Chapter 86: South Street Apartment
Li Zhi descended to the fourth floor and waited a while longer.
The lack of soundproofing in this building had its advantages—she could clearly hear Chen Meixi stir-frying, then plating the food before returning to her room and closing the door. After that, there was no further movement.
Lost in thought, Li Zhi made her way downstairs. Just as she stepped out of the apartment, she ran into Li Jianxi, who seemed to have been waiting at the entrance for some time. He was holding several bulging plastic bags, the kind typically used by the grocery store.
Quickening her pace, Li Zhi approached him and peered curiously at the bags. "What did you buy?"
Li Jianxi lifted them slightly for her to see. "Dinner." He pursed his lips, then added earnestly, "You treated me last night. Tonight, it's my turn."
Li Zhi couldn't help but laugh at his insistence on taking turns. "Alright then, let's go eat."
Granny Qiu’s stall was already crowded, but at least it provided the players with three square meals a day in this instance. Granny Qiu’s cooking was excellent—otherwise, having to investigate on an empty stomach would have been miserable.
The moment Fu Huan spotted her favorite CP walking over together, she stealthily scooted closer with her lunchbox, securing the best seat to witness their interactions firsthand!
Li Feng shot them a glance and suddenly regretted his promise to his sister yesterday about not interfering.
Li Jianxi unpacked the takeout containers from the bags and laid them out on the table. Li Zhi blinked in surprise. "Why so much?"
"I wasn’t sure what you’d like," he admitted. "So I got a bit of everything."
Fu Huan, unable to contain her glee, buried her face in her rice to hide her widening grin.
Li Zhi surveyed the seven or eight dishes on the table—it seemed Li Jianxi had bought nearly everything the grocery store could offer. Smiling, she turned to Fu Huan, who was still pretending to focus on her rice. "Huanhuan, join us."
Fu Huan looked up, eyes sparkling, but then hesitated, glancing at Li Jianxi. After all, this was food he’d bought specifically for his wife—what if he didn’t want others touching it?
But Li Jianxi’s expression remained neutral, showing no signs of objection. Li Zhi chuckled. "Come on, there’s too much. Let’s not waste it."
Meng Hanhan, sitting nearby, had no such reservations and was already helping herself. Seeing this, Fu Huan didn’t hold back either. The four of them gathered around the small table, the atmosphere warm and lively.
With all the players seated close by, they took the opportunity to exchange information over dinner.
Yuan Cheng lowered his voice. "I observed carefully—Qu Rong does have a scar on her left wrist. It must be from her suicide attempt. I pretended to ask about it casually, but her reaction was completely normal."
Another player chimed in, "Yeah, she acted like it was no big deal—just said it was an old accident."
Li Feng, who had been part of their investigation, set down his chopsticks. "When I asked her if the news story she reported had been resolved, there wasn’t even a flicker of emotion in her eyes or voice. That’s not normal."
That story had cost Qu Rong her life. Even if the matter was settled, how could she feel nothing when asked about it?
She should have been angry, or pained, or at least evasive. If she had truly moved on, there should have been relief—something. Instead, she spoke as if it were gossip about a stranger.
"Two possibilities," Li Zhi said. "One, the current Qu Rong isn’t the real Qu Rong. The real one is already dead, so this replacement wouldn’t have any connection to the incident. Two, Qu Rong found a way to seal away her emotions about it. That story drove her to suicide—if she could detach herself from it, she could start fresh somewhere else."
Once they finished discussing Qu Rong, Fu Huan turned to Li Zhi. "Did you meet Chen Meixi?"
Li Zhi nodded. "I did."
She recounted the encounter, leaving the others surprised. "That easily? She just came out of the washroom on her own? Shouldn’t key NPCs require some effort to meet?"
"Don’t you think it’s too coincidental?" Xiang Ling frowned. "Li Zhi wanted to see her, and she just appeared. And didn’t you say Chu Guangyan usually cooks? Why was it Chen Meixi tonight, right when Li Zhi was hiding in the washroom?"
Now that she mentioned it, the timing was suspicious.
Li Zhi propped her chin on her hand, smiling faintly. "Maybe she wanted me to see her."
"How so?"
"I’ve been asking about her for the past two days. Last night, I even asked Chu Guangyan if I could visit, but he refused. If someone wanted to curb my curiosity, the best way would be to satisfy it outright."
Chen Meixi knew Li Zhi was looking for her, so she made sure to appear.
See? Just an ordinary woman. Nothing special. Now that you’ve seen me, stop digging.
Li Zhi replayed the encounter in her mind.
