Under the Banyan Tree, the Wedding

There was no road ahead. The car couldn't enter the woods.

And they should have been somewhere inside the woods.

Xu Qiuyan and I got out of the car. I said to Gu Song, "You and Mute wait in the car."

I didn't know whether there would be any danger in the old forest. Bringing Gu Song and Yin Wuyu with us would indeed be troublesome.

Gu Song had no fighting ability, and Yin Wuyu only had the intelligence of an eight-year-old.

Gu Song was a little scared, but he knew that following us into the woods would only make him a burden, so he nodded.

"The key is still in the ignition. You can drive. Lock the doors, and if anything really happens, drive away first. Find somewhere safe and wait for my call."

Gu Song nodded. I looked at Yin Wuyu. "Take good care of him for me."

But Yin Wuyu wanted to get out of the car with us. "I want candy!"

He sucked on his finger.

At a loss for words, I took out a lollipop from my pocket, unwrapped it, and handed it to him. Xu Qiuyan had told me to keep some on hand. She said they might come in useful to coax Yin Wuyu at a critical moment, and now they really had come in handy.

"Be good. Wait here. We'll be back soon."

He accepted the candy with a smile, licking the lollipop as he waved at us.

With candy to eat, he wasn't nearly as clingy.

Xu Qiuyan and I entered the woods.

It was very dark in the woods. I took out my phone for light. Xu Qiuyan had just pulled out hers when I stopped her. "Save the battery."

She put her phone away and stayed close by my side.

"Are you scared?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "As long as you're here, I'm not afraid of anything."

"What is there to be afraid of? Aren't I here too?" Chu Ge said. Somehow, he had appeared on my other side.

I could feel that we were getting closer and closer to Duan Hongbin and the others.

Suddenly, my phone died, and we were plunged into darkness.

Something felt strange. I had checked it earlier; there had been at least seventy percent battery left. How could it have died so quickly?

"What happened?" Xu Qiuyan took out her phone and turned on the flashlight. I gave a bitter smile. "I don't know what happened. My phone died."

"Oh." She answered softly.

But then I heard her cry out, "Ah!"

I followed her gaze, and my whole body froze.

This wasn't Shunhai Forest Farm at all. It was clearly Little Ancestral Hall Entrance.

And we were standing beneath that great banyan tree. I saw countless red ribbons tied to its branches. There was a local legend that the banyan tree was spiritual, and that any prayer or wish made to it would come true.

That was why so many people in Qiao City liked coming here to make wishes. After making a wish, they tied a red ribbon to the tree. Over time, the tree had become covered in them.

"W-what is going on?" Xu Qiuyan asked quietly.

I shook my head. When I turned to look at Chu Ge again, I realized that he was gone.

"Chu Ge!" I called out, but there was no response.

I frowned. Chu Ge had actually disappeared.

This had to be an illusion. Could it be that Chu Ge and the others were unable to appear within this illusion?

I regretted it a little. If I had known this would happen, we should have brought Yin Wuyu with us.

At least with him here, we wouldn't have been trapped in the illusion.

"Who's that?" Xu Qiuyan pointed at a figure ahead.

I narrowed my eyes. The figure looked familiar, but I couldn't remember who it was.

We slowly walked forward. The person had been facing away from us, but now slowly turned around.

I could actually see his face clearly. It was Yin Wuyu—Yin Wuyu as he was now—but without that foolish, deranged expression. His face was ice-cold.

Only then did I notice the full moon overhead. Moonlight illuminated everything before us.

Xu Qiuyan switched off her flashlight and put her phone back into her pocket.

One of her hands gently clasped mine. I turned to look at her, and she was looking at me too.

"Boss, I've been waiting here for you for a long time." Yin Wuyu's eyes were fixed on my face.

I looked around. There was no one else on either side of the street.

"Were you waiting here specifically for us?" I asked with a smile, though I was on guard inside.

I didn't know what this illusion meant, nor did I know whether there might be danger in it, but I had no choice except to proceed carefully.

"What else?"

I asked again, "Why are you the only one here? Where's Gu Song?" I didn't mention Little Ancestral Hall Entrance. Even though we were standing in it right now, I couldn't show fear in front of him.

Yin Wuyu raised an eyebrow. "Isn't he right there? Can't you see him?"

