Bai Lixin: “I need your help.”
“It deserved to die, it deserved to die! My only daughter, oh oh oh, daughter, you are now in heaven, you can rest in peace.” The old man was in a state of frenzy, and continued speaking as if he couldn’t hear Bai Lixin’s voice, lost in his own thoughts.
Bai Lixin insisted, “That thing is not dead yet. I need your help.”
Suddenly, the old man went stiff all over.
With widened pupils, he looked at Bai Lixin with a horrified expression. “What did you say?”
A pile of fallen leaves under the bench rustled as the wind blew, and a few drifted to Bai Lixin’s fingertips.
Bai Lixin’s expression showed a moment of confusion, and it took him two seconds to regain his composure. He said, “I suspect it didn’t die back then but instead changed to a different…vessel.”
“What?” The old man stared blankly at Bai Lixin and muttered to himself, “That’s impossible. It’s already dead; it died inside my daughter’s body. It had to die.”
Bai Lixin retrieved a video clip of Luo Mei’s from his phone. “Take a look at this person. Does she seem familiar to you?”
The old man squinted and leaned in closely to Bai Lixin’s phone. The video featured an interview with Luo Mei. The old man stared at Luo Mei for a long time, and when the host finished the interview, and Luo Mei began to speak, the old man’s bewildered expression turned into one of shock.
He fixed his gaze on Luo Mei in the video and asked, “Who is this? Who is she?”
Bai Lixin replied, “Her name is Luo Mei, a popular actress now. Do you think she resembles that creature that took over your daughter’s body?”
“It’s her, it’s her!” The old man’s shocked expression gradually turned to one of hatred. “It’s not dead; it didn’t die at all. Not only did it not die, but it’s also living well and even looks younger? Did it possess someone else’s body again?”
Bai Lixin nodded. “Yes.”
Then, Bai Lixin showed a photo of Miao Pan’er that he had obtained from the Taoist’s photo album. “Take a look at this person. Is this your daughter’s… body?”
The old man only glanced at the phone briefly and quickly turned his head away. His cloudy eyes turned red. “It’s my daughter’s body.”
Bai Lixin pondered for two seconds, then retrieved a photo of Rumian. “What about this person? Has this creature possessed her as well?”
The old man squinted and examined the photo closely. “Is this President Ru? She’s not the same creature, but she’s not a good person either.”
Bai Lixin furrowed his brow.
The old man’s answer left him puzzled once again. Rumian wasn’t this creature? This was different from his previous deduction.
“Are you sure?” Bai Lixin enlarged the photo of Rumian. “Please take another look.”
“No need,” the old man impatiently waved away Bai Lixin’s phone. “I am certain; Rumian isn’t that creature. When that creature took over my daughter’s body, Rumian hadn’t died yet. How could it be that creature?”
Bai Lixin’s brows furrowed even deeper. “You mentioned earlier that Rumian wasn’t a good person. What do you mean?”
The old man refused to answer, his face showing reluctance. “I am a cultured person and don’t like to discuss others’ private lives; it’s impolite.”
Bai Lixin persisted, “What if Rumian has something to do with this creature? Will you still not tell me?”
After a brief internal struggle, the old man relented. “Alright, I’ll tell you.”
“This university was founded in the year S1948 and completed in S1955, taking seven years to construct. Rumian was the president and one of the initiators of the university’s establishment. Her major was archaeology, and she was exceptionally intelligent and outstanding, even more diligent than others. She had a strong personality and was a smart woman. Anything she took charge of was accomplished impressively.”
“In the beginning, everyone trusted her.”
“At the age of 18, she graduated from university and began her archaeological work. Despite her young age, she achieved remarkable results, excavating many artifacts and historical sites that made significant contributions to history.”
“So even though she was quite young when the school was founded, everyone respected her, and she took on the responsibility of constructing the library,”
Bai Lixin asked, “So she was the principal? Why was she introduced as just a ‘professor’?”
“Because of some events that happened later, she stepped down from the position of ‘principal’,” the old man talked about her with regret on his face. “You know, back then, we were all very traditional and conservative, but she got involved with several men simultaneously. Among those men, one of them had a wife who caused a huge scandal at the school. It became a major scandal in the academic world due to the severe chaos in Rumian’s private life. The school couldn’t afford to protect her even if they wanted to. So, Rumian went from being the ‘principal’ to an ordinary teacher.”
