Chapter 2, Xiao Luo Village

Seeing the two brand new hundred-yuan bills on the back seat, Xiao Fei's heart skipped a beat. He intended to look for the woman, but she was already nowhere to be found. The front door of that household remained wide open, and Xiao Fei could see the shadow of a welcoming pine tree on the wall of the courtyard, bright as if it were daytime, yet in Xiao Fei's eyes, it resembled a giant mouth that chose its prey.

"Then you should sit tight; I will try to be quick," Xiao Fei's voice was somewhat muffled as he gently pressed the accelerator. The taxi slowly moved forward, and in the darkness, one could only vaguely discern the outline of the road by the trees lining both sides.

The woman did not speak, her expression shifting constantly. Xiao Fei also remained silent, glaring at the woman with anger. A heavy silence crowded between the two. Xiao Fei fixed his gaze directly into the woman's eyes, and eventually, she could no longer withstand his stare and turned her head aside. Silently, she pushed open the car door and got out. The door slammed shut with a loud "bang," echoing in Xiao Fei's heart.

I am fine, please drive faster and take me to Xiao Luo Village, I am in a hurry. The woman did not seem afraid, but there was a hint of urgency in her tone, as if she was eager to reach Xiao Luo Village quickly due to some pressing matter

This woman surely won't be unable to find her destination, Xiao Fei couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh in his heart, this is quite interesting. Just as he was about to ask again, the woman suddenly seemed to see something, extending her hand and pointing ahead with excitement, saying: "That's the place, just stop at the door, I will get off there."

The woman turned her head to glance at Xiao Fei, her gaze still icy, showing no appreciation for his good intentions. Nevertheless, she opened the car door and got in, as even the slowest car was much faster than walking.

As she gazed with her fingers, Xiao Fei was suddenly taken aback. He noticed that a family's lights had turned on, illuminating their home brilliantly, even though it was several dozen meters away. The pair of stone lions at the entrance were clearly visible to him, almost to the finest detail. Moreover, the front door of that household had opened at some point, yet unfortunately, no one came out to greet him. The entire village was shrouded in darkness except for this one house, which was still enveloped in silence.

Suddenly, he thought of that woman. He jolted slightly, feeling secure with his seatbelt, but she was not wearing one. Would she get hurt? If she were injured, it would cause him some trouble. He turned around abruptly to look back, only to find that the woman was sitting there quietly, completely still, just gazing at him. Her pale face stood out even more in the darkness, and her eyes remained as eerie as ever. Xiao Fei instinctively shivered, unable to articulate why, but he felt an inexplicable sense of fear creeping in, and he felt a chill running through him. He couldn't recall when he had turned on the air conditioning.

"Come on, I'll take you there. It's late at night, and I can't feel at ease with you being alone." Xiao Fei forced a smile and broke the deadlock; after all, he could not be so irresponsible.

With a sudden screech, the taxi came to an abrupt stop. Fortunately, Xiao Fei had fastened his seatbelt this time; although his body lurched forward, he did not crash into the windshield. The darkness before him plunged Xiao Fei into an intangible fear. How could all the lights have gone out at once? He had just had them serviced last month; there shouldn't be any issues with the wiring. What on earth was happening?

Finally, the shadow of Xiao Luozhuang came into view. In the darkness, the outlines of houses were faintly discernible. However, it was already past one o'clock in the deep night, and the entire village was devoid of any light, enveloped in a dead silence that felt oppressive. As the vehicle entered Xiao Luozhuang, Xiao Fei had an unsettling feeling, yet he could not quite grasp what was amiss.

The car was moving very slowly. In such an environment, it would be a blessing if they could arrive safely without any accidents. Xiao Fei dared not let his mind wander for even a moment, focusing entirely on the road ahead, fearing that any lapse in concentration could lead to an accident. The loan for this car had just been paid off, and if anything were to happen, he would not be able to bear the consequences.

At this moment, Xiao Fei vaguely sensed that something was amiss. Although he couldn't quite articulate it, he felt that this woman was very strange. It was already odd for a woman to take a taxi out of the city in the middle of the night, and what was more unsettling was her complete lack of fear. What puzzled Xiao Fei the most was that sudden jolt earlier; if he hadn't been wearing a seatbelt, he would have been thrown out. Not to mention that the woman, who had no precautions and wasn't wearing a seatbelt, seemed completely unscathed.

The voice was very anxious, and the words were spoken hurriedly, as if there were truly urgent matters at hand. However, this proposal left Xiao Fei utterly stunned, and without having the chance to think it over, he blurted out: "Miss, it's so dark that I can't see the road at all. If the lights are not fixed, how can I drive? I'm just taking a look."

He gently slapped himself, saying, "Xiao Fei, oh Xiao Fei, what are you getting angry with a woman for, being a grown man?" With a sigh, the car slowly drove out, and after a few steps, he caught up with the woman. The woman seemed to still be angry with the book, as if she were completely unaware that Xiao Fei had followed her.

