Chapter 42: Orphan Resentment (Part 2)

A doll appearing in a supernatural instance instantly evoked everyone’s fear of scary doll stories. Its sudden appearance with its creepy laughter was truly hair-raising.

Huang Junfeng’s relaxed demeanor vanished in an instant. He darted away from where he had leaned against the table, like a balloon with its air escaping.

Even Zhang Yangfeng, whose composure projected a sense of security, turned pale before taking a few steps back. He instinctively raised his hand defensively, his broad back conveniently shielding Yang Rui behind him.

Liu Pei, the stern-faced man, also retreated several steps. Only Xiao Muyu remained where she was, closest to the doll, staring at it without blinking.

The doll continued to giggle, and Xiao Muyu frowned slightly before stepping back with her right foot. She crouched to look under the table. There, she found herself staring into a pair of eyes.

There was a child beneath the table.

As the thought crossed her mind, the doll on the table suddenly fell. Before Xiao Muyu could react, the child crawled out from under the table at an incredible speed, rushing right up to her.

Despite her confidence in her agility, Xiao Muyu couldn’t dodge in time and got knocked to the floor. She had braced herself to kick out, but as the child lunged forward, she hesitated. The child was merely clutching her without any sign of aggression.

Xiao Muyu looked down to examine the child holding onto her arm while giggling. It was a little girl with a dirty face and hands. She mumbled incoherently, “Doll, pretty, so pretty.”

The girl giggled and babbled, with drool dripping from the corner of her mouth. One could see that this was not a normal child. Yet her clear and bright eyes, like glass beads, were exceedingly pretty.

The girl gripped Xiao Muyu tightly, her eyes fixed on her. Even though she was smiling and her eyes were lovely, the intent gaze sent an unsettling chill through Xiao Muyu.

The sudden turn of events startled the other four. They stood at the side in shock, merely watching Xiao Muyu and the child without attempting to pull the latter away.

Right then, a gentle female voice came from the doorway, accompanied by hurried footsteps. A woman approached, speaking softly, “Xiao Jiao, you mustn’t do that. Let go of that sister.”

For a moment, the only sounds in the lobby were the woman’s soothing voice and the child’s laughter, as if all other noises, even the footsteps, had been muted.

Xiao Muyu turned to look in the direction of the voice.

The woman who had arrived wore an apricot-colored knit sweater over a caramel-colored dress, with her hair tied up. Despite her brisk steps, she exuded gentleness from her whole body, not just her voice. The ruffled cuffs of her sleeves added some charm to her soft demeanor. As she moved closer, her presence alone seemed to lift the oppressive atmosphere of the orphanage.

Xiao Muyu’s first reaction was that this woman seemed out of place and out of sorts.

Yet the beauty in her, different and incompatible, strangely contrasted nicely with the surroundings as she crouched and gently embraced the silly, giggling little girl.

The child had been staring intently at Xiao Muyu. However, her gaze immediately shifted to the woman opening her arms for a hug. Darting into the embrace, the child clung to the woman like a dependent baby swallow, instantly settling down.

After the girl let go, Xiao Muyu picked herself back up but remained crouched. From that angle, she watched as the strange little girl wiped her mouth and rubbed her hands over her clothes before nestling in the woman’s arms, as if afraid of dirtying her outfit.

“Why did you run out here all by yourself, Xiao Jiao? Why aren’t you playing with your Sister Xiao Mei and the others? Look at you, all messy.” The woman spoke without the slightest disdain. Taking out a handkerchief, she cleaned Xiao Jiao’s face and hands before smoothing her clothes.

The woman took a moment to glance at Xiao Muyu with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. Xiao Jiao was being a little rascal and got your clothes dirty.”

Xiao Muyu looked down and noticed a black handprint on her soaked jacket—a little hand, perfectly splayed.

Her gaze lingered on it for a moment before she shook her head. “It’s fine. It was wet anyway, and she’s very adorable.” After saying that, she stood up straight.

Meanwhile, the other four finally caught their breath but hadn’t found a chance to speak. They appeared awed, and the look in their eyes as they watched Xiao Muyu was full of admiration. Given how the child had made her appearance, ‘adorable’ was far from the word they would have used to describe her.

