The Hand of Confession – Chapter 61

Volume 3: Days of Working at the Manor

As Long As You Have Big Guts

Sadako is on maternity leave!

After the unremarkable Dewdrop finished talking about her experience with Dongfang, the next person naturally spoke up: “Call me Xiaobei. I and that certain someone…” When mentioning the lottery initiator, she wrinkled her brow in disgust, “I and he followed Young Lady Vera, Vera admired him and thus rejected me.”

The lottery initiator complained dissatisfied: “What do you mean ‘that certain someone’? Haven’t I told you my name?”

Maid Xiaobei added irritably: “His name is Lin Fei, and he got together with Vera.”

“Do you know how to talk properly?” Lin Fei raised his fist at her, “I got the girl through my own abilities, what are you babbling about?”

Xiaobei wanted to slam the table and stand up, but fearing attention from other NPCs, she could only suppress her anger and said quietly: “If you got the girl through your own abilities, why did you spread rumors about me liking you?”

Lin Fei sat with his legs crossed, appearing casual and irresponsible: “That was her own assumption, I didn’t actively say it.”

“Who doesn’t know your little scheme?! Aren’t you just trying to redirect her anger towards me?” Xiaobei said angrily, “Want to use me as a shield? Dream on!”

“Aren’t you thinking too highly of yourself?” Lin Fei stood up, his tall and imposing figure creating considerable pressure on the petite Xiaobei, “What could someone like you shield?”

Xiaobei shifted her bottom backward but maintained eye contact without showing fear: “I hope you remember what you said today. If you really do that, may you drop dead on the spot and leave no complete corpse!”

Lin Fei threw down his tin bowl, pushed away his stool, and left with long strides.

No one cared where he was going. Xiaobei breathed a sigh of relief and continued: “Last night we also stayed in the manor. I slept on the couch all night, while he and Vera went to bed together.”

Shen Maomao almost dropped her bread.

What kind of bold move was this?!

Just need to be brave, and even Sadako takes maternity leave?? (implying that with enough courage, even impossible things become possible)

Others also looked completely disillusioned.

Lou Jingmo pushed her bread back and said knowingly: “It’s just a survival tactic, but you’d better not learn from it.”

“How would I dare?!” Shen Maomao said dramatically, “Besides, my hardware isn’t good enough. That ghost lady seemed to like me so much, but at night she still wanted to hack me with a knife?”

A ghost’s heart is like a needle in the sea. (“女鬼心，海底針” – meaning someone’s true intentions are hard to fathom)

Then it was Golden Retriever’s turn. His work was dirty and tiring, and he spent all afternoon yesterday preparing the hay.

“My name is Golden Retriever! I didn’t notice anything unusual at the stable, but I’m dying from exhaustion,” he complained, “Even carrying bricks isn’t this tiring!”

“The Baron’s ranch estate isn’t far, driving the carriage takes about half an hour for a round trip, I think? I’m not sure, I don’t have a watch. There are many NPCs on the road, have you played online games? They’re like those programmed NPCs in online games who walk along fixed routes, and they don’t respond when you talk to them. They should be characters outside the main plot, not important.”

“Nothing unusual at the ranch either. I went there safely yesterday, came back safely, fed the horses, and had to shovel their manure. I finished work after dark.”

Shen Maomao added for him: “Don’t worry, it’s not that there won’t be retribution, it’s just not time yet. Maybe starting today, things will get intense.”

Golden Retriever’s face fell: “Sister Rabbit, don’t scare me on purpose! I’m scared!”

Lou Jingmo gave Shen Maomao an approving look and said: “This morning you need to pick fresh roses. There are big problems in the garden, be careful.”

The envious expressions on others’ faces slightly diminished, and Golden Retriever panicked: “?? What problems?!”

Now it was Lou Jingmo’s turn to speak: “I’m Xiaolou, the rose garden is alive.”

“Xiaolou?” Freckles pondered thoughtfully, “Are you that Xiaolou who single-handedly cleared dozens of games and refused to join any organization?”

Shen Maomao’s eyes widened in surprise.

Sister Lou had such an impressive background?

“No…” Dewdrop objected, “That expert always works alone, never teams up with anyone…”

Lou Jingmo nodded: “Right, just the same name.” Her tone was very certain!

Freckles looked at her suspiciously, but Lou Jingmo remained as steady as an old dog (“穩如老狗” – meaning extremely calm and composed).

Shen Maomao quickly swallowed her bread and changed the subject: “I’m called Rabbit, and I’m paired with Freckles.”

“I…” Freckles thought for a moment, deciding not to correct the nickname she gave him, “Fine, just Freckles then.”

Shen Maomao grinned at him: “Like he said before, after the maid revived, we split up and ran. I probably ran to the dining room. The dining room is dangerous, there was also a group of transparent people. I escaped from them and found a place to hide until dawn.”

“You don’t need to ask where I hid. Being safe last night doesn’t guarantee safety tonight. Telling you might lead to wrong judgments and make things worse.”

“Also…” she put down the remaining brick… no, the remaining black bread on the table, and looked at Freckles with a knowing smile: “The kitchen and dining room aren’t far apart, right? Did you see me when you were wandering around the kitchen?”

