Ning Qi Qi was awakened by pain—a sharp agony in her waist that made her gasp for air.
She opened her eyes to see laser lights spinning overhead, with Beyoncé’s “Listen” echoing in her ears.
Oh right, she had arranged to meet friends at KTV for karaoke today. But why was she lying on the floor with such terrible pain in her waist?
Ugh, the smell here was still as unbearable as ever. Besides the cigarette smoke, there seemed to be another unpleasant odor—like the metallic scent of blood.
Ning Qi Qi tried to get up but found someone else lying beside her. She naturally turned her head and froze. Because the person lying face-to-face with her was herself!
Ning Qi Qi saw herself with wide-open eyes, dilated pupils reflecting nothing, a ghastly pale face with a bluish tint, disheveled hair, and a deathly appearance… Strange, why was there a mirrored wall in the private room? And why did she look so dead?
Was it because she had rushed out today without properly grooming herself? Ning Qi Qi smiled self-mockingly, but suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
She had clearly smiled, but the “her” in the mirror hadn’t smiled!
This wasn’t a mirror!
Ning Qi Qi sat up abruptly and immediately saw a fruit knife stabbed into “her” chest. The white lotus-leaf collar shirt—her favorite—now made the chest wound look even more horrifying. Thick, uncoagulated blood still slowly oozed from the wound, soaking the already deep red carpet. The laser lights scattered throughout the room mockingly illuminated “her” body, creating a terrifying beauty.
“Listen to the sound from deep within. It’s only beginning to find release…” Beyoncé’s voice continued flowing quietly through the room.
Ning Qi Qi wanted to scream, but she couldn’t find her voice. Was she dead? Was she a ghost now? But why could she still feel pain in her waist?
Ning Qi Qi gathered courage and reached toward the “herself” lying beside her, but stopped before touching “her” face. Because what she extended was a distinctly masculine hand with prominent knuckles!
Ning Qi Qi stared blankly at the hand before her. When she tried to move her fingers, this hand moved its fingers too. When Ning Qi Qi trembled, this hand trembled as well.
Ning Qi Qi stiffly turned her head and saw in the reflective glass of the soundproof wall the terrified face of a strange man… No, not completely strange—she had seen this man somewhere before!
The man’s chest bore a pendant—a crucified Christ carved from pale jade, with Jesus’s suffering expression rendered so lifelike that even the blood on his body seemed real…
Blood? Wait!
Ning Qi Qi looked in horror at the slender, pale hand before her, covered in fresh, warm blood.
“There is someone here inside, Someone I thought had died so long ago. Oh, I’m screamin out…” The karaoke room’s “Listen” played over and over. Ning Qi Qi finally trembled as she reached out, placing her hand under “her” nose in desperate confirmation that “she” was indeed dead.
She couldn’t remember what had happened before. She only remembered coming to KTV with friends, going to the restroom in the middle, returning and entering the wrong room, seeming to see something… then… then waking up in pain…
How she died, how she became a man—she knew none of it…
After calming down slightly, Ning Qi Qi faced an even bigger puzzle—this room contained only her corpse and her current self, and her new body’s waist had also been stabbed. She was certain she wasn’t the murderer, so the only suspect was the man whose body she now inhabited! Which meant she was simultaneously both victim and perpetrator?
Ning Qi Qi sat dazedly for a while, mechanically pulling tissues from “her” pants pocket. After carefully wiping clean the fingerprints on the fruit knife and the blood on her hands, she stood up, took the long coat hanging on the wall, and without daring to take one last look at “herself” on the floor, put on the coat to cover her waist wound and walked out with her head down.
She remembered this KTV had a back door leading directly to a secluded alley… Ning Qi Qi walked with her head down in panic, the waist wound forcing her to move slowly.
“Excuse me, have you seen a girl? Wearing a white shirt, not very tall, very cute?” Someone suddenly blocked her path.
Ning Qi Qi looked up in alarm to find her good friend Luo Jia! It seemed she had been gone so long that Luo Jia had come looking for her.
“Sir?” Luo Jia felt this person’s gaze was strange. Though quite handsome, his face had a sickly pallor that made her uneasy. And he looked somewhat familiar…
Ning Qi Qi looked down at her, opening her lips to tell her everything that had happened, but reason stopped her from speaking. Finally, Ning Qi Qi shook her head and said with difficulty: “Sorry, I haven’t seen her.” The voice from her mouth was somewhat hoarse but pleasantly deep.
Luo Jia frowned, looking up and down at Ning Qi Qi in a man’s body, clearly becoming wary of this suspicious-looking man.
