After Being Watched by My Paranoid and Gloomy Deceased Wife - Chapter 32

I didn’t quite understand what kind of strange things were going on in the minds of kids their age. I nodded perfunctorily and casually tossed the used wet wipe into the kitchen trash can.

However, this girl, who looked remarkably like Guan Lan, grasped my wrist, leaving a bl00d-colored fingerprint.

Actually, I have a slight germaphobia. When handling ingredients, I can never tolerate touching them with bare hands. I need to wear kitchen gloves, at least.

Ingredients, especially meats that have been simply processed, cut, and portioned, have a strange, soft texture that gives me the creeps deep down.

It’s hard to articulate. Though both are liquids, bl00d sticking to the skin feels strangely viscous, while water washing over it feels clean and refreshing.

Even though I reminded myself that I needed to maintain a good relationship, be tolerant, and be considerate, faced with contact that I normally find hard to bear, I couldn’t help but frown.

“Lanlan, what’s wrong?” I could tell that I had tried my best to keep my voice light and soft, but it still carried a trace of cold stiffness.

I somehow felt an inexplicable aversion and coldness towards this “Lanlan.”

But after all, the person is a young child. I’m so much older than her, so why am I fussing over a little kid?

Aren’t I thirty-seven? I should be more patient with a nineteen-year-old girl.

…Wait, I’m clearly only twenty-five this year!

I must be confused. Why did I think I was thirty-seven? Adding so many years to myself for no reason—did I go crazy with the desire to be an elder?

Hardly. I just wanted to be her sister-in-law… Huh? Sister-in-law?

I felt like something was wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I frowned and thought back, but there didn’t seem to be any problem.

Forget it; it’s too much work for my brain.

She held my wrist, raised her eyebrows, and smiled. It was a sweet and lovely smile, yet I felt a faint shadow of darkness flash across it.

When I looked closely again, I saw the girl’s eyes and brows, similar to Guan Lan’s, relax into a smile—lively and mischievous. There was none of the heavy gloom I had seen before.

It must have been my mistake. How could a girl in her teens show such a terrifying expression?

Her demeanor added a few points to my score of her. My friend Guan Lan’s care for me is too meticulous and attentive, which makes me subconsciously want to show some consideration for the girl who resembles her.

My brain felt rusty, constantly lagging. In this short time, I felt like I had overlooked something again.

Guan Lan… Did twenty-five-year-old me know Guan Lan? It doesn’t seem that early, does it?

These doubts didn’t linger long in my mind. They were easily wiped away, like writing on a beach by a wave.

“It’s a relief that Sister Xin Lu wasn’t scared by me. You didn’t speak just now, and Lanlan thought I had scared you. I’m sorry. It’s Lanlan’s fault for taking the liberty of using it to apologize to you without asking for your opinion.”

She apologized to me, her expression sincere, her eyes showing guilt, looking very sorry.

“Ah? No, it’s fine. This, this is your freedom. I’m okay. I didn’t feel anything.”

Why is this important?

Although using a pet as food to compensate a guest is somewhat inappropriate and heartlessly cold, some people just have this kind of attitude towards pets.

Even if I don’t agree with it, people have the freedom of choice, as long as it’s not illegal… But isn’t the green tree python a rare protected animal?

Just as I was about to pull out my phone to check, the hand holding mine suddenly squeezed hard. It hurt, causing me to involuntarily let out a soft “Hiss.”

“Hmm?” I looked at her, confused.

She smiled at me, her lips curling slightly. The smile carried a nuance I couldn’t quite describe. Her delicate and innocent eyes hid an invisible thorn, like a coiled, ready-to-strike venomous snake.

“It was too naughty and scared Sister Xin Lu, and Sister Xin Lu hates it, right?”

Before I could stop her, she dumped the already processed snake meat into the trash can.

This sudden change startled me. I thought she was angry because I was too cold, resulting in this series of bewildering actions.

“Hey?!”

I looked down at the trash can. For now, it only contained the wet wipe I used to wipe off the bl00d and the snake meat she had processed. I had taken the full one out to dispose of earlier. But after a trip to the trash can, even though a new trash bag was inside, it was hard to convince myself to take it out.

“Why throw it away?” I was a bit confused. I didn’t say I disliked it, although I really didn’t, but…

She blinked carelessly, even with a hint of playful cunning. “Sister Xin Lu doesn’t like it, does she? Lanlan took care of it for you~”

“After all, Sister Xin Lu is someone Sister likes so much, and Lanlan will also treat you well~”

I cleared my throat, not used to the girl’s overly sticky way of speaking, and somewhat wanted to avoid undue familiarity.

