Chapter 76: Nan Street Apartment
Li Zhi waited for a long time, but no more strange sounds came. It seemed whatever had been out there was gone.
She pulled the sunflower-shaped jade pendant from her chest—warmed by her body heat—and held it in her palm, silently repeating Li Jianxi’s name several times. In the darkness, the pendant emitted a faint glow between her fingers, as if responding to her thoughts.
Li Zhi smiled softly and tucked it away before closing her eyes to sleep. Though nothing else happened, footsteps echoed in the hallway all night—doors opening and closing kept her from sleeping well.
The next morning, they were woken by the sound of someone brushing their teeth in the washroom at the end of the corridor.
Meng Yuhan rubbed her eyes and sat up. Morning light streamed through the thin curtains, making the spacious single room seem far less threatening than it had the night before.
There were fresh toiletries in the cabinet. Li Zhi tied her hair back and walked out with Meng, heading toward the washroom. The lanterns outside rooms 203 and 204 were already off. She glanced carefully at both sides of the hallway.
This building was old—its plastered walls covered in indistinct stains and mold. But there were no signs like last night’s handprints left behind by something crawling along the wall.
No clue as to what it was.
At the washroom, a woman stood brushing her teeth. Dressed in a professional office outfit, she had a poised demeanor and a graceful presence. Seeing Li Zhi and Meng approach in the mirror, she gave them a polite nod.
Li Zhi returned the smile.
After finishing, the woman wiped her mouth and asked casually, “You two are new here? Haven’t seen you before.”
Li Zhi squeezed toothpaste onto her brush. “Yes, we’re in Room 205.”
The woman pointed upward. “I’m in 304. Third floor gets crowded in the mornings—we usually come down to the second floor to wash up.”
Li Zhi asked curiously, “Is the second floor empty? There are quite a few rooms with red couplets on the door.”
She shook her head. “Not sure. I’ve never seen anyone here in the mornings.” Then she extended a hand with a smile. “I’m Qu Rong.”
Li Zhi took it warmly. “Li Zhi. This is my sister, Meng Yuhan.” She paused, feigning annoyance. “This place has terrible soundproofing. Someone kept walking past our room all night—it kept us awake.”
Qu Rong nodded sympathetically. “Old buildings do that. But third floor is quiet—everyone goes to bed early. Probably just some night owls on the second floor.”
She dried her face, her clean, natural beauty untouched by makeup. “I’ll head to work now. Nice meeting you!”
Li Zhi waved cheerfully. “Same here.”
Once she left with her basin, Meng whispered, “Sis, does that mean the creepy breathing thing isn’t around at night on the third floor? She seems normal enough.”
Li Zhi replied calmly, “We’ll ask the players who stayed on the third floor last night.”
They finished washing up, returned their things to the room, and went downstairs. Just outside the building, they met Fu Huan and Xiang Ling stepping out of their room.
As soon as he saw Li Zhi, Fu Huan nervously asked, “Boss, did you hear that noise last night?”
Li Zhi nodded. “Let’s wait until everyone gathers. Let’s check the area first.”
The four stepped outside. In daylight, Nan Street Apartment didn’t look as eerie—but somehow even more run-down.
Outside the stairwell was a communal area, with flowerbeds lined along the wall, holding a few struggling green plants.
Directly across was the apartment entrance—a rusted iron gate. To the left sat a few rusty exercise machines and benches. On the right, under a makeshift tent, was a breakfast stall.
A few people sat inside eating breakfast. Steam rose from the kitchen, giving the place a rare sense of life.
Other players emerged one by one. Li Zhi spotted Li Feng and Qiao Junyuan coming down the stairs and relaxed slightly.
The scent of breakfast filled the air. Fu Huan suggested, “Let’s eat first. We can talk while we eat.”
Everyone headed toward the food stall. After a few steps, Li Zhi suddenly turned toward the security booth.
That narrow room beside the gate housed a person. Last night, the landlord had introduced him—the elderly man sleeping in the booth was the only security guard in Nan Street Apartment.
But now, the figure sitting inside looked upright and alert—not like the hunched silhouette from the previous night.
Li Zhi approached the booth.
Behind her, Meng called out, “Sis, where are you going?”
“I’ll catch up,” Li Zhi said. “Go ahead.”
It wasn’t a big space, and it was daytime. No one worried too much.
Li Zhi reached the booth and knocked gently on the green-tinted window. A hand pushed it open from inside, revealing a young man’s refined face.
Li Zhi couldn’t help smiling. “You’re the security guard here?”
