Heavy Concerns

Hearing Fatty's words, I hesitated myself.

Qing Ye's Ye Qing only said the kimono was old, having had several owners, and might just be heavy with yin energy, but never that it killed people. If they couldn't see anything wrong, what could I, an ordinary citizen, know?

Yet, for some reason, the moment I saw Chen Xiaoqiu turn around in the video, a chill seemed to blow down my back, raising goosebumps all over me and breaking me out in a cold sweat. It instantly reminded me of the photo Qing Ye took, and the strange sight I saw that night.

I looked down at the photo again. There were no people standing on either side of the cherry blossom tree. The figure I saw that day seemed to have been a mere illusion caused by my own eyes.

"Brother Qi, you're overthinking it, aren't you? Besides, the clothes are burnt, it can't be the same one," Fatty said, patting me reassuringly.

Skinny nodded vigorously in support of Fatty.

My thought was indeed far-fetched, and even I wasn't entirely convinced.

Although I had read the files and believed the clients weren't lying, the people from Qing Ye themselves had said that what some people perceive as supernatural events might just be due to their poor mental state or other reasons, mistaking things for ghosts. I'd never seen a ghost in my life, so I naturally harbored doubts about their existence. Even if I got invested in a ghost story, if I encountered something myself, I wouldn't immediately think "ghost" but would look for other explanations.

The most reasonable explanation for Chen Xiaoqiu's illness wasn't that the kimono was possessed, but that she was too hard on herself, working three jobs and collapsing from exhaustion.

Fatty didn't believe it, Skinny didn't want to believe it, Guo Yujie had no strong opinion. After a moment of hesitation, I returned the phone to Skinny and closed the Qing Ye file.

"I'll ask Chen Xiaoqiu when she gets here," I said.

Chen Xiaoqiu came to work the next day. This time, we all noticed her makeup was much heavier than the day before, likely an attempt to hide her sallow complexion.

I spoke with Chen Xiaoqiu, advising her not to push herself so hard and to put the Qingzhou Manufacturing Bureau matter aside for now. Chen Xiaoqiu wasn't ungrateful, and perhaps her family had spoken to her yesterday. When I suggested this, she readily agreed.

The three of them, Fatty, Skinny, and Guo Yujie, pretended to work, their ears perked up, listening to our conversation.

I glanced at them, cleared my throat awkwardly, "Uh, Chen Xiaoqiu, A Rui saw an advertisement online yesterday for a play at the drama academy."

Skinny stopped pretending and turned, glaring at me and gesturing wildly.

Chen Xiaoqiu, with her back to Skinny, couldn't see him and didn't turn around. She assured me, "That matter won't interfere with my work."

"Oh, oh... then don't overwork yourself either," I said, finding it difficult to bring up the real topic.

If it were someone from Qing Ye, I could probably have easily lied to ask about the kimono. But I didn't know how to steer the conversation toward it. Asking directly would seem like I believed the kimono was haunted. But if I didn't ask, and something truly happened to Chen Xiaoqiu, how guilty would I feel?

Guo Yujie, that silly big sister, didn't have such reservations. She sat in front of me, turned around, and asked Chen Xiaoqiu, "Xiaoqiu, that kimono of yours is so beautiful. Is it a costume from the drama academy?"

"Yes," Chen Xiaoqiu replied concisely.

"Where did you buy it? I want one too," Guo Yujie blinked her eyes.

The three of us men looked at Guo Yujie in unison, our gazes conveying the same thought: If this woman were to buy a kimono, pigs would fly! It was too far-fetched, even for a lie!

Chen Xiaoqiu, whether due to her serious nature or because she hadn't seen through Guo Yujie's true colors in just over a day, answered earnestly, "I don't know either."

"Can you help me ask?" Guo Yujie continued to blink innocently.

"Okay," Chen Xiaoqiu agreed.

Guo Yujie thanked her with a smile and secretly gave me a "V" sign, followed by a look of disdain.

With Chen Xiaoqiu back at work, we got serious again today. At noon, Guo Yujie dragged Chen Xiaoqiu to lunch together, and the office atmosphere wasn't as tense as the first day.

Chen Xiaoqiu was incredibly efficient. The very next day, she gave Guo Yujie a reply.

"That kimono was bought online by a senior who graduated from the drama club. It's quite old, so the store can't be found anymore."

"Is that so..." Guo Yujie didn't know if this answer was useful to me, so she looked at me.

I also didn't know what to do in this situation. Investigate further? Or not? It all came back to the question of belief.

Unable to make up my mind, I let the matter slide for the time being.

When Chen Xiaoqiu went to the restroom, Guo Yujie nudged me and then pushed me out of my chair.

"What's wrong with you? What do you want?" Guo Yujie was straightforward and didn't like indecisiveness.

I got up, muttering, "You wouldn't understand."

"Wouldn't understand what? You just read a few case files from the agency, what did they say to scare you?" Guo Yujie reached for the files on my desk.

I raised my hand to stop her. "Alright, you don't need to worry about this."

"What do you mean, don't worry about it? Xiaoqiu is wearing that kimono! If there's really a problem, won't it harm her?" Guo Yujie exclaimed.

Fatty smoothed things over. "Brother Qi, this isn't like you. What are you worried about?"

Worried about what? I frowned. It was just a hunch. If I took this step, I wouldn't be able to go back, and my current leisurely and peaceful life would be over. But it was completely illogical. Even if the kimono had a problem, would I become like Qing Ye, taking on cases and solving supernatural incidents?

"How about this, we tell Chen Xiaoqiu about this and let her decide. Even if there's a problem with the clothes, we can't solve it. Things like this need to be handled by a temple, right?" Skinny suggested.

"Tell me what?" Chen Xiaoqiu stood at the doorway.

The four of us fell silent for two seconds. Guo Yujie, quick to speak, explained everything.

Chen Xiaoqiu didn't show any unusual expression. After listening to Guo Yujie, she looked at me. "Can I see that photo?"

I pulled the photo out of the file.

Chen Xiaoqiu examined it carefully and then put it down. "It's the exact same kimono."

"Huh?" The four of us were stunned.

"That kimono must be a historical artifact, hand-sewn. It seems the drama club members don't know this and didn't preserve it properly, but the kimono itself is perfect, with no damage," Chen Xiaoqiu said.

"You... you feel there's something wrong with that kimono?" I asked, filled with disbelief and apprehension.

Chen Xiaoqiu nodded.

The office fell into a strange, dead silence.

"Then why are you still wearing it?" the skinny guy broke the silence, staring at Chen Xiaoqiu in disbelief.

"The drama club doesn't have any other clothes. Even if I suspected it was stolen goods, I have no proof," Chen Xiaoqiu said calmly.

The skinny guy was speechless.

Only then did I understand that my "problem" and Chen Xiaoqiu's understanding of "problem" were entirely different concepts.