Ning Qi Qi knew Luo Jia loved reading mystery novels and was especially fond of Conan—she might notice something. So she dared not delay, pushed past Luo Jia, and hurried toward KTV’s back exit. Walking down the dark stairs into the secluded alley, she could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground. She lifted her coat and saw by the dim light that blood had soaked through her entire shirt, with blood all over her pants too. Ning Qi Qi knew her life was in danger—if she didn’t get treatment quickly, she would die a second time. But in her current situation, going to a hospital was absolutely impossible!
At that moment, the phone in her coat suddenly rang.
“Listen, I am alone at a crossroads. I’m not at home in my own home…” The ringtone was actually Beyoncé’s “Listen,” loud enough for the entire alley to hear.
Damn! She didn’t want to be discovered!
Ning Qi Qi fumbled to turn off the phone when someone seemed to crouch in front of her. Due to excessive blood loss, her consciousness was unclear. She helplessly reached out, murmuring: “Don’t take me to a hospital… save me…”
The other person seemed to say something, but Ning Qi Qi couldn’t hear clearly.
Before losing consciousness, she seemed to hear Luo Jia’s extremely terrified scream, followed by piercing sirens wailing in her direction.
“You’ve brought back another strange thing.” The owner looked up from behind the counter and said flatly.
“Not a thing—a person! Looks like he was stabbed by thugs in an alley, but his wallet and phone weren’t stolen.” The doctor unceremoniously placed the rescued man on the shop’s table, examining the stab wound on his waist.
The owner frowned—not because of the gruesome wound, but worried about the Ming Dynasty gold-inlaid rosewood table with coiled patterns getting stained beyond cleaning. “Why not send him to a hospital?”
“He said not to go to the hospital while unconscious. Fortunately, I just returned from a house call with my emergency kit.” The doctor removed all the man’s upper clothing. “Boss, can’t your shop be brighter? How can I provide emergency care in this darkness?”
“If you’re not satisfied, feel free to leave.” The owner lazily glanced over, but his gaze immediately fixed.
Sigh, I’ll manage. The doctor sighed but suddenly found the owner standing before him, staring intently at the necklace pendant on the man’s chest.
The doctor looked curiously: “A crucifix? Why is it made of jade? How strange… Though I still wear a longevity lock…” He continued talking while his hands worked swiftly and efficiently.
“This isn’t ordinary jade—it’s water jade.” The owner somehow produced a fist-sized luminous pearl, immediately brightening the previously dim room.
“What kind of jade is water jade?” The doctor was delighted, using tweezers to grab the owner’s finger and pull it toward himself.
“‘Jade colored like mountain darkness mixed with patterns, like water’s pale blue mixed with patterns.’ This passage contains the names of two jade types: mountain dark jade and water jade. In ancient times, feudal lords and nobles wore mountain dark jade, while court officials wore water jade.” The owner narrowed his eyes, carefully examining the bloodstained crucifix.
The doctor watched the owner’s eyes reflect green light from the luminous pearl, feeling the owner seemed eager to claim this crucifix. No way—this person wasn’t dead yet! How could he commit murder and robbery? The doctor coughed lightly, speeding up his suturing while continuing to question: “You’re talking about ancient China, right? But this is a crucifix, isn’t it? Could that official have liked foreign trinkets?”
“The Book of Daniel, Chapter 10, Verse 6: ‘His body was like water jade…’ Hehe, what an interesting antique. Water jade has the strongest soul-binding properties, often allowing masterless vengeful spirits to attach themselves… Hmm? This jade material seems somewhat familiar…” The owner murmured behind him, but the doctor didn’t hear a word, focused entirely on suturing the man’s waist wound.
The moment she opened her eyes, Ning Qi Qi felt like she was waking from some vague nightmare.
She had actually dreamed she was dead and had possessed the murderer’s body!
“You’re awake?” A cool male voice suddenly spoke, startling the dazed Ning Qi Qi back to awareness of her surroundings.
Only flickering dim lights illuminated the room, and the ancient artifacts within her sight left Ning Qi Qi speechless. If not for the man behind the counter holding a recently published bestseller, she would have thought she’d traveled through time.
Ning Qi Qi tried to sit up and noticed someone lying on a reclining chair beside her, sleeping with an exhausted expression—seemingly the person she’d encountered before losing consciousness. Seeing the IV drip in her hand, she knew he had saved her.
“Thank you…” Ning Qi Qi had just begun speaking when her own voice startled her. Though she had realized she was no longer herself, suddenly hearing herself produce a man’s voice was still unacceptable.
“Hello, this is Dumb House, and I’m the owner.” The man behind the counter stood up. He wore a black Zhongshan suit with a lifelike red dragon embroidered on his right shoulder, its piercing eyes seeming to stare directly at her. A breeze made her realize her upper body was completely naked, and she cried out, quickly wrapping the blanket around herself.
