You Owe Me, My Love novel Chapter 358

Chapter 358 Among Us

The ladies in the room let out screams of horror, and an unnerving enshrouded the room. Some at the table stood up by reflex, while some instinctively squatted down. The creaking sounds of chairs being dragged filled the room.

Wu Nian felt that her heart was at her throat.

The mysterious disappearance of the steamship and the sudden electrical outage seemed to be linked in an eerie way. They felt like incidents leading up to a murder, not to mention that they were on an isolated, independently-managed island.

“Yan!” Wu Nian called out worriedly.

In the darkness, a warm hand suddenly grabbed her waist from behind.

Bai Rong tensed up but was immediately pulled into a comforting embrace. “It’s okay.” Gu Mingchen’s deep voice echoed in her ears.

Wu Nian’s heart raced. For a moment, she felt as if she had traveled back in time- his familiar baritone voice, his familiar touch, and his gentleness pulled at her heartstrings.

“I’m not scared.” Wu Nian tried to push his hand away.

Someone at the table had found their phone and turned on the flashlight function.

“Argh!” Someone let out a panicked scream.

Wu Nian unconsciously grabbed the hem of Gu Mingchen’s shirt.

Gu Mingchen lowered his head and peered at her face. The dim light carved out a blurred outline of her side profile. She looked like a goddess in abstract artwork.

He blinked. If not for her face, he would whole-heartedly believe that he was holding Bai Rong in his arms at that moment.

Calm, resilient, cold, but intrinsically cute. That was how Bai Rong had always been.

She had kept away her sorrowful secrets to herself and refused to rely on others in the name of independence for too long. Moments where she would show her vulnerable side always hit the soft spot in his heart.

One such instance was when she rescued a pregnant woman who was held hostage during a mission. Though he was impressed with how she remained strong and courageous throughout the mission, he could never forget how she cried in his arms.

“Rong, is this you?” Gu Mingchen asked softly.

Wu Nian trembled. Panicking, she let go of Gu Mingchen’s shirt and tried to move a little further from him.

The darkness seemed to have kept her flustered expression well hidden. “I’m not. Mr. Gu, you’ve got the wrong person. I just happen to have a similar voice as your ex-wife.”

Gu Mingchen grabbed her hands.

Wu Nian struggled and quickly broke free.

“I’ve brought candles. Phew. We’re lucky to have some spares. I’ll get someone to check on the electricity generator later,” the butler reported to Stephen, holding a lit candle as he walked into the living room.

“Daddy? What’s going on?” Lisa asked in annoyance, though her face was visibly pale under the dim light of the candle.

“I’m not sure. Maybe the electricity generator malfunctioned.” Stephen tried his best to comfort everyone.

“And what about the steamship?” Lisa continued.

Stephen caught sight of Xia He in the corner and moved toward her. “Are you sure that the steamship is not at the dock?”

“I’m very sure!” Xia He nodded profusely, glancing at Gu Mingchen with a subtle look of guilt. Upon meeting his piercing gaze, she looked away instinctively.

She knew that Gu Mingchen must have seen through her scheme of running away.

With him in the know of her plans, there was no way that she could escape the island, nor could she hide the truth from him.

“Ollie… Ollie? Ollie!” The screams of Kyle for his wife suddenly resounded in the room.

Everyone turned in the direction of his voice and was greeted by the sight of Stephen’s eldest daughter, Ollie, sitting on her chair with her head rolled back and her hands falling limply by her sides.

“Ollie, did you faint from the blackout? What a scaredy-cat!” Lisa broke the silence.

As Kyle tried to carry Ollie to the sofa, he spotted a splash of red on her neck and the glint of metal – a dagger had been stabbed into the back of her neck. “Ollie! Ollie!” He screeched, putting a finger below her nose.

His face instantly turned a deathly white. Turning his head shakily to look at Stephen, he stammered, “She… she… is… dead… dead.”

“Dead? How is that possible?” Stephen hurried over.

Wu Nian observed the area punctured by the blade of the dagger, frowned, and looked to Xia He.

Xia He immediately shook her head.

“Don’t touch her. Call the police!” Wu Nian said in concern.

She grabbed her bag, which was hung on the chair, and dug for her phone.

“Huh? There’s no signal!” Lisa’s friend shrieked, looking rather distressed.

“Nian, there’s no signal for me too. What’s going on?” Liu Yan was also starting to freak out, and she moved a little closer to Wu Nian.

Staring at the screen of her own phone, Wu Nian was hit by the same plight.

“Can we run a check on our signal transmitter? What is going on?” Stephen thundered.

“Got it.” The butler promptly got on his way.

“It’s best for everyone to stay in the living room,” Wu Nian suggested.

“Why?” Lisa seemed to be on the brink of tears. “My sister just died here! I’m scared!”

“The signal and electricity have been cut. The steamship is also gone. Whoever planned this out must be after more than one of us.” Wu Nian gave her analysis.

Gu Mingchen’s gaze on Wu Nian intensified.

Of course, it would be possible for personality traits to be imitated and for behavior patterns to be copied. However, having the exact combination of both on another person seemed too much of a stretch. It would be too difficult to test the individual’s learning abilities and intuitive prowess in analyzing situations.

The fact that Wu Nian could point out the main point of concern so quickly could only mean two things – Wu Nian was smart enough to put up the perfect disguise, or she was actually Bai Rong.

Just the possibility of Wu Nian being Bai Rong made Gu Mingchen’s heart race. His breaths also became more hectic as he stared at the woman standing before him. The flickering candle flames reflected in his eyes made it seem like he was in a frenetic trance.

“Who else is the killer after?” Lisa felt a crippling sense of fear creep up her spine. As she turned to look at Ollie, she felt goosebumps all over. She shakily covered her face.

“I’m not so sure about that for now, but…” Wu Nian paused and looked down.

“But what?” Lisa asked.

After a moment of hesitation, Wu Nian met gazes with Lisa.

If she were to say it, the sense of panic and fear in the room would be exacerbated. But it’ll help them keep their guards up… or would they start second-guessing each other’s behavior?

Or maybe, it’ll somehow intimidate the killer.

“The killer is among us,” Wu Nian said.

“What?” Lisa stumbled backward and recoiled against the wall, glancing at the rest of the people in the room nervously.

“Ms. Wu, are you sure?” Stephen was beginning to feel afraid too. After all, his own daughter had just died in that very room.

“In the ten seconds between the blackout and the appearance of the flashlight from the phone, the living room remained sealed off from outside, meaning that the killer had enough time to come in and murder Ollie but insufficient time to leave the scene after doing the deed. Therefore, the killer must be among us. There’s no time for him or her to run,” Wu Nian explained calmly.

“Could it be suicide? I’ve seen a friend who stabbed a needle into his temples in a similar fashion as everything that has transpired so far.” Gu Mingchen’s deep voice could be heard from behind her.

Of course, he knew that it was not a suicide. He just wanted to test Wu Nian.

The incident that he mentioned was analyzed and resolved by Bai Rong herself. She would be more familiar with it than him.

“It’s possible for one to stab one’s temples, but not quite possible for one to stab a dagger precisely through one’s spine. Ollie died from a hemorrhage caused by an incision into her spine. It couldn’t have been suicide,” Wu Nian replied.

“So, the killer is indeed among us!” Stephen’s eyes widened as he looked at his guests. He seemed to be getting increasingly displeased and was keen on chasing his guests out of his house.