532 Simple condition
The continuous sound of the horn honking disturbed the quiet peace of the pleasant night with a pungent smell of smoke in the air.
Xing Bi had stood frozen in her place as some strange images suddenly occupied the entirety of her mind, making her unable to move. She noticed a stifling sensation bubbling in her chest as Jin’s car came dangerously close to hitting her when a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.
Xing Bi gasped as she fell on the ground and landed on top of a man’s chest.
“Xing Bi!”
Nian loudly exclaimed her name that broke her stupor.
“Are you alright!?”
She stared into his deathly worried gaze and felt his fingers trembling which held her shoulders. He patted her cheeks and thoroughly inspected her arms and legs.
“…D-don’t know…I couldn’t move…And then the images…” she whispered to herself.
What the hell was that…?
Xing Bi had never experienced something like that before. But it felt all too real. She could still feel her heart pounding in her chest.
Nian saw slight bruises on her skin because of how they had rolled away from the road. His dark expression carried the thirst of lethality to kill the person responsible for hurting Xing Bi.
He stormed off towards the car that had crashed into a nearby tree.
“Get the hell out, you fuck-“
Nian froze as he reached near the window of the driver’s seat.
Jin had collapsed on the steering wheel, his temple pressing on the car horn’s button as a thin stream of blood slowly dribbled down his cheek.
“Jin…!?” He looked closer and found Shui too, who was fortunately not hurt, but slightly dizzy with the sudden impact.
His eyes widened with shock. “Jin! Shui!”
From a distance, Xing Bi’s gaze was fixed at Jin’s, who looked unconscious in his seat. The hair on the back of her neck tingled as she saw herself in Jin’s place.
Just a few minutes ago, that was the similar image she had seen except for the fact that Xing Bi laid dead in that memory, not Jin.
She hugged her arms, suddenly feeling cold.
‘If only you had obediently…kept your nose out of my business.’
Xing Bi jerked her head left and right.
Who is talking?
‘Did you really…have to take your sisterhood…so far?’
Xing Bi stared ahead at the empty space.
What is this voice…? Why does it feel like…Zhan Yahui talking?
She furrowed her brows heavily.
Why the heck will I think of Zhan Yahui right now anyway? Am I going crazy?
The voice echoed in her mind so she still wasn’t sure, but she strongly felt that it was Zhan Yahui talking.
She rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming.
‘Making Guiying the best…imperative for me…’
p-A- n-d-A-n-0-v-e-1、(c)om
Xing Bi trembled.
‘…was fine. But you…so damn suspicious! You just never gave up! Really annoying!’
Xing Bi clutched her head, feeling a crushing emotion weigh down her heart.
Why is she talking about Ai like that? What is happening to me!
She didn’t know why but whenever Zhan Yahui talked about Ai, tears welled in her eyes beyond her control. She heard her talking once again but this time, it didn’t feel to Xing Bi as if she was talking to her but somebody else.
‘Seriously, are they some long lost sisters!?’
‘Xing Bi wanted to…justice to Zhou Ai…and Zhou Ai was hell-bent on…Xing Bi’s death!’
Xing Bi froze.
Death…?
‘Why can’t they mind their own business!?’
She then heard a different voice that didn’t belong to Zhan Yahui. It was difficult making it out.
‘It’s all fine now. Zhou Ai…dead anyway.’
Xing Bi felt as if she was dropped into a pot of burning oil.
Huh? Ai and…dead?
‘Nobody will question about it. She fell to her death from the terrace…and Gu Yating as witness…’
‘Zhou Ai’s murder…will never come to light.’
Xing Bi further collapsed on her knees, her countenance white with terror.
M-Murder…?
—
“Jin! Shui!”
Nian tried to open the car door cursed angrily upon finding it locked.
“Bro Nian…” Shui mumbled and used all her strength to open the door. Nian rushed to her side and she immediately fell in his arms.
“Shui? Shui!” He anxiously patted her cheeks. Holding her firmly, he quickly called for an ambulance.
Shui gradually regained her senses. As soon as she realized the situation, she immediately called out for Jin.
“J-Jin! Bro Nian, Jin! He-he suddenly…”
She rushed to Jin’s side and paled upon seeing him unconscious. Nian came to his side too and called out his name.
“What happened here? How did Jin lose control over the car?”
“I don’t know…We were just talking and he suddenly went into a trance! And then that car started going zig-zag,” she cried. “J-Jin is bleeding! W-what will we do now…?”
“Calm down, Shui. I have called for an ambulance. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like he is seriously injured anywhere. It will most likely be a concussion…”
Though Nian quickly took control of the situation, his heart couldn’t help but gnaw with an anxiety of losing Jin. He had already seen how Zixin was after the accident.
What if it’s something serious-No!
No, no, no! Hold yourself together Nian! Jin will be alright! Nothing…nothing would ever hurt my brother…
He glanced once at Xing Bi and froze upon noticing her lying unconscious too.
“Xing Bi!”
—
Jin opened his eyes and found himself floating in the familiar space once again as that day when he was struck with a high fever.
Why am I here again?
Wait, Shui! What happened to her? I was driving and then I…
Is she okay!?
It’s all my fault…what if Shui gets…
He held his throat, feeling suffocated when he found the clouds before him floating away. He observed everything in confusion for several long moments before he could clearly see Shui talking to Guiying.
It was the same scene as he had seen before at Liu Corps. The same flash of the conversation.
“Cai Guiying, how dare you kidnap Jun!? Let me see him right this instant!”
‘Guiying’s’ evil chuckle rang in the air. “Now you can only see him once you do what I tell you to. And it’s very simple. You just have to marry Jin.”