"Rimei?!"
Upon hearing the voice coming from the screen, Chen Xing immediately broke into a joyful smile.
He hadn't expected his girlfriend to return at this time. Not long ago, she had hurried back to Japan due to some family issues, saying she would be back in a while.
The sudden appearance made Chen Xing subconsciously think she was trying to surprise him secretly.
After all, she'd done this many times before, terrifying Chen Xing, who was caught cheating in hotels.
Throwing the fruit knife on the coffee table, Chen Xing rushed to open the door and excitedly pulled the blonde girl into his arms.
"Rimei-chan, yokatta, you're finally back," Chen Xing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
With his girlfriend accompanying him at home, he wouldn't spend the night worrying.
"What happened to you? Why do you look like this, so exhausted?"
The blonde girl touched Chen Xing's face with a slight disdain and said, "You need to take care of your skin daily, baka. If you become ugly, don't think you can continue being my boyfriend."
She pushed Chen Xing aside and walked into the house, taking off her shoes: "I rushed back by plane for several hours. I'm dead tired. I'll go take a shower first, and then you can give me a massage."
After closing the door and watching his girlfriend head towards the bathroom, Chen Xing let out a long sigh of relief.
Having a living person at home made him feel more at ease.
Sitting back on the sofa, Chen Xing lit a cigarette and relaxed in a cloud of smoke. His rich girlfriend, a Japanese, usually smoked and drank, so she didn't mind him doing the same in the apartment.
Buzz buzz buzz.
Just then, the phone on the coffee table started ringing.
Chen Xing sat up slowly, casually picking it up to check. Seeing the name "Tanzawa Rimi" flashing on the screen, he couldn't help but glance puzzled towards the closed bathroom door.
"Being so close, what's there to say that can't be said directly? Why call?"
He pressed 'answer,' saying irritably, "Hey, what's up?"
"Xing-chan~ have you missed me in America? Sumimasen, it'll take a few more days to handle things at home. Wait a bit more, and soon we'll be able to meet," came his girlfriend's sweet voice from the phone, like warm water soothing his heart.
But Chen Xing's pupils shrank instantly, and a chill ran down his back, making him drop the cigarette from his mouth without realizing it.
The girlfriend didn't return? She's still at her home in Tokyo?
Impossible! If this person calling was his girlfriend...
Then who was in the bathroom? Who was it that he let in just now?!
"Xing-chan? Xing-chan, what's wrong, why aren't you speaking, are you mad?"
Chen Xing turned pale, mumbling as he covered his face, "Who is it, who could it be, could it be her? She's here for me, damn it! Why is this so troublesome?"
Looking down at the fruit knife on the coffee table, Chen Xing, eyes reddened, gripped the handle and slowly moved towards the bathroom.
"Hey, I didn't let you in while I'm showering, where's your manners... Hey! Chen Xing, what are you doing? No, don't! Ah!!!"
A scream came from the bathroom, and it gradually fell silent not long after.
...
"Yesterday, a major murder case occurred in Jinshui District of Saint Anna City. A foreign student was brutally killed in their apartment. The cause of death is reported as being stabbed repeatedly by her boyfriend in a frenzied manner. The killer's method was extremely cruel, leaving the victim's body unrecognizable. The case is currently under investigation."
On the country road, Sun Yan sped along in his pickup truck, listening to the latest news from Saint Anna City playing over the car radio.
"It's so cruel. These days, you have to be cautious even when dating, or else losing some money is a small thing compared to losing your life," Sun Yan said with lingering fear as he listened to the broadcast.
In a free and democracy-loving America, where shootings happen every day, a murder case seems no longer to be something noteworthy.
After all, so many victims die in various shooting incidents daily, and there are even a few mass looting events on the streets every year. The law and order in this country were never as safe as rumored.
After Sun Yan inherited a graveyard, becoming a Tomb Guardian, and informed his friends, this action had indeed sparked a chain reaction.
Just this morning, Liu Qifei called to introduce him to some business. In Dongmu Town, about ten kilometers away from Gospel Town, an elderly member of a Chinese family passed away and was currently looking for a suitable cemetery for burial.
Sun Yan, also an overseas Chinese from the East, had good Feng Shui at his cemetery. If he personally went to promote it, coupled with Liu Qifei's referral, the chance of securing this business was pretty high.
At the moment, Sun Yan was driving towards Dongmu Town.
Compared to Gospel Town, Dongmu Town was much larger in both area and population, with a branch of the Saint Anna River running through it, resulting in a strong local fishing culture.
Almost every family enjoyed taking their pickup and spending a whole day camping and fishing by the river.
Following the navigation, Sun Yan soon arrived at Dongmu Town, and since today was Saturday, many people could already be seen with fishing rods and buckets, heading to the river.
"132 Boer Street, this is it."
Following the address given by Liu Qifei, Sun Yan stopped in front of a house, stepped out, and lightly knocked three times, politely asking, "Hello, is anyone home?"
Footsteps sounded inside, followed by a creak as the door opened. A dark-skinned middle-aged man peeked out and asked suspiciously, "What do you want?"
"Are you Mr. Wang Qiang? Hello, I'm here on the recommendation of Liu Qifei. My name is Sun Yan, I'm the manager of the Evangelical Town Cemetery, not far from here. Can we have a chat?" Sun Yan put on a harmless smile, trying to appear as friendly as possible.
For family members who've just lost a loved one, the last thing they wanted was someone coming to offer funeral services during their grief.
At this time, they're usually very agitated, and if you touch on their wounds, it's easy to get the door slammed in your face or even receive glares and insults.
Sun Yan didn't think of himself as thick-skinned, nor did he have good mental pressure tolerance. If someone cursed him, he might be downcast for a day.
But he couldn't avoid this kind of work either since he ran a graveyard, relying on funerals for income.
Exorcism jobs weren't something you encountered daily, and he wasn't the only one in North America capable of exorcism. Big opportunities like those involving Chen Xing were rare. If he shifted his focus entirely to exorcism, Sun Yan might not earn much.
The graveyard currently had no fame, so it was up to Sun Yan, the administrator, to go out and drum up business, spreading the name of the Evangelical Town Cemetery. Once the reputation was established, clients would naturally refer him to acquaintances, negating the need for self-promotion at that point.
"So you're the one Ah Fei mentioned, quite young. Come in," Wang Qiang said, opening the door wider and stepping aside to make way for Sun Yan to enter.