Ignoring these matters, I looked at the time and said to Jiang Nanfeng, "Let's go again in the middle of the night."
Jiang Nanfeng nodded and sat quietly on the sofa in the living room, looking at the sky outside. I took a deep breath and took out two cans of beer from the refrigerator and handed one to him, "Can your spirits drink?"
"Whether we drink or not doesn't matter; we don't feel hungry." Although Jiang Nanfeng said so, he still took the beer.
I took a sip and sat next to him without saying a word.
After a long silence, Jiang Nanfeng said in a deep voice, "Is the woman you saw a human?"
I looked at him sharply and squinted. In fact, I had also thought about this question. But in the end, I dismissed it, because the characteristics of ghosts and humans are very distinct, they cannot be in the sunlight, yet Jiang Xiumei was standing in the sun without any harm. If she wasn't human, it just didn't make sense.
But Jiang Nanfeng's words at this moment made me doubtful again. After careful consideration, I said, "She is a human. I can tell if she's a ghost."
"I didn't mean that," Jiang Nanfeng shook his hand and then said, "since I died, I have also discovered that there are not only people and ghosts in this world, but also creatures."
"Creatures?" I quickly put the beer in my hand on the coffee table and looked at him without blinking, asking, "Are you saying that Jiang Xiumei is likely to be a creature?"
He nodded, but didn't say a word.
The situation fell into an unusual silence for a moment, and suddenly, I remembered the first time at Jiang Xiumei's house. She had spoken about the popular love story of a snake and a human in the White Snake Legend, and at that time, her expression was very admiring. At that time, I didn't pay too much attention, and I didn't expect there to be another hidden story.
I took a deep breath, and Jiang Xiumei's every move gradually appeared in my mind.
Her attire, her habits, and her panic when she encountered water. When I remembered the first time I went to her house, the black cat mysteriously disappeared. I suddenly stood up from the sofa and looked at Jiang Nanfeng and asked, "The black cat, the black cat, why did I forget about this, Jiang Xiumei is very likely to be that black cat."
This startled Jiang Nanfeng, too. He looked at me in confusion and asked, "What black cat?"
"The one you used to keep as a pet." I said, checking the time. It was already past eight o'clock in the evening, and the time for the cat's activities was about to come.
Before Jiang Nanfeng could speak, I hurriedly opened the door and ran out. After getting in the car, I drove quickly and soon arrived at the building.
Taking a deep breath, I looked at Jiang Nanfeng and said, "I've figured it out just now. We haven't come to the wrong place; it's just an illusion. Wait for me here, I'll be right back."
Without giving him a chance to speak, I rushed to the fourth floor. The door was still covered in cobwebs. I knocked on the door, but there was no response. Just as the old lady across from us was about to open her door, I hurried downstairs.
Sitting in the car, Jiang Nanfeng asked, "Is there nobody?"
"No one," I replied, taking out my phone and looking at the already dim evening. I said in a low voice, "Wait a while, if I'm correct, the room we saw earlier will change before midnight."
This was just my guess because only this guess could explain the bizarre events encountered today.
If Jiang Xiumei really was that black cat, then she must have the habit of being active at night. And midnight was the most active time for a cat. Perhaps at this time, she would be waiting for me at home.
As time passed, I became increasingly anxious, while Jiang Nanfeng showed no signs of hurry, sitting calmly in the passenger seat.
As soon as it struck twelve, I quickly opened the door and got out, with Jiang Nanfeng following behind me, and we hurried to the fourth floor.
With every step up the stairs, my heart was pounding violently, and I had thought through everything that should happen. If I were to expose Jiang Xiumei's true identity, would she kill me directly? Or right in front of me, turn into a black cat?
Despite being scared, if I didn't figure out this matter, I probably wouldn't be able to sleep well in the future.
At the door of the fourth-floor room, it was exactly as I had imagined. The door, originally covered in cobwebs, was now completely clean, without a speck of dust or any dirt.
Having Jiang Nanfeng hide at the corner of the stairs, I gently knocked on the door. The door opened quickly, and Jiang Xiumei's deep and slender eyes, like a cat's, appeared in front of me.
"You're here so early today," Jiang Xiumei glanced at me, holding a cigarette in her hand.
I stepped inside and asked in a deep voice, "I came during the day and knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered."
She smiled and smoothed her long hair, saying, "I was sleeping, probably too soundly, so I didn't hear anything."
"You are lying!" I leaned against the door, afraid that she would erupt in anger and kill me inside this room.
Jiang Xiumei showed no panic, squinted her long eyes and asked, "Mingyang, what's wrong with you today?"
I grabbed her hand, her nails were very sharp, but this was not the time to worry about that. Looking into her eyes, I asked softly, "When I knocked on the door, the old lady in the house told me that the woman who lived in this room had committed suicide two years ago. You are not a human at all!"
Jiang Xiumei abruptly pulled back her hand, turned her head and laughed. I was surprised because usually many people would explain, but she didn't. Instead, she casually said, "It seems you already know."
I didn't reply, and she continued, "Actually, I am indeed not a human. This house is just created based on the environment I used to live in. I was planning to tell you tonight and then leave, but now it seems that I don't need to say it anymore."
Surveying the surroundings, and not seeing any black cat, I looked at the picture on the wall of Jiang Nanfeng holding the black cat and asked tentatively, "Are you really that black cat?"
Jiang Xiumei nodded and said, "Yes, many people call me the cat demon."
I was not afraid, but rather excited as I asked, "Why did you come to me then?"
She squeezed out a smile and said, "Because you are not an ordinary person. Your destiny is half human and half ghost. There are some things you can help me achieve."
My grandfather had told me this before, and at this moment I was not afraid. After looking at her for a while, I asked softly, "What do you want to do?"
Jiang Xiumei continued to smile and said, "Do you remember what I said when we first met? I have been waiting for someone. I don't know if that person will appear, or when, but when I met you, I felt that this person will soon appear before me."
"Jiang Nanfeng, you are waiting for Jiang Nanfeng!" I looked at her and said each word.