The woman and the child in her arms glanced at Xiao Muyu, their expressions remarkably similar. The woman then spoke softly, “Old Sang already informed me. The weather has been crummy these days, and you’re all soaked. You’ll easily catch a cold like that. We should still have some dry clothes available, so hurry and change.”

She then turned to the man who had brought them inside. “Old Sang, take them to change. I’ll prepare ginger tea to help them ward off the chill.”

Standing at the doorway, Old Sang raised his eyes to look at them. His gaze still seemed inscrutable to Xiao Muyu. He promptly turned and gestured for them to follow.

The weather was cold, and wearing wet clothes could easily lead to illness. No one wanted to get sick in the instance when they were already risking their lives to clear it. After thanking the woman, they followed Old Sang to get dry clothes.

Walking at the back, Xiao Muyu paused before asking, “Has anyone else come here today?”

The woman still bent over coaxing Xiao Jiao froze briefly when she heard the question. She looked up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, saying, “Yes. Before you arrived, Old Sang found three people in the backwoods. I don’t know what happened to them, but they were injured and haven’t woken up yet. I’ve been worried about how to contact their families. Do you know them?”

Xiao Muyu’s heart tightened slightly. A hint of worry appeared on her face as she replied, “I have a friend. We got separated, and I haven’t seen her yet.”

“Is it a man or a woman?” the woman asked with a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“A woman. Very attractive.”

“Then she might be one of them. There is a really pretty one. Xiao Mei kept saying how beautiful she was and that she liked her a lot. Go change your clothes first, and I’ll take you to see if it’s her.”

Giving a nod, Xiao Muyu quickly caught up with the group ahead. This woman was probably the orphanage director. But such an elegant and classy woman, who looked to be in her early thirties, was already the director of an orphanage?

As she pondered this, Xiao Muyu quickened her pace. She needed to see as soon as possible if Shen Qingqiu was one of the three, and how serious her injuries were.

Unease stirred within her.

If it was Shen Qingqiu inside, what could have left the formidable woman injured and unconscious?

The changing room was on the first floor of the building. Old Sang picked out five sets of clothes from the storage. Looking at them, Xiao Muyu noticed their material and style were similar, almost like standardized work uniforms.

Xiao Muyu was the first to come out after changing. She was wearing washed out cotton-linen jacket, T-shirt, and pants. They didn’t fit well; probably one-size-fits-all.

After quickly drying her drenched hair, Xiao Muyu tidied herself up and went to find the director.

Seeing her come out so quickly, the woman assessed her and warmly smiled. “If you’re this hurried, she must be a good friend.”

Xiao Muyu didn’t respond verbally. She just nodded and followed the director up to the second floor.

The orphanage was too quiet. Besides the director, the caretaker, and the girl, Xiao Jiao, Xiao Muyu hadn’t seen any other figures or heard any sounds.

“Why haven’t I seen any other kids?” Xiao Muyu couldn’t help bringing it up.

The director smiled gently. “It’s naptime right now. Most of them are very obedient and have gone to sleep. I just coaxed Xiao Jiao to sleep as well.”

Once she opened the door, Xiao Muyu’s gaze immediately locked onto a person lying on the nearest single bed. Her brown curly hair spread out over the pale sheets, and her face looked pale as she slept on her side. It was Shen Qingqiu.

Xiao Muyu had remained calm up to this point. The instance just started, so she believed nothing bad would happen to Shen Qingqiu. However, seeing the other woman like this brought a wave of relief mixed with anxiety. It made her realize that she was, in fact, not calm at all.

“Shen Qingqiu?” Xiao Muyu quickly walked over. Bending down, she lightly patted Shen Qingqiu’s cheek. It was cold to the touch. She frowned slightly.

“Where is she injured?” Xiao Muyu lifted the blanket and saw different clothes on Shen Qingqiu. However, there were no visible wounds or any scent of blood. She couldn’t help but ask.

