Noon in summer is the hottest time of the day. The scorching sun is scorching the asphalt road. From a distance, you can see the hot steam rising from the ground.
At this time of year, freezers in street vendors are filled with popsicles and drinks in various colors, attracting a steady stream of customers without even having to call out.
The moment he opened the freezer, a cool breeze hit him in the face. Qi Mi grabbed a few ice creams and two bottles of soda, then walked to the front desk to pay.
The person checking out was the shop owner's daughter, who had been drafted in to help out during the summer vacation. She was stunned at first when she saw Qi Mi, but after she finished paying, she smiled and handed over her phone's QR code: "Fifty-eight in total... Handsome guy, do you have a girlfriend? Add me on WeChat."
Qi Mi was stunned. Through the glass of the alcohol and tobacco cabinet behind the girl, he saw himself——
He is about 1.8 meters tall, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, a washed blue short-sleeved shirt, and neat black short hair. Although he is not extremely handsome, he can still attract a few glances when he walks on the street.
The feeling of disharmony was fleeting, and he gave the girl an apologetic smile: "Sorry, I didn't bring my phone. Maybe next time."
Afraid that the ice cream would melt quickly, he said nothing more and walked out of the store carrying the plastic bag.
Qi Mi's apartment was across from the grocery store. It was a dated, four-story building without an elevator. Old buildings generally had poor sound insulation, so if someone in the family was arguing, they'd have a sleepless night.
The reason why he rented a house here was mainly because it was close to the company and the rent was cheap. Otherwise, it would be difficult for him, a white-collar worker from the working class, to support himself.
He ran up to the third floor in two steps. As soon as he turned the stairs, he heard the sound of playful laughter coming from the half-open room.
Qi Mi opened the door of the room and bumped into a boy in a white shirt.
The boy's name is Xu Wei, and he is his childhood friend.
"I asked you to go downstairs to buy a popsicle, and I thought you were making one right away. You're so slow."
Xu Wei must have wanted to go downstairs to look for Qi Mi. Seeing him come back, he grabbed the plastic bag, changed his sneakers into slippers, and walked in while calling out to the people inside to get popsicles. "Come on, Qi Mi brought back the popsicles. Eat them quickly, or they will melt."
“Just waiting for a bite!”
There should be quite a few people in the living room. After someone responded, there was a crackling sound of plastic bags.
Qi Mi leaned inside and took a look. He estimated that there were about five or six people, all around thirty years old. After two seconds of reaction, he turned around and went to the bathroom first.
The bathroom was old and had no windows, lit only by a dim light.
The washbasin with peeling white enamel paint was facing the mirror, so Qi Mi could see herself as soon as she looked up after washing her hands.
Observing him from such a close distance, the sense of strangeness was even stronger. Whether it was the deep black pupils or the stubble on the chin, they all made him feel very uncomfortable.
Perhaps because he was too nagging, Xu Wei came over and leaned against the door, sucking on a popsicle.
Seeing Qi Mi staring at himself in the mirror, he curled his lips and said, "I know you're the class flower and handsome, but there's no need to stare at yourself so narcissistically, right? Hurry up and continue reminiscing about our high school life. We finally got everyone together today."
"Did I look like this before?" Qi Mi wiped his hands and asked irrelevantly.
He always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what was going on.
Xu Wei thought Qi Mi was reminiscing about his youthful days, so he looked at him and nodded, "You look just like this, after all these years you're still as handsome as ever, tsk tsk tsk... You really don't let us middle-aged men live like this."
He threw the finished popsicle stick into the trash can and dragged Qi Mi into the living room.
Several people in the living room had finished eating, leaving behind a trash basket of popsicle packaging bags.
"It doesn't taste like it did back then. I remember this brand of popsicles used to have a strong milky flavor, but why does it taste like sugar water today?" Li Hui said dejectedly, as if he couldn't open his mouth.
He was the fattest person here. Even though he was leaning against the fan, the front of his gray short-sleeved shirt was soaked with sweat.
Xu Wei took the opportunity to sit next to Li Hui and said: "It's normal. It's been so many years. You, the bean sprout back then, have become as fat as a steamed bun. Can't you allow others' milky flavor to turn into sugar water?" As he said this, he deliberately patted Li Hui's big belly, which made a muffled sound like a ripe watermelon.
Everyone laughed.
Qi Mi also curled the corner of his mouth.
He was sitting right in front of the window. The hazy yellow sky was like a thick, untearable cloth, hanging there dully, and even the sunlight could only penetrate a little.
He Qixuan, wearing glasses, sat directly opposite Qi with his back to the window. Seeing Qi staring out the window absentmindedly, he subconsciously looked out and smiled in confusion: "What are you looking at so intently? It's creepy."
Qi Mi came back to his senses and shook his head.
