The Mysterious Grocery Store

Under the dim shade of the trees, Gu Jianlin darkened his face and corrected her: "First of all, I didn't buy the thing you think I bought. Secondly, you need to remember that we are siblings."

"Is that so?"

Su Youzhu took a sip of brown sugar water, looking significantly more comfortable than before. She lifted her long, curled eyelashes and said faintly, "But we aren't blood-related, and we aren't on the same household registration."

Gu Jianlin was left speechless by her words. Upon closer reflection, it seemed that was indeed the case.

The two of them didn't even qualify as legal kin; in essence, this so-called sibling relationship was no different from playing house.

"What goes through your head every day?"

He glanced at the time on his phone: "Let's go get something to eat outside. The school will be locked down in a little while."

Su Youzhu hesitated for a second, then pursed her cherry lips and stood up. A gust of cold wind blew by, and she visibly shivered.

Gu Jianlin looked at her petite, slender frame and had no choice but to take off his own coat and drape it over her.

Standing at one meter eighty-five, his coat was naturally oversized, wrapping her up completely and making her look adorable and cute.

Su Youzhu froze, her gaze toward him becoming even stranger.

Hmph, and he says he's not trying to win favor.

She carefully sniffed the scent on the coat; it actually smelled quite nice.

"Next time you run into something like this, remember to call me."

Gu Jianlin glanced at her, speaking casually.

Logically speaking, when it came to things like menstrual cycles, most girls had best friends. Even if they weren't prepared themselves, they could just find a friend to help out; they wouldn't end up huddled on a chair in such distress.

It was just that Su Youzhu didn't seem to be very popular at school.

Or more accurately, she wasn't well-liked among the girls.

Most boys couldn't understand that the social circles of girls were actually much more complex. This phenomenon had always existed; it was just that conflicts were rarely brought out into the open.

This created the illusion that everyone got along well at first glance.

But if one observed carefully, it was easy to spot.

Even though their class, Grade 12 Class 7, was a reorganized class.

In any circle, people didn't like the one who was too much of an outlier.

Su Youzhu was the classic example of that outlier. Her grades weren't good, but her looks were incredibly striking, and she had already learned how to dress herself. Over two-thirds of the boys in the school had pined after her at some point.

Coupled with her solitary personality and her reluctance to speak, even in the boys' circles, everyone had gradually given up because she was too difficult to approach or pursue.

Of course, Gu Jianlin had only just realized this recently; he had been indifferent to school affairs before.

"I just came out to the restroom to tidy up."

Su Youzhu lifted her delicate, porcelain-like face and shook her phone, which had a black screen: "My phone just happened to run out of battery."

Gu Jianlin gave a hum and led her toward the school exit.

The two siblings walked across the dimly lit basketball court and track, brushing past various classmates.

Many people saw them walking together and cast surprised looks their way.

"They seem to have misunderstood something," Gu Jianlin said suddenly. "Do you mind?"

The fact that they had accidentally become siblings had never been told to anyone, including school leaders and teachers.

Walking together, it was easy to be mistaken for a couple.

Su Youzhu showed no expression and said calmly, "Why would I mind? I don't plan on finding a boyfriend anyway. It's you who should worry; walking so close to me will make it hard for you to find a girlfriend."

Gu Jianlin shook his head indifferently: "I don't have any plans for that either."

Su Youzhu raised her eyes and glanced at the boy.

In truth, she had her own reasons for not dating.

Don't let the fact that Fengcheng No. 2 High School was the best in the city fool you; having good grades didn't conflict with teenage rebellion. Many people in the school seemed to play harder than anyone else, but the moment they sat back down in the classroom, they would start grinding through practice problems like their lives depended on it.

Gu Jianlin was different. He seemed to have no desires. He always dressed simply and cleanly, didn't get close to anyone around him, wasn't keen on any particular hobbies, and never sought out or participated in school positions or activities.

Occasionally, one could see him reading in the library, staring blankly at a spot, or shooting hoops alone.

Even when he played games, it was just to earn some money as a booster.

Before Su Youzhu lived with him, several girls in her dorm had wanted to pursue him. She would often hear updates about him, but the conversations always ended with a two-word conclusion:

Boring.

Su Youzhu had initially thought those girls just didn't understand him.

Many people were one way on the surface and another in private.

However, ever since she saw him at the hospital, she knew her roommates were right.

Whether he was in a coma or later, when he woke up, the thing he did most was stare out the window in a daze, his eyes completely hollow. After being discharged, aside from being busy with his father's affairs, he was impossibly well-behaved.

It was hard to imagine that such a strange person could exist in this world.

Other than sensing that he wasn't happy, you couldn't guess anything else about him.

Gu Jianlin didn't know what the girl beside him was thinking. As soon as they stepped out of the school gate, they saw the snack street across the way, brightly lit and packed with people, a rich aroma wafting toward them.

The street was bustling with people, including many who wore school uniforms but were clearly not students.

He performed a simple profile analysis and picked out seven or eight of them.

"What do you want to eat?" he asked, turning his head.

Gu Jianlin realized there might be danger in the near future, so they needed to head back early after eating.