"Miss, are you alright?" After a moment of fear, Xiao Fei gradually adapted to the darkness. Although there was still something indescribable in his heart, as the driver, he still spoke up to express concern for the woman.

The sound of the car door suddenly made Xiao Fei realize that something was amiss; it was just too quiet, an eerie silence. Xiao Luozhuang was a rural area, and in the countryside, who doesn't keep dogs? As the car entered the village, not a single bark could be heard, which felt incredibly unreal. He remembered the last time he brought guests during the day, he had almost been bitten by a dog. Why was it so quiet? A sense of unease gripped Xiao Fei's heart.

Slowly stopping at the entrance of this house, Xiao Fei was still trying to figure out what was wrong. An indescribable tension filled his heart. What exactly was amiss? The car door opened with a loud "bang." The woman hurriedly tossed down two RMB notes and rushed straight towards that household without looking back, in a great hurry.

Exhaling slowly, Xiao Fei glanced at the woman in the rearview mirror and said softly, "Where will you get off?"

There were no more words to say along the way, and Xiao Fei no longer wished to pay any attention to the woman. As long as he could deliver her to Xiao Luo Village, it would suffice as a way to appease his conscience. He would have no further dealings with her, and they would never cross paths again. Although this sentiment might seem somewhat petty, the woman truly repulsed Xiao Fei, evoking an indescribable aversion deep within him, making him wish to keep his distance from her.

Xiao Fei was momentarily stunned, instinctively closing the car door. His heart began to race significantly faster as he clearly saw the woman in the rearview mirror, her gaze fixed on him as if she were ready to pounce. At that moment, the woman appeared somewhat distorted, as if she would immediately confront Xiao Fei if he did not drive. He swallowed hard, and after a slight nod, it seemed that the woman was indeed in a hurry. Well, he thought, he might as well help her. The road to Xiao Luozhuang should only be another two or three miles, and as he recalled, there were no dangerous spots along the way.

As he watched the woman in red about to disappear into the darkness, Xiao Fei felt an inexplicable softness in his heart. Sensing her helplessness, he suddenly sighed, feeling a vague concern for her. In the dead of night, abandoning a woman in the wilderness, if something were to happen, he feared he would never find peace of mind for the rest of his life.

Xiao Fei's calm tone left the woman speechless. She stared at him for a while, her expression shifting constantly, with occasional flashes of cold light in her eyes. With a snort, she forcefully sat back down and coldly said to Xiao Fei: "If you waste my time, I will not let you off easily. Remember what I said."

The woman's face was close to Xiao Fei's ear, very near, yet he did not feel the kind of breath as fragrant as orchids described in novels. A breath was blown onto Xiao Fei's face, bringing a chilling sensation that made him shiver, but he did not turn his gaze towards the woman. No matter what was happening at that moment, driving in the dark required his full attention: "Please sit down. I am already trying to go as fast as I can. It is so dark that I can hardly see the road. If it weren't for your urgency, I wouldn't be driving in the dark. No matter how much you urge me, it won't help."

In the face of the sudden darkness, even the usually bold Xiao Fei felt a moment of fear. However, as a woman, when Xiao Fei looked over, she showed no sign of fear at all; her expression remained unchanged. This left Xiao Fei even more perplexed, wondering whether his own courage had diminished or if this woman was simply too brave.

A surge of anger suddenly surged from the depths of his heart, instantly dispersing the chill that had enveloped him and the tension within. It was truly a case of good intentions being met with ingratitude. He had kindly offered her a ride, only to be resented for it. He had no intention of running away, so he slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a sudden halt. Xiao Fei turned sharply to look at the woman and said angrily, "If you’re going to say that, then get out. I won’t charge you for this trip; consider it my bad luck. I didn’t want to come in the first place; you insisted on getting in. Get out."

Xiao Fei fell silent for a moment, casually opened the car door, intending to get out and check the route. In such a dark night, without any light, it was impossible to see anything at all. However, just as Xiao Fei was unbuckling his seatbelt, the woman spoke up: "What are you doing? Hurry up and drive, there isn't much time left, quickly."

The woman was momentarily taken aback, stunned by Xiao Fei's angry expression. She did not speak, merely staring at him. The only sound in the carriage was Xiao Fei's heavy breathing, clearly indicating that he was genuinely angry, showing no concern for the woman's cold gaze.

The woman did not answer him immediately, hesitating as she gazed ahead, as if she could not make a decision at that moment. This woman was not from Xiaoluo Village, and Xiao Fei subtly guessed that, judging by her hesitation and confusion, she seemed not yet familiar with Xiaoluo Village herself

The woman was clearly dissatisfied with Xiao Fei's slow pace. Suddenly, she leaned forward, bringing her mouth close to Xiao Fei's ear, and whispered in a somewhat hoarse voice: "You need to hurry up a bit; it's too slow. If we miss the time, it will be troublesome."

"No, there's no time left, hurry and drive," the woman said resolutely, her gaze piercing directly at Xiao Fei. In that moment, Xiao Fei felt a chill run from head to toe, unable to suppress a shiver. In the darkness, that pale face seemed to become a bit clearer.