Strange Tales

"The key point is..." Li Peiye continued in that mysterious tone, "Those two 'car thieves' who turned themselves in also told the police that they saw something strange in that abandoned warehouse where the stolen goods were stored, and they warned the police to be careful when they went there..."

Xiao Jie couldn't help but laugh, "What strange things could they see? They're not seeing ghosts, are they?"

"The police didn't see anything strange in that abandoned factory, but all three of them saw something strange in the warehouse that afternoon. Two of them turned themselves in, and one of them suddenly developed paranoia and even went to the police station with a knife to report the crime. That's really weird!" Li Peiye said.

A classmate who hadn't spoken much before suddenly asked, "Is it that abandoned old brick factory outside East Avenue?" After receiving an affirmative answer from Li Peiye, he perked up and continued, "After that factory was abandoned, there were often similar rumors. I heard about it a couple of years ago..."

After he had been talking for a while, another classmate mentioned that some supernatural events had occurred in a residential building in the city that was slated for demolition.

Soon, the group of old classmates at the table began discussing various urban legends and paranormal events, some of which happened locally, and some of which they had seen online or heard from other relatives and friends.

The discussion was very lively, and even the more timid girls listened with shining eyes.

After all, it's broad daylight, and there are many people in the wedding venue, all of whom are familiar friends. It's like listening to a story, which can alleviate fear to the greatest extent and satisfy curiosity.

Xiang Kun also adopted a "curious and attentive" attitude. In fact, from the beginning, he had already realized that the two car thieves who surrendered to the Yungang District Subbureau and the knife-wielding caller with paranoia that Li Peiye mentioned were the three car thieves he and Lao Xia had experimented with remotely invoking the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving" emotion projection and exerting a wide-ranging influence on yesterday afternoon in a warehouse in that abandoned factory area.

Although he hadn't paid attention to the three car thieves' movements after leaving the abandoned factory area yesterday afternoon, based on his observations at the time, what Li Peiye said today was within his expectations.

However, based on his observations and deductions yesterday afternoon, the tall, thin young man and the fat middle-aged man were less likely to turn themselves in; rather, the scarred man was more likely to seek help from the police.

Despite his scarred face looking the fiercest, he's actually the most timid of the three.

According to Li Peiye's account, all three men went to the police station last night. Judging from the timeline, they did not go to the police station to surrender or "report the case for help" immediately after leaving the abandoned factory area. It was not the case that they went to the police station after being frightened by the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving" in the warehouse.

These three people made their decisions for different reasons, influenced by their subsequent and ongoing emotional state.

This is directly related to their way of thinking, cognitive habits, and personal experiences. Just like the "consulting firm" and "master" who went to the police to turn himself in after a dream, after being constantly tormented by fear and self-examination, the most direct way they finally found to free themselves was to go to the police station—although the problems they ultimately wanted to solve were different.

When one feels the guilt is too deep, the burden too heavy, and one cannot bear it, turning oneself in to the police can bring a strong sense of atonement; when one feels threatened and has no one around to trust, seeking help from the police can provide a sense of security—even if one is actually a criminal.

While it may not apply to everyone, this is indeed the subconscious mindset of most people in our country.

Through the news he heard today, Xiang Kun has further refined his cognitive model of using the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving" to exert a wide-ranging projection effect, and understands the subsequent and lasting effects of this projection on emotions, and what the results will be for different people.

Like Tang Baona's maternal grandfather and uncle, who were also affected by the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving" and had dreams, as well as the General Manager Qi they met in Tongshi Town, their obsessions and fears were different, and their reactions were also different. However, according to Xiang Kun's speculation, this emotion would continue to linger and ferment further with their own wild thoughts until they found a way to alleviate and break free.

During a brief pause in their conversation, Li Peiye noticed Xiang Kun, smiled, and offered him a cigarette. "What's your name, brother?"

Everyone at their table was a high school classmate. He recognized everyone except for the bald guy with glasses, who looked unfamiliar. So he assumed they might be relatives of the groom.

As soon as he said that, everyone at the table burst into laughter. Wei Zhuo stopped Xiang Kun from answering, then patted Li Peiye on the shoulder and said, "I'll give you three chances to say his name. If you get it wrong all three times, you'll have to drink three cups by yourself when the banquet starts."

