Translator: CinderTL
"Who are you?" asked the woman wearing a wine-red coat. She was holding a bundle of cloth-wrapped items and looked rather haggard.
"Are you the owner of this shop?" Hua Luo inquired.
The woman nodded. "Yes, that's me." She then added apologetically, "I'm sorry, but I'm preparing to move out. I came today to pack up my things, so I can't..."
At that moment, her gaze was drawn to a bright red spot on the floor, near some shattered glass bottles of nail polish.
Yu Lan stood there awkwardly and explained to the woman, "I accidentally broke that. Please let me know how much it costs, and I'll compensate you."
She had no money, and being timid, she hadn't dared to rummage through the room, unlike Banana Wolf, who had even flipped over the sofa.
Finally, she found a blue wallet in the pocket of a pair of ripped jeans. Inside were a few anonymous membership cards and several hundred yuan in cash.
After offering to compensate, she turned to Banana Wolf, but before she could speak, the woman sighed and said, "It's fine. Those are just cheap little things. If they're broken, so be it." She paused, "Anyway, I'm not in this business anymore."
"That won't do," Banana Wolf said, glancing at the price tag under the nail polish display. He pulled out a 20-yuan bill. "We should compensate for the broken bottle, and I'll take another one."
"Hua Luo," Banana Wolf said, "go pick one you like."
Hua Luo walked over naturally, lifting the hem of her skirt as she passed the spilled nail polish, as if worried it might stain her clothes.
She then leisurely picked through the basket of nail polishes.
While Hua Luo was buying time, Wan Yuanning naturally found a seat and sat down, looking around as if waiting for someone.
"Although this place is a bit remote, we haven't seen a second Nail art shop on our way here," Wan Yuanning said, looking at the woman. "And I've heard that such shops mostly rely on word of mouth to attract repeat customers. Why not hold on a bit longer?"
Perhaps because she had accepted the money, the woman's attitude softened. She put down the items in her hands and said, "You're right. Actually, my business here... it's been doing alright."
"Then why?" Banana Wolf pretended to look around and asked knowingly, "The rent and utilities here shouldn't be expensive, right?"
The woman fell silent for a moment, then shook her head. "It's not expensive. I just... I just don't want to be in this business anymore."
Staring into the woman's eyes, Hua Luo noticed her gaze kept shifting. Hua Luo put down the nail polish she was holding and suddenly said, "Is it because you're too busy to handle it alone?"
The woman was taken aback.
"Why not consider hiring someone?" Wan Yuanning chimed in gently. "They could help share the workload."
Now the woman began to panic. She stood up immediately and gave them an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but I need to move my things. I can't stay with you. If you want to get your nails done, go to the famous shop in the east of the city. You'll find it easily."
Having finally caught a hint of something, Banana Wolf wasn't about to let her go. He quickly stopped her and said, "Boss, since you're moving out, if the rent isn't up yet, could you... rent it to us?"
"No!" the woman responded vehemently.
"Why?" Banana Wolf asked.
"Don't ask too many questions. Just leave. To be honest, I haven't been here since that incident. Today is the last day of the rent, and I must move my things out. That's why I came." She paused, pursed her lips, and quickly added, "Take my advice, don't be tempted by the cheap rent here. There's a reason for it. Haven't you noticed how empty the area is?"
Following the direction of her finger, they saw two rows of shops nearby, all dark and unoccupied.
The doors and glass windows of these shops were covered with white "For Rent" signs.
A sinister wind blew in from somewhere, causing the white signs to flap up and down, making a rustling sound that echoed into the depths of the darkness.
At that moment, Yu Lan had a strange feeling, as if she were in a cemetery, with white funeral banners fluttering not far ahead.
"What happened?" Banana Wolf and Wan Yuanning asked in unison.
Perhaps worried that these seemingly decent young people might be deceived, the woman hesitated for a moment, then invited them in.
Earlier, they had been standing near the side entrance, and the woman seemed reluctant to approach the darkness.
She led them into the inner room, the one she had come out of earlier.
Then she turned around and poured each of them a cup of hot water in white paper cups before sitting down. After a long while, she finally sighed and said, "You asked why I don't hire someone to help. Actually, I did hire someone, not full-time, just part-time when I was too busy." Her throat visibly moved as she continued, "This matter is related to her."
"By the way, her name was Song Xiaoyou," the woman added. "Xiaoyou was a good girl, a college student. Besides working here, she also worked at another shop nearby."
"It was a shop that specialized in wigs. The incident..." The woman pursed her lips and continued after a moment, "The incident happened there."
"That day, I went to stock up and wasn't in the shop. When I came back, I saw police cars parked outside and many officers in uniform busy at the scene. When I entered, I found the wig shop sealed off, with an isolation line set up around it."
"The owners and employees of nearby shops were all called in for questioning. I saw someone with a notebook, jotting down what they said."
"In the afternoon, I learned from one of the owners that Xiaoyou had died."
Although they had already guessed the outcome, to appear normal, Banana Wolf, Wan Yuanning, and Hua Luo all acted surprised.
Especially Yu Lan, who began to tremble.
Wan Yuanning glanced at her subtly, a flicker of something in her eyes.
"How did she die?" Hua Luo pressed.
The woman tightened the collar of her red coat, fear surfacing in her eyes as if she were reliving that day. "According to him, the owner of the wig shop came to open the door in the morning and found it unlocked. He pushed the door open and went in, only to find the place in disarray. Not only were many things knocked over, but some wigs were also thrown on the floor. It looked like a burglary."
"Since Xiaoyou was responsible for closing up the night before, he immediately called her to ask what had happened. But unexpectedly..." The woman looked at Yu Lan, who was closest to her, and lowered her voice, "The ringtone... came from the back storeroom."
Here we go.
(End of the Chapter)
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