Chapter 32

Zhen Fan's first attempt at making pizza surprisingly suited the two young girls' taste. Brenda licked her fingers and snatched the last piece of pizza, which made Vera glare at her with displeasure. As for Annie's cake, there was still some left on the table, and each of the Zhen Fans had a small slice to taste.

Annie looked a bit embarrassed, but she couldn't help but admire Zhen Fan's culinary skills. She had also tasted a small piece of the pizza, and it was indeed very good, the best she had ever tasted. However, she didn't have a second piece because by the time she tasted it, the pizza had already been divided up.

With a "clink," three beer bottles collided, producing a crisp sound.

The women had already moved aside to chat, with Brenda and Vera fighting over the TV. The three men were also drinking and chatting. They were mostly talking about everyday things. Raymond talked animatedly about his favorite golf, while Thomas shared his fishing experiences. Zhen Fan thought for a moment and realized he didn't have any notable hobbies, except for basketball, which didn't quite fit in with the conversation.

Zhen Fan didn't know how to play golf, but he could manage a few words about fishing, and every time he shared his insights, Thomas would cheer loudly. He was the type who didn't talk much but hit the spot every time.

Originally, Raymond was worried that a young man like Zhen Fan might feel a bit awkward around him, but now he didn't need to worry at all. Zhen Fan seemed like a mature man in his thirties, and Raymond naturally treated him as an equal and a good friend.

As for Thomas, he was even more grateful to Zhen Fan and admired him, treating him like an old friend.

The two women were also chatting, and the topics were wide-ranging, including cosmetics, clothing styles, and gossip among women, as well as their husbands. They also talked about Zhen Fan, and the young man's unique qualities made the two women as excited as if they had been injected with adrenaline.

Perhaps this was the general interest of married women, and all women were the same in this regard.

"I'll go make some more coffee!"

As the conversation was getting more intense, Angela got up and went to the kitchen.

"What are you guys talking about?" With nothing to do, Annie walked over to the men.

"We're betting on when Zhen will get a girlfriend!" Thomas, who was familiar with Zhen Fan, joked without any reservations.

Raymond laughed, clearly enjoying the light-hearted joke.

"It seems inviting Zhen here today was a mistake!" Annie sat down and smiled at Zhen Fan. "How about... after we leave, we invite Zhen to my place?"

"What's going on?" Raymond was a bit surprised.

"Ha ha..." Thomas laughed loudly. "My daughter's cousin is at my place tonight, Julia, who went to Yosemite Park with Zhen before. She has a very good impression of him!"

Raymond began to understand and couldn't help but laugh, looking at Zhen Fan. For a young man of his age to not have a girlfriend was really a bit unusual.

"Clatter—"

Suddenly, the sound of broken porcelain came from the kitchen.

Raymond's face changed, and he turned to see Angela already on the ground in the kitchen, a broken coffee cup on the floor. He quickly got up and ran over.

"Mom—"

The two daughters also quickly got up.

"Zhen, aren't you a doctor?" Seeing Raymond's worried face as he carried Angela to the bedroom, Annie softly asked Zhen Fan.

"Raymond, Zhen is a doctor!" Thomas was much more straightforward than Annie.

"Really?" Raymond looked at Zhen Fan in surprise.

Zhen Fan was a bit embarrassed: "Yes... but to be precise, I'm a soon-to-be doctor. I'll get my license in a few days, and then I'll be a real one..."

"Can you help her?"

Without hesitation, Raymond asked.

Zhen Fan quickly examined Angela and had a good idea of what was going on.

"This seems to have been happening since you moved in, probably several times!" Zhen Fan looked at Raymond.

"Yes, this is the third time, and I find it very strange!"

Raymond spread his hands helplessly.

"At first, I took her to the hospital, but it was useless. The doctors couldn't find the cause, but after a while, Angela would wake up as if nothing had happened, just feeling a bit weak. God, I don't know why this is happening!"

"When you bought this house, you must not have heard about its history!"

"What history?" Raymond was clearly unaware.

Thomas quickly interjected: "The original owner of this house was George. His wife, Wendy Ellis, was murdered, and the killer was George."

"In the kitchen, with a meat cleaver," Zhen Fan added.

"But..." Raymond's mind was suddenly blank. He wanted to say why the house looked so clean, but he couldn't continue because the real estate agent had clearly renovated the house.

"God!" Raymond clutched his head, cried out in pain, and slowly sat down on the chair by the bed, holding Angela's cold hands.

"Dad!" Vera called softly, then walked over and squatted next to Raymond, hugging his arm and leaning her face against it.

