Chapter 101: The Boy Bouncing the Ball

Huang Xiaotao asked the cops below what was going on. One officer came over, stammering nervously, "I thought I heard some noise just now. When I checked, there was nothing. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a reflection in the glass—there was a little boy bouncing a ball. His eyes... they were completely white. And he smiled at me."

Huang Xiaotao and Wang Dali exchanged glances. Wang Dali shuddered and said, "Yangzi, do you think this place is really haunted?"

I said, "What difference does it make if it is or isn't? The investigation goes on the same way."

Xiaotao snapped at the cop, "Did you hear that? Cops scared of ghosts? If word gets out, people will laugh their heads off!"

Cops and detectives always carry a certain aura of intimidation. Usually, ghosts don't dare to get close. This little ghost must be reckless and immature to show himself like that.

I said, "Alright, pack up the bodies and take them back to the station."

Xiaotao looked puzzled. "That's it? No paper burning or chanting this time?"

"That's because the autopsy's not finished. I'm ordering a pillow tomorrow," I said.

"A pillow? Let me get one for you. Someone gave me two tea-filled pillows a few days ago—you probably haven't heard of them. Supposedly they're good for skin and beauty. I've been sleeping on them and they're pretty comfy. I'll bring one for you tomorrow," Huang Xiaotao said generously, waving her hand.

...

I laughed, "The pillow I want is for the corpse!" Then I added, "By the way, who's sending you pillows? And two at that—what's their game?"

"Jealous, huh? When will you get that thoughtful to send me anything?" Xiaotao teased with a mischievous grin.

"Alright, alright, I get it," I nodded quickly.

Xiaotao had the scene cleaned up and the bodies packed into body bags for transport. It was already one in the morning. Ye Shiwen and Zhang Yan had left without me noticing when. Wang Dali said, "No way I'm going back to the dorm tonight. Why don't you crash at Xiaotao's place?"

"And you?" I asked.

"I'll find an internet café and play League of Legends. No class tomorrow anyway," Wang Dali said, looking like a lonely dog.

Xiaotao said, "That's rough on you—come stay at my place. You think I'm the type to treat people unfairly?"

Wang Dali clapped excitedly, "Really? Then I gratefully accept."

Xiaotao only had one bed. It was too cramped for Wang Dali and me on the sofa, and it felt rude to let Xiaotao sleep there, so I said, "No, it's too much trouble. Just drop us off at the school gate. We'll find a cheap motel. Fifty bucks a night—easy and convenient."

Xiaotao drove us to the school. Even this late, there were still food stalls outside the gate, mostly catering to the night-owl crowd from the internet cafés.

Xiaotao rolled up her sleeves. "Still selling barbecue this late? Let's go, grab some skewers."

"Aren't you going home to sleep?" I asked.

"Hungry! You guys won't even buy me a few lamb skewers, stingy!" Xiaotao pouted.

"Fine, I'll treat you. Let me play the host for once," I couldn't resist her pout, and besides, I had some reward money from the case that I wasn't spending anyway.

Xiaotao parked the car by the roadside. We found a barbecue stall and ordered lamb skewers, grilled kidneys, and so on. Wang Dali also got beer and boiled soybeans. As he drank, he kept saying how I was such a righteous guy tonight for getting him the girl's number. He was over the moon.

What one says with no intention, another might interpret with meaning. Xiaotao glanced at me sideways and smirked. I wondered what I'd done wrong this time.

Soon the barbecue arrived. Xiaotao held a skewer under my nose. "Smell it. Is this real lamb, or rat soaked in sheep's pee?"

I sniffed. "Relax, it's lamb."

"This piece is so fatty. I'm afraid I'll get fat if I eat it. Help me finish it, okay?"

I bit it off for her.

Suddenly, Wang Dali clutched his chest. I asked, "What's wrong?"

He said, "Man, you two can't show off your love anywhere. Can't you stop torturing us single dogs? Dogs are man's best friend, you know."

Xiaotao handed him a skewer. "Look at you, so sour. I'm fair, here—you get one too."

Wang Dali waved it off. "That's not lamb. It tastes like dog food in my mouth. You two carry on, I won't interrupt." He looked up to the sky. "Wow, the stars look so beautiful tonight!"

We both laughed. Xiaotao said, "Let's get serious. Song Yang, I had a thought on the way here. These two bodies are weird. Could someone have deliberately staged this?"

"Not likely," I said after thinking.

"Why so sure?" Xiaotao asked.

"If it was just to destroy evidence, no need to go to such lengths. If the killer had some ulterior motive, or was psychotic, what's in it for him? Killing two people at once and dumping them in the same place doesn't fit the MO of a serial killer. And putting the bodies in such a godforsaken place won't stir public outcry. No thrill from the crime at all..."

"So what do you think?" Xiaotao nodded, curious.

"I'm stumped too. Let's wait for the autopsy results tomorrow," I sighed.

"Where should we focus the investigation now?" Xiaotao asked.

"First, confirm the victims' identities. Then trace the history of this house—who owns it now? It's probably a haunted house. See if anyone died here before. And investigate their social connections," I replied quickly.

"Got it. I'll have people look into all that first thing tomorrow," Xiaotao took notes.

Wang Dali gave a thumbs-up. "Xiaotao's always so decisive."

Xiaotao smiled. "Solving a case is a race against time. The sooner we crack it, the less chance there is for another victim!"

After eating, Xiaotao sent Wang Dali off first and pulled me aside.

"What's up?" I asked.

"You really have zero emotional intelligence. That girl likes you, and you didn't even notice."

"Which girl?" I was puzzled.

"The one whose number you got for Wang Dali. The number was for you, and you didn't realize it?" Xiaotao said, half laughing, half crying.

I scratched my head awkwardly.

Seeing me quiet, Xiaotao nudged me. "Was she pretty?"

"Just so-so," I lied.

"Sigh, you're so clueless about girls. I need to give you a crash course. Alright, I'm heading home now."

"Uh…"

"What's up?"

I wanted to say something but got shy and blushed. "Never mind, maybe later."

Xiaotao smirked. "Don't be late tomorrow morning."

That night, Wang Dali kept pestering me about my progress with Huang Xiaotao—had we held hands or kissed? Encouraging me to speed things up. I was at a loss for words.

Then he asked me to analyze his chances with Xia Mengmeng—how likely, personality compatibility, etc. I was too tired to respond properly and eventually fell asleep.

The next morning, we went to the police station. The case meeting was routine—still in the early phase, no confirmed identities. The only option was to continue diligent investigation.

After the meeting, I went to a carpenter's shop and handed him a blueprint for a wooden pillow. The sooner the better.

With the police and Huang Xiaotao busy investigating, I had nowhere else to go in the city. Wang Dali and I headed to an internet café. He dove right into League of Legends while I, clueless about games, just logged onto QQ and browsed news.

I searched online for info about the house. Baidu's results were all over the place—no useful leads.

I shook my head and opened QQ.

Suddenly, I was startled.

Every friend's avatar had changed to the cursed kid from Ju-on, eyes bleeding and shaking. Every single one sent the same message:

"Song Yang, I want you dead!"