Chapter 20 Midnight Horror 2

At sunset, the clouds were dyed crimson, like pink marshmallows hanging in the sky.

"Mr. Jiang, we have to speed up. Director Yu and his crew have already arrived at the Yiren Tavern." The cameraman who was following them had a worried look on his face.

"What are you afraid of? Just say we are lost and it will take a while to get there." Jiang Yanyu walked very slowly, and took Luo Qinglin to follow him.

Next to Ye Yuze stood pairs of lovers, standing close to each other, hugging each other in the afterglow and holding hands on the stones of the lake embankment.

The birds drifting on the lake no longer stopped, but flapped their wings and returned to their nests before dark.

The scenery here is so beautiful and the atmosphere is so good. Jiang Yanyu doesn't want to leave early, so he hugs Luo Qinglin and walks slowly on the street, deliberately delaying time.

"Director Yu, we are lost now and it will take a while to get there!" The cameraman copied Jiang Yanyu's words and sent a voice message to Yu Qin.

A few seconds later, Yu Qin's voice came through the speaker, "Don't you have a bad map on your phone? Hurry up and come here. You must be there within ten minutes!"

The cameraman made a bitter face and looked at Jiang Yanyu for help.

Jiang Yanyu took the phone and made a voice message, "Director Yu, don't worry about our safety. We will definitely be there within half an hour."

Nearly half a minute later, Yu Qin sent another voice message, his voice mixed with humility and flattery, "Okay, okay, please be safe, don't worry."

Before the cameraman could catch his breath, he received a text message from Yu Qin on the screen.

[Hurry up and ask Mr. Luo to help persuade Mr. Jiang to arrive at the scene within ten minutes! 】

At this moment, Luo Qinglin was daydreaming, and the words "You are mine" were repeating in his mind.

Although Jiang Yanyu didn't say anything just now, Luo Qinglin had already automatically imagined his voice in his mind, stitched the picture and sound together, and played the song on a loop.

"Mr. Luo...Mr. Luo," the cameraman said anxiously, "Mr. Luo!"

"Hmm?" Luo Qinglin stared at the camera dully, his eyes unfocused and his ears slightly red.

Facing Jiang Yanyu's warning gaze, the cameraman closed his eyes, steeled his heart, and said bravely, "Mr. Luo, Director Yu and the others have already arrived at the Yiren Tavern. We're going to be late!"

"Huh?" Luo Qinglin was still a little confused. He looked at Jiang Yanyu, then at the cameraman's anxious face, his eyes darting back and forth. After the fifth time, he finally came to his senses.

"Oh, so that's it. Then let's go quickly and don't make them wait anxiously." Luo Qinglin returned to normal and said with a faint smile.

The cameraman was delighted and was about to smile, but Jiang Yanyu glared at him fiercely. He then pretended nothing had happened and turned his eyes away.

"What's the hurry?" Jiang Yanyu said nonchalantly, "We are just going to be the audience, we don't have to sing on the stage."

Hearing this, Luo Qinglin turned his head with a faint smile and stared at Jiang Yanyu without saying a word or blinking.

After being stared at for nearly a minute, the good atmosphere was broken, and Jiang Yanyu reluctantly said: "No more walking, let's go to the pub now."

"Huh..." The cameraman finally felt relieved, thinking that Luo Qinglin was really capable, as he could make Jiang Yanyu obey him with just a glance.

When the three of them arrived at the tavern, a quarter of an hour had passed. Although they were still late, it was much better than the half an hour they had originally estimated.

Tonight's "Yiren Tavern" has been contracted by the program crew. In front of the bar, the seats were full of audiences, all of them had natural expressions, were dressed casually, and were drinking from their glasses, just like young people who had escaped from the big city and lived in Yeyu City all year round.

But Luo Qinglin knew that they were all extras brought in by the program crew from the film and television city, with food and lodging provided, and a chartered flight. They were picked up by plane this morning, rested in a high-end B&B at night, and would be sent back by plane tomorrow morning.

The sponsors of this show are really stupid and have a lot of money, but they don't spend their money wisely. Luo Qinglin shook his head with emotion, sat down, and ordered a glass of boiled water.

Before Jiang Yanyu sat down, he suddenly sneezed. He couldn't catch his breath and his throat became itchy, and he coughed for a while.

"Ahem."

"What's wrong with you?" Luo Qinglin asked with concern.

"Ahem, it's okay." Jiang Yanyu picked up the water Luo Qinglin had drunk and poured it into his mouth. "I guess Jiang Su is scolding me behind my back again."

