Chapter 90 The Tenth Door
It is impossible to practice falsetto, it is impossible to practice falsetto in this life, and girls can't do it. It seems that the only way to survive is to insist that you are a boy.
Because of the question Ruan Nanzhu asked, Lin Qiushi was trembling with fear for several days, afraid that he would suddenly ask her to go shopping with him and buy him two more dresses or something.
Fortunately, Lin Qiushi's worst fears didn't materialize. One afternoon, after Ruan Nanzhu returned from outside, she said to Lin Qiushi, "I've met with them and arranged a time to come in." She was wearing a long dress and simple makeup. However, the makeup didn't enhance her appearance; instead, it deliberately diminished her beauty, making her look quite ordinary. Frankly, Lin Qiushi couldn't help but admire Ruan Nanzhu's makeup skills. In a crowd, she looked completely inconspicuous, aside from her unusual height.
In order to conceal his height, Ruan Nanzhu deliberately made a hunched posture, making him look timid and damp like a mushroom in the corner.
Of course, this atmosphere changed immediately after returning to the villa. When Lin Qiushi saw him coming in from outside, he impatiently took off his wig and threw it aside, saying, "You can come with us then."
Lin Qiushi: "I'm coming too?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Well, there probably aren't any clues about the door they entered, so it's going to be a bit troublesome." He said, "You come with me."
Although Lin Qiushi wanted to personally avenge Wu Qi, he was still worried: "Will they become suspicious..."
Ruan Nanzhu said with a half-smile: "As long as you're inside the door, they can doubt you as much as they want." So what if they doubt you? You can't just come out of the door directly.
Lin Qiushi: "That's right." He hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Then... I don't have to wear women's clothes, right?"
Ruan Nanzhu raised an eyebrow and looked at him: "What do you think about women's clothing?"
Lin Qiushi: "I haven't learned how to fake my voice yet. If I wear women's clothes, I'll have to pretend to be mute."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Nanzhu said directly, "Isn't the little mute girl quite adorable?"
Lin Qiushi: “…” Is there something wrong with your aesthetic sense?
In the end, however, Ruan Nanzhu didn't force Lin Qiushi any further and agreed to his decision not to wear women's clothing. The door they entered was a month later. Ruan Nanzhu deduced that the door they entered was most likely Cui Xueyi's. Judging from Wu Qi's girlfriend's behavior, she definitely couldn't be an experienced person and wouldn't have entered through the door further back. The opening times of the previous doors were relatively close together, so a month later would coincide with the opening time of the third door. Furthermore, they also stated that the time of entry wasn't specific, which completely aligned with Ruan Nanzhu's speculation.
Before meeting up with those people, Lin Qiushi also deliberately changed his appearance. This time, it was Ruan Nanzhu who did the work, using some relatively professional special effects makeup tools to completely transform Lin Qiushi's appearance.
Lin Qiushi stared at himself in the mirror and said in a daze, "Nanzhu, you're so amazing."
Ruan Nanzhu said indifferently, "If you want to survive, you should try harder."
That afternoon, the two kept their appointment.
Just as Ruan Nanzhu guessed, he indeed saw Cui Xueyi among this group of people.
Cui Xueyi saw him stunned for a moment, then looked at Ruan Nanzhu and said, "Xiao Xiaoyu, what's wrong with you? Why did you bring people here?" - Ruan Nanzhu told them that the pseudonym was Xiao Xiaoyu.
Ruan Nanzhu stammered, "I'm afraid to be alone. He's my boyfriend..." He glanced at Cui Xueyi cautiously as he said this, looking like someone who could be bullied. "If you don't agree, I'll just let him go back."
Cui Xueyi was about to speak when the woman next to him patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Forget it, we can come together, but it's very dangerous in there. If there's one more person, we can't guarantee his safety. Have you thought about this?"
Lin Qiushi held Ruan Nanzhu's hand tightly and continued in a firm tone, "Don't worry about me. I just want to protect Xiaoyu."
"Okay then," the woman said, "since you've made up your mind, we won't stop you." She smiled and extended her hand to Lin Qiushi, saying, "My name is Lin Xingping, nice to meet you." She was very generous and enthusiastic. If Lin Qiushi didn't know what they had done, he would probably have believed it.
"Oh, oh, thank you." Ruan Nanzhu hurriedly thanked him.
Before coming, Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu had discussed this matter, specifically whether Cui Xueyi and the others would agree to Lin Qiushi entering the house with them. Ruan Nanzhu's analysis suggested they were likely reluctant to let anyone else know about this, as the outside world was a society ruled by law, and murder would be a very troublesome matter. Therefore, upon seeing Lin Qiushi, their boyfriend, who knew the situation, they might simply consider disposing of him inside.