“The next year, people found Rumian dead in her bed at home. Everyone said she couldn’t handle the public pressure and eventually chose to commit suicide.”
“Despite her chaotic personal life, Rumian had made outstanding contributions to the construction of the school. You could even say that without her, this school wouldn’t exist. When this school was being built, there was a shortage of funds, and Rumian helped secure most of the construction funds. In gratitude for her contributions to the school, the school still honored her on the ‘Wall of Fame.’”
“I see,” Bai Lixin looked at the old man. “So, when did you realize that your daughter’s body was taken over?”
“It was around S1958,” the old man began. “This school cost a lot to build, especially the library, which was quite expensive and housed many excellent books. I always wanted my daughter to get into a good school, so I used my teacher’s privileges and forced my daughter to study, review, and prepare for the college entrance exam in the library every day.”
“Her poor exam results had been causing her a lot of emotional distress. Later, I suddenly noticed that she seemed to be getting happier. When I asked her what happened, she told me she made friends in the library. I was worried that it was an early romantic relationship at first, but she repeatedly assured me that the other person was a girl, so I felt relieved.”
“You know, teenage girls are particularly sensitive, and I knew that continuous studying was taking a toll on her mental health. Making a friend could improve her mood and help her adjust. Plus, since she made friends in the library, it was unlikely that they were bad influences. So, I didn’t stop her from making friends, but the ‘friend’ she made was not human at all.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
“I had classes during the day, so I couldn’t supervise her studying in the library all the time. So I only found out about my daughter’s strange behavior after asking other students in the library.”
“My daughter hadn’t actually made any friends in the library. They said she was introverted, always keeping to herself. Sometimes, she would sit in the library, suddenly burst into laughter or start talking to herself, as if there was an invisible person with her.”
“They were afraid of her because of this, thinking she might be schizophrenic.”
“And they also mentioned that my daughter would disappear frequently.”
“On that day, I secretly followed my daughter and ended up here in the library’s underground section. There, I witnessed a shocking scene.”
“I never knew that the library had a basement, let alone that it housed so many stone figures. I followed my daughter in secret and saw her chatting with a huge statue. What shocked me even more was that the statue could talk and respond to my daughter.”
“That statue was what my daughter called her ‘friend.’”
“That night, I scolded her severely after returning home. She then left home in a rage. I searched for her for a long time and eventually found her here. She was pale and soaking wet. Fortunately, she was still breathing.” The old man paused here. “If I had known at that time that the soul occupying my daughter’s body had already changed into that monster, I would have drowned her right then and there.”
“I rushed her to the hospital that night. She remained unconscious for three days and nights before finally waking up. After waking up, she was completely different.”
Bai Lixin asked, “Did you notice something was wrong with her right away back then?”
“No, it was only after she was discharged,” the old man replied. “Even if someone changes drastically, their ingrained preferences don’t change. She used to dislike meat, but after waking up, she had an insatiable appetite for it.”
“She used to dislike wearing red clothes, saying red was scary, but after waking up, she bought a lot of red clothes.”
“Also, the way she talked to me, it was like she was a completely different person.”
“She was filled with curiosity about everything around her, as if she’d never seen this world before.”
“I gave her cilantro, something she used to hate, and found out that she didn’t mind it at all.”
“I also discovered that she secretly lit incense at night and worshiped in the direction of the library.”
“All of this made me certain that the person in front of me is definitely not my daughter but a creature that had taken over my daughter’s body. But no one believed me; everyone thought I was insane. Later, this creature used my daughter’s body and started doing things that tarnished my daughter’s reputation. I was furious, but she laughed maniacally. I couldn’t do anything to her because she was using my daughter’s body.”
“Then, she ran away from home. It wasn’t until more than a decade ago that I received her belongings.”
“That’s all I know.”
Bai Lixin asked, “Do you remember when she left?”
“Around S1960, I think. She had driven me to exhaustion with her antics in those years. The only thing I remember clearly is that her departure and Rumian’s death happened around the same time.”
Bai Lixin inquired further, “Did you ever consider that the statue and figurines in the library’s basement might be related to Rumian? She was an archaeologist, so she might have unearthed many relics. And as the designer and construction manager of the library, it would have been easy for her to place those things there. Did you report the discovery of the things in the basement to the school?”