Li Peiye looked stunned. "Someone I know?" Then she stared blankly at Xiang Kun for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed, "Holy crap! Xiang Kun?!"

Completely shocked by Xiang Kun's changed appearance, Li Peiye eagerly ran over and switched seats with a classmate, sitting next to Xiang Kun: "Xiang Kun, I remember you're a programmer, writing code or something, right? Did you... overuse your brain and wear down your hair? Or did you deliberately shave your head to make it easier to dissipate heat and show off your big shot status?"

Xiang Kun remained reticent. "They just fell off naturally."

"What kind of software does your company mainly develop? Do you make ERP software or MES systems for clothing and footwear factories?" Li Peiye asked.

Xiang Kun replied, "Our company doesn't do this, and I'm no longer in this industry. I came back and invested in a small restaurant with someone."

"Going into the restaurant industry? That's great! When will it open? I'll have to try it out sometime," a classmate nearby remarked.

"It's not in Citong, it's in Tongshi Town, Jianzhou City. It's under renovation right now, so we're not sure when it will open yet," Xiang Kun said.

"Why open a restaurant in that remote Tongshi Town? Wouldn't there be a bigger flow of people in Citong?" the classmate asked curiously.

Li Peiye said, "Hey, don't underestimate Tongshi Town. I recently heard some news that the higher-ups are planning to vigorously develop and build Tongshi Town."

Wei Zhuo asked, puzzled, "Develop Tongshi Town vigorously? From which direction? Tourism? That seems to be quite close to the Wushu Mountain Scenic Area."

"I don't know the specifics, but I do know that several bigwigs in the province have been paying attention to Tongshi Town recently. Those people are all well-informed, so there must be a reason why they are paying attention to Tongshi Town," Li Peiye said mysteriously.

Wei Zhuo laughed and said, "Then wouldn't it be possible to make a fortune if we took the opportunity to go and stock up on some real estate?"

Li Peiye shook her head. "I wouldn't recommend it. It's still uncertain what industries will be supported, what policies will be given, and the timing is also unknown. There's no need for ordinary people like us to get involved; the risk is too great."

"Peipei, are you even an ordinary person? Didn't you claim to be worth billions?" someone joked.

"Yes, a net worth of billions! Indonesian rupiah!" Li Peiye was saying when she suddenly saw a rather thin-looking middle-aged man walk into the wedding venue. She got up to go over and greet him, saying to the other classmates, "I saw an old client and an elder, I'll go over and chat for a bit."

Xiang Kun's position was with his back to the entrance, but he didn't need to turn around to spot the thin, middle-aged man who entered earlier than Li Peiye —it was Chu Xiuwen, whom he had bumped into at the hospital yesterday morning.

I didn't expect him to attend the wedding.

From the conversation between Chu Xiuwen and the person who accompanied him into the venue, Xiang Kun deduced that Chu Xiuwen must have been invited by the groom's father.

Xiang Kun didn't take the initiative to go over and greet him. He didn't want to ruin the "persona" he had maintained so far. Anyway, the two tables were a bit far apart, and Chu Xiuwen might not be able to see him. And given where he was sitting, it was normal that he couldn't see Chu Xiuwen either.

Unexpectedly, Li Peiye took the initiative to go over and greet Chu Xiuwen, and then pointed to his location, telling Chu Xiuwen that an old classmate was also going to open a restaurant in Tongshi Town, and asked him to take good care of him.

Upon hearing this conversation, Xiang Kun, though his back was turned, immediately knew that Chu Xiuwen's gaze had fallen on his back and then noticed his bald head.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Chu Xiuwen asked, "Manager Li, your classmate's surname isn't Xiang, is it?"

"Huh? Mr. Chu, you know Xiang Kun?" Li Peiye asked, quite surprised.

"Xiang Kun is... um... I've had dinner with him."

Then Chu Xiuwen followed Li Peiye over, and upon reaching Xiang Kun's side, he said with surprise and delight, "It really is Brother Xiang! I didn't expect to run into you here. You, the groom, and Manager Li are all classmates?"

Xiang Kun had no choice but to stand up, also feigning surprise and delight. "Yes, we're classmates. I never expected to run into you here, what a coincidence, Brother Chu."

