Chapter 98: The Haunted House 31

Behind him, his mother, who had been killed by Su Man, reappeared once more, this time with an incredibly gentle expression. His eyes instantly welled with tears, and the tension that had built within him suddenly dissipated completely.

He seemed like a wronged child, throwing himself into his mother’s embrace.

“What’s going on? Didn’t you kill her?” Rong Rong looked at Su Man in confusion, trying to find an answer.

Su Man said nothing.

Yet, the truth was easy to understand: she had lied. The terrifying apparition born from his obsession was not something that could be killed, for it was a manifestation of his own fixation. As long as the obsession remained, the apparition would not die.

She had said before that she only gave a little push; she was helping Qian Ji see clearly the feelings he held for his mother. Though the apparition born from obsession could not vanish, it could change with a shift in one’s emotions.

Previously, Qian Ji’s impression of his mother in his mind was one of terror, rage, and aggression. Now, however, his mother was awakened from the deepest memories—gentle, beautiful, and generous.

“Xiao Ji, why are you crying?” The woman gently wiped away Qian Ji’s tears. His sobs only grew heavier. “Mom, don’t leave me. I want to be with you forever. I’m a big star now—I’ve worked so hard…”

His mother answered softly, “All right, our little Ji has worked so hard. Mommy knows, and Mommy will always be with you.”

Su Man looked at him, then at his mother, and suddenly spoke, “See, you’re not unloved. It’s just that you’ve habitually cast yourself as a pitiful victim.”

Qian Ji didn’t look at her and seemed not to listen, but Su Man knew he was hearing her because his cries gradually quieted.

She continued, “What Rong Rong said before wasn’t right. She said love has no reason, but I believe love always has a reason.

Because she is your mother, she loves you. Because Hu Nian feels guilty, he cares for you as well. Because your grandmother favors boys, she loves you too. Whatever the reason, the love you receive has taken root in you.

Besides your mother, those two beside you gave their lives for you. You’ve ignored the love around you, denied it—and what’s the result? Those who truly loved you have all died, and you are left utterly alone.”

Qian Ji didn’t understand the meaning behind Su Man’s words, but a chill rose from the depths of his soul, spreading through every limb. As a terrifying apparition, he wasn’t supposed to feel such emotions. What was really going on?

He spoke fiercely but with trembling courage, “No, I will live with Mom forever! You all will stay here forever too!”

Rong Rong glanced at Su Man with concern, but Su Man’s face remained calm and composed, as if everything was under her control.

“Live together forever?” she sneered lightly. “You did such terrible things, and yet you still fantasize about a perfect ending?”

“What do you mean?” Qian Ji’s heart pounded, clutching his mother’s sleeve tighter.

Su Man fixed her gaze on him, speaking deliberately, “What I mean is, good deeds bring good rewards, and evil deeds bring evil consequences…”

Before she could finish, Qian Ji felt a change in the embrace. Panicking, he looked down and saw his mother’s figure slowly fading away from his arms.

“Mom!! Ma!!” he cried out in terror, glaring hatefully at Su Man. “What did you do?! Give me back my mother!”

He almost fell to his knees, “I’ll do anything you ask, just give me back my mom!”

The smile vanished from Su Man’s face, replaced by an expressionless stare. “So, you can beg too. But when you beg, have you ever thought about those you have hurt before?”

She paused. “Begging me is useless. She was born of your obsession. When your obsession fades, so must she.”

She never wasted effort on the futile. Subconsciously, Qian Ji had wanted his mother’s love. Now that he had it—complete and perfect—the obsession naturally faded away without his realizing it.

In the gentlest tone, she spoke the most cutting truth: “Don’t cry. It won’t help. You should know better than anyone—tears are useless. Before Ai Ji died, she must have begged you tearfully, but in the end, you still killed her.”

Qian Ji roared with defiance, “Impossible! As long as my obsession remains, as long as I want Mom alive… show yourself to me quickly!”

But the scene he imagined—his mother resurrected and appearing—never came. Instead, after his roar, the fading shadows of his grandmother and Hu Nian began to blur, as if ready to abandon him at any moment.

“No, no! Stay! Weren’t you the ones who loved me most? Where would you go if you left me?” Frantically, he reached out, only to lock eyes with Su Man’s cold, indifferent gaze.

He suddenly ceased struggling, his mind clouded with realization: this was his punishment—a consequence orchestrated by Su Man.

In the final moment, he saw her lips open and close as she said, “I told you, your obsession has vanished. Now, it’s time for you to disappear as well.”

Rong Rong and Qing Nian watched helplessly as Qian Ji dissolved into a point of light, vanishing from where he stood. Their gazes shifted to Su Man, now filled with a flicker of fear.

To be honest, they barely understood what had happened but sensed that everything, from beginning to end, was Su Man’s doing. She showed no surprise whatsoever.

Su Man noticed the fear in their eyes but offered no explanation. She simply did what she believed was right.

To gain love only to lose it immediately was the greatest punishment for Qian Ji, and also a reckoning for the innocent lives he had destroyed.

The clock in the living room chimed again, and the fire flared up once more, this time roaring larger, nearly encircling the three of them.

A barking sound arose.

Su Man snapped Qing Nian and Rong Rong back to reality. “Now, only one remains.”

She strode through the flames toward the kitchen. She already knew what the Baby Princess’s obsession was.

Qing Nian and Rong Rong followed behind, both utterly bewildered, completely clueless.

The kitchen was now just ahead.

All could see, at the heart of the fire in the central cabinet, the black silhouette representing Ai Ji curled tightly inside, her hollow eyes vacant and unfocused.

The Baby Princess hopped before her, trying to pull her out.

But all she managed to extract was a long thread of string. No matter how she pulled, Ai Ji remained curled up within.

“What is it doing? Why won’t Ai Ji come out?” Rong Rong whispered, puzzled.

“Why won’t she come out?” Su Man echoed softly before adding, “She will never come out.”

Because this was the Baby Princess’s obsession—her failure to save Ai Ji created this fixation. Without external intervention, Ai Ji would never be rescued. This fiery scene would replay endlessly, ending each time in helpless defeat.

“What are we supposed to do then?” Qing Nian asked impulsively. When would they be able to leave?