Slow Burn
3242 Words
The voice faded.
Then everything went silent.
Wanning remained at the bottom of the staircase, staring into the darkness above.
The gemstone against her chest had stopped glowing.
But it was warm.
Too warm.
Gu stood a few steps ahead of her, his shoulders rigid, his attention fixed on the upper floor.
Liliana stood behind them.
For once, she wasn’t pretending to be calm.
“Gu Chenyuan,” she whispered.
He didn’t answer.
“Gu Chenyuan…”
“What?”
Liliana swallowed.
“Who is Zhenyuan?”
Gu’s expression changed.
Wanning looked at him too.
The question had been sitting between them for days.
Who was Gu Zhenyuan?
Why did his mother call him that?
Why was his old portrait labeled with that name?
Why did the woman in white know it?
And why did everyone seem to know something about him except him?
Gu finally said,
“Apparently, I am.”
Liliana stared.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“I’m aware.”
Wanning looked at the staircase.
“We should leave.”
Gu turned toward her.
“You wanted answers.”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“You usually do.”
“Thank you for noticing.”
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing.”
Wanning glanced at him.
He looked completely serious.
She couldn’t tell whether he was joking anymore.
Then another sound came from upstairs.
A slow scrape.
Something dragged across the floor.
Liliana immediately grabbed Wanning’s arm.
Wanning looked down at her hand.
Liliana released her.
“Sorry.”
Her voice was small.
Wanning studied her.
This was not the Liliana she knew.
The spoiled girl who could scream at their mother for buying the wrong shoes.
The girl who cried whenever their father refused to give her money.
The girl who could insult Wanning and then immediately turn around and behave like an innocent angel.
That Liliana was gone.
At least for the moment.
“You’re scared.”
Liliana shook her head.
“No.”
“You are.”
“I said I’m not.”
“You’re holding your handbag upside down.”
Liliana looked down.
She was.
She quickly corrected it.
“I knew that.”
Wanning almost laughed.
Almost.
Gu turned toward the stairs.
“We’re going up.”
Wanning stared at him.
“Why?”
“Because she wants us to.”
“That is exactly why we shouldn’t.”
Gu looked at her.
“Then why did she call us?”
“Maybe she’s trying to kill us.”
“Possible.”
“Then why are you going?”
“Because I want to know why.”
Wanning sighed.
“Of course.”
Gu walked upstairs.
Wanning followed.
Liliana remained below.
After three steps, Wanning looked back.
“You’re coming?”
Liliana hesitated.
“You want me to?”
“No.”
Liliana frowned.
“Then why did you ask?”
“Because if you stay down there and something happens, I’ll have to come looking for you.”
Liliana stared at her.
For a brief moment, something complicated passed through her eyes.
Then she followed.
The upper floor was colder.
The corridor was long and dark.
A single candle burned at the far end.
Wanning stared at it.
“That wasn’t there before.”
“No,” Gu said.
Liliana whispered,
“How can a candle light itself?”
“Don’t ask questions you don’t want answered.”
Liliana looked offended.
“I was just asking.”
They continued.
The candle flame suddenly went out.
Then another appeared farther ahead.
Then another.
One after another, candles lit themselves down the corridor.
Creating a path.
Gu stopped.
Wanning almost walked into him.
“What?”
“Look.”
She looked.
At the end of the corridor stood a door.
It was enormous.
Old.
Black.
There was a symbol carved into it.
Two halves of a heart.
Wanning’s hand went instinctively to her necklace.
The gemstone warmed again.
Gu noticed.
“Don’t touch it.”
“You’ve said that about five times.”
“Because you keep doing it.”
“I keep forgetting.”
“You’re not very good at following instructions.”
“I’m beginning to think you enjoy bossing me around.”
“I don’t.”
“Then why do you do it?”
Gu looked at her.
“I don’t know.”
That answer again.
He didn’t know.
So many things about him were controlled.
His voice.
His expression.
His movements.
But whenever it came to Wanning, there were moments when he seemed just as confused as she was.
Gu reached for the door.
Wanning grabbed his sleeve.
He looked down.
“Wait.”
She released him immediately.
“Sorry.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know.”
She stared at the door.
“I just…”
She couldn’t explain it.
