A Secret (GL) - Chapter 12

The malice sensed her intent and began to curse at her in a fit of rage: “You coward! The moment something happens, you want to hide behind Shen Juan.”

“What can you actually achieve? You know how to do nothing. You’re practically trash!”

“Staying in the human world is just wasting time that you should be using to reincarnate!”

As it spoke, it was accompanied by a sharp, piercing headache. Gu Shuge endured the humiliation and ran outside as fast as she could. Once a ghost gains speed, they are much faster than humans. Before long, she saw the gates of the police station.

The malice was still cursing her: “Your living was a waste of resources. That killer really did a beautiful job!”

Gu Shuge got angry. She floated out the door, and seeing Shen Juan’s car, she felt relieved and said sternly, “If you keep insulting me, I’m going to tell my sister.”

The malice also sensed that Shen Juan was nearby and humiliatingly ceased its non-stop chattering.

Gu Shuge pressed her advantage: “I don’t ‘know how to do nothing.’ I’m very good at studying.”

The moment she passed through the car door and sat beside Shen Juan, the headache vanished completely. The malice fell silent.

The police station was quite far from the hospital. Once Gu Shuge sat down, she felt a bit dejected.

She was thinking about the things the malice had said. Telling the malice she was good at studying wasn’t a lie; she really was a fast learner and had placed first in almost every exam. Once, in primary school, she was sick and didn’t get first place; she had cried sadly for a long time.

Shen Juan had comforted her for a long while, saying every nice thing imaginable.

“Our Xiaoge is the best. This time was just an accident; next time, we’ll take first place back.”

“Don’t cry. I’ll let you watch an extra hour of cartoons today, okay?”

“Smile for me, Xiaoge. You won’t be pretty if you keep crying.”

While Shuge had been gasping for air between sobs, she had stammered: “P-pretty. Still p-pretty even when I c-cry.”

The seventeen-year-old Shen Juan had laughed, yet had to agree with her solemnly: “Right. No matter what, Xiaoge is the prettiest.”

Whenever she recalled this memory, Gu Shuge could smile, feeling both embarrassed and happy. This time was no exception, but before the smile could reach her eyes, it died.

What’s the use of being good at studying? She still couldn’t do anything or help Shen Juan. Both Shen Juan and her brother had been involved in family affairs since high school, but she was twenty-two and still just a student.

Because other than studying, she really didn’t know how to do anything.

Gu Shuge felt the malice was right; she was quite useless. And that Director—what was his deal? He couldn’t solve a case, wanted to pass the buck the moment trouble started, and even said “if the body is gone, it’s gone.” How could anyone talk like that? It was so disrespectful to the deceased!

A wave of resentment surged up from the bottom of Gu Shuge’s heart. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. The people in that station were out of line; they had no idea what “serving the people” meant and only thought about perfunctory excuses and glossing over cases!

They even dared to gloss over her case. When she was alive, she was the heir to the Gu Group. Year-round, the Gu Group worked hard to drive the national GDP, create jobs, and do charity to give back to society.

Their Gu Group worked so hard—what right did Director Huang have to be so dismissive of her case!

The more Gu Shuge thought, the angrier she became. Black mist rose from her head, black streaks filled the whites of her eyes, and a fire of rage burned in her chest.

She was in the middle of this burning anger when she suddenly froze. Weren’t these thoughts exactly what the malice had been instilling in her?

Gu Shuge bit her lip and silently nudged closer to Shen Juan, leaning against her. The black mist gradually vanished, the black streaks in her eyes receded, and the fire in her chest was doused with cold water and extinguished.

Gu Shuge felt dejected. Last time the malice appeared, it had slandered Shen Juan, so she hadn’t been afraid because Shen Juan’s image in her heart was unshakable.

Who knew the malice wouldn’t just target Shen Juan, but would insult anyone? And since it was rooted in her consciousness, it could easily influence her.

Gu Shuge suddenly didn’t know what to do.

In this world, there were only two people she trusted absolutely and unwaveringly: Shen Juan and Gu Yian. Gu Yian had passed away, so now she only trusted Shen Juan. As for everything else—even herself—she felt doubt. She felt she wasn’t good enough and felt she was a burden to Shen Juan.