“Didn’t see you,” Freckles showed no flaws or facade, “I didn’t go to the dining room.”

Shen Maomao slowly tapped her index finger on the table, wearing a mysterious and unfathomable expression that somehow resembled Lou Jingmo’s by about thirty percent. The atmosphere at the dining table became somewhat tense.

Golden Retriever was the first to crack. He was preoccupied with picking roses and didn’t want to waste time in the dining room.

With this thought, he suddenly stood up and said urgently: “I need to go pick roses and feed the horses! You all keep talking, if I survive to come back, I’ll ask Sister Lou and Sister Rabbit about any issues!” Then he bolted.

Watching his retreating figure, Shen Maomao smiled: “Before the ghosts attacked me, I saw a pair of feet wearing guard boots, so I suspected someone deliberately led the ghosts to harm me. That’s why I wanted to ask. I’m not sure who it was, if you feel offended, I apologize.”

Freckles responded graciously: “It’s fine, I don’t feel offended because that person wasn’t me.”

Shen Maomao’s smile faded. Not wanting to continue the conversation, she took Lou Jingmo’s hand, stood up, and said to everyone: “Please enjoy your meal, we’ll be going first.”

Without another word, Lou Jingmo followed her, leaving the servants’ dining room hand in hand.

It was still early, the outdoor temperature was quite low, but the air was very fresh.

As soon as they left the dining room, Shen Maomao started jumping around in anger.

“If it wasn’t him, it must be a ghost! Don’t let me find out who cost me a life! If I catch them…” she glanced at the dining room, cracking her wrists audibly, “I’ll make them know what cruelty really means!”

Lou Jingmo retorted: “Give it up, what if it was the one who’s already dead?”

Shen Maomao: “Of course I would choose to forgive him mmph mmph…”

Lou Jingmo covered her mouth expressionlessly: “Don’t use your skill, I want to survive a few more episodes.”

Shen Maomao rolled her eyes and mumbled to indicate she absolutely wouldn’t start singing again.

Only then did Lou Jingmo release her hand.

Shen Maomao spat three times and wiped her lips with the back of her hand: “Are your hands clean or not?”

Her originally pink lips turned bright red from her rough wiping. Lou Jingmo’s gaze wavered for a moment before fixing on the marble pillar ahead, watching two people approaching from afar, and said mysteriously: “Look at those two people ahead, do they look familiar?”

Shen Maomao looked up and almost screamed.

She clutched Lou Jingmo’s sleeve tightly, repeatedly exclaiming “Holy crap”: “What’s going on? Holy crap, weren’t they dead?! I was killed by this woman and some other invisible things… Didn’t she turn into an alien or zombie?!”

Lou Jingmo quickly gripped her cold hand: “Don’t show fear, don’t look around.”

Shen Maomao immediately turned her head, fixing her eyes firmly on Lou Jingmo’s face, not daring to move her gaze at all.

“Sister Lou…” she said quietly, “They don’t have shadows!”

“From my angle, they do,” Lou Jingmo said.

However, those two shadows looked very out of place, seeming to lag behind their owners, several times falling half a beat behind, not looking like original shadows at all.

“Congratulations, you scaredy-cat.” Her lips curved into a slight smile, “You seem to have become a special existence in this instance again.”

Shen Maomao felt like crying.

She didn’t want this kind of special treatment at all!!

The maid and guard who should have died in the manor passed by them, bringing a wave of cold air.

The shadow of death had affected her more than she imagined. Shen Maomao was so frightened her teeth chattered, wanting nothing more than to curl up and burrow into Lou Jingmo’s embrace.

After a while, Lou Jingmo’s hand gently covered the back of her head: “They’re gone, don’t be afraid.”

At that moment, Shen Maomao’s eyes started to sting again, but she suppressed the urge to cry, crawled out of Lou Jingmo’s embrace, and seriously discussed the plot: “Why did they come back to life? Are they players now or ghosts?”

Lou Jingmo looked back, staring at the two figures entering the dining hall, and said: “Very likely, about 80% certain.”

People revived by ghosts usually don’t have their own consciousness; they’re manipulated like perfect marionettes.

Lou Jingmo withdrew her gaze and looked at the marble clock at the top of the manor. On the huge dial, the pure gold hands moved forward tick by tick. The time was 6:30, with servants’ work starting at 7, giving them half an hour to spare.

Another figure emerged swaying from the distant manor gates. Lou Jingmo squinted, trying to make out who was approaching.

The moment she recognized the person, her mouth fell open in surprise, and she immediately grabbed Shen Maomao’s hand, pulling her behind the roadside shrubbery.

Before Shen Maomao could understand what was happening, Lou Jingmo pulled her down to crouch and drew her into an embrace.

“Don’t look and don’t make a sound!” Lou Jingmo warned.

Shen Maomao’s expression was dazed, her eyes wide as saucers.

Lou Jingmo had pressed her directly against her chest!!

She stared fixedly at the two cloth-wrapped curves right in front of her, unsure whether she should stiffen slightly to show respect, or first get a nosebleed to cool down…

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