NOVEL NEXT 037 Bishui Bay Manor
The hotel where Bai Fugui, Feng Yushu, and their daughter stayed was located outside of Gubei Town. It was a leisure manor built downstream of the Xuanhu Waterfall, nestled in the meandering Bishui Bay(Azurewater Bay). Covering an area of about one hectare, its size was comparable to that of a typical elementary school.
The design of Bishui Bay Manor was highly innovative, featuring a layout and decor in the popular European style of recent years. Its aesthetic clashed with the traditional Jiangnan(Jingnan region) water town charm of Gubei Town, as if it had been photoshopped into the landscape from somewhere else.
In truth, that wasn’t far from reality. The manor was not an ancient building with a long history but a brand-new development completed only a few months prior. Rumor had it that the investors of the manor had obtained insider information about Gubei Town’s upcoming large-scale development. Acting on this tip, they spent lavishly to secure this plot of land downstream of the Xuanhu Waterfall.
Bai Fugui’s family were the first guests to stay in this manor. Zhang Yangxu, however, refused to book a room there, adamantly avoiding any bad luck.
—
Under the bright moonlight, a magpie spread its wings and glided gracefully on the cool night breeze, landing atop the head of a human-shaped statue in the side courtyard of the manor. The statue depicted a pure white maiden holding a ceramic jug in both hands, with a clear stream of water pouring out to form an artificial fountain.
Beneath the softly gurgling fountain, a well-dressed woman in a purple dress sat on a wicker chair. Her gaze frequently turned to a winding path leading out of the manor, her brows knitting with what seemed like anxious anticipation.
Seeing that no one else was around, the magpie lightly hopped down beside her. In a flash, it transformed into a tall and handsome young man. His slender, fair hands—delicate as a woman’s—gently patted Feng Yushu’s shoulder.
“Who—?!”
Feng Yushu instinctively cried out, but as Ning Zhe’s hand covered her mouth again, her tense body relaxed. “Ning Zhe?! …When did you get here?”
“I flew,” Ning Zhe quipped, half-jokingly. Then, he reverted to his magpie form, perching on her shoulder. “Hejia Village may have been destroyed, but the ghost’s rules seem not to have vanished. Instead, they’ve transferred to me.”
In other words, Ning Zhe now possessed the ability to “steal identities using mistaken perceptions as a medium.”
—
“Incredible…” Feng Yushu turned her head, marveling at the petite bird perched on her shoulder. “I thought the targets for identity theft could only be humans.”
“I used to think so too,” Ning Zhe replied. He transformed back into human form, raising his hand. “Let’s find a secluded place to talk.”
“Alright.”
Feng Yushu led Ning Zhe to a small pavilion surrounded by flowerbeds and ornamental trees. It was secluded and hidden enough to ensure privacy. Until the Gubei Town scenic area was fully developed and Bishui Bay Manor officially opened to the public, this spot remained deserted except for the occasional gardener during daytime hours.
The two sat across from each other in the pavilion. Feng Yushu immediately voiced her most pressing question: “What exactly happened in Hejia Village? In the last few seconds before we returned to the real world, I heard two distinct screams and cries. Then… it was over. How did you do it?”
“I told you—I killed both the serpent god and the ghost.” Ning Zhe shrugged. “As for how I did it, don’t worry about that. Just know that I kept my promise.”
Unwilling to share too many details about his own actions, Ning Zhe quickly shifted the topic. “What about you? While we were apart, what did you experience in Hejia Village?”
Feng Yushu nodded and recounted her ordeal in detail.
After “Zhang Yangxu” suffered the misfortune of being killed by a falling roof tile, the ghost did not disappear. Instead, it reappeared before her in the form of Ye Miaozhu, attempting to persuade Feng Yushu to listen to its explanation.
However, Feng Yushu’s mental state was already on the verge of collapse. In her desperation, she first blinded herself, then used two chopsticks to puncture her eardrums, rendering herself completely blind and deaf. Stripped of any ability to perceive external information, she left the ghost utterly powerless.
“I told you your mental state wasn’t great,” Ning Zhe remarked, somewhat surprised. “But damaging your eardrums without immediate medical attention is basically suicide.”
“I… I didn’t know,” Feng Yushu murmured, her expression dazed. “I was at my wit’s end. After Zhang Yangxu died, it became Ye Miaozhu. Then after Ye Miaozhu died, it became Xie Sining… The ghost kept transforming into different people to manipulate me. I… I just couldn’t take it anymore…”
“It’s over now. You’re fine, Auntie.” Seeing her verge on another breakdown, Ning Zhe quickly interrupted, handing her a napkin from his pocket. “Here, wipe your tears. Your makeup’s a mess. If you go back like this, your husband will notice.”
“He won’t notice… We’ve been sleeping in separate rooms for years,” she mumbled as she took the napkin.
“I’m not interested in your marital problems,” Ning Zhe said flatly. “What about your daughter, Bai Zhi? I want to know more about her.”
Ideally, he’d get access to her computer to read her diary firsthand.
“Ah, right! Bai Zhi…” Feng Yushu’s demeanor changed at the mention of her daughter. She quickly took out an iPad Mini from her bag, unlocked it, and handed it to Ning Zhe. “I couldn’t bring her computer, but I backed up her diary. Please, take a look… I really need to know—what’s wrong with Bai Zhi?”
Why had Bai Zhi repeatedly dreamed of scenes from Hejia Village?
She had never been to Gubei Town before…
—
“Alright, let’s see what this problem child’s private diary says… It’s like something out of a galgame,” Ning Zhe muttered as he opened the file.
The first line hit him like a hammer: “This world is beyond saving.”
“Wow. That’s… edgy,” Ning Zhe groaned, massaging his temples.
Bai Zhi’s diary was overwhelming from the very first entry, written five years ago when she was just 14, a middle schooler. She attended a prestigious private school in Yongzhou, where relationships between classmates were cordial but distant.
Some boys approached her because of her beauty, while girls sought her out for her privileged background. Bai Zhi, however, rejected everyone, avoiding even basic social interaction.
Her assessment of her peers in her diary was blunt: “Childish.”
“My god…” Ning Zhe finished Bai Zhi’s middle school entries and felt as if he had just witnessed a “blackened Bai Zhi” trope unfold. “Auntie, did you know your daughter is a textbook case of chūnibyō?”
“Chūnibyō? What’s that?” Feng Yushu asked, visibly alarmed.
“Right, I forgot. Aunties usually aren’t familiar with otaku culture.” Ning Zhe wasn’t surprised by her confusion.
As he prepared to speed-read Bai Zhi’s high school diary entries, the sky above them suddenly darkened.
“What’s going on?” Ning Zhe glanced up, only to find that the once-bright moon had vanished without a trace, as if a light bulb had been switched off. The world plunged into pitch-black darkness, devoid of even a single star.
In the suffocating blackness, the iPad in Ning Zhe’s hands was the only source of light. The manor in the distance remained silent except for the faint sound of flowing water.
But in the next moment, the entire manor lit up. Every single room was suddenly illuminated, the castle-like structure glowing like a giant lantern in the night.
Then, a piercing scream rang out.
“Someone’s dead!”
Ning Zhe glanced back down at the iPad. The first line of Bai Zhi’s high school diary read: “The world is full of ghosts.”