Chapter 66: Preference
Editor: TheSloth
“Who… Who are you…”
Her body trembled. Tu Jiaya had tried to guess who the kidnappers were before but she never thought they were not humans!
One was a man around 30, who was white and clean. If he didn’t wear an odd black robe and floated in the air, he might look gentle and refined.
As to the other one… he was too scary, Tu Jiaya even didn’t want to recall his appearance.
As a matter of fact, Tai Yinzi felt really depressed when he saw Tu Jiaya’s expression. Therefore, he simply clammed up, gazing at the wall alone.
Black Soul No.9 wanted to frighten Tu Jiaya further, thus he stretched out his hand, summoning a mirror from the corner to Tu Jiaya without touching it.
He just needed to shatter Tu Jiaya’s mind to make her disorientated. Then with the help of the ability of a black soul envoy, bring out the vicious thought within her heart.
Each envoy had their own way or style to induce the customers… As for No.9, he was regarded as of the one with no style whatsoever.
Put another way, the style of no style was his style… which meant, he tend to use the most efficient methods.
At that moment, her sister’s face was revealed in the mirror. Tu Jiaya’s jaw dropped in amazement when she found this unbelievable scene.
“Are you curious that why the appearance in the mirror is not yourself?” Black Soul No.9 spoke stonily, “Do you know who kidnapped you here? It was your sister.”
“That’s b*llshit!”
Black Soul No.9 sneered, “Why? Don’t you believe it? But have you noticed that your voice differs, and your body feels different… Most importantly, your addiction hasn’t occurred even after so long… hasn’t it?
No.9’s voice sounded illusory, like the innermost thoughts of Tu Jiaya, which slowly hypnotized her into a trance.
“Jiaqing… How could Jiaqing make… That’s impossible…”
No.9’s voice gently said, “Why is it impossible? Our presence can testify this, and so does the change in your body. Your sister made a wish to replace you… and even shut you up in this place.”
“That’s impossible… You lied to me, you liar… Jiaqing… my sister would never do this to me…” Tu Jiaqing’s consciousness became blurry gradually.
“Why? You don’t believe it?” No.9 laughed evilly. “Well, it’s normal not to believe it… But why would your sister treat you this way? She should not. You don’t want her to walk down the same way--- joining the company because you’re clear about all the dirty deeds necessary. You urged your sister not to become an artist. You know her inside out. You even intended to start your own studio to cultivate you sister after getting the contract period was over…You’re protecting her, suffering alone. Below the shiny appearance and reputation, you’re under the control of the company, dependent on drugs and the sorrow from letting the bigwigs do whatever they want at will…”
“Stop talking! Stop talking!!!”
Unwittingly, the rope around her body had been untied automatically.
“You’re bearing all these by yourself. Your inspiration starts to fade away and you forget your passion for creating music. You were forced to become addicted to drugs and can’t focus on songwriting… In fact, you started to become dependent on the drugs, feeling painful and confused, sad and helpless. You have to hide yourself in the illusionary world that those harmful things bring you too.”
“Don’t speak!! Don’t… don’t…” Tu Jiaya covered both her ears in pain.
“Everything you did, was merely for protecting your sister. However, the person you loved the most made a wish to steal everything you owned in the end.”
“Stop talking, please… please…” She curled up her body, feeling like the whole world had collapsed.
“Do you remember how you fainted? Your sister even felt like killing you, making you disappear…”
Looking at Tu Jiaya that was all tears, No.9 took two steps forward. In a magical voice, he said “Do you feel pain? A thousand times more than when the addiction kicks in--- as if your heart was stabbed by a knife… Are you eager to release yourself from this pain?”
Tu Jiaya raised her head in a daze.
A black flame gradually came into her sight. A black card formed within the flame with 4 fantastic stamps shining on it.
“Grab it, and make your wish… Then, you’ll set yourself free. It’s quick… very quick…”
Tu Jiaya stretched out her hand, grasping the card hanging in the air.
The moment her fingers touched it, she stopped at once as if she had been electrocuted.
No.9 frowned but his voice still continued. “Why are you still hesitating… Don’t you want to escape from this kind of miserable life? Well, you should.”
“No… compare with these…” Tu Jiaya dashed towards Black Soul No.9, “Jiaqing, she must be in pain now… She didn’t know about my experiences and might be suffering the withdrawals of drug addiction. I must go to rescue her!”
