The Creepy Cat

My consciousness gradually awakened, and I opened my eyes to find darkness all around.

I was still at the murder scene. The tables and chairs I had just arranged were overturned again, looking exactly as they did when we first arrived! My phone, which I had left on the table, had fallen into a corner and was emitting a faint glow.

Huang Xiaotao was kneeling on the ground with her mask lying next to her. She was clutching her stomach and coughing violently, with a trail of saliva dripping from her mouth.

I noticed she had two footprints on her belly - one from my kick, and one from Wang Yuanchao's.

My arms were scratched all over, and my mouth tasted hot and metallic. Wang Yuanchao's punch had split my lip against my teeth.

I thought Wang Yuanchao had been too rough, but if he hadn't stopped us like that, Huang Xiaotao and I might have kept attacking each other under the spell of the hallucinogen. We had already started losing control...

Suddenly, Huang Xiaotao crawled over to me on her knees, giving me a fright. I thought she was still in character, immersed in our act.

But she cried out, "Song Yang, that was so scary! That scene just now was terrifying!"

Then she threw her arms around me and squeezed me so tight I almost couldn't breathe. Her hot tears trickled down my neck. Although her size D breasts were pressing against my chest, I was too emotionally unstable to appreciate it. I felt like a startled bird, with my heart pounding wildly - an experience I'd never had before.

I hugged her back instinctively. Huang Xiaotao's soft body trembled against mine. Only later did I realize I was shaking even harder than she was!

A warm embrace really can calm the mind better than any drug. Gradually we both settled down and let go of each other. Wang Yuanchao handed Huang Xiaotao a tissue to wipe her tears.

Huang Xiaotao always maintained a cool, aloof image. I'd never seen her like this before. Her tearful, rain-drenched beauty was unexpectedly charming, leaving me dumbstruck! My heart pounded like crazy - another new sensation.

When Huang Xiaotao saw me gaping at her, she suddenly punched me in the chest and scolded, "What's with you and your crazy ideas? You nearly scared me to death!"

That brought me back to my senses. "Don't blame me. The recipe was in the book."

"What recipe?" asked Huang Xiaotao.

I picked up the fallen mask and examined it. "Remember the medicine I boiled this afternoon? The book said it would evoke emotions, but it turned out to be...a hallucinogen!"

"Jerk! You scared me half to death, you know that?" Huang Xiaotao angrily snatched the mask from my hand and flung it into the corner.

I silently swore I would never use this insane "Acting Out Murder" technique again.

At the time, I thought my ancestor had tricked me. But when I checked the book later, I saw the recipe was called "Dream Powder." The note said it would "induce a dreamlike trance, as if really there." I had misunderstood its effect as evoking emotions. I didn't realize those words were a subtle warning that the drug would cause hallucinations!

I'd also made a mistake with the dosage that nearly caused disaster. So I had to take the blame for that.

But I never could have imagined that the events of that night would create a subtle romantic bond between Huang Xiaotao and me. Many years later, I was endlessly grateful to the ancestor who invented "Acting Out Murder." But that's a story for another time.

I asked Wang Yuanchao what had happened while I was under the influence. He said Huang Xiaotao and I had pretended to sit together eating dinner, very much like a real married couple. Then we suddenly grabbed our heads as if in pain, and started arguing.

Wang Yuanchao hesitated, unsure whether to wake us up. But when we got violent, he jumped in to forcibly stop us.

I shuddered at the thought of what could have happened if all three of us had enacted the murders together, wearing those creepy masks. We might have ended up dead here just like the three victims, leaving the police to puzzle over another bizarre unsolved case in their files.

Huang Xiaotao had calmed down by now. She asked me, "Did you hear a strange sound just now?"

"I did," I replied.

When she asked Wang Yuanchao, he said he hadn't heard anything. That sound must have occurred during the incident. The sudden headaches and personality changes in this family of three were undoubtedly the key to the case.

I murmured, "I think what drove this family mad could be..."

Just then, the white lab rat in the cage started squealing violently and shaking its cage so hard it almost fell off the windowsill. I cried out in alarm, "Something's coming in!"

"Something? What do you mean something?" Huang Xiaotao turned pale.

I picked up my phone from the floor and went over. We all gasped when we saw what was next to the rat cage. A line of cat prints had appeared in the flour without us noticing. They led all the way to the stairs.

"Huang Xiaotao, stay here! Wang Yuanchao and I will go find that cat!" I said.

Huang Xiaotao protested, "I don't want to stay alone in this creepy house. You stay here, Wang Yuanchao. Xiaotao and I will go."

I had no choice but to agree. After Huang Xiaotao and I went outside, we looked around. With no streetlights, the old street was pitch black except for faint lights from the houses. I decided we should split up to search.

But Huang Xiaotao suddenly grabbed my arm. "Let's stick together, in case something happens!"

I was about to say we'd cover more ground separately, but I also worried something might happen, so I agreed.

One end of the street led to the road, the other to a small alley. I figured the cat was more likely to have escaped into the alley, so I started searching in that direction.

As we walked, I suddenly noticed Huang Xiaotao clinging to my arm. Wasn't that a little overly intimate? I looked down and she quickly let go, mumbling awkwardly, "Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not scared or anything..."

Maybe I imagined it, but Huang Xiaotao was suddenly acting strange.

"Should I make it up to you for scaring you earlier?" I could feel my face flush crimson as I said this. Heavens, how could I get so awkward and shy around Huang Xiaotao when I'd always seen her as a partner?

Huang Xiaotao didn't answer for a while, just kept her head down. I wondered what was wrong, until I saw her face was even redder than mine!

Her skin was naturally fair and delicate. The rosy blush spreading across her exquisite features made her look like a beautifully carved piece of ruby. It was especially cute.

I couldn't tell if she was angry or shy. She suddenly glared at me and snapped, "No need, thanks!" Then she strode ahead.

I was totally confused. What had I done to upset her? A woman's heart is harder to grasp than a hundred cases!

We reached the small alley. The light on my phone suddenly started flickering - the constant illumination was draining the battery fast. I asked Huang Xiaotao if she had brought her phone, but she checked her pockets and said, "Oh no, I left it in the house!"

With that, my phone went dark, and we had to feel our way forward in the blackness.

Just then, I heard something rolling on the ground. A little girl was crouched there playing with a yarn ball. Hearing our footsteps, she suddenly twisted her head around. Her eyes emitted an eerie glow!