Chapter 29: Encounter at midnight "Shang Shang thinks, am I a human or a ghost? ...

Li Hengshu walked back to the room in a daze. Without saying a word, he threw himself onto the bed and fell face down into the pillow.

His roommate Zhou Yao was playing games, his fingers moving very fast, without even looking at him.

Soon, Zhou Yao threw his phone away and stood up from the sofa, cursing. "Damn it, damm, what bad luck! These teammates are just idiots! Come on, get up, and go get something to eat."

Li Heng, the scholar, had no desire to go: "No."

Zhou Yao looked at him in dismay and asked, "Didn't you tell the squad leader you were going to deliver something to someone? Why did you come back looking so miserable? What happened?"

Li Hengshu turned around and glared at him, "He's not that so-and-so, his name is Shi Shang."

Having said that, he turned over again, said "If he doesn't go, I won't go either" and didn't move again.

Who is Shi Shang? Is there anyone like this in their class?

Zhou Yao scratched his ear in confusion, thinking the name sounded familiar.

A white light suddenly flashed through his mind, and his hands stopped moving abruptly.

A few days ago, his cousin suddenly called him and asked him to find out about someone in their major, whose name seemed to be "Shi Shang".

His cousin Zhou Haoyu is busy managing gay relationships. Since college, he has changed boyfriends and girlfriends more than he has taken classes.

But I didn't expect that I would be hit by something unexpected. One day on the way to the hotel, I was beaten by someone. Now my leg is still injured and I am lying in bed unable to move.

Even so, he was still thinking about the newcomer and asked him to make sure to get Shi Shang's information.

Zhou Yao didn't want to care at first, but his cousin gave him so much that he became cautious.

As a result, he was so busy recently that he forgot about it. Unexpectedly, after searching everywhere, he found Shi Shang, who was actually in his class.

At this time, a friend knocked on the door. "Li Hengshu, Zhou Yao, are you done with your work? Let's go eat and continue playing games later."

Zhou Yao shouted back, "I'm a little carsick, so we won't go. Have fun!"

Two murmurs were heard outside the door, and the footsteps gradually faded away.

Zhou Yao rolled his eyes, walked over to Li Hengshu's bed, patted his shoulder, and asked indirectly, "Hey, buddy, didn't you say you had no intention of falling in love before graduating from college?"

"Why did he suddenly change his personality? He looks so distracted. Who on earth is Shi Shang? How could he have such great magical powers?"

Li Hengshu turned to look at him, his expression dazed. "You'll know once you see Shi Shang. His eyes are very beautiful, like two pure obsidian stones that can absorb everything."

"It's like, it's like everything in the world has lost its meaning."

He paused, his eyes flashing with almost innocent shyness, and then a little intoxicated, as if immersed in some memories.

She muttered in a dreamlike voice, "Shi Shang smells so sweet, like candy, and like flowers..."

*

The resort hotel is very large. In addition to the platinum main building, there are also artificial lakes and single-family villas in the front mountain.

As the sun sets and night falls, the lawns around the lake are bustling with activity. The lights are dazzling, the music is blaring, the aroma of barbecue is floating in the air, and from time to time there are noisy sounds coming from that direction.

Shi Shang stood at the fork in the road, looked over there through the grove for a few seconds, and decisively chose the road to the back mountain.

A quiet atmosphere is more suitable for creation, so try your luck in the back mountain.

Shi Shang walked silently on the road. At first, she met a few passers-by, but after turning a few corners, the hotel's spire was completely left behind, and the noisy sounds suddenly became much quieter.

Only the rustling sound of his feet among the fallen leaves and the intermittent chirping of insects announced that he was still in the world.

The further you go in, the denser the branches and leaves above your head become, and the moonlight struggles to shine through the leaves.

Shi Shang's vision is not affected by dim light and is unobstructed at night. Two pink hearts faintly appear in her eyes, making her look as smart and cute as a cat.

He walked aimlessly along the path, not knowing where he was when he suddenly heard the sound of gurgling water.

Shi Shang raised her foot and took a step forward. The sound became louder and louder, gradually turning into the sound of splashing water.

Suddenly, a small waterfall appeared in front of me, with silvery-white water pouring down from below, and my vision suddenly widened.

The moon was bright and clear, without a shadow in the night sky, and its pure moonlight poured down to the ground, casting a silver hue on even the splashing water droplets, giving them a soft, pearly sheen.

There happened to be a red maple tree growing next to the waterfall, with its slender branches extending towards the waterfall. From time to time, the maple leaves were splashed with crystal clear water droplets, which then rolled down the tips of the leaves and back into the pool.