After drinking the water, the cup was put back in front of Luo Qinglin. The glass was crystal clear, except for the vague lip print on the rim of the cup.

The original light-colored lip print was left by Luo Qinglin. Because his original lip color was too light and he would look dull on camera, the makeup artist Xiao Lingling applied some nude lipstick on him.

Just now, after Jiang Yanyu put his lips on the lip print and drank water, the lip print was rubbed into spots, like watercolor dripping on a canvas, with blurred edges.

"Sorry, I took the wrong cup." Jiang Yanyu put his hand on the wooden table to support his forehead and said lightly.

"It's okay." Luo Qinglin pursed his lips, moved his eyes away from the lip prints, and looked up at the stage in front of him.

The interior decoration of "Yiren Tavern" is old, with dim kerosene lamps hanging everywhere. The protective paint on the wine racks and wooden tables has fallen off a lot, and the wood surface is engraved with scratches of time.

The stage is placed opposite the bar, so the audience in the pub can watch the performance by just turning around.

Ximin changed into a white shirt and was busy running around with his guitar, communicating with the band members who had arrived not long ago.

"Brother Qinglin, have you ever heard the songs of Stonumetal?" Jiang Linxu asked, holding his face with his hands.

Stonumetal is Xi Min's band. The name of the band is straightforward. As the name suggests, it is rock solid + new metal.

"I've heard of them all." Before participating in the show, Luo Qinglin watched everyone's works, fearing that someone would ask him related questions and he would stammer and be unable to answer.

Jiang Linxu stood up straight upon hearing this, in awe, "Ximin's singing is so amazing, and you were able to listen to it all? I originally thought you like to listen to soft and soothing songs."

"......Hmm." In fact, Luo Qinglin listened to the song more than once. He listened to it on repeat, as if he wanted to pour all his long-suppressed soul into the metal music.

In order to maintain the image of a mature and reliable adult in the child's mind, Luo Qinglin quickly changed the subject, "Where's Xuan Chu? Where did she go?"

He Yihan replied, "She went to the bathroom to make a phone call. Her agent wanted to talk to her about something."

As soon as he finished speaking, the lights on the ceiling went out, leaving only the program crew's lighting on Ximin, stretching his shadow long from the ground to the wall.

Luo Qinglin stopped talking and sat upright, waiting for the performance to begin.

Starting with a gm chord, the sound of a guitar without effects came from the speakers, followed by the soft sound of drums and the clear sound of keyboards, bringing the cozy atmosphere in the pub to its climax.

After the prelude, there was a pause, Ximin held the upright microphone with both hands, "The wind is still blowing tonight, and I think of you being so gentle..."①

Xi Min didn't scream with veins bulging like before. Instead, he half-closed his eyes, and his half-long curly hair was not tied up, hanging by his ears. His voice was low but gentle, and he looked at Jiang Linxu while singing.

"My dear, my dear love..."

The lighting is soft, the atmosphere is intense, invisible pink bubbles fill the air, and even the boiled water in your mouth gives people the illusion of sweetness.

"I'll like you slowly, and get close to you slowly."

"Slowly accompany you, slowly grow old..."③

The sincere emotion in the song was a key that almost unlocked Luo Qinglin's sensibility, while the beauty described in the lyrics was like a bell, awakening his reason.

Luo Qinglin leaned back in his chair, stole a glance at Jiang Yanyu who was watching the performance attentively, and finally remembered to think about the future.

Can he grow old with Jiang Yanyu as the lyrics say?

Does Jiang Yanyu really like him?

Or... Jiang Yanyu is just enjoying the process of turning him gay, and once he really becomes gay, Jiang Yanyu will immediately rush to the next target?

Does he have to keep pretending like this until the end of the contract, and keep deceiving Jiang Yanyu by pretending to be a "straight man"?

A year is such a short time. If he had known earlier, he would have signed for eight or ten years, or even better, a hundred years, so that they could be tied together forever. Whether it was just a show or a sincere one, he was willing.

There were too many love songs, one after another, with the prelude, chorus and coda alternating in rotation, just like Luo Qinglin's ups and downs in mood.

"What's wrong with you?" Jiang Yanyu suddenly grabbed his hand and asked.

The distracting thoughts in his mind could not be calmed down for a while, Luo Qinglin lowered his head and said: "I'm going to the bathroom."

Luo Qinglin avoided Jiang Yanyu's sight, looked towards Yu Qin, pointed in the direction of the bathroom, and asked for consent.

