Chapter 17: Nameless Haunted House Is there something I misunderstand about the definition of dating? ...
"Has my auditory hallucination reached this extent?" Chang Xile was stunned. She clearly heard someone talking just now, and even heard Anping's voice.
"Ding ding." The phone in his pocket vibrated twice. Chang Xile took it out and took a look.
Anping: [turns back]
Chang Xile turned around and saw Anping leaning against the door frame looking at her.
"When did you get here?" Chang Xile didn't even hear his footsteps. The other studios on this floor were locked, and this was the last one. If Anping had come up the stairwell, he would have run into Yang Guisi and the others.
But no, Fang Xinai just sent her a message asking if she had seen the person.
"Why are you asking me if I'm afraid of ghosts?" Anping didn't answer directly. He walked forward and glanced at the wooden floor inconspicuously.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Chang Xile finally remembered to talk about business. "Do you want to go to the haunted house with me?"
"Haunted house?" Anping repeated the word and asked, "Is there a house with a lot of ghosts? Want to go there?"
"There aren't any real ghosts, they're just people pretending to be ghosts. No, there might actually be real ghosts... Just tell me if you want to go!" Time was running out, and Chang Xile didn't have time to explain. She tugged at his sleeve and winked, "We haven't even officially gone on a date yet!"
Anping knew about the date. Every time I sketched by Linhuan Lake, especially at night, I would always see different men and women walking or chatting.
In short, date is a good word, but where you go is not important.
"Let's go." Anping looked at the drawing paper where the paint had not yet dried, took Chang Xile's hand and walked out.
"Aren't you going to put away your paintings? Will they be taken away by someone?" Chang Xile looked back as he walked towards the door. Before leaving, his eyes were dazzled by the light reflected from the setting sun on the floor.
"No." An Ping said indifferently, "It's not finished, so it's not worth much."
Although realistically, the painting might not be worth anything even after it's finished, Chang Xile earnestly refutes him: "The work of art reflects the person. Even if others think it's worthless, in my eyes it's the product of your hard work and a priceless treasure. Of course, it should be carefully preserved."
Anping looked back at her, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Then, I'll give it to you when I finish painting it?"
"That's not what I meant..." Chang Xile trotted a few steps to keep up with his pace, "But if you are willing to give it to me, I will be very happy!"
"Aunt, you finally came out. It's getting dark, there will be no time to eat!" Fang Xinai had long recovered from the fatigue of climbing the stairs. She shouted from a distance to set off quickly, but she was stunned for a moment when she saw Anping clearly.
Yang Guisi and An Ping stared at each other for a long moment. Her eyes didn't hold the same sense of wonder as Fang Xinai's; instead, they were more wary. But Yang Guisi was naturally reserved, so Chang Xile didn't take it too seriously.
She cheerfully introduced them to each other: "This is my boyfriend Anping, and these two are my roommates Fang Xinai and Yang Guisi. Say hello!"
What she didn't notice was that Anping's figure also seemed much more tense than before.
Chang Xile and Anping walked side by side behind Fang Xinai and the others. Fang Xinai, usually so loud and boisterous, suddenly fell silent, looking down at something unknown. Meanwhile, the phones in Chang Xile and Yang Guisi's pockets kept vibrating at the same frequency.
In the silence, Chang Xile couldn't help but take out his cell phone.
The dormitory group has accumulated more than twenty messages, and the number is continuing to increase.
(Xiao Ai patted her (＾v＾) and praised her for being cute)
Xiao Ai: [I knew your boyfriend was good-looking the last time I saw his photo]
Xiao Ai: [I didn’t expect he wouldn’t look photogenic!]
Xiao Ai: [This is so good, it's a work of art!]
Xiao Ai: [Who understands? (Running around)]
Then came a whole bunch of "shady crawling" memes.
Ren Mei finally couldn't help but interrupt her:
Ren Qing: [Excuse me]
Ren Qing: [Aren’t you guys together? Why are you texting?]
