Phantom Skeleton Painting

“It’s only now that I discovered that I have nothing but the cold eight-digit number in my bank card.” Cheng Yuliu took the last puff of her cigarette and looked confused.

This was supposed to be a tragic story, but for some reason, when Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo heard her words, they both felt that she deserved a spanking.

“What happened next? Is the person who died in the funeral home related to you?” Lin Banxia tried hard to get rid of the erosion of capitalism on himself and asked, “And my colleagues…”

“Colleague? Your colleague named Liu Xi?” Cheng Yuliu smiled with interest, and her smile was full of malice, “Please don’t accuse me wrongly. Although I am not a good person, I will not kill someone intentionally. It’s just that that person was unlucky.” She giggled.

Lin Banxia frowned, and Song Qingluo whispered: “After this incident, did you make another wish?”

Cheng Yuliu said coldly: “Yes, after I made one mistake, I made another mistake. I made another wish to my shadow.”

“What wish?” Song Qingluo asked.

“I hope they can come back to me.” Cheng Yuliu said, “I said to my shadow.”

“I hope they come back to me.” Cheng Yuliu, who was on the verge of mental collapse, made this wish in a state of confusion. When she saw the pile of fused corpses, her whole face was filled with tears. In the dark room where her spirit had completely collapsed, Cheng Yuliu seemed to be grabbing the last blade of grass on the edge of the swamp. Under the flickering candlelight, her fingers scratched the faint reflection on the floor, and she spoke this sentence in despair.

The shadow suddenly flickered, like a candle that was about to burn out, and the familiar voice sounded behind the woman again. Her lips were right next to her ear, whispering softly, and she said, “Okay.”

Her wish came true again.

Cheng Yuliu’s dead relatives came back.

That morning, Cheng Yuliu heard a long-lost knock on the door. After making her wish the day before, she rushed to the door in surprise and opened it. The next moment, she saw her husband, children, and parents-in-law. They came back, but in the form of corpses.

Cheng Yuliu still couldn’t recall the memory of that morning. By the time she regained consciousness, it was already the next morning. She was dazedly lowering her head to clean the blood under the refrigerator. The empty refrigerator was filled to the brim with dark liquid, which flowed down the refrigerator and formed a disgusting puddle of scarlet water on the ground, but Cheng Yuliu was no longer afraid. She mopped the floor numbly and hummed the children’s favorite songs before going to bed.

The corpses were still squirming and making disgusting sticky sounds. Cheng Yuliu’s nerves were completely shattered by fear, and she could no longer give any reaction. She quietly mopped the floor, closed the refrigerator door, walked slowly to the center of the living room, and lit another candle.

The faint candlelight illuminated Cheng Yuliu’s face. She lowered her head, trying to find the last support for her soul. However, she was disappointed. There was nothing underneath her, not even darkness left.

Cheng Yuliu’s shadow had disappeared.

When she said this, Lin Banxia lowered her head and glanced at the floor. Sure enough, there was only her reflection left on the floor, and Cheng Yuliu’s shadow disappeared.

Cheng Yuliu smiled and said, “You see, I didn’t lie.”

Lin Banxia said: “Since you have made so many bad wishes, why did you continue to look for the shadow? Did you…what else did you want to wish for?”

Cheng Yuliu gave Lin Banxia a sinister look and said, “Of course I still have wishes that I want to realize. I want them to return to their original state.” She pointed at Song Qingluo, “You said you can do it, right?”

Song Qingluo ignored her and seemed to be thinking about something.

“Where’s Liu Xi, why did he meet you?” This was what Lin Banxia wants to know most. “What did you do to him? Why did he also win the lottery? Is there a person exactly like him following behind him?? ”

Cheng Yuliu said coldly: “Him? He’s just a thief. If he hadn’t taken away my shadow, I wouldn’t be in such an embarrassing situation.”

“Took away your shadow?” Lin Banxia said in surprise.

“I don’t know how he did it.” Cheng Yuliu said irritably, “Anyway, he took my shadow away. I wanted him to return it to me, but he didn’t agree. That’s why I’m looking for his reasons.”

Lin Banxia didn’t expect this. He thought it was Cheng Yuliu who threatened Liu Xi.

“Okay, I’m done telling my story.” Cheng Yuliu said, “I’ve told you everything you want to know. Just give me the things.” She stretched out her hand in front of Song Qingluo, wanting Song Qingluo’s plastic wrap.

Song Qingluo glanced at her, but did not move, and said slowly: “Sorry, I can’t give it to you.”

Cheng Yuliu said gloomily: “You don’t mean what you said?”

Song Qingluo said calmly: “Of course I mean what I said, but you didn’t keep your side of the bargain.”

Cheng Yuliu was stunned.

Song Qingluo said: “What I said was that if you could give me what I want, I would help you restore them. What I want is your shadow. Your shadow is gone. What can you give me?”

Cheng Yuliu was stunned for a moment, not expecting that things would develop like this. She opened and closed her mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out for a long time.

Song Qingluo ignored her, turned around, put the plastic wrap back into the box, and was about to lock it. When Cheng Yuliu saw this, she suddenly went crazy and rushed to Song Qingluo, trying to snatch what Song Qingluo was holding.

Seeing this, Song Qingluo turned around and wanted to hide. However, the next moment, Cheng Yuliu took out a sharp knife from nowhere and stabbed at Song Qingluo. Lin Banxia’s eyes were filled with horror at the sight. His voice cracked as he yelled for Song Qingluo to be careful.

