Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?-Chapter 26 - Disappearance

Yang Xuejiao came out after her bath and looked up at the clock on the wall—it was already half-past eleven, and her husband had not yet returned.

She turned back to glance at the food left on the table, sighed, then walked into the side bedroom.

The side bedroom contained a single bed, opposite which stood a large vanity.

Ever since her daughter committed suicide, she had replaced the original desk with this vanity.

She picked up the hairdryer on the table, ready to dry her hair, but then noticed her daughter Yin Xingyue's photo frame on the vanity, with her daughter's picture inside.

The photo was taken last summer vacation when the family went on a trip—captured by her "dad."

Yin Xingyue, wearing a white dress, looked ahead with a faint smile on her face, a beautiful photograph indeed.

Yet for some reason, Yang Xuejiao always felt there was something indescribably odd about it; her daughter's smile seemed so fake, and that direct gaze made her quite uncomfortable.

So she flipped the photo frame down onto the vanity and then turned on the hairdryer to blow-dry her hair.

In the vanity mirror, she saw the reflection of a beautiful woman in a light pink silk nightgown, with a high bosom and fair skin. Although not as youthful and blooming as a young girl, she radiated a certain mature charm all over.

Yang Xuejiao was very pretty when she was young and had many suitors, but in the end, she chose to marry Yin Xingyue's father, Yin Dacheng.

She chose Yin Dacheng not because of his handsome looks or his family's status but because he was an educated man. In that era, being an intellectual was highly esteemed, and Yang Xuejiao had married above her station.

But later, she discovered that being well-read was worthless; what was the use of education if one had no money?

So after Yin Dacheng's death, she did not hesitate to remarry her current husband, Fang Yunlou.

She had known him for many years, and he was one of her pursuers back in the day. Although Fang Yunlou's education wasn't comparable to Yin Dacheng's, his family was better off, and his business had been booming in recent years, making him wealthy.

But after all, she was no longer young, and she had already been married once. After the novelty wore off, Fang Yunlou lost interest in her and started coming home less and less, especially after her daughter's suicide...

Thinking of this, she put the photo frame she had flipped over earlier back up.

"Good-for-nothing, I've raised you for nothing..."

There flashed in Yang Xuejiao's eyes a hint of anger and venom, by no means the look of a mother.

Yang Xuejiao put away the hairdryer, and seeing that Fang Yunlou hadn't returned, she decided to go to bed first.

However, when she woke up the next morning, Fang Yunlou still hadn't returned.

Yang Xuejiao sat dazedly on the bed for a long time before finally getting up.

She changed into a hip-hugging skirt that emphasized her voluptuous figure.

When she arrived at the dining room, the leftover food from the night before hadn't been touched in the least; she picked up the plate and dumped all of it into the trash can.

After she finished applying her exquisite makeup and left the house with her bag, it was already after ten o'clock.

Arriving at Fang Yunlou's company, the receptionist immediately greeted her warmly and opened the door for her.

"Good morning, Madam Boss."

The young receptionist might not be as attractive as her but exuded youthful vitality, especially her glowing skin which filled Yang Xuejiao with a twinge of envy—it is nice to be young.

"Good morning, is the boss in the office?" Yang Xuejiao casually asked as she walked past.

"He's not here, the boss hasn't arrived yet," the receptionist replied.

Yang Xuejiao stopped in her tracks and looked back at the receptionist.

"Is he on a business trip?" she asked.

The receptionist thought to herself, he's your husband, don't you know if he's on a business trip?

But she answered: "No, however, Mr. Fang hasn't been to the office for two days now."

"Two days?"

Yang Xuejiao paused, suddenly feeling a vague sense of unease.

-----------------

Shen Siyuan was awakened by the ringing of his cellphone, picked it up, and saw that it was his mother calling.

"Son, where are you?"

As soon as the call connected, he could hear his mother Huang Huijuan's loud voice coming through.

"Where?" Shen Siyuan was still groggy and hadn't reacted yet.

"My boy, you're not still in bed, are you?"

"Mm, it's a day off, I finally get to sleep in, why get up so early?" Shen Siyuan glanced at the time—it was only 6:10 am, and by now he had fully awakened.

"Weren't we agreed that you'd come back today? You're treating your old mom's words like they're nothing but wind in your ears, aren't you?" Huang Huijuan's irritated voice came through the phone.

"Mom, I said I'd come back. I never said when." Shen Siyuan replied helplessly.

"So when are you coming back?" Huang Huijuan asked, trying to remain patient upon hearing his words.

"I'll come back in the afternoon."

"I went to the market and bought some groceries, cooked your favorite green-striped fish, and also chicken stew with green soybeans, come home early..." Huang Huijuan tried to play the sentiment card upon hearing his words.

"It's the same if I eat them at night." Shen Siyuan replied.

Seeing Shen Siyuan unmoved, Huang Huijuan finally lost her patience.

"You're already awake anyway, so roll on back here. What use are you to me if you just dawdle?" After saying this, Huang Huijuan hung up with a click.

Shen Siyuan looked at his phone and sighed helplessly.

Mom is really annoying. He tossed the phone aside and lay back down, but the sleepiness had completely vanished.

Since that's the case, he didn't linger in bed any longer and got up to wash up.

Just as he finished washing up and walked out of the bathroom, his mom called again.

"My lad, have you gotten up yet?"

She spoke as if nothing had happened, as though the anger before wasn't hers.

"I'm up, heading out now."

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

"Don't lie to me."

"When have I ever lied to you?"

"Tsk, you've lied to your mom plenty since you were a kid, haven't you?"

"What did I ever lie to you about?" Shen Siyuan said, speechless.

"A man lying to a woman is about either love or money. Your dad only lied to me about love, but you, you're the worst, lying about both love and money."

Shen Siyuan had nothing to say, because what his mom said was true.

Every time he wanted to ask her for money, he would play the sentiment card first, then ask for money.

"I won't talk to you anymore. I'm heading out, you're wasting my time."

"Hmph."

Huang Huijuan's smug voice came through the phone.

With her understanding of her son, when Shen Siyuan talked like this, he was actually admitting defeat and softening up.

"Can you make it back for lunch?"

"I'm heading off now, I'll make it not just for lunch, but for breakfast too."

"Don't worry about breakfast, I didn't make yours, just grab something to eat outside, don't skip breakfast, it's not good for your health..." Mom started rambling again.

"Mom, I got it, hanging up now." Shen Siyuan said impatiently.

After hanging up the phone, he realized that his mom never really counted on him getting up early to come home, otherwise she would have definitely made him breakfast.

Her real goal was just to get him out of bed so he could make it home by noon.

"Even plays mind games with her own son."

Shen Siyuan muttered under his breath, but couldn't help the smile that spread across his lips.

Growing up, Shen Siyuan and his mom had always gotten along extremely well, sharing a different kind of motherly love.

After packing up some things, Shen Siyuan prepared to leave. Just as he reached the entrance, he suddenly remembered last night's Yin Xingyue.

So with a thought, he summoned the Ten Thousand Soul Banner and released her.

Yin Xingyue transformed into a wisp of smoke and appeared out of nowhere in the room; the ordinary girl now possessed a hint of the supernatural.