Chapter 5: The Black Shadow
Although Lan Yu wanted to simply throw the suspicious box away, he was genuinely worried that it might contain something valuable.
It was the weekend. He had worked the early shift, clocked out early, and had a meal with Brother Zhou. It was still early in the day, so Lan Yu decided to follow Landlord Zhang’s advice and take the box directly to the police station.
Spring had fully settled in. Walking outside, Lan Yu felt his heavy winter clothes becoming too warm. Fortunately, the spring clothes he had ordered online had arrived, so he could finally pack away his winter gear.
Standing at the entrance of the police station, Lan Yu looked down at the box, then glanced at the station doors again.
Now that he was actually here, he wondered if he was making a mountain out of a molehill over a single box. Would he be troubling the officers over nothing?
He decided to sit on the steps near the entrance and search online for “what could happen with mysterious boxes.”
Phishing, fraud, intimidation…
Dangerous goods, virus transmission?
Reading through the results made Lan Yu break out in a cold sweat. His gaze shifted inch by inch from his phone screen back to the box.
Just throw it away. This thing is basically a ticking time bomb.
“What are you doing sitting here? Is something wrong?”
Just as Lan Yu made up his mind, the door behind him suddenly opened.
The door, pushing outward from the inside, knocked the box right off the steps. It tumbled down and rolled onto the ground a short distance away—right into the path of a speeding electric bike that didn’t have time to brake. It ran straight over it.
Lan Yu: “…”
“I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t do it on purpose. Quick, check the item, it wasn’t anything expensive, was it?” The officer in uniform was clearly flustered.
The box had been crushed, and its contents had spilled out.
The person on the electric bike was also at a loss, stopping where they were and looking in their direction.
Before Lan Yu could explain, the person who had knocked the box over had already sifted through the debris. It contained a note and a key.
“It doesn’t seem broken. Take a look?” The officer handed the items to Lan Yu.
With a complicated expression, Lan Yu unfolded the note.
Written on it were the words: Baby, come home and visit often.
Then there was the key. The handle was wrapped in a pattern of black vines, winding and intricate. Embedded in the dark red handle was a dark red garnet. Under the reflection of the police station lights behind him, it emitted a faint halo, looking like a drop of coagulated blood. Although it had a handle, the blade was smooth with no grooves; it was a blank key.
“Is this merchandise you bought from somewhere? Is it damaged?” the officer asked, holding the items.
“Ah, no, it’s like this, Officer. This thing isn’t mine…”
Lan Yu immediately explained that it was a strange package he had received and that he had come to the station specifically because he was worried about it.
“I see. Being cautious is the right move. Don’t be afraid to come to us if anything happens in the future.” The officer listening to Lan Yu noticed his hesitation and patted him on the shoulder encouragingly.
Lan Yu nodded, but his gaze drifted back to the strange key. It looked like a prop from a movie, completely out of place with its surroundings. When he touched it, it felt heavy; he didn’t know what metal it was made of.
“This can’t be a real gem, right?” Lan Yu murmured. The key looked exceptionally expensive.
Regardless, he left the items at the police station. Whatever happened next had nothing to do with him. Even if someone came looking for compensation one day, it wasn’t his fault.
Avoiding trouble starts with the little things.
The restaurant was hosting a wedding and had started setting up the venue the previous afternoon.
Lan Yu was wiping down fake flowers stored in the warehouse. Later, these would be moved to the hall to build a wedding ceremony stage. Lan Yu’s task was to assemble the floral arch, flower stands, and aisle decorations for the stage, all of which had to be done by tonight.
“When I worked in big hotels, the wealthy clients would hire professional florists and fly in fresh flowers,” Duan Gaozhi chatted with everyone while directing them to move items out of the warehouse. Seeing Lan Yu buried in his work organizing the fake flowers, he struck up a conversation. “But ordinary people aren’t that particular. They just use whatever flowers have a good meaning. Except for the bridal bouquet, everything else is artificial.”
“They’re very beautiful,” Lan Yu said sincerely. Even if they were fake, they were well-maintained.