If the malice attacked through anyone other than Shen Juan, it might actually succeed.

Gu Shuge didn’t want to become an evil ghost, she didn’t want to hurt people, and she didn’t want to reincarnate either. She didn’t want to leave this world. If she could only be a ghost forever and never get her life back, she just wanted to stay by Shen Juan’s side like this.

They arrived at the hospital. A group of people stood outside the main entrance.

The man in the center was in his late forties or fifties, wearing a sharp suit and carrying an air of long-held authority. The deputy director she had seen outside the morgue before stood beside him. Gu Shuge guessed this was the Director of the hospital.

Sure enough, when the Director saw Shen Juan’s car, he became visibly stiff. He came forward and gave a brief introduction.

Besides the doctors, Gu Shuge also saw Liu Guohua. Lin Mo must have notified him.

Shen Juan’s expression was terrifyingly cold. The Director, somewhat wary, briefly explained the situation: “There have been two doctors guarding the morgue at all times. There were no issues with those entering or leaving; they were all hospital staff. An hour ago, a patient died during surgery. Since he had no family, we followed protocol to move him to the morgue. It was only then that we discovered Miss Gu’s remains were missing.”

Despite people guarding the door, the body had vanished without a sound. Even in broad daylight, the Director shuddered.

“We… we didn’t dare disturb the scene. We left people to guard it, waiting for you and the police. After all, investigating is a police matter; we doctors are laymen.” He even tried to deflect responsibility in his speech.

Shen Juan ignored him and asked one question: “What do you think?”

She looked straight ahead, her strides fast and long. She didn’t use a name, but everyone knew who she was asking.

Liu Guohua, having heard the summary, analyzed: “As far as I know, the police had already decided to classify the case as an accidental traffic collision. Theft of the remains is equivalent to telling everyone the case was intentional. With the case being re-opened, the killer has put themselves in danger. I just don’t know the motive. I have three preliminary guesses: first, to taunt the police; second, there is something in the remains the killer is interested in and had to take; third…” Liu Guohua paused, intentionally checking Shen Juan’s expression before blurting out the rest: “He is torturing the family.”

Everyone froze. The Gu family was high society; their affairs were of public interest. The sudden death of the Gu parents, leaving behind two minor children and an adopted daughter raised as their own—the deep bond between the three was well known. With the remains gone, the only person left in the world who could be tortured by this was Shen Juan.

Gu Shuge’s heart sank to the bottom.

The morgue appeared ahead. Two people were still guarding the door, but this time they were police officers, not doctors.

Shen Juan’s face was dark; no one could tell what she was thinking.

“Let’s go in,” she said.

The Criminal Investigation team was nearby. Having been notified by Chen Xingfeng, they had dispatched immediately, arriving about ten minutes earlier.

When Shen Juan arrived, several officers were inside taking photos for evidence and checking for traces. The morgue wasn’t large, and with the officers inside, it felt crowded. Shen Juan had the hospital staff stay outside, entering only with Lin Mo and Liu Guohua. Gu Shuge didn’t take up space, so she followed them in.

The lead officer guessed who they were as they entered. Lin Mo stepped forward to negotiate. The officer hesitated but ultimately didn’t stop them.

Liu Guohua looked around and spoke with a few officers.

The morgue was cleaned daily and was very tidy. There was only one thing on the floor that shouldn’t be there—a bouquet of white chrysanthemums.

Shen Juan walked over. She didn’t pick the flowers up but just looked at them quietly. Shen Juan had cut these flowers from the family conservatory with her own hands yesterday. Because they had been in the freezer, they hadn’t withered and were still fresh. Now, lying on the ground and having been stepped on, they looked desolate and tragic.

Gu Shuge’s expression was grim. One look at the flowers and she knew this matter was becoming increasingly complicated.

Liu Guohua meticulously checked the entire scene, not missing a single corner, and consulted with the police. He then walked over and stood behind Shen Juan to report his findings: “Someone has been guarding the morgue at all times. For the first two days, it was doctors, but due to staffing shortages, the hospital switched to security guards—still two people. They were chosen as healthy, strong veterans. Twenty-four hours a day, there was never a moment the door was unguarded.”

