Chapter 115 Drama
Qi Xiaopang was lost in a trance of self-doubt. Qing Bai, who had raised the question, didn't seem to care, as if it was just a casual remark, and after scaring the person off, he left it alone. Turning to the obviously suspicious Tong Jiunian, he said, "Since everyone's here, let's go. Don't keep our old classmates waiting any longer."
It is not known whether the old classmates were anxious or not, but 'Tong Jiunian', who had always been neglected, was not anxious at all and was very calm. He was even able to force a perfect smile after hearing Qing Bai's obvious and perfunctory remarks.
"There's no rush. Anyway...everyone has arrived."
Seeing this, Qing Bai forced a smile, then walked towards the endless corridor marked with the sign for the Inpatient Area. He took a few steps before suddenly stopping, his expression calm but his voice annoyed. "We came so suddenly, we don't even know which ward our old classmate is in."
"That's right!" Xiao Wu, despite having only just met Qing Bai, was snapping up roles at a breakneck pace. Even the cheap plastic Zhu Bajie mask couldn't hide the surge of emotion she felt as she immersed herself in the role. "What should we do? Our poor classmate is still lying in the hospital bed, waiting for our condolences!"
After saying that, she winked at the dazed Qi Xiaopang, signaling him to say a few words.
Fat Qi, still lost in philosophical self-questioning, was like a fat, droopy duck squatting in a roadside ditch, suddenly grabbed by the neck by a passing kid. He was frozen in place, but thankfully, the drama gene etched in his DNA enabled him to react quickly: "Teacher... the teacher doesn't know either. How about... how about we go to the front desk and ask?"
He was so dazed that he doubted himself. He actually still remembered his role setting here. Xiao Wu showed admiration and looked at the little fat boy with admiration.
“That makes sense!”
Unfortunately, before I could withdraw my admiring gaze, I heard the chubby man in front of me, dressed in a jacket, polo shirt, suit pants, and a keychain on his belt, the typical middle-aged homeroom teacher's outfit, with only a thermos of strong tea in his hand, speak tremblingly: "Then... who's going?"
Xiao Wu's eyes widened, and he looked at Qi Xiaopang in disbelief: "You are the teacher, so of course you should lead by example!"
Qi Xiaopang was even more incredulous: "How can a teacher do everything for me? Small matters like this should naturally be handled by the class monitor!"
The tug of war between the two had not yet ended, and the ward corridor in front of Qing Bai had changed drastically. It had shrunk from a deep and endless inpatient area to a VIP single-story single ward in a second - each ward was like a symbolic symbol in a small game, and was casually eliminated by an invisible big hand with a single click, leaving only one ward remaining.
As if afraid that they couldn't see it.
Qing Bai looked at the dim light coming from behind a half-open door not far away and sighed, "How thoughtful."
Little Wu Qi, who was forced to take a break, said: "Yeah, that's very considerate..."
They were so considerate that they dared not move.
But if they just stop here and don't move, they are afraid that the person waiting for them to "comfort" in the ward will be more considerate and come in person to urge the progress.
Qing Bai glanced distractedly at Xiao Wu, who was huddled up with Qi Xiaopang, and felt a bit surprised. Qi Xiaopang's timidity was perfectly normal. After all, even though they'd been seeing ghosts from time to time these days, in and out of various dens large and small, he'd still come back as timid as a mouse. And whether it was his physical condition or the ghost world's tendency to bully the weak and fear the strong, Qi Xiaopang would inevitably run into trouble every time he saw a ghost. Not only was he often forced to go his separate ways, but even the monkeys and birds took to targeting and persecuting him.
But Xiao Wu is a ghost official, and a ghost official with a relatively high official position, but he is so cowardly, which is a bit puzzling.
Xiao Wu is very good at reading people's expressions. Qing Bai was puzzled that she didn't miss it, but she couldn't speak to defend herself... Should she just say that she has been very lucky since her death, and that all her promotions were thanks to the help of others (ghosts)?
She also wants to save face.
So he could only cough lightly and mutter in a low voice: "There's a layer of skin missing from my face. I really don't feel safe..."
However, Qing Bai had already taken the lead and headed towards the dim light. Instead, Qi Xiaopang looked at her in surprise, then quickly looked away, fearing that his eyesight was too good and he could see through the two eye holes on the cheap plastic mask to see the "true face" underneath that made him feel insecure.
"Brother Qing, wait for me!" Qi Xiaopang, who had just been trembling with fear in a pile with Xiao Wu, caught up with Qing Bai in a flash, pulling his sleeves and following Qing Bai with his neck shrunk like a shy young wife.
Xiao Wu: “…”
It's just like throwing a wink at a blind man.
Xiao Wu sighed, then looked around warily. She didn't know if it was her imagination, but she felt that the surroundings suddenly became much darker as Qing Bai and the others walked away...
Before the area was completely swallowed by darkness, Xiao Wu gave up a second thought and hurried after him, only to find Qing Bai paused in front of the ward door again, his head lowered, listening. The orange light from inside the room shone dimly through the narrow crack of the door, illuminating half of his smooth profile. A faint golden light seemed to shimmer between his thick lashes... Ignoring the surroundings and the rather unsightly little fat man, Qing Bai, listening intently with lowered eyes, looked more like a figure from an old, faded picture than a living being. Time had stale and quiet, and things that are too stale and quiet always emanate... a hint of the eerie.