Yu Qin nodded, and Luo Qinglin stood up, freed his hand from his palm, lowered his eyes and left his seat.

The restroom in "Yiren Tavern" was relatively clean. Luo Qinglin originally wanted to turn on the faucet and wash his face to wake himself up. Fortunately, before he splashed the water on his face, he realized that he was putting on makeup, so he quickly lowered his hands and let the water flow through his fingers.

After drying his hands with a tissue, Luo Qinglin covered his burning neck with his icy hands, trying to calm himself down.

The mirror above the sink reflected his face. There was a light pink streak on the creases of his double eyelids, the teardrop moles under his eyes were completely covered with concealer, and there was still a funny little daisy Band-Aid on his nose.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Luo Qinglin suddenly felt a sense of panic and unfamiliarity.

In just over a week, he went from being an ordinary person to a semi-celebrity who filmed variety shows and became a hot topic among netizens.

Just search the word "Luolin" on the Internet, and you will find his personal information and life trajectory everywhere. Although he could resist searching, he knew that there were people talking about him every minute, some criticizing him, some praising him, some giving good reviews and some giving bad reviews.

So is it the same for Jiang Linxu, Xuan Chu and the others, constantly exposed to the camera, accepting everyone's evaluation and opinions?

Thinking of this, Luo Qinglin's body suddenly froze, and the panic of being exposed under the spotlight turned into another kind of uneasiness.

Wait, why is Xuan Chu still nowhere to be seen?

Ximin sang at least six songs and twenty or thirty minutes had passed. Could it be that she was still in the bathroom making a phone call?

Luo Qinglin hurriedly walked out of the men's restroom and stood at the door of the women's restroom, hesitating.

A female extra happened to come over, so Luo Qinglin grabbed her and said, "Please help me go in and see if Xuan Chu is there. She's been in there for about 20 minutes and hasn't come out yet."

In less than a minute, the female extras came out and reported that there was no one in the bathroom.

Could it be that Xuan Chu just happened to go back while he was in the bathroom? Luo Qinglin thanked the girl and prepared to go back to see if Xuan Chu was at the bar.

However, when passing by the door of the men's restroom, Luo Qinglin's right calf twitched unconsciously. The twitching sensation went all the way up his leg to his chest, and even his heart began to tremble and he felt uneasy.

Such severe palpitations have not occurred for many years. The last time they occurred was on the day my mother had the accident.

Luo Qinglin decided to follow his instinct, holding his breath and walking into the men's restroom, pushing open the door of each single room to have a look.

But when I opened the doors of all the single rooms, there was no one inside. The bathroom was so quiet that I could even hear the sound of the wind outside the window.

Luo Qinglin was still worried, so he stood there and looked around, his eyes sweeping from the bathroom door to the toilet bowl, and the window on the wall.

How come the window lock is open? ! Luo Qinglin's heart was pounding. He walked lightly to the window.

Placing his hand on the window, Luo Qinglin swallowed his saliva, and then pushed the window open with a swish.

Outside the window was a row of one-meter-high bushes. When the wind blew, the bushes rustled like sand being shaken in a bottle.

Luo Qinglin picked up the mop in the corner, put his hands on the window sill, jumped lightly, and stepped out of the window.

Swish...

One step, two steps...Luo Qinglin tiptoed towards the bushes, breathing lightly and taking brisk steps. The closer he got, the tighter he gripped the mop in his hand.

Boom, boom, boom.

As his heartbeat became faster and faster, Luo Qinglin paused for a second. After preparing himself mentally, he suddenly jumped and jumped over the bushes like a hurdle.

Under the moonlight, there were two figures of different sizes behind the bushes, one lying flat and the other half kneeling.

The burly one was a ferocious bald man, and his big hand was tightly covering Xuan Chu's mouth. His face was covered in bruises, and there was a half-coagulated blood scab at the corner of his mouth, with blood still flowing down.

Xuan Chu was not having a good time either. There were bruises on her forehead and her eyes were wide open, bursting with ferocity. The moonlight shone on her long black hair, making her look like a wounded but unyielding wolf.

Strangely, Luo Qinglin's panic level began to decrease sharply, and his heartbeat also slowed down. With a sullen face, he raised the mop and smashed it on the bald man's head.

Upon seeing this, the bald man immediately let go of Xuan Chu, pulled out the iron rod from his waist and used it to block his head in resistance.

clang!

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Annotation:

①②: Lyrics of "Dear Lover".

③: Lyrics of "Slowly Falling in Love with You".