13 Mingke Street

Chapter 18 Dear

"Yes, my husband went out specially yesterday to visit a friend, but unfortunately the friend was not at home, I believe it must be you?""Yes, madam, you can call me Karen.""Please come in."Linda opened the courtyard door and invited Karen in.Karen then handed the box of deluxe macarons to Linda.He specifically chose it at the pastry shop, the most high-end one that costs 500 Lu coins per box.The shopkeeper also gave some small cakes as a gift, which Karen gave to the driver, regardless of whether it was his actual birthday or not, purely because Karen doesn't like to eat overly sweet things.Spending 500 Lu coins on a box of pastries is indeed a bit extravagant, but because the family they are visiting is well-off, the corresponding gift cannot be too shabby.

I can't possibly carry a big bag of egg cakes with 50 Lu coins to your door.After all, they have given me a consultation fee of 20,000 Lu coins."You are too kind, there's no need to bring a gift.""It's my pleasure.""Mr. Karen, did you and my husband meet while fishing? Are you fishing buddies?"I met your husband when I was burning you."Yes, your husband taught me a lot about fishing.""I see."Linda led Karen into the living room;"Would you like coffee or tea?"

"Coffee." Karen paused and added, "With extra sugar.""Okay, please wait a moment."Soon, Linda brought over the coffee and a plate of snacks.Karen took a sip of the coffee,Her eyebrows furrowed from the bitterness,She wanted to ask if they really added sugar?Due to her eating habits, Karen never had a special attachment to coffee. In her previous life, when she was young and striving for her career, she liked to use coffee to stay alert. Later, when her conditions improved, she had the ability to improve her living standards and tried many higher quality coffees, but she couldn't get used to them.It was the same with tea, she was used to brewing a large pot at a time, and didn't have the mindset to pursue finer details."Do your two pets need some food prepared for them?" Linda asked."You're too kind, it's not necessary."

"My husband is taking a nap right now, I'll go up and wake him up so you can talk to him. I'm sorry, it might take a while.""Okay, madam."Linda went upstairs.Karen got up and walked around the living room. Above the fireplace hung a large oil painting of Linda and Piajie. She also saw some photo frames on the coffee table, which were travel photos of the couple. From the backgrounds, it seemed like they had been to many countries."They really look like a perfect match."In addition, the Adams family was really wealthy. Their single-family villa was twice the price of the Inmores'. After all, this area was considered the true wealthy area of Luo Jia City."Linda, Linda?"A familiar voice came from outside.Karen walked out of the living room and saw Mrs. Seymour standing outside the gate.

"Oh my goodness."Mrs. Seymour saw Karen and her face immediately turned red, covering her mouth.She had completely lost control of her emotions yesterday, so she did many impulsive things. She didn't really care about the expensive funeral package and going to the luxury store in a hearse. Although she lived a simple life, her family was actually quite wealthy. After her husband passed away, she became the sole inheritor of his estate and she had money.What made her extremely embarrassed last night was that she actually asked that young man to sleep with her.Oh my goodness,Am I crazy!She spent the entire second half of the night in shame and self-blame, and finally fell asleep when it was almost dawn.But in her dream, she actually slept with that handsome young man.When she woke up,

She first slapped herself twice,Then she laughed again.But who would have thought, at this moment the neighbor saw that young man again."Mrs. Seymour, hello." Karen took the initiative to greet."Mr. Karen, I didn't expect you to be here too. Oh, I forgot, you said last night that you and Mr. Adams are friends.""Yes, I came to visit him today.""I originally came to talk to Linda about how to handle my husband's belongings at home. I want to donate those clothes and shoes to charity.""You are really kind.""Since there are guests at home, I will go back first."When there are guests at home, the hostess must entertain them.

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Karen, could you come to my house later?"Karen showed no resistance,because for a lady, no, for a woman, it was extremely cruel and impolite.At the same time, he also knew that Mrs. Seymour, who had already sobered up, would not do anything out of line, especially since she was still a major customer at home."Of course, I would be happy to visit you."Mrs. Seymour smiled and said, "My husband has a watch that I think would suit you well. I would like to give it to you. I noticed that you don't have a watch on your wrist."In fact, Mrs. Shius had given him one before.But because of his habits from his past life, Karen didn't like wearing watches and didn't go out much."I'll come over later to admire that watch.""Okay."

Mrs. Simor smiled and left.Karen walked back to the living room and saw a sleepy and disheveled Piajie coming down the stairs."Oh, Karen, your arrival honors me greatly."Piajie walked down the stairs, opened his arms, and gave Karen a big hug.Then, he looked at the coffee on the table and apologized, "I'm sorry, you have to make your own coffee even though you just arrived.""It was your wife who made it for me," Karen said."My wife? Who?" Piajie looked puzzled. "Oh my, Linda has already passed away. Did you forget, Karen? You were the one who gave me her ashes."