But it doesn’t matter even if they don’t agree in the end. Ruan Nanzhu can probably clean them up by himself.
There are three people on Cui Xueyi's side, two men and one woman. The remaining man is called Gu Yuansi, and he should be the employer this time.
Gu Yuansi seemed very anxious while they were talking, his eyes were even wandering, and he didn't dare to look directly at Ruan Nanzhu and Lin Qiushi.
Lin Qiushi saw it all but pretended not to notice anything.
They stayed together for the rest of the time.
Lin Xingping began to intentionally or unintentionally inquire about the news of Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu. Although the questions she asked were relatively tactful, it was still easy to detect.
Lin Qiushi answered the questions he could answer, and just brushed off the ones he couldn't answer.
Ruan Nanzhu sat beside him the whole time, looking at Lin Qiushi with admiration, as if to say, "I love you so much."
When Cui Xueyi saw how the two of them got along, a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes. He obviously felt that the two of them were being too clingy and made him uncomfortable.
Oh, I forgot to mention that Lin Qiushi, after changing his appearance, was indeed quite unsightly. In Cheng Qianli's words, he couldn't eat at all just by looking at his appearance. Even Cheng Qianli couldn't eat, so he was really ugly.
Several people, each with their own thoughts, quietly waited for the door to open.
Around ten o'clock in the evening, Lin Qiushi suddenly had a feeling. The expressions of the others changed slightly. Lin Xingping stood up and said, "Here I am."
She walked to the door and opened it, only to see that the original corridor outside the hotel had turned into twelve black iron doors.
Two of the doors were sealed, and the one they were going to enter this time was the third door.
"Let's go." Lin Xingping saw them behind her.
Ruan Nanzhu and Lin Qiushi stood up. Ruan Nanzhu looked at Lin Qiushi and said pitifully, "Honey, I'm so scared."
Lin Qiushi played along with him: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I'm here."
"Let's go." Cui Xueyi said, "With us here, nothing will happen to you." He glanced at Gu Yuansi as he said this.
Gu Yuansi forced a smile.
As an employer, it was the first time for Gu Yuansi to enter the door. After seeing the iron gate, his whole body was shaking violently. Although he tried hard to hide it, it was still obvious.
Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu pretended not to see anything.
Lin Xingping walked in front and stretched out her hand to open the iron gate.
Lin Qiushi walked into the door and felt the picture distorted for a moment, and then he felt that the surrounding scenery had changed.
He stood on a stone-paved path, surrounded by low, Japanese-style buildings. It was raining heavily, the water pounding against the eaves and the ground. Fortunately, Lin Qiushi was standing under the eaves, otherwise he would have been soaked.
The surrounding houses were closed. Lin Qiushi continued forward and soon saw an open door.
He walked through the door and saw several people already standing in the corridor waiting.
Because he had memorized the clothes of other people, he soon found Ruan Nanzhu in the corner.
Ruan Nanzhu inside the door looked a little thin. This was because the injury he received in the ninth door had not yet healed, and this unhealed injury was very obvious inside the door - Ruan Nanzhu looked very thin.
He was wearing a light-colored skirt and sitting in the corner, like a dandelion that could be blown away by the wind at any time.
Lin Qiushi walked up to him and said, "My name is Yu Linlin."
"My name is Zhu Meng," Ruan Nanzhu said. "Hello."
"Hello." Lin Qiushi said beside him, "How many times have you come in?"
"This is my second time." Ruan Nanzhu was talking to him when two people walked in. Judging from their clothes, they were Lin Xingping and Cui Xueyi. After they entered the room, they also saw Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu, and walked towards them casually.
Of course, they didn't dare to show it too obviously, and stopped when they were a little far away from them.
Seeing this, Lin Qiushi began to observe the surrounding environment.
This is a Japanese-style courtyard with a tall wall next to it. There is a huge cherry tree planted in the courtyard. The cherry blossoms should be in full bloom, but because of the heavy rain, all the cherry blossoms have been blown down and scattered messily in the black mud.
The wind made the wind chimes hanging in the corridor jingle, but the sound was drowned out by the sound of rain.
This door was the second door that Lin Qiushi passed without any clues. In fact, it was the first door in a real sense because Ruan Nanzhu, who had the clues, was still by his side at that time.
"Are you scared?" Ruan Nanzhu suddenly leaned close to Lin Qiushi's ear and whispered.
Lin Qiushi glanced at him and shook his head.
"I knew you weren't afraid." Ruan Nanzhu sighed softly, "To be honest, I kind of miss your childish look when you first opened the door."
At that time, Lin Qiushi would at least show a look of fear, not as calm as he is now.
The two were whispering to each other when a terrified cry came from the door. A man stumbled in and shouted, "Where is this? Where is this? Who are you?!"
