After the shadow disappeared, Cheng Youan took a couple of deep breaths to relieve his tension.
He closed his eyes tightly, listening to the high heels walking further and further away, and didn't dare to open them again until dawn.
He wasn't the only one who heard the sound of high heels; the next morning, the bedside phone in room 403 started ringing.
Shi Jinzhe looked up at the wall in a daze; it was seven in the morning.
He picked up the receiver and said, "Hello."
Meng Chengxi: "Did you hear the sound of high heels last night? They came over and then went back. It was past 2 a.m. It was very strange."
"The sound of high heels around 2 a.m.?" Shi Jinzhe perked up a bit. "No, I had only been asleep for a short while at that time."
Meng Chengxi: "...Fine, didn't you hear me? I'm telling you now, when are you getting up? If you're not getting up, I'm going downstairs to eat first."
"You guys go ahead, I'll be there in a bit." Shi Jinzhe said and hung up the phone, but then Meng Chengxi's voice came through again.
"Is there anything else?"
"No, listen carefully."
Shi Jinzhe closed his eyes and heard two other unfamiliar female voices, not very loud, coming through the receiver.
Did they have a fight yesterday? I heard a loud door slam.
[It's probably still because of that cat. I went to bed late last night and didn't hear anyone coming home from next door.]
Maybe she just booked a new room herself, but let me tell you, I heard that high heel sound again on the sixth floor yesterday! It scared me to death! I really think we might have attracted something unclean.
[Don't even mention the sixth floor, there are some on the fifth floor too! I didn't even dare stick my feet out of the window while sleeping. It's all the boss's fault for booking this hotel to save money...]
Sizzle... sizzle... sizzle
The interrupted conversation disappeared, and Shi Jinzhe received new information.
I walked through all four, five, and six floors in those high heels.
Meng Chengxi: "The phone line got crossed, but luckily the two girls were just gossiping and chatting, and didn't talk about anything private."
“During this special period, when they cannot contact the outside world, these indigenous people have to find something to do.”
"Yeah, I'll hang up now." Meng Chengxi put down the phone and met Xiao Fang's puzzled look.
Xiao Fang: "Brother Meng, we live right across the street, why don't we just go over there?"
"Never been in a relationship before, have you?" Meng Chengxi gave him a look that said, "You're so clueless." "Those people across the street are a couple. Knocking on your door at seven in the morning, aren't you afraid of being embarrassed?"
Xiao Fang, who was personally attacked, said: "Okay... I really haven't dated anyone, so I don't know."
…
Shi Jin hung up the phone and went to check on the sleeping Shekh.
Her complexion was normal, her breathing was steady, her heartbeat was normal, everything was the same as usual, except that she was sleeping very soundly.
Shekh didn't wake up, so he continued to lie in bed.
Danger always strikes unexpectedly; it would be better for Shekh to get more rest in this condition.
I still have a lot of points. Even if I leave late or fail in this game, I can still survive. I can wait until she finds the cause of her physical abnormality before considering other options.
Shi Jin tucked the blanket around her. The haunted house was cold, but even if it was summer in the dungeon, it wouldn't be hot.
In his sleep, Shekh sought out a heat source, his hands and feet pressed tightly against Shijinzhe's body.
The dream was warm; she saw herself holding a tender willow branch, standing in the sunlight.
The snake's tail was a bit bigger than the one I remembered from last time, but not by much.
Without the whispers and gossips, without the dense canopy of trees to block the sunlight, she was exposed to such dazzling sunshine for the first time.
The sunlight penetrated the scales, and the bones were almost melted by the heat.
Warm light shone on the snake's tail, and Shekh saw the color of his tail in the sunlight for the first time.
It was a translucent pinkish-purple, like a ribbon shimmering with gold dust.
The willow branch in her hand was pulled, and a woman squatted down in front of her, reaching out her hand and saying, "What a cute little snake, would you like to come with me?"
She scattered the willow branches, immediately squatted back behind the tree, revealing only half of her youthful and innocent face.
The woman who was talking to her stared at her standing outside, laughing at the half-tail she had forgotten to hide. She placed the willow branch on the open ground in front of Shekh.
"This is for you."
Shekh is like an observer who cannot adjust his perspective, watching his own past unfold.
She couldn't see the woman's face clearly, only two shadows on the ground when she left the dream.
The eyes beneath the ribbon blinked a few times, and Shekh heard the ticking of a clock, as well as players arguing in the room to his left about whether or not to go out that night.
Shekh was much clearer-headed than yesterday, and the barriers that had been hindering her seemed to have diminished considerably.
“Someone was trapped in the control room all night yesterday.” Shekh stretched his legs and loosened his muscles.
Shi Jinzhe: "You're awake?"
"I dreamt of a woman with willow branches. Could she be related to you? You were also given willow branches."
Shekh didn't like her past in the forest, so she only talked about the most important things.
"Willow branches? It's hard to say. Willow branches have the meaning of parting. It's normal to give them when parting, but modern people rarely give them when parting. It's also possible that it's given to one person."
Shi Jinzhe paused for a moment, then asked, "What does she look like?"
"I can't see clearly, I can't move, I can only see myself."
"It's okay if you can't see clearly. Maybe you'll remember someday." Shi Jinzhe helped her sit up. "The restaurant downstairs has closed for serving hours. Why don't you eat something else first?"
Shi Jinzhe took out the food from the last game and gave it to Shehe. She had just finished eating when she heard someone coming this way.
Shekh said, "Meng Chengxi has arrived."
"You can tell the difference now?"
"Yes, it has recovered somewhat, probably because of your blood."
Shi Jinzhe walked to the door and said, "Yesterday I almost thought you were poisoned by drinking blood."
"No, I can taste it. Yesterday, it was probably because your blood made me feel comfortable, and the mysterious power in the hotel also made me feel comfortable. The new effect of the two combined was a bit beyond my expectations."
Shekh told the truth: "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to control myself, so I stopped sucking blood and asked you to stay away."
Shi Jinzhe: "So you... can actually stop your blood-drinking behavior on your own under special circumstances?"
...
Oh no, I've been exposed now.
Shekh thought that her slow reaction time was the biggest problem in this game.
In the game on Azure Island, if she had really lost control those two times, she would have sucked Shi Jinzhe to death long ago.
She simply wanted to drink a few more sips.
Their eyes met, and they remained silent.
"I'm sorry." Lying is wrong, so Shekh apologized first without making excuses.
She picked up a strawberry-flavored sandwich cookie and held it to Shi Jinzhe's lips, saying, "Please eat the cookie I'm feeding you myself."
Knock knock—
"Wait a moment." Shi Jinzhe called out to the door, then took a bite of the biscuit. "No need to apologize. Getting along takes time. We weren't that close to each other those two times."
"But I didn't do what I said I would do."
"Humans lie every day, intentionally or unintentionally, and the accumulated lies are countless. You only lied this once, so you are already a very honest snake."
Shekh: "Don't you care?"
Shi Jinzhe looked down and asked, "Then how about you feed me another cookie?"
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