There’re Always Paranoid Thoughts to Monopolize Me - Extra 2.1

Even after figuring out her current situation, Qin Ke still felt a bit dazed.

According to the servant, she was indeed still in the Huo family house, but as the sister of Qin Yan, who was about to join the Huo family. She had been generously invited to stay in the ear building of the Huo family’s old mansion.

Meanwhile, the “main characters” of the wedding – Qin Yan and the Qin couple – had been spending extravagantly around Sijiu City in recent days, under the arrangement of the Huo family’s butler.

Qin Ke pinched the bridge of her nose.

Although the haziness had passed for a long time, she still remembered this part. It was shortly after the wedding “surprise” had fallen on the Qin family’s head, when she accompanied the Qin family to Sijiu City.

However, what Qin Ke couldn’t understand was, how did she suddenly-

Qin Ke paused, a fragment of memory suddenly flashed through her mind.

The fortune-telling house, the glass ball.

That kind-looking old man, and what he said about her “regretful” obsession.

Could it be…

Was this the solution the old man spoke of?

Who exactly was he?

How could he send her back here, and how could she return?

…

Qin Ke thought until her head spun, her mind still in a fog.

When she couldn’t figure it out, Qin Ke gave up. She knew she could only deal with the present, and vaguely felt that if she wanted to go back, she would have to do as the old man said – resolve that regret.

And now that she appeared here, at this time, how could Qin Ke not know what that real regret in her heart was about?

…Huo Zhonglou.

The Huo Zhonglou who, for her sake, had destroyed himself and everything else.

Qin Ke sighed silently in her heart.

After sorting out her chaotic thoughts, she looked up at the servant who had been patiently waiting beside her, and asked in a soft voice, “Qin Yan… where did my sister and the others go?”

“Uh.”

A hint of mockery flashed across the servant’s eyes, but he quickly suppressed it by lowering his head.

“Miss Qin Yan and Mr. and Mrs. Qin needed some clothing and accessories, so they went out early.”

Qin Ke understood.

Just like in her memories of her previous life – Qin Yan and the Qin couple, once in Sijiu City, were overwhelmed by the Huo family’s financial offensive and sugar-coated bullets. At this moment, they must be squandering money extravagantly in some corner.

As Qin Ke was thinking, the servant spoke again. “But Miss Qin Ke, didn’t you always want to see Mr. Huo? He just returned to the mansion today. If you need, you can ask Butler Huo to announce your visit.”

“…Alright,” Qin Ke came back to her senses and nodded, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Qin Ke. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”

“Mm.”

After the servant left, Qin Ke didn’t linger in the room either.

She turned, got out of bed, and walked out of the room.

—

If her memory served her right, she was now in a guest room in the Huo family house.

As she walked along this corridor, she could even recall the anxiety and uneasiness she felt in her previous life when she walked here – back then, she had found out that Huo Zhonglou often shut himself in the study when he was at home, and out of that uneasiness, she had boldly decided to try and probe.

However, she remembered that in the pitch-dark study, she was frightened by just hearing the man’s low, hoarse, and gloomy voice. She had fled in panic after saying only a few words.

How could she have known then that Huo Zhonglou’s voice and the face he never let her see at that time were all destroyed because of her?

Qin Ke pressed her hand against her chest.

A bitter emotion filled her heart, bringing a dull pain.

Her steps hesitated for a moment, but Qin Ke quickly made up her mind.

She still had to go to the study.

Huo Zhonglou had been torturing himself in that endless darkness for so long, she wanted to pull him out.

This was her biggest regret and obsession.

****

Although she had mentally prepared herself, Qin Ke still felt a bit nervous standing in front of the study again.

—

She had sneaked up here by herself.

The third floor of the Huo family’s main building, where the study was located, was a forbidden area in the entire Huo family’s old mansion. Except for the specific cleaning times arranged by Butler Huo, not even the servants in the house dared to go upstairs.

Everyone knew that the ill-tempered and frightening eldest son of the Huo family, whenever he was home, would definitely shut himself in that pitch-dark study on the third floor.

…It was like a cage confining some wild beast.

Just approaching a few steps made them feel eerie and chilled to the bone.

No one dared to come, so naturally, no one stood guard.

Just like in her previous life, Qin Ke very smoothly arrived at the door of the study.

The door was tightly shut.

It was extremely quiet inside the room.

Qin Ke stood there for more than ten seconds, finally ending her stillness with a slow, deep breath – she raised her hand and gently knocked on the door.

As in her memory, there was no response.

But Qin Ke knew that person was inside the room right now. So she didn’t give up, and continued to knock gently and rhythmically.

Until there was a faint sound of a phone being picked up and dialed inside the room, followed by an irritated, low voice suppressing its volume –

“Didn’t I say, when I’m in the study, no one is allowed to disturb me!”

“……”

Qin Ke didn’t know what the person on the other end of the phone said, she only heard that the silence was suppressed for several dozen seconds before a hoarse echo responded.

“…Never mind.”

Click.

The phone seemed to be hung up and thrown back.

And after a moment, a low voice from inside the room.

“Come in.”

“……”

Qin Ke instinctively held her breath and pushed open the heavy door in front of her.

As expected, she was met with darkness.

Except for the light from the corridor behind her casting her shadow into a door-sized patch of light, the entire study was pitch black.

Let alone seeing clearly where that person was.