Something about the door made her uncomfortable.
Not fear.
Something else.
Recognition.
Her fingers tingled.
Then a voice whispered inside her head.
Don’t open it.
Wanning stepped backward.
Gu noticed.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Wanning.”
She looked at him.
“I heard something.”
“What?”
“A voice.”
Gu’s expression sharpened.
“What did it say?”
She hesitated.
“Don’t open the door.”
Liliana’s face went pale.
“Then don’t.”
Gu stared at the door.
Wanning expected him to ignore her.
Instead, he stepped away.
That surprised her.
“You’re not opening it?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“You heard it.”
“So?”
“So we don’t know what is behind it.”
Wanning blinked.
“You actually listened to me?”
“Yes.”
“That is new.”
Gu looked at her.
“I don’t have to disagree with you every time.”
“Interesting.”
They turned to leave.
The door opened by itself.
Slowly.
A long creak filled the corridor.
Liliana screamed.
Wanning jumped.
Gu immediately moved in front of both women.
The room beyond was completely dark.
Then something inside whispered,
“Zhenyuan.”
Gu stared into the darkness.
A woman’s voice followed.
“You came back.”
Gu’s eyes narrowed.
“Who are you?”
A figure appeared.
White dress.
Long black hair.
Bare feet.
The same woman.
Wanning recognized her immediately.
Shen Yuexin.
At least, that was the name she had given them.
She stood inside the room.
Her face looked almost human.
Almost.
“Do you remember me?”
Gu remained still.
“No.”
The woman smiled.
“You always say that.”
“I don’t remember.”
“You will.”
She looked at Wanning.
“But she will remember first.”
Wanning’s stomach tightened.
“What does that mean?”
The woman smiled at her.
“You already know.”
“No, I don’t.”
“You remember the rain.”
Wanning stopped.
Rain.
The night she ran from the wedding.
The road.
The forest.
The mansion.
The open gate.
The portrait.
Gu.
She remembered all of it.
“What about the rain?”
“You followed it.”
“What?”
“You followed the path that led you here.”
Wanning shook her head.
“No. I was running away.”
“Yes.”
“From my family.”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t know this place existed.”
“You didn’t need to.”
The woman stepped closer.
“The heart knew.”
Wanning touched the gemstone.
The woman smiled.
“It called you.”
Gu’s voice became colder.
“Enough.”
The woman looked at him.
“You still protect her.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t know why.”
“No.”
“And yet you would die for her.”
Gu didn’t answer.
Wanning looked at him.
The woman laughed softly.
“That’s what makes this so beautiful.”
“Beautiful?”
Wanning’s anger rose.
“You call this beautiful?”
The woman looked at her.
“You haven’t seen the end.”
“I don’t want to.”
“You will.”
She raised her hand.
The gemstone around Wanning’s neck suddenly pulled forward.
The chain tightened.
Wanning gasped.
Gu grabbed her.
“Take it off.”
“I can’t!”
The gemstone flashed.
A vision struck her.
A courtyard.
Rain.
Red lanterns.
A young woman in a wedding dress.
She was crying.
A man stood before her.
She couldn’t see his face.
But she knew him.
She knew that voice.
“Don’t leave me.”
The woman cried.
“You promised.”
The man reached for her.
“I’ll fix it.”
“You can’t.”
“I will.”
“You already chose.”
Then the vision changed.
The same woman was standing beside a river.
The man was on his knees.
Blood covered his hands.
“No!”
He screamed.
“Come back!”
Wanning gasped.
The vision vanished.
She stumbled.
Gu caught her before she hit the floor.
“What did you see?”
Wanning struggled to breathe.
“A wedding.”
Gu went still.
“Whose?”
“I don’t know.”
“Who was the man?”
“I couldn’t see his face.”
The woman in white stood at the doorway.
“You did.”
Wanning looked at her.
“You saw him.”
The woman smiled.
“You simply forgot.”
Then she disappeared.
Wanning looked at Gu.
His face had gone pale.
“Did you see it too?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
“Then why do you look like that?”
“I heard something.”
“What?”
He stared into the empty room.
“My own voice.”
Wanning frowned.
“What did it say?”
Gu answered quietly.
“Don’t leave me.”