Her body went through No.9’s, heading towards to door. Unexpectedly, the locked door outside had been opened magically. Tu Jiaqing forced her way out with no further thought.
No.9 played around with the black card, which hadn’t been given to her, standing at the same place.
Tai Yinzi asked puzzledly, “Why did you help her by unlocking the door and allow her to leave? Besides, she even released herself from master No.9’s temptation!”
No.9 said, “Is that weird?”
As a green hand, he nodded since he didn’t understand.
No.9 said, “She wanders in pain through day and night, shifting between the reality and the illusion brought by drugs. But why she didn’t fall apart till now?”
Tai Yinzi thought for a while. “Because she knows she has to protect her sister, so she stopped herself from going crazy?”
No. 9 found that Tai Yinzi’s had progressed. “The most sincere emotion hidden in a human’s soul often brings about a miraculous power. Just like a mother lifting up a car to save her child under it… The belief of protecting her family was the only thing keeping her together, as the final conviction, it would not be broken so easily.”
Tai Yinzi said with pity, “So is this considered to be a failure?”
No.9 shook his head, “No… because of this, she’ll make her wish without hesitation if needed. This soul… is really beautiful.”
Black Soul No.9 changed his gaze towards the black card he held, saying to himself, “The new master… does he prefer this kind of beautiful souls?”
No matter how strong her will to protect her family was--- if she was ordinary… how could she struggle and get break free of the temptation so easily?
Chapter 67: This Time, I’ll Protect You Instead
Editor: TheSloth
Tu Jiaqing fled from the hotel.
In haste, she got on a taxi.
The driver asked about her destination, but Tu Jiaqing couldn't reply in that instant. She didn’t want anyone to identify her, so just said, “Wherever, I don’t want to get off for now.”
“OK.”
The taxi started slowly… or one should say it was the driver that made it slow but Tu Jiaqing didn’t mention these.
Right at this time, she found another person sitting at the passenger’s seat beside the driver who seemed to be fast asleep.
The driver explained softly, “Oh, don’t get it wrong. He’s my colleague who is exhausted and fell asleep. We just changed shifts.”
Tu Jiaqing didn’t give a reply. She merely leaned against the car window, watching the bright lights shining throughout the city’s night.
The car suddenly became really quiet.
The quietness might be what Tu Jiaqing wanted… She was unaware of what would become of the old man, whether he had just got fainted or something more terrible. Moreover, she had no idea how Lin Geng would treat her after realizing this situation.
Furthermore, she didn’t even know when that soul-corroding addiction symptom would appear again.
She thought of her sister, whom had been abducted and taken back to their previous studio. Yet when she woke up, the first thing she asked was about her younger sister’s situation.
She understood suddenly… the real meaning behind ‘The company only needs one Tu Jiaya’.
---“Packaging a person is very easy to me.”
The sentence Lin Geng said, resounded at her ears. Supposedly, the company felt satisfied with the identity value of Tu Jiaya’s sister, and tried to promote, package her and get her to become famous.
She would probably follow in her sister’s steps, who the public envied, yet had to commit adultery and drug addiction.
A deep-seated regret made her cry at the back seat, the tears messed up her facial makeup.
A wooden guitar sound rang suddenly in the car, the gentle prelude started… It was not a radio program, rather, it came from the car’s audio system… It seemed to be the driver’s own collection.
“This song…” Tu Jiaqing gazed at the driver’s back blankly.
“Ah, sorry lady, is it noisy? I’ll turn it off.”
“No… just…”
“En?”
“You… listen to her songs?”
The driver appeared to be smiling, with a relaxed voice, like chatting, “You mean Jiajia. Oh yeah, she’s not that famous and only active on a special-interest music platform; however, I got into her after overhearing one of her songs.”
“You… really think her songs are good?”
“Yep… the songs may not be classics or those that can become age-old songs. Nevertheless, she shows her attitude inside those songs. Perhaps people might not listen to it often but if they occasionally listen, it would sound really good. A pity that the singer hasn’t uploaded her new products recently. I left a message on her platform earlier, hoping she would create more new works.”
Tu Jiaqing recalled her own account that she used to keep an eye on every day… merely two days had passed but she felt like it had been an eternity.
She took out the cellphone unwittingly from her handbag.