“Uh, we… she and I, actually, not that fast yet…” I didn’t know why I said this.

I didn’t even know who among the people I knew was the “sister” of this girl named “Lanlan.” I only knew that my relationship with her sister seemed pretty good.

According to the impression in my mind, her sister and I were a couple who had just met each other’s parents. A while ago, we had a spat because of a message sent by “Lanlan.” Later, the misunderstanding was cleared up—it was a sister, not a mistress—and we made up.

Through the previous dialogue, I deduced they were likely a blended family, and the two sisters, who were unrelated by bl00d, got along very well and were very close.

Wait, a couple? I belatedly realized what was wrong.

Where would a lifelong single like me get a romantic partner?!

Still dazed, the girl pulled my hand towards the sink. Her voice was sweetly cloying, which made me extremely uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry, Sister Xin Lu. I didn’t notice I got your hand dirty just now. Should Lanlan wash it clean for you now?”

Her fingertip brushed the bl00d fingerprint on my wrist, causing a surge of fearful goosebumps all over my body.

I waved my hands repeatedly, frantically refusing. “No need, no need. I can do it myself.”

Subconsciously swallowing, I felt the plot development was terrifyingly bizarre, everywhere revealing an unusual oddity.

The faucet was originally a touch sensor type, but it changed its appearance the moment I reached out, becoming the model used at Xi Rong’s house. At the moment I pressed it, I hesitated for a moment, but I didn’t know why I was hesitating.

I just had a feeling that the faucet shouldn’t be touched casually.

“Sister Xin Lu~” The girl approached me. Seeing that her clothes were about to touch my arm, and fearing an allergic reaction, I quickly moved aside.

I misunderstood. She got her hands covered in bl00d when processing the snake. I thought she wanted to wash the bloodstains off her hands.

“Are you washing your hands too? Then I’ll use the other one. You can have this one.”

Their kitchen was very spacious. Not just the counter space, but there were several sinks. If she wanted to wash, I would let her use the one where I was standing.

“Hmm?” Her expression was startled. She stood still for a moment, then smiled again.

“Sister Xin Lu is so cute. It’s my first time meeting an older sister as interesting as you.”

I vaguely felt that her way of emphasizing words was somewhat similar to Guan Lan’s, but not entirely the same.

The child’s behavior since we met made me feel she had an innocent and ignorant cruelty. Perhaps it was this very trait that made me instinctively resist and reject her.

But she’s still young and not inherently bad. A little guidance should be enough.

“Oops, the snake tail wasn’t thrown away with the rest.”

While washing my hands, I heard the young girl’s surprised tone, but the end of her sentence had a rising inflection, as if she were enjoying the spectacle.

A cold, unfamiliar object hit my face. Along with this accident, I heard the girl’s voice turn sharp, apologizing in panic.

“Sister Xin Lu, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I wanted to throw it into the trash can, but I threw it wrong.”

Looking down, I saw the snake tail still wriggling. Taking a deep breath, I stepped back, overreacting, and kicked the bloody tail section away.

The girl, who looked identical to Guan Lan, kept apologizing to me. Her voice was sharp and sweetly cloying, unlike Guan Lan’s gentle and steady one, making me feel annoyed and restless.

“It’s fine.” I could tell my voice was cold, but being startled, I couldn’t care less about anything else. I just wanted to end this farce as soon as possible.

This is food waste. It should be dealt with. She kept apologizing and moving closer. To avoid her, I bent down, picked up the snake tail, and threw it into the trash can.

The icy touch of the snake tail felt like a brush full of bristles sweeping across my scalp. A chilling feeling went right through me.

As I straightened up, my peripheral vision accidentally caught a glimpse of her face, and I suddenly realized there was no apology on her face at all, only a triumphant, provocative smile.

My body was trembling. I wasn’t sure if it was fear or anger, or perhaps both.

“Guan Lan! What are you trying to do to Lulu?!”

I heard a voice, shaking slightly with anger. Someone walked into the kitchen and approached me, hugging me from behind.

“Don’t be afraid, baby. I’m here. Good girl~”

A strange yet familiar gentle voice, filled with careful protection and distress, soothed my nerves, which were tense from touching the bl00d.

I gradually calmed down in this embrace, trying to figure out that this person called…

She called this girl “Guan Lan”?!

I looked at the girl who looked exactly like Guan Lan, and saw her glaring at me with resentment, holding the snake’s head that was still flicking its tongue. Two cold gazes were cast upon me—

Zhang Ruo’an said Guan Lan had a stepsister, and Guan Lan was in love with her stepsister.

