Ex-Girlfriend – Chapter 47
by Little PandaVolume 3: Song of the Wanderer
Great Demon King 06
The Game of the Brave
Qi Haolin only saw Xin Lan’s lips move slightly, but couldn’t make out what she said. He assumed she was just expressing fear, so his expression became even gentler.
As a D-list entertainment reporter and paparazzo [literal: ‘eighteenth-tier entertainment reporter’], Ren Difei could read Xin Lan’s lip movements. He gave Qi Haolin a strange look and decided to keep his distance.
Anyone called an idiot by the lady boss is definitely a cannon fodder character [entertainment industry term for disposable characters/people], might as well light a candle for them early [Chinese internet slang meaning ‘pray for them/RIP’].
Feng Xinyu’s diary didn’t contain many entries. Elementary school students typically write two or three lines per day, but little Feng Xinyu’s entries were even simpler, just expressing her emotions.
Whether she was happy or unhappy that day, whether it was sunny or rainy – several pages continued in this pattern.
Just like the turning point in her sketchbook, her diary entries also showed something unusual.
βToday I’m unhappy.
βToday I’m so sad.
βI hate it!
βBad person!
βThey’re all bad people!
Several consecutive pages expressed her anger, fury, and sadness.
Xin Lan noticed that some pages were wrinkled, likely from tears that had fallen on them.
What was most alarming was the diary’s final page. That page was completely filled with the characters for “bad person.”
The characters were densely packed together, written in a chaotic order, revealing the child’s troubled state of mind.
“So, this is a story about a family of three. Let’s analyze it.”
Ren Difei, being the most familiar with various scenarios, had priority to speak. After he started, everyone’s attention focused on him.
“We saw the photos – they only show the mother and daughter. The family photo is hidden at the back, concealed behind another photo. Looking at what we found in the kitchen, there’s a contradiction. If it’s a mother living with her child, why are there so many takeout food traces? Yet the vegetables in the kitchen clearly show someone was planning to cook a proper meal.”
Sheng Lifan said: “Could it be that only the father and child lived here, and since the father couldn’t cook, he ordered takeout? The messy state of the child’s room could also be explained by this – what mother wouldn’t keep her child’s room tidy? Maybe the parents are divorced, and when the mother came to visit, she brought ingredients to cook, which is why the photos only show the mother and child – to help the child remember her mother?”
Pi Tianzi said: “That sounds logical, but following your reasoning, if the father wanted the child to remember her mother and that’s why he displayed those photos, why wouldn’t he put up the family photo? Wouldn’t that better remind the child they were once a family of three? Why hide the family photo behind another one?”
Moli said: “Why couldn’t it be that the mother can’t cook, so she ordered takeout, and the father came to cook? The mother might be too busy to clean the room. Wouldn’t this explain why the album only shows the child and mother? The hidden family photo suggests she doesn’t want the child to see it, but still holds some attachment. Divorce seems certain, maybe because the father did something to wrong the mother, leading to this situation.”
Ke Xuguang said: “If I were caring for my daughter, I wouldn’t let her eat takeout every day, and I wouldn’t only show her photos with her mother – I’d definitely show family photos. So I think what she said makes sense.”
Ke Xuguang pointed at Moli, and at the mention of his daughter, this fierce-looking middle-aged man’s expression noticeably softened.
Moli, feeling validated, gave Pi Tianzi a smug look.
Qi Haolin said: “But there’s still another issue – if the mother and daughter live here together, and she has issues with the child’s father, why are there still many men’s clothes in the walk-in closet?”
Ren Difei said: “Maybe there wasn’t time to clear things out? From the child’s situation, the marriage breakdown is evident. But whether the mother or father had custody, something definitely happened here – they died, at least the little girl did. Generally speaking, in these stories, ghosts don’t appear just to scare people. Her appearance at the stairway must serve as a warning. If she wanted to threaten us, she could have acted already.”
Ren Difei continued: “So I have reason to believe she’s just preventing us from going upstairs. Either there’s something up there, or she wants to keep us on the first floor. If this isn’t simply a ghost story but a mystery to solve, shouldn’t we find out her cause of death and identify her killer?”
Xin Lan listened while tapping her fingers on the sofa. Looking at it from an outside perspective, there was indeed much to analyze.
The truth was close to what Ren Difei said – they needed to solve this floor’s mystery and get the key before going upstairs.
If Xin Lan had come alone, it wouldn’t have been so complicated.
She could have just grabbed that little ghost from last night and asked her directly how she died and who did it, instead of wasting time analyzing here.
Qi Haolin’s eyes showed some fluctuation after hearing Ren Difei’s words, appearing lost in thought.
Qi Haolin: “If we’re guessing the killer, was it her father or mother?”
Ke Xuguang: “There’s no reason for that.”