“Looks like you’ve got your friend. She was unconscious when we found her. It seemed like she had fallen from a height. There weren’t any obvious external injuries, and since she hasn’t woken up, we can’t be sure what exactly is hurt. With the phone lines down, we haven’t been able to contact a hospital. Her breathing seems stable, so we decided to monitor her for now.”

Xiao Muyu caught one piece of information—the phone lines were down, which meant there was no way to communicate with the outside world.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Please feel free to settle in. I have other matters to attend to.”

Xiao Muyu nodded and watched the director go. As she was about to turn back to check on Shen Qingqiu, her expression tensed up. She paused to listen closely, confirming that the director’s footsteps had receded.

Xiao Muyu silently scolded herself for being overly suspicious. Taking a deep breath, she turned her attention back to Shen Qingqiu. Still uneasy, she carefully pressed along Shen Qingqiu’s body.

The director mentioned Shen Qingqiu seemed to have fallen, so Xiao Muyu was worried that she might have broken her bones. She moved her fingers from Shen Qingqiu’s legs up to her ribcage. As she was about to examine her arms, a hand shot out, firmly grasping Xiao Muyu’s wrist.

Xiao Muyu froze. Looking down, she saw the unconscious person had opened her eyes. Specks of light danced in those gray irises, and Shen Qingqiu’s lips curled into a smile. “Just where were you planning to touch next?”

Xiao Muyu’s gaze fell on the hand gripping her wrist. Using the left hand in this position seemed awkward. Although she wanted to scold Shen Qingqiu, she held back and asked hushedly, “What’s wrong with your right hand?”

Shen Qingqiu raised her eyes, a flicker of surprise in them, but her gaze quickly shot past Xiao Muyu’s shoulder and stopped.

With such a close distance between them, Xiao Muyu caught every subtle change in her expression. Instinctively, she wanted to look behind her, but the grip on her wrist tightened. Xiao Muyu stopped immediately.

Shen Qingqiu’s face twisted into a grimace as she lay there. With a pitiful tone, she murmured, “I think I broke a bone. I can’t move it. Hurts so much.”

Xiao Muyu furrowed her brows and pressed her lips tight. There was a snaking feeling at the back of her mind. She could feel a pair of eyes coldly staring at her back. Shen Qingqiu had been using subtle gestures to warn her against looking behind, so she resisted the urge. However, Shen Qingqiu’s words worried her. A broken hand would seriously impact Shen Qingqiu’s abilities.

“Where does it hurt? Let me have a look.” Xiao Muyu leaned in closer. Shen Qingqiu subtly shifted to the left, using Xiao Muyu’s body as a shield to sneak a glance toward the doorway.

The door was over two meters tall with a glass window above it. In the corner of that window, half a face was visible. The glass wasn’t very clean and the image appeared blurry, but Shen Qingqiu was certain she hadn’t mistaken what she saw.

The blurred half-face behind the glass stared unblinkingly into the room. From the moment Shen Qingqiu noticed, it hadn’t moved at all. The pale, ghastly face and that single eye seemed to threaten the limits of human sanity.

Only someone who knew no fear, like Shen Qingqiu, would dare to observe it surreptitiously.

The longer she watched, the more unsettling it felt. Shen Qingqiu had a growing sense that the eye wasn’t just looking into the room. It was focused on them, or more precisely, on Xiao Muyu, so it didn’t notice that Shen Qingqiu was aware of it.

As Xiao Muyu rolled up Shen Qingqiu’s right sleeve, she whispered close to Shen Qingqiu’s ear, “What’s behind me?”

Although Shen Qingqiu was no coward, she had no desire to keep staring at that creepy thing. She averted her gaze and replied in a low voice, “Something corrupted.”

Then, in a normal volume, she continued, “My elbow hurts a lot. Is it swollen?”

“Yes, it’s swollen,” Xiao Muyu replied, her expression calm and distant as she observed Shen Qingqiu’s swollen arm. “Looks pretty serious. You might have to lose it.”

Shen Qingqiu: ……

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Author had something to say:

When something happens…
Xiao Xiao: Where does it hurt? I’ll take a look.
Xiao Shen: You’re so gentle.
When everything’s settled…
Xiao Xiao: Mm, very severe. Might have to lose it.
Xiao Shen: ……