The car pulled out of the neighborhood and drove onwards.
Lin Qiushi and Cheng Qianli were sitting in the back seat. The two didn't speak much, and the atmosphere inside the car was very solemn. Once the car merged onto the highway, Lin Qiushi finally couldn't help but wonder out loud, "Where are you taking me?"
"And here I thought you wouldn't ask that," said Cheng Qianli.
Lin Qiushi: "Well, now that I've asked, will you tell me?"
Cheng Qianli: "Nope, I won't."
Lin Qiushi: "..." You're really something.
Half an hour later, the car parked outside a remote villa in the suburbs.
Lin Qiushi hopped down from the vehicle and examined the building before his eyes. The villa was completely isolated; the surrounding area was vacant, and there wasn't a single sign of human habitation. This building stood all alone in the midst of this vast, desolate wilderness.
The villa was encompassed by lush vegetation. Standing outside the door, one could hear the noisy chirping of insects.
Ruan Nanzhu turned the car off, then the three followed the path to the villa. Lin Qiushi took out his mobile phone and glanced at the time; he saw that it was very early morning. This place was too far to get good reception, so his cell phone signal was poor, only one bar.
Ruan Nanzhu walked up front and soon reached the door to the villa. He raised his hand, pushed against the door, and stepped inside. Lin Qiushi followed behind him and entered through the doorway, only to be blinded by radiant lights in the villa. Three people were sitting in the living room on the first floor; they seemed to be in the middle of a discussion. The group of three was composed of two men and one woman. The moment Lin Qiushi came in, the group stopped talking and all eyes were riveted on him.
"Big brother Ruan." One of the men called out to Ruan Nanzhu; he was extremely polite and respectful towards the other. "You're back."
Ruan Nanzhu gave a brisk nod, casually found a spot on the sofa to sit down, then raised his hand to beckon Lin Qiushi over, motioning for the other to sit down next to him. Lin Qiushi hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he obediently did as Ruan Nanzhu said.
Ruan Nanzhu began, "You just came out of the door." He stretched out his hand. "Where's the note?"
Lin Qiushi was slightly taken aback. He didn't expect Ruan Nanzhu to get straight to the point like this; the other didn't even lay everything out or ease into the topic, before he just cut to the chase and directly asked him for the slip of paper.
"Don't you think you should explain the situation to me first?" Lin Qiushi countered. "Suddenly breaking into my house, bringing me here, then immediately asking me for something?"
Ruan Nanzhu ordered, "Cheng Qianli, explain."
With a face revealing grievance and helplessness, Cheng Qianli shrugged his shoulders, got up and picked up the notebook computer in front of him. After opening it, he tapped on the keys for a while, then passed it over to Lin Qiushi.
Lin Qiushi was rather perplexed, but he still took the laptop from the other's hands. He saw that a webpage was opened up. "What's this?"
Cheng Qianli: "Take a look at it."
Lin Qiushi used the touchpad to scroll, and he roughly browsed the entire site. He discovered that everything on this page was news from yesterday, and most of them were talking about accidental deaths. Among those being discussed was one Lin Qiushi was well aware of; it was a report of a car accident in X City. According to the details, the driver was speeding, when he suddenly crashed into an obstacle and died on spot. Looking at the surnames, abbreviations, and the photos in the news article, Lin Qiushi finally realized what this was about.
All of the dead people on this page were the same people he met inside that door. They all pretty much died on the same night, and they even died in various, graphic ways, from committing suicide to even being murdered.
Lin Qiushi: "...Those who die inside the door will also die outside?"
Cheng Qianli nodded. "Let me just tell you something first, so that you can prepare yourself. These doors aren't something to joke about, nor are they mere nightmares. If something bad happens to you inside those doors, you might as well kiss your butt goodbye, because if you die in there, you'll definitely die out here, too."
"I got it. But what exactly are those things in the end?"
"It's very difficult to explain what those things are using science. It literally breaks all the natural laws and common sense in this world." Cheng Qianli glanced at Ruan Nanzhu, who was sitting next to him "You just came out of the door, right? You should hurry up and give us the note you got from the door; that thing is very important."
