Three more days passed by slowly and calmly.
During these three days, Xu Qinglang was busy looking for a new shop. This long-abandoned commercial center had already seen two deaths. Setting up a shop here would simply be asking for trouble. He asked Zhou Ze for his opinion, asking if he was willing to move with him. He could also help Zhou Ze find a new storefront. Zhou Ze's response was to remain noncommittal.
On the one hand, Zhou Ze didn't care much about the popularity of the people around the bookstore, but on the other hand, without the juice prepared by Xu Qinglang,
Eating becomes a problem again.
Another incident happened during these three days. The police found suicide notes in Mr. Chen and Ms. Liu's homes, as well as their wedding photos.
However, the wedding photos are in black and white, and the contents of the suicide note are difficult for ordinary people to understand.
They agreed to commit suicide together and ended their lives in a horrific way. In their suicide notes, they apologized to other members of the Horror Story Lovers Association for the trouble and investigation they caused, and at the same time explained that this was a real horror story.
They met because of their love of "horror", so naturally they had to prove their love in the most "horrifying" way.
This information also spread online, causing an uproar in public opinion and sparking another discussion. Many big Vs once again waved their whips to criticize horror and suspense movies, TV shows and novels. Look, this is misleading young people, and these things should be banned.
But in fact, the ancient love stories such as Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai should be banned, because these stories eulogize the theme of suicide for love, which leads to people in later generations imitating the theme of suicide for love.
The woman named Tang Shi had been staying on the second floor. After her injuries were treated, she waited for another three days. Zhou Ze finally came to her and said that he had done what he promised her. Now it was the other party's turn to fulfill the conditions.
"Those two people really committed suicide, right?"
Tang Shi was still lying there, with many bandages on her body. She looked like a female mummy. There was really no way to consider the aesthetics of this, simply because her original injuries were too severe and too dense.
"Yeah." Zhou Ze nodded.
"I sensed it when they were playing the Pen Fairy game." Tang Shi looked at Zhou Ze, "I thought it was very interesting at the time. They wanted to see a ghost, but they didn't realize that the owner of their bookstore was a ghost, and a ghost messenger.
In fact, on the first night when the woman was about to jump off the building, I controlled my white dress to stop her, but she had made up her mind, and I was so weak that I couldn’t stop her, and she still jumped.”
Zhou Ze didn't say anything.
"Ignorant men and women always think that death is a beautiful thing, but I guess they are now regretting their decision in hell. Hell is a very scary place, enough to make most suicides regret and curse their stupid selves."
Saying,
Tang Shi paused, then continued: "You are much luckier than us. You have not experienced the true horror of hell."
"It's time to get down to business." Zhou Ze reminded.
"What about your heart?" Tang Shi asked.
"What else?"
"Do you feel like your heart is gone?"
Zhou Ze nodded.
“But it can’t be gone. There are many incredible things in this world, but generally speaking, there is still a line that keeps things in check.
For example, you can see the wounds on my body. Those messengers who escaped from the underworld also left black feathers, mercury water, talisman paper and other things on my body. Their image is very mysterious and noble in the eyes of ordinary people;
But in fact, just like a goddess has to go to the toilet after all, putting aside the mysterious veil of their ability to enter and exit hell, they are actually very ordinary.
As a matter of fact, they are far from having the ability to move mountains and fill the sea like the characters described in so-called super movies or fantasy novels.
Of course, I am not sure that no one has this ability, but I am sure that this ability exists, and it cannot leave Hell."
"So, what exactly do you want to say?" Zhou Ze asked.
"Regarding the matter of you losing your heart, you told me that you probably couldn't eat, just like us. These past few days I saw you eating with extremely sweet and sour drinks and trying to swallow them down."
Zhou Ze nodded.
"But you said that when you ate your own heart, you didn't feel any discomfort at all, and you even thought it tasted a little delicious."
"You mean, what I ate wasn't actually my heart
No, I wasn’t eating anything substantial at all.”
