Chapter 3: Doting Father

When Su Yan woke up, the sky outside had turned completely dark, and the surroundings were so quiet that there wasn't a single sound.

The room was pitch black, to the point where she couldn't even see her own fingers. Just as she was preparing to get up and head home, a sinister aura slowly began to permeate the air.

She looked toward the spot where the yin energy was gathering, neither hurried nor slow, her eyes beneath the black cloth bottomless.

"How interesting."

As soon as she finished speaking, a cold wind rose, and a white ghostly shadow suddenly appeared.

It was a female ghost, her hair disheveled, her facial features all blurred together, and her limbs hanging down in a bizarre posture.

Upon discovering Su Yan's presence, the ghost's entire body shook violently, as if in a twisted state of joy.

"So ugly."

Su Yan took one look and reached this conclusion.

The female ghost’s movements stopped abruptly, her large eyes, showing only whites, staring straight at her.

"You... can see me?"

The voice was harsh, like a broken saw blade scraping against a bellows, sounding more like it wanted to flay a person's heart.

Su Yan actually smiled. "I'll give you two seconds, otherwise, stay here forever."

Her sweet smile in this gloomy room was like a brilliant poppy flower.

The female ghost, excited to the point of frenzy, opened her blood-red maw and lunged at Su Yan.

"Give me your face!"

"Seeking death." Su Yan did not dodge or evade; a talisman emitting a golden halo flew from her hand.

The female ghost let out a shrill, miserable scream, her entire ghostly form emitting a terrifying sizzling sound as if being scorched.

All her malice was replaced by the fear of imminent soul-dissipation, and she instinctively twisted frantically, trying to escape.

Su Yan watched this scene expressionlessly until the female ghost turned into a wisp of green smoke under the suppression of the talisman and completely dissipated.

"Not the main body, then?"

From the moment she stepped into the county, she had already sensed the anomalies here.

Xinghua High School and the surrounding ten-mile radius were shrouded in a massive amount of death energy. This death energy was exactly what she needed to control the power of her eyes, which was why she had told Su Jianguo that she must attend school at Xinghua.

Yet, the teachers and students in this high school, as well as the villagers living nearby, had not been significantly affected. There must be a secret here that she didn't yet know.

Textile Compound, Su Residence.

Su Jianguo was pacing back and forth in the courtyard, his worried expression making him look even more like a doting mother than her own mother.

"Dad, it's already so dark, let's go back inside."

Su Mu came to his side, her face full of docility.

Su Jianguo turned his head to look at her. "Did Yanyan really say she was staying at a classmate's house?"

He felt something wasn't right. Could his daughter really make such a close friend on her very first day at school? Besides, that child had always been cold by nature and wasn't close to anyone.

Su Mu nodded very earnestly. "That's what she said when school ended, and she even told us not to worry."

Su Jianguo frowned deeply. In his heart, Su Mu had always been considerate and sensible, and she never lied, so even though he felt it was improper, he didn't suspect anything.

Su Mu also attended Xinghua, just one grade ahead of Su Yan. With her looking after Su Yan, he was naturally at ease.

Before dark, he had specifically gone to find Gu Yang, and Gu Yang had also said that nothing had happened to Su Yan at school.

"Dad, Yanyan just came back and isn't used to the home yet. Staying at a good friend's house for one night to clear her head is a good thing." Su Mu’s analysis was logical and well-reasoned, dispelling some of Su Jianguo's unease.

Su Jianguo sighed inwardly. For so many years, he hadn't fulfilled his responsibilities as a father; it was only natural that his precious daughter wasn't close to him now.

At this moment, Li Qiuhua came out of the house, carrying a coat in her hand, which she thoughtfully draped over Su Jianguo's shoulders.

"Is Qiangqiang asleep?"

Su Qiang was the child Su Jianguo and Li Qiuhua had after eight years of marriage; he was only five this year.

"He's asleep." Li Qiuhua glanced at the dark alley outside by the moonlight and muttered with dissatisfaction, "That child is really something. She hasn't been in the compound for more than a few days and she's already staying out all night. If word gets out, it won't look good for her reputation."

Su Jianguo immediately glared at her fiercely and shouted at the top of his lungs, "My daughter can do no wrong! As long as she's happy, that's all that matters!"

Li Qiuhua pursed her lips, clearly unconvinced, but she didn't dare to add fuel to the fire.

A flash of jealousy crossed Su Mu's eyes and vanished instantly, her voice becoming even gentler. "Mom, Yanyan has always lived in the countryside and is used to being free-spirited; naturally, she doesn't have so many formalities."

It sounded like she was explaining for Su Yan, but the implication that she was a wild child from the countryside couldn't have been clearer.

Sure enough, Su Jianguo's jaw tightened slightly.

"Dad, Mom, Yanyan definitely won't be coming back. Let's go back inside to sleep." Thinking of the miserable scene of Su Yan being locked in that abandoned building, calling for help with no one to answer, Su Mu almost couldn't help but laugh.

Su Jianguo sighed, and just as he was about to return to the house, he took one last look down the alley, and his entire demeanor instantly brightened.

"Is that Yanyan?"

The night was a bit gloomy, so there were only one or two sparse stars, making it impossible to see who was coming, but he was immediately certain it was his daughter.

Su Mu was visibly stunned, unable to believe it.

Impossible!

Song Xue had been absolutely certain when she told her that Su Yan was locked on the second floor of the abandoned building. Unless she jumped out of a window, there was no way she could have gotten out—not to mention she was blind!

Su Jianguo widened his eyes, and two seconds later, he let out a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering cry: "Daughter, you really came back!"

Before the words had even faded, he had already run out.

His speed was as fast as a rabbit hopping through the fields.

Su Yan, who was walking at a leisurely pace, was startled by the sudden shout. Before she could react, a figure was already in front of her.

"Daughter, why are you back so late? You worried me to death."

Su Jianguo sniffled hard, his eyes even exaggeratedly turning red.

Uh.

Su Yan’s mouth twitched. Anyone who didn't know better would think she had gone through fire and water.

Su Jianguo was eager to help her, but he remembered that on her first day back, she had said very seriously that she didn't like having close physical contact with people—not even him, her father—so he could only force himself to hold back.

"Daughter, did you come back by yourself? Was it scary in the dark on the way? Did you get lost?"

Listening to his incessant questioning, Su Yan knew he was concerned, but she couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

"Didn't you go to stay at a classmate's house? Why are you back?" Seeing her, Li Qiuhua naturally didn't show the joy one might expect. Her opening remark made Su Mu's heart sink to the bottom.

Her mother's mouth really never failed to "disappoint" her.

"I went to stay at a classmate's house?" Su Yan’s tone rose slightly at the end, turning it into a questioning tone.

(End of chapter)