Three Times Unlucky
Things aren’t supposed to happen three times.
Chu Zhou originally thought he wouldn’t run into her again but unexpectedly, when he passed by Xiuping Road once more, he saw Yang Chunfang wandering there again.
Yang Chunfang was dressed exactly the same as before, in her light blue work uniform.
But this time, her complexion looked much worse than before— not just pale, but tinged with an unhealthy greyish-blue.
“Yang-jie,” Qu Yanning approached her. “Why are you here alone again?”
Yang Chunfang slowly raised her head to look at him in a daze.
After a long pause, she finally murmured, “I can’t go back…”
“Where’s your family?” Qu Yanning asked cautiously.
“Family?” Her eyes rolled blankly before she eventually said, “Ah… I have to go home, to find my husband.”
Her mental state seemed significantly worse than before.
Qu Yanning looked at her with growing concern, then said gently, “Why don’t we go back together?”
Yang Chunfang agreed in a daze, her steps light and floaty as she followed behind him.
This time, the elevator stopped at the 14th floor.
Qu Yanning walked out with her. Yang Chunfang looked at him questioningly.
Qu Yanning smiled and said, “Mind if I visit your home for a bit?”
Yang Chunfang was momentarily surprised, then smiled softly and said her home was small, hoping he wouldn’t mind.
Qu Yanning said it was no problem— they were neighbors, after all.
They could look out for each other.
Yang Chunfang nodded and, for the first time, took the lead walking ahead of him.
Her back looked even thinner now. Her long hair flowed down to her waist, and from behind, one might mistake her for a frail young woman.
But Qu Yanning had met her several times and clearly saw the fine crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes and the weariness in her gaze.
Although she still looked fairly young at a glance, she had to be over thirty.
Yang Chunfang stopped in front of the innermost door.
She stood quietly at the entrance, neither knocking nor speaking.
“I’ll knock,” Qu Yanning said beside her, raising his hand and knocking three times on the door.
“Who is it?” came a voice from inside, followed by footsteps.
A tall, thin man with a bare torso opened the door, eyeing Qu Yanning warily. “Who are you looking for?”
Qu Yanning looked past him into the apartment.
The entryway was cluttered— two pairs of men’s dress shoes and a pair of women’s sneakers sat on the shoe rack.
A pair of bright-colored stiletto heels was tossed messily on the floor.
“Who are you looking for?!” the man snapped again, reaching to slam the door when Qu Yanning didn’t respond.
Qu Yanning blocked the door with his hand and gestured to the quiet Yang Chunfang beside him. “Yang-jie got lost. I happened to run into her, so I brought her back. Are you her…?”
Judging by the man’s age, he was likely her husband but he showed zero concern for his clearly unwell wife.
“What the hell are you talking about!” the man glared at Qu Yanning in shock and anger, “That dead woman’s been gone for days— did she send you to scare us?!”
“She’s the one making those phone calls every day, isn’t she?!” His emotions exploded, and he raised his fist to hit Qu Yanning. “That bitch sent you, didn’t she?!”
Qu Yanning stepped back in alarm, avoiding the punch and staring in confusion at the crazed man. “Yang-jie is right here—”
He stopped mid-sentence, staring in stunned horror at the woman beside him.
Blood tears were streaming down Yang Chunfang’s face.
Her pale complexion twisted with agony, her features contorted as if enduring unbearable pain.
“Yang-jie?” he called.
She was crying, clutching her head and staggering backward.
From her throat came indistinct, garbled sounds.
Qu Yanning could barely make out the repeated words: “No… help me… please…”
Perhaps because Qu Yanning’s reaction was so genuine, the angry man began to look nervously at the empty air before him— as if he really saw his wife, the one who’d been missing for days.
Swallowing hard, he slowly backed up, trembling as he cursed, “You’re crazy! You’re both insane!”
“Old Zhang, why haven’t you come back inside yet? Who’s at the door? That dead wife of yours come crawling back?” a woman’s shrill voice called from inside the apartment.
A scantily dressed woman sauntered out from inside.
Yang Chunfang’s pained groaning suddenly halted.
She stiffened, straightened up, and stared blankly at the man and woman in the doorway— then let out a heart-wrenching, anguished wail.
And in the next instant— she vanished.
“Yang-jie!” Qu Yanning’s heart lurched.
He instinctively took two steps forward.
“Psycho!” the man spat, roughly shoving the woman back inside before slamming the door shut with a loud BANG.
Silence fell over the corridor again.
The wind outside blew in, making the air feel even more empty and cold.
Qu Yanning stood there, stunned. Yang Chunfang had just… disappeared.
He didn’t know whether to be more scared or more heartbroken.
“Young man, are they done arguing yet?” a neighbor opened their door slightly and peeked out.
“Ah…” Qu Yanning was still in a daze.
The neighbor spat toward the apartment next door and muttered, “Soon as the wife’s gone, he brings home some tramp. Shameless bastard.”
The door slammed shut again.
The harsh clatter of the security door echoed through the empty hallway.
Qu Yanning stood there for a long time before finally turning and walking away, his steps heavy.
*****
Qu Yanning stayed home the entire day, feeling downcast.
Not even Xie Qi lowering herself to expose her belly for him to rub— something that usually delighted him— could lift his spirits.
With an uneasy heart, he returned to Xiuping Road the next day.
To his relief, Yang Chunfang was still standing by the roadside.
Qu Yanning stood there silently for a while before walking over and trying to sound casual. “Yang-jie, are you lost again?”
Yang Chunfang stood motionless.
It wasn’t until Qu Yanning called her name again that she slowly lifted her head.
There was no trace of life left in her face— only a gray, deathly pallor hung over her.
She stared at Qu Yanning for a long moment before finally saying, “It’s you.”
Qu Yanning smiled. “Yeah. Do you still want to go home?”
Yang Chunfang blinked blankly and muttered, “I can’t go back…”
I can’t find the way back… I don’t know why, I just can’t get out… I can’t go home…
Those vague, fragmented sentences no longer sounded like the ravings of a madwoman.
Now, they seemed heartbreakingly real.
She had truly been trapped here— forever unable to return.
“Do you remember why you’re here?” Qu Yanning asked cautiously.
Yang Chunfang lowered her head, softly and repeatedly muttering, “Can’t go back… can’t go back…” without answering his question.
Qu Yanning tried speaking with her a bit more, but she didn’t respond.
She seemed lost in some deep emotional loop, murmuring to herself over and over.
At first, Qu Yanning could still make out some of the words, but eventually her whispers became completely incomprehensible.
Her condition was clearly worsening, and Qu Yanning didn’t know what would happen if this continued, but it definitely wouldn’t be good.
He stood there, hesitating for a moment, then turned to leave.
There was someone who might be able to help.