He pointed at the great banyan tree.

Xu Qiuyan and I both looked in the direction he was pointing.

When I saw Gu Song hanging from the tree, my heart jolted. Even though I knew I was inside an illusion, I still couldn't help being shocked. Gu Song should have already stopped breathing. It looked as if he had hanged himself from the banyan tree, a rope looped around his neck, his eyes bulging wide, half his tongue hanging out. He wore the expression of someone who had died with his eyes open.

I could feel how scared Xu Qiuyan was. She gripped my hand tightly, her nails digging into my flesh.

I gently patted her back. "Don't be afraid. None of this is real."

Yin Wuyu laughed when he heard me. "Boss, are you really so sure you can tell what's real from what's fake?"

I said nothing and simply looked at him.

Yin Wuyu stepped forward, shortening the distance between us.

"Now that you're here, don't you want to go home and take a look?" Yin Wuyu asked me.

I pursed my lips. He had guessed exactly what I was thinking.

I really did want to take a look at home. Even if this was an illusion, this place still gave me a strong sense of familiarity.

"Can you take him down first?" I pointed at Gu Song. Yin Wuyu nodded. "Of course."

I walked over and lifted Gu Song's legs. "Give me a hand."

I was speaking to Yin Wuyu. He came over and helped untie the rope.

"Did you kill him?" I asked Yin Wuyu. He shook his head. "You know I faint at the sight of blood."

That was right. Yin Wuyu had fainted at the sight of blood since he was young. Once, his hand had accidentally been pricked by an awl used for sewing shoe soles. He bled a little, and it had scared him into passing out.

I hadn't expected that habit to remain unchanged even now.

But Gu Song had clearly been strangled to death. There was no blood, so that excuse didn't hold up at all.

"How long have you been waiting here?"

Xu Qiuyan asked that.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she asked, Yin Wuyu's expression became strange.

He muttered, "How long have I been waiting? Why can't I remember how long I've been waiting here?"

Xu Qiuyan asked again, "Why were you waiting for us? Was there something important?"

Yin Wuyu didn't answer. He looked as though he were desperately trying to remember.

He was in pain, clutching his head with both hands. "There had to be something important, but why can't I remember it?"

Xu Qiuyan sighed. "If you can't remember, then don't force yourself."

She gently tugged at me. "Let's go. Let's take a look at your home."

I nodded and headed toward my house with Xu Qiuyan.

Once we passed through this short alley, we would reach my home.

There was also a banyan tree in front of my house, but it was much smaller than the great banyan tree.

After all, that great banyan tree was one of Qiao City's calling cards, a living fossil.

There were actually quite a few people standing outside my home. It looked lively.

"Your family is holding a celebration," Yin Wuyu said.

I asked, "What celebration?"

"Boss, isn't your wedding a huge celebration?"

I froze. I was getting married? Who was I marrying? How did I, the person involved, not know about it?

Xu Qiuyan grew nervous as well. She looked at me.

I gave a bitter smile. "I don't know what's going on either."

I simply took her hand and walked into the courtyard amid the strange looks from those people.

"Xiaobai, where did you run off to just now? We've been looking everywhere for you." I recognized the speaker. He had been one of my elementary school teachers.

"That's right, Xiaobai. The wedding is about to begin, and you were nowhere to be found. We thought the groom had run away."

They all spoke over one another. In the end, they dragged me away to change into wedding clothes first.

But one thing puzzled me greatly: they seemed to completely ignore Xu Qiuyan's existence.

"Xiaobai!"

I answered and saw my dad.

My dad and mom were standing not far away.

They were smiling at me.

I walked over to them.

Dad patted my head. "I never thought you'd grow up so fast. In the blink of an eye, you're starting a family. To be honest, your mom and I are overjoyed. You two need to work harder and give us a big, healthy grandson soon. While we're still able to move around, we can help you look after the child."

My nose stung. I asked Dad, "Who is my wife? Is it Xu Qiuyan?"

My dad froze. "Who is Xu Qiuyan? Your wife is Xu Anmei, your uncle Xu's daughter. You two fell in love freely, and neither your mom nor I ever stopped you."

Xu Anmei.

The name sounded familiar. Once my dad said that, I had a better idea of what was going on.