Chapter 2
“You must be tired from rehearsing. I’ve brought you some food.”
Along with the sound of the door, a gentle voice was heard.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the doorway, but what walked in was not some monster, but a beautiful young woman.
She wore a vintage-style cheongsam that made her look exceptionally refined. Though she still had a touch of youthful innocence, her eyes were impossibly beautiful, as if veiled in the thin mist of a spring lake. A small brown mole beneath her eye was a perfect touch, bringing her whole person to life.
Jiang Liu’s heart skipped a beat. She stared at the girl from across the doorway, feeling a sense of déjà vu.
Those eyes… they were somewhat familiar.
A strange, sour feeling rose in her heart. An inexplicable emotion pushed Jiang Liu to walk quickly toward her and ask hesitantly, “Have we met somewhere before?”
Before the person opposite her could respond, the abrupt electronic voice sounded once more.
[Name: Chen Si]
[Identity: Young Troupe Master of the Curtain Dream Theater]
Chen Si met Jiang Liu’s gaze, a thousand emotions seemingly surging in her eyes, but she just let out a chuckle. Tilting her head, she said in an innocent tone, “Sister Liu, what new play are you rehearsing? To think you’d use me for a joke.”
As she spoke, she gestured for the servants to set out the food, then winked teasingly. “Of course we’ve met. In a past life… you even said you would live and die with me!”
Her tone was soft, with a hint of a southern accent, and her words sounded just like lines from a play. Her eyes crinkled in a beautiful smile, and under her gaze, Jiang Liu found herself unable to tell what was real and what was fake.
It was Chen Si who couldn’t keep up the act and burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. “Sister Liu, have you gone crazy from acting? I was just kidding!”
Seeing everyone staring at her, Chen Si was even more amused. She giggled and pulled Jiang Liu to a seat. “Come on, let’s eat!”
She seemed to be very familiar with everyone. Seeing Jiang Liu’s lack of response, she didn’t feel awkward, but instead frowned and complained in a low voice, “Mother is really something else, insisting you perform in seven days. This theater hasn’t been used in so long. It’s too rushed.”
Jiang Liu snapped back to her senses, a thought stirring in her mind. She seized the opportunity to ask, “Seven days?”
Chen Si sighed lightly. “Yes, it’s still too chaotic here. It’s all because no one is willing to…”
She didn’t finish the sentence, as if realizing she had misspoken. She quickly smiled and changed the subject. “How are your rehearsals going?”
As she spoke, her gaze shifted to the stage. Everyone’s heart tightened as they remembered there was still a corpse on it. They hurriedly turned to look, then froze.
The once blood-soaked stage had somehow changed. The corpse was gone, and apart from being a bit messy, there was nothing strange about it.
The freshman, Ren Linlin, stood up with wide eyes, in disbelief. “That’s impossible!”
The other two students also looked dazed. Staring at the poised Chen Si and the steaming hot food, they muttered to themselves, “Are we dreaming?”
The door had been pushed wide open by Chen Si. The afternoon sun was bright, and a gentle breeze rustled a couple of fallen leaves in the air. Other than the courtyard looking a bit dilapidated, it seemed like a normal early autumn afternoon.
Chen Si was startled by their sudden outburst. She looked back and forth a few times before daring to ask, “Did something happen?”
Ren Linlin was still in shock, frozen in place and silent.
Jiang Liu, however, had already noticed that the moment Chen Si pushed the door open, the Man in a Suit’s skeleton had vanished. But looking at Chen Si’s clean and beautiful face, she managed to hold back from mentioning it.
To be honest, looking at Chen Si now still felt a bit unreal, as if there was a natural sense of closeness between them. She subconsciously didn’t want Chen Si to see the bloody scene and shook her head slightly. “It’s nothing.”
Chen Si didn’t overthink it, kicking at the dust on the floor with a sigh. “It’s so dirty here. I’ll sneak in to help clean when I have time!”
“Why sneak in?” A glint of light reflected off Xu Shu’s glasses. Although he didn’t speak often, every sentence he uttered hit the mark.
Chen Si pouted. “Mother told me to focus on my studies and not to hang around the theater all the time. I really don’t know what she’s thinking.”
Jiang Liu blew away the dust on the corner of the table, feeling a bit strange. “Are there no other theaters? Why must the performance be here?”
Her question made the others realize how unreasonable the situation was. Compared to Chen Si’s attire, this stage was far too simple. Not only were the furnishings outdated and old, but the dust alone showed it had been abandoned for a long time.
Chen Si blinked, puzzled along with Jiang Liu. “I’m not sure either. I heard Mother grew up here, so maybe it’s for nostalgic reasons.”
That was a plausible explanation, but Jiang Liu still sensed something was off. If it was just to fulfill an old woman’s wish, they should have sent more people to arrange and manage things. Supporting an opera troupe was not something actors alone could do. How could it be that only they were here all this time, without even a logistics team?
And there was Chen Si’s unfinished sentence…
She wanted to ask more, but suddenly she heard the grandfather clock in the corner chime. Chen Si’s hand, holding a piece of food, paused, and she grew flustered.
“Oh no! I’m going to be late for school! You guys eat, I have to go!”
She stuffed a steamed bun in her mouth and was about to run out in a panic.