"This, I should be the one to say to you, right?"So, you think I opened the gate and walked into your house by myself?""Well, otherwise?" Piajie smiled, "I don't usually lock the door because the security in this area is very good. The police chief lives across the street.You are my friend, even though we have only met once, I have already decided that you are my friend. So it's normal for a friend to come into my house and make a cup of coffee, isn't it?This shows that you, Karen, also consider me a true friend, don't you need to be bound by those formalities?""Piajie.""Yes?""I have to remind you, it was Linda who opened the door for me just now, and she also made the coffee for me. Then, she went upstairs to call you for a nap.""Are you crazy?"Piajie looked carefully into Karen's eyes and asked with concern, "Have you encountered something recently that has stimulated your mind?"

"Yes, it's about you.""Let's sit down and talk." Piajie sat down and reached for a pastry, taking a bite.Karen also sat down and glanced at Puer, who was lying on the sofa, while the golden retriever was playing with butterflies in the backyard.Karen swore that she would never bring that stupid dog out again.Karen spoke up, "Your wife has left.""I know.""But Mrs. Simmer next door said she received an apple pie from your wife herself yesterday morning.""How is that possible!""It's true, and I just saw Linda myself.""You're all crazy, Linda is gone. I personally held her ashes and buried her."

Piajie took out a box of cigarettes and handed one to Karen, who accepted it.Immediately,Piajie lit a cigarette for both of them with a lighter.After the smoke cleared for a moment,Piajie suddenly grabbed his hair and laughed:"To be honest, I feel like I'm going crazy too;Because these days, I always have a feeling that Linda didn't leave but has been taking care of me, but I think it's just because I'm used to her presence, and at the same time, I also enjoy this feeling.""Do you mind if I go upstairs to take a look?" Karen asked."Of course not, come on, I'll show you around."

Piajie led Karen up the stairs.In fact, true wealth is not only reflected in the price of the house, but often in the decoration.Karen noticed the delicate wood carvings under the stair railing, and looked at the walls and decorations on the ceiling. He felt that the cost of decoration might be more expensive than the price of the house."The second floor is my bedroom and study, as well as my wife's art studio. My wife is a painter and has held a personal art exhibition in Luo Jia City.Here is my study."Karen walked in and took a look around.Although it was low-key and restrained, anyone who wasn't a fool could feel that the "price" of this study was much more expensive than Dis's study.After walking around, Karen walked out."This is my wife's art studio."Inside the studio, many paintings were covered with curtains.

"Can you appreciate Mrs. Neng's paintings?""Of course, feel free."Karen unveiled the curtain on a painting,In the painting,It is divided into two compositions;Below, there are dry bones and ruins, with a naked man lying on the ground, facing upwards.Above, there is lush grass, and a group of men and women are dancing around a bonfire, with happy smiles on their faces.When Karen saw this painting, she instinctively took a breath:"Berryism?""Yes, Karen, do you also have a good understanding of religion?" Piajie asked with a smile, "My wife loves and excels at painting religious paintings, and this one is called 'God's Veil' in Berryism."

"Berry's true god, exiled himself to eternal darkness and solitude, in exchange for the freedom and romance of his followers in heaven." Karen nodded and unveiled the second painting; this painting also had two compositions, but it was horizontal. On the left, a man was singing in heaven, while on the right, a man with the same appearance was howling in the skull mountain of hell. In the middle, there was a black river, soaking the feet of the two identical men. "The Abyssal God Church," Karen said. "Yes, the Abyssal God divided his body in half, with one half entering heaven and the other half entering hell, ultimately creating the abyss between heaven and hell. In Rulan, there are actually very few people who know about this sect." Two down, one more to go. Karen reached for the curtain of the third painting in order.

But as his hand was about to touch the curtain, he stopped.Is this a coincidence?It's no longer a coincidence that can be explained.And he had a premonition that this third painting might correspond to the next victim, which is... the next piece of art.As Karen hesitated, Piaj eagerly helped him uncover the curtain.Inside,there was a woman,her body seemed to be falling into a gaping mouth of blood, and as she fell, her body began to separate.If you look closely, you can see the details of the woman's body, the joints that have fallen off and the intricate patterns."What is this?" Karen asked, "Which church does it belong to?"

"Order Church," Piajie said, "It's rare to meet someone you don't know, haha.""Order Church?""Yes, the Order Church is a widely spread church that worships the God of Order. They believe that everything in the world needs to operate according to order, and they are the guardians of order.And this person is the daughter of the God of Order, her name is Ankara.Legend has it that after the God of Order created the rules of order, the first one to make a mistake was his daughter, Ankara.In order to uphold the laws of order,the God of Order did not show favoritism and punished his daughter by throwing her into the mouth of a ferocious beast, erasing her body and soul.Her deathalso lit the light of order.This means that order, law, is above human nature, above emotions."