In such a situation, Xiao Wu couldn't help but sigh that handsome guys are taking advantage and can eavesdrop in such a stylish way.
Then the next second, the half-closed ward door was opened from the inside with a "click", and their eyes met, and the air was stagnant.
Oh no, I got caught!
Xiao Wu was so nervous that he began to worry about what would happen next.
However, to her surprise, the person who reacted the most was not Qing Bai who was caught eavesdropping, but the human-shaped pendant behind Qing Bai.
"It's you?!" Qi Xiaopang's voice was very excited, and there was even an inappropriate joy of meeting an old friend in a foreign land. "Brother Qing, this is the elder sister who was kidnapped with me! She is here as expected!"
Qing Bai looked at the middle-aged woman in front of him. She had fluffy black hair with delicate curls, her face was full of lipstick and eye shadow, her clothes were tailored with careful color matching, and she had almost dressed herself up from hair to fingernails but still couldn't hide her panic and fatigue. She felt that she looked a little familiar.
Perhaps Qi Xiaopang's voice was a little loud, the woman frowned slightly and glanced at him. Her eyes were not harsh or fierce, but every fine line at the corners of her eyes was full of disapproval.
Qi Xiaopang was no stranger to this kind of gaze. From his childhood, there was his workaholic mother, a woman who had been juggling life and work across the country year-round, striving to build a fortune for him. Every time he failed in his studies and anxiously handed in his unsatisfactory transcripts, he'd receive the same silent stare from his mother. More recently, there was the tragic experience of being scorned by the Dean of Students, revered as Nun Miejue by Peking University students, for violating school rules.
Qi Xiaopang subconsciously stood at attention and covered his mouth, cursing himself in his heart for being impatient, but at the same time he admired that the old ones were indeed wise. This elder sister was so calm, composed and cautious the first time she was dragged into the crevice. She is really a talented person with a promising future!
The middle-aged woman didn't care how much impact her fleeting glance had caused. She carefully glanced back, and when she saw that the ward hadn't been disturbed by the voice, she turned around and greeted everyone. "Thank you, teacher and classmates, for taking time out of your busy schedules to visit our Xiaoxin before the exam. I'm really... I'm really sorry for causing you all so much trouble. I really don't know how to thank you enough."
As she spoke, her voice trembled slightly.
Qi Xiaopang hadn't expected that this would be the first thing this elder sister, who had been kidnapped by a bird demon just as innocently as himself, would say upon finally meeting someone familiar in this haunted place. He didn't know how to respond for a moment. It was only when Qing Bai remained calm on the surface but secretly gave him a slap that he realized his role. He quickly bit the bullet and acted out his feelings with the older sister: "Um...it's my duty, it's my duty. We're all classmates, ahem. I mean, Xiaoxin is my student, a classmate we've been with for three years. Now that she's unfortunately ill, it's only right that we come visit her."
After finding his rhythm, Fat Qi's polite words became increasingly fluent. "As you know, this is a special period. They have exams coming up soon. Although the students really want to come visit Xiaoxin, they're stuck with their review schedules. We have no choice but to select a few student representatives to express the wishes of the entire class, and... the wishes of all the teachers and students in the school."
As he spoke, he suddenly pulled out a bulging envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket, which was a classic middle-aged male teacher outfit. It was self-evident what the "gift" inside was.
The middle-aged woman stared at the envelope with a complicated expression. The sadness that had been hidden deep in her eyes finally surfaced before she completely suffocated, like a fish that had been frozen for a whole long winter.
After a long while, she finally realized what was happening and welcomed them into the ward, but she did not reach out to take the "gift" from Qi Xiaopang.
Xiao Wu walked last, taking in everything. He felt something was amiss and whispered to Qing Bai, "Do you think this elder sister is quick-witted and has good acting skills, or... is she really 'into the role'?"
This kind of "entering the play" is naturally different from that kind of "entering the play".
There are many people in this world, and there are also many lonely ghosts who have been wandering around for countless years. When people are idle, they are prone to causing trouble, and when ghosts are idle, they are also prone to causing trouble. There was once a popular pastime among those stubborn residents of the underworld who refused to reincarnate into the afterlife called "setting up a stage to perform a play." The best stage was a desolate forest or a graveyard, and there was no need to find a script; the old ghosts who had died long ago and had seen a lot would provide it. The only problem was finding actors - it was difficult for ordinary ghosts to maintain a decent human form, let alone perform on stage, which required a respectable performance.
At times like these, the advantages of being alive become apparent. Being unable to sing or act doesn't matter; as long as you have all the limbs and facial features, you'll be able to impress the eyes of the demons. Isn't acting all about making the fake look real? Even the best acting is about being able to truly immerse yourself in the role, isn't it?
With his head fogged and eyes blurred, he is thrown onto the prepared 'stage'. As long as he feels that he is a character in the play, what kind of drama can he not perform?
During the Ghost Month and Ghost Festival, Xiao Wu had been working for many years and had often gone to various wild forests and cemeteries to rescue those poor people who were trapped in the cemeteries by ghost walls and brainwashed into singing operas for ghosts until their yang energy was almost exhausted.
"I think..." The wide-open door of the ward was finally clear. Qing Bai looked thoughtfully at the girl lying in the cold and pure white, and said softly, "Her surname should be Liu."
Xiao Wu: ???
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
