Trafford’s Trading Club

Professor Qin Fang drove out early, saying he would head back to the university to take something. Therefore, only Luo Qiu and Zhang Qingrui were left in this several-decades old house.

Both were enrolled in the university, plus it would merely take him several hours to have a round trip, so the professor wasn’t worried about burglary.

…

Due to the weird behavior of Zhang Qingrui, Luo Qiu took a glance at the clean bones on the work table.

Except the odd condition at the first day, he no longer felt any poem sentence or words coming from those bones.

Zhang Qingrui opened the door and went out, Luo Qiu maintained silent, following her after taking a glance.

He tried calling Zhang Qingrui at the back; yet, it was as if she didn’t hear it, and merely walked forward with each step.

If she put on a Chinese Han Clothing, she would look like a girl from a big and noble family in ancient times.

Zhang Qingrui halted at the door under the stairs. She just stayed there, without talking or entering.

After a long time, Luo Qiu went to Zhang Qingrui, observing her face.

She was staring… at the back of this door.

Luo Qiu had a guess what that place was and looked at its position— under the stair… the space should be used as a storage room.

Yet, he still stepped forward and grabbed the handle, trying to turn it.

“It’s locked.”

Luo Qiu didn’t release it… a sound of something being turned was heard from the lock. When he turned it again, it had been unlocked—by his special ability.

Luo Qiu opened the door.

It turned out it was not the place to put sundries— In fact, he didn’t even see the space inside because there was another door behind this one.

Luo Qiu knocked on it subconsciously– It was a steel door.

The lock was still an electronic lock.

A normal person wouldn’t fix such a door and lock— There might be some precious objects or something they avoid showing others.

Luo Qiu was unwilling to invade others people’s privacy unless it was absolutely necessary or in the situation where new customers came to the club.

Luo Qiu didn’t take a further action because he sensed that the object behind to metal door might be what the professor would not want to expose.

Thus, he closed the first door.

But Zhang Qingrui still maintained her staring face.

“I don’t know what you want to express.” Luo Qiu fell silent for a while, before saying suddenly, “Anyway, since you are a person from ancient times, why are you still lingering here?”

Luo Qiu recalled Lu Zigang(an ancient artist and sculptor) of the time, who used to be a soul drifting in human society for hundreds of years.

Some of his characters could be seen on Zhang Qingrui.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Qingrui fell down then— as if she ran out of energy.

Actually she just fell asleep.

Arguably, he should be the one that was much closer to the ‘thing’ contained in the skeleton, yet this ‘thing’ chose Zhang Qingrui to possess— Nevertheless, even though it possessed her, it still had difficulty expressing what it wanted.

Luo Qiu didn’t know much about ghosts. He thought for a while, then had Zhang Qingrui’s body float up and follow him back to the office.

He placed her to the original place, making her pose as if she was lying prone on the table, before he continued his work.

An hour later, Zhang Qingrui woke up. She looked at Luo Qiu doubtfully, “How long did I sleep?”

“A while.”

“The professor…”

“He’s not back yet.” Luo Qiu paused, asking her suddenly, “Are you feeling uncomfortable?”

Zhang Qingrui shook her head. “A little bit tired.”

“Yeah.” Luo Qiu took a nod, “Take a good rest.”

Zhang Qingrui got used to it and didn’t take notice of this guy who never had a deep conversation with others. They had several small talks occasionally, to dislodge the tediousness of their work.

Professor Qin Fang called up back to them, telling that he would have dinner with his friend, so Luo Qiu and Zhang Qingrui could just lock the door and leave away.

“Let me send you home.” Zhang Qingrui looked at Luo Qiu politely while on the way to her car.

Luo Qiu, who had the convenient ability which was better than any mode of transport was reluctant to take her car.

“No, thanks.”

Right then, a white car was running to the house. It was Qin Chuyu… She got off the car in a daze as if she didn’t see two persons standing beside.

As if thinking of something, she opened the door and entered without turning about.

“A weird person.”

Zhang Qingrui mumbled. She felt Qin Chuyu was ‘a person with a story’ but didn’t want to develop a close friendship with her.

When Zhang Qingrui came to her senses, Luo Qiu was already long gone… how unrestrained and free he was.

Zhang Qingrui smiled. She didn’t hate her only classmate at all; rather, she felt comfortable during the short contact they had in class each time.

He was just a boring wooden man… but the time they shared seemed to fly by so quickly.

She didn’t think she understood this young man and vice versa. Their relationship seemed to be similar to a relationship between men of virtue, which was clear and light.

Maybe… She longed for such a quiet and free lifestyle subconsciously.

…

…

There was a place arranged for her father as his work room, while there was also a space for her to draw pictures during her leisure.

‘Have I returned?’

After, Qin Chuyu came to realize she had entered the studio of the house. She frowned. These few days, she had felt distracted and couldn’t perceive where the time went.

The origin of everything… seemed to be the picture a customer had asked her to mount.

That man hadn’t come again these days, Qin Chuyu had to wait because she didn’t have his contact information. Afterwards, she knew from the newspapers that the man had been arrested for arson and murdering his girlfriend. She then realized the picture would stay with her for a long while.

She walked to the mounted picture, lifting the cloth from it, focusing on the content again.

What was it?

A female wearing red evening dress was shown on the drawing paper… it could be regarded as a wonderful composition from any angle.

Except the woman’s face.

It was a person without a face, lack of eyes and a nose— but something had been drawn on her face.

Intentionally or randomly, all sorts of pigments had been painted which formed the face, like chaos.

Qin Chuyu never saw such an odd way of painting a picture.

She gazed at the weird ‘face’, feeling the painter’s conflicting emotions which were incompatible, abnormal… not even a trace that could be followed.

What kind of conflicting and self-contradictory yearning feel like?

Suddenly, it was as if a vortex appeared in front of her eyes.

Her heart beat at a lightning speed and she stepped back subconsciously. Some beads of sweat emitted from her forehead and a trickle of blood spilled from her mouth.

To stare at this picture again, Qin Chuyu’s gaze turned complicated.

It reminded her of many matters. She muttered to herself, “I… even broke my Tao due to this picture… What kind of madman can finish such a fascinating picture…”

It made her recall of the name she was once called… Yu Sanniang.