Chapter 22

In this inexplicable ancient setting, the inexplicable Cui Xiang Building, and the inexplicable courtesan, there is actually a very clear thread that has already emerged.

After Zhao Zhu woke up, everything he saw and discovered was actually a setup. Just like when writing a novel, when introducing an important character, one first needs to lay some groundwork about the character's background and rumors, so that when the character appears, it won't seem out of place and will appear more full and realistic.

This is also a hypnotic technique. During the hypnosis process, the hypnotist seems to say a lot of "nonsense" to the patient, but this nonsense is the groundwork for the hypnotist to open the patient's inner world, and it is an indispensable step.

Since Zhao Zhu knew that the main scene was now appearing, he became calm. If he really pushed open the door and went down to see the courtesan at this moment, he would be following the other party's planned route, which would be a poor strategy. The other party is the guide, and after leading you one step, they would have several more choices. The more you follow their plan, the more they can control you, until they completely overwhelm you, leaving you with no chance of turning the situation around.

"Where is there a well here?" Zhao Zhu grabbed Hai Tang's hand and asked, sounding somewhat urgent.

"A well?" Hai Tang was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "There is a well in the back courtyard."

"Where is the back courtyard?"

"You can see it if you open the back window."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhu couldn't wait to open the back window of the room. Indeed, in front of him was a courtyard, which seemed to be a place for washing clothes. There was a large well in the courtyard, right below Zhao Zhu's room window. Because a few female workers were washing clothes by the well, the cover that was originally on the well had been moved away.

Taking a deep breath, Zhao Zhu turned to look at Hai Tang. Hai Tang looked somewhat puzzled by the gaze. Then, Hai Tang let out a cry of surprise because Zhao Zhu had directly flipped out of the window. A "splash" sound followed, along with the screams of the female workers. Hai Tang quickly ran to the window and looked down. Water splashed around the well, clearly indicating that Zhao Zhu had jumped into the well.

...

Cold, so cold...

This was Zhao Zhu's only feeling now. He continued to sink in the well water, which was dark and icy. The sense of hopelessness from continuously sinking in a narrow space began to repeatedly assault Zhao Zhu's psychological defenses. This feeling was even more unbearable than being held at gunpoint and counting down to being shot.

Gradually, Zhao Zhu's consciousness began to fade. He forgot to breathe, forgot the cold, forgot everything, feeling as if he was floating. Despite being the one sinking in the well, he had a sense of flying.

This... was exactly what Zhao Zhu wanted. Only through this method could he force his consciousness to break free from the framework and path set by the other party, allowing him to... "awaken."

...

With a splash, Zhao Zhu suddenly opened his eyes and found himself lying in a bathtub, which was full of water.

"Breath... breath... breath..." Zhao Zhu subconsciously took deep, heavy breaths. The previous feeling of oxygen deprivation was unbearable, and the psychological pressure needed to be relieved through deep breathing.

"Zhu Ge, Zhu Ge." The glass door of the bathroom was knocked on, and Zhu Wanqi's voice came through. "Zhu Ge, you've been in the bath for a long time. Did you fall asleep? Don't fall asleep in the bathtub; you might catch a cold."

Zhao Zhu rubbed his face hard with both hands and said, "Yeah, I'll come out in a moment."

"Zhu Ge, I brought two of my father's clothes for you to change into."

"Okay."

Hearing Zhao Zhu's response, Zhu Wanqi placed the clothes on the washing machine outside the bathroom door and left. Zhao Zhu slowly stood up from the bathtub, leaning on the edge, moving slowly because his muscles felt sore and weak.

Finally, he managed to stand up, took a towel, and stood in front of the mirror, drying his body. The person in the mirror finally looked like his true self.

However, at this moment, Zhao Zhu noticed a detail: there was a streak of green paint on his left shoulder. He leaned closer to the mirror and, upon closer inspection, was startled. There was actually a tattoo on his left shoulder, a green jade hairpin.

Zhao Zhu felt a bit dazed, looking at himself in the mirror. Finally, he bit his lip, dried his body thoroughly, pushed open the bathroom door, put on the clothes Zhu Wanqi had prepared, and walked out.

In the living room, Zhu Wanqi's mother had already set the table, and some exquisite dishes were already on it, emitting a tempting aroma. Zhu Wanqi took two bottles of beer from the fridge and walked over, leaning against Zhao Zhu and saying:

"My father just got back. I just told him about us. He's in a good mood today, so you should have a few more drinks with him."

"Sure, no problem." Zhao Zhu managed to keep his composure and nodded at Zhu Wanqi.

Zhu Wanqi's father was a technical engineer, though not very successful. He was currently working as a technician in a company. He was sitting at the table reading a newspaper. Seeing Zhao Zhu walk over, he thought this was his daughter's boyfriend and possibly his future son-in-law. Knowing that Zhao Zhu was not an ordinary person and that he had helped his daughter get a job, he greeted him warmly:

"Little Zhao, thank you today. They all told me that the gas was left on at home. Fortunately, you brought Wanqi back in time, or there might have been an accident while she was taking a nap. I really need to thank you."

Hearing Zhu Wanqi's father's words, Zhao Zhu understood. It seemed that the jade hairpin had altered Zhu Wanqi and her mother's memories and had brought his consciousness to the place called "Cui Xiang Building." The power of the jade hairpin was truly astonishing.

However, Zhao Zhu had no other options now. The jade hairpin seemed to have become a tattoo, branded on his body, and he doubted that even medicine could remove it. For now, he could only take things one step at a time. His only hope was to complete more missions in the horror web novel world, earn more points, and strengthen himself, making himself at least as strong as Li Fan, so that he might have the ability to deal with the threat posed by the jade hairpin.

As Zhao Zhu thought about this, he chatted with Zhu Wanqi's father. Soon, all the dishes were served, and everyone sat down to eat.

Zhao Zhu enjoyed the home-cooked dishes with his new girlfriend by his side, though his mind was heavy, it was still quite pleasant. However, on the other side, Zhu Jianping, who was originally enjoying the service of his mother and daughter, was not having such a good time.

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