The Abyss Under the Withered Vines

The sycamore leaves in the old city were curled into tubes by the autumn wind, rustling across the asphalt, like someone walking on tiptoe behind a tree. As Zhou Ming dragged Lu Ye's arm down the alley, he fiddled with the silver chain around his collar—a gift from his grandmother before she passed away the previous year, supposedly to ward off disaster. But he preferred to use it as a flirtation tool, revealing it unexpectedly to draw a second glance.

"Are you sure it's here?" Lu Ye stopped at the entrance of the alley and frowned as he stared at the western-style building at the end.

The alley was narrow, its walls peeling like sores. Moldy cardboard boxes were piled in the corners, with old textbooks faintly visible inside. The wind blew in from the direction of the Western-style building, carrying a damp, musty smell mixed with a fishy odor like rotting old paper that made your nose constrict.

The Western-style building, a Republican-era structure, was covered in withered vines, their roots wedged in the cracks between the bricks like countless gray-black hands clawing at the wall. The wooden windows on the second floor hung crooked, their glass coated in a thick layer of dust, casting a hazy light under the evening streetlights. Occasionally, a breeze blew through the window frames, making a creaking sound like the throat of an old man coughing.

The most eerie thing was the wooden sign at the door. There was no sign light, just a dark piece of wood nailed to the door frame, with the words "Chen Yuan" written on it in red paint. The red paint seemed to have not yet dried, and it ran down the wood grain, forming small red beads on the edge of the sign, which looked like congealed blood from a distance.

"The address is right there on Xiaohongshu, how could it be wrong?" Zhou Ming pulled out his phone and shook it. In the store exploration notes on the screen, the blogger was smiling and giving a "V" sign, with this Western-style building in the background. "Look, the blogger said the NPCs inside are breathtakingly handsome, especially the boss. He's got that cool, cool look. Isn't that what you like?"

Lu Ye's attention instantly shifted from the strangeness of the western-style building. He touched his hair—he'd specially used hairspray to style it fluffy that morning. He also changed into a short black shirt, revealing a small sliver of his muscular waist and abdomen, just to flirt with the handsome guy. He cleared his throat, suppressed the inexplicable fear, and walked inside with Zhou Ming, head held high. "Come on, I'll show you what 'the ceiling of flirting with men' means."

As he pushed open the wooden door, Lu Ye heard a very soft "click," as if a small part had fallen off the hinges. The hallway behind the door was dark, lit only by a single warm yellow desk lamp hanging from the ceiling. The light was limited, barely covering the desk at the front desk. Beyond that, the shadows were so thick that even the outline of the wall was blurred.

A man sat behind the front desk, his back to them. His long black hair was tied back with a rubber band, falling to his shoulder blades, revealing a neck as white as porcelain, with the blue veins faintly visible. He wore a black shirt, his cuffs buttoned tightly. On his wrist was an old silver bell, finely engraved with patterns. As he flipped through the papers, it occasionally jiggled, but made no sound.

"Fuck, that back..." Lu Ye whistled inwardly, his steps even lighter. He deliberately slowed down, and as he reached the side of the reception desk, he straightened his waist to make his shirt fit better. Then, leaning against the desk, he smiled slyly, "Boss, you two, let's have a show on the theme of 'Campus Ghost Stories', can you guys start?"

The man finally turned around.

Lu Ye's breathing suddenly paused for half a second.

He wasn't the kind of handsome that was dazzlingly stunning, but rather a cool, down-to-earth good-looking guy. His skin was so pale it was almost transparent, as if he hadn't seen the sun for years. His brow bones were high, his eye sockets were deep, and his eyes were a deep, dark black, devoid of light, like the surface of a frozen lake. He had a high nose bridge, and his lips were thin, a pale pink. When he pursed his lips, they had a cold, hard line, and even the corners of his mouth had a slight downward curve.

He held a black pen in his hand, with the tip of the pen hovering above the registration book. He didn't move, just looked at Lu Ye, with no emotion in his eyes, as if he was looking at a stone.

"Identity card." His voice was as cold as he was, without any ups and downs. Every word seemed to be fished out of an ice cellar, and there was a hint of chill in the air when it fell.

Lu Ye finally came to his senses and quickly took out his ID card and handed it over. As he handed it over, he deliberately rubbed the other person's hand with his fingertips - the first touch was like touching ice, so cold that his fingertips numbed.

The man's brow furrowed imperceptibly, and he quickly withdrew his hand. As he took the ID card, his fingertips avoided Lu Ye's touch. He lowered his head to register. His long eyelashes cast a faint shadow under his eyes, and the lines of his profile were as sharp as if they were carved with a knife.

