Chapter 18: I Want to Marry You

No one could have anticipated the sudden turn of events at the wedding banquet. All eyes were on Jiang Chen, filled with sympathy, ridicule, and, above all, astonishment.

"What just happened?"

Jiang Chen, collapsed on the ground, struggled to stand but found his legs powerless. He looked up at me, his eyes burning with anger as I calmly lit a cigarette. His mouth opened as if to speak, but no words came out. Suddenly, he spat out a mouthful of foul-smelling blood and collapsed, unconscious.

"Can I call the police? This feels like blackmail!" I nudged the motionless Jiang Chen with my foot. "Forget it. You should call 911 instead—he might still be salvageable."

The venue erupted into chaos. The secretary of the Jiang Group's chairman and several security guards rushed in with a private doctor, who promptly took Jiang Chen away.

"A wedding without a groom—can it even be called a wedding? Chairman Jiang, your auspicious date seems anything but," remarked one of the men in the VIP section on the second floor. The group of men in light gray suits stood up. "Your family matters seem pressing, so we won't intrude further today."

Without waiting for a reply, they left the venue without the slightest pretense of courtesy.

"Who were they? Their arrogance rivals that of the brash young man just now."

"Quiet! That's the executive director of Qianding Pharmaceuticals, one of the leading enterprises in our city."

"My apologies for the poor hospitality, Mr. Huang. Safe travels." This voice came from the center of the second floor. I looked in that direction but saw no one.

"How did you do it, Gao Jian?" Tie Ningxiang grabbed my arm, her eyes filled with curiosity and surprise as if she were seeing me for the first time.

"I didn't do anything; he collapsed on his own."

"Who'd believe that? Spill it!"

"What's this? The head of the Criminal Investigation Division abusing her authority to coerce a confession? I'm so scared."

I had no intention of explaining and diverted the conversation. Glancing at Ye Bing one last time, I said, "Take care of yourself. Goodbye."

No matter how the chaotic wedding concluded, it didn't matter to me. I had come solely to say farewell to the past.

Amid Ye Bing's hesitant silence and the dumbfounded stares of the "old classmates," I left the venue with Tie Ningxiang.

By mid-afternoon, I found myself at the municipal police department again, urged by Tie Ningxiang's persistent calls. The moment I stepped into the interrogation room, I realized the gravity of the situation.

Four officers, including Tie Ningxiang in her uniform, stood in the room's corners, visibly tense, with guns holstered at their waists.

"Quite the lineup," I said. The object of their vigilance was just a disheveled woman. She was handcuffed at her wrists and ankles to the interrogation chair, her long hair cascading down her back as she slumped face-down on the table.

"You're here," Tie Ningxiang stopped me as I moved forward. "The suspect is highly unstable—don't get too close."

The woman in the chair was none other than Xiaofeng. I recognized her build from that night. "Why are her clothes so tattered? Don't tell me you roughed up an innocent woman."

"Roughed up? This lady nearly tore apart the interrogation room! Xiao Wang, show him your injury."

One of the officers, at Tie Ningxiang's signal, rolled up his sleeve to reveal a horrific wound: two rows of deep teeth marks that had sunk nearly a centimeter into his flesh. The crude bandaging barely stemmed the bleeding.

"That's not right. Xiaofeng seemed perfectly sane to me."

"How would I know she'd suddenly go berserk? You should've seen her with her mouth full of blood—she looked like a vengeful ghost from hell."

"A ghost?" I stroked my chin. Xiaofeng, a gentle and somewhat timid woman, suddenly acting out of character, could mean she was possessed by the ghost from the Peaceful Inn.

But the problem was, this wasn't the Peaceful Inn. A police station, akin to a court in ancient times, was a place of justice and order—not somewhere spirits would dare to intrude.

"Unless the ghost wasn't at the inn but had been hiding in Xiaofeng all along," I speculated. Matters involving spirits were hard to prove.