Inspiration rushed into Shi Shang's mind, and her eyes lit up surprisingly.

He hurriedly unfolded the folding stool, set up the easel, spread out the drawing paper, and sat down to start painting.

The fingertips move smoothly, and a rough draft is sketched with just a few strokes, followed by coloring.

Although she was standing next to a noisy waterfall, everything around her was completely silent. Shi Shang couldn't even hear the chirping of insects.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally emerged from the flow state with a cry of "Alright!"

Shi Shang looked up from the canvas with great energy, stood up, rubbed her stiff wrist, and looked at his painting with satisfaction.

It turns out that beautiful things need to be sought out. It was worth it for him to run out in the middle of the night. With such a work, everything is worth it.

Shi Shang smiled with satisfaction, raised her sleeves, wiped the sweat from her forehead, bent down and began to organize her painting supplies.

The tail behind it also wagged in front of its eyes, and the tip of the love heart clumsily fiddled with the paint on the ground, trying to pile them together.

Wait—a tail?!

When did it escape?

Little Love was very generous and shook her head to greet him.

Shi Shang stared blankly at Ai Xin Jian'er.

He felt something strange on his head, so he reached out and touched the two smooth, rounded corners.

Devil horns also appeared.

Shi Shang's expression fell, and he pursed his lips. He turned on his phone and saw that it was just after 1 a.m., which meant he had been drawing for a full three hours.

It was his usual sleeping time, and he hadn't eaten enough, so his magic power was fluctuating, and his tail and devil horns naturally appeared.

The waist of the pants that Shi Shang wore when going out was very high, and half of the tail was tied at the waist of the pants, which made it feel cramped and difficult to move.

He was completely immersed in the painting just now, and only now did he feel the discomfort a little late.

He was only half full and didn't have enough magic power to change his horns and tail back.

Shi Shang frowned. They were still outdoors and it was impossible for him to take off his pants suddenly.

Although it is very late and there will probably be no one on the road, I'd better disguise myself for safety reasons.

He glanced at the wilted tail with the heart-shaped tip drooping, and pointed with his finger.

He comforted himself in his heart and said that he would bear with you for now. When he returned to the hotel, he would go to the bathroom to take a bath and would definitely wash you clean.

Shi Shang lifted up the hood of her coat to cover the two horns on her head, then raised her tail, coiled it up, and crawled into her coat.

He turned on the front camera of his phone and pointed it at the top of his head for a careful inspection. Apart from the two bulges on the brim of his hat caused by the devil's horns, there were no other flaws.

That’s all, Shi Shang nodded with satisfaction.

Then, he packed his drawing paper and painting supplies into his bag, and after confirming that everything was correct, he returned along the same route.

The night was dark and the moon was hidden somewhere. A layer of milky white mountain fog spread in the forest.

The cool mist clung to her skin, and the chill touched her body, causing Shi Shang's exposed neck to shiver.

He rubbed his arms and continued walking.

The small animals that hide during the day and come out at night go out to look for food, making rustling sounds in the grass from time to time.

Although there were street lights on both sides of the road, the lights were very dim. Shi Shang stopped in front of a fork in the road and looked at the sign above, which seemed a bit strange.

I've seen this wooden sign before.

Does he seem to be going in circles?

Just now, was he walking to the left or to the right?

Shi Shang stood there, unable to make up her mind.

Before he hesitated, something jumped out from the grass beside his feet, and the cold and slippery touch quickly moved across the instep of his feet.

"Ah!!" Shi Shang felt a chill on her back, and she jumped up reflexively, staggering back a few steps.

Suddenly, his back bumped into something, making a dull thud. A pair of large, hot hands grasped his shoulders in time, halting his backward movement.

Shi Shang turned around in surprise, but unexpectedly met those familiar eyes.

"Shang Shang, be careful." The young man quickly let go of her hand, lowered his eyes and looked over, with his usual gentle smile on his face.

"Senior!" Shi Shang's eyes flashed with surprise, and she took two steps back to stand firm.

"Why are you in--" The rest of the sentence was stuck in Shi Shang's throat and she couldn't say it out.

He suddenly realized that it was one o'clock in the morning. How could Lu Tinghe be in the back mountain, and appear just when he was about to fall?

Shi Shang swallowed, slowly raised her chin, and stole a glance at the opposite side.

They were standing at the edge of the streetlight halo, and most of the person in front of them was submerged in the darkness. He was clearly still smiling, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

The pair of narrow fox eyes were slightly narrowed, and they seemed very close and familiar at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one could inexplicably feel a sticky and cold feeling.