Ren Mei hadn't participated in their conversation for a long time, and it seemed that she couldn't hold it back anymore.
Wang Gui: [I also want to ask]
Xiao Ai: [So what? Should I praise my boyfriend for being handsome in front of him? Men shouldn't be praised; they'll get proud.]
Ren Qing: [So how beautiful is it?]
Xiao Ai: [It’s hard for me to describe it to you, and I can’t take a picture of it for you because he doesn’t look photogenic.]
Anping looked at the three people around him who were typing away on their phones, and silently took out his own phone.
His phone screen was blank and silent as a chicken.
The next second, he placed his palm against Chang Xile's forehead. A soft "bang" rang out, and Chang Xile looked up, dazed, only to realize he'd nearly bumped into the French window at the corner of the staircase. Fang Xinai and Yang Guisi, standing in front of him, stumbled and stumbled, barely managing to avoid falling by holding onto the handrail.
"Do I have a misunderstanding of the definition of dating?" An Ping was genuinely confused. He showed his mobile phone screen, and the search engine on the page displayed a line of words: What is a date?
The search results show:
"A date is when two people agree on a time and place to meet in advance."
His fingertips deliberately touched the three words "two people".
"Hmm..." Chang Xile was speechless in rebuttal, but she quickly said cheerfully, "How about we do team building today and go on a date next time?"
Anping remained silent. He lowered his head and began searching for the meaning of "team building." With that, the four-person "head-down tribe" group was officially formed, and they all bumped into the floor-to-ceiling glass window at the corner of the next staircase.
Chang Xile rubbed her forehead in pain, which was ultimately not spared. Outside the dormitory group, there was another message sent to her by Yang Guisi.
(Wang Gui withdrew a message.)
Chang Xile:?
(＾v＾): [What was withdrawn?]
Wang Gui: [Forget it, I'm not sure, let's talk about it later.]
After they walked out of the building, Fang Xinai stretched and asked, "What are we going to eat for dinner, friends?" Although she no longer felt the overwhelming hunger these days, she was still particularly keen on food, perhaps out of habit.
Since they were running out of time, they found a random restaurant to have a quick meal, and then came to the building where the haunted house was located.
Normally, seven or eight o'clock is the peak time for nighttime entertainment, and this street is full of people strolling. However, upon entering the building, a sense of desolation hits you. On the first floor, there's only one security guard, dozing off. Behind him is a bulletin board covered in advertisements and missing persons and found items notices.
The camera in the corner was even drooping, barely hanging by a loose wire covered in cobwebs. It was unclear whether it was still working. When the group decided to take the elevator, they even discovered that the elevator in this building was broken.
"I forgot, we have to climb the stairs." Fang Xinai wailed. She had been forced to climb many floors today.
Yang Guisi asked doubtfully, "Does anyone really come here to spend money? It's too shabby."
Fortunately, the floor where the nameless haunted house was located was not too high. When they reached the fourth floor, they saw a drowsy man sitting at the front desk with his face propped up.
He was awakened by the sound of footsteps, and before he could even open his eyes, he subconsciously said, "Welcome! How many people are there?"
Then he squinted his eyes, looked again and again uncertainly, and said in surprise: "Isn't this Xiao Ai?"
Fang Xinai smiled and greeted him, "Brother Zhang, do you still remember me?"
"Of course. Before, you were responsible for pulling someone's ankle and someone stepped on it, making you cry loudly. Wasn't it me who took you to the hospital personally?" The man surnamed Zhang said with a smile.
Fang Xinai coughed a few times and winked at him: "There's no need to explain this in such detail..."
Brother Zhang spread his hands and said, "Oh, I'm done."
He then glanced at a few people and began typing on his computer: "Excuse me, are we planning to buy tickets separately or directly in the store?"
Fang Xinai was familiar with this area, so she simply started chatting with Brother Zhang and negotiated a friendly price for them that was even better than half price.
