“Judging by your look, you seem Asian… are you Chinese?”
Teresa asked.
“Yes, but why do you think I’m Chinese?”
“Just a guess. China is the most mysterious country in the world.”
“Well, okay. You were just hoping I was Chinese so you could learn about a place you have no information on at all, right?”
“It’s not that there’s no record. I saw it in a church book before…”
Here, Teresa instinctively lowered her voice, then immediately remembered she was in a foreign country and went back to a normal volume.
“A long, long time ago, a massive religious movement started in China… The leader claimed to be the second son of Jehovah…”
“Many people from the Vatican were sent to investigate and debate with him, but in the end, none of them could out-argue him…”
“They eventually had no choice but to acknowledge his status.”
Su Fan understood who she was talking about immediately.
He just hadn’t expected the Vatican to have books specifically recording that event.
“Does your convent allow you to read that kind of book?”
“I read it in secret.”
Teresa admitted honestly, then gave a bit of a playful wink.
Su Fan glanced at her again.
So, on the surface, she seemed a little simple, but she wasn’t one to follow rules blindly.
Though, having that spark was a good thing.
If she did everything the convent elders told her, she would have turned dull long ago.
“Is that why you’re interested in Chinese people?”
“Yes. Since so many priests who knew the Bible by heart couldn’t refute him, when I read that, I thought, maybe all Chinese people are that smart.”
Su Fan chuckled lightly at that.
“So, what do you think about that whole thing?”
“I see it as an interesting story.”
Teresa smiled shyly.
There were so few forms of entertainment in the convent. Some parts of those strange tales and records were even more exciting than storybooks.
“I already told you why I’m here. Shouldn’t you tell me your plans too?”
“Me? I’m here to visit a very powerful person.”
Teresa had no intention of hiding anything.
If she told most ordinary people about this, they’d just laugh it off. Few would actually believe her.
Plus, his help twice already had left a good impression on her.
“He helped deal with a terrifying demon and averted a horrible disaster.”
“But we can’t be sure of his motives for stepping in to defeat the demon.”
“The purpose of my visit is to understand what kind of person he really is.”
The young man and Teresa walked together as the sky gradually darkened.
“I noticed you seemed really nervous earlier. Were you worried he might hurt you?”
“Yes.”
“Why? In your mind, isn’t this powerful person a good guy?”
“It’s not really about good or bad. Even if it’s a lion sleeping with its eyes closed, people still get nervous when they get close.”
Teresa explained.
“Feeling fear and nervousness towards powerful beings or things is human instinct. But that doesn’t mean I automatically assume he poses a threat to the world or humanity.”
“Still, the things about him are really over the top…”
“Mr. Ed said the battle between him and the demon was comparable to a natural disaster.”
She turned her head to look at Su Fan.
“Kind of unbelievable, don’t you think?”
“A little bit. So I’ll take it as an interesting story to listen to.”
Hearing this, Teresa smiled.
As darkness fell, the city lights all flickered on.
A gust of evening wind blew past, and a sports car zoomed by the two of them.
Teresa held onto her hair and hat, slowing her pace slightly.
Then she saw Su Fan’s clothes flutter in the wind ahead and to the side. In that instant, she suddenly felt that this figure looked familiar.
It wasn’t long ago that she seemed to have seen this young man beside her.
Where was it…
As Teresa walked on in a daze next to Su Fan, she was suddenly pulled back to reality.
“I’m here…”
The voice beside her brought Teresa back.
She looked at Su Fan and saw him stop in front of a shop, smiling at her.
[Your destination is the only Chinese antique store on Hollywood Boulevard.]
Ed’s voice echoed in Teresa’s mind.
Just then, the bright moon emerged from behind the clouds. She looked up and suddenly recalled the scene from Halloween night.
Under the full moon, its light had silvered the outline of a figure gliding through the air, his posture elegant and effortless.
Right now, in Teresa’s eyes, the young man in front of her and that figure in the sky merged perfectly into one!
“You…”
“Won’t you come in for a bit?”
A meaningful smile appeared at the corner of the young man’s mouth.
Teresa couldn’t hide her shock.
The sheer impact of the truth before her left her feeling a bit dizzy.
Almost instinctively, she nodded and followed Su Fan into the shop.
It wasn’t until a teacup was placed in front of her that Teresa snapped out of her daze.
“You… you’re the owner of this shop?”
“Yes.”
Su Fan blew the foam off his tea and took a sip.
“On Halloween night, the person who jumped from that high building was…”
Teresa asked instinctively.
That scene was truly unforgettable for her.
Who would have thought she’d see him again so soon?
“So that person that night was you.”
Su Fan said with feeling when he heard Teresa’s question.
“The world is small.”
He had sensed someone watching him glide through the air when he went to that community.
He just never imagined that person would be Teresa.
“So that time, you were going to that community where the demon appeared to fix the problem?”
“Exactly.”
Su Fan nodded.
Teresa fell silent.
She had randomly asked a stranger on the street for help, and it turned out to be the very person she had come to find.
No wonder Su Fan had remarked on the coincidence.
“I already dealt with the demon, yet the Vatican still considers me a dangerous person, Miss Teresa. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation first?”
Su Fan looked at the somewhat dazed-looking sister in front of him and suddenly felt like teasing her. He tapped lightly on the table.
“The Vatican means you no harm, sir. This was just a spontaneous decision on our part.”
Teresa quickly explained.
“A demon suddenly appearing was a serious matter. We changed our original plans to go to the community for the exorcism. But by the time we got there, we found the demon had already been dealt with.”
“We? Who else is with you?”
No surprise. The Vatican hadn’t entrusted the entire exorcism mission to this naive sister.
“Ed Warren and Lorraine Warren.”
“You’ve probably heard of them. They’ve been on TV recently.”
“They’re the only two lay exorcists officially recognized by the Vatican…”
