Chapter 32 The Most Obsessed Male Ghost
Meng Weishen's original intention was to accompany Jiang Ranxu out for a change of mood and relaxation, and he didn't arrange a very tight schedule.
He slept until he almost missed lunch. He quickly washed up in ten minutes, pulled out a sweatshirt and jeans from his backpack, wrapped them around himself, and hurried out with Jiang Ranxu.
Everything seemed normal up to this point. As they crossed the corridor, Meng Weishen stumbled upon the fact that all the rooms on the second floor had their doors open. Looking through the doors, he could see the corners of the bedding in each room neatly tucked under the mattresses, with no sign of habitation.
Could it be that they were the only residents last night?
The first floor was deserted. The receptionist was nowhere to be seen. Only a little boy in school uniform, probably a middle school student, lay in the yard, struggling with homework. He must be the receptionist's grandson.
What about women wearing high heels?
The two of them took the fully charged car and drove onto the highway into the city. Meng Weishen slapped his thigh and said belatedly:
"Damn. The B&B we're staying in isn't haunted, is it?"
This idea was truly absurd. He had expected Jiang Ranxu to scoff at his superstition, but he too fell into deep thought: "Who knows. Today is Qingming Festival, a mysterious day."
"What should we do? Should we turn back now, pack our bags and run away?"
"Don't worry, we can ask the locals."
At noon, local Asher met them at Yanchunlou. The wait was especially long on holidays, with dozens of tables of diners lined up in front. They squeezed in and occupied a row of benches, chatting about their bizarre experiences at the B&B the previous night.
Asher fiddled with the menu and said nonchalantly, "Haunted? Haunted is normal. It doesn't matter. Most of the ghosts during Qingming Festival come back to look for their relatives. Maybe yesterday's ghost was your great-grandfather or great-grandmother. What's there to be afraid of?"
Meng Weishen still felt something was wrong. His great-grandfather and great-grandmother were simple old farmers who didn't wear high heels. "It was a young woman wearing high heels. And she was crying, very resentful."
"My friend, there's nothing to be afraid of. The ghosts in Tianjin are not as unreasonable as the Japanese. They always have their own culprits. You are not her enemy, and she is not looking for you. What are you afraid of?"
"But she stopped at our room door yesterday."
"Don't worry, she won't hurt you. You're a newlywed couple going on your first trip together, so make sure you have fun and don't overthink anything else."
"but……"
"Yanchunlou's ox tongue tail and Wubao Sandan are both very famous, you must order them." Asher had already changed the subject and asked with a smile, "By the way, the prices in this restaurant are not cheap. I wonder who will be responsible for paying the bill later."
Jiang Ranxu had been messaging someone, but he finally looked up from his phone screen and said with a smile, "I'll definitely order the cucumber salad for you. Give me the menu."
——
When asked for travel recommendations from locals, Asher always said that there is nothing to do in Tianjin, and it would be better to go to Hebei on the weekend as it is so close and beautiful.
It was almost two o'clock when lunch ended, leaving us with little time for sightseeing. We followed the guide on Xiao Digu's website and wandered around the complex of small villas. Unfortunately, the architecture of scenic spots across the country is similar. The ancient buildings have been renovated, their original beauty lost. The gaps are filled with shops selling Changsha stinky tofu and repurposed pancakes. It's a bummer.
The two of them circled back to the Haihe River, just in time for the diving team's competition. Inspired, they quickly jockeyed for prime viewing spots near the bridgehead. The next divers, each with their own unique style, took to the water with flying gestures: one sporting a golden cape, another fluttering butterfly wings, and another in an EVA-colored bodysuit. On the shore, a rather elegant man remained in the water, playing golf on the surface.
In the evening, the two bought tickets at the pier and boarded the cruise ship. The cruise ship slowly pushed through the golden river under the neon lights and passed by the huge Tianjin Eye.
They combined dinner and supper and found a Japanese yakitori restaurant. They devoured all kinds of chicken, chicken cartilage and chicken offal like weasels.
Meng Weishen had finished a whole bowl of hot spring egg and beef rice, his mind still hazy from carbon monoxide sickness. There were no decent streetlights on the way back, and in the quiet darkness, he nearly fell asleep leaning against the passenger window.
Just as he had completely forgotten the haunting, a shrill suona sound nearly ripped his scalp off. Car lights swept across the dark road ahead, and suddenly a vermilion paper sedan appeared.
Meng Weishen shuddered all over, and his mind became much more alert.
Jiang Ranxu closed all the car windows in time, freed his right hand from the steering wheel, and gently held his wrist: "Don't be afraid, it's the funeral custom in the countryside."
The funeral procession had appeared on the side of the road at some point, slowly wandering along to the sound of suona. Cars sped past the procession, and Meng Weishen finally got a clear look at it: a sea of dark figures carrying colorful paper props, seemingly imitating a wedding scene. Wreaths followed the sedan chair, accompanied by horses and several paper figures.
When the paper sedan completely disappeared in the rearview mirror, the chaotic thoughts in Meng Weishen's mind became tangled, and the only clear perception was the sound of his heartbeat like a drum in his chest.