Li Jianxi looked slightly awkward. “Yes…”
The live chat exploded upon seeing his face:
【Li Jianxi: Found his wife again today!】
【AAAAA MY SHIP IS REAL!!! IT’S ACTUALLY REAL!!】
【He’s here again! Again! This time he’s a security guard! Who also loves bear biscuits!】
【How does Li Jianxi always find her so fast?! Does he have some secret method?!】
【Wait—he was the town mayor in another replica not long ago! Now he's ditching that role for a security job?!】
【I knew the moment Li Zhi entered this replica that mayor would be replaced. Checked earlier—mayor really changed NPCs.】
【Funny enough, they even made up a story about the old guard passing away from sudden illness. Classic!】
【Why can Li Jianxi move freely between replicas?!】
【Feels less like an NPC and more like the system’s favorite child, doing whatever he wants in this world.】
【Maybe he is the system itself, anthropomorphized HAHAHA】
...
Every time Li Jianxi appeared, the live chat erupted. Inside the booth, Li Zhi grinned at him.
“What happened to the old guard, Mr. Zhang?”
Li Jianxi answered stiffly, “He passed away suddenly from illness. I’m the new one hired by the landlord. First day on duty.”
The audience nearly died laughing at how perfectly this matched the cover story.
From a distance, Meng shouted, “Sis, do you want steamed buns or shumai?”
Li Zhi turned her head. “Steamed buns.”
Her arm leaned against the grimy windowsill. A strand of hair slipped from her ponytail, dangling near her pale neck—an easy, trusting posture.
Li Jianxi stared at her profile, distracted for a moment. When she turned back, he quickly lowered his gaze, murmuring, “Go eat.”
Li Zhi smiled brightly. “Okay.”
She lifted a hand, eyes crinkling as she waved goodbye.
Something unreadable flickered in Li Jianxi’s dark eyes—like mist swallowing the sky.
Nearby, Li Feng watched his sister chatting happily with the security guard. He frowned coldly.
Li Zhi returned quickly. At the small table, steaming kelp soup and a basket of xiaolongbao smelled delicious. She picked one up with chopsticks.
Inside the breakfast stall, the cook was none other than the old woman they’d seen burning paper at the crossroads last night.
Other players exchanged glances—they noticed too.
Beside them sat a tenant—a neatly dressed man in a suit and leather shoes. After finishing his meal, he placed the money on the counter.
Madam Qiu ignored him, expression icy.
The man gave a slightly embarrassed smile, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and got up to leave.
Next to him, a middle-aged man in a floral shirt chuckled, “Mr. Chu, why do you keep coming to Madam Qiu’s stall every day? Doesn’t your wife make breakfast for you?”
“Too early for her to wake up,” the suited man replied politely. “See you later.”
After he left, Madam Qiu finally came over and collected the payment.
The floral-shirted man sighed. “Madam Qiu, you can’t blame Mr. Chu forever. It’s not his fault Xiao Bo and Qiangzi weren’t decent men…”
Before he could finish, Madam Qiu shot him a glare. He shut up immediately.
The players exchanged looks.
Fu Huan scooted her stool closer to the man. “Bro, I just moved in. I’m in Room 104. Got a question for you.”
The man brightened instantly, forgetting his earlier embarrassment. “New neighbor! What’s up? I’ve lived here the longest—there’s nothing about Nan Street Apartment I don’t know!”
Fu Huan smiled sweetly. “Bro, you’re amazing! I just wanted to ask—what’s the deal between Madam Qiu and Mr. Chu? She seems to hate him.”
“Ah!” The man smacked his knee dramatically. “Poor guy, really. That whole mess started with Xiao Bo and Qiangzi, who used to live in 102 and 103. Those two slackers didn’t work, spent all their time loafing around…”
He hesitated, then lightly slapped his own mouth. “Well, dead men tell no tales. Sorry, sorry.” He muttered briefly, then continued, “About a week ago, they sneaked into Room 603—Mr. Chu’s place—to steal stuff. They got caught when Mr. Chu came home from work. Panicked, they ran out… and fell down the stairwell. Dead on impact.”
The players leaned in eagerly.
He sighed. “Can’t blame Mr. Chu for that, right? But Madam Qiu’s alone now. Those two slackers may have been useless, but they treated her kindly. So she blames Mr. Chu ever since.”
Hearing this, the players finally pieced everything together.
No wonder Madam Qiu had burned paper at the crossroads on the seventh night after their deaths. She had been mourning Xiao Bo and Qiangzi—those lazy troublemakers from 102 and 103.
Though the incident wasn’t Mr. Chu’s fault, it was understandable that Madam Qiu held a grudge. For years, those two had taken care of her. Losing them hurt.