If the parents were the killers, there should be a reason – even tigers don’t eat their cubs [meaning: even the fiercest creatures won’t harm their offspring]. As a father himself, Ke Xuguang thought that if he had made mistakes that broke up his family, he would feel guilty toward his daughter, not harm her.
Pi Tianzi: “The ‘bad people’ the child wrote about in her diary must be referring to her parents. She probably wrote that because her parents’ relationship fell apart, leading to feelings of hatred. Usually, when parents divorce, children feel abandoned.”
Sheng Lifan: “So why did she die, and who killed her?”
A good question – isn’t that what everyone had been discussing?
Ren Difei said: “Let’s keep looking for clues. They must be hidden somewhere here – even small things could serve as hints.”
Ren Difei was no longer dwelling on why nothing happened last night – perhaps the lady boss had been possessed.
However, he still hadn’t figured out the lady boss’s connection to this matter – could she be the mastermind?
The house remained dimly lit, with the crystal chandelier overhead casting its glow.
Xin Lan went to the child’s room. The door had been left open by previous visitors.
Upon entering, she saw many toys scattered on the floor, making it almost impossible to walk.
Snack residue remained on the bed, with candies scattered among the toys.
The little girl’s toys were typical – cloth dolls and Barbie dolls, all strewn across the floor.
Xin Lan noticed one Barbie doll with its arms and legs removed, lying there with only half a body, yet maintaining its perpetual smile.
The room’s wallpaper showed signs of scribbling, which was normal – most children like to draw on their home’s walls. What wasn’t normal was that these weren’t really drawings, just chaotic lines and circles overlapping each other, seeming full of emotional release.
Xin Lan opened the child’s wardrobe and found a shredded dress in the very back.
She suddenly recalled what the ghost had said last night, repeatedly mentioning “Mommy said” – indicating she was someone who listened to her mother, or at least had a good relationship with her mother. But when complaining last night, she had also mentioned “bad people.”
The cause of death was likely burning – whether it was the thick smoke, the burnt smell in the master bedroom, or the self-combusting photograph, everything pointed to fire.
The large red patch in the sketchbook indicated either blood or flames.
Xin Lan wanted to try going upstairs, thinking she might encounter the little ghost in the stairwell and could grab her for questioning.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t live up to the ghost’s accusation from last night about being fierce but unable to find a target.
Xin Lan turned around and suddenly had to brake hard, seeing a man just centimeters away from her. Her brows furrowed in disgust.
If she hadn’t reacted quickly enough, she would have crashed right into his arms.
The mere thought made her sick.
Qi Haolin, seeing Xin Lan’s displeased expression, thought he had frightened her.
“Are you alright?”
Xin Lan didn’t want to respond, struggling to control her urge to snap his neck right then.
“What’s wrong? Are you scared? It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have brought you here.”
“If you had any self-awareness, you’d keep your distance from me.”
Otherwise, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could maintain her crumbling facade.
“Lanlan, don’t be angry.”
Qi Haolin stepped forward, trying to grab Xin Lan’s hand, but she dodged him.
“I know you’re scared of the current situation, but I’ll protect you. We’ll survive this together. Did you bring any food in your bag?”
Qi Haolin gave Xin Lan his usual gentle smile – one that might have charmed the original host, but Xin Lan just thought he was being rather thick-faced [meaning: shameless].
What made him think the original host would still rely on him after everything? Well, truthfully, she would have.
In the original situation, the original host had no choice but to depend on the ex-boyfriend who brought her here, being weak and timid. The result was that not only were her supplies consumed, but she herself was consumed too.
“Even if I brought something, it’s mine, not yours. Keep your distance.”
Qi Haolin’s expression remained unchanged as he looked at the seemingly unfamiliar woman before him with disbelief.
Was this still the same foolish rabbit [metaphor for naive person] he had once deceived? She seemed like a completely different person.
How could this be? She had loved him so deeply, willingly staying with him even after discovering certain things. If he hadn’t broken up with her, she would have probably stayed by his side forever. Now she was telling him to keep his distance?
How was this possible?
“Lanlan, let me apologize, okay?”
As Qi Haolin moved forward and grabbed Xin Lan’s wrist, she seized his collar and delivered a fierce kick to his stomach.
“Can’t understand human language, can you? I told you to f*cking stay away from me. Get lost, understand?”
Xin Lan usually didn’t swear, but sometimes with disgustingly persistent, self-satisfied people, such language was the only way to make them understand just how detestable they were.
If he wanted to keep his miserable life for a few more days, why was he so eager to court death?
LP: Re-translated on January 12, 2025
Beat him up! Beat that btch up
Beat him up! Beat that btch up
(ΰΉΛα΄Λ)ο» Violence. ΰ§( Λ΅ β’α΄β’ Λ΅ )ΰ¨
(๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ Violence. ୧( ˵ •ᴗ• ˵ )୨