Though a grown man making girlish bashful gestures looked… disgusting, even if her current body was male, she still wasn’t used to being topless! Just as Ning Qi Qi wondered what to do, the owner suddenly said something that stunned her.
“Miss, can you tell me what happened?”
Ning Qi Qi quickly pulled back her blanket to look—she hadn’t changed back! How could this person tell she was actually female?
“Pfft, Boss, where are your eyes? Calling such a big man ‘miss’?” The doctor hadn’t been sleeping deeply and woke when Ning Qi Qi got up. He put on his glasses, checked the patient’s condition, and frowned: “Though I’ve sutured your wound, to be safe, you should still visit a hospital.”
Ning Qi Qi ignored his words, stammering to the owner: “You… how did you know I’m a woman?”
The doctor was just changing bandages, facing those flat pectoral muscles, and was thunderstruck: “You… you’re female?” No matter how he looked, this seemed like a pure man!
“I think it’s all because of the water jade crucifix you’re wearing.” The owner said calmly. “You can tell us about your experience—perhaps I can help you.”
Ning Qi Qi hesitated for a long moment before revealing everything to these two men. Recalling the terror of opening her eyes to see her own corpse, Ning Qi Qi couldn’t help crying.
The doctor watched a six-foot-tall man crying like rain on pears, clenching his fists and rubbing his eyes with a coquettish expression, getting goosebumps all over. But after she finished her account, he still handed over a tissue: “So you’re actually a murderer now?”
“I’m the victim! Wait, you believe what I said?” Ning Qi Qi stopped crying, eyes wide.
“Yes, I believe you.” The doctor glanced at the owner beside him. He didn’t believe her—he believed the owner. Though soul possession was bizarre, he’d seen stranger things around the owner.
Suddenly the doctor frowned, noticing the red dragon on the owner’s clothes seemed to move. Ha! He swore that dragon’s tail had just twitched! This was impossible, right? The doctor removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes—he must be seeing things from lack of sleep!
“Excuse me, is there a mirror here?” Ning Qi Qi breathed lightly. Though she couldn’t guarantee these two truly believed her story, being able to confide in someone made her feel much better.
The owner nodded, taking down an antique bronze mirror from a nearby curio cabinet.
Ning Qi Qi took a deep breath and turned the mirror over. In the blurry reflection appeared a handsome face—elegant and refined, looking about twenty years old, and somewhat familiar.
Ning Qi Qi suddenly remembered someone and dropped the bronze mirror in shock.
The doctor picked up the book the owner had been reading from the counter and handed it to Ning Qi Qi. “That’s right. If I remember correctly, this recently bestselling mystery novel ‘Listen’ was written by ‘you.'”
On the book’s back cover was printed a dashingly handsome face, identical to what she’d just seen in the bronze mirror.
Ning Qi Qi stared at the mirror before her. The large standing mirror reflected a man with handsome features but pale complexion, so clear that even his eyelashes were visible, giving Ning Qi Qi no escape.
According to what she’d learned, the person in the mirror was called Xiao Ji—the famous mystery novelist Xiao Ji.
Ning Qi Qi was now staying at the doctor’s house. The kind doctor had taken her in, and her waist wound was beginning to heal. The doctor went to work during the day, leaving her alone in the modest apartment.
But she always felt she wasn’t alone in this place—this feeling became especially strong when looking in mirrors. Ning Qi Qi looked at that face in the mirror like facing a stranger, yet this stranger’s face would change expression along with hers.
Ning Qi Qi couldn’t help touching the water jade crucifix on her chest. The owner had said her soul possessed Xiao Ji’s body because of this pendant, but the pendant looked completely ordinary.
“I must be dreaming…” Ning Qi Qi frowned and sighed.
“I’d rather this were a dream.” A sudden voice rang in the room. Ning Qi Qi felt the crucifix in her palm suddenly grow hot. Looking up, she was shocked to see another person in the mirror!
“Ah!” She screamed and fell to the ground. Looking before her, the space was empty with no one there! But when her gaze returned to the mirror, a man identical to her current body stood elegantly, slightly bowed, looking at her sprawled embarrassingly on the floor.
“Sigh, I’m so handsome—don’t waste my body!” The man sighed dramatically.
The mirror now contained two Xiao Jis—one real, one virtual. That person had the same smile, same features, even the same clothes as her reflection, only appearing semi-transparent like a ghost.
“You… you’re Xiao Ji?” Ning Qi Qi felt she’d grown strong enough to calmly handle any situation. So even seeing a ghost in broad daylight didn’t bother her much—she just looked around to confirm this ghost was only visible in mirrors, not in the air.
