Chapter 119: A Five-Year Quest

What Qin Nian said left both Song Zhong and me completely baffled. I remained silent while Song Zhong gradually coaxed the story out of him, piece by piece.

After hearing the full account, I silently pulled out a cigarette and lit it, lost in thought. Song Zhong, meanwhile, looked troubled.

"Mr. Qin, I really think this is a matter for the police," Song Zhong said, his brows furrowed. "We... we work in the funeral services industry. This thing you're talking about..."

Before Song Zhong could finish, Qin Nian dropped to his knees again. No matter how hard Song Zhong tried to pull him up, he remained as immovable as a boulder. Tears welled in his eyes as he shook his head incessantly. "I beg you, please help me! I still have this house—if you can help me, the house is yours!"

"Mr. Qin, you've misunderstood. This... this isn't about money."

Just as Song Zhong was about to continue, I stood up and paced the room. "The business is accepted," I said.

Song Zhong looked at me, his expression full of astonishment. I ignored him and turned to Qin Nian. "Mr. Qin, please get up. This matter won't be resolved in a moment. I need to go look into your family's situation first." I glanced at the time and added, "We will return around six this evening."

Qin Nian looked at me with immense gratitude, though he instinctively glanced at Song Zhong, seeking his approval.

"I am the boss," I added.

With that, I gestured for Song Zhong to follow, and we left Qin Nian's home.

The couple had planned a honeymoon trip to Sanya, and the tickets were already booked. Two days before their departure, Yu Hong had suggested they go to a clothing store to buy swimwear and other outfits so they wouldn't have to scramble once they arrived.

However, after Yu Hong stepped into the fitting room of a clothing store, she never came out. A living, breathing person had simply vanished. Whether through monitoring or questioning, the answers remained consistent. The shop clerk insisted that only Qin Nian had entered the store that day; no one had accompanied him, and they had certainly not seen his wife, Yu Hong. Even more bizarrely, the store's security footage showed only Qin Nian. There was no surveillance outside the shop.

Qin Nian called the police, insisting that Yu Hong had gone missing inside the clothing store. He visited the shop every single day because of this. The police, however, were at a loss. They checked the surveillance along their route; Yu Hong was indeed seen leaving the house with Qin Nian, but after passing a camera in front of the clothing store, she disappeared from sight. There was no evidence to prove she had ever been inside. The police could only classify the case as a missing person report.

From that day on, Qin Nian abandoned his own life, searching for his beloved wife day and night.

Time passed. A few nights ago, just like any other, Qin Nian returned from the clothing store and collapsed onto his bed. He was sleeping soundly when he was suddenly jolted awake by a chill. He heard the sound of a door opening. Though there was nothing left in his home worth stealing, he got up to investigate. Finding no one there, he assumed he had misheard and went back to his room to sleep.

As he closed the door and turned back to the bed, he saw Yu Hong standing in the corner. Her hair was disheveled, and her head was bowed. She was soaking wet, and he recognized the white dress she was wearing—it was his favorite, a piece he had bought for her himself.

Qin Nian couldn't believe his eyes. He choked out a tentative call to her. As he stepped closer, the woman in the corner raised her head. It was Yu Hong’s face, but her eyes were weeping blood. She reached out, gesturing as if to grab his arm, her mouth opening and closing.

Qin Nian trembled violently. He wanted to speak, but found he couldn't utter a single word.

"Save me... please save me... I'm so cold..."

Yu Hong's voice echoed in his ears. He jolted awake. "Wife! Where are you? Where are you? I've been searching for you in such agony!"

But Yu Hong only repeated the words "save me." Qin Nian lunged forward to embrace her, but at that very moment, she vanished, and he woke up with a start. It had been a dream, but this one felt exceptionally vivid.

His sheets were soaked with sweat. He swallowed hard and got up to pour a glass of water. As he glanced inadvertently at the corner where Yu Hong had stood in his dream, the glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor. His pupils dilated in horror. There, on the floor, was a puddle of water.

His scalp tingling with terror, Qin Nian ran to the police station in his pajamas to report it. But such things could not be used as evidence for an investigation. It was a coincidence that he met Wang Zihao at the station that day. Seeing Qin Nian's state, Wang Zihao felt pity and referred him to us.

Song Zhong tapped the car door with his fingers. "Jiang Huai, how are we supposed to handle this?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "Let's go find Wang Zihao. He brought us this business; we should thank him."

As Song Zhong started the car, he couldn't help but ask, "Now that it's just based on a dream, do you really think we can help him find her?"

I glanced at Song Zhong and sighed deeply. "Have you carefully read the notes I wrote for you over the past month?"

"I have!" Song Zhong replied, confused by my sudden question.

When I was in the hospital, to help Song Zhong enter the trade faster, I hadn't just taught him over the phone; I had written down special instructions in a notebook for him to reference at any time.

"You read them? Then how did you fail to notice that Qin Nian is haunted by a vengeful spirit?" Seeing his blank expression, I continued, "Didn't you see the black aura swirling around his shoulders? Even if you couldn't see it with your eyes, didn't you feel uneasy the moment you stepped into that house? Didn't you smell the faint scent of water weeds?"

"The house was a mess, and he’s a man living alone. Do you think it’s normal for a place like that to smell like aquatic plants?"