WATCS Chapter 9: Paper Cranes
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He swallowed hard; there was indeed a metallic taste in his mouth.
Looking down, he noticed that the tip of Bo Si’s index finger had a small cut, still stained with traces of blood.
Had Bo Si really fed him his blood?
Was he, in his disoriented state, willingly absorbing Bo Si’s blood? Or was it that, deep down, he believed that if he had Bo Si’s blood, the pain would cease?
This was not a good start.
What if that blood, like a drug, turned addictive? What would he do then?
In silence, Bo Si asked, “Can you stand up?”
Gu Yi nodded, and with Bo Si’s help, he managed to stand.
Still a bit dizzy, he suddenly tried to step up, but his legs gave out, and he stumbled right back into Bo Si’s arms.
Bo Si felt his forehead and said with concern, “Kid, are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Gu Yi replied, trying to concentrate. “Hey, boss, next time my eyes hurt, could you maybe not feed me your blood?”
Bo Si looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“…I’m just afraid that if you do it too often, you might become anemic,” Gu Yi said, half-joking yet sincerely worried.
Bo Si laughed, “I told you not to worry about the boss’s matters. A drop or two of my blood won’t harm me—but you, without my blood, would really suffer.”
Gu Yi didn’t reply further.
When they looked back, they saw that Lin Ming was still lying on the ground, on the verge of collapse.
He was in such a state that he needed help getting into the car. Gu Yi didn’t want to even touch him; just the sight of his face made him feel nauseous.
Back in the car, Gu Yi was still lost in the images of what had just transpired and the sorrow of Bai Nuo. He remained silent for a long time, his expression heavy with thought.
Noticing this, Bo Si said, “Still thinking about what just happened?”
Gu Yi was momentarily stunned before asking, “Do you know what I saw?”
“I don’t know—I’m just guessing,” Bo Si replied, gazing ahead. “Her resentment is so heavy that it must have made you see some scenes from her past.”
Gu Yi lowered his head and said, “Where are we going now?”
“His place.”
“Can’t we not go?” The words slipped out almost involuntarily from Gu Yi.
Recalling the images of Bai Nuo’s suffering, for the first time Gu Yi felt a deep-seated, indelible hatred. Lin Ming had hurt Bai Nuo with such despicable means—why should they help him? Wouldn’t it be better if he died?
Hearing that, the man slumped in the backseat, Lin Ming, immediately raised his head in panic.
Bo Si glanced at Gu Yi and sighed in a low voice, “That kind of person deserves to die. But your beloved, because of him, cannot reincarnate and is forever bound by the shackles of hatred. She’s already killed several people. Although those people aren’t entirely innocent, she still has to bear an enormous burden of sin. If we don’t stop her from killing more, she might be tortured in hell for eternity.”
At these words, Gu Yi fell into a long silence.
He naturally didn’t want Bai Nuo to be tormented for all eternity. In order to free her, they had to stop her actions.
“By the way,” Gu Yi suddenly recalled the scene he’d seen at the tombstone. He turned his head toward Bo Si, urgency in his tone, “In the memory Bai Nuo gave me, there was another person—she called that person ‘Teacher’ and begged for help, but the teacher ignored her. Now that Zhang Qiang, Wang Hao, and Du Ran are all dead, she said the next one would be Lin Ming. Could that teacher also be in danger?”
“Another teacher? No wonder her resentment is so heavy—her tombstone is even bleeding. It looks like tonight is going to be a sleepless night.”
With Lin Ming’s navigation, the car quickly entered an upscale residential area.
Lin Ming’s family was indeed wealthy. In this neighborhood, every plot of land was precious, and each house was a detached villa. Anyone living here was likely a prominent figure among the political or business elite.
Looking at this, Gu Yi finally understood why Lin Ming was so arrogant at school and even capable of committing such despicable acts. Their living environment was worlds apart. In the eyes of a rich second-generation, money could solve anything.
Even so, Gu Yi still felt a deep disdain every time he looked at such people.
Calling them beasts would be an insult to real beasts.
They reached the garage in silence. Later, when they entered the villa, Gu Yi saw that in the grand and luxurious living room—apart from the maidservants standing on either side—three people were seated on a set of exquisite genuine leather sofas.
On the table, tea was freshly brewed and steaming.
A middle-aged man in a suit and glasses, upon seeing Lin Ming, spoke in a tired tone, “Xiao Ming, you’re back.”
“Dad.”
Lin Ming straightened his clothes and stepped forward, introducing Bo Si and Gu Yi to the middle-aged man by pointing at them, “This is Boss Bo, and this is my classmate, Gu Yi. I specially invited them to help me out.”
The middle-aged man stood up, smiled at Bo Si and Gu Yi, and then sighed, “This time, your problem is indeed quite tricky. Your old man is very worried about you, so I’ve arranged for two helpers—Miss Xia and Mr. Qing.”
The other two people on the sofa then stood up. Only then did Gu Yi take a closer look at them.
A man and a woman—both appearing to be around the same age as Bo Si, in their twenties. The man was quite handsome in casual wear, like the lead in a romantic drama. As for the girl, she was very petite—probably only about 1.5 meters tall, appearing to be around fifteen or sixteen years old—dressed in a Lolita style, resembling a walking doll. Every strand of hair and each eyelash sparkled delicately. The sight of her alongside the handsome young man was indeed pleasing to the eye.