“Yes, I’m Xiao Ji, the rightful owner of your current body. Hey, little girl, do you know what happened?” The semi-transparent Xiao Ji frowned, looking equally confused.
Ning Qi Qi helplessly explained everything again—she had hoped Xiao Ji could tell her what happened!
“Murderer!” Ning Qi Qi said through gritted teeth.
Xiao Ji was stunned, then burst into laughter, clutching his stomach: “You think I’m the murderer? Though I don’t remember what happened either, I’m very clear that I wouldn’t be bored enough to go sing karaoke alone in a private room.”
Ning Qi Qi was stunned. “You mean… someone else is the murderer? But I… I wiped all the fingerprints off the weapon…”
“I only remember that day was my first day in this city. I don’t remember anything after that.” Xiao Ji stroked his chin, thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers with a carefree smile: “Not remembering doesn’t matter—let’s go check out the crime scene!”
“The scene?” Ning Qi Qi furrowed her brow—partly from fear of returning to where she died, and partly… “Aren’t you afraid the police will arrest you?”
“I write mystery novels, so I should be able to spot some clues. Come on, let’s go!” The Xiao Ji in the mirror crouched down to meet Ning Qi Qi’s eyes, patting her head with a brilliant smile.
Though he shouldn’t be able to touch anything, watching Xiao Ji’s smile in the mirror, Ning Qi Qi truly felt a solid, warm palm patting her head, filling her with courage.
“Oh, and before going out, you need to shave, change clothes, and make me look handsome!”
Ning Qi Qi stared at the grinning Xiao Ji in the mirror, not knowing what to say.
In the mirror were two people with identical faces—one full of gloom, one full of smiles.
On the way to the crime scene, thinking of the terrifying image of seeing her own corpse upon waking, Ning Qi Qi felt chilled all over. The little courage she’d gained earlier had vanished again.
Only the water jade crucifix on her chest retained some warmth.
She knew Xiao Ji was always beside her, but she couldn’t see him—only occasionally glimpsing his frowning profile when passing glass or mirrors.
So she wasn’t the only one at a loss. He wasn’t as indifferent as he appeared.
Did he have parents? Did he have friends? Did he have someone he loved? And his readers—now that he was dead, would these people grieve for him?
At least she had a body, could speak, could move, could communicate with others. But he only had his soul left—no one could see him, no one could hear his voice, no one could prove his existence.
Thinking of her parents and many friends, Ning Qi Qi felt her nose sting… The dead cannot return to life—she could never come back. But at least she must catch the murderer who killed her and ruined her life!
Ning Qi Qi glanced at the figure reflected in the glass door, thinking he looked somewhat lonely. Not knowing how to comfort him, she could only steel herself and enter the KTV to book a private room.
Just as she was paying at the front desk, a familiar figure flashed past, hurrying toward the direction of the crime scene room—she couldn’t be mistaken. That was her good friend Luo Jia.
Why was Luo Jia here? What was her purpose in returning? Could she… be connected to her death? A thought suddenly flashed through Ning Qi Qi’s mind. She’d always felt something was wrong when she met Luo Jia that night… Now she understood! Luo Jia was a mystery enthusiast and Xiao Ji was a famous mystery novelist. The reason she recognized Xiao Ji was because Luo Jia had bought Xiao Ji’s novels! So why hadn’t Luo Jia recognized “Xiao Ji” that night?!
The deeper Ning Qi Qi thought, the more chilled she felt—was she suspecting her good friend?! Ning Qi Qi broke into a cold sweat alone in the KTV. She shook her head—since she had doubts, she should investigate clearly!
She turned up the music volume as Xiao Ji suggested. Watching for a moment when no one was around, she walked out, passed the servers, and casually walked toward the room where she’d been killed that day.
The room’s door wasn’t properly closed, as if someone had already been there. Pushing open the door, a chill hit her face. The room’s carpet had been replaced. Only a small ceiling light was on, shining directly on the black marble table where a vase held white chrysanthemums.
Ning Qi Qi still remembered the scene she’d awakened to that night. Looking at the white chrysanthemums glowing in the light, she couldn’t help shuddering.
“Well, looks like the police have thoroughly searched this place.” In the empty, dark room, Xiao Ji’s voice drifted eerily from the darkness, sending chills up from her feet, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
Ning Qi Qi rolled her eyes irritably: “Don’t tell me you really think police are as incompetent as in your novels?”
“Sigh, I came here hoping to remember something.” Xiao Ji’s voice floated uncertainly around the room, as if he were looking around.
Ning Qi Qi stared blankly at the white chrysanthemums on the table. After a moment, she suddenly said: “What if we can only maintain this status quo forever?”
She didn’t know why this thought emerged—perhaps subconsciously believing Xiao Ji wasn’t her killer, so naturally she began considering the future.
