Capítulo 47: Chapter 47: Get Off the Bus with Me!
The elderly man in the black-and-white photograph wore a cryptic smile, sending a chill down my spine.
"Was there a photo frame in the iron basin initially?"
The No. 14 bus began to move slowly. The windows couldn't fully close, allowing the cold wind to howl inside, brushing over the passengers—whether human or otherwise.
"Jianbang, scoot over a bit. Let me lie down and get some sleep. Wake me up when we arrive," said a construction worker reeking of alcohol. He propped his feet up on the seat and nudged his young companion with a sly look.
The two younger men who accompanied him understood the cue. They took off their hard hats and sat in front of the woman with permed hair, blocking the view of the other passengers.
The older foreman, Wang Chunfu, let out a lecherous chuckle and curled up in the last row of seats as if to sleep. But his dangling hand wasn't behaving—it subtly brushed against the permed woman whenever the bus shook.
"Can't he see the woman in the red dress?" Through my phone camera, I could see everything clearly. The reality in the last row was far more horrifying: Wang Chunfu was lying in the arms of the red-dressed woman. Most of his face was obscured by her long, cascading hair, creating a spine-chilling scene.
The permed woman, oblivious to the harassment, remained focused on her phone. Emboldened, Wang Chunfu grew bolder, and the young men sitting in front of her exchanged glances and swallowed nervously, their hands inching toward the back.
"Brother, why don't you let me take a turn?" the young man called Jianbang said, his voice tinged with envy.
"Shut up, kid. You're not even grown yet. What do you know?"
From their conversation, I pieced together that the three were from the same hometown. The older foreman, Wang Chunfu, had brought the younger men, Niu Jianbang and Niu Jianye, to the city. All three had been drinking heavily, their lecherous impulses now unchecked in the silent bus.
Unable to endure the harassment, the permed woman finally let out a sharp scream, slapping away Wang Chunfu's groping hand.
"What do you think you're doing?" she yelled. She stood up, clutching her small purse. Her long legs caught Wang Chunfu's lascivious gaze as he reluctantly withdrew his hand.
"Miss, I'm drunk. Sorry about that—did I even touch you?" he asked with feigned innocence, his words reeking of drunken insolence.
The permed woman scoffed and, recognizing him as a scoundrel, moved to the front, sitting across from Liu Yiyi.
What was strange, however, was that the red-dressed woman followed closely behind her like a shadow, now sitting directly across from me.
With only an aisle between us, I could finally observe her closely. The red-dressed woman wore a long gown that covered her ankles. Her face was completely obscured by her hair, making it impossible to discern any facial features.
"Does she not have a face?" Disturbing images flooded my mind as I glanced at the permed woman. Still fuming, she was texting someone, but the other party seemed unresponsive. Frustrated, she made a phone call.
"Rongrong, what do you think you're doing? Didn't I tell you not to call my home?" a man's voice came through the phone, deliberately lowered.
"I've sent you so many messages, and you haven't replied to any! Your office number is unreachable too. Are you trying to drive me to my death?"
"Rongrong, the divorce process is ongoing. Dividing assets takes time. You have to be patient."
"You always say that! Weeks have passed already. Let me tell you, if you don't give me an explanation soon, I'll show up at your house with this baby in my belly!"
"Don't be ridiculous! Trust me—you have to give me some time."
"Who are you talking to so late, honey? You'll wake the baby," a woman's voice interrupted from the other end.
"Nothing, dear. Just office matters. Can't trust those idiots to do anything without me..." The man hung up mid-sentence.
"Hello? Hello? Li Zijian, you bastard!" The permed woman screamed, smashing her phone against her seat and angrily pounding her slightly swollen belly.
Not a single person stepped in to stop her. The driver remained silent, gripping the wheel tightly with sweat pouring down his face.
"Miss, a scumbag like that doesn't deserve you. He has no intention of divorcing—everything he says is just an excuse," Wang Chunfu slurred as he staggered forward, picking up her phone from the floor. "Oh, an iPhone? Did that jerk buy it for you?"
"Give me back my phone!"
"Whoa, listen to that tone, like a wild little tigress. If he doesn't want you, us brothers will take you, won't we?" With that, he reached out to grab her shoulder.
"Stop!" For the first time, someone stood up in the eerily quiet bus. The voice came from my direction, but it wasn't me—it was Liu Yiyi, a petite girl barely 1.5 meters tall.
Clutching her backpack, she stood up timidly.
"What are you doing? Stay out of it," I muttered with a sigh.
"Out this late at night, she's probably not from a proper family," Wang Chunfu sneered, eyeing Liu Yiyi. "Come here, kid. Teach your uncle how to stop."
At this point, I had no choice but to step in. "What do you think you're doing? I'm her guardian. If you've got a problem, take it up with me!"
"Oh, you're quite bold, huh?" Wang Chunfu gestured for Jianbang and Jianye to join him. The three of them moved toward me, their aggression clear. I clenched my fists, ready for a fight.
"Ding-dong! En Village. Please take your belongings and exit through the rear door. Watch your step."
The bus broadcast interrupted us as the doors opened at the next stop. A row of pale-faced individuals dressed in mourning clothes stood at the door, their expressions grim.
I caught a glimpse of the driver's face, unable to mask his terror as cold sweat dripped from his brow.
"What bad luck," Wang Chunfu muttered, noticing the funeral group boarding the bus. He tossed the phone back to the permed woman and sat down beside a man in hospital attire.
The moment he sat, the man in hospital clothes curled into a ball, pressing himself against the window and muttering, "I didn't do anything. I didn't see anything. Please don't kill me. I know nothing!"
Wang Chunfu spat at his feet. "What's wrong with you? Freaked me out."
I didn't pay attention to their exchange. My focus was entirely on the mourning-clothed passengers.
"Something's off."
Why would mourners wander the streets at this hour instead of keeping vigil?
Five of them boarded at En Village. They sat at the back, their expressions stiff and sorrowful. Everything about them was eerie, from their unhemmed clothes to their rope belts.
"Uncle, thanks for helping earlier," Liu Yiyi whispered nervously, tapping my arm.
"Don't talk or move. Get off as soon as we arrive. I'm not joking," I warned, glancing at her sternly.
"Got it," she murmured, pouting slightly.
The oppressive silence on the bus was broken only by the engine's wheezing groans, as if it were taking its final breaths. Time dragged unbearably.
Finally, the broadcast announced the next stop: "Ding-dong! Chrysanthemum Garden. Please take your belongings and exit through the rear door."
The feuding couple rose and left reluctantly.
As the bus started again, the older woman sitting behind me suddenly leapt up, shouting, "Wait!"
She grabbed my neck. "You thief! Get off the bus with me and explain yourself at the police station! You must've stolen my belongings! Get off!"
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