"Let's have a good drink later. Oh, by the way, if you don't drink alcohol, tea or a soft drink is fine too," Chu Xiuwen said with a smile. He then chatted with Xiang Kun for a while before returning to his seat.

"Why does this 'Brother Chu' seem to be trying to curry favor with Xiang Kun?" Xiao Jie whispered to her husband beside her.

Wei Zhuo whispered, "It shouldn't be flattery, but he does seem a bit nervous, like he's afraid of Xiang Kun? Strange. He even went over to greet Pei Pei's client and elder. He must be a CEO-level figure, right? Strange..."

What surprised them even more was that, not long after the newlyweds entered and the banquet began, the "President Chu" that Li Peiye had mentioned actually took the initiative to bring a glass of wine over to toast Xiang Kun. Moreover, it was he who brought a glass of baijiu (Chinese liquor), while Xiang Kun only had a glass of plain water that he had asked the waiter for.

While the others at the table were still puzzled, Li Peiye, who had some understanding of Chu Xiuwen's usual style and personality, was shocked.

He knew very well that although Chu Xiuwen didn't have any impressive titles and his businesses were all small, and many people thought he was just a small-time tycoon in Tongshi Town, he actually had a wide network of connections and even had some influence in the provincial capital.

Moreover, Chu Xiuwen always acted like a "Confucian businessman," with a touch of arrogance in his bones. On several occasions when they appeared together at social events, regardless of whether the people were of higher or lower status than him, I had never seen him put himself in such a humble manner.

After Chu Xiuwen finished drinking and returned home, Li Peiye couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Xiang Kun, what's your relationship with President Chu?"

Xiang Kun had just heard Chu Xiuwen's statement, so he continued, "When I went to Tongshi Town before, I had a meal with some mutual friends."

Li Peiye nodded thoughtfully, guessing that Xiang Kun's friend must be a very powerful person, so Chu Xiuwen's attitude must be because of Xiang Kun's friend.

In fact, Xiang Kun also had a slight doubt. He knew that Chu Xiuwen would be more polite to him because of Liu Feibao and Liu Caifu, but today's attitude was obviously different from when they met by chance yesterday.

While there might be a reason—perhaps Chu Xiuwen was being diplomatic and deliberately trying to give him "face" in front of his classmates— Xiang Kun's keen observation and perception could clearly sense that Chu Xiuwen harbored a subtle fear, or perhaps even awe, towards him.

What is the reason for this?

His first thought was of the doctor he'd seen giving first aid to the elderly man at the station entrance, the one he'd seen sitting in Chu Xiuwen's car yesterday. Had that doctor recognized him and then told Chu Xiuwen?

Even if Chu Xiuwen knew that the old man who fell ill at the station was rescued thanks to him, shouldn't he still have this attitude? This factor alone is not enough to make him have such an attitude.

After toasting Xiang Kun, Chu Xiuwen returned to his seat. Reflecting on his performance and Xiang Kun's attitude, he couldn't help but wonder if he had overdone it. Perhaps he had gone too far? But some reactions were truly subconscious.

When the guests nearby asked him who was offering the toast, he simply replied, "A friend I know," without any intention of introducing them.

Upon seeing Xiang Kun, he couldn't help but recall the words Old Master Guo had spoken after waking up when he and Guo Lin visited his father, Old Master Guo, on the evening of the 29th.

At the time, Old Master Guo said that while he was in a coma, he "saw" a "gatekeeper" with many arms. He "saw" the entrance to another world and felt extremely scared, a fear he had never felt before.

Neither Chu Xiuwen nor Guo Lin took Old Master Guo too seriously, thinking that it was understandable for the old man to have some hallucinations after his brush with death.

But yesterday at the hospital entrance, Dr. Zhou Yiqing recognized Xiang Kun's coat. He also learned that Xiang Kun's return time to Citong met the criteria. After deducing that Xiang Kun might be the one who saved Old Master Guo at the station entrance, he couldn't help but think of what Liu Feibao had secretly told him when they were drinking together.

When President Qi encountered Xiang Kun before, it seemed like he was frightened by something.

Whether it's Old Master Guo or Qi Haoguo, they are both outstanding individuals who have weathered many storms. Such people are not easily intimidated or frightened.

Could it be that they really saw something?

And it was Xiang Kun who showed them these things?