Could she continue living in someone else’s body? Even if she wanted to, as the rightful owner, Xiao Ji wouldn’t allow it, right? But she wasn’t resigned to dying so mysteriously…
Xiao Ji’s cheerful laughter came from the darkness: “Silly, don’t think about useless things. Look at the upper right corner of the room.”
Ning Qi Qi looked up to see a small red light where he indicated. She exclaimed: “That… that’s a security camera?”
“Yes, I think the security footage should have recorded what happened that night. Come on, let’s ask at the surveillance room.”
Easy for him to say. Ning Qi Qi cursed under her breath, then said: “Though I wiped fingerprints off the weapon, the killer’s prints should be in the room, right?”
Xiao Ji sighed: “How many people come and go from a KTV room in a day? Countless fingerprints, all mixed up—impossible to use as evidence.”
Ning Qi Qi pulled up her hood and turned around. The room door was pushed open, and Luo Jia stood in the doorway holding a bouquet of slightly wilted white chrysanthemums.
“You finally came, Mr. Xiao.” Luo Jia said calmly. She looked at the white chrysanthemums in her hands: “I’m… Ning Qi Qi’s friend—the girl who died here… I wait here every day and change the flowers, though Qi Qi didn’t like white chrysanthemums, but I… I…”
Luo Jia began crying as she spoke. Ning Qi Qi’s nose stung—so Luo Jia came every day to mourn her, and she’d just been suspecting her good friend!
“You must be wondering why I’ve been waiting for you.” Luo Jia composed herself slightly and continued: “I don’t know if you remember, but the night Qi Qi died, you and I passed by each other.”
Ning Qi Qi felt guilty—remembered! Of course she remembered! She was scared to death!
“I’m your super fan, but I didn’t recognize you then because you looked terrible, like a completely different person.”
“Haha… you’ve been waiting here for me—don’t tell me it’s for an autograph?” Ning Qi Qi was nervous to death, forcing herself to joke.
“After you left, I… I discovered Qi Qi’s body…” Luo Jia took a deep breath, looking pale—probably recalling the scene of finding her good friend dead. But she persisted: “I screamed and ran to the front desk for help. Then someone rushed out of the surveillance room in a panic, bumped into me. I glanced at that person and realized you were Xiao Ji…”
“You saw the killer?” Ning Qi Qi stepped forward excitedly.
At that moment, an unfamiliar young man walked out from the adjacent private room. He pulled out an ID: “My surname is Xiao. Mr. Xiao, please come with me to the police station to assist with the investigation.”
Ning Qi Qi clenched her fists, seeing Xiao Ji’s smug face reflected in the nearby glass, hating that he had no physical form.
Otherwise she’d definitely beat him up!
This was Ning Qi Qi’s first time at a police station. She was taken directly to the interrogation room.
The interrogation room was just like on TV—only one table and two chairs, no windows, pitch black inside with a single lamp on the table shining on her face, making her extremely nervous.
“Relax your expression. You’re not a criminal—why are you nervous?” Xiao Ji’s exasperated voice came from beside her.
She felt guilty! Ning Qi Qi really wanted to argue with him, but in this situation she couldn’t speak, so she could only glare while listening to Xiao Ji’s nagging in her ear.
The interrogation room door creaked open, and the young officer from KTV walked in, sitting across from her with a serious expression.
Ning Qi Qi’s nerves tensed until Xiao Ji noisily urged her to speak. Only then did she press her lips together and gather courage: “Isn’t there a camera in the KTV room? It must have recorded what happened. Can I see it?”
Just thinking about witnessing that night’s events again made Ning Qi Qi feel ice-cold all over. Though she’d experienced death once, she actually didn’t remember what specifically happened—she had no memory even of the pain before dying. If she had to watch herself die again, she feared she couldn’t bear it.
The other party hesitated, then nodded. Immediately someone brought in a laptop. Officer Xiao opened a file, and a window full of static appeared.
Ning Qi Qi looked puzzledly as Officer Xiao fast-forwarded at 4x speed until stopping at a certain point to play normally.
The static crackled for a while, then suddenly the image appeared. On the LCD screen, “Xiao Ji” swayed as he sat up, pulled tissues from the opposite corpse’s coat, seemingly calmly wiped fingerprints from the weapon, stood up and walked to the door to put on his coat, then quickly left. The KTV room door continued swaying, the laser lights on screen kept sweeping, while Ning Qi Qi’s corpse lay quietly on the ground.
“Terrible—the tape was wiped by someone, deliberately leaving the part unfavorable to you.” Xiao Ji’s voice came anxiously, seeming very far away, as if from another world.
Ha, wasn’t it indeed from another world?
“Then… what should I do…” Ning Qi Qi muttered quietly.