"You spent a night with her, so you must have a deep bond. Once the anesthetic wears off, it'll be your job to interrogate her." Tie Ningxiang patted my shoulder with a look of encouragement.

"Is that appropriate?" I glanced at Officer Xiao Wang's injury. "You're the police; this is your job. I'm just a—"

"What are you? Don't disappoint me, junior. Besides, she specifically asked to speak with you."

Truthfully, I was also curious about what Xiaofeng wanted to say. Although the Peaceful Inn livestream was over, its lingering questions remained unanswered.

"Ugh…" Xiaofeng groaned and slowly regained consciousness, looking around in confusion. "Why are you all standing so far away? Why is my mouth sticky?"

Her hands and feet were bound, so she couldn't wipe the blood from the corners of her lips.

"Your turn," Tie Ningxiang gave me an encouraging nod and left the room with the others. "Don't worry. We'll monitor your safety via the cameras."

Thud! The heavy door closed, leaving just me and Xiaofeng in the room.

Alone with her, Xiaofeng suddenly lowered her head, avoiding my gaze. "Do… do you still mean what you said before?"

In her bashful, timid demeanor, her voice was soft and endearing. That is, if one could overlook the dried blood at the corners of her mouth.

"Stay calm, Gao Jian. This girl nearly bit a chunk off someone earlier!"

I took a deep breath, pulled a tissue from my pocket, and crouched beside her. "Don't move. I'll clean it for you."

Seeing the bloodstained tissue, Xiaofeng fell silent for a long time.

"Rinse your mouth." I grabbed a cup of tea from the table and helped her clean up. Pulling a chair close, I sat down. "Now, tell me—what do you want to say?"

"You said at the Peaceful Inn that I could come to you for anything, and you'd help me, right?"

"I did say that," I admitted. I had meant it as a way to test her, not expecting her to take it seriously.

"Good." Her eyes lit up, her expression suddenly serious. "I have just one request."

"Go ahead. I'll do my best."

"I want to marry you."

The interrogation room fell silent, the only sound being the ticking of the clock.

Her gaze was piercing as if she could see straight through to my soul.

Hearing this, all my deductions and speculations flew out the window. It was entirely unexpected.

"You… want to marry me?" My hands shook as I pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "This case has little to do with you. Even if you withheld evidence, the sentence wouldn't be harsh. With your qualifications, you could find someone much more suitable."

According to Tie Ningxiang's information, Xiaofeng wasn't an accomplice but rather a victim. She didn't need to offer herself to escape detention.

"There's no one more suitable than you. Only with you can I survive."

Her words struck a familiar chord. I recalled the paper doll interviewer in the Hell Show saying something similar.

"Why?"

"Over the years, countless people have stayed at the Peaceful Inn, but only you avenged my sister and punished that family of monsters. Only you!"

"It was pure luck. Besides, that family is now in custody, and the fugitive Lu Xing is being hunted. You can live a normal life now—no one will harm you."

"No, I can't. Until seven people are killed, Lu Xing won't be caught." Xiaofeng shook her head vehemently. "My sister was the first, and I'm the last. The Twin-Faced Buddha said there would be seven deaths, and five have already come true!"

"The Twin-Faced Buddha?" I pulled out my phone and showed her a photo I had taken in the inn's underground tunnel. It depicted a statue embedded in the wall, a two-faced figure—one benevolent and the other malevolent.

"Yes, the feng shui master who came when the inn was built. He wasn't a monk or a Taoist but called himself the Twin-Faced Buddha," Xiaofeng explained, her voice trembling as she recounted painful memories. "I overheard him talking to Lu Xing once. He said seven people needed to die. My sister was the first, and I'm the last."

"If you knew, why didn't you run?"

"I tried, but they always caught me. And…" Xiaofeng gestured for me to lift the back of her shirt. On her smooth, pale back were several small black dots.

"Every time they caught me, they drove a needle into my flesh."