“I hired people from a flower shop to specially arrange these high-quality artificial flowers, so of course they look good. Other places just rent theirs, or use balloons. If the props are good, more people will choose our restaurant.” Duan Gaozhi said proudly to Lan Yu. Seeing Lan Yu finishing up his wiping, he stood up and waved for help. “Someone come over and help Lan Yu carry the floral arch out.”
Lan Yu lifted the floral arch with another waiter. It had some weight to it and required effort. Lan Yu carefully held onto the frame to avoid crushing the artificial flowers, which made it harder to grip.
Staring at the path ahead, he was moving slowly when he suddenly felt a massive force from behind.
Something had slammed into him.
His body, originally balanced, suddenly lurched to the side. Lan Yu instinctively let go of the floral arch, but after falling to the ground, the heavy arch came crashing down hard onto his calf.
A sharp pain shot through him. Lan Yu instinctively clenched his jaw, swallowing the groan of pain back down his throat.
“Lan Yu! Lan Yu!” Duan Gaozhi ran over anxiously. “Lan Yu, are you okay?”
“I’m sorry, I slipped just now! Are you alright?”
Voices of concern surrounded him. The floral arch crushing his calf was moved away. As the piercing agony faded, it felt manageable.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore. I think I’m fine.” Lan Yu shook his leg slightly.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but Duan Gaozhi looked at Lan Yu with a grave expression. He suddenly turned to the people around him. “You guys continue organizing. I’m taking Lan Yu to the hospital.”
Hearing the word “hospital,” Lan Yu immediately tensed up. “Brother Duan, it doesn’t hurt. I don’t need to go to the hospital.”
“You might not feel the pain now, but you might feel it tomorrow morning. Don’t put weight on that foot. Lean on me.” Duan Gaozhi helped Lan Yu up and led him to his car.
The bright lobby, people rushing back and forth, the triage desk, the smell of disinfectant in the air.
All these elements were familiar to the point of irritation for Lan Yu. Just standing there made him feel restless.
He hated hospitals.
In his past life, the hospital was his home. In this life, he was healthy and thought he would have no connection with hospitals for at least a few decades. How could it be this coincidental? Lan Yu sighed.
“Sit here for a moment.” When Duan Gaozhi returned to where Lan Yu was waiting on a bench in the lobby, he brought a wheelchair. “Does it hurt now?”
“A little?” To Lan Yu, this kind of pain was just a dull ache.
“Coming here was the right choice.” Duan Gaozhi pushed Lan Yu toward the registration desk.
Duan Gaozhi clearly wasn’t familiar with hospitals; his route was chaotic. Lan Yu, on the other hand, observed the signs carefully and directed him. After a series of examinations, Duan Gaozhi was the one who ended up exhausted.
“You’re pretty familiar with hospitals,” Duan Gaozhi remarked while they waited, looking down at Lan Yu in the wheelchair. He noticed that Lan Yu operated the wheelchair smoothly without any help.
“I used to get sick a lot, so I was always running to the hospital,” Lan Yu said, offering no specific explanation.
“You’re so healthy now, I really couldn’t tell,” Duan Gaozhi said.
Lan Yu didn’t know how to explain, but fortunately, Duan Gaozhi didn’t seem to dwell on it.
“It’s a hairline fracture. We need to put it in a cast. No need for hospitalization. Go home and rest, limit your movement, avoid putting weight on it, and keep the leg elevated…” the doctor said to them after looking at the X-rays.
Bone fracture?
Just like that?
Even while getting the cast put on, Lan Yu was still dazed.
“Do you want to contact your family?” Duan Gaozhi asked.
Lan Yu stammered and couldn’t get a sentence out, finally lowering his head.
“What’s wrong?” Duan Gaozhi tilted his head to look at him.
“Family… there are some issues. It’s not convenient to contact them.” Lan Yu’s head dropped lower and lower.
Duan Gaozhi watched him blankly. Although he had many guesses, he simply asked, “Do you live alone now? Is it convenient for you?”
“…Mhm.” Lan Yu replied. Seeing Duan Gaozhi frown, he immediately added, “It’s okay, it’s just a simple fracture. I can take care of myself. I’ll heal quickly, and I can still work.”
To Lan Yu, this job was exceptionally good. The boss was kind, and he had just started getting along with everyone. He didn’t want to lose this job because of an injury.
