Chapter 125: The Hypnosis House and a Mysterious Return

Of course, Ye Yu hadn’t come as a customer. Even if she had desired to experience its services, it would have been impossible, for the establishment had long ceased operations.

The main door was tightly locked. The black-haired girl remained silent for a moment before retrieving a rusty key from her bag and inserting it into the lock.

The key didn’t turn smoothly. The girl gritted her teeth, finally managing to twist the lock and push open the wooden door. Immediately, a frigid gust of wind rushed in from behind her, as if to propel her inside.

She wore only a thin black leather jacket. As the cold wind assailed her, she could barely pull it tighter, her amber eyes tightly shut.

Choking on the dust behind the door, Ye Yu coughed a few times and switched on her phone’s flashlight.

The white beam pierced through the gloom, illuminating a cylindrical silhouette within the dust-filled room. As the light expanded, it revealed a scene of utter dilapidation.

First, there was an area resembling a coffee shop, with several rows of tables and chairs neatly arranged.

The wooden tabletops were thick with dust, yet their surfaces were surprisingly even; a swipe of her hand revealed a smooth finish underneath.

Ye Yu fumbled for a long time but found nothing else to provide light. She had no choice but to continue down the deep corridor, relying on her phone’s flashlight.

“That wretched old man,” she murmured softly, breaking the pervasive silence. “He called this a hypnosis house, but it feels more like a haunted one. It’s creepy…”

She seemed to be using her complaints to dispel the fear coiling within her.

While she could simply turn and leave now, doing so would mean losing her living expenses for the foreseeable future.

Her savings were dwindling, yet prices continued to rise. If this continued, would she be forced to sell herself?

Though she considered herself quite attractive, such a thing was utterly out of the question.

However, what unsettled her more than her financial woes were the events of the past few days.

She had received a mysterious email from an unknown organization. They requested her bank account details for a large transfer, claiming the reason was related to her brother.

‘Please, if you’re going to scam someone, at least do some proper research,’ she thought. ‘I don’t even have a brother!’

The email even claimed her brother had undergone a strange experiment and turned into a girl. ‘Isn’t that just ridiculous?’

Normally, Ye Yu would have dismissed it as a simple prank email, but its timing was peculiar.

Her father had once told her that upon reaching adulthood, she would inherit the family business. Yet, roughly three years ago, both her parents had vanished without a trace.

Fortunately, someone had periodically deposited money into her account, allowing her to sustain herself.

Ye Yu suspected her parents had met with some misfortune and were temporarily in hiding, unable to show themselves. The deposits, she believed, were their way of letting her know they were safe.

However, they were a bit stingy, only sending a thousand or two at a time. And the transfer note read: ‘Pocket money for Xiao Yu’?

‘Seriously, I’m practically starving, and they call it pocket money!’ she fumed internally. ‘If convenience stores accepted manual labor, I would have taken a part-time job ages ago.’

Today was supposed to be her birthday, but Ye Yu’s phone card had run out of credit, causing her service to be suspended. She had been forced to use her budget to pay it, otherwise, she wouldn’t even be able to stream herself eating dirt.

For a moment, a sliver of hope flickered within her. Perhaps it wasn’t a prank email, nor her parents’ enemies seeking revenge, but a windfall from heaven. All she had to do was send her bank account number, and she would receive enough wealth to live comfortably for the rest of her life.

But Ye Yu quickly regained her senses. How could such a thing be possible? From childhood to adulthood, good fortune had never been on her side.

Just as she was dejectedly preparing to go home and sleep, she unexpectedly discovered a letter in her mailbox by the front door.

‘In this day and age, are people still relying on paper letters to send messages?’ she wondered.

Indeed, the letter contained a key. The senders were her missing parents. Although the postmark was three years old, it brought Ye Yu a long-lost sense of familial warmth.

[Xiao Yu, by the time you receive this letter, you should already be an adult. We regret that we can’t be with you for your birthday, but I have prepared a birthday gift for you.

Take this key and go to North City, number 19. There, you will find what we left for you.]

At the bottom of the letter was a dark red ink stain, seemingly obscuring something of unclear meaning.

Or perhaps, it wasn’t ink at all.

A heavy cloud of worry settled over Ye Yu’s eyes, prompting her to brave the cold wind and head out. Only after searching on her navigation app did she discover that the address was, unexpectedly, for a hypnosis parlor.

Hypnosis services were no longer uncommon. They involved various technological or magical methods to hypnotize customers, allowing them to enjoy experiences in their dreams that rivaled reality.

In fantasy works, such places were usually called ‘Succubus Towns,’ she mused. Logically, operating such a business shouldn’t invite enemies.

Ye Yu continued to explore in the darkness, her worry now overriding her fear, making her momentarily forget the biting cold around her.

Soon, she reached the end of the corridor, where an open cubicle awaited. The cubicle was narrow, only about ten square meters, with cabinets lining both sides, filled with yellowed documents. However, Ye Yu’s attention was immediately drawn to a wooden box on a nearby table.

Holding her phone in her mouth, she cautiously opened the box. Inside was a piece of paper and a white mobile phone.

Ye Yu expected to find some profound message on the paper, but discovered it was merely an instruction manual.

[Hypnosis

Method of Use: No explanation should be needed.

Function: Requires unlocking within the system.]

It was a completely useless piece of paper.

Ye Yu shook her head in resignation, her gaze shifting to the white phone beside it.

It was an old model from three years ago, far behind the times. Fortunately, it still looked new, though heavily covered in dust.

Ye Yu gently blew on it, then attempted to power it on. But despite repeated attempts, there was no response; she could only see her own amber, cat-like eyes reflected in the screen.

A moment later, she sighed softly.

‘Right, it’s been three years. It must be out of battery,’ she thought.

Putting away the phone, Ye Yu tightened her jacket once more and quickly departed from the unsettling place.

She certainly had no intention of spending the night there; it was as cold as sleeping on the streets.

She remembered that the electricity and water bills for this month hadn’t been paid yet. ‘I should hurry home, charge this phone, and see if it works,’ she decided.

Upon reaching her front door, Ye Yu was about to retrieve her key when she suddenly heard a creak. Immediately after, the door slowly swung open on its own.

‘Did I forget to lock the door when I left?’

Ye Yu paused, then dismissed the possibility.

‘No, I haven’t forgotten since the last time the house was burgled. I distinctly remember double-locking it before I left.’

This meant someone had entered her home.

A powerful wave of unease again swept over Ye Yu, causing her to tense. Her thin back trembled slightly.

‘No, I need to call the police.’

Just then, a petite figure appeared behind Ye Yu like a phantom. There had been no footsteps. Not until they gently patted the girl’s shoulder did Ye Yu jolt and cry out in alarm.

“Xiao Yu, long time no see.”

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