The Young Girl's Chronicles of Demon-Slaying

Chapter 37: The Invitation

“Huh? Wang, the realtor, what are you doing here?” However, before the three of them could reach the door, they ran into Song Wencheng, who was just getting off work and heading home. He spotted Wang Yiting at a glance and was deeply surprised to see the disheveled look on his face. “Old Song!” When Wang Yiting saw Song Wencheng, it was as if he’d seen a savior; he was overjoyed and rushed forward to greet him. Seeing this, Liu Zhao shot a glance at Li Qingshu, tapped her with his finger—the reproach was plain to see—while Li Qingshu couldn’t help but wail inwardly: “I’m done for! There’s no escaping writing a several-thousand-character self-criticism now!” Wang Yiting rushed over to hug Song Wencheng, but when Song Wencheng saw the other man’s face—a mess of snot and blood—he quickly pulled a tissue from his pocket and told him to wipe his face first. Taking the tissue, Wang Yiting wiped his face while briefly explaining what had happened—basically, he’d been passing by, knew Song Wencheng hadn’t returned yet, so he’d hung around outside hoping to run into him, only to be mistaken for a thief by the police, and so on. It was only then that Song Wencheng realized the two people standing next to Wang Yiting earlier were actually police officers. He glanced at them, offered Wang Yiting a few words of comfort, then walked over and smiled as he invited Liu Zhao and Li Qingshu inside to sit down. Li Qingshu naturally didn’t want to go—after all, she seemed to have caused trouble, so how could she possibly have the nerve to go sit in someone’s home? But Liu Zhao grabbed her arm and pulled her along as they followed Song Wencheng toward the front door. Since she’d caused trouble, she naturally had to admit her mistake—better to do so sooner than later. Besides, judging by the way this Song Wencheng seemed inclined to mediate, she had to seize this opportunity. Otherwise, if Wang Yiting were to file a complaint against Li Qingshu with the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission or the Political Department of the Public Security Bureau, even if it weren’t a major issue, it would still leave a stain on her record—neither too big nor too small—that could easily be exploited by others when it came to future promotions. Of course, whether or not a promotion was in the cards was anyone’s guess, but if the matter could be settled privately, that would certainly be best. “Old Song!” Wang Yiting walked very close to Song Wencheng, almost side by side, and asked as they walked, “That girl I saw at your place last time—what exactly is her relationship to you?” He was still thinking about that. “Oh! You mean Hengheng?” When they reached the door, Song Wencheng opened it with a smile. “She’s my daughter! I just adopted her.” “An adopted daughter?” “That’s right!” “What’s her name, then?” “Her name is Song Jianqiu!” At first, Song Wencheng hadn’t given it much thought, but after answering, he sensed that Wang Yiting seemed a bit too interested, so he asked curiously, “Is something wrong with her?” Song Jianqiu, huh! You’ll find out just how much trouble she’s going to cause! Wang Yiting seethed inwardly, though he didn’t let it show on his face. Instead, he began to complain: “Old Song! This adopted daughter of yours is no good! You have no idea what she’s done before! She actually lied and deceived people! …” While Wang Yiting went on and on complaining to Song Wencheng, Li Qingshu, who was following behind them, looked on with utter disdain. How dare he? A grown man actually badmouthing a little girl behind her back! How petty! While looking down on Wang Yiting, Li Qingshu also felt puzzled. Judging from their conversation, the girl named Song Jianqiu clearly did know Wang Yiting—so why had she lied earlier? Perhaps it was a prank? As these thoughts swirled through her mind, her feet kept following Song Wencheng. At his invitation, the group entered the courtyard gate. Setting aside the fact that both Li Qingshu and Liu Zhao had only just met Song Wencheng and were visiting his home for the first time, Wang Yiting, on the other hand, was very familiar with the Song family. Whether openly or behind the scenes, he’d been there several times before, so he knew the front yard of this villa as well as anyone could—there really shouldn’t have been anything strange about it. However, this time, as he stepped into the courtyard, he couldn’t help but slow his pace slightly, his gaze drifting toward the osmanthus tree in the corner of the yard. He had seen this osmanthus tree many times before and had never paid it any mind. But this time, he actually sensed a faint, familiar aura emanating from it—yet mixed within that familiarity was a scent he found repulsive, which struck him as very strange. But before he had time to think further, Song Wencheng had already begun to greet him, so he had no choice but to set aside his thoughts and follow the invitation into the living room. After Wang Yiting’s gaze shifted away, the branches of the osmanthus tree swayed slightly, even though there was no wind—he had no idea what that meant. It was lunchtime, and the living room was empty; Lin Yuqin was cooking in the kitchen, with Song Jianqiu helping her. As Song Wencheng was ushering Wang Yiting, Li Qingshu, and Liu Zhao to take their seats in the living room, Lin Yuqin, hearing the commotion, came out curiously to take a peek. Upon seeing Wang Yiting among the three, her expression changed instantly. Before Wang Yiting, who hadn’t yet noticed her, could greet her, she quickly retreated back into the kitchen. Then, somewhat indignantly, she said to Song Jianqiu, who was also in the kitchen, “That realtor Wang is here again! And he brought two people with him. I wonder what kind of junk he’s trying to sell your dad this time!” Before Song Jianqiu could reply, she continued, “No way! I absolutely can’t let Old Song waste his money this time! I’ll have to have a serious talk with him tonight!” Song Jianqiu had actually anticipated that Wang Yiting would come to their home. After all, as long as he wasn’t completely clueless, he would naturally think to come over for a face-to-face confrontation—which would clear up the misunderstanding that he was a thief. This was the simplest and quickest way to resolve the matter, sparing them the trouble of going to the police station. However, earlier outside, Song Jianqiu had claimed in front of Wang Yiting that she didn’t know him—which was effectively a lie—and that had cost him the chance to clear his name. He’d nearly been arrested as a thief. By now, he was likely seething with hatred toward her and had probably said plenty of bad things about her to Song’s father. To be honest, she herself didn’t see anything wrong with this. After all, Wang Yiting wasn’t a good person to begin with—raising a demon infant and draining the vital energy from Song Wencheng and Lin Yuqin. Judging by how adept he was, he’d likely harmed countless other families before he even set his sights on the Song family. For crimes like robbery and murder, if caught, he’d be taken away and shot on the spot without question—so what’s the big deal about just falsely accusing him of being a thief? However, she was the only one who knew about this; Song Wencheng and Lin Yuqin were completely in the dark. She had no intention of telling them about such a fantastical occurrence in real life. After all, without direct evidence, explaining it would be a hassle, and whether they’d believe her was another matter entirely—they might even think she’d lost her mind. After all, not long ago, Lin Yuqin had been constantly praising her as a genius! There’s only a fine line between a genius and a madman! Given this, she decided it would be best to just admit her mistake honestly. No matter how bad Wang Yiting might be, the fact that she lied about not knowing him was undeniable—and parents tend to take such things very seriously. (End of Chapter)