After Being Watched by My Paranoid and Gloomy Deceased Wife - Chapter 4

I vaguely sensed that Guan Lan was a little unhappy, but she is one of my best friends.

I thought she might have had an unpleasant experience with this Ms. “Guan Zhi.” Just like Xi Rong dislikes Guan Lan. My friends each have their own choices, and I never interfere or force them to accept one another.

“Doesn’t Lan Lan like her?” I carefully chose my words, not wanting to upset her.

“I saw this name in a Go Where order, but I have no recollection of her.”

“I thought since you both share the surname Guan, you might know each other. She seems to be from Lishan too? I saw the orders are all round trips between Lishan and Xizhao.”

Guan Lan quickly replied. This time it was a text message.

“I don’t know her.”

Strange. If they don’t know each other, why such a strong reaction?

As a good friend, I have some understanding of Guan Lan. Her attitude clearly didn’t suggest she didn’t know her, but considering her mood, I didn’t want to press.

The car seemed to be getting colder and colder. The driver had the air conditioning on maximum, but she was tense and silent, looking very nervous.

I noticed she clearly glanced at me through the rearview mirror, and that look made me a little nervous too. Didi had been involved in a few incidents before. Compared to that thing which hasn’t caused me any substantial harm yet, a living person is more terrifying.

I secretly told Xi Rong about this, and the two of us shared our real-time location.

I quietly glanced at the driver. She shouldn’t have noticed me. I quickly typed the emergency police number on the urgent communication page, ready to connect instantly with a tap of the dial button.

Then I was on tenterhooks, paying attention to whether the roads outside the window were still on a familiar route.

Neither the driver nor I spoke; the only sound in the car was the mechanical voice of the navigation system.

It was a little cold. I rubbed my arm, and in the reflection of the car window, I vaguely saw a face.

Just the profile was that of a beauty—a clear, distinct jawline, and a prominent nose—slowly turning its head.

The car was driving on an empty overpass. There was no sidewalk left here for pedestrians, and no cars were passing on the right.

Where did this shadow, this beauty, come from? Too hard to guess, haha…

My heart thumped slowly, “thump, thump.” I quickly lowered my head and carefully swallowed.

Hey, my phone is so fun. I didn’t see anything at all.

Hallucination, hallucination, it’s all a hallucination.

Look at me, how could I mistake myself for a great beauty in the reflection? That’s shameless.

My palms were sweaty. I felt the air conditioning in this car was truly strong; it was too cold.

The driver was driving fast. I watched the road ahead, terrified of being taken away to be sold or killed at any moment.

Although, facing such a felony, a defenseless ordinary person like me might not be able to resist a premeditated crime, I still had to struggle.

At least let the perpetrator be caught and sentenced to life or death as soon as possible, right?

One shouldn’t die too unjustly.

I was having these wild thoughts, but unexpectedly, we arrived in front of Xi Rong’s house quickly. The driver’s abnormal behavior wasn’t a prelude to murder and body disposal after all.

“We’re here.” The driver’s voice seemed a little shaky, probably from the cold.

I rubbed the goosebumps on my arm and completely understood.

But as soon as I got out and closed the door, the car quickly drove away, spewing exhaust fumes that almost choked me.

Even though I haven’t driven a car, I could tell the driver had stepped on the accelerator quite hard just then.

How strange. Are there that many orders late at night? Is she in such a hurry for the next one?

The shadow on the ground was stretched long. I secretly glanced at it and found it was the familiar combination of long hair and a long dress. I quietly swallowed.

Maybe I shouldn’t go to Xi Rong’s house after all? What if I bring trouble to her house?

I was about to back out and was preparing to tell Xi Rong that I was fine, I’d just changed my mind halfway and wanted to go play somewhere else by myself.

I’d take the scolding for breaking the date; I just didn’t want Xi Rong to encounter any accident because of me.

“Why are you standing there dumbly? Get in quickly!”

Xi Rong’s face appeared on the smart lock, taking up the whole screen, and her nostrils were aimed right at the camera.

The former campus goddess is so unrestrained in private. It’s a good thing reliable me will keep her explosive image a secret.

And… crap, I forgot we were sharing our location!

Xi Rong definitely knew I had arrived. Given her personality, she was probably staring at her phone the whole way, terrified I’d suddenly stop moving somewhere.

Xi Rong is a local and lives in her own small villa. The garden is very simple, planted with fruits and vegetables.

The shadow of the trees flickers in the wind, and only the path in the middle has dim ground lights, creating a great atmosphere for a horror movie.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the shadow on the ground swaying with the wind, the long skirt billowing. I really didn’t want to go in.

I was carrying cold skewers in my hand, and the face that was just on the screen appeared in front of me in less than two minutes, grabbing my arm and pulling me inside.

“What are you doing standing here like an idiot? Are you being silly? Have you been coming here so infrequently that you’ve forgotten the way?”

Your Excellency, don’t you know what you are doing!

I looked at the shadow, seeing the strands of its hair blowing as gracefully as in a shampoo commercial, and I desperately wished my feet would stick to the ground so I wouldn’t go in.

