Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Holiday Villa

“Maybe,” Xiaoliang replied, uncertain. “Xin Ling’s neck had a flaw—I’m sure I struck it. Even if that was just a doppelganger, it should be dead.”

These kinds of wraiths could indeed be killed; the wounds that had ended their lives would leave marks, and those marks were always their weakest points.

But Su Man did not quite agree. Her gaze drifted toward the pool outside the window—her task had not signaled completion.

Perhaps she truly had to eliminate that big-headed one.

Yet after several confrontations with Xin Ling, she now had a clear understanding of her own strength; she couldn’t defeat a Grievous Wraith, much less one fueled by wrath.

Remembering her earlier plan, she decided she’d best act quickly.

It wasn't much of a plan, really—she just needed to gather more revival cards.

At present, she held only one in her hand, clearly not enough to survive Xin Ling’s attacks.

Previously, Xiaoliang was always tailing her, making it difficult to openly seek out revival cards, but now was not the time for such scruples. If he noticed, let him notice; those cards appeared in all manner of forms anyway.

She narrowed her eyes slightly. If he became a real threat, she wouldn’t hesitate to be ruthless.

Perhaps because the white-clad Xin Ling had been dispatched, Su Man moved through several rooms without encountering any problems.

Before long, she had gathered a match, a spoon, and a keychain—three revival cards in total.

Counting the one she already possessed, she now had four chances.

And, just as she had later suspected, the revival card points didn’t disappear; only after she took one would another be revealed to her.

“Su Man, what are you doing? Do you have a plan?” Xiaoliang clung to her like glue, but he was baffled by Su Man’s collection of these seemingly meaningless trinkets.

“No,” Su Man cut off the subject with extreme brevity.

“Um… about that syringe you took from me earlier…” Xiaoliang hesitated, embarrassed. Now, seeing Su Man pocketing all these odd objects, he felt less awkward about mentioning it again. He’d wanted to ask for it back for some time, but had been too embarrassed, lest he seem petty. Yet he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“It’s not that I’m attached to it, but… right now, I kind of need it. After that fall, I’m not feeling too well.”

Truthfully, Su Man had forgotten about the item until he mentioned it.

Seeing his awkwardness, she didn’t make things difficult for him and tossed it back indifferently.

Her frank generosity made Xiaoliang want to dig a hole and crawl inside. For the sake of propriety, he offered, “Why don’t you use it? You seemed hurt just now.”

“Then I will,” Su Man replied, taking it back without a trace of courtesy.

Xiaoliang opened his mouth, but in the end, shut it. Why was she so literal?

But the next second, Su Man tossed it back to him. “If you don’t want to give it away, don’t go making empty offers. Not everyone will play along with your polite pretense.”

She really didn’t care about the syringe.

Xiaoliang’s pale face flushed crimson, ashamed of his own hypocrisy.

In the end, he injected himself. He hadn’t lied about its effectiveness—after the shot, he felt his body become much lighter, the negative effects dispelled.

Su Man paid him no mind and turned to head back toward the fountain outside, saying as she went, “There’s no need for you to follow me. Otherwise, that woman will lose her mind and kill you.”

Through the window, watching Su Man’s retreating figure grow smaller, Xiaoliang let out a long sigh, helplessness evident in his tone. “I’m supposed to be the bodyguard…”

Su Man didn’t approach the fountain closely.

Nothing seemed amiss with it.

She spoke. “I’ve more or less figured out what’s going on here.”

It was as if she were talking to the air.

“You’re a fickle woman, entangling yourself with everyone. Zhou Bin couldn’t stand it, so he killed you.”

“And you, you didn’t see it that way. You thought yourself noble, willingly played the substitute, but he didn’t appreciate it. You hate him, and by extension, you hate me.”

“Am I right, Xin Ling?”

“You orchestrated this mysterious call to gather everyone here and kill us. Don’t you feel any guilt?”

Since the usual methods yielded nothing, she resorted to provocation.

Yet everything she said was based on what she knew.

“You’re lying! You’re lying! Shut up! What do you know!!”

The water’s surface trembled violently as Xin Ling’s furious scream rang out. Countless black strands of hair swirled up, forming a furious figure in midair. “You don’t know anything!”

Her tactic had worked.

But the cost was a lock of hair piercing straight through her shoulder.

She didn’t dodge. Instead, she let out a mocking laugh, further goading her. “Where am I wrong? That’s what everyone says. You brought this on yourself!”

“The ones you killed were the innocent ones! Everything happened because of you!”

“Shut up! Shut up! They deserved it! What do you know? You know nothing, yet you judge me from your moral high ground!”

“Then say it! What are you not resigned to? Where did I go wrong?” Su Man pressed relentlessly. “If you won’t even tell your side, how can anyone hope to understand you, let alone help you?”

“Shut up! Shut up!!” Countless strands of hair pierced through Su Man’s limbs, suspending her in the air.

Yet she remained unafraid, her aura undiminished. “I’m not wrong, so why should I shut up? If you’re wronged, then say so! If you think I’m wrong, then refute me!”

“You’re wrong about everything! I am not a fickle woman—none of this was my choice, he forced me!”

The mass of hair shook with rage.

“It was Zhou Bin who got involved with those robbers but pushed me out to them!

It was Zhou Bin who begged me to sacrifice my dignity to save them!”

“I loved him too much. I wanted him to live, I wanted everyone to live, so I agreed to those unreasonable conditions. But in the end? In the end, Zhou Bin despised me!”

“Even if he never said it, he showed it in every way. When I tried to be close, he avoided me. When I handed him water, he pulled away…”

The hair figure suddenly began to sob. “He was the one who changed, but made me the villain!”

“It was only because I loved him too much. I kept making excuses for him, kept blaming myself!”

“If only I’d seen through him sooner, I wouldn’t have been drugged and sent to someone else’s bed at my own birthday party!”

“It was all Zhou Bin! All his schemes! He made me into a ruined woman, used that as an excuse to turn his back on me in front of all our friends!”