A slender, beautiful young woman with warm, soft hands. When speaking of her husband, there wasn’t a trace of resentment in her eyes or voice. She wasn’t the timid woman Granny Qiu described, nor the introverted wife Chu Guangyan claimed.
She was gentle and poised, greeting a stranger with a smile, even saying "see you later" as she left.
See you later.
Li Zhi mulled over the phrase, then chuckled meaningfully.
After dinner, as dusk settled, Fu Huan reminded the others, "Stay in your rooms tonight. Don’t pull a Cao Xun and go wandering!"
The others nodded fervently. "Who would dare?!"
Li Zhi helped Granny Qiu pack up the tables and chairs, then bought a bag of flour from her.
The stall had plenty of flour for making noodles in the mornings. Carrying the large bag upstairs, Li Zhi noted that the second-floor lanterns hadn’t been lit yet. She started from the sixth floor, sprinkling flour down the stairs like a thin layer of frost, all the way to the second floor. By the time she finished, the bag was empty.
Testing it, she stepped onto the flour, leaving a faint footprint. Meng Hanhan, standing by Room 205, whispered, "Zhi-jie, will this work?"
Li Zhi used the last bit of flour to cover her tracks. "We’ll know tomorrow."
Night fell quickly. At some point, the second-floor lanterns flickered to life.
Through the crack under the door, Li Zhi noticed the red light seemed more turbulent tonight, swaying violently.
Exhausted from last night’s lack of sleep, she felt drowsy as soon as she lay down. Meng Hanhan, however, was wide awake, vowing solemnly, "Zhi-jie, you sleep first! I’ll keep watch—I’m not tired at all!"
Li Zhi smiled, patting her head. "Then I’ll leave it to you tonight, Hanhan."
Meng Hanhan swelled with responsibility. "Okay!"
Since Meng Hanhan couldn’t follow her into every instance, she needed to adapt—cultivating the traits of a seasoned player, like nighttime vigilance.
Entrusting the task to her, Li Zhi closed her eyes and drifted off.
Meng Hanhan, listening to her steady breathing, clenched her fists. Zhi-jie trusts me. I can’t let her down!
In the darkness, the little girl’s eyes grew wider.
She strained to catch every sound, her ears pricking at the slightest rustle.
After what felt like hours, Meng Hanhan couldn’t suppress a yawn, rubbing her stinging eyes.
So sleepy…
Shaking herself, she pinched her cheek lightly. No sleeping! Stay alert!
Viewers watching the livestream found her determination utterly endearing, flooding her with votes.
Deep into the night, after countless yawns, a door creaked open outside. Someone had stepped into the hallway.
Like a signal, more doors opened in succession, followed by footsteps.
In the pitch-black room, the red light under the door swayed wildly, as if caught in a storm.
Meng Hanhan instinctively held her breath, unsure whether to wake Li Zhi. Then, abruptly, the red glow vanished.
She stared at the door crack, realizing—the light wasn’t gone. Someone was blocking it.
The moment this thought formed, knocking echoed through the room.
Thud—
Thud—thud—
Thud—thud—thud—
Three measured knocks, unhurried, almost polite.
Meng Hanhan stopped breathing entirely. Trembling, she reached to cover Li Zhi’s mouth and nose—only for Li Zhi to gently grasp her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Realizing Li Zhi was already awake, Meng Hanhan relaxed slightly.
Both held their breaths silently. The knocking didn’t resume, but the light still didn’t return.
Whoever had knocked was still there, waiting.
Seconds ticked by. Li Zhi counted them internally. After a full minute, the knocking started again—this time impatient, almost angry. The force behind each thud was heavier.
Bang—bang—bang—
It sounded less like knocking and more like pounding.
If they refused to answer, would the thing outside break in?
A bead of sweat rolled down Meng Hanhan’s forehead. She wiped it away just as the sound of a bouncing ball echoed down the hallway, growing louder until it stopped outside Room 205.
"The sister here promised to play ball with me," a child’s voice complained petulantly. "Go away!"
It was the little ghost boy from last night—the one in overalls and white sneakers.
After a pause, the red light seeped back under the door.
The presence outside had left.
The knocking resumed, this time from the ghost boy. "Sister, come play ball with me?" When no answer came, he plopped down by the door with a sigh. "You gave me candy, but no one plays with me. It’s so boring."
"Uncles and aunties are all playing with others. Sister, won’t you come out?"
In the darkness, Li Zhi’s sharp hearing picked up footsteps ascending and descending the stairs.
Tonight would not be peaceful.