Xi Rong’s strength was as great as ever. She dragged and pulled me inside.

“What’s wrong with you? Are you unhappy about coming to see me?”

Her tone was quite displeased, but she was startled when she turned her head.

“Lu Lu, what’s wrong with you? Did the car ride scare you?!”

I managed a forced smile at her, guessing my complexion must have been very poor, otherwise Xi Rong wouldn’t have this expression.

“It’s nothing. I’m just too hungry. I probably have low bl00d sugar again.”

“You know, it’s an old problem.”

Before I could react, Xi Rong rushed into the room and spun out like a whirlwind, shoving something into my mouth.

“You know it’s an old problem, and you’re still not careful?! With your fragile little body… you’re thirty-seven, not seventeen. You should be taking care of yourself, and you’re pulling this kind of stunt?!”

Sweetness spread on the tip of my tongue. I know Xi Rong is always harsh in speech but soft at heart.

“What did you feed me?”

She glared at me crossly. “Poison. To poison you to death so you don’t end up in the social news one day.”

“A woman living alone dies at home after several days. The reason? Low bl00d sugar coma with no one to help.”

Her speech was deliberately exaggerated and rhythmic. She sounded less like a news anchor and more like a comedian, which amused me.

I said, “Did you really not consider debuting? You’re so suited to be a comedian.”

“Go away, go away, get away from me, sit down properly.”

Xi Rong hurried me into the house and pulled me onto the sofa.

The living room light was bright, the shadow was faint, and with Xi Rong present, the panic in my heart was largely dispelled.

“You just sit here and don’t move, Student Xin. Standing is forbidden!”

She was like a busy little bee, grabbing the skewers from my hand to reheat in the kitchen. After she was done, she turned on the TV for me and put a cup of hot water into my hand.

“It has glucose added. Drink it immediately! Don’t pass out here.” She never had a good tone when she was upset.

I’m used to it. She’s just someone who loves to worry but can’t bring herself to say kind words.

Maybe because her place is big, and because I ate sugar and drank the hot water with glucose, I gradually felt less cold.

Xi Rong was still busy. She probably heard the delivery arrive, so she put the reheated skewers on the table and rushed outside.

I wasn’t cold anymore, but my collarbone was somehow hurting dully, exactly as if someone had pressed down on a bruise.

Delusion, delusion, it’s just nerve pain.

I told myself in my heart, wake up, your madness is acting up again.

My lower leg felt a bit cold. I glanced down and saw a shadowy hand appear out of nowhere, its fingers slender, gripping my ankle.

May I ask: is the cost of treatment for mental hallucinations like mine high? How long is the treatment period?

“The takeout is here… why didn’t you eat first?”

Xi Rong was carrying things with both hands. I was about to get up to help her, but she shouted at me to stop.

“Don’t move!” She quickly took three steps at once towards me.

She put the items down and sighed in relief, “That was heavy!”

As soon as she finished speaking, the chill on my lower leg disappeared.

I looked down and saw my lower leg was smooth and pale—the unseen whiteness of someone who sits in an office for a long time. There was no shadow at all.

I really am sick.

No time for self-pity. Xi Rong shoved the grilled chicken wing into my hand.

“Eat quickly. Look at your complexion. Have you only had one meal all day? You’re as skinny as a Skeleton Demon.”

With someone accompanying me, my appetite also improved greatly. I bit into the chicken wing and pushed the skewer towards Xi Rong.

“This looks delicious. Try it. So many people were lining up for it.”

Both Xi Rong and I deeply believed that food with a long queue of people could not taste too bad.

The chicken wing tasted good. While sucking the bones, I chatted with her.

“Your company’s earnings have been good lately. It looks like the day you achieve financial freedom by clinging to Boss Xi’s thigh is just around the corner.”

Xi Rong took a bite of a skewer and rolled her eyes at me.

“You’re still daydreaming this late at night. That revenue is barely enough to support a few dozen employees. The scale is not expanding at all.”

I noticed she likes rolling her eyes a lot lately, but she’s been beautiful since childhood. This expression doesn’t look rude on her; it’s quite charming instead.

“That’s good enough. When your company gets bigger, Boss Xi can take care of me.” I was just joking. In the past, Xi Rong would definitely have retorted.

“Fine, then you can live here with me. Just remember to speak nicely and dress well, like a proper gigolo.”

Xi Rong was only joking. She bit into the chicken wing, finished speaking with a resigned look, and rolled her eyes at me again.

My lower leg felt a little cool, and my feet were cold, as if frozen by ice. I looked down and saw half of my leg covered in a faint gray shadow.

Right before my eyes, an extra circle of red marks appeared on my ankle, as if someone had forcefully gripped and squeezed it.

Delusion, delusion. It’s just that this delusion hurts a little.

Xi Rong seemed to be in a bad mood today, her tone was sharper than usual.

“What are you staring at? So focused? Is there gold on the floor for you to pick up?”

I shook my head, “Some crumbs dropped.”

“Don’t bother picking them up. The sweeping robot will mop the floor later. Leave it.”