"Follow the arrows after you go in." He handed back the registered ID card and two black cards, the edges of which were a little rough. "Don't touch anything inside, don't shout, and come out in an hour."

"Hey, boss," Lu Ye didn't take the card, but leaned forward, his knees almost touching the receptionist's legs. "What's your name? I'm Lu Ye, a freelance illustrator. Come visit often. If you're free, how about we have dinner together?"

Zhou Ming tugged at his shirt and whispered, "Are you crazy? He's the boss, and you're asking me to have dinner right away?"

Lu Ye ignored him, his eyes still fixed on the man's lips - his lips moved when he spoke just now, and his pale pink lips looked a little soft, which was completely inconsistent with his cold and hard temperament.

The man didn't answer, but just pushed the card forward again, his tone a little colder: "Either go in or leave."

"Why are you leaving? Of course I'm going in." Lu Ye took the card with a smile and deliberately rubbed his finger against the back of his hand again - it was still icy, even colder than before. "Boss, wait until I come out, then we can talk."

The man ignored him, turned around, and returned to facing the computer screen. The light from the screen reflected on his face, making it look even paler, and even the curve of his eyes revealed a sense of alienation.

Lu Ye curled his lips, but his heart was itching even more—the cooler the handsome guy, the more rewarding it was to flirt with him. He dragged Zhou Ming towards the entrance of the secret room. After taking two steps, he looked back and saw the man raise his hand to rub his brow. The movement was very light, as if he was a little tired.

The entrance to the secret room was a sheet metal door painted dark red with an arrow painted in white, pointing inside. A hemp rope was wrapped around the door handle, and a small copper bell hung from the rope. When Lu Ye reached out to pull the door, the bell rang with a clear, crisp sound that seemed particularly abrupt in the gloomy environment.

"Are the NPCs inside really that handsome?" Zhou Ming followed behind, his voice trembling slightly. "Why do I always feel like this place is weird? There's not even a light."

"What are you afraid of?" Lu Ye said stubbornly, but he was actually a little nervous inside. There was a faint sound of wind behind the door, as if countless people were breathing inside. "It's all a gimmick to create an atmosphere. You'll know it's worth it when you see the handsome NPC later."

The moment I pushed open the door, a stronger musty smell, tinged with disinfectant, hit me. It felt like a long-unused hospital ward. It was pitch black inside, save for a fluorescent green arrow on the floor. Following it, I could see a faint light in the distance, like the smudge of a voice-activated light.

"Come on, follow me closely." Lu Ye pulled Zhou Ming's arm, took a deep breath, and stepped in first.

After taking two steps, the voice-controlled light above my head suddenly lit up.

The light was pale, flickering on and off, illuminating the walls on either side. Dense beads of water seeped down the walls, trickling down through the cracks in the bricks and forming small puddles on the floor. These puddles reflected the light, like countless eyes staring at them. Lu Ye reached out and touched the wall—it was icy cold, and there was a hint of something red on his fingertips. He brought it to his nose and sniffed; it smelled neutral. He wiped it on his pants, but it left a reddish mark, like blood.

"What's going on with this wall?" Zhou Ming's voice trembled even more. "Why is there something red?"

"Special effects paint," Lu Ye said stubbornly, but he felt a little uneasy inside - the red marks on his pants looked like real blood. "Look at these water droplets, they're from a humidifier, to create a damp feeling."

As soon as he finished speaking, the voice-controlled light went out with a snap.

Darkness instantly engulfed them, blurring even the fluorescent green arrow. Zhou Ming was so frightened that he immediately grabbed Lu Ye's arm, his nails digging into his flesh. "Lu Ye, why are the lights off? Don't voice-activated lights need sound to turn on? Were we walking loud enough?"

"Maybe it's broken," Lu Ye's voice was a little tense. He stomped his feet deliberately, and with a "click", the light came on again.

This time the light didn't flash, but it did reveal something on the wall - not bricks, but yellowed test papers pinned to the wall with thumbtacks. The handwriting on the test papers was blurred, and only the scores could be seen clearly, all "58" and "59". The red scores were like blood, and were particularly dazzling under the pale light.

"This...is this a theme decoration?" Zhou Ming's voice was almost tearful. "It's too realistic, isn't it?"

Lu Ye remained silent, staring at a test paper. In the corner was a name, written lightly, as if in pencil. He leaned in to see it clearly: "Lin Xiao." Just then, a faint, intermittent sobbing sound came over him, like a girl crying. The sound came from the end of the corridor, but also seemed to be right next to his ear, sometimes far away, sometimes near.

