Chapter 373: Qiao Yu

“The cafe belongs to Qiao Yu’s biological elder brother. Qiao Yu helped out his brother. He lived above the cafe at night.”

“Have you been there?” Jiang Cheng asked.

Liu Guo’s face twitched unnaturally. He nodded. “Yes. We found the cafe and met his elder brother. They were very close. Ever since Qiao Yu died, his brother was greatly affected. His business fell. His shop almost shut down. A great part of the cafe has been rented out.

“When he found out we were there to find out more about Qiao Yu’s death, his brother cooperated greatly. It was clear that he also thought Qiao Yu’s death was suspicious. A few days before Qiao Yu’s death, he felt that his brother was acting strangely. When he slept at night, he often got calls from his younger brother at the cafe. It was for the same reason. It was to ask him whether he had sneaked back to the cafe.” Liu Guo shook his head. “Of course, his brother didn’t do that. Who would play a prank like that? However, Qiao Yu didn’t believe his brother.

“At first, the brother thought Qiao Yu was drunk. After all, Qiao Yu was a drunkard. However, this happened so often that sometimes, he would get six calls from Qiao Yu at night. His girlfriend argued with him because of this.

“Then, he realised Qiao Yu not only called him but also all the staff at the cafe. He asked them the same thing, whether they had returned to the cafe at night without telling him.

“He finally realised something was wrong. He questioned Qiao Yu. Qiao Yu refused to say anything at first. He regarded his brother strangely. Seeing how tired his elder brother was, Qiao Yu was shaken. He lowered his voice to ask, Did the footsteps coming from downstairs at night really not belong to you?

“Naturally, they weren’t! His brother and the other staff didn’t go to the cafe at night!”

Hua Luo frowned. He asked, “Did you say Qiao Yu heard footsteps?”

Liu Guo sighed and nodded at Hua Luo. “Based on the man’s memory, Qiao Yu said he had been busy editing the videos. He normally worked until late night. That was when the footsteps came. It sounded like someone was pacing about.”

At this point, Wei Jingting chimed in. “That was impossible. The man said that they considered the issue of sound insulation when they built the cafe. When one was upstairs, one couldn’t hear anything from downstairs.

“Plus, based on the man’s observation, nothing was lost from his cafe. It didn’t look like they were robbed.”

“What happened after that?” Banana Wolf urged.

“Even though the man didn’t believe in those things, his younger brother was really scared. That day, he promised to stay behind with him and figure out what the footsteps were.

“The man was cautious,” Liu Guo added. “He asked a buff staff member to stay behind too. Just like that, the three men waited until midnight. It was when he was about to fall asleep that Qiao Yu woke him up.

“Qiao Yu’s face was pale from fright. His lips trembled. He pulled on his brother’s arm and mumbled, They’re coming…

“The man and his friend woke up instantly. However, they held their breath and heard nothing. However, Qiao Yu kept claiming that the footsteps were there. In the end, the brother told Qiao Yu to stay behind while he and his friend would go to check the cafe. Of course, Qiao Yu wouldn’t dare to stay on his own. He begged his brother to take him with them.

“The man had never seen his brother beg anyone. He had been stubborn since he was a kid.

“The man was panicking inside, but he didn’t show it. The three of them went downstairs. The staff held a bat, and the man carried a folding chair. The cafe was huge. They switched on all the lights. They inspected all the corners. They couldn’t find anyone. Then, they checked the windows and doors. Everything was locked. No one came in.

“The staff member glanced at Qiao Yu. Even though he said nothing, from his gaze, it was clear that he thought Qiao Yu was sick, either from drinking too much or paranoia. He should go to the hospital.

“Qiao Yu shook his head, and they went back upstairs. However, as they were about to sit down, Qiao Yu’s body started to shake uncontrollably. He glanced out the door.

“Big brother, he said. Qiao Yu looked like he was about to cry.

“It has followed us upstairs…”

Fatty shivered from the story.

“Continue,” Jiang Cheng prompted. Liu Guo glanced at everyone. He realised everyone looked like he did when he first heard the story. He took a deep breath and let it out.

“However, just like before, other than Qiao Yu, no one heard anything.”

“Was there no one outside the door?” Fatty asked carefully.

Liu Guo shook his head helplessly. “For some reason, the brother and the staff were scared. They curled up in the room for the night. No one dared to open the door. They stayed like that until the other staff came to work the next day.”

Jiang Cheng nodded. He would do the same. He believed that if the brother opened the door, he wouldn’t be alive to tell Liu Guo’s group the story.

“After that, the man planned to send Qiao Yu to the hospital for inspection. Qiao Yu refused. He claimed that he was sick. He said that the cafe was haunted.

“The brother was angered. He depended on the cafe for his livelihood. If the haunting became a rumour, he would have to close shop.

“Therefore, in his anger, he cursed Qiao Yu and told him to leave. He said alcohol had ruined his brain. To his regret, Qiao Yu disappeared after that day. He didn’t even answer his brother’s calls.

“After that, the police came to tell him that his younger brother, Qiao Yu, was dead.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read