Jiang Liu’s sharp eyes noticed that the servants who had been standing by the door had also started to leave at the same time, without any hesitation. It didn’t look like they were in a hurry, but more like… they were fleeing.
Noticing this, she quickly reached out and grabbed Chen Si’s arm, asking tentatively, “You’ve barely eaten anything. What will you do if you get hungry this afternoon?”
Chen Si avoided her gaze and spoke rapidly, “Don’t worry, Sister Liu! I’ll be fine!”
As she spoke, she tried to pull her hand away from Jiang Liu’s grasp with surprising strength, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead.
What was she afraid of?
Jiang Liu was suspicious and wanted to hold on to her for more questioning. But looking at Chen Si’s flushed little face, her heart inexplicably softened. She loosened her grip slightly. “Then be careful on your way.”
Chen Si gave her a grateful look and hurried away with her people. Behind them, Ren Linlin hesitated and asked, “Aren’t we going to keep her here?”
An NPC had finally shown up after all this time. Wasn’t it too rash to just let her go?
Jiang Liu glanced at her. “If you have the ability, you go keep her.”
Ren Linlin’s face turned pale. She didn’t dare to provoke Jiang Liu, so she turned to look at the others.
Chen Si hadn’t closed the door when she left. It was early autumn, with clear skies, crisp air, and a gentle breeze. Paired with the fragrant aroma of the food, the earlier fear had dissipated quite a bit. She looked around and asked nervously, “So where did the corpse go? It couldn’t have just grown legs and run off, right?”
No one could give a definitive answer. Only Jiang Liu ate calmly and said casually, “Who cares? Let’s eat first.”
Even if they were going to die a horrible death like the Man in a Suit in the next second, they should at least die on a full stomach.
It’s said that you can tell a person’s habits from how they eat. Yellow Hair was boisterous and wolfed down his food, constantly praising how good it tasted. In comparison, Xu Shu and the students were much more reserved. But then there was Jiang Liu.
The girl looked thin, but she ate with gusto. Her movements were fast yet elegant, just like the impression she gave off.
She spoke in a refined, scholarly tone, and she was pretty, but how could she resort to violence at the drop of a hat? Recalling the things Jiang Liu had done, Yellow Hair couldn’t help but sigh. “I wouldn’t have guessed. You’re a little girl, but you can eat so much.”
Jiang Liu replied casually, “I’m scared of going hungry. When there’s food, I eat it quickly. Seize the day.”
Xu Shu was surprised and looked her up and down. “Do you often go hungry?”
Setting aside the country’s economic development these days, just looking at Jiang Liu’s appearance made it hard to imagine she had ever suffered from hunger. If Chen Si was a pretty girl-next-door, then Jiang Liu was a dazzling superstar. Every feature of her face was outstanding, bright, and generous, leaving a deep impression.
He had only asked out of curiosity, but Jiang Liu paused, a thought flashing through her mind.
Go hungry? She couldn’t quite remember. It felt like her mind had been in a mess since she woke up, and many things were hazy.
She wasn’t one to get hung up on things, so she didn’t bother to think about it further. She shook her head and spoke.
“There’s definitely something wrong with this place. I’m going out for a bit.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Ren Linlin screamed again. “Have you forgotten what happened to that guy just now? You still dare to go out?”
She hadn’t meant to bring it up, but the mention of it brought back the image of the bloody corpse. She immediately covered her mouth and dry-heaved a couple of times, her face pale and her appetite gone.
Jiang Liu ignored her, got up, and stood at the door for a long time before striding out.
“Damn it… Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”
Yellow Hair was scared out of his wits by her boldness. He shot up and ran over to pull her back, looking at the doorframe with lingering fear.
Although the marks were gone, the memory of that bloody hand was still seared into his mind.
Jiang Liu sighed in exasperation, pointing outside and raising an eyebrow. “Look.”
As she spoke, she extended her arm, inch by inch, out into the open. The warm afternoon sun shone on her, and she narrowed her eyes comfortably.
Nothing happened.
Yellow Hair’s eyes widened. He also took a step out, and his face immediately lit up. “It’s fine! We can go out!”
Watching them all run out excitedly, Jiang Liu couldn’t help but shake her head and ignore them. Instead, she lowered her head and sniffed her fingertips. Although the smell was faint, the scent of blood was still there, proving that what had happened earlier was not a dream.
She couldn’t be certain about the cause of the Man in a Suit’s death, but it was definitely related to that electronic voice. For now, as long as they followed the quest and prepared for the rehearsal, they should be safe.
The others were skeptical of her ideas, especially Ren Linlin, who frowned with suspicion. “We just need to rehearse on time. Why do we have to go out?”
She had long thought that Jiang Liu was strange. What normal person could carry a corpse around without batting an eye?
Jiang Liu shrugged, unconcerned. “Suit yourself.”
Ren Linlin’s expression remained unfriendly as she said unreasonably, “No! If you go out, what about the rehearsal?”
Jiang Liu didn’t react, but Yellow Hair suddenly exploded, slamming his hand on the table. “What are you arguing about? I’ll go, alright? A girl like you should just stay inside.”
He cursed impatiently and turned to Jiang Liu. “What do you want to find out?”
Jiang Liu’s gaze fell on the clock in the corner, a glint of light flashing in her eyes for an instant.
Chen Si’s reaction had already said it all. The second half of her unfinished sentence must have been—It’s all because no one dares to come near this place now.