No. 44 Yongle Road, The Nonexistent Old Evil

The car exited the highway.

Xie Yi asked me, "Where do you live?"

I answered, "No. 44 Yongle Road."

He glanced at me, his gaze strange. I felt like he was smiling, but I clearly didn't see him smile.

The car stopped. He turned his head to look at me. "This is No. 44 Yongle Road. Are you sure this is your home?"

After he spoke, he got out of the car first, and I followed.

I didn't answer his question. How could I not remember my own home? I'd come back just last week during the May Day holiday.

But when I saw what was in front of me, I was stunned.

The house number was right—No. 44 Yongle Road—but it was a scrap yard.

What was going on? Shouldn't this be Green Garden Residential Area? My home was in Building 2, Unit 2, 4th Floor of Green Garden.

But right in front of me was undeniably a scrap yard, and the house number undeniably read: No. 44 Yongle Road.

It had to be Xie Yi's doing. I didn't know what tricks he was pulling, but ever since he showed up, everything felt wrong. Not just me—Eccentric Song seemed possessed too.

That guy had clearly been to my house, clearly met my parents, yet he said he hadn't, and claimed I only had a grandfather, that I'd always lived with him.

Eccentric Song? Thinking of him, I remembered he hadn't gotten out of the car yet. I walked over, pulled open the door: "Old Xie, get out!" For some reason, having him nearby made me feel steadier. Even though his behavior today annoyed me, he was still one of my own.

But the car was empty. No sign of Eccentric Song.

"Where is he?" I turned to look at Xie Yi, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and fear.

Xie Yi let out a soft sigh. "There never was any Eccentric Song. And your parents haven't been with you for a long time. Since you were twelve, your grandfather raised you. From twelve until now, you've been very withdrawn, never talking to anyone, always locking yourself in your room."

"You're lying!"

My body started shaking uncontrollably. I glared at him and shouted, "Who are you? What did you do to me? Where's my friend? Where did you take him?" As I spoke, I rushed forward and grabbed him by the collar. I felt like I was going crazy, on the verge of losing it.

"Xiao Bai, stop!" A voice reached my ears. I let go, and at the sound of it, my frantic heart slowly calmed.

The voice was familiar and gentle. It was my mom's voice.

"Mom, perfect timing, he—" I turned toward where the voice came from, but the words caught in my throat. Standing not far away wasn't my mom, but an old man. Yet I'd clearly just heard my mom's voice.

I quickly scanned around for my mom, but there were only onlookers.

I heard people in the crowd murmuring.

"Old Bai Tou's grandson is having another episode."

"Ah, who knows what kind of karma this is. Such a good kid, how did he end up like this?"

"Crazy as he is, he works hard at his studies. I hear he's at a university in the provincial capital now!"

"Even if he graduates, what good will it do? What company would hire someone with a broken mind?"

My head buzzed nonstop. I felt dizzy, and then I blacked out.

I don't know how long passed. I woke up, slowly opened my eyes, and found myself lying on a bed. Sitting beside it was that old man.

"Xiao Bai, you're awake?" The old man's face lit up with a smile when he saw me awake. I looked at him, then glanced around. The room was tiny, dimly lit, piled with junk everywhere, and there was a foul smell.

"Who are you? Why am I here?"

The old man's expression turned gloomy. "Xiao Bai, I'm your grandpa. Don't you remember me? This is our home. Haven't you lived here for the past ten years?"

I remembered what Eccentric Song had said—that I had no parents, only a grandfather I depended on. Was he talking about this old man in front of me?

But I had a home, I had parents! My home was in Green Garden Residential Area, Building 2, Unit 2, 4th Floor. My dad was Jiang Chengyue, my mom was Chen Fang!

I sat up abruptly. "Where is he? The guy who came with me—where is he?"

The old man didn't speak. I saw Xie Yi walk in from outside.

"I know you can't accept it yet, but this is reality." Xie Yi came to the bedside. The old man glanced at him, sighed, and shook his head. "Have a good talk. I'll go tidy up outside."

"Mr. Xie, I don't know who you are or what your background is, but I'm begging you—let me go, okay? Can't you just let me live quietly like before?" I pleaded with him. He was driving me insane.

Xie Yi narrowed his eyes. "Jiang Xiaobai, how long are you going to keep running? Can't you be a man and face the past bravely?"

I grabbed his arm. "I really don't know what you're talking about. I just want my old life back. Please."

Xie Yi gently brushed my hand away and said, "Jiang Xiaobai, you can pretend to forget everything that happened back then, keep living in your fantasy. But have you thought about the people at Little Ancestral Hall Entrance, the pain they're suffering right now? Including your dad and mom. Don't you want to save them?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I want to go home. I'm going home right now." With that, I jumped off the bed and rushed out the door.

I had to get to Green Garden Residential Area. If I could just get home and see my dad and mom, I could prove that this Xie guy was behind everything.

Xie Yi chased after me. The old man seemed about to stop me, but his hand only lifted halfway before he let it drop, letting me run past him.

I ran fast, but Xie Yi was faster. He grabbed me. "Where are you going?"

"I told you, I'm going home," I said through gritted teeth.

Xie Yi let go. "Fine. I'll go with you."

I ignored him and jogged forward. He stayed close behind me.

After running for a while, I stopped. I suddenly realized a problem—I had no idea where Green Garden Residential Area was, or which way to go.

Why? How could I have forgotten where my own home was?

I crouched down, clutching my head tightly with both hands. My head hurt so much; the harder I tried to remember exactly where I lived, the more it felt like it was splitting apart.

"Is your head hurting again?" Xie Yi asked me softly.

I didn't speak.

"Can't find where home is?" he asked again.

I looked up. "I remember it's Building 2, Unit 2, 4th floor in Green Garden Residential Area, but I've forgotten how to get there."

At that moment, I felt utterly helpless.

"I know the way. Come with me." Hearing this voice startled me. I looked to the side and saw Eccentric Song smiling at me. He reached out a hand to help me up.

Seeing him, I instantly calmed down. "Old Eccentric, where did you run off to?"

Eccentric Song said, "I didn't go anywhere. Haven't I been right by your side the whole time?"

I looked again at Xie Yi standing to my left. His face was calm. "Let's go."

I didn't look away. There was even a hint of defiance in my gaze. Didn't he say Eccentric Song never existed? Didn't he say Eccentric Song was just a figment of my imagination? Now he should be able to see him too—Eccentric Song was right beside me, and at this very moment, he was supporting me.

Xie Yi didn't care about my stare. I heard him let out a soft sigh.

Guided by Eccentric Song, we quickly found Green Garden Residential Area. My heart inexplicably tightened. When I reached Building 2, Unit 2, 4th floor, would I really see my parents? I truly hoped nothing else would go wrong. I couldn't take any more of this torment.

Building 2, Unit 2.

I took a deep breath and then walked up the stairs. Eccentric Song and Xie Yi followed behind me.

I wondered what that Xie Yi must be thinking right now.

Who exactly was he, and why had he latched onto me?

I felt like I had a hundred thousand whys in my heart, along with a hundred thousand horses galloping through my mind. If I could, I'd really draw a circle and curse him. Even though I'd always thought of myself as a kind person, even a rabbit bites when cornered, doesn't it?