To be honest, Lin Qiushi hadn't seen any new members of the sect for a while.
The man was crying when Lin Xingping suddenly stepped forward and said, "Friend, don't get too emotional. This is the world inside the gate."
"The world inside the door? What does the world inside the door mean?" The man looked confused.
"Those who are about to die will enter the gate." Lin Xingping said with a smile, "This is the new life the gate grants us."
The man looked confused and asked a lot of questions from inside the door.
Lin Xingping patiently answered all their questions one by one.
Watching the conversation between the two, Lin Qiushi inexplicably recalled the first time he entered the door.
At that time, there seemed to be a man named Xiong Qi who helped him answer questions. He was very nice and even willing to share important clues with him. However, Ruan Nanzhu's attitude towards that man was always strange. Thinking about it now, the scene in front of him really makes people feel familiar.
However, Ruan Nanzhu never told him whether Xiong Qi was a good person or not.
People who enter the door for the first time are naturally full of fear. At this time, showing some kindness can easily gain the trust of newcomers.
Others would think that the trust of newcomers is not important. After all, no one knows each other once they get out of the door. But Lin Xingping and the others are different. What they need are such flustered newcomers who know nothing.
The rain continued to fall, and people in the yard gradually arrived.
An old man in kimono appeared outside the yard. He held an umbrella and walked to the center of the yard.
The discussion among the crowd quieted down and they looked at the old man.
The old man said, "Everyone is welcome to come here and play." His voice was very soft and full of weakness, but it was not drowned out by the heavy rain.
"This courtyard is where we all live. There are other beautiful sights in town that everyone can go and see." The old man spoke slowly. "But it rains often here, so when you go out... be sure to bring an umbrella. And remember to clean yourself before entering the house, otherwise you will get sick."
Lin Qiushi remembered every word the old man said.
In fact, the first NPC they met after entering the room usually gave them the most important clues. After the old man said these words, he began to arrange the room.
There were a total of fourteen people who entered the door this time, two of whom were newcomers. One was relatively calm, and the other was almost emotionally broken. The one with the emotional breakdown was the one who was recruited by Lin Xingping, his name was Wang Ronghua.
He was about to cry when he entered the room, but with Lin Xingping's comfort, he managed to calm down. Of course, he also developed a deep trust in Lin Xingping.
"You believe it so?" Ruan Nanzhu was very disdainful of the man.
Lin Qiushi said, "That's understandable. After all, everyone has a chick complex."
Ruan Nanzhu glanced at Lin Qiushi after hearing this: "Then why don't you have any?"
Lin Qiushi: “…” Wait, why is this involving him?
Ruan Nanzhu: "Is it because I'm not pretty enough?"
Lin Qiushi could only bite the bullet and explain, "Actually, I do..."
Ruan Nanzhu was suspicious: "Really?"
Lin Qiushi: "Really, really." He quickly changed the subject, "We're going to assign rooms."
The rooms here were for two people to a room, so Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu were naturally assigned to the same room, Lin Xingping was in a room with Gu Yuansi, and Cui Xueyi was in a room with the newcomer that Lin Xingping had her eyes on.
The others also formed their own teams and planned to return to their rooms to rest as soon as possible.
It was still early when they arrived, but after a while, it was already completely dark. Adding to the rain outside, it soon became pitch dark.
Lin Qiushi entered the room and turned on the light.
The light in the room was very dim and could only barely provide illumination.
The bed was an ordinary tatami. After washing up, Lin Qiushi lay down on it. The sound of rain outside was so loud that it gave him a headache.
Ruan Nanzhu was lying next to Lin Qiushi. After he entered the room, his body seemed to have shrunk. He curled up in a small ball on the tatami, looking inexplicably adorable.
He looked completely different from the cold and reserved Ruan Nanzhu outside the door. Lin Qiushi looked at him sideways for a long time.
Ruan Nanzhu noticed Lin Qiushi's gaze and asked, "Do you like looking at me that much?"
Lin Qiushi suddenly remembered what Gu Longming had said to him at the previous door. He blinked and asked, "Did you have poor sleep quality before?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Yes." He admitted it very frankly, "I basically can't sleep inside the door."
Lin Qiushi: "...I thought I was the only one who couldn't sleep."
Ruan Nanzhu: "Don't you usually sleep well when you sleep with me?"
Lin Qiushi fell silent.
Ruan Nanzhu stood up, pushed his tatami mat next to Lin Qiushi, and said, "So, let's sleep together."
Lin Qiushi acquiesced.
It was raining outside. Ruan Nanzhu leaned on Lin Qiushi's shoulder, and his breathing gradually became even.
Lin Qiushi also closed his eyes in the haze.