How odd… her own phone disappeared, only her sister’s cellphone was left behind. There were no missed calls, which meant Lin Geng hadn't found out about the accident in the hotel.
She swiped over the screen mechanically, yet stopped all of a sudden.
‘My sister… uses this software too?’
Clicking it, logging in. The user name, “Jumping Phonetic Symbol”
User message: Jiajia hasn’t uploaded any new works in so long! Begging for new works!!---1 day ago.
User message: Good to listen too but perhaps a fine tuning is needed for the chord part?---7 days ago.
User message: Jiajia’s unhappy today? You didn’t leave any messages, Feeling sad.---3 weeks ago.
…
User message: I’ve heard dendrobium water is good for one’s throat. However, if it’s a cough, one can try adding a little essential balm… Anyway, I dare not to give it a try, laugh~---even earlier before.
…
User message: Jiajia fighting! Don’t be discouraged, I’ll stand by you forever, love you!!---even earlier ago.
…
User message: found a new uploader, let me leave the first comment! Good music!---even earlier ago.
Tu Jiaqing covered her own mouth forcibly, with a sore nose, and tried to stop her tears. Yet, they continued to pour down.
There had always been a person, that encouraged her when she was frustrated; there had always been a person, giving her many useful suggestions; there had always been a person, accompanying her, speaking freely in the comments section… There had always been a person, even though she couldn’t be heard or seen, staying with her through words since the beginning.
There was always a person… silently…
Tu Jiaqing only felt as if the air had been sucked out from her body.
This person… was her elder sister.
The person that always protected her and accompanied her.
“Miss? Are you OK?”
“I… I’m OK…” Tu Jiaqing forcefully wiped away her tears, taking a few deep breaths, yet her throat was almost hoarse, “Excuse me, can you drive me to a place?”
…
…
Tu Jiaqing paid him and got off after reaching her destination. She then walked towards the old buildings by the curbside.
The taxi started slowly, stopping after finding a place to park.
The driver looked at the passing pedestrians through the front windshield, then eyed the small heart-shaped photo of a man and a lady hanging on the rearview mirror. At last, turning his attention on to the young sleeping man sitting in the front seat.
He thought for a time, picking out one of the two one-hundred bills that Tu Jiaqing paid him, holding it at hands and folding it in half.
The one-hundred cash turned into two paper cranes share the same heart, then was placed on the steering wheel lightly.
The driver took off his coat, opening the car door and stepping down, saying with a whisper, “Driving without license again…”
He vanished in the street suddenly.
…
…
The locked door in the basement… had been opened.
There was nobody there when Tu Jiaqing arrived.
Before she took a further thinking, her cellphone rang…it was Lin Geng calling.
Tu Jiaqing gritted her teeth, bringing up some courage and answered it.
Lin Geng didn't raise his voice but an anger could be sensed, “What is the meaning of this? Give me an explanation. You struck him until he fainted?”
“I, I don’t want to do this.” Tu Jiaqing took a deep breath, saying decidedly, “I’m going to terminate the contract with your company!”
“Terminate? OK.” Lin Geng sneered. “When you feel terrible… Don’t come and beg me. One more thing, something interesting happened at my place. Your sister became worried about you and came to find me.”
Tu Jiaqing’s face changed suddenly, “Lin Geng, what are you going to do!!”
“What I’m going to do?” Lin Geng smiled slightly. “I’m a ‘decent’ businessman. If there is a visitor, of course I’ll have to entertain her well… and she’s your sister, an acquaintance of mine to some degree, so I'll have to be more attentive, right?”
“I am warning you… don’t act recklessly! If you dare to do anything, I… I’ll call the cops!!”
“Didn’t you forget who just saved you from the police station just now?” Lin Geng said lightly, “Judging by how much time has passed, your withdrawal symptoms should be occurring soon. Do you think the police will accept a testimony… said by an addict?”
“Lin Geng!!”
Toot---!!
Tu Jiaqing collapsed limply on the ground, feeling an abnormal change happening to her body. Her heartbeat accelerated.
She almost fainted but gritted her teeth and tried to take deep breathes. She braced herself against the wall and managed to get up, stepping towards the door.
‘Sorry… It was because of my stupidity that things turned out this way.’
‘This time, I’ll protect you instead’.
‘My elder sister.’
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