"Who... who's crying?" Zhou Ming grabbed Lu Ye's arm and backed away. "Is it an NPC? Stop pretending, we saw you!"

The sobbing stopped.

The air suddenly became quiet, and even the sound of water dripping on the wall could be heard clearly. Lu Ye swallowed his saliva, and the fear in his heart climbed up like a vine - he had clearly heard the crying right next to his ears, why did it stop so suddenly?

He mustered up his courage and shouted to the end of the corridor, "Beautiful NPC, stop hiding and come out! My friend is timid, don't scare him."

No response.

Only the voice-activated light snapped off, and darkness descended once more. After it went out, no matter how Lu Ye stamped his feet or shouted, the light didn't come back on. The fluorescent green arrow also grew fainter and fainter, until it was almost invisible.

"Fuck, what kind of secret room is this!" Lu Ye panicked. He took out his cell phone to turn on the light, but after pressing it for a long time, the screen didn't light up. It was still powered on when he entered the room, so why did it suddenly shut down?

"Lu Ye, I'm scared..." Zhou Ming's voice was filled with tears as he held Lu Ye's hand tightly. "Let's go out. We don't want to play anymore."

"Go out? How do I get out?" Lu Ye gritted his teeth. "I don't know when the entrance door was closed. Now I can't even tell the direction..."

Before he could finish his words, he suddenly felt a chill behind him - not the chill of the secret room, but the chill of someone standing behind him, with his breath spraying on his neck.

He turned around suddenly, but saw nothing.

In the darkness, there was only the sound of Zhou Ming's breathing and his own heartbeat, which made his eardrums hurt.

"Who? Who's behind this?" Lu Ye's voice trembled, but he still held on, "Stop playing tricks and come out!"

At this moment, a bone-chilling voice sounded in his ears, as close as if it was speaking to his ear: "This is not the place you should be."

Lu Ye was so frightened that his soul almost flew away. He suddenly jumped forward and almost bumped into Zhou Ming. Just as he was about to shout, he saw a faint light in the distance - it was the light of a flashlight, shining from the end of the corridor. The light was very thin, only shining on the ground, casting a slender shadow.

The shadow slowly approached, and Lu Ye could see clearly that it was the boss from before.

He held an old flashlight, its light slanting down onto the ground, not his face, so only his outline could be seen—his black shirt, his long hair tied back, and the silver bell on his wrist, which glowed faintly in the darkness. He walked silently, as if floating over, and with each step, the air around him grew colder.

"Boss? How did you get in?" Lu Ye's teeth were chattering, not from the cold, but from fear. How could this person appear in the secret room so quietly? Was that voice just now his?

The man didn't answer, but raised the flashlight and shone it on the wall behind Lu Ye.

Lu Ye looked in the direction of the light and his scalp instantly exploded.

A shadow had appeared on the wall—not his or Zhou Ming's, but that of a girl in a school uniform and ponytail. She was clinging to the wall, slowly moving toward him. The shadow's hand hung at her side, seemingly clutching something. As the shadow moved, the object left a long trail on the wall, like blood.

"What...what is that?" Zhou Ming screamed, pointing at the wall. "Is it an NPC? Why is there no sound?"

The man didn't say anything, but just took a step to the side, and the flashlight just shone on the shadow of the wall.

This time, Lu Ye saw it clearly.

Not a shadow.

There really was a girl standing there.

She wore a washed-out blue-and-white school uniform, a dark stain at the collar that looked like blood. Her hair was long, draped over her shoulders, covering half her face. Her exposed eyes were bluish-white, pupilless, and stared intently at Lu Ye. In her hand, she clutched a piece of paper, its edges yellowed. "58" was written on it in red ink. The red mark was still seeping down, dripping onto the ground, creating a small red circle.

"Ghost... ghost!" Zhou Ming completely collapsed. He turned around and ran back. He fell to the ground after only two steps. He got up and continued running without even daring to look back.

Lu Ye was also terrified. His blood seemed to freeze, and his feet felt like they were filled with lead, unable to move an inch. He watched the girl slowly walk towards him. With each step, she left a wet footprint on the ground. The footprint was bluish-white, without a trace of blood.

The girl walked up to him and stopped. She slowly raised her head, revealing her full face—a pale bluish complexion, purple lips, and a faint streak of blood running from the corner of her eye to her jaw. She handed Lu Ye a piece of paper. It was a math test. The name "Lin Xiao" was at the top of the paper, and the score "58" was written in large red ink. Next to it was a line of small words: "Failed again. Why are you so stupid?"