“I did report it, but…” The old man sighed deeply. “Later, I tried to find the entrance to the basement again, but for some reason, I couldn’t find it. I reported it to the school, but they all thought I was crazy. They just brushed me off, and didn’t believe a word I said. Because in the original blueprints, there was no mention of a basement in the library.”
“I’ve told you everything I know. I hope it helps. Do you have any more questions?”
Bai Lixin absorbed this information slowly, then looked up at the sky, noticing that the sun was beginning to set. Beyond the willow trees lay a beautiful twilight scene, while within the grove, darkness was gradually descending.
“How about we continue this conversation while walking? It’s getting dark,” Bai Lixin stood up from the bench, scanning his surroundings.
The riverbank was near the center of the willow grove. In the fading light, the outside world was becoming increasingly blurry.
“Alright, let’s walk and talk. I’ll accompany you for a while longer,” the old man said, rising slowly with the support of his legs. “Is there anything else you want to know?”
“There’s a photo that was removed from the Wall of Fame. He should be about your age. Do you have any impression of him?”
“Oh, him. When the school was under construction, he was responsible for the development of the surrounding areas. He was also one of Rumian’s lovers. However, his wife disappeared when she went to the countryside, so that scandal was never exposed.”
“The development of the surrounding areas? You mean this willow grove, including the fountain at the school gate, was his responsibility?”
“Not just those, anything related to the campus landscaping and buildings was his responsibility.”
Bai Lixin: “Oh.”
———————————–
In the live broadcast room
[This is getting creepier. What if Rumian could change the development plans of the campus using her connections, like the willow trees outside the library or the fountain resembling incense sticks?]
[Why do I get the feeling that Rumian planned for the library to look like a coffin?]
[But she’s already dead. And she’s not like Luo Mei. The old man just said that, right? The monster came out when Rumian was still alive.]
[Maybe Rumian was just a tool? Manipulated to establish this ‘coffin’ and place all these ancient god statues inside? Maybe she was a believer?]
[That analysis makes a lot of sense.]
Bai Lixin: “I need your help.”
“It deserved to die, it deserved to die! My only daughter, oh oh oh, daughter, you are now in heaven, you can rest in peace.” The old man was in a state of frenzy, and continued speaking as if he couldn’t hear Bai Lixin’s voice, lost in his own thoughts.
Bai Lixin insisted, “That thing is not dead yet. I need your help.”
Suddenly, the old man went stiff all over.
With widened pupils, he looked at Bai Lixin with a horrified expression. “What did you say?”
A pile of fallen leaves under the bench rustled as the wind blew, and a few drifted to Bai Lixin’s fingertips.
Bai Lixin’s expression showed a moment of confusion, and it took him two seconds to regain his composure. He said, “I suspect it didn’t die back then but instead changed to a different…vessel.”
“What?” The old man stared blankly at Bai Lixin and muttered to himself, “That’s impossible. It’s already dead; it died inside my daughter’s body. It had to die.”
Bai Lixin retrieved a video clip of Luo Mei’s from his phone. “Take a look at this person. Does she seem familiar to you?”
The old man squinted and leaned in closely to Bai Lixin’s phone. The video featured an interview with Luo Mei. The old man stared at Luo Mei for a long time, and when the host finished the interview, and Luo Mei began to speak, the old man’s bewildered expression turned into one of shock.
He fixed his gaze on Luo Mei in the video and asked, “Who is this? Who is she?”
Bai Lixin replied, “Her name is Luo Mei, a popular actress now. Do you think she resembles that creature that took over your daughter’s body?”
“It’s her, it’s her!” The old man’s shocked expression gradually turned to one of hatred. “It’s not dead; it didn’t die at all. Not only did it not die, but it’s also living well and even looks younger? Did it possess someone else’s body again?”
Bai Lixin nodded. “Yes.”
Then, Bai Lixin showed a photo of Miao Pan’er that he had obtained from the Taoist’s photo album. “Take a look at this person. Is this your daughter’s… body?”
The old man only glanced at the phone briefly and quickly turned his head away. His cloudy eyes turned red. “It’s my daughter’s body.”