Duan Gaozhi patted Lan Yu’s shoulder to reassure him. “I didn’t say I was firing you. It’s not like there isn’t work you can do without using your legs. Move into the dorms for now; having people around means someone can look out for you. Rest for two days, then you can help with the front desk and customer service.”
Lan Yu breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Brother Duan.”
“What’s there to thank? It’s a work injury, so insurance covers it. You do good work and you’re diligent. I like employees like you. Plus, you’re good-looking, so you can serve as the face of the restaurant. Young guys with your kind of spirit are rare these days,” Duan Gaozhi said, half-teasingly.
Being called good-looking… although Lan Yu was somewhat aware of it, he still wasn’t used to it.
His facial features were the same as before, but it turned out that just gaining some weight made him look good. After seeing his fuller cheeks for a while now, he realized that in his past life, he really must have looked like a skeleton.
Must have been scary…
No wonder children used to cry when they saw me.
With Duan Gaozhi’s help, Lan Yu got into the back seat of the car. At Duan Gaozhi’s insistence, they were heading back to the dormitory together.
The silence on the road was a bit awkward, so Duan Gaozhi casually started a conversation. “You’re still so young. Have you ever thought about improving your education?”
Suddenly asked such a strange question by Duan Gaozhi, Lan Yu froze.
School?
I’ve only thought about how to survive. I’ve never considered something that detailed.
“Can’t you take self-study exams for a bachelor’s degree these days?” Duan Gaozhi suggested.
Lan Yu blinked, feeling a stir of interest. “When I have a bit more savings, I might try that.”
Duan Gaozhi glanced at Lan Yu through the rearview mirror. He intended to say that seeing such a young kid out in the world alone made him feel that if it were his own child, he wouldn’t be able to bear it.
However, in that single glance, Duan Gaozhi suddenly shuddered. Instinctively, he snapped his gaze back to the road.
Just now… did I see something?
Did I imagine it?
Duan Gaozhi swallowed hard and raised his eyes to check the rearview mirror again. Even though he had mentally prepared himself, when he actually saw the black shadow that filled almost the entire back seat, the steering wheel in his hands jerked sharply. Feeling the car destabilize, he immediately corrected it.
Lan Yu was startled by the sudden swerve and instinctively grabbed the handle. “Brother Duan?”
Duan Gaozhi, scared into a cold sweat by the near loss of control, immediately slowed down and pulled over to the side. His breathing was rapid, and his back was drenched in cold sweat. After taking a moment to rebuild his composure, he looked into the rearview mirror again.
But there was nothing in the mirror except Lan Yu, leaning forward with a confused expression.
“Brother Duan, what’s wrong?” Lan Yu asked worriedly, seeing that Duan Gaozhi wasn’t speaking.
“Just now… did you see anything strange in the back? Something black?” Duan Gaozhi asked.
Hearing this, Lan Yu’s heart skipped a beat. “What? What black thing? A ghost?”
“No… nothing, no. Don’t talk nonsense. What kind of rubbish is that? There are no ghosts in this world,” Duan Gaozhi denied Lan Yu’s suggestion immediately.
But Lan Yu started getting goosebumps. What the hell? What did Brother Duan see? Saying only half of it makes it even scarier!
But that was the manager; Lan Yu didn’t dare to pry. Yet, he felt the temperature in the car, which had been comfortable, seemingly drop degree by degree. Paranoia set in as he looked around nervously.
Duan Gaozhi checked the rearview mirror several more times. Nothing. Was it a trick of the light?
He had glimpsed a massive black shadow in the mirror, shrouding the entire back seat. He could vaguely make out contours as it completely blocked the light from the rear window, swallowing all illumination. The thing seemed to be lying across Lan Yu’s legs, as if trapping him in that tiny square of the back seat. The possessiveness of the posture was unmistakable.
It was too real. But Lan Yu’s calmness wasn’t fake either. The more Duan Gaozhi thought about it, the more terrified he became, sweating profusely.
But now that he couldn’t see anything—only the innocent Lan Yu looking around anxiously—Duan Gaozhi decided not to mention it again, lest he scare the kid with the broken leg.
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