Chapter 7: The Strange Encounter (Part 1)

Huo Jianguo: "Hmm, who are you?"

He estimated the distance between himself and the driver, which should have exceeded 3 meters, so this figure appears to be normal for the time being

Just as Huo Jianguo was caught in a state of surprise, the vehicle slowly started moving. After passing the traffic lights, the vehicle came to a stop at another station, where there was still no one outside.

The cup that Ye Qian held suddenly shook, spilling the wine all over Huo Jianguo's face

She opened her eyes, the rims blood-red, as if they were dripping blood. She lifted her gaze, and the blood vessels in her eyeballs wriggled like earthworms.

Huo Jianguo walked over quickly, and when he reached Ye Qian's side, he called out again: "Ye Qian?" This time, his tone was questioning.

This person's face is fair and delicate, with short hair, youthful appearance, and handsome features. There is a hint of slightly comical sorrow between his brows. When he sees Huo Jianguo, a spark of surprise shines in his eyes

Huo Jianguo sat on bus number 185, the morning bus was empty.

Huo Jianguo shook his head and began to hail a taxi

Ye Qian's voice suddenly rose: "I am at the Amethyst Bar, hurry up and come, there is something important!"

Ye Qian fixed her blood-red eyes on Huo Jiangu, causing him to feel a slight unease in his heart. After a long while, Ye Qian spoke in a trembling voice: "Huo Jiangu—there is something important I must tell you—"

A light rain began to fall from the sky, the atmosphere was gloomy and cool

Amethyst Bar

Huo Jianguo felt that this driver was somewhat off, and moreover, he had already stopped at several stations along the way without anyone getting on the bus, which made it even more unusual

I am Ye Qian

Huo Jian returned and hesitated slightly; in his impression, Ye Qian's voice was not like this, as this voice sounded as if it belonged to someone in their forties or fifties

Huo Jianguis's eyes were fixed intently on the back of the driver's head, and each time the driver turned around, the two would exchange a glance.

Huo Jianguo called out, "Ye Qian!"

The driver was momentarily taken aback, hurriedly turned his head back, let out a soft exclamation, and immediately stepped on the brakes

At that moment, the phone began to vibrate with a buzzing sound

Huo Jianguo hurriedly dialed the return call, only to be informed that the other party's phone was turned off

Huo Jianguo: "I am busy, speak now if you have something to say."

The woman still did not turn back, her head bowed even lower, her long hair obscuring most of her face. Huo Jianguo turned his head away and did not see her face, only vaguely perceiving a silhouette that resembled Ye Qian's face.

The bus driver silently drove ahead, occasionally glancing back at Huo Jianguo.

When did this person get on the bus? Where did he get on? Huo Jianguo has no idea. Could it be that he stopped at a station while talking on the phone with Ye Qian?

Is it Huo Jianguo?

Half an hour later, the vehicle came to a sudden stop.

The taxi driver's voice was cold as ice, yet he still did not turn around

Where to? The taxi driver, wearing a black hat, did not turn around. Huo Jianhui could not see his face clearly; he could only vaguely make out through the rearview mirror that it was a face with darkened skin.

Huo Jianguo no longer wanted to ride in this vehicle, so the moment the car door opened, he jumped out directly

The vehicle came to an abrupt stop, and Huo Jian returned, his body unsteady, nearly toppling over. He hurriedly grasped the handrail tightly to steady himself

From the silhouette, Huo Jian recognized that this person was indeed Ye Qian

Ye Qian seemed to awaken suddenly, raising her head abruptly and downing the wine in her cup in one gulp. At the same time, her long hair fell to the sides of her face, revealing a pale purple visage, with a bloody handprint on her right cheek.

Ye Qian's voice became hoarse: "It must be said face to face!"

Huo Jianguo sat opposite the woman and called out, "Ye Qian."

He slightly clenched his jaw, just about to open his mouth to inquire, when suddenly a beeping sound of 'beep beep beep' came from his phone

Huo Jianguo: "What is the matter?"

After being taken aback by what he saw, Huo Jiangu returned to a semblance of calmness. While observing Ye Qian's eyes and expressions, he asked, "Ye Qian, did you not sleep well last night?"

At this moment, Huo Jiangui glanced sideways and caught sight of a table in the innermost corner of the bar. At the table sat a person, a woman, with long disheveled hair, her back to him, bending over slightly, her head slightly lowered, and her right hand raised holding a wine glass, seemingly toasting with someone.

The woman did not turn back, nor did she show any sign of reaction, as if she had not heard anything at all

As the taxi driver pressed the accelerator, the car shot forward with a whoosh

The torrential rain poured down in sheets, occasionally accompanied by the distant rumble of thunder rolling in from afar

Huo Jianguo took out his phone, glanced at it, and saw an unfamiliar number. After hesitating for a moment, he answered the call

A taxi drove up, and he opened the door and climbed inside

Huo Jianguo took a deep breath, lowered his head to glance at the black watch on his right hand, which displayed the number: 1

Huo Jianguo watched the bus drive away, his brows tightly furrowed. Vaguely, he felt as if he had somehow been tainted by something unclean. Could it be the ghost of the bed in Room 404 that was causing this?

The rain continued to pour heavier, yet the black umbrella in his hand remained closed.

Huo Jianguo took a deep breath and pushed open the car door to get out

On the other end of the phone came a slightly urgent and anxious female voice, which, although being suppressed with great effort, was still discernible to Huo Jiangu.

Ye Qian curled her lips, her teeth appearing blood-red, as if she had just drunk blood. She bared her teeth, and her throat emitted two strange cawing sounds, resembling the call of a crow. Then, she froze and said: "That bed—" Ye Qian suddenly paused, glanced out the window, and her blood-red eyes revealed a look of panic: "You must not touch it!"

At that moment, he saw the driver wearing a hat turn back again, staring intently at him. The steering wheel in the driver's hand was turning left and right, the vehicle was moving forward, yet his head was turned backward.

At the bar sat a thin figure wearing a pink jacket, who turned around when Huo Jiangu returned and pushed the door open

What is the matter

The driver turned his head to look at him, while the man in black sitting in the last row remained motionless, his head still bowed.

Huo Jianguo pushed the door open and entered; the bar was desolate, devoid of music, noise, and even the presence of a waiter.

Perhaps this young man was once his student, thought Huo Jiangui to himself

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a person sitting in the corner of the last row of the vehicle, a person dressed entirely in black, with their head bowed, making it impossible to discern their age or even whether they were male or female

Suddenly, the traffic light at the intersection ahead turned red, yet the driver remained fixated on Huo Jianguo. Huo Jianguo abruptly stood up and shouted, "Look ahead!"

The street is sparsely populated, the glass door of the Amethyst Bar is closed, and the lighting inside is dim.

Huo Jianguo took out a 50 yuan bill and directly threw it onto the sofa in front of him. He also glanced at the taxi driver, but strangely, he could not clearly see the driver's face; it seemed as if the face was shrouded in a layer of mist.

When Ho Jian Gui saw this face, he was taken aback; when he saw these eyes, he was surprised once again

Hearing this sound, Huo Jianguo's finger twitched slightly, and he vaguely sensed that something seemed to have changed in Ye Qian, causing her emotions and voice to alter.