You Owe Me, My Love novel Chapter 92

Gu Mingchen drove for safety purposes. Aside from Bai Rong, he only brought a follower called Chen Zhi.

Tangqian Village was farther than he had anticipated. Gu Mingchen didn’t ask Bai Rong to drive. The man only asked her to sleep in the backseat.

After switching shifts with Chen Zhi and driving for half a day, they finally reached the mountain area and it was no longer possible for them to continue travelling by car.

The GPS signal was lost. Even their phones had lost their network signals too.

Gu Mingchen stopped the car and looked at the mountain range around them. He frowned. “I thought they cleared the road. Was the governor reporting fake results?” Gu Mingchen was angered, while Chen Zhi hung his head low and said nothing.

Bai Rong came out and went up to Gu Mingchen. She held his hand and calmed him down, “It’s commonplace. When the hospital organized a group to provide free checkups for the people in the slums last year, they said the roads are there. But when we got there, not only were there no roads, we didn’t even have electricity.”

Gu Mingchen calmed down slightly after Bai Rong spoke. He didn’t want to get worked up before her, so he said, “We are the military. Can’t interfere with the administration.”

“We are humans after all. Not gods.” Bai Rong smiled.

Gu Mingchen looked at her gently before telling Chen Zhi, “Tangqian Village is under Zhenghai Town’s jurisdiction. You should go to town and get a guide. We’ll catch up in a bit.”

“Yes.” Chen Zhi drove back to the town.

“May I suggest something? Since it’s getting late, why don’t we stay in town for the day? We can go around and get some news from the locals. We may even get a clue.” Bai Rong said.

“Sure.”

They came back to town after half an hour’s drive. Gu Mingchen and Bai Rong stayed in one room using fake identification. On the other hand, Chen Zhi stayed in a room by himself.

They went to the small restaurant beside the hotel to have a meal after settling down. The lady boss there kept smiling at them warmly.

“Can I ask you something about Tangqian Village, ma’am?” Bai Rong asked gently.

The lady boss’ smile froze at the mention of Tangqian Village. She glanced outside before lowering her voice, “You sure are not a local, miss. We don’t talk about that thing easily here.”

“Why?” Bai Rong was perplexed.

“Since the disappearance of all 108 villagers five years ago, that place has become haunted. Someone even saw ghosts flying around there. It’s terrifying.”

Gu Mingchen looked at the lady boss calmly. He didn’t believe in ghosts. “Do you know why they disappeared?” He asked.

“They said the villagers were consumed by ghosts. Since then, none of the locals dares go into that place.” The lady boss shivered. She didn’t want to talk about this anymore, so the woman went back to the kitchen.

“Chen Zhi.” Gu Mingchen called.

Chen Zhi looked at him and listened closely.

“Go to the local government tomorrow and check the resident record of Tangqian Village. See if there’s anyone studying or working in a different place.” Gu Mingchen said.

“Yes.”

“I think this whole thing reeks of suspicion. What do you think?” Gu Mingchen looked at Bai Rong.

“Ghosts are just psychological offshoots. I think there are still people there in the village, so someone thought they met a ghost. I suggest we do not get a guide this time. Just get a map and go there on our own.” Bai Rong suggested.

“Alright, cancel the plan tomorrow, Chen Zhi. Do it tonight, but don’t let anyone see you. Get a map too.” Gu Mingchen made another order.

“Yes, sir.”

Gu Mingchen and Bai Rong went around for a stroll after their meal. They were going to get some fruits and some info.

Zhenghai Town’s roads were in disrepair. Many places needed to be refurbished, but none took the job. All the shops here closed their doors early. The only places that were open were those that sold supper.

Not even the town had streetlamps, let alone the village.

Bai Rong noticed a fruit shop across from them restocking, so she quickly went ahead. However, the woman stepped into a pit and almost fell. Gu Mingchen quickly held her waist and pulled her to him. “Did you sprain your ankle?” He asked worriedly.

“I didn’t. When was the last time they repaired the road here?” Bai Rong asked.

“Not sure. I’ll get someone to check.”

“Let’s ask the locals.” Bai Rong took Gu Mingchen to the fruit stall.

Gu Mingchen’s eyes dimmed, but he followed Bai Rong to the stall. The woman bought a lot of fruits from the stall owner, then she asked, seemingly casual, “When was the last time the roads here got repaired, sir?”

“Huh? Ten years ago, I think.” The owner replied.

“Ten years ago? The road is in disrepair. If it wasn’t a jerry-built project, then it must have been caused by heavy trucks frequently passing by, right?” Bai Rong peeled a lime and had a slice, then peeled another in half before giving it to Gu Mingchen.

She gave him a weird look, while the man frowned. He hated limes since they were sour. However, since this was given by her, he took a slice and popped it in his mouth. After chewing it once, he gulped it down.

Even though he only chewed once, it was sour enough to torture him. The man stopped eating and held the lime in his hand.

Bai Rong looked at him again, this time with a smile. He had an urge to kiss her. She gave me something sour on purpose. Gu Mingchen wanted to do it, but he held back his desire.

The stall owner explained, “The town next door has a cement factory, so their trucks would pass by occasionally.”

“Oh, right. I heard that the eerie Tangqian Village is in this town.” Bai Rong said.

The stall owner’s expression darkened. “That place is haunted. People disappeared without a trace there. It’s a scary place.”

“There’s been super-hot news floating around lately, stating that the villagers killed themselves because they got infected by something. The previous mayor buried them, and someone even gave him gold for it.” Bai Rong smiled.

“I call bull. That’s nonsense. None of us believe it. I’ll tell you this. The official record was that all villagers committed suicide, and the place was sealed off. Actually…” The owner looked around him before continuing, “I have a friend who lives in that village. Not only is he not dead, the guy’s still alive until this day.”

Gu Mingchen and Bai Rong looked at one another. “Can you tell me where your friend lives?” Bai Rong asked.

The owner looked at them both in alarm. “I don’t think that’s too nice.”

Gu Mingchen handed him a one thousand note and the owner scribbled down his friend’s address happily.

Bai Rong was speechless.

As the night went on, the couple found themselves wide awake. While Bai Rong tossed and turned around thinking about the case, Gu Mingchen pinned her down suddenly.

“What is it?” Bai Rong asked huskily.

“Wanna do it?” Gu Mingchen kissed her.

“Wear a condom.” Bai Rong took the box from the bedside cabinet.

But Gu Mingchen didn’t like condoms. He took the box from her and tossed it on the cabinet.