Jiang Ranxu, of course, sensed his panic. For the rest of the car ride, he didn't let go of his wrist. His fingertips pressed against his pulse, the cool warmth soothing his boiling blood. He knew, after all, that he wasn't alone, and that thought gradually calmed his heartbeat.
With Jiang Ranxu controlling the steering wheel with one hand, the two arrived at the B&B smoothly.
Tonight is destined to be restless.
Meng Weishen saw from afar a wisp of green smoke rising above the B&B, surrounded by sparks of fire, and thought there was a fire somewhere.
He got out of the car and walked into the yard, only to see a pile of paper money in the corner, with fire crackling in the fire, and a small figure squatting beside it - it was the boy in school uniform during the day.
He hadn't noticed it during the day, but now, up close, he realized the boy's features were remarkably feminine, his complexion pale. If his hair had been longer, he might have been mistaken for a girl. The skin on his cheeks and arms was almost covering his bones, giving him no sign of puberty. He worried that a gust of wind would sweep him away, wrapped in paper money, and he would ascend to heaven.
Because of his profession, Jiang Ranxu was better at dealing with children than he was. Seeing the shock on his face, he took the initiative to step forward and greeted him: "Hey, classmate, what's your name?"
"Haihe." The boy seemed to have not yet entered the stage of Adam's apple development, and his voice was still shrill.
"What are you doing? You can't burn paper casually at home. It can easily cause a fire."
"I want to burn money for my mother. She said she was so hungry and cold all by herself, so I want to burn money to buy her a boxed lunch and a cotton-padded jacket."
"What happened to your mother? Can you tell me about it? Just think of me as your friend."
Before the boy could even open his mouth, the receptionist rushed out, picked up a broom, and hit the burning paper money with it. He cursed, "You unlucky child! We have guests here, go burn it somewhere else!"
The boy ran away with tears in his eyes.
——
The lights in the room were off, and the companion on the other bed lay quietly in the darkness, even his breathing so soft that he could not hear it.
Meng Weishen was extremely confused. He wanted to keep his eyes open until dawn, but in the second half of the night, he couldn't keep his eyelids open and fell into a sticky sleep.
He dreamed of his grandfather. The dead old man had gone to hell but still came to haunt him.
In his dream, he became a boy burning paper money, adding endless paper money to the fire as if possessed. Sparks licked his face, and it was surprisingly cold.
His long-dead grandfather rushed out of the house, yelling his name: "Meng Weishen, get back here! Don't make trouble! If you make trouble again, your grandma and I will not want you, and your parents won't come back!"
Meng Weishen twitched violently. His mind was in a state of chaos, and the sound of heels hitting the ground pierced his eardrums again, like a faint knock on the door.
The footsteps stopped outside the door again.
Then, a low cry could be heard. But today was different. The cry came from inside the house, and it was... a man's voice.
Meng Weishen turned around abruptly and saw that the figure on the other bed had quietly stood up. The eyes in the darkness seemed to be only black, and the terrifyingly large pupils were fixed on him.
The other party called the name of the boy who burned paper money:
“Haihe River.”
"Jiang Ranxu?"
"Haihe, Haihe, mom is here to see you."
The figure swayed slightly and continued to murmur the name.
"She" should no longer be Jiang Ranxu...
Something bad is going on! Meng Weishen flies to turn on the lights, only to encounter a classic horror movie plot: the room's electricity card has been taken away in advance, leaving the entire house without electricity.
The figure had already pounced on him, lifted the blanket, and leaned over his waist, wrapping its cold, snake-like arms around his neck.
This was Meng Weishen's first experience with sleep paralysis, and it was in the body of an adult man. He was defeated in both willpower and physique, and was completely unable to move. He could only utter words with difficulty:
"Mom... No, Auntie, Sister, you've got the wrong person. I'm not your son. Your son lives on the first floor and even sent you money today."
"I'm trapped on the second floor. I can't go downstairs." Haihe's mother choked up, "Just be my child. You are my child, okay? I won't hurt you."
…Well, Asher was right. The ghosts in Tianjin were quite reasonable, unlike the Japanese.
ZLY
Meng Weishen was so oppressed that he could hardly breathe. After weighing the pros and cons, he had no choice but to give in to avoid the ghost strangling him in a fit of rage.
"Okay then. But you can only do this for ten minutes. After ten minutes, you have to get off Jiang Ranxu."
The ghost girl's trick succeeded, and she giggled softly. She finally released his neck and hugged him tightly in her arms, using the posture of coaxing a child to sleep, forcing him to press against her chest.
It was a far cry from a woman's physiological structure. This area lacked the soft covering of fat, and instead presented a strong, broad outline supported by muscle and bone. No matter how hard the other man pushed him into his chest, he couldn't find the charming feeling of their bodies melting into one. He only felt a sharp pain in his temples.
Meng Weishen didn't dare to open his eyes, and let the other person gently stroke his hair, his eyes, his... lips.
A chilly temperature coursed through his body. His heart raced to full speed, as if all the blood in his body were pooling in his chest, threatening to explode at any moment.
His brain completely lost the ability to think due to lack of blood supply. He forced himself to calm down countless times, but realized a fact that made him even more helpless: his heartbeat was not entirely out of fear, but also out of desire for this possessed body.
A strange touch came from under him. Meng Weishen opened his eyes and said seriously, "Mom, why are you hard?"
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