“Don’t be afraid. Tell the police what your friend said—about the person she saw coming out of the surveillance room. That person is more likely the killer!” Xiao Ji’s voice came close to her ear.
“I didn’t kill anyone. That Luo… cough… the victim’s friend said she saw someone come out of the surveillance room. Someone definitely wiped the tape to frame me.”
“Miss Luo also told us about this.”
Ning Qi Qi and Xiao Ji sighed in unison. But Officer Xiao immediately continued: “However, I can’t rule out the possibility that you’re accomplices.”
Ning Qi Qi and Xiao Ji were stunned. Officer Xiao said seriously: “Mr. Xiao, how much do you remember about that night?”
Of course she remembered nothing at all! Ning Qi Qi steadied herself, pressing the table surface, saying flatly: “I have the right to remain silent. Please only question me when my lawyer is present.”
Xiao Ji floated around the interrogation room speechlessly—this girl had definitely watched too many American dramas… Where would he get a lawyer…
Ning Qi Qi sat numbly by the roadside, looking at the crematorium across the street. Gray smoke representing the deceased’s departure rose slowly, leaving her with mixed feelings.
Her body was cremated today.
Logically, since a murder case was involved, her corpse shouldn’t have been cremated so quickly, but apparently her parents had intervened, wanting her to rest in peace soon.
But she was clearly alive and well, just in a different body.
Ning Qi Qi adjusted her sunglasses, her chin still bearing unshaven stubble. No one would think this disheveled man was the famous mystery novelist Xiao Ji.
But perhaps he’d soon become the murderer Xiao Ji.
Ning Qi Qi smiled bitterly. Though police hadn’t publicly announced the suspect’s identity, she had indeed been called for questioning, and people near the KTV had recognized Xiao Ji’s face. Not to mention that room still contained Xiao Ji’s blood. Sensationalist reporters had already written wild stories in the newspapers.
But she still couldn’t help attending “her own funeral,” watching her parents emerge from the memorial hall from afar. In just a few days, they’d both gone gray at the temples. She desperately wanted to rush over and tell them she wasn’t really dead.
Her hands hidden under the black coat clenched into fists. Ning Qi Qi controlled her emotions, afraid someone might recognize her, biting her teeth and lowering her head deeply.
While staring blankly at the tile patterns before her, a pair of red high heels suddenly appeared in her vision. She looked up in surprise to see an exquisitely made-up doll face.
Seeing her, the other person immediately stamped her foot coquettishly: “Xiao Ji? How could you disappear for so many days? Where did you go? I couldn’t reach your phone! Do you know your book signing at the bookstore the day before yesterday was a complete disaster?”
Ning Qi Qi’s eyes behind the sunglasses blinked in confusion. She naturally didn’t dare use “Xiao Ji’s” original phone card and had gotten a new one, so naturally no one could reach her. Meeting the beauty’s expectant gaze, Ning Qi Qi used the most clichéd move—amnesia.
“You… who are you?”
The beauty showed a strange expression, then told Ning Qi Qi she was Xiao Ji’s beautiful editor, Sha Sha. They’d come to H City for a new book signing, but had somehow lost him a few days ago. Sha Sha chatted away as she dragged Ning Qi Qi from the crematorium and drove back to the city.
Sha Sha must know something—otherwise she wouldn’t know to come to “Ning Qi Qi’s” cremation site, since police hadn’t released the victim’s real name. But asking too many questions would be suspicious, so Ning Qi Qi sat obediently in the passenger seat, dutifully playing her amnesiac role.
Sha Sha took her to a five-star hotel in the city center. Ning Qi Qi sat quietly on the sofa, taking a bottle of mineral water and sipping it.
Sha Sha stared at her for a long time, then burst out laughing: “Young Master Xiao, when you said you had amnesia I didn’t believe it, but seeing you acting like a little wife now, I believe it a tiny bit.”
Ning Qi Qi smiled shyly. She knew what kind of person Xiao Ji was. While staying at that kind doctor’s house, she’d searched online for much information about Xiao Ji. Xiao Ji had become famous young, was proud and arrogant, spoke without restraint, offended many in the industry, but still had countless fans. Ning Qi Qi felt the water jade crucifix on her chest suddenly grow hot—she knew Xiao Ji couldn’t help appearing again, but she couldn’t see a mirror now, so couldn’t see him.
Ning Qi Qi stroked the crucifix through her clothes and removed her sunglasses to look at Sha Sha. “Sha Sha, do you know what happened that night?”
Sha Sha’s delicately painted eyebrows furrowed beautifully: “I don’t know. Today I went to the crematorium on a whim, didn’t expect to actually find you.”