This made Shi Shang suddenly remember the thing that had just slipped away from his feet.

A dangerous, cold-blooded snake.

The chill climbed up her spine, and Shi Shang's back was soon covered with a layer of cold and wetness. She didn't dare to move her tail hidden in her coat.

The ghost story told by Lin Zhuoran came to my mind.

Late at night, when everyone is asleep, evil spirits may pretend to be someone close to you and try to seduce you. Never respond to them.

Otherwise, otherwise...

will be eaten.

Will ghosts in the human world eat succubi from hell?

Shi Shang clenched her palms and felt uneasy.

He carefully tucked his tail behind him, his voice a little weak: "Senior, are you... a human or a ghost?"

"Hmm?" A tail sound escaped from the young man's nasal cavity.

He raised his eyebrows as if he had heard something interesting and took a few steps forward.

Without blinking, his eyes were fixed on Shi Shang's face, and he said in a playful tone: "Shang Shang, do you think I am a human or a ghost?"

Shi Shang's Adam's apple rolled, and she bravely glanced at his feet.

The street lamp above his head cast a slanted shadow, which stretched very long behind Lu Tinghe.

Fortunately, fortunately, there is a shadow.

Shi Shang immediately breathed a sigh of relief and went forward excitedly.

He touched the tip of his nose embarrassedly, and apologized quickly with regret: "Senior Lu, I'm really sorry for what happened just now. I was really confused."

The two walked forward, and Lu Tinghe took the fork in the road on the right. Hearing his words, a hearty laugh escaped his throat, "It's okay, Shang Shang's jokes are very funny."

Shi Shang followed him naturally and explained in a soft voice, "The weather is nice today. I slept too much at noon, so I wanted to go out and look for some inspiration at night. I didn't expect to get lost halfway."

Lu Tinghe looked at him, his smile deepening. "It's a rare occasion for you to come out. I thought you would prefer to hang out with friends."

His tone was somewhat intriguing: "Shang Shang is so cute, there must be a lot of people who want to be friends with you, right?"

Shi Shang burst out laughing, not realizing the deeper meaning in his words: "Senior, don't joke around, I don't have many friends."

The two walked side by side along the cobblestone path.

The path was narrow, and their shoulders would occasionally touch, the warm shoulder occasionally knocking his arm off, then quickly separating.

The scent of Lu Tinghe floated to his nose. Shi Shang's Adam's apple moved, and he stole a glance at the superior profile of the young man next to him.

After such a short while, he felt a little hungry again.

Not satisfied with brief touches, I want to have more intimate physical contact with him all the time.

It was late at night, with no one around. The distance between them was perfect for holding hands.

Stop, stop! You can't keep thinking about this. You can't have any fantasies about homophobic straight men!

Shi Shang took a step back, bit her tongue, and said vaguely, "It seems like every time I get into trouble, I will meet senior.

"Senior, what about you? Why are you here?"

Lu Tinghe stretched out his hand and gathered his eyebrows: "I can't sleep either, so I came out for a walk."

Shi Shang looked up and indeed caught a glimpse of fatigue between the young man's eyebrows.

The tense back relaxed unconsciously, and the tip of the heart gently patted the shoulder blade.

It turned out that Lu Tinghe's vision just now was an illusion, he just felt a little uncomfortable.

A trace of worry emerged in her heart again. Shi Shang raised her eyes and asked with concern: "Senior, is there anything bothering you? Please tell me, maybe I can help."

Lu Tinghe paused and stopped.

After a while, he avoided Shi Shang's gaze, frowned, and looked solemnly at the dense forest in the distance. He said in a hoarse voice: "The doctor said... I'm sick."

There was an inextricable melancholy in the young man's eyes.

Shi Shang's heart was beating fast. Was he sick?

What disease could it be?

Judging from Lu Tinghe's expression, it's probably not a trivial matter.

He had prayed that the other person would go to heaven after death, but not at such a young age.

The young man sighed, his long eyelashes drooping over his eyelids, and whispered, "This disease may be difficult to treat and will cause trouble to others."

Shi Shang's heart was lifted up, her eyes were solemn, and she asked cautiously: "What disease is it? Can I know?"

Lu Tinghe turned to look at him, his eyes as dark as the deep sea.

After a moment, his Adam's apple rolled up and down, his thin lips opened, and he gently uttered a few syllables, enunciating each word.

"Skin hunger."

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The author has something to say: The male ghost started to pretend, wanting to hold his wife in his arms legitimately, not letting anyone see or touch her [heart eyes][heart eyes]

Poor Shang Shang, got cheated again [burst crying][burst crying]