"I... I didn't mean to..." The girl's voice was very soft, with tears in her eyes, "They hid my textbooks, and I didn't have time to review... Mom, please don't scold me..."

Lu Ye's mind was blank, with only one thought in his mind - run!

He spun around, stumbling forward, losing sight of where he was going and falling hard on the steps. His knee slammed against the concrete, causing him to grimace in pain. He reached out and touched his hand, which was covered in blood. He was about to get up when he felt something entangled around his ankle—a girl's hair, long, black, like a snake, wrapped tightly around his ankle and as cold as ice.

"Don't go..." A girl's voice sounded behind him, crying, "Please tell my mother... I'm not stupid..."

Terrified, Lu Ye kicked back with all his might, finally freeing himself from the entanglement of his hair. He tumbled forward, crawling, and after a few steps, he saw a glimmer of light ahead—the exit of the secret room!

He rushed forward desperately, pushed open the exit door, and stumbled onto the street. He didn't dare stop to breathe until the cold wind blew into his collar.

Zhou Ming had already huddled in a heap by the roadside, his face pale, his hands clutching his head, and he was still muttering, "Ghost...it's really a ghost..."

Lu Ye leaned against a telephone pole, gasping for breath. The wound on his knee was still bleeding, seeping onto his pants and forming a dark scab. He glanced back at the door to the "Chenyuan Secret Room." The western-style building was a huge shadow in the night. There was no light in the windows, only the words "Chenyuan" on the wooden sign at the door, glowing an eerie red under the streetlight.

"Fuck..." Lu Ye cursed, feeling both scared and angry - he was scared of the girl just now, and angry that he was scared so badly and embarrassed in front of the handsome boss.

He fumbled for a cigarette, trying to light one to calm his nerves, but his lighter wouldn't work for a long time. He looked down and saw that the cigarettes in the box were damp, and there was a black hair stuck on the cigarette paper—not his, nor Zhou Ming's. The hair was very long, with a hint of green at the end, like the girl's.

Lu Ye's hand shook violently and the cigarette box fell to the ground. Just as he was about to pick it up, he saw a person standing next to the cigarette box.

It’s Qi Chen.

He was still wearing the same black shirt, standing in the shadow of the streetlight, holding Lu Ye's lost ID card and phone. His face was still pale, his eyes expressionless, and he simply stared at Lu Ye, the silver bell in his hand occasionally ringing, making a very soft "ding" sound.

"Your things." He handed over his ID card and cell phone. His voice was still cold, but not as biting as before.

Lu Ye took the thing and touched his hand, which was still cold. He looked at Qi Chen's face and suddenly remembered how Qi Chen stood in the dark in the secret room just now - no shadow, no sound when he walked, and his hand was as cold as ice.

An absurd thought suddenly popped up in my mind: Could this person also be a ghost?

"Just now... what was that thing inside?" Lu Ye's voice was a little trembling. He wanted to ask "Is it a ghost?" but didn't dare to say it out loud.

Qi Chen's expression changed slightly, but soon returned to its cold expression: "Special effects."

"Special effects?" Lu Ye stared into his eyes. "A special effect that can tangle people's hair? A test paper that can bleed?"

Qi Chen didn't answer, but just said: "If you are afraid, don't come here again."

"I'm not afraid!" Lu Ye's competitive spirit was instantly ignited. He rubbed the wound on his knee and said through gritted teeth, "Isn't it just a broken secret room? I'll come again tomorrow!"

Qi Chen glanced at him, said nothing, and turned back to the western-style building. The wooden door closed behind him with a "click", the same sound he heard when Lu Ye entered the door just now.

Lu Ye stood by the roadside, looking at the gate of the western-style building, feeling both angry and itchy. He was angry because he was frightened so badly, and itchy because of Qi Chen's appearance - no matter whether he was a human or a ghost, he had to win back his face and seduce this cold and handsome guy.

He picked up the cigarette box from the ground, threw it into the trash can, and then dragged the still-trembling Zhou Ming home. After taking two steps, he suddenly felt something poke in his pocket. He took it out and saw it was a folded piece of paper with yellowed edges. On it was written "58" in red pen, and the name at the beginning of the volume was "Lin Xiao".

This is the test paper that the girl just handed him.

Lu Ye's hand trembled violently, and the test paper fell to the ground. Just as he was about to pick it up, a gust of wind blew over, and the test paper was blown up and floated towards the "Abyss Secret Room". Finally, it stuck to the wall of the western-style building, like a strange talisman paper.

Lu Ye stood there, looking at the test paper, and suddenly felt an inexplicable chill in his heart - that girl seemed to have really followed him out.