Although the hospital had been very diligent, it wasn’t because they feared something would happen—after all, who would be so bored as to disturb a corpse? It was simply because Shen Juan had requested it, and she had come in person almost every day since.

A locked-room body disappearance, Gu Shuge thought.

Liu Guohua hesitated before offering a theory: “I’ve spoken with the officers. No useful traces were left at the scene. Is it possible that the person who killed Miss Gu and the person who stole the remains are not the same person?”

Gu Shuge immediately denied it: “No.”

“No.” Shen Juan’s gaze still hadn’t moved from the bouquet. She crouched down and picked up the flowers. “You were right. It’s directed at me.”

The flowers were ruined—not in a way that looked like they were accidentally stepped on, but crushed as if someone had ground them under their heel with malice. The culprit did it on purpose; he knew who had sent these flowers.

Liu Guohua’s expression also turned grave.

“Have the surveillance cameras been checked?” Shen Juan asked.

“Several officers are checking now. I’ve already asked them for a copy. Unfortunately, there are no cameras inside the morgue.” Due to a mix of superstition and fear, no cameras were installed inside the room.

Shen Juan nodded.

The police were still investigating; letting her in was already an exception. After a while, an officer came over and apologetically asked her to leave.

There was nothing more to say; they would certainly notify her of any progress. Shen Juan wasn’t an expert in investigation; staying would only interfere with the police.

As she left the scene, Liu Guohua said, “If it’s convenient, you could put together a list of suspicious individuals for me.”

Since the culprit was targeting her, she must have some ideas.

When Shen Juan returned home, she went straight to the study. She took a sheet of white paper, intending to list suspicious people. But she sat for a long time; many names appeared in her mind, yet she couldn’t be certain of any.

In the business world, offending people is inevitable. But businessmen pursue profit; they aren’t fanatical criminals. Murdering Xiaoge to cause turmoil within the Gu Group for profit was understandable, but stealing Xiaoge’s body just to torture her—that made no sense. There was no profit in that, only emotional venting.

Shen Juan propped her forehead with one hand, the pen set down. Aside from business rivals, she couldn’t think of anyone else. Other than work, she had no hobbies or leisure activities. In private, she didn’t even have a single friend.

If it was directed at her, then Xiaoge had likely been caught up in it because of her. Yet she didn’t have the slightest clue. She couldn’t even protect Xiaoge’s remains, leaving her soul unable to rest in peace.

Gu Shuge could only see Shen Juan pick up the pen, put it down, and close her eyes with an exhausted expression. She didn’t know what Shen Juan was thinking.

Several hours passed. It was dark now, and Shen Juan hadn’t moved. Gu Shuge watched with an aching heart. She went over and touched her shoulder: “Sister.” Her hand, of course, passed through Shen Juan’s shoulder.

“What are you thinking? Can’t you write down any names?” Gu Shuge asked. She knew that outside of work, Shen Juan was a very patient person; as long as no one stepped over her bottom line, she wouldn’t bother with them. It was just that no one dared to touch that bottom line.

Shen Juan didn’t hear her and didn’t respond. Gu Shuge was silent for a while, then said with a smile, “Are you thinking about where my body went?” Although no one had said it aloud, everyone knew that even if the body was found, it would likely be in a terrible state—both due to decomposition and because someone trying to torture the family would never respect the remains.

“It’s just a corpse, it doesn’t matter. I don’t need it anyway,” Gu Shuge said to Shen Juan lightheartedly.

A single tear slid from Shen Juan’s eye and fell onto the white paper.

Gu Shuge paused. Her voice grew soft, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at that tear. “It really doesn’t matter…”

As her voice fell, Shen Juan suddenly looked up. There were still tears in her eyes, flashing with surprise as she looked directly at Gu Shuge. Gu Shuge was startled, staring back at her blankly.

“Xiaoge…” Shen Juan called her name. In front of her was no longer empty air, but a faint silhouette. Because the lights weren’t on, only the weak light from the streetlights filtered in. The silhouette was very faint, transparent, and even swaying slightly with an eerie, frightening quality. Her features were indistinguishable.

But Shen Juan recognized her. She had been thinking about her even in her dreams.