Chapter 88: The Person Is Gone

I was taken aback. “What do you mean?”

Zheng Lanxuan replied, “She came back ten days ago. As soon as she returned, these symptoms appeared, so I took her to the hospital right away. Before that, she hadn’t been home.”

“She hadn’t come back? Then where was she?” Usually, to take such a long leave, you’d have to call your parents for approval, wouldn’t you? If Zheng Xiao didn’t come home, then where had she been? And who had called the teacher on her behalf?

Zheng Lanxuan fell silent for a moment, then said, “Maybe… she was with her mother.”

Her mother? I looked at him.

Zheng Lanxuan, visibly annoyed and impatient, said, “What’s with that look? I’m her real father, not some stand-in! When I was fourteen, I got involved with a girl, but we split up. I had no idea she was pregnant or that she’d actually had the child. It wasn’t until years later, when she was getting married and found it inconvenient to bring the child along, that she brought the girl to me. That’s when I learned I had a daughter that age!”

He sighed and went on, “Ever since Xiao Xiao came to live with me, there’s been no end of gossip—people saying I was keeping a high school student, or worse. Even the police showed up at my door! No one believed she was my biological daughter. Xiao Xiao suffered constant mockery and slander, and once, a woman who fancied me went to her school to hurl insults, calling her a homewrecker and shameless.”

He continued, helpless and a little pained, “Xiao Xiao chose a distant high school just to get away. The contact number she left her teachers was her mother’s—she never let me meddle in her affairs. But her mother is already married and has her own family now; she doesn’t care about Xiao Xiao.”

A wave of sorrow washed over me as I recalled her bright smile, her earnest questions about homework, her diligence. It was hard to imagine her home life was such a mess.

“Why not just say she’s your sister?” I asked. “More people would believe that.”

He gave a self-mocking laugh. “No one would buy it. I’ve always had a reputation for being wild—if a young sister suddenly moved in, no one would believe she was really my sister.”

I pulled a letter from my coat pocket. “Xiao Xiao left this for me before she took her leave. At the time, I thought it was just a thank-you note. Now, I fear it might be a farewell letter.”

I’d come straight from the shop, so I’d slipped it into my pocket without thinking.

Zheng Lanxuan glanced at the letter in my hand. I said, “She wrote that something happened at home, and she had to go back, but didn’t know when she’d return. Since she never actually came back here, the issue must be with her mother. We need to find her mother and ask what’s happened—where Xiao Xiao went, and what occurred.”

Zheng Lanxuan took out his phone, dialed a number, and then, in a fit of anger, flung the phone down. “Damn it! Her phone’s off! What the hell did that woman do to Xiao Xiao?”

Was it just a coincidence? Why had the phone suddenly been switched off?

“I’ll try calling again later,” I said. “If it keeps going to voicemail, something’s definitely wrong. We should stay here tonight—no one leaves. If the ghost returns, we’ll be ready.”

We stayed at Zheng Lanxuan’s until dawn. He tried calling Zheng Xiao’s mother several more times, but her phone remained off. We had no choice but to drive to her place and look for her directly.

Before we left, we called the housekeeper to come watch over Zheng Xiao.

Zheng Lanxuan wanted to hand Zhuo Tianjiang over to the police, but I told him to keep the man for now—we didn’t know if we’d need extra hands. Zhuo Tianjiang had some skills and might be useful.

After his child’s spirit vanished, Zhuo Tianjiang seemed to have made up his mind—he wanted nothing more than to kill the ghost and avenge his son.

Zheng Xiao’s mother was called Ren Qiyun, and her home was quite far away. On the drive, I called Wen Zai to ask if he had Old Chen’s contact details.

Wen Zai only knew his address, but last time, Old Chen had said he was moving somewhere quiet to recuperate and wouldn’t take any cases for three months.

I didn’t have Old Ma’s contact information, either. I’d realized something odd before—not just Old Ma, but people like Xiao Qingwan too, never seemed to use cell phones. The only exception was Gu Yangyu, but I’d never seen him actually use his phone, nor did he like giving out his number.

Out of options, I called the police officer from Chaozhou for help contacting Meng Chengde, who could then reach Gu Yangyu. But Meng Chengde didn’t give me the number directly; instead, he asked what was wrong and offered to ask on my behalf. I explained it was a haunting and I needed Gu Yangyu’s help.

After a long wait, Meng Chengde finally called back. “Mr. Gu says he can’t help you. You’ll have to handle this yourself.”

Handle it myself…

All I had left from Old Ma was a personal protection talisman and one ghost-suppressing charm. At most, I still had a spirit seal, but its power was quite limited.

Was I supposed to make my own charms? I knew the symbols, but had never practiced making them—I wasn’t sure if they’d work.

A wave of anxiety swept over me. This was a matter of life and death for Zheng Xiao—if I failed, I might not survive either. Was I really up to the task?

The car stopped. We got out and followed Zheng Lanxuan into an ordinary apartment complex, stopping in front of a door in one of the buildings.

This place was a far cry from Zheng Lanxuan’s own neighborhood. It was clear that Ren Qiyun hadn’t married well, and her family’s circumstances were modest. Why did she choose to have Zheng Xiao all those years ago? And why raise her alone for so many years? None of it made sense.

Zheng Lanxuan pounded on the door, nearly breaking it down in his agitation.

After a moment, the door opened to reveal a plump middle-aged woman, who snapped impatiently, “What’s with all the banging? Are you trying to break the door down?”

She looked us over with annoyance. “Who are you people?”

“Where’s Ren Qiyun?” Zheng Lanxuan demanded.

“Who’s Ren Qiyun? We just moved in yesterday!”

Zheng Lanxuan frowned. “Where’s the previous tenant?”

The woman scowled, losing patience. “We rented this place. The previous people said they bought a new apartment, so they rented this one out.”

“Do you know where their new place is?” Zheng Lanxuan pressed.

“How should I know?”

“Do you have their contact information?”

The woman dug out her phone, opened her contacts, and showed us. “Here, this is it. Write it down and get out of here! Or I’ll call the police!”

When I saw the number, I felt a chill. It was the same as the one Zheng Lanxuan had.

We left the complex, feeling frustrated and baffled. The phone was still off, and the apartment had been rented out in a hurry—clearly, she was afraid of being found. Ren Qiyun was Zheng Xiao’s biological mother, so what had she done to her own daughter, and why?

With a grim face, Zheng Lanxuan made a call. “Crab, I need you to find someone—Ren Qiyun. As fast as possible. Bring her to me!”