Bai Lixin pondered for two seconds, then retrieved a photo of Rumian. “What about this person? Has this creature possessed her as well?”
The old man squinted and examined the photo closely. “Is this President Ru? She’s not the same creature, but she’s not a good person either.”
Bai Lixin furrowed his brow.
The old man’s answer left him puzzled once again. Rumian wasn’t this creature? This was different from his previous deduction.
“Are you sure?” Bai Lixin enlarged the photo of Rumian. “Please take another look.”
“No need,” the old man impatiently waved away Bai Lixin’s phone. “I am certain; Rumian isn’t that creature. When that creature took over my daughter’s body, Rumian hadn’t died yet. How could it be that creature?”
Bai Lixin’s brows furrowed even deeper. “You mentioned earlier that Rumian wasn’t a good person. What do you mean?”
The old man refused to answer, his face showing reluctance. “I am a cultured person and don’t like to discuss others’ private lives; it’s impolite.”
Bai Lixin persisted, “What if Rumian has something to do with this creature? Will you still not tell me?”
After a brief internal struggle, the old man relented. “Alright, I’ll tell you.”
“This university was founded in the year S1948 and completed in S1955, taking seven years to construct. Rumian was the president and one of the initiators of the university’s establishment. Her major was archaeology, and she was exceptionally intelligent and outstanding, even more diligent than others. She had a strong personality and was a smart woman. Anything she took charge of was accomplished impressively.”
“In the beginning, everyone trusted her.”
“At the age of 18, she graduated from university and began her archaeological work. Despite her young age, she achieved remarkable results, excavating many artifacts and historical sites that made significant contributions to history.”
“So even though she was quite young when the school was founded, everyone respected her, and she took on the responsibility of constructing the library,”
Bai Lixin asked, “So she was the principal? Why was she introduced as just a ‘professor’?”
“Because of some events that happened later, she stepped down from the position of ‘principal’,” the old man talked about her with regret on his face. “You know, back then, we were all very traditional and conservative, but she got involved with several men simultaneously. Among those men, one of them had a wife who caused a huge scandal at the school. It became a major scandal in the academic world due to the severe chaos in Rumian’s private life. The school couldn’t afford to protect her even if they wanted to. So, Rumian went from being the ‘principal’ to an ordinary teacher.”
“The next year, people found Rumian dead in her bed at home. Everyone said she couldn’t handle the public pressure and eventually chose to commit suicide.”
“Despite her chaotic personal life, Rumian had made outstanding contributions to the construction of the school. You could even say that without her, this school wouldn’t exist. When this school was being built, there was a shortage of funds, and Rumian helped secure most of the construction funds. In gratitude for her contributions to the school, the school still honored her on the ‘Wall of Fame.’”
“I see,” Bai Lixin looked at the old man. “So, when did you realize that your daughter’s body was taken over?”
“It was around S1958,” the old man began. “This school cost a lot to build, especially the library, which was quite expensive and housed many excellent books. I always wanted my daughter to get into a good school, so I used my teacher’s privileges and forced my daughter to study, review, and prepare for the college entrance exam in the library every day.”
“Her poor exam results had been causing her a lot of emotional distress. Later, I suddenly noticed that she seemed to be getting happier. When I asked her what happened, she told me she made friends in the library. I was worried that it was an early romantic relationship at first, but she repeatedly assured me that the other person was a girl, so I felt relieved.”
“You know, teenage girls are particularly sensitive, and I knew that continuous studying was taking a toll on her mental health. Making a friend could improve her mood and help her adjust. Plus, since she made friends in the library, it was unlikely that they were bad influences. So, I didn’t stop her from making friends, but the ‘friend’ she made was not human at all.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
“I had classes during the day, so I couldn’t supervise her studying in the library all the time. So I only found out about my daughter’s strange behavior after asking other students in the library.”
“My daughter hadn’t actually made any friends in the library. They said she was introverted, always keeping to herself. Sometimes, she would sit in the library, suddenly burst into laughter or start talking to herself, as if there was an invisible person with her.”
“They were afraid of her because of this, thinking she might be schizophrenic.”
“And they also mentioned that my daughter would disappear frequently.”
“On that day, I secretly followed my daughter and ended up here in the library’s underground section. There, I witnessed a shocking scene.”