Ning Qi Qi stared intently at her facial expression, saying flatly: “I couldn’t have gone to KTV alone to sing that night, right?”
Sha Sha’s beautiful eyes flickered: “You said you were meeting fans that night, so I went to see friends. Who knew such a thing would happen later.”
“Oh?” Ning Qi Qi dragged out the sound suspiciously, suddenly losing patience with this game. She pulled out her phone from her coat pocket, pressed the call button, and said calmly: “Officer Xiao, come in. The killer is right in front of me.”
Sha Sha’s expression changed dramatically. At the same time, the suite door opened and several police officers rushed in, restraining her as she tried to escape. Sha Sha’s delicate face filled with anger as she screamed: “Don’t wrong innocent people! I have an alibi!”
Luo Jia peeked out from behind Officer Xiao, looked at the distorted Sha Sha, and said firmly: “That’s right! The person I saw coming out of the surveillance room was her! She’s the stalker who’s been pestering Xiao Ji—our fan club all knows!”
Ning Qi Qi took a deep breath and smiled weakly: “Officer Xiao, I’d like to rest. Could I go to the station for questioning later?”
The other party sympathetically patted “Xiao Ji’s” shoulder and left with the still-noisy Sha Sha. Luo Jia bowed deeply to “Xiao Ji” and followed them out.
The room fell deathly quiet. Ning Qi Qi walked to the full-length mirror, looking at the strange man in the reflection, gripping the water jade crucifix on her chest, and sighed: “The killer has been caught.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a shadowy figure suddenly appeared beside the Xiao Ji in the mirror, transforming moments later into a semi-transparent human form identical to Xiao Ji.
Ning Qi Qi still uncomfortably looked behind herself—as before, nothing there. The ghostly Xiao Ji could only be seen in mirrors.
“Hey, didn’t we agree? We’d tease her bit by bit to reveal her flaws! This is the climax of a mystery novel—how could you skip it!” The Xiao Ji in the mirror grabbed Ning Qi Qi’s neck in frustration, but as a phantom, he could only make gestures without any real threat.
“What mystery? Sha Sha committed a very perfect murder. But tell me yourself—how was the case solved in the end?” Ning Qi Qi felt her temples aching more. All these damned mystery fans had gotten her caught in the crossfire.
Xiao Ji immediately lost his temper.
Actually, everything was absurd. It started with Xiao Ji’s online comments claiming his new book “Listen” was a perfect crime that no one could surpass, causing an uproar with countless fans fighting online.
Sha Sha was originally Xiao Ji’s manager and also a fan obsessed with Xiao Ji to a pathological degree. Using work as an excuse, she stalked Xiao Ji day and night, seriously affecting his daily life. Unable to tolerate it, Xiao Ji and the company fired Sha Sha. Considering her mental state, they didn’t publicize it widely. This gave Sha Sha the opportunity to arrange a fake fan gathering under the name of “manager” and lure Xiao Ji to KTV.
Sha Sha originally planned to create a perfect crime based on Xiao Ji’s new book, intending to kill Xiao Ji then commit suicide so they could be together forever. But because Ning Qi Qi happened to enter the wrong room, in her nervousness the knife aimed at Xiao Ji deviated slightly, stabbing his waist instead. So Xiao Ji escaped death, but Ning Qi Qi, who witnessed everything, was killed by the irrational Sha Sha.
Though she wiped part of the KTV room’s videotape, Luo Jia’s testimony exposed her prepared alibi. Moreover, police found a third person’s blood on the bloodstained carpet. DNA testing matched Sha Sha’s blood. Later police found bloody clothes and the weapon in Sha Sha’s rented room, confirming her as the killer.
But unable to locate Sha Sha, Officer Xiao proposed cooperating with “Xiao Ji” to attend Ning Qi Qi’s funeral and draw out Sha Sha.
What perfect crime—complete nonsense. Reality had too many uncertain factors, like Ning Qi Qi’s intrusion, the room’s hidden camera, Luo Jia’s witnessing. Everything was theoretical. Sounded perfect, but actual implementation was impossible.
Regarding “Xiao Ji’s” action of wiping fingerprints after waking, Ning Qi Qi explained that she’d just awakened knowing she was framed, and the weapon definitely had his fingerprints, so she acted accordingly. Officer Xiao was skeptical but reluctantly accepted her explanation.
This matter seemed to be over.
Only the fact that Xiao Ji’s body contained a different soul was known only to the antique shop owner, the doctor who saved her, and the real Xiao Ji.
“Sigh, still not satisfying! Look, Sha Sha even pretended to be my editor—clearly wanting to attempt another perfect crime! I wanted to see how she prepared! Why did you suddenly stop?” The disappointed Xiao Ji continued his complaints.