Anzhi Tinglan (The names of two types of orchids/flowers)… Since they are both surnamed Guan, are both from Lishan, and both have had close ties to me, does Guan Lan know the co-passenger who appeared in my order information?

‘Lanlan, do you know someone named Guan Zhi?’

‘No.’

My heart suddenly panicked, nearly leaping out of my chest. I wanted to press my hand against my heart to slow the beat, but I found my hands were covered in bl00d.

Bl00d… Where did the bl00d come from?

My brain, which was trying to analyze something, went blank. My thoughts turned from a chaotic mess to nothingness. More bl00d flowed from my body, staining the floor. I gasped for breath. My back was icy cold. A viscous liquid flowed down it.

The person holding me was not a person at all.

My vision was filled with bl00d-red. Even my eyelashes were covered in bl00d droplets, preventing me from clearly seeing Their appearance.

“Lulu.”

“Forget me, and live a good life.”

Suddenly looking back, my vision gradually cleared. I saw more bl00d flowing from Their body, dripping from Their long black hair. The bl00d water snaked into my collar, dyeing my white dress scarlet.

I trembled and reached out to touch Their face, but the scene instantly turned into pure bl00d-red.

The sky was scarlet, the ground was boiling with bl00d water, and even Their hair was a viscous bl00d-red.

The distance between us widened, separated by a deep chasm. They walked toward me step by step. The surging bl00d water filled the seemingly bottomless abyss. They rode the bl00d waves, slowly coming to stand before me.

“Lulu, I’m back.”

The bl00d-colored beauty leaned in close. Their bl00d-colored hair was dense like seaweed, every strand seemingly flying with a life of its own, affectionately climbing onto my shoulder.

“Long time no see. Did you miss me?”

My vision blurred and shook. I realized my pupils were vibrating. The bl00d-colored beauty leaned close to my ear. Behind Them, bl00d water surged, the tide rushing straight into the sky.

“Lulu is mine, forever mine.”

Their voice was gentle and mature. I vaguely found a trace of Guan Lan’s shadow, but Their gentleness seemed to emanate from Their very core. Even with the tone of obsessive frenzy, it didn’t diminish at all.

“You must love me, miss me.”

I wanted to push Them away, but woke up in an even tighter embrace.

“Did Lulu have a nightmare again?”

It was Guan Lan. The warm yellow light was cozy and beautiful. She was gently patting my back.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

I had just sighed in relief when I saw a strange smile curl on her lips in the next moment.

“Why are you still alive? Since Sister is gone, why don’t you go accompany her?”

Her tone was gentle and intimate, just like every time she had soothed me after I was startled awake from a dream.

I wanted to ask Guan Lan if she had some misunderstanding about me, but she held me too tightly, making me feel the illusion that she had turned into a snake and was trying to crush me to death with her embrace.

“Since you’ve forgotten her, why can’t you fall in love with me?”

Her expression held a shocking, frantic gloom, yet her tone remained gentle and unhurried.

“Lulu is really too much.”

“You stole Sister away, and now you want to take away my love for Sister.”

“Lulu is so kind. You’ll definitely be responsible for me, right?”

Guan Lan reached out and brushed away the stray hairs on my forehead. Staring into my eyes, her expression was the gentle one I was used to, but her smiling eyes were like a poisoned snake’s tongue, licking over everything in sight little by little.

“One day, Lulu will love me.”

“Love me deeply.”

I wanted to push her away, but my arms felt soft and weak, which startled me.

“What did you do to me?!”

With this question, I abruptly sat up in bed. My consciousness had not yet fully escaped the nightmare. My heart beat like a drum, the rhythm dense, making my chest numb. Bl00d surged from my heart chambers to my limbs, and panic reached every extremity along with it.

I leaned back, breathing heavily. I pinched myself hard. A red mark appeared, and pain registered.

The pain was not dull like it was in the dream, which made me feel relieved.

Then I buried my face in my hands, not daring to recall the final moments of the dream.

My God, why would I think Lanlan likes me?

This dream is truly inexplicable and terrifying, much scarier than being rubbed back and forth and generating heat by a strange woman like a teppanyaki grill.

Heaven is my witness, my feelings for Guan Lan are clear, pure, and honest!

Thank goodness it was a dream.

I got up to pour myself a glass of hot water, but I saw wet footprints on the floor. The footprints disappeared at the bathroom door.

The palm-sized mirror on the bedside table had somehow turned back around.

A bright red hickey was on my neck.

A dream… was it?