Lin Qiushi: "I didn't bring the note with me."
"It doesn't matter if you didn't bring it with you, do you at least remember what was written on it?" Cheng Qianli asked.
Lin Qiushi nodded his head, and he hesitated a bit. Under the others' intense stares, he finally announced the contents on the note: "Fitcher's Bird."
"Investigate." Upon hearing Ruan Nanzhu's command, everyone sprang into action.
Seeing their anxious appearances as they went to work, Lin Qiushi also grew a bit nervous. He croaked, "What the hell is going on, I don't understand..."
Ruan Nanzhu asked, "Has anything strange happened to you recently?" He was currently looking down at his cell phone. "Like any warnings signs or omens, or something of the sort?"
Lin Qiushi repeated, "Warning signs or omens?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Yes, warning signs or omens." He explained, "For instance, seeing things you weren't able to see before, getting into some minor accidents, or perhaps..." At this part, he paused. "Not being allowed to touch your pet?"
Lin Qiushi: "That's right, there is. My cat won't let me hug it. You think this problem of mine can still be cured?"
Cheng Qianli: "There is no cure. Give it a break."
Lin Qiushi: "..."
Ruan Nanzhu cast a glance at Cheng Qianli, and Cheng Qianli quickly put on a serious expression, making it seems as if he was working very hard.
Ruan Nanzhu continued, "You're dying."
Lin Qiushi was struck dumb. "Hah?? What do you mean?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "The literal meaning." He stressed, "However, as long as you can push through those twelve doors, you'll be able to live, and you'll completely break free from the doors' control."
Lin Qiushi: "The doors' control?" At this moment, he felt as if he practically epitomized the I Wonder Why series1. Countless questions ran through his mind, but he didn't dare ask all of them. After all, this Ruan Nanzhu certainly didn't look like a man with a great deal of patience.
As expected, Ruan Nanzhu stated, "There's no need to rush and ask questions all at once. You still have one week to figure things out slowly. As for whatever happened, Cheng Qianli, I'll be leaving this to you."
Cheng Qianli: "I swear, the thing I hate the most is this rookie question-and-answer session."
Lin Qiushi: "..." You've been wronged, ah.
"Okay, then I'll ask one last question today." Lin Qiushi thought about it, and he felt as though this was, by far, the most important question right now.
"What's your question?" Cheng Qianli said.
"That...who is Ruan Baijie to you all?" Lin Qiushi finally asked. "She definitely has something to do with you, doesn't she?"
The whole room fell into an awkward, stifling silence. Cheng Qianli's expression was extremely strange, to the point that one might as well have called it twisted.
Lin Qiushi studied his distorted face for a while and soon discovered he was actually choking back his laughter.
"You'll find out later." Ruan Nanzhu smiled warmly. "There's no need to fret."
Lin Qiushi: "..." Why are you guys' expressions so weird, ah...
As they were talking, the people in the room had already gotten ahold of details concerning Fitcher's Bird as well as some additional related information.
After listening to their reports, Ruan Nanzhu declared, "Cheng Qianli, take him with you to meet the others. There's something I have to go out for."
Cheng Qianli: "Okay."
The moment he finished talking, Ruan Nanzhu turned on his heels and walked away. Not even a second passed before the sound of the car engine roaring to life came from outside the house.
Lin Qiushi and Cheng Qianli were left behind, staring at each other in dismay. At last, Cheng Qianli stood up and said, "I'll introduce you to the others. This is Lu Yanxue, the only girl on this team who has more guts than a man, and she's even more uncouth than any man, too."
Lu Yanxue: "Dammit, Cheng Qianli, would it kill you to speak kindly for once?"
Cheng Qianli ignored her and introduced the other two, "Chen Fei. Yi Manman. Chen Fei is the one wearing glasses, and the other is Yi Manman. This guy's pretty bothersome; he talks a whole lot of nonsense, so it's best to stay as far away from him as possible."
Chen Fei nodded to Lin Qiushi. On the other hand, Yi Manman: "Cheng Qianli, do you need a good spanking or what?"