The man’s eyes shone with tenderness when he looked at the girl, but the moment the girl saw Bo Si, a gleam of mischief lit up in her eyes. She bounced over to Bo Si, looked up at him with her cute little face, and beamed as she said, “Hello, my name is Xia Wan’er. I’m an internet-famous ghost hunter. It’s a pleasure to meet you. What’s your name?”
This girl wasn’t only adorable in appearance; her voice was like the tinkling of silver bells—clear, pleasant, with a hint of coquettishness.
No man could resist such enthusiasm. However, Bo Si was an exception. He didn’t even spare the girl a glance, and merely replied politely with his name, “Bo Si.”
“Bo Si? Boss? Wow, what a cool name!”
Xia Wan’er exclaimed excitedly, then pointed to the handsome young man beside her, “This is Qing Sang—he’s my good friend. His family is also skilled in ghost-banishing arts, and he’s come here especially to accompany me.”
Qing Sang’s eyes briefly showed a trace of sadness at being called “friend,” but he quickly masked it and smiled at Bo Si and Gu Yi, “Hello, I’m Qing Sang.”
“Little brother, what’s your name?” Xia Wan’er then circled over to Gu Yi, grabbed his hand, and batted her big, jewel-like eyes at him.
Gu Yi, who had never been approached like that by a girl before, felt a bit awkward. He gently withdrew his hand and said in a quiet voice, “Hello, I’m Gu Yi.”
“Gu Yi? What an odd name—but it’s easy to remember. I like it!” Xia Wan’er pulled Gu Yi’s hand again, looking at him with pure, innocent eyes. Her large, enchanting eyes fixed on him left Gu Yi utterly at a loss for words. “Yi-gege, let’s be good friends! From the moment I first saw you, I knew we’d become great friends!”
“…”
Bo Si pinched his temple, clearly exasperated by the inexplicable atmosphere. He turned and glared at Gu Yi with an expression as if he could swallow him whole, “What are we here for? If you dawdle any longer, you won’t be calling me ‘Boss’ anymore.”
With that, Bo Si turned to Lin Ming and said, “Where’s your room? Take me there.”
Lin Ming hurriedly led the way.
“Hey, Boss, Boss!” Gu Yi noticed Bo Si’s anger and started to follow, but before he could take a step, Xia Wan’er grabbed him.
“Yi-gege, you call him Boss—he really is your big BOSS. But why is he so strict? Does he not like me?”
Xia Wan'er looked at him with a pitiful, aggrieved expression.
Being pestered by a little girl for the first time, Gu Yi was tongue-tied—he didn’t know how to comfort her, so he could only say, “No, he doesn’t dislike you. He’s just like that—hot-tempered, a bit rough, but not a bad person. Don’t take it to heart.”
“Wow, Yi-gege, you really understand Boss Bo so well. I’m so jealous!” Xia Wan'er exclaimed.
Gu Yi was at a loss for words. How could he possibly know him? They had only known each other for a few days, and he knew nothing about him—not even whether he was human or a ghost.
All he knew was that Bo Si had a terrible temper, was somewhat overbearing, and tended to be hot one minute and cold the next, often threatening him by withholding his salary.
Still, Gu Yi’s intuition told him that Bo Si probably wasn’t a bad person. After all, it was Bo Si who had saved his life. But of course, he couldn’t let the little girl know any of that.
After a bit of back-and-forth, Lin Ming’s father courteously led Qing Sang upstairs along with him, leaving only Gu Yi—who was being tugged along by Xia Wan'er—walking slowly.
“Yi-gege, don’t you and Boss Bo go online much? How come you don’t know who I am?” Xia Wan'er asked indignantly as they walked.
“We... are very busy at the shop, so we rarely go online,” Gu Yi replied with a smile, scratching his head.
(He had come to the shop where not a single coffin had been sold, and on top of that, he was using a flip phone—there was simply no way for him to watch videos!)
“Yi-gege, does Boss Bo have a girlfriend?” Xia Wan'er asked, gossiping as she linked her arm with Gu Yi’s.
“Umm… probably not, right?”
“Probably? But you’re his employee—how can you not know if he has a girlfriend?” Xia Wan'er asked, genuinely puzzled.
Gu Yi shrugged and said, “That’s his private matter. How would I know?”
“Oh, I see… But Boss Bo is so handsome, I really hope he doesn’t get a girlfriend too soon,” Xia Wan'er sighed with deep melancholy.
Gu Yi thought to himself, Could it be that this little girl has fallen in love with Bo Si at first sight?
After a brief silence, Gu Yi suddenly noticed something wasn’t right.
“Why is this staircase so long? We’ve been walking for ages and we still haven’t arrived?”
Gu Yi looked around and saw that on the staircase there were only him and Xia Wan'er. There was no end in sight ahead, and no way to retreat behind them.
However, Xia Wan'er wasn’t in a hurry. With a cheerful chuckle she said, “We’re being treated by that female ghost. But it’s alright—this little formation won’t hold me back.”
Right after she finished speaking, Xia Wan'er pulled out some yellow paper from her clothes. With nimble fingers, she folded it a few times until it took shape.
“A lantern?” Gu Yi guessed in surprise, both impressed by her skill and curious why she’d make one.
Xia Wan'er coughed and corrected him seriously, “This is a paper crane—the kind of paper crane made from a thousand sheets.”
Gu Yi managed a stiff smile and said, “A paper crane this chubby… can it even fly?
T/N: Please give support on my kofi page, thank you🥑🥑🥑
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