False evidence

Chapter 288 Substitution
The woman in the blue and white porcelain cheongsam was about thirty years old.

She has an average figure, but her skin is dazzlingly fair.

In the dead of winter, when people are used to seeing 'zongzi' (sticky rice dumplings) everywhere, her cool and refreshing outfit is quite surprising.

The woman pulled the little girl closer, looking at us warily: "Who are you people?"

I quickly said, "We are Liu Hong's friends."

"Liu Hong?" The woman looked puzzled.

I was stunned. Her expression didn't seem fake. Could I be wrong? Did she not know Liu Hong at all?
impossible!
I made my decision quickly.

The woman in front of me was dressed and looked exactly the same as in my dream.

I don't dream about unrelated people for no reason.

The little girl she was pulling suddenly pointed to the door and said, "The dog is outside!"

A thought struck me, and upon closer inspection of her face, I realized that she bore a striking resemblance to Liu Hong.

The key point is that when she was speaking, I saw one of her ears twitch rapidly twice.

Genetics is amazing. For example, some people are born with a curly tongue, and their children are likely to be able to do the same.

The dog barked outside, and it wouldn't bark unless there was a special reason. We haven't actually heard any barking yet, but the girl says there are dogs outside.

Her hearing is clearly beyond that of ordinary people... Could she be Liu Hong's daughter?

The woman pulled her closer again and demanded, "How did you get in?"

I thought for a moment and said, "We're here to see a friend. We climbed over the wall because... I thought you might be in danger."

I'm telling the truth.

In the dream, the woman's neck and arms were clearly broken, which is why she looked so terrifying.

I really didn't think much about it just now; I was just afraid that if I had arrived a moment later, I would have seen the scene from my dream.

The woman didn't seem to realize there was anything wrong with what I said, but instead hesitated and asked me:

"Liu Hong? You're his friends?"

I nodded and looked at the little girl. "Who is this child?"

"My daughter, her name is Wei Lan."

The woman seemed to have figured something out, nodded slightly, and introduced herself: "My name is Wei Min. The Liu Hong you are looking for may be my man."

"What do you mean by 'possible'..."

I waved my hand in front of Meng Chao's face, signaling him to shut up.

Wei Min smiled wryly: "Today is a special day, isn't it? Otherwise you wouldn't have come here. Liu Hong... we weren't registered, I didn't even know his name was Liu Hong. We had Xiao Lan, but I always called him—Guapi (a slang term for a gourd).

"Quack!" Meng Chao let out a strange quack like a duck. "Isn't that an insult for someone being an idiot?"

Wei Min brushed a strand of hair aside: "I've called him that ever since I met him."

With a quick thought, I roughly figured out what the situation was.

"Would you... like to change your clothes first?"

Thinking about that terrifying dream, I felt a chill run down my spine.

Perhaps I'm overthinking it, but I'm genuinely afraid that the next second, this rare sight of a beautiful woman in a cheongsam in the dead of winter will turn into a dead person, just like in a dream.

Wei Min's bright eyes flashed, and she stared at me with a half-smile, saying, "What? Do I not look good dressed like this?"

Pidan suddenly blocked my way, tilting his head and staring intently at her: "It looks good, but I'm worried you'll be cold." Wei Min paused for a moment, then straightened the back of her cheongsam, knelt down in front of Wei Lan, and gently said while adjusting her collar:
"Lan, remember, Uncle Gua is actually your father. His real name is Liu Hong."

"Huh? Uncle Gua is my dad?" Wei Lan asked in surprise.

Wei Min nodded. "Good girl, take your uncle and aunt downstairs to sit first. Mom will change her clothes."

Wei Lan was clearly more mature than other children her age. Although her eyes showed confusion, she still greeted us like a little adult and told us to come downstairs.

Seeing that I wasn't moving, Pidan tugged at me. "What? Haven't you seen enough yet?"

Thinking about the dream, I felt truly uneasy. After hesitating for a moment, I said to Pidan:

"You all go down first, I still have something to say to her."

Pidan and I looked at each other, our eyes showing understanding, but also dissatisfaction... and a warning—you better behave yourself!
Meng Chao glanced twice more at the slit in Wei Min's cheongsam, then went out with Pi Dan and Wei Lan.

In the empty room, only Wei Min and I remained, and the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward.

As the footsteps faded away, Wei Min, wearing white high heels, slowly walked up to me. "What do you want to say to me?"

Just then, a gust of wind swept by and closed the door.

The two were less than half a meter apart, and I could smell the woman's fragrance.

Wei Min and I looked at each other for a moment, then I asked, "Where is Liu Hong?"

"I've known him for nine years, and Lan Du is all grown up now, and I only just found out his name. Haha..."

Wei Min smiled and draped a smooth, plump arm over my shoulder.

Her smile was radiant, but not beautiful.

It's like a lamb that's still young and tender, proudly showing off how plump and delicious its meat is to a lone wolf.

I raised my hand to block her wrist. "I'm Liu Hong's friend. I can't say we're too close, but we're still friends. Even for your daughter's sake, you should—have some self-respect."

Wei Min kept staring at me, then slowly withdrew her arm.

Looking at her arms peeking out from under her sleeveless cheongsam, I instinctively took a step back. "I just said that no one is allowed to put their arm around my shoulder except for family and friends."

Wei Min also took a step back: "You won't even let me touch you, so why are you staying here?"

"I'm curious, why are you dressed like that on such a cold day, singing upstairs? And..."

I wanted to tell her what I saw in my dream, but she didn't give me the chance.

Before I could finish speaking, she blew a breath at my lips and gently pushed my chest with one hand.

I saw a pale blue mist come out of her mouth.

The next second, I felt weak and powerless, and with just a light push, I fell flat on my back to the ground.

At that moment, my mind was still clear, but it felt like I had been given anesthesia, and my whole body was out of control.

I saw Wei Min squat down beside me, her expression complicated, and say:
"People are selfish. Lan and I can't live without him. That idiot... He's never told me his name. I believe... I believe you're his friend, but I want him to live. If he lives, you have to die."

"what do you mean?"

Despite my shock, I couldn't help but glance sideways at one spot. "Holy crap, even their underwear is blue and white!"

Wei Min's expression remained unchanged, but she still tugged at the front of her cheongsam: "I know your constitution is extraordinary. I don't know if this was specially arranged by Guapi or what! I said, I can't live without him! Lan can't live without him either! So..."

"A Sichuanese?" I could tell from her gradually changing accent.

Wei Min turned her face to the side: "Don't say that! You might really be his good friend, but he's dying! I don't want him to die, so I can only find him a substitute! I've been searching for so long! I couldn't find one! I never thought you would deliver yourself to my door! You... rest in peace!"

(End of this chapter)