“I never knew that the library had a basement, let alone that it housed so many stone figures. I followed my daughter in secret and saw her chatting with a huge statue. What shocked me even more was that the statue could talk and respond to my daughter.”
“That statue was what my daughter called her ‘friend.’”
“That night, I scolded her severely after returning home. She then left home in a rage. I searched for her for a long time and eventually found her here. She was pale and soaking wet. Fortunately, she was still breathing.” The old man paused here. “If I had known at that time that the soul occupying my daughter’s body had already changed into that monster, I would have drowned her right then and there.”
“I rushed her to the hospital that night. She remained unconscious for three days and nights before finally waking up. After waking up, she was completely different.”
Bai Lixin asked, “Did you notice something was wrong with her right away back then?”
“No, it was only after she was discharged,” the old man replied. “Even if someone changes drastically, their ingrained preferences don’t change. She used to dislike meat, but after waking up, she had an insatiable appetite for it.”
“She used to dislike wearing red clothes, saying red was scary, but after waking up, she bought a lot of red clothes.”
“Also, the way she talked to me, it was like she was a completely different person.”
“She was filled with curiosity about everything around her, as if she’d never seen this world before.”
“I gave her cilantro, something she used to hate, and found out that she didn’t mind it at all.”
“I also discovered that she secretly lit incense at night and worshiped in the direction of the library.”
“All of this made me certain that the person in front of me is definitely not my daughter but a creature that had taken over my daughter’s body. But no one believed me; everyone thought I was insane. Later, this creature used my daughter’s body and started doing things that tarnished my daughter’s reputation. I was furious, but she laughed maniacally. I couldn’t do anything to her because she was using my daughter’s body.”
“Then, she ran away from home. It wasn’t until more than a decade ago that I received her belongings.”
“That’s all I know.”
Bai Lixin asked, “Do you remember when she left?”
“Around S1960, I think. She had driven me to exhaustion with her antics in those years. The only thing I remember clearly is that her departure and Rumian’s death happened around the same time.”
Bai Lixin inquired further, “Did you ever consider that the statue and figurines in the library’s basement might be related to Rumian? She was an archaeologist, so she might have unearthed many relics. And as the designer and construction manager of the library, it would have been easy for her to place those things there. Did you report the discovery of the things in the basement to the school?”
“I did report it, but…” The old man sighed deeply. “Later, I tried to find the entrance to the basement again, but for some reason, I couldn’t find it. I reported it to the school, but they all thought I was crazy. They just brushed me off, and didn’t believe a word I said. Because in the original blueprints, there was no mention of a basement in the library.”
“I’ve told you everything I know. I hope it helps. Do you have any more questions?”
Bai Lixin absorbed this information slowly, then looked up at the sky, noticing that the sun was beginning to set. Beyond the willow trees lay a beautiful twilight scene, while within the grove, darkness was gradually descending.
“How about we continue this conversation while walking? It’s getting dark,” Bai Lixin stood up from the bench, scanning his surroundings.
The riverbank was near the center of the willow grove. In the fading light, the outside world was becoming increasingly blurry.
“Alright, let’s walk and talk. I’ll accompany you for a while longer,” the old man said, rising slowly with the support of his legs. “Is there anything else you want to know?”
“There’s a photo that was removed from the Wall of Fame. He should be about your age. Do you have any impression of him?”
“Oh, him. When the school was under construction, he was responsible for the development of the surrounding areas. He was also one of Rumian’s lovers. However, his wife disappeared when she went to the countryside, so that scandal was never exposed.”
“The development of the surrounding areas? You mean this willow grove, including the fountain at the school gate, was his responsibility?”
“Not just those, anything related to the campus landscaping and buildings was his responsibility.”
Bai Lixin: “Oh.”
———————————–
In the live broadcast room
[This is getting creepier. What if Rumian could change the development plans of the campus using her connections, like the willow trees outside the library or the fountain resembling incense sticks?]
[Why do I get the feeling that Rumian planned for the library to look like a coffin?]
[But she’s already dead. And she’s not like Luo Mei. The old man just said that, right? The monster came out when Rumian was still alive.]
[Maybe Rumian was just a tool? Manipulated to establish this ‘coffin’ and place all these ancient god statues inside? Maybe she was a believer?]
[That analysis makes a lot of sense.]