"It turns out to be like this." Karen suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.Because in his mind, he had already imagined the killer picking up a knife and starting to cut ribs when facing the next victim, and at the same time, he could hear the sound of chopping ribs in his ears."Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"The bones and minced meat began to splatter.A feeling of nausea also followed."Are you feeling unwell?" Piajie asked with concern, reaching out to support Karen's arm.Karen pushed him away,"Don't touch me."Then, Karen began to gasp heavily;After a long time,

He apologized, "I'm sorry, my heart has been having some problems, sometimes it twitches a few times.""This is a serious issue, Linda also had heart disease, her passing was also related to heart problems. Karen, please listen to my advice, you should go to a good hospital for a check-up and serious treatment.Or, you could just go to Vienna, the top hospitals are there.""I know, thank you."Karen left the studio, with Piaje following beside him, worried about him.Passing by the bedroom, Piaje spoke up, "Do you want to lie down and rest here for a while?""No, thank you."Even though he said no, Karen still glanced at the bedroom a few times.But it was just those few glances,

He found something."What is it?" Karen asked."Which one?""Under the bed, pink."Pierre walked over, bent down, reached under the bed and pulled out a pink piece of clothing. He continued to search and pulled out shoes and socks."This...this is Linda's clothes, how did it end up under the bed?" Pierre couldn't believe it, "How is this possible...how is this possible...""Pierre, the one who made coffee for me just now, was it you?" "Me...I made coffee for you?" Pierre pointed to himself."You pretended to be your wife." Karen said."I pretended to be my wife?" Pierre's chest started to heave. Just when Karen thought there might be some physical accident, he sat down on the bed, feeling defeated. "Karen, I think there must be something wrong with my mind. I don't remember those things, but there is still warmth on this piece of clothing."

"I think, I must have split personality. In my consciousness, a Linda has split out. When I am asleep, Linda wakes up, and when I wake up, Linda falls asleep.""Your makeup skills are really good." Karen exclaimed.He didn't notice before that Linda was actually Piaget in disguise.Of course, this is also because they are such a perfect couple, so it's easy to pretend."I learned ballet." Piaget smiled bitterly. "I had to do my own makeup for college performances.""Oh." Karen nodded."Sorry, I scared you.""No, it's okay."Piaget looked up at the chandelier on the ceiling,reached out,

I touched my chest:"Actually, it was me who actively let Linda stay in my heart, and it was you, Karen, who helped me make up my mind to try to split out a second personality. Thank you, Karen."You don't blame me?"No...you're welcome."It's good that you don't blame me, I feel quite guilty.Piajie reached out and rubbed his already fluffy hair,saying:"Sorry, Karen, I want to be alone for a while. There's a wine cellar in the basement, you can go down and have a drink by yourself.""No need, I'll come see you another day. Sorry for disturbing you.""No, you didn't. I'm glad to see you, really."

"I am too." Perhaps because both of us are in the field of psychology, "opening up" and "accepting" are both simple, without too many complicated processes. "Meow..." I don't know when, Puer also came to the second floor, right under Karen's feet, seemingly curious as well, staring at the bedroom. Karen took one last look at Piajie, picked up Puer, and walked down the stairs. When they reached the yard, the golden retriever followed them happily. Karen pushed open the yard door, walked out, and closed it behind them. Looking up, they saw the second floor, where the window of the studio was facing. "Is he the second personality that he split off on his own?" They sighed,

Karen walked towards Mrs. Seymour's house next door. Before she could ring the doorbell, Mrs. Seymour, who had been waiting in the foyer, came out and warmly asked, "How are Mr. Adams and Linda doing?""He's doing well," Karen replied....Upstairs, in the bedroom.Pierre closed his eyes, tears gently streaming down his cheeks.Linda,My Linda,I don't want to lose you, and I won't lose you. No matter what, I will keep you by my side.For you,

I am willing to deceive myself.Just at this moment,The drawer of the dressing table facing the bed slowly opens, and from inside, there is a stack of flesh-colored clothes slowly standing up.It spreads out of the drawer, spreads to the ground, and spreads to Piajie's side.Immediately,It begins to stand up, it is very thin, and there are clear folding marks on its body, just like... a piece of paper, a flesh-colored paper;But at this moment, she gradually unfolds into a human form, but this human form is too thin, without any sense of three-dimensionality.She reaches out,Gently covers Piajie's forehead,Then,

She began to gradually lean towards Piajie,More precisely,It was merging.Just like milk, poured into coffee, in a very gentle way, turned into another color.Piajie's face,Is gradually becoming... Linda.For a long time,Linda (Piajie) opened her eyes,She hugged herself with both hands,Muttered:

"Dear, I will never leave you."------------I have something to do tonight, so I won't be able to write. Don't wait for me.Actually, I had 6 chapters saved before I started publishing, and I've already used them all.You may ask why I didn't save more chapters before publishing. It's because without all of you, I don't have the creative atmosphere and I enjoy sharing the joy of finishing a chapter and immediately publishing it with you.Lastly,For the new book, I ask for everyone's recommendation and monthly votes. Our position on the new book ranking is too low, only in first place.