Silence.
Liliana covered her mouth.
Wanning looked away.
Something about those words made the room feel smaller.
Gu had forgotten.
Yet his voice remembered.
His body remembered.
His heart remembered.
Wanning didn’t know whether that was romantic or terrifying.
Probably both.
They left the room.
Nobody spoke until they reached the lower floor.
Gu searched the house for his mother.
Nothing.
No Gu Meilin.
No sign of her.
Wanning found another letter on the table.
She picked it up.
The paper was fresh.
That was impossible.
The handwriting was old.
She read aloud.
“My son was never supposed to become the man he became.”
Gu turned.
Wanning continued.
“I changed his name because the dead knew the old one.”
She looked at him.
“Gu Zhenyuan was the name given to the child born after the first bride disappeared.”
Gu’s eyes narrowed.
“Continue.”
“If he remembers the first marriage, the curse will awaken completely.”
Wanning’s fingers tightened around the paper.
“But if the bride returns, his heart will recognize her before his mind does.”
She stopped.
Gu said,
“There’s more.”
She continued.
“This is why I hid him. Not because he was dangerous. Because loving her was.”
Wanning slowly lowered the paper.
Gu looked at her.
Neither spoke.
Liliana broke the silence.
“So…”
She looked between them.
“His love is basically the problem?”
Wanning gave her a strange look.
“That is your conclusion?”
“I’m trying to understand.”
“You’re doing a terrible job.”
“I know.”
For some reason, Wanning almost smiled.
Liliana looked at Gu.
“If you really loved her before, why don’t you remember?”
Gu answered,
“Because someone took the memories.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
Wanning looked at the letter.
“Maybe the curse.”
Gu shook his head.
“No.”
“How do you know?”
“Because the memories aren’t gone.”
Wanning looked up.
“What?”
“They’re buried.”
“What’s the difference?”
“If they were gone, I wouldn’t feel anything.”
Wanning didn’t respond.
Gu looked at her.
“When I look at you, I feel like I’ve known you for longer than my own memory allows.”
Her expression softened for only a second.
Then she caught herself.
“That’s still weird.”
“Yes.”
“You’re not going to suddenly start calling me your ancient wife, are you?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“I don’t remember the marriage.”
“Excellent.”
“But…”
He paused.
Wanning waited.
“I don’t think forgetting it changes what happened.”
She stared at him.
“What are you saying?”
Gu looked away.
“I don’t know yet.”
That was probably the most honest answer he had given her.
And somehow, it made her more uncomfortable than a confident declaration would have.
Because there was no manipulation in it.
No attempt to force her into accepting something.
He simply didn’t know.
But he was willing to find out.
A phone rang.
Liliana looked down.
Their mother’s name appeared on the screen.
She answered.
“Hello, Mum.”
Her mother’s voice came through immediately.
“Where are you?”
“At Wanning’s.”
“Why?”
“I’m checking on her.”
“Your sister has always been troublesome. Don’t let her drag you into whatever nonsense she’s doing.”
Liliana looked at Wanning.
Wanning heard every word.
Her mother’s voice continued.
“Your father is worried about you. Come home.”
“I’ll come later.”
“Liliana.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t stay with Wanning too long.”
Liliana’s face tightened.
“Why?”
“You know how she is.”
Wanning looked away.
She had heard that sentence her whole life.
You know how she is.
As though being abandoned at ten was her fault.
As though being replaced by her sister was her fault.
As though refusing to marry a stranger was her fault.
As though every family problem somehow had her fingerprints on it.
Liliana ended the call.
For a moment she said nothing.
Then she whispered,
“She really loves me.”
Wanning looked at her.
“Yes.”
Liliana smiled faintly.
“She always chooses me.”
Wanning said nothing.
Liliana looked at her.
“You hate that.”
“No.”
“You do.”
“I don’t.”
“You’re lying.”
Wanning folded the letter.
“I stopped expecting anything from them a long time ago.”
Liliana looked down.
Then she said,
“That’s sad.”
Wanning’s eyes hardened.
“Don’t pity me.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Good.”
Liliana sighed.
“You know, sometimes I wonder what would happen if they had loved you the way they loved me.”
Wanning stared at her.