Xu Wei sensed that he wasn't in high spirits, so he nudged him with his elbow and whispered, "You were the one who called us guys over to play today. You were fine before, but how come you came back like a frost-bitten eggplant after buying a popsicle? What's wrong with you?"
"I……"
Qi Mi opened his mouth to answer, but before he could answer, a short boy took over the conversation.
The boy's name was Mao Xiang. He wore a large gold chain around his neck that didn't suit him at all, giving him the air of a nouveau riche. He chuckled, "I know, Class Prince is stingy, right? All these popsicles and drinks wouldn't cost more than twenty yuan. Don't worry, I'm treating you guys to dinner tonight. I've already made a reservation. It's at that mutton soup restaurant across from the school. We'll be there soon."
After hearing this, everyone's topic turned to the mutton soup restaurant, which was arguably the food they craved the most during their high school years.
Feeling that the topic was getting more and more off-topic, Xu Wei quickly stopped it: "Alright, alright everyone, we haven't been together for a long time since graduation. We came to Qimi's place to revisit that game from back then. Can you please stop digressing?"
He Qixuan adjusted his glasses and took out a heavy black plastic bag from behind him. "Don't worry, I've prepared everything long ago. The game we didn't finish in the dormitory that year, I can finally finish it today."
"Hey, can you still be sure if you don't play at school?"
"Who knows? I just want to know what will happen after the last candle is blown out."
"Me too. I'm always interrupted halfway through the game and never manage to blow out the last candle. I'm making this clear today: this game must be finished before leaving. No one can leave early!"
…
Several people stood up one after another, pushed away the sofas, tables and chairs in the living room, and created a fairly spacious space.
From the words of these people, Qi Mi finally understood what the seven of them, including him, were doing here today.
Play Hundred Story.
This is a game from the Edo period in Japan. A group of people light 100 candles, and each person takes turns telling a ghost story. After telling a story, they blow out a candle. When the last candle is blown out, real ghosts will appear.
However, after being introduced to my country, it became slightly different.
It is said that if you are lucky, the ghost you attract at the end of the game is likely to be a good ghost, similar to the Kumantong raised in Thailand. As long as you pray and offer sacrifices devoutly every day, this ghost will definitely bless one of the people with whom you are destined to play to have a worry-free life and good fortune.
At the same time, the gameplay is also different.
The original gameplay only requires one hundred candles, but after the revision, you need to place a small mirror in each of the four corners of the room.
There is a bell tied to the small mirror with a red rope. When the bell rings for the last time, it means that the ghost has arrived. Then you just have to wait for it to choose the person with whom you are destined to be and place the bell behind that person.
Fortune and wealth are achieved through risk, that's what it means.
The seven of them worked hard, and before long, the room was almost decorated.
The moment the curtains were drawn, the room suddenly became dark, and 100 candles illuminated everyone's face from bottom to top, which was indeed a bit eerie.
Xu Wei couldn't help but shiver, rubbing his arms in fear and excitement: "This smell suddenly appeared. If you need to go to the bathroom, hurry up. Don't go to the bathroom when you are having fun."
Qi Mi looked around and stood up: "Then I'll go drink some water."
"I'll go too! I'm a little thirsty too!" Mao Xiang got up and followed him to the kitchen. He picked up a glass on the table, looked left and right, and smacked his lips a little embarrassedly.
Qi Mi finished drinking the water and noticed that Mao Xiang hadn't moved for a long time. He glanced sideways and asked, "Why do you have that expression?"
"Oh, it's nothing... I'm just used to the high-end glass cups at home. I haven't used this cheap glass cup for a long time, so it's a bit awkward." Mao Xiang said as he rinsed the cup with boiling water. The sound was not loud, but it fell into Qi Mi's ears.
Qi Mi chuckled and put the empty cup on the table: "The world of the rich, I don't understand..."
"Oh, the class flower can also be sarcastic." Mao Xiang shouted at Qi Mi's back, as if he was joking and seemed to be deliberately embarrassing him.
Qi Mi seemed not to hear and sat back in his seat with an expressionless face.
Soon, Mao Xiang sat back with a grin on his face, complaining that the water was so unpalatable.
When he saw Qi Mi looking at him, he immediately laughed dryly: "Don't look at me like that, Ban Cao, this water is really a bit hard to drink, don't tell me you haven't tasted it yet."
"Poor people are used to it..."
A faint smile appeared on Qi Mi's lips. He took out his cell phone, flipped through it twice, and then closed it.
The game officially begins after the two people who went to the bathroom come back.
Class monitor He Qixuan served as the organizer and drew lots to select Li Hui as the first storyteller. The game began in an orderly manner in a clockwise manner.
"The first story I want to tell you is not a ghost story, it's a true story. It was told to me by my older brother who worked with me on the construction site. It's his personal experience."
Li Hui sat upright and lowered his voice deliberately to create a nice atmosphere.
The author has something to say:
Enter the dungeon~
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