Seeking Sister's Help

"Never mind if there are any problems, but these sixty-odd yuan were worth it," Zhang Chen looked at the remaining thirty-odd yuan in his hand.

"First, it's basically certain that Xie Wen shouldn't have any major issues, and she's also a victim. The real culprit must be behind the scenes, possibly Xie Wen's husband."

"Second, besides me, it seems there are others similar to me. The Faceless Man Xie Wen mentioned should be the ghost I encountered last time. What does his appearance signify? Is he warning me that there's something very powerful in that room and I shouldn't interfere, perhaps because he discovered my similarity to him?"

"Third, from Xie Wen's statement that she must return to that house before 9 PM every night, the ghost behind the scenes must have died in that house."

"Finally, the ghost doesn't kill immediately. Instead, it uses some method to turn a person's fingernails red, one more each day. After ten days, they will die. Why doesn't he just kill people directly? Is it to savor the despair of the dying? There must be another reason. If that's the case, I only have nine days left for Wang Yizhi."

Zhang Chen didn't consider the small pouch; he had to calculate based on truly safe time.

"But upon closer thought, there are still many things that don't add up. According to Xie Wen, the person who killed or forced her boyfriend to his death can basically be identified as Xie Wen's brother. So after her boyfriend died, he was fixated on their seven-year love entanglement and his resentment towards Xie Wen's brother for separating them, and he took revenge on Xie Wen's brother. Meanwhile, her parents and others were unharmed."

"The reason I can't figure it out is why would they harm Wang Yizhi? She has absolutely no connection to them. Could it be because she moved into that house? But Xie Wen knew there were problems in the house and still brought her beloved cousin to live there."

Zhang Chen felt that some parts were still unclear. He glanced at his watch; it was already 8:40.

"Tonight, I can only let Wang Yizhi sleep at her sister's place. Where else can I take her? To my place? Impossible, my home only has two bedrooms. Rent a hotel? Forget it, not to mention anything else, where's the money? Tonight, with the pouch from Master Pu Hu, the problem shouldn't be too big." Zhang Chen shook his head helplessly.

"To understand this matter clearly, I still need to do some research. It seems I have to ask my elder sister for help."

Zhang Chen sighed and rode his bike towards the school.

At the morgue of Jinxi County Central Hospital

A man with a hooked nose, wearing a police uniform, was searching for something in a morgue. Upon closer inspection, this was the same person who had stood on the eleventh floor of the police station observing when Zhang Chen killed the mother and son ghosts at his home six months ago.

"Found it," the man seemed to have found something. He stopped in front of a morgue drawer, reached out with one hand, and pulled out the cold morgue drawer in front of him. A white body bag lay in front of the hooked-nosed man. Without any hesitation, the man pulled open the body bag.

The corpse in this bag was none other than the 'Faceless Man.' The hooked-nosed man raised his right hand, held it a small distance above the man's body, and slowly moved it downwards from the 'Faceless Man's' head. During this process, white filaments continuously seeped out from the deceased's body and merged into the hooked-nosed man's palm.

In less than five minutes, the process was over. The man zipped up the body bag, restoring everything. He then spoke to a corner in the darkness.

"Old monk, this person is not much worse than us. Are you sure you want that kid to handle it alone? He might not have figured things out yet and won't even know how he died later."

At this moment, a person slowly emerged from the corner. It was Pu Hu.

"A protected seedling can never grow into a towering tree. Ding Jian, I hope you understand what I mean." After Pu Hu finished speaking, his eyes turned red, emitting wisps of red light.

"It's not that I'm afraid of you, old monk. If it weren't for the favor I owe you from last time, I wouldn't be willing to let go of such a great supplement. Let's be clear, that thing is definitely intermediate, and it seems it can evolve continuously through some method. If that kid dies by its hand, the situation would be unimaginable. When the higher-ups investigate, it will be solely your responsibility."

"This old monk will naturally not let such a thing happen. If Zhang Chen dies, I will immediately step in and eliminate it. You don't need to worry about that."

Pu Hu's voice carried a hint of authority as he said this. The man called 'Ding Jian' seemed to recall past events, and a trace of apprehension flashed in his eyes. Without another word, he turned and walked out of the hospital. Pu Hu slowly melted back into the darkness, disappearing without a trace.

In the self-study classroom of Class 3, Grade 9, Wang Yizhi stared at the book in front of her, but her hands kept rubbing together, showing her anxiety.

"Ring~~~~" As the bell rang, Wang Yizhi immediately stood up and quickly packed her schoolbag.

This action shocked Fatty Tan beside her. He quickly said to Wang Yizhi, "Sister-in-law, Chen Ge just didn't come to evening self-study. Lu Ba said Chen Ge took leave, he wasn't absent without permission. Why are you so nervous?"

Wang Yizhi didn't bother with what Fatty Tan was saying. She packed her bag and hurried out of the classroom towards the school gate.

Zhang Chen had already arrived at the school gate by bike. He saw Wang Yizhi running towards the school gate with a worried expression on her face. Zhang Chen felt a happiness he had never experienced before. A goddess he had only admired from afar, someone he couldn't touch, and with whom he couldn't even communicate when he first entered junior high, was now so worried about him.

"If I can't even protect Yizhi properly, what else can I do well?"

Seeing Zhang Chen on the bicycle at the school gate, Wang Yizhi stopped running. She put her hands behind her back and walked over slowly. She stared at Zhang Chen for a long time and said, "Remember what you said, you have to tell me everything."

"Okay, boss. You get on the bike first, and I'll slowly tell you everything on the way," Zhang Chen replied very respectfully.