At this time, the distance between the two of them was extremely close. There was no way to retreat because of the table behind Song Qingluo. He reacted very quickly, directly reached out and grasped the sharp blade of the knife, and then pushed Cheng Yuliu hard… Pushing her away.

Cheng Yuliu was pushed to the ground. She originally wanted to rush forward again, but after looking down at the sharp knife in her hand, she froze on the spot.

The originally extremely sharp blade was bent into a strange shape, with bright red blood dripping down the blade.

Song Qingluo stood indifferently, his right hand hanging down, the blood on his fingertips formed a thin line, and fell on the wooden floor.

Lin Banxia hurriedly stepped forward, held Song Qingluo’s hand, and checked the wound: “Are you okay?! It’s such a big wound, it needs to be dealt with quickly.”

Song Qingluo was silent for a moment: “Let’s go.”

Lin Banxia carefully helped him out.

Cheng Yuliu sat on the floor blankly, murmuring not to leave, but did not have the courage to continue to stop him. She looked at the door that was slammed shut, staggered up, went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator door, hugged the inhuman-shaped piece of meat with all her strength, buried her face in it, and cried loudly. She said: “I want to be with you forever. Be together forever.”

Lin Banxia was used to seeing the blood of dead people, but he had never seen the blood of living people. He couldn’t help but feel a little anxious, and he kept wiping the blood with the tissue he carried with him. Song Qingluo’s hands were as beautiful as anyone else’s, with skin as white and smooth as jade and slender joints. However, at this time, there was a hideous wound on these beautiful hands, and blood was flowing out continuously.

“This wound is too big. You have to go to the hospital for stitches.” Lin Banxia said.

“No need.” Song Qingluo didn’t care at all and shook it casually, shaking off a lot of blood on his fingers.

“How can that be done?” Lin Banxia frowned, “What if there are scars…”

Song Qingluo said: “It’s okay. Why are grown men afraid of leaving scars? My hands hurt. Come on.”

Lin Banxia: “What’s happening?”

Song Qingluo: “We are going to call the police, of course.”

Lin Banxia was stunned: “Calling the police…? Are you calling the police now?”

“Otherwise…” Song Qingluo said, “Should she be allowed to stay with those corpses?”

Lin Banxia thought about it, silently took out his mobile phone, dialed 110, and briefly explained the situation, but did not dare to explain it too clearly. When the operator heard that there was a body, he immediately said that someone would be sent over immediately.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Banxia hesitated and said: “Then… what should the police do if they see the corpse moving?”

“They won’t see it.” Song Qingluo said, “The corpse won’t move anymore.”

Lin Banxia was stunned.

Song Qingluo whispered: “Remember the plastic wrap I just used?”

Lin Banxia nodded.

Song Qingluo said: “That is a special prop, and its specific functions are a bit complicated. One of them is to rob whatever is wrapped in it of its movement while restoring its damaged state.”

Lin Banxia understood and suddenly realized: “It can be used to put makeup on corpses!”

Song Qingluo: “…Yes.”

“What should we do next?” Lin Banxia said worriedly, “Something must have happened to Liu Xi. I have to go and take a look.” Looking at Cheng Yuliu like this, if Liu Xi develops along the same route, he was afraid the final outcome would be the same as Cheng Yuliu’s.

Song Qingluo pondered for a moment: “Go back first, I’ll think about it.”

Lin Banxia said, “Yes, you still have wounds, do you really not want to go to the hospital?” He thought about Song Qingluo’s big wound for a long time, but Song Qingluo didn’t listen to his advice. He refused to go to the hospital and insisted on going home.

After arriving home, Lin Banxia found some alcohol, knelt down beside the sofa, and carefully helped Song Qingluo clean and bandage his wounds.

Song Qingluo lowered his eyes and stared at Lin Banxia. The young man in front of him was as quiet as when they first met. He had a handsome face, not the kind of aggressive beauty. His eyes were slightly drooped, and his hair color was lighter than most people. Even when he was not smiling, he looked… The corners of his mouth turned up extra gently.

Song Qingluo’s heart moved slightly, and he said softly: “Do you often bandage your wounds?”

Lin Banxia hummed, and casually said that he and his sister were often injured when they were young, so the more they were bandaged, the more skilled they became.

“Do you have a sister?” Song Qingluo asked.

“Forget it.” Lin Banxia curled his eyes, “She’s just my cousin, not my biological sister.”

Song Qingluo replied softly.

Lin Banxia said nonchalantly: “My parents left early, and I grew up with my aunt, but… they are a bit like that Cheng Yuliu.” After saying this, he felt a little embarrassed, “Of course, I am not as rich as her.”

“No.” Song Qingluo shook his head gently, “You don’t look alike, not at all.”

Seeing the serious expression on Song Qingluo’s beautiful face, Lin Banxia’s face felt a little hot for some reason. After smiling, he looked away uncomfortably.

The author has something to say:

Cheng Yuliu: There are only eight cold digits in my bank card…

Lin Banxia & Song Qingluo: We still have something to do, so we won’t talk anymore and will leave first.

 

Translator’s comments:

Hey guys, I’m the translator for this novel. If you have any questions or thoughts feel free to comment and I’ll do my best to answer everything. If you notice any inconsistencies or errors, drop a comment and I will fix it. I am new to this, but I want to learn and give the best translation that I can to the readers. Thanks so much for reading Phantom Skeleton Painting, I hope that everyone enjoys the novel.

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