I'm Actually Panicking Because My Heart Doesn't Beat (GL) - Chapter 10

Crack, crack, crack—

Guan Xiaoxuan suddenly felt like her living room was trapped by some invisible force. The Red Girl, seeing Xing Tianqing appear, immediately jumped off her and tried to escape, but the invisible barrier trapped her inside the small living room.

Hiss—

With nowhere to run, the Red Girl turned around and glared fiercely at Xing Tianqing, her red fur bristling.

“Who are you?” The Red Girl asked the suddenly appearing people in a harsh tone. “I advise you to mind your own business, or there will be big trouble.”

Xiao An stood beside Xing Tianqing, crossing his arms and snorting, “A curly-haired beast dares to talk big.”

“Who are you calling a beast?!” The Red Girl was instantly furious. She hated being called a beast more than anything, and Xiao An’s words hit her biggest sore spot.

Xiao An smirked and said, “A beast is a beast. With your level of skill, I don’t know how you managed to hurt so many people.”

On the other side, Zhang Jingshan, muscular and tough, clenched his fists and said, “Stop wasting time talking. Just catch it.”

Xing Tianqing didn’t say anything right away but glanced at Guan Xiaoxuan standing in the corner. When their eyes met, she quickly looked away.

“Xiao An,” Xing Tianqing said, “Jingshan, restrain the Red Girl. You take Guan Xiaoxuan and leave.”

Zhang Jingshan immediately rushed at the red fox and pulled out a stick from somewhere. The Red Girl struggled, and a red glow flashed as she grew dozens of times bigger, about to tear apart Guan Xiaoxuan’s house. Then Xing Tianqing’s red lips moved.

“Second rule of the ban: No transformation without permission.”

Right after she spoke, the huge red fox suddenly shrank back to her original form.

Xiao An quickly ran over to Guan Xiaoxuan, grabbed her hand, and led her away from the fight.

It was probably late at night. When Guan Xiaoxuan landed outside, she saw two police cars in front of her building, with several people in black coats standing nearby. Seeing Xiao An holding Guan Xiaoxuan, they quickly surrounded them.

“How’s it upstairs?” Song Yan, who was gathering information, asked with concern.

Xiao An put Guan Xiaoxuan down and said, “The Red Girl has appeared. The captain and Jingshan are inside. Keep control of the surroundings. That fox is very clever, able to sneak close to Guan Xiaoxuan without being noticed. There must be other escape routes.”

Song Yan nodded and glanced at Guan Xiaoxuan. “What about her?”

Xiao An rubbed his chin and said, “Let her sit in one of the police cars to keep her safe.”

After everything was arranged, everyone left, and Guan Xiaoxuan was escorted into a police car.

About ten minutes later, she heard a loud explosion nearby. The officers whispered to each other, and Guan Xiaoxuan caught a few key words.

“Team leader… foresight…”

“Cunning fox… luckily… Paranormal Investigation Bureau…”

Sitting there, Guan Xiaoxuan guessed the Red Girl’s problem was probably solved. The explosion was likely an accident during the fight.

She hoped no one was hurt.

But she never saw how Xing Tianqing and the others left her house. That was a special investigation’s business and had nothing to do with her.

She hoped after this, she could live peacefully for a while and think about what to do next.

From midnight on, black-coated agents and police kept coming and going in her house, but Guan Xiaoxuan didn’t pay attention. She hugged her cat and dozed off in the back seat of the police car.

In her dream, Guan Xiaoxuan saw the Red Girl, herself in school, Xing Tianqing’s golden vertical pupils, and herself working late on a project at the company.

Though the dreams were messy, through them she gradually remembered parts of her original life.

She was bullied by kids at the orphanage and was always alone at school.

Getting into university didn’t change her lonely nature, but the people there weren’t as childish and cruel, so her life was still okay.

Still, she missed her parents and the happy childhood she once had.

So she wished with the Red Girl to see her parents one last time, to tell them she had grown up, that her classmates and teachers were nice, and that she had a cute little cat so she wasn’t lonely at home.

She even kept all her parents’ belongings, wanting to show them she hadn’t forgotten and was trying to live well.

But all of that was shattered.