Su Youzhu thought about it seriously: "Anything is fine, I want something hot."

Gu Jianlin nodded: "Then let's have Wild Wonton."

The wonton stalls in Feng City were considered one of the features of the old town.

Many years ago, before his parents divorced, his father often took him to the small stall downstairs for a late-night snack—two bowls of wonton with a plate of barbecue. They would eat until two in the morning before his mother dragged them home.

Thinking about it made him nostalgic.

The Wild Wonton stall across the street was quite authentic. There were many people queuing at the entrance; they would have to wait at least ten minutes.

While waiting in line, Gu Jianlin saw the girl frown in pain again.

He sighed: "Should we go buy a heat patch first?"

Su Youzhu was stunned at his words and said faintly: "You even know about this? You're quite experienced."

Gu Jianlin kept a straight face: "Even elementary school students know how to use Baidu these days."

He habitually walked toward the left side of the snack street, where there was a 24-hour convenience store.

But just as he reached the entrance, he discovered that the store had actually gone out of business and changed owners!

The original convenience store was gone for some reason, replaced by a grocery store.

It didn't even have a name.

Gu Jianlin was a bit surprised; that convenience store had clearly been there two days ago.

The grocery store was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, which smelled quite expensive. The surroundings were lined with old-fashioned shelves that looked like they had been used for many years, though the goods were brand new.

The interior decor was also completely different from before, carrying a sense of age. The mottled walls faintly exuded a feeling of history, and the walls were covered with many calligraphies and paintings, some even covered in dust.

This didn't look like a new store at all.

"Welcome, you two," someone said with a smile.

It was a man in a suit, his hair slicked back neatly. His features were full and defined, and his eyes were gentle and profound. At first glance, he felt like a nobleman from a British drama or a business tycoon.

He stood in front of the counter, his smile full of affinity.

Behind the counter was an old-fashioned antique cabinet filled with all sorts of curious little trinkets: Guanyin statues, large golden toads, pairs of jade thumb rings, blue-and-white porcelain vases, and bronze wine cups.

An old man sitting in a wheelchair was listening to crosstalk on the radio, fiddling with six copper coins on the counter.

Wreaths of agarwood incense drifted silently.

On the store counter lay an ancient clay tablet that looked quite old, dark and heavy.

A young man in a white suit stood before the counter, staring at the clay tablet for a long time before turning away with regret: "Let's go."

"You're not looking anymore?" asked a beautiful blonde girl.

"I can't see anything, and my brother can't either." The young man in the white suit shook his head, bowed deeply to the old man, and turned to leave.

The beautiful blonde girl also bowed and turned to leave.

A Maybach was parked on the side of the street; after the two of them got in, they drove away.

Gu Jianlin frowned, instinctively feeling that something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" Su Youzhu asked from behind.

Gu Jianlin shook his head calmly, because he discovered that this grocery store was not simple.

At least, they were very wealthy.

Because he had just performed a quick profile, those curious antiques gave him a sense of long, distant history.

Most of them were likely authentic.

As for the two people in the store, he couldn't see through them either.

Their characteristics were too numerous to count, dazzlingly complex.

However, most people in this world were too simple—no thoughts of their own, fixed jobs and lives, unremarkable experiences, and extremely obvious characteristics, like a single page of a resume, clear at a glance.

But some people were different, like an obscure and difficult book, hiding too many joys and sorrows within.

They were hard to read.

It wasn't that Gu Jianlin hadn't seen people he couldn't read at first glance, but the aura of the two people in the grocery store was very special.

"How can I help you?" The man maintained his kind smile.

Gu Jianlin came back to his senses and said: "Sorry, three packs of heat patches."

The man smiled: "Certainly, that will be fifteen yuan. I'll go get them for you."

After saying that, he turned and walked away.

Gu Jianlin took out his phone to scan the payment code, continuing to look around the store, feeling that it was all very strange.

"Is something the matter?" Su Youzhu noticed his expression was off.

"It's nothing. Let's eat and go back to sleep early," Gu Jianlin reminded her.

From beginning to end, the old man at the counter never looked up, staring intently at the six copper coins.

He didn't know what he was looking at.

At this moment, noisy commotion erupted on the street outside, and the red and blue lights of police cars flashed by.

"Make way, everyone make way!"

A fat boy in a school uniform walked at the very front, cursing: "What the hell, so unlucky! Stop looking, everyone, get back to school! Are you looking for a beating? I'm talking to you!"

The person pointed randomly into the crowd, and several students shrank their heads and hurried away.

Gu Jianlin frowned. He knew this person—the wealthiest second-generation rich kid in school and a notorious school bully.

He supposedly couldn't even get into Fengcheng No. 2 High School on his own merits; it was said his family spent a lot of money to get him in.

"Damn it, don't let me catch that bastard! There are more and more perverts these days."

The fat boy looked back, his expression changing as if he were suppressing a wave of nausea: "Ugh..."

He retched a few times, then looked up and saw the grocery store, hurrying inside.

"Boss, I'm taking a few bottles of water!"

The fat boy slapped ten yuan onto the counter, headed straight for the refrigerator to grab a few drinks, and chugged them down.