The sound of raindrops hitting the ground was so loud that it gave people a headache. Lin Qiushi had sharp hearing and had not been able to sleep very soundly. When he was half asleep, he heard the sound of children singing songs outside the house.
At first, the sound was very small and was buried by the sound of rain, but gradually, the song became louder and louder, and Lin Qiushi woke up immediately.
He heard the lyrics of the ballad clearly: Bamboo cracks, bamboo cracks, the bird in the cage wants to run out all the time, on the night before dawn, the crane and the turtle slip, who is facing you from behind?
The ballad was repeated over and over again, and the clear children's voice seemed particularly strange at this time.
Lin Qiushi was wondering whether to wake Ruan Nanzhu when he heard Ruan Nanzhu's soft voice: "What are they singing outside?" He did not have as sensitive hearing as Lin Qiushi, and could only hear the faint sounds in the pouring rain, but could not make out what they were.
"It's a nursery rhyme," Lin Qiushi said. "Want me to read it to you?"
"Goodbye." Ruan Nanzhu said, "I don't know what this nursery rhyme is for yet. Type it on your phone."
Lin Qiushi nodded, took out his phone and began typing. After typing out the nursery rhyme, he handed it to Ruan Nanzhu.
Ruan Nanzhu saw the words on the screen.
After reading it, he returned the phone to Lin Qiushi and said, "This is a Japanese nursery rhyme, quite famous."
Lin Qiushi said he had never heard of it.
"This nursery rhyme is actually a game. When playing, children will form a circle," Ruan Nanzhu explained in a low voice. "Inside the circle squats a child who plays the ghost. The ghost child covers his eyes. If he can successfully point out the identity of the person behind him at the end of the nursery rhyme, that person will become the ghost."
Lin Qiushi: "...So the kids outside are playing this game?" The rain outside was so loud, he didn't think there would be kids playing this in the rain late at night. Obviously, it was more likely those dirty things.
"Right," Ruan Nanzhu said, "We have no clues this time, so we have to be careful about everything."
"Do they really have no clues?" Lin Qiushi was actually a little skeptical about this.
"Maybe, but why tell clues to the dead?" Ruan Nanzhu said, "After all, they will try their best to kill us."
Lin Qiushi understood.
The nursery rhyme lasted until most of the night before gradually disappearing.
The heavy rain continued until the next day, and the weather gradually cleared up around early morning.
Lin Qiushi had been disturbed by the rain all night and only took a nap in the early morning. But then there was a knock on the door. Ruan Nanzhu asked, "Who is it?"
"It's me." Lin Xingping's voice came, "Aren't you guys getting up yet?"
Ruan Nanzhu said, "Sister Lin, I want to sleep a little longer. You guys should go eat first."
Lin Xingping seemed a little confused by Ruan Nanzhu and asked, "...are you sleeping well here?"
Ruan Nanzhu pinched her throat and said coquettishly: "I can sleep well anywhere when I sleep with my dear."
Lin Xingping: "..." She was choked by the dog food that was forced on her. In the end, she could only say, "Then you guys come earlier," and then turned and left.
Listening to her tone, Lin Qiushi was most likely already cursing Ruan Nanzhu in his heart as a brainless idiot.
Lin Qiushi looked at Ruan Nanzhu and said, "You really can't get up?"
Ruan Nanzhu said, "Didn't you sleep well? You take a nap. I'll get up first."
Lin Qiushi said, "No need. I'm not very sleepy." He got up from the bed and said, "Let's go have breakfast first."
Ruan Nanzhu said, "Okay."
The two changed their clothes, washed up thoroughly, opened the door and went out into the corridor.
When Lin Qiushi reached the door, he suddenly stopped and cast a puzzled look towards a certain place in the corridor.
"What was that? Was there something there yesterday evening?"
Ruan Nanzhu followed Lin Qiushi's gaze and saw a white sunny doll hanging at the end of the corridor. The sunny doll was very large, as big as a basketball, and simple sketches of human facial features were drawn on it with a black pen.
Ruan Nanzhu: "No, not last night." He was very sure.
Lin Qiushi actually didn't remember it, but he was afraid that he was wrong, so Ruan Nanzhu confirmed it. Now Ruan Nanzhu also said no, then it really was gone.
The two walked along the corridor to the bottom of the sunny doll. The sunny doll was not hung high, and Lin Qiushi could take it down with just one hand. He said, "Do you want to take it down?" He really didn't dare to touch the things here casually.
"Let me do it." Ruan Nanzhu must have his own trump card, so he stretched out his hand and took down the sunny doll.
However, as soon as he got the Sunny Doll, his expression changed. He turned to look at Lin Qiushi and whispered, "There seems to be a human head wrapped inside."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
