Chapter 1001: Perplexed and Smitten (61)
“No, you died on the very same day that all living beings in the Prince’s residence were killed. You jumped to your death from the balcony of the palace.”
“What…” An Xiaoning was at a momentary loss for words.
He sighed and said, “I really don’t know if you two ended up together again in this lifetime in order to make up for lost time together in your previous lifetime or simply for history to repeat itself. You two are cursed. I doubt there’ll be a change in the outcome of your relationship in this lifetime either.”
Clenching her fist tightly, An Xiaoning said, “I don’t care what curse it is that we’re plagued with, but the previous lifetime is now a thing of the past. We won’t let history repeat itself.”
“I’m afraid it’s not up to you. These things are all that I know. I have no idea about the details, and there’s no way for me to find out either. Also, there’s something I haven’t been able to understand,” he said, sounding rather pessimistic.
“What is it?”
“He’s usually gentle and warm, but he becomes menacing and terrifying when he blows his top. How could he love a woman like you so unconditionally? I can’t see any of your good attributes at all, no matter how hard I try. Besides, you even get jealous at every slightest thing. Both of you are crazy and overly jealous people.”
An Xiaoning retorted in displeasure, “What do you mean a woman like me? You can’t recognize my good attributes because you’re blind.”
“Psht… I’ve already told you everything like I promised. Just complete the tasks that I wanted you to do within the next few days,” he said nonchalantly.
“I can get it done, but you have to give me some information. For example, what answer am I supposed to give when the curator asks about where the corpse is from? Or what it’s called and which era it’s from? You want the corpse to be on display, but we also have to provide them with some information, don’t we?”
“The description doesn’t have to be that detailed. Just tell him that it’s a newly-discovered female corpse that has been preserved for centuries.”
“Alright.” She stood up from the couch and said, “Are you still not going to tell me your name?”
“You’ll find out naturally when it’s time for you to. You don’t need to hear it from me.”
He then disappeared without a trace.
“What a temperamental and opinionated man,” she muttered.
Just as she was about to go look for Fan Shixin, she sensed someone gazing at her. She then looked up and made eye contact with, Henry who was standing by the railing of the stairs.
He made his way downstairs slowly with shock written all over his face. He then walked toward her and began looking her up and down.
“Who were you talking to just now?”
“No one, I was talking to myself…”
“I heard everything. There was a man’s voice but I didn’t see anyone. What was it? A ghost?”
An Xiaoning admitted, “Yeah.”
“Who was it, then?”
“You don’t need to know.” She turned around and walked away.
Henry stepped forward to grab her arm and asked, “You can see ghosts and spirits?”
“Yes. A lot of people know about that too. Did you only find out now?”
“Just what kind of a human are you? Are you a freak?” he asked in bewilderment.
“You’re a freak.” She shrugged his hand away and exited the door.
Henry stood rooted to the ground and pondered over it for a moment before taking chase.
After handing Fan Shixin some instructions, An Xiaoning noticed that Henry had chased after her, seemingly wanting to ask her some questions. She said, “We’ll make another deal if you want to find out more.”
“Sure,” he agreed.
An Xiaoning grabbed his hand and pulled him upstairs. He instinctively wanted to shrug it away, to no avail.
She only let go of him when they sat on the bed.
“If you promise to obey me from today onward, I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
“Don’t even think about it!” he snapped and sprung up from the bed before walking toward the couch.
An Xiaoning had already expected him to react that way. Thus, she did not say anything else and instead lay down on the bed.
She began pondering over Mysterious Xiao’s words, which had been deeply etched in her heart.
Did he die of an illness in the end?
Did I plunge to my death from the balcony of the palace?
An Xiaoning turned to lie on her side with her back facing the couch. Tears welled up in her eyes and soon began to roll down her face, soaking her pillow.
She continued to lie flat on the bed, not feeling a tinge of sleepiness at all. Meanwhile, Henry had already fallen sound asleep long ago.
—
It was six o’clock in the morning when Fang Erlan and Xiao Yue set off from the hotel with their luggage.
Although it was summertime, the weather was much cooler in the morning.
The nanny van pulled up near her rented apartment. It was Xiao Yue’s first time visiting the place where Fang Erlan lived. Upon the sight of the rundown alley, she asked in astonishment, “Sis Erlan, did you use to live here?”
“Yes, my place is right inside. Help me move my luggage there. Afterward, you may go home to rest. You’ve been busy all this while too. I’ll go house-viewing later.”
“Okay.”
Xiao Yue followed her inside and passed through the alley to arrive at a metal gate. They then made their way up the spiral staircase to the second floor.
The wooden door of Fang Erlan’s apartment was painted yellow and was rather small. Fang Erlan whipped out her key to open the door. Xiao Yue got a huge shock the moment she caught sight of what was inside.
“Wow, your place is so neat and tidy.” Xiao Yue dragged the luggage in with her and scanned her surroundings to discover that the decor was worlds apart from the outer appearance of the building. It boasted of an artistic vibe, and she could tell that Fang Erlan had put in a great deal of effort into decorating the place.
“It’s alright. The space is rather small but it’s pretty cozy. Although it’s a rented apartment, it’s still my living space.”
“Sis Erlan, how much does the rental cost per month?”
“Make a guess.”
“Seven or eight hundred dollars?”
“No, three hundred dollars a month.”
Xiao Yue’s jaw dropped. “Huh… three hundred dollars? That cheap? Although the apartment is pretty shabby, it’s still located in the city. Three hundred dollars seems a little too good to be true.”
“It does, but you have no idea what condition the apartment was in when I first rented it. It was just a small apartment with one washroom, and it was extremely filthy and unsanitary. The walls were all covered in dirt, and I got the landlord to rent it to me after a great deal of persuasion and negotiating with him. I’ve been staying here for a really long time, ever since I graduated from university. I barely earned much back then when I was acting as an extra.”
“My apartment is in a better condition than yours, but I’m not as good as you when it comes to household chores and tidying the place. Mine is just like a pig sty. Since I get to rest today, I shall go home now. Give me a call if there’s anything you need.”
“Okay.”
Fang Erlan pulled her hair back into a ponytail and headed out to the market to buy some fresh ingredients for breakfast. After she was done eating, she gave Yan Ge a call.
“When would you be returning to the city?”
“I just reached home. Why did you leave so early?”
“The weather was cooler in the morning. I’ll go meet you now, I’ve already had my breakfast.”
“Okay.”
Fang Erlan set off in the nanny van. As soon as she reached the entrance of the estate he was living in, she caught sight of him standing near the entrance, wearing a pair of shades. Upon the sight of her nanny van, he pointed at a certain spot and said, “Park the car there.”
The chauffeur did as he instructed and drove the van toward the parking lot. Fang Erlan then alighted after telling the chauffeur to wait for her there.