Wang Yizhi covered her mouth and laughed continuously. After getting on the bike, she hugged Zhang Chen's waist and leaned her head gently against Zhang Chen's back. Zhang Chen in front smiled faintly and slowly pedaled the bicycle.

"Yizhi, if I told you that ghosts exist in this world, would you believe me?" Zhang Chen asked softly as he rode the bike.

"I believe it, but I haven't seen one," Wang Yizhi replied casually, not knowing why Zhang Chen was saying this.

Zhang Chen grabbed Wang Yizhi's right hand and slowly moved it up from her waist to her chest.

"Yizhi, are you scared?" Zhang Chen released Wang Yizhi's hand, and her right hand was pressed against Zhang Chen's cold chest.

Zhang Chen could feel that Wang Yizhi's head was still leaning against his back.

"Why should I be scared?" Wang Yizhi said.

"Aren't you afraid I'm a ghost?" Zhang Chen asked.

"Even if you are, you're still a ghost that's very good to Wang Yizhi," Wang Yizhi said.

Zhang Chen started crying. Tears flowed down his cheeks and dripped onto Wang Yizhi's hand. Wang Yizhi behind him hugged Zhang Chen tightly.

"I was just kidding. What ghost can shed tears? It's just that I'm special and can see them," Zhang Chen wiped his tears and continued, "Your cousin's family has problems, so I asked for leave tonight to meet your cousin and ask some questions."

"What's wrong with my cousin?" Wang Yizhi said gently from behind.

Zhang Chen told Wang Yizhi what Xie Wen had told him, as well as the matter of the red fingernails.

Wang Yizhi behind him was silent for a long time, then she hugged Zhang Chen tightly and said, "You mean, I only have nine days left to live?"

Zhang Chen quickly grabbed Wang Yizhi's hand and said, "Silly girl, you'll live to be 100. Believe me, I'll protect you."

In front of the white building, after Zhang Chen escorted Wang Yizhi here, Wang Yizhi said something.

"Oh right, Zhang Chen, you said the nail on my pinky finger is red, why can't I see it?"

"What! You can't see it?" Zhang Chen quickly turned his head to stare at Wang Yizhi's little finger. Due to the small pouch, although the red nail was faint, it was still quite alluring.

"Yeah, if I could see it, I would have noticed this morning," Wang Yizhi said.

Could it be that Xie Wen lied to me? Did she only lie about this, or is she lying about everything? That doesn't make sense, why would she lie to me? She saw my ability, wouldn't she think I could help her escape this nightmare? Is it just because Wang Yizhi is special that she can't see it? Zhang Chen stood there thinking for a long time.

"Hey, Zhang Chen," Wang Yizhi, seeing Zhang Chen standing still, called out softly.

Zhang Chen snapped back to attention and said, "In any case, you must keep that small pouch I gave you on at all times, even when you sleep."

After speaking, Zhang Chen pointed to the small pouch on Wang Yizhi's wrist. Seeing Wang Yizhi nod, he then led her towards Xie Wen's house.

Xie Wen greeted them as usual. Zhang Chen didn't plan to go inside and sit. It wouldn't be good if something happened and Wang Yizhi got involved. Now that Wang Yizhi had a protective charm, Zhang Chen just needed to wait until tomorrow to see how things turned out.

After Zhang Chen saw Wang Yizhi enter the house, he grabbed Xie Wen and asked in a low voice, "What's your boyfriend's name?"

"Yang Zi," Xie Wen replied before closing the door.

"Yang Zi, Yang Zi..." Zhang Chen muttered twice, then walked out of the hallway. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. Shortly after, the call was answered.

"You damn brat, you finally decided to call your big sister!" a voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Oh, I've been busy with my studies in junior high, see, I'm calling you now," Zhang Chen said in a low, submissive tone.

"I know you wouldn't call unless it's for something important. Just tell me what it is quickly. I'm in a good mood today," the voice on the other end said.

"Sis, I've never seriously asked you for anything since I was little. Today is the first time I'm asking," Zhang Chen's voice became serious.

"Just say it, don't beat around the bush."

"Can you ask Auntie to help me find someone to investigate a person named 'Yang Zi'? And if possible, also investigate someone named 'Xie Wen'. I'll text you their names and relevant information later. Sis, my life is in your hands. I need your reply as soon as possible, preferably within three days," Zhang Chen said seriously.

"I thought you got caught picking up a prostitute. What's the big deal? I'll get it done for you in two days. I'm hanging up if there's nothing else," the voice on the phone said dismissively.

"Noth—" Before Zhang Chen could finish, the call was hung up. This was also why Zhang Chen wasn't very keen on asking his sister for help.

The "sister" Zhang Chen mentioned was actually his cousin, his aunt's daughter, whose real name was Wei Na. Both were only children, so their relationship was like that of biological siblings. This sister had always liked to tease Zhang Chen since they were young, often making him the butt of her jokes. However, if Zhang Chen ever needed help, she would help him without a second thought and cared about him deeply, which Zhang Chen knew. He just didn't like how his sister always teased him.

The reason he sought his sister's help was naturally because his sister's mother, his aunt, was the chief prosecutor of Jinxi County's Procuratorate. His aunt would handle whatever his sister asked her to do.

After hanging up, Zhang Chen squatted back in his original spot.

I originally wanted to go back early, but I'll just stay here until Yizhi falls asleep before leaving. I told her so many things today; an ordinary person couldn't handle it. I'll just wait.

"Beep, beep, beep..." Just as Zhang Chen finished thinking, a phone rang.