"How did you get these letters?"
"When I got home from work, they were all stuffed into my door." Xiang Nuan's mother still hadn't realized how serious the situation was. Holding the box, she thought it was just a prank. "I was startled when I saw so many envelopes. I wanted to ask the neighbors about them, but no one was willing to say anything."
"Of course they wouldn't tell you. They're the ones who sent you those letters."
"But why would they do that?" A change came over Xiang Nuan's mother's voice. "I'll go ask them what's going on. If they really want Xiang Nuan and me to leave, we can move."
"What if they want Xiang Nuan dead?" Chen Ge hadn't touched the box of envelopes. He spoke with utmost seriousness.
"Dead?" Xiang Nuan's mother sucked in a sharp breath. She hadn't expected Chen Ge to use such an extreme word. "That's impossible. We're all neighbors. Even if there's a disagreement, it wouldn't go that far."
"I used to think that way too, but after going through some things, I gradually changed my mind. Human nature is complicated. You can never guess what people are thinking when all you can see is the skin they wear." Chen Ge's voice was low and somewhat frightening. "Every death notice here represents malice and a curse. Xiang Nuan's sudden illness could be connected to them."
"Then I'll burn all the letters."
"That won't help." Chen Ge knew perfectly well that No-Smile's Curse wouldn't disappear just because the envelopes were burned. The curse had probably already taken effect when the letter was slipped under Xiang Nuan's door. "Tonight will be a hard one."
Seeing so many envelopes, Chen Ge couldn't help thinking that Xiang Nuan had little chance of surviving the night.