"As you all probably know, this is Lin Qiushi." Cheng Qianli added, "The person big brother Ruan brought back."
Judging from the three's attitudes, they were all very friendly; however, they didn't talk much. It was as if they didn't have any interest in interacting with or even getting to know Lin Qiushi.
Cheng Qianli apparently perceived Lin Qiushi's thoughts, and he earnestly explained, "Don't blame them for not welcoming you. After all, we just don't know how long you'll live. Wasting feelings on a dead person is too difficult and heartbreaking."
Lin Qiushi: "..." Well, when you put it like that, I already feel much better—my ass, what do you mean 'we just don't know how long you'll live'.
"Try to survive your next door at least," advised Cheng Qianli. "Then again, big brother Ruan will probably be going inside the door with you, so there shouldn't be any major problems."
Lin Qiushi: "And Ruan Baijie..."
Cheng Qianli: "Hey, are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"
Lin Qiushi: "..." You're switching topics way too fast; it's so obvious you're trying to avoid this subject.
Lin Qiushi wasn't hungry, but he also couldn't fall asleep after being called out in the middle of the night, so he just sat in the living room and watched on as the others handled everything. They seemed to be searching for any information related to Fitcher's Bird. Although this was merely the title of a children's fairy tale, they practically went to the ends of the earth in order to find any and every clue. Chen Fei and Yi Manman were even discussing their plans to take a trip to the library tomorrow.
Cheng Qianli told Lin Qiushi that he was free to go upstairs and sleep if he had nothing to do. A room was already prepared for him, and there was even a computer and such on the far right side of the room. Lin Qiushi could also play some games if he was idle.
Lin Qiushi: "...I'll go to bed then."
Cheng Qianli: "Good night."
Lin Qiushi clomped up the stairs and just turned right, when he spotted a lone figure standing at the end of the corridor. He'd originally assumed it was another person who resided in this villa, so he stepped forward, wanting to greet the other. However, the very instant Lin Qiushi got a clear view of the other's face, cold sweat poured down his back.
Cheng Qianli, who should've been sitting downstairs, unexpectedly appeared right before him. He gradually strode towards him without any expressions on his face.
"Cheng Qianli?" Lin Qiushi carefully took a step backwards. "How are you here?"
The man's eyes were cold, devoid of emotions. His temperament was completely different from that of the Cheng Qianli he'd met. Upon hearing Lin Qiushi's words, he indifferently revealed, "I'm not Cheng Qianli."
Lin Qiushi: "Then who are you?"
The man replied, "I'm Cheng Qianli's older brother."
Lin Qiushi: "Hah?"
The man: "Cheng Yixie."
Lin Qiushi was rendered completely speechless. He didn't utter a word; he just swiveled on his heels and dashed back down to the first floor, only to see Cheng Qianli sitting in the living room, chatting with Lu Yanxue. When Cheng Qianli saw him frantically running back, he wondered, "What's the matter?
Lin Qiushi: "You have a twin brother?"
Cheng Qianli: "Oh, that's right. I forgot."
Lin Qiushi: "..." Can something this important truly be forgotten? And what's up with the both of your names? Yixie Qianli, going down in flames???2
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Author's Comment:
Lin Qiushi: I just want to know Ruan Baijie...
Ruan Nanzhu: Come find me at night, and I'll let you get to know that person even better.
Lin Qiushi: ...
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Footnotes
1Title kinda' says it all... Children's books that all start with "I Wonder Why [so and so]". Every page has a question, a picture and an interesting fact.
2一榭千里，一泄千里. COMPLETELY lost in translation (and my mind's not creative enough to improvise). There are plays on words/sounds/names/etc—more specifically, a play on when their names are combined. First Part: 一榭千里(Yīxiè Qiānlǐ) are the twins' names. Second Part: 一泄千里 (yī xiè qiān lǐ) is most likely a typo of this saying 一泻千里 (yī xiè qiān lǐ), which has several different meanings. One alludes to a river flowing down (rapid waterfalls). It could also mean rapid progress, describe bold yet eloquent writing and/or music, price plunging, a devastating decline, a terrible calamity, etc.