Zhou Ze quickly understood and continued:
"Eating, the dining table, the knife and fork, in fact, are all fake, all illusions."
Tang Shi nodded slightly. She seemed a little tired, but she still spoke:
“No matter how mysterious and terrifying their existence is, they don’t have the ability to make flesh grow on dry bones, let alone the ability to turn decay into magic and dig out a body’s heart while keeping the body as active as before.
So, you must have been hypnotized, a very deep hypnosis that you can't even extricate yourself from."
"Hypnosis?"
"Yes, hypnosis, the dining environment, every word and every action of the other party are giving you psychological hints. Otherwise, why wouldn't he just pick up some firewood on the roadside and have a barbecue with you?"
Zhou Ze nodded. In fact, Tang Shi’s words coincided with his previous guesses in many aspects.
For example, every time I make a choice that goes against my current interests, my chest always hurts, but as long as I bear it for a while, I can still continue with the original choice.
Because I subconsciously believe that I have lost my conscience, after doing anything from the perspective of "conscience", I always remind myself:
Oh, I shouldn’t do this, and then it will hurt.
It is just like a person who has experienced hardships in childhood and left psychological trauma, when he sees similar things or scenes again, he will still feel physically and mentally uncomfortable.
"Then I should go see a psychiatrist?"
"I know a very good psychologist who can help you solve your problem." Tang Shi said.
"Which one?" Zhou Ze naturally thought of who it was.
"As long as he can come back alive, he can solve your problem."
"Who knows where he has fled to now?"
"He didn't run away," Tang Shi corrected, "He went to find them."
The topic ended here. When Zhou Ze was about to go downstairs, Tang Shi said again:
"Can you call that female zombie up?"
"do what?"
"Let her sleep with me."
"I'll go ask her if she agrees."
After going downstairs, Bai Yingying was sitting behind the counter playing games on her mobile phone. Zhou Ze ignored her, nor did he ask the woman above for Bai Yingying's opinion. He just walked out of the store and hailed a taxi.
As for the psychologist, he actually knew a very good one.
The last time, Wang Ke told himself that he would not look for Zhou Ze again, but if Zhou Ze needed anything, he could go to him.
He really got it right.
It was already 11 o'clock in the morning when Zhou Ze took a taxi to the gate of Wang Ke's villa and rang the doorbell.
The door was opened and Wang Ke, wearing pajamas, appeared at the door. When he saw Zhou Ze coming, he was stunned for a moment and then motioned Zhou Ze to come in.
The house was filled with the aroma of meat; meat must be stewing in the kitchen.
"Let's eat some together?" Wang Ke suggested. "We just bought some big bones and stewed them for a long time. I remember when we were little in an orphanage, it was not easy to get a meal of meat."
Zhou Ze shook his head, "My appetite is not very good."
"It's okay, then drink some soup. By the way, you came to me for something, right?"
"I was hypnotized, and the hypnotist told me that I had no conscience. Now, I want to get my conscience back." Zhou Ze went straight to the point.
Wang Ke frowned, feeling a little embarrassed and uneasy, and said:
"I tried last time, but I couldn't hypnotize you. You said you couldn't fall asleep normally, so I can't use the most direct and effective method on you. I can only take a roundabout way to see if it works."
"Let's try it."
The two came to Wang Ke's study.
Wang Ke changed into formal clothes and sat down behind the desk, then handed Zhou Ze a pocket watch.
"You shake this in front of me and try to hypnotize me. Then we can achieve a reverse psychological connection."
Zhou Ze didn't hesitate and shook the pocket watch in front of Wang Ke.
Wang Ke watched very seriously, and as he watched, he closed his eyes.
At the same time, Zhou Ze also felt a little tired, as if Wang Ke’s "sleep" at this time had more or less affected him.
"Are you asleep?" Zhou Ze asked.
Wang Ke did not answer.
"May I have your name?"
"Wang Ke."