Only after downing three bottles did he notice the man and woman at the counter.

"Yo, isn't this Brother Lin!"

The fat boy's eyes lit up: "Bringing your girlfriend out? Good heavens, she's so pretty!"

Gu Jianlin was stunned for a moment.

"It's me, Cheng Youyu!" Cheng Youyu said hurriedly: "Don't recognize me? I've even copied your test papers before!"

Gu Jianlin did indeed have some history with this fat boy.

During one centralized exam, this guy sat next to him and managed to copy half of his test paper before being dragged away by the proctor.

But he was still very polite toward Gu Jianlin.

After all, aside from his good grades, Gu Jianlin had no presence in school, and if anyone was lucky enough to be seated near him during an exam, he would generously help out, thus forging a good connection.

"Long time no see," Gu Jianlin said politely.

Su Youzhu, on the other hand, acted very cold, clearly not wanting to talk.

"Good to remember, good to remember." Cheng Youyu rubbed his hands and said with a smile: "About that, for this month's mock exam, I'm counting on you."

Gu Jianlin's expression was strange: "Sure, if we get assigned to the same room."

Cheng Youyu beamed with joy: "With Brother Lin's word, I can rest easy!"

At this moment, the police car outside drove by slowly, followed by several investigators carrying transparent trash bags.

Inside the trash bags were, shockingly, the carcasses of cats and dogs.

"What's going on over there?"

Gu Jianlin asked curiously.

Su Youzhu furrowed her brows, hit by a wave of foul stench.

Cheng Youyu licked his teeth, grumbling indignantly, "You know how there are a lot of stray cats and dogs near our school? Some of the girls go over to feed them every day after class. But when they went over today, they found all those strays had been killed. They were gutted, their internal organs completely hollowed out..."

Gu Jianlin frowned and turned to look at the blood-stained plastic bags.

Though he couldn't see them clearly, he could vaguely make out the wretched, disemboweled carcasses.

The blood had already congealed, and because the organs had been removed, there wasn't much of a pool.

Gu Jianlin stepped forward a few paces, forced himself to endure the stench, and stared at the corpses for a moment.

"What a pervert."

Su Youzhu said softly.

Cheng Youyu slapped his thigh and sighed, "Isn't that the truth? If you two don't have anything urgent, just stay inside the school and don't come out. Things haven't been peaceful around here lately."

Gu Jianlin listened, his gaze fixed on the marks on the trash bag, and suddenly frowned.

He had actually spotted countless spider threads on the plastic.

There were traces of spider silk on the bodies of the cats and dogs as well.

The jagged, irregular wounds didn't look like they had been made by any normal blade.

After a hurried bit of profiling, he seemed to see a limb, twisted like a bamboo joint, slicing through flesh like a knife, dripping with blood.

A spider.

Whatever killed these animals seemed to be a spider.

Just as he wanted to take a closer look, an investigator picked up the trash bags and walked away.

How could it be a spider...

He muttered to himself subconsciously.

He wasn't entirely confident in his profiling this time.

Because the lighting was dim and the distance too great, he was afraid he might have misjudged it.

At that moment, the old man who had been staring blankly at his copper coins raised his head and looked at him.

"Young man."

The old man said calmly, "Would you like to have your fortune told?"

Gu Jianlin turned around to see the old man at the counter smiling at him.

"Me?"

He pointed to himself.

"Yes, you."

The old man nodded, "Don't worry, it's free. I won't charge you."

Gu Jianlin hesitated. The old man certainly looked the part.

However, he had some bad memories regarding fortune-telling; Sun the Half-Immortal downstairs was a complete fraud who couldn't predict a thing.

Still, given how unusual this grocery store was, there was no harm in trying.

"Alright."

The old man squinted in satisfaction and pushed the six copper coins toward him, "Go ahead, toss them one by one."

Gu Jianlin knew this was the method for the sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching. He followed the instructions and tossed them six times.

The six coins lay in a row, some heads, some tails.

The old man took one calm look at them and said faintly, "Kan below, Dui above. The upper hexagram is Dui, which is Yin, representing a marsh. The lower hexagram is Kan, which is Yang, representing water. A great marsh leaking water, leaving the fish and shrimp in a state of distress. Yang is beneath Yin, strength obscured by softness; a gentleman's talent cannot be displayed, trapped in a place of exhaustion."

Gu Jianlin was silent for a second, "Old man, what does that mean?"

The old man looked at him deeply and said, "This is the Hexagram of Distress. You can look up the specifics yourself when you get back. In my humble opinion, you're about to get into some trouble, kid."

Gu Jianlin stared at the hexagram, saying nothing.

Cheng Youyu had been watching from the side for a while and lowered his voice, "Brother Lin, I don't think this old guy is very professional..."

Gu Jianlin had a strange expression on his face, because he also felt the man wasn't very professional—not even as eloquent as Sun the Half-Immortal downstairs.

Unexpectedly, Su Youzhu asked curiously, "Old man, how should that be resolved?"

The old man said calmly, "Thunder and wind thin each other, mountains and marshes exchange breath, water and fire do not clash."

He paused, "The Southern Gate of Life; the Gate of Life lies in fire."