“Don’t.”
Liliana looked surprised.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t become thoughtful now.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know what to do with it.”
Liliana didn’t answer.
Gu watched them silently.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
“Speak.”
A man’s voice came through.
Gu listened.
His expression changed.
“Where?”
He listened again.
“Send someone.”
He ended the call.
Wanning looked at him.
“What happened?”
“They found someone.”
“Who?”
“Lin Wei.”
Wanning remembered the name.
Gu Mingyuan’s old servant.
The man who disappeared more than seventy years ago.
“Where?”
Gu looked at her.
“Outside the village.”
Wanning immediately stood.
“We’re going.”
Gu nodded.
Liliana frowned.
“Who is Lin Wei?”
“Someone who may know the truth.”
“I’m coming.”
“No.”
Liliana’s expression fell.
“Why?”
“Because this doesn’t concern you.”
She looked at Wanning.
“I came because I was trying to help her.”
Gu’s voice remained calm.
“You’ve done enough.”
Liliana’s eyes filled with tears.
Wanning expected Gu to soften.
He didn’t.
Instead, he said,
“Go home.”
Liliana stared at him.
She looked humiliated.
Wanning almost felt sorry for her.
Almost.
Then Liliana’s phone vibrated.
She glanced down.
A new message appeared.
Her face changed.
Wanning noticed.
“What now?”
Liliana didn’t answer.
“Show me.”
Liliana slowly turned the phone.
The message read:
DO NOT LET THEM FIND LIN WEI.
Another message arrived.
HE REMEMBERS WHAT GU CHENYUAN FORGOT.
Then another.
AND HE KNOWS WHO THE FIRST BRIDE REALLY WAS.
Wanning looked at Gu.
Gu looked at the screen.
His expression became cold.
“Whoever is sending these messages knows where we are.”
Liliana nodded.
“So what do we do?”
Gu took out his phone.
“Leave.”
“Where?”
“The village.”
Wanning grabbed her coat.
Liliana followed.
Gu stopped her.
“You’re staying.”
“No.”
“Liliana.”
“I want to know who is sending these messages.”
Gu stared at her.
“So do I.”
“Then let me come.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t trust you.”
Liliana looked hurt.
Wanning spoke before she could.
“She’s not the one sending the messages.”
Gu looked at Wanning.
“How do you know?”
“I don’t.”
“Then why defend her?”
Wanning shrugged.
“Because if she wanted me dead, she’d probably tell Mum first.”
Liliana looked offended.
“That is such a horrible thing to say.”
“Is it false?”
Liliana opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
Gu almost smiled.
Almost.
They left the house.
Outside, the rain had stopped.
But the road ahead was covered in mist.
Gu’s car waited near the gate.
Wanning opened the passenger door.
Then paused.
She looked back at the old house.
Something moved behind an upstairs window.
A woman.
White dress.
Watching them.
Wanning blinked.
The window was empty.
She climbed into the car.
Gu got behind the wheel.
Before starting the engine, he looked at her.
“Did you see her?”
“Yes.”
He nodded.
“I did too.”
Wanning stared.
“You saw her?”
“Yes.”
“So she wasn’t in my head.”
“No.”
That frightened her more.
Gu started the engine.
As they drove away, Wanning looked through the rear window.
The old house became smaller.
Then disappeared into the mist.
She lowered her eyes to the gemstone.
The c***k was still there.
But something else had changed.
A tiny piece of the red stone had turned black.
She touched it carefully.
A whisper entered her mind.
Not the woman’s voice.
Not the ghost.
A man’s voice.
Deep.
Broken.
Desperate.
Wanning.
She froze.
The voice came again.
Don’t let me remember.
Her hand fell from the necklace.
She looked at Gu.
He was driving.
His eyes remained on the road.
But his hands were trembling.
Wanning stared.
“You heard it.”
Gu didn’t answer.
“You heard something.”
His jaw tightened.
Finally, he said,
“Yes.”
“What?”
He looked at her.
“I heard your name.”
The car continued through the mist.
Neither spoke again.
Neither understood what was happening.
But somewhere deep inside the old curse, something had awakened.
And for the first time in one hundred years, the man who had forgotten his bride was beginning to remember how much he had loved her.
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