"Damn scoundrel!" Brenda gritted her teeth and paced around the room. Everyone knew who she was cursing, clearly the unscrupulous real estate agent.

"But..." Raymond, regaining his composure, looked at Zhen Fan with doubt. "But what does this have to do with Angela's illness?"

Zhen Fan was a bit embarrassed!

"Perhaps you won't believe me, but there must still be bloodstains from Wendy Ellis in this house. They didn't clean it up properly before selling it, and the price was probably very attractive."

Raymond nodded, acknowledging the truth of it.

"Vera, can you take care of your mom?" Zhen Fan asked the obedient little girl.

"I will, I will!" Vera nodded firmly.

"Very good, smart girl." Zhen Fan patted her head and then said to Raymond and the others, "Are you interested in witnessing this? Don't worry, brother, I promise that if you follow my instructions, Angela will be fine and wake up soon!"

Raymond looked at Thomas and Annie, who nodded at him. She absolutely trusted Zhen Fan because, thanks to him, their family had found the lively and adorable little sprite Claire again.

Seeing everyone leave the room, Brenda gritted her teeth and followed.

Zhen Fan led everyone to the kitchen.

"I've been to the crime scene, it's right here!" Zhen Fan pointed to a spot.

"What?" Raymond looked at Zhen Fan in surprise.

Zhen Fan couldn't help but laugh: "I forgot to tell you, I'm still a consultant for the California Special Investigation Bureau, and I was the one who caught George!"

That's why, Raymond suddenly looked at Zhen Fan with new respect. Thomas and Annie knew a bit about this, but they didn't know the details, let alone the crime scene.

Zhen Fan frowned and walked around the kitchen.

"Any findings?" Thomas couldn't help but ask.

"Um, yes, I know!" Zhen Fan's frown suddenly eased.

"Raymond, can I scrape the paint off this wall?" Zhen Fan pointed to a spot on the kitchen wall.

"No problem!" Raymond didn't hesitate.

"Pass me a knife!"

Raymond handed him a fruit knife. Zhen Fan took it, drew a circle on the wall with his hand, and carefully scraped the paint with the knife.

Brenda's mouth twisted as she watched Zhen Fan, thinking he looked like a fool. This was Brenda's thought, and perhaps Raymond's as well. Only Annie fully trusted Zhen Fan, and even Thomas had some doubts.

Layers of gray dust fell off, and soon, after the new paint was scraped off, a dark red stain appeared! It was clearly a bloodstain, dark red as if it had just been splattered, not at all like something that had been covered by paint for days.

"God! God!" Raymond couldn't believe his eyes as Zhen Fan revealed the bloodstain, covering his face with his hands and exclaiming repeatedly.

"Unbelievable! It's still fresh!" Thomas widened his eyes, reaching out to touch it but was stopped by Zhen Fan grabbing his wrist.

"Don't touch it, Thomas!"

Thomas was startled and quickly pulled back his hand.

"How is this possible?" Everyone had the same question. Why did the bloodstain, covered by paint, look as if it had just been splattered? It even seemed to be about to flow down when exposed.

"Do you trust me, Raymond?"

Zhen Fan looked at Raymond seriously.

Raymond looked at Zhen Fan with doubt, nodded blankly, not caring about trust at this moment.

"Then leave it to me!" Zhen Fan didn't waste words. Without cinnabar or yellow paper, he bit his finger, and blood immediately flowed out.

"Ah!" Brenda couldn't help but cry out when she saw Zhen Fan bite his finger, but no one paid attention to her. They all watched Zhen Fan closely, eager to see what he would do.

"Seal the evil, break the curse, subdue the demons, as ordered, seal!" Zhen Fan muttered, dipped his finger in blood, and quickly drew a talisman on the bloodstain, then pressed his hand on it.

Everyone watched Zhen Fan, not hearing what he said but seeing him draw patterns on the bloodstain. The dark red blood, which was about to flow down, suddenly dried up, became lighter, and finally disappeared as if it had never been there, leaving only Zhen Fan's pattern.

"Hallelujah!" Thomas exclaimed dramatically.

What happened right before their eyes was too incredible, almost like magic. But it wasn't magic; there were no props.

"Amazing!" Brenda exclaimed.

"Dad, come quick!" Suddenly, Vera's voice came from the room.

Everyone's hearts tightened, and they rushed to the room. Raymond led the way, burst in, and froze, staring at the bed in shock.

Angela looked as if she had just woken up from a nap, sitting on the bed and smiling at him. "What's wrong? You look like... like you've been stung by a wasp."

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