As Brother Zhang opened the door to the room, he explained some precautions to them and then reminded them, "Don't worry if you encounter an NPC you can't communicate with, just ignore them."
After entering, Fang Xinai scratched his head and asked in confusion, "Has it been too long since I've been here? Didn't the previous precautions mention this?"
The door behind them slowly closed. Once Chang Xile adjusted to the change from light to darkness, he was greeted by a blood-stained wall. A blood-red left-facing arrow had been painted on the snow-white surface. Before the mark had dried, the excess liquid slowly flowed down the wall, leaving streaks of blood on the white surface. The four of them faced a choice: follow the arrow and turn left; or go against the direction and turn right.
This opening was relatively mild for most newbies, and the four people had different reactions to this scene.
Fang Xinai has worked here for a while. She is very familiar with the structure of this haunted house and is not afraid at all.
Yang Guisi had seen a lot, and she crossed her arms, studying the situation with great interest: "Left? Or right? How does this paint smell faintly of blood?"
Chang Xile's face remained expressionless, but she tightened her grip on Anping's hand. After a moment, she realized that it wasn't just her who was exerting force; Anping was also holding on tightly.
She looked up and saw him staring straight ahead with a wary look on his face.
Why else would they say life is a matter of comparison? No wonder Anping didn't directly answer her question, "Are you afraid of ghosts?" Now it seems the answer is clear, but someone just won't admit it.
Seeing Anping was also afraid, Chang Xile actually relaxed. She patted Anping on the back and said generously, "It's okay! I'll protect you."
Anping looked at her and it took him a long time to hold back from asking, "Aren't you afraid of ghosts?"
"When I worked here part-time, the route to the left was gentler. But because there are occasional customers who have played the game and others who spoil the story, our store changes the layout order every once in a while. So I don't quite know where the ghost NPCs are now." Fang Xinai touched his chin, feeling unsure.
"I can't judge something so precisely." Seeing both girls looking at her, Yang Guisi shook her head. To her, the entire store was filled with an eerie aura, but the exact source was difficult to pinpoint.
"Alas, that depends on luck," Fang Xinai said in distress. When she mentioned "luck," she suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Chang Xile. "Huh?"
Chang Xile noticed her gaze and had a bad feeling: "What do you want to say?"
"Xi Le, isn't your luck super bad lately? Why don't you choose?" Fang Xinai always has the ability to make things that sound miserable sound optimistic.
Chang Xile said with a bitter face, "If I had to choose, I would definitely encounter a ghost."
Because her luck is that the more she fears something, the more likely it will come to her.
"Isn't our goal to encounter ghosts?" Yang Guisi agreed with Fang Xinai's opinion.
Chang Xile thought to himself: There is nothing wrong with what he said.
If anyone else were to overhear them talking, they would undoubtedly have assumed the ghosts they were talking about were NPCs. However, they knew full well that they were discussing "ghosts" that transcended common sense.
Chang Xile sighed and felt someone gently pinching her palm. She turned around and saw Anping standing beside her. He whispered to her, "Don't be afraid."
"I'll protect you."
Chang Xile nodded vigorously, closed her eyes, pointed to the left and said, "Go this way."
"Wait a minute." Just as they were about to go to the left, Yang Guisi suddenly stopped them again.
"What's wrong?" Fang Xinai asked puzzledly.
Yang Guisi looked at Chang Xile and suddenly asked, "When you made the choice just now, were you thinking about whether you wanted to meet a ghost or not?"
"We have to meet." Chang Xile said as a matter of course. As Yang Guisi said just now, this is their purpose.
"Let's go right." Yang Guisi changed direction without hesitation.
"Why?" Chang Xile was puzzled.
"Bad luck means the more you want something, the less you get it." Yang Guisi calmly analyzed, "If you want to see a ghost, then we will go in the opposite direction you chose."
Chang Xile was silent for a while.
Woohoo, please don't use my bad luck as a tool, okay? Thank you.
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