The Red Girl used Guan Xiaoxuan’s wish, killing 20 people and ending Guan Xiaoxuan’s life at 19.

The confusing dreams made her unsure where she really was.

Outside the car window, the sun was slowly rising. Guan Xiaoxuan hugged her cat, Guazi, and they spent the night together in the police car.

Knock, knock, knock—

At that moment, Xing Tianqing came over, knocked on the window, catching Guan Xiaoxuan’s attention.

She opened the door and got in.

“It’s all over. The Red Girl won’t bother you again,” Xing Tianqing said, looking at the rising sun outside. Then she turned to Guan Xiaoxuan, “Thank you for your help. Without you, we couldn’t have handled the Red Girl so smoothly.”

Guan Xiaoxuan asked, “How did you deal with the Red Girl?”

“It was too dangerous, so we executed her on the spot,” Xing Tianqing said. “Most paranormal cases are handled this way. Only by eliminating them completely can there be no aftereffects.”

After speaking, Xing Tianqing took out a document and a pen from her pocket and said to Guan Xiaoxuan, “This is a confidentiality agreement. You must promise not to tell ordinary people about your encounter with the Red Girl.”

Guan Xiaoxuan took the agreement, read the terms carefully, and asked, “Is it really just a simple written agreement that will keep me from talking?”

Xing Tianqing smiled, “Once you sign it, it’s effective.”

Guan Xiaoxuan guessed this agreement must be linked to Xing Tianqing’s special power. She remembered last night how Xing Tianqing read the golden book aloud, using rules to trap the Red Girl.

That’s why Xing Tianqing was confident asking her to sign, not worried she’d leak the story anonymously.

When Guan Xiaoxuan signed her name, she felt something inside her being locked up—this must be Xing Tianqing’s power.

“I’m done,” Guan Xiaoxuan said, handing back the pen and agreement.

Xing Tianqing packed up but didn’t rush to leave. She looked at Guan Xiaoxuan and said, “There are a few things you should know.”

“First, since your home was the battlefield last night, many furniture and walls are damaged—the living room, kitchen, bedrooms, all of them,” she said. “The authorities will compensate you, but you can’t live there for now. If you don’t believe me, you can check it yourself later.”

“We suggest you rent a place with basic living needs. Your home can’t be fixed soon,” Xing Tianqing continued. “The rent will be reimbursed, so don’t worry. Also, because of your special help with the Red Girl, you’ll get a bonus as a reward and compensation.”

“Someone will come to help you with the follow-up. If you have questions, just talk to them.”

Xing Tianqing looked at Guan Xiaoxuan and asked, “Anything else you want to say?”

Guan Xiaoxuan, holding Guazi, shook her head. “You explained everything clearly. I just want to know how to fulfill the agreement we made before.”

The second rule was easy—she’d keep raising Guazi. They were now talking about the first rule: meeting every day.

Xing Tianqing thought for a moment, cleared her throat, and said, “If you don’t mind, there’s a rental opposite my house. You could take that place.”

Change houses?

Guan Xiaoxuan thought about it. Xing Tianqing wouldn’t lie, so her house was probably a mess, maybe even structurally unsafe. She wasn’t keen on living there either—her original memories weren’t fully back, and she wasn’t sure what ‘familiar faces’ she might run into. Better to listen to Xing Tianqing and rent a new place.

Besides, the rent was covered, so no worries.

She quickly nodded and said, “Alright, then I’ll rent the place you mentioned.”

“Good.” Xing Tianqing said, “I’ll have someone contact you.”

She took out a small note, wrote a number, and handed it to Guan Xiaoxuan. “This is my phone number. Call me after you get a new phone.”

Holding the note, Guan Xiaoxuan nodded.

After Xing Tianqing left, more people gathered nearby, watching the scene.

Guan Xiaoxuan and the police went upstairs. Opening the door, they saw a complete mess.

The living room was full of holes and damage. The wall right by the front door had a huge hole. The furniture was smashed to pieces.

Not only was Guan Xiaoxuan stunned, but the police behind her were also shocked too.

With so much noise, she hadn’t heard a thing downstairs. Xing Tianqing and her team were really something else.

Guan Xiaoxuan touched her still-beating heart and thought she needed to be more careful when dealing with Xing Tianqing from now on.