My consciousness gradually returned, and when I opened my eyes, everything was pitch black.
We were still at the crime scene. The tables and chairs we had just arranged were all overturned—exactly as they had been when we arrived! My phone, which I had left on the table, was thrown into a corner, its faint glow barely visible.
Huang Xiaotao knelt on the floor, her mask fallen aside. She was clutching her stomach, coughing violently, with clear saliva dripping from her mouth.
I noticed two shoe prints on her abdomen—one from me, the other from Wang Yuanchao.
My arms were scratched up and bleeding, and my lips burned painfully. Wang Yuanchao's punch had been brutal, smashing my lips against my teeth and drawing blood.
I thought Wang Yuanchao had gone too far, but if he hadn't, neither Huang Xiaotao nor I would have come to our senses. We might have remained trapped in that hallucination, endlessly playing out the roles of a murderous couple—possibly hurting each other. In truth, we had nearly lost control...
Suddenly, Huang Xiaotao crawled toward me on her knees. I jumped, thinking she was still under the spell of the "Acting Murder Technique," lost in character.
But she called out: "Song Yang, that was so scary, that scene just now was terrifying!"
Then she hugged me tightly, squeezing with such strength I nearly couldn't breathe. Warm tears trickled down into my neck. Though her ample D-cup chest pressed firmly against mine, my nerves were frayed—like a startled bird, I had no time to enjoy the closeness.
...
I instinctively held her tighter. Her soft body trembled in my arms. Only later did I realize I was trembling even more.
A hug really can calm the mind better than any medicine. Slowly, we both settled down and separated. Huang Xiaotao reached up to wipe her tears, and Wang Yuanchao handed her a tissue.
Huang Xiaotao usually presents herself as strong and elegant—I'd never seen her like this before. Her eyes, wet with tears, framed by delicate lashes, looked incredibly cute. I stared, my heart pounding wildly—a feeling I'd never experienced before.
Noticing my daze, she suddenly punched me in the chest, scolding: "What kind of crazy idea is that? You nearly scared me to death!"
Only then did I snap out of it: "It's not my fault—it was in the book."
"What book?" Huang Xiaotao asked.
I picked up the mask from the floor and said, "Remember the herbal concoction I brewed this afternoon? The book said it could stir emotions, but no one told me…it's actually a hallucinogen!"
"You jerk! Do you know you almost scared me to death?" Huang Xiaotao grabbed the mask angrily and threw it into a corner.
I silently vowed never to use this damn "Acting Murder Technique" again.
At the time, I thought the ancestors were messing with me. Later, when I rechecked the book, the recipe was called "Dream Entrancing Powder," with a note saying it could make one "lost in dreams, as if truly there." I had misunderstood—it didn't just awaken emotions, it subtly warned that it would cause hallucinations.
Plus, I'd messed up the dosage, nearly causing a disaster. This mess was on me.
But what I didn't expect was that the night's chaos inadvertently forged a subtle bond between Huang Xiaotao and me—a strange kind of love tether. Years later, I would feel grateful to that ancestor who invented this "Acting Murder Technique"—but that's a story for another time.
I asked Wang Yuanchao what happened earlier. He said Huang Xiaotao and I first pretended to be a couple eating together. Then we suddenly clutched our heads, complained of headaches, and started arguing violently.
Wang Yuanchao hesitated whether to stop us. When we actually fought, he jumped in to pull us apart.
I shuddered at the thought—if all three of us had been acting this way, we might have ended up like the three victims, dead here. With those creepy masks on, the police archives would have gained another unsolvable case.
Huang Xiaotao had calmed down and asked, "Did you hear that strange noise just now?"
"Yes," I replied.
She asked Wang Yuanchao, but he hadn't heard anything. The sound was clearly only at the time of the incident. The whole family suddenly had headaches and personality changes—undoubtedly the key to the case.
I pondered, "I think the reason they went mad might be…"
Before I finished, the white mouse in its cage suddenly screamed wildly, shaking the cage hard—almost falling off the windowsill. I shouted, "Something's here!"
"What do you mean 'something'?" Huang Xiaotao's face drained of color.
I picked up my phone and walked over. The three of us gasped together. On the flour next to the mouse cage, a trail of cat paw prints had appeared, stretching all the way to the stairs.
I shouted, "Huang Xiaotao, guard here. Wang and I will go look for that cat!"
She protested, "I don't want to be alone in this creepy house. Wang stays, and we go."
I had no choice but to agree. We left the house. The old street was pitch black without streetlights, only lights from homes shining through. I planned to split up.
Suddenly Huang Xiaotao grabbed my arm. "Let's stay together—what if something happens?"
I wanted to say splitting up would be more efficient, but afraid something might happen, I agreed.
One end of the street was a main road; the other, a narrow alley. I guessed the cat probably went into the alley, so we searched that way.
As we walked, I noticed she kept holding my arm. Wasn't that a bit too close? I looked down. She realized it and quickly pulled back, stammering, "Don't… don't misunderstand. I'm not scared…"
Maybe it was my imagination, but Huang Xiaotao suddenly seemed a little strange.
"You scared me just now. Want me to make it up to you?" I said, my face burning red. God, how did I get so shy in front of her? I always thought of her as a partner.
Huang Xiaotao lowered her head, silent for a while. I thought something was wrong, but when I looked up—her face was even redder than mine!
Her skin was always fair and delicate, but now those rosy cheeks glowed like polished rose jade—so cute.
I wasn't sure if she was angry or shy. Then she glared at me fiercely, "No need, thanks!" and strode ahead.
I was baffled. Women's hearts really are harder to understand than a hundred cases!
We reached the alley. My phone's light flickered—it had been on for so long the battery was dying. I asked if she had her phone. She checked her pocket, "Oh no, I left it inside."
The phone went dark. We had to proceed in the dark.
Suddenly I heard something rolling on the ground. A little girl was crouched playing with a ball of yarn. Hearing footsteps, she turned her head—and her eyes glowed with an eerie light!