“What now?” Ning Qi Qi glared at the Xiao Ji in the mirror. The killer was caught, her body had turned to ash—what next? Ning Qi Qi gripped the water jade, not knowing what to say.
The antique shop owner had said if Xiao Ji wanted to return to his body, he could help.
Meaning Xiao Ji could return to normal, and she would be the one to disappear?
“We… we should visit Dumb House.” After long struggle, Ning Qi Qi decided to return the body to him. She might have died because of being implicated by him, but that didn’t mean she could shamelessly continue living in his place.
Everything was fate’s mockery.
Though bright sunshine shone outside, Dumb House remained gloomy, as if forgotten by sunlight.
“You’ve decided? To return the body to Xiao Ji?” The owner looked up from behind the counter, narrowing his phoenix eyes at her.
Ning Qi Qi fidgeted with her fingers, nodding with difficulty, saying self-mockingly: “Last time, I couldn’t decide how I died. At least… this time let me make the decision.”
“Oh? What’s your opinion?” The owner raised an eyebrow, looking past her body toward her back.
Ning Qi Qi felt somewhat horrified. Besides her and the owner, she knew Xiao Ji was definitely there. But the owner seemed able to see Xiao Ji without mirrors? She suddenly wanted to see Xiao Ji, quickly pulling out a mirror from her pocket to reflect behind her.
Xiao Ji’s pale face appeared in the mirror. His spirit seemed more transparent than usual, so transparent she could barely make out his expression, even seeing his lips move without hearing what he said.
Ning Qi Qi instinctively turned around in panic—still just empty air. When she looked back, only she remained in the mirror, no matter how she called for Xiao Ji.
“What happened to him?” Ning Qi Qi looked desperately at the owner behind the counter like a drowning person seeking rescue.
The owner said sympathetically: “Souls separated from their bodies can only remain in the world for seven days at most, vanishing when yang energy peaks at noon on the seventh day. Today is the seventh day.”
Ning Qi Qi was thunderstruck. After a very long time, she found her voice: “What… did he say at the end?”
“He said to take good care of his body.”
After that, Ning Qi Qi became Xiao Ji.
Xiao Ji’s soul never returned. Those days spent with Xiao Ji seemed so unreal that Ning Qi Qi wondered if Xiao Ji had actually died long ago, and his soul was just her imagination.
The water jade crucifix never grew hot again.
She stared at mirrors daily, filling the house with mirrors everywhere, hoping to see that figure again, but never did.
She returned to Dumb House many times, hoping for some revelation from the owner, but he only glanced at her flatly, advising her to forget the past and not cling to what was gone.
Was forgetting the best choice?
She sat dazed in that dark antique shop for a long time, finally deciding to give the water jade crucifix to the owner.
This was probably right… time to abandon the past and start a new life.
Yes, Ning Qi Qi died, but Xiao Ji had to continue living.
She would live on as Xiao Ji.
Becoming Xiao Ji, she naturally couldn’t write mystery novels, but using Xiao Ji’s name, she became an editor at his publishing house. She was originally a Chinese literature student who loved reading novels. Though work wasn’t smooth initially, she studied hard and gradually got on track.
Occasionally looking in mirrors, she’d see that handsome face and sometimes miss the proud smile that used to appear there.
But she couldn’t smile like that—no matter how she tried, it wasn’t the same.
She remembered him teaching her to use a razor. Though she often cut herself at first, she was now quite skilled. She remembered him teaching her to tie ties—she’d only known how to tie Young Pioneer scarves, but now could even do difficult Windsor knots. She remembered him telling her to take good care of his body.
She always remembered.
Until one day, the editor-in-chief suddenly handed her a manuscript, saying the author specifically requested her.
Before entering the conference room, Ning Qi Qi only had time to glance at the document cover, shocked to see “Listen II.” Amazed, she opened the door to see a delicate-featured girl standing gracefully.
“Hello, I’m Ning Qi Qi.” The other smiled with complete pride, that spirited expression so familiar on a strange face.
What? Ning Qi Qi froze completely, mechanically looking down at the author’s name on the cover—clearly written “Ning Qi Qi.” She looked up at the other person—surely just coincidence, right? Coincidence!
Then she saw the girl wearing a very familiar water jade crucifix on her chest.
The other gave her a big smile, playfully winking and leaning over to whisper: “Looks like you’ve taken good care of my body!”
“I’m more than what you made of me. I followed the voice you think you gave to me. But now I’ve got to find my own, my own…”
Faintly, the familiar melody of “Listen” played again. Ning Qi Qi smiled slightly and extended her hand: “Hello, I’m Xiao Ji. Nice to meet you—please take care of me.”
The other grasped her hand, shaking it vigorously up and down. Both smiled at each other, everything understood without words.