It was a very novel feeling. Zhou Ze didn't have much experience in this area, but at this time, it seemed that no experience was needed.
"you… "
Suddenly, Zhou Ze felt his vision blurry, and vaguely, he seemed to hear a man asking him:
"Do you think you need to have a conscience?"
Zhou Ze was a little confused, but still said: "Doing good things may get bad rewards."
"So, deep down in your heart, you are actually very disgusted with the behavior you have always adhered to." The man's voice came again.
What followed was a long conversation. Zhou Ze himself was a little confused, as if the conversation and questions and answers had nothing to do with him.
In front of him, there was a pot with soup simmering in it. There were big bones cooking in the pot and the soup was very fragrant.
"Baji!"
The pocket watch fell from Zhou Ze's hand to the ground.
Zhou Ze slowly opened his eyes.
Wang Ke behind the desk also opened his eyes. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked very tired.
"Did it succeed?" Zhou Ze asked.
Wang Ke nodded, then shook his head and said apologetically:
"Your question is a bit complicated. In fact, the one who is really struggling with whether to have a conscience is you. Maybe some recent experiences have caused your original beliefs to loosen, and with the external force pushing you, a knot has formed in your heart."
Zhou Ze heard this and nodded, seeming to be thinking about something.
"By the way, did you ask me any questions?" Wang Ke suddenly asked.
This kind of hypnosis is mutual. In fact, Wang Ke only performed superficial hypnosis on Zhou Ze, while Wang Ke completely opened his heart to Zhou Ze.
"I didn't ask because I only saw a pot of broth. Are you hungry?"
"Yes, I'm hungry." Wang Ke nodded.
Then, Wang Ke pulled Zhou Ze to the kitchen and opened the pressure cooker, which contained pork ribs stewing inside.
"Come, let's eat some together, just like reminiscing about our childhood."
Zhou Ze suddenly felt that something was unreal.
A wealthy psychology expert happily stewed a pot of pork chops at home. This scene always makes people feel that something is wrong.
Zhou Ze even felt a little nauseous in his chest.
"I don't want to eat anymore."
Zhou Ze subconsciously took a few steps back and left the kitchen.
Wang Ke was concentrating on preparing the dipping sauce and said, "Have some with me, brother."
"Eat it yourself." Zhou Ze still refused, his eyes occasionally sweeping towards the pressure cooker and the pork chops rolling inside it.
"You're welcome. This is the meat I carefully selected. It must taste great." Wang Ke continued to invite.
"Where is my sister-in-law?" Zhou Ze asked.
Wang Ke's hand holding the plate suddenly trembled, and his expression became a little unnatural.
But still said: "She went to get her hair done."
"Oh." Zhou Ze did not comment.
Then, Zhou Ze looked at the pressure cooker again.
The nausea and vomiting in my chest seemed to be getting worse.
"Honey, you are cooking the soup again." At this time, a woman's voice came from the entrance.
Zhou Ze turned around and saw her, and suddenly he felt like a huge stone had fallen from his heart.
I was overthinking it.
"Yes, this is my hobby." Wang Ke said with a smile.
The woman walked up to Zhou Ze and said helplessly, "It's incredible, isn't it? The psychology master's hobby is to find a free time to make a pot of broth for himself. Even if he can't eat it at all, he still enjoys this kind of satisfaction."
"Not bad." Zhou Ze pursed his lips. "My conditions were not good when I was young, but I realized my dream when I grew up."
"Come, have a bowl."
Wang Ke served a bowl of soup, sprinkled it with minced garlic and chopped green onions, and added two drops of sesame oil and some white pepper powder.
Zhou Ze picked up the soup and was hesitating whether to force himself to drink some.
But suddenly I noticed,
The woman standing beside him,
She was walking on tiptoe.
One step, two steps, three steps,
She walked to the pressure cooker and helped Wang Ke fill the soup, while admonishing him:
"Eat more, don't waste it."