

Xiaoru Shi hesitantly accepted the talisman, her lips quivering as she asked, "...Also?"

Was Xie Yin Xue implying that after the death of Su Qian's ex-wife, he too received a similar protective talisman, which is why over the past month, only she had been tormented and not him?

Noticing Xiaoru Shi's understanding, Xie Yin Xue smiled faintly, handing her a small black pouch, and whispered gently, "If you wish to see or speak to her, dab your eyes with willow leaf water and cover the talisman with this cloth. As long as the talisman is with you, she cannot harm you. However, it won't hinder your communication."

Dabbing one's eyes with willow leaf water to see ghosts for three days is a widely known method in folklore.

Xiao Xulin had invited Xie Yinxue to exorcise the spirit haunting his daughter. Yet, as he listened, it felt like Xie was teaching her about ghost encounters. About to question Xie Yinxue, he heard Xiao Rushi speak, "Mr. Xie, thank you."

From the bottom of her heart, Xiao Rushi expressed, “You are the best exorcist I've ever encountered.”

“I am not an exorcist,” Xie Yinxue straightened, plucking a pear blossom and placing it in Xiao Rushi's palm. “But if you ever face any difficulties, you can come to me. As for my payment, there's no rush. Once everything is ready on your end, contact me. You can pay then.”

The pear blossom petal dissolved upon touch. Xiao Siyu and Lu Shuo had previously seen Xie Yinxue use this move in a game instance, so they weren't overly surprised. Yet seeing someone they thought was an NPC from the game in reality was far more shocking.

But Xiao Xulin, Lady Xiao, and Aunt Lin were dumbstruck.

Staring at her own palm, Xiao Rushi then curled her lips into the most genuine and joyous smile she'd shown in a month, replying, “Agreed.”

“Aunt Lin, do you still have the dress I wore home that night? The blue... no, the red one?” Xiao Rushi inquired.

Aunt Lin nodded, “It's still here.”

“Could you please fetch it for me?” Xiao Rushi gathered the stray hairs by her ear, tucking them neatly behind. “I need to step out, and I'd like to wear that dress.”

Xiao Siyu asked, “Sis, where are you headed? I can drive you.”

“Your car's gone. I'll drive mine,” Xiao Rushi responded with a smile, “I'm meeting Su Qian.”

Lady Xiao chimed in, “Rushi, are you going to divorce him now? Wait for your father and me to investigate the Su family's background, alright?”

“Divorce?”

Xiao Rushi pondered the weight of the word.

Su Qian knew everything. He knew who that woman was, the terror and fear Xiao Rushi was undergoing, yet he remained silent, always playing the devoted husband.

In this moment, perhaps her anger towards Su Qian surpassed her fear. Xiao Rushi was unusually calm, surprising even herself, “I'm in no hurry.”

After speaking, she shrugged off the supportive arms of Lady Xiao and Xiao Xulin, swiftly placing the golden amulet into a black cloth bag. Looking up towards her third-floor bedroom, she saw the woman in red by the window cease her sobbing, revealing a gentle smile, her cheeks stained with blood.

Yet, this time, Xiao Rushi wasn’t frightened—she realized the woman meant her no harm.

“You don't need to assist me in this matter. I'll inquire on my own,” Xiao Rushi shared a faint smile, then continued, “Right now, I just want to see the expression on Su Qian’s face when he reunites with his long-lost ‘wife’.”

She didn't mind giving Su Qian a helping hand.

So, when the day comes, she'll divorce him.

Making room beside Su Qian in their bed for his “true” wife.