I don't know if it's intentionally creating an air of mystery, or if the light bulbs are genuinely old and in disrepair.
The neon tube on the sign was missing the character "灵" (ling), and when it flashed red, it became "通口工作室" (Tongkou Studio).
Beneath the poster depicting a blood-dripping brush, the words in cursive script read, "Ouija board divination? Marriage and studies? Honest and trustworthy for all ages."
The signature was also stamped with a crooked red seal that read "Certified by the Psychic Association".
We treat everyone fairly, young and old, without deception.
These few words alone are the biggest scam ever!
Pushing open the door, a mixture of cheap sandalwood and e-cigarette odor wafts out.
The proprietress, dressed in a black dress, got up from the purple velvet sofa.
This woman's attire was completely different from what I had imagined.
He wasn't dressed as a Taoist priest.
She wore a crystal pendant necklace, her nails were painted dark purple, and she had silver-gray eyeliner drawn at the corners of her eyes, making her look like a character straight out of a gothic comic book.
Uh, it also looks a bit like those wizards who play tarot card readings.
At that moment, the proprietress was preparing blueberry sparkling water for several middle school students.
Tarot cards and crystal balls were displayed on the bar, and blurry photos of "Ouija boards appearing" were pasted all over the wall behind them.
In the corner, it was written in marker: "Minors are not allowed to enter."
But next to it were piles of "Five-Year College Entrance Examination and Three-Year Simulation" books and popular snacks that middle school students love.
As I was sizing up the proprietress, she was also sizing up me and Xiaoyue.
His gaze lingered on my rolled-up sleeves, and he asked with a smile, "First time here? Would you like to play with the Ouija board or the spirit board?"
"We..." Xiaoyue had just started to speak when I interrupted, "Let's take a look first."
Then I gave her a wink, signaling her not to speak and to follow my instructions.
She shut her mouth as if she'd been electrocuted, and stared down at her Crocs.
I said I was just browsing and hadn't made up my mind yet.
She said "oh" and didn't say anything more.
He just glanced at me a couple more times.
I know it's not that she doubts me, but rather...
I'm now sporting the hair of a seventy or eighty-year-old, and I'm coming into a place that only young people frequent.
It's like an old man with a cane appearing at a marathon; everyone would take a second look.
I smiled at her, and she smiled back at me, then stopped looking in my direction.
I need to find out what happened first, whether it happened here or if it happened before and I just happened to come here to have fun, so it all happened to coincide with this incident.
Just then, two girls in JK uniforms walked in, their schoolbags dangling wildly with the plush toys on them.
"Boss lady! The Ouija board game you played last time was incredibly accurate! Can we play it today?"
Of course!
The proprietress pulled a carved porcelain plate from under the counter: "You need four people for Ouija board. Call two more guys and I'll set up the 'Seven Star Formation' for you. It's incredibly accurate for asking about your career luck!"
"real?"
"Um!"
The proprietress smiled and said, "We've launched a new 'Four Corners Game' set meal, which is even more effective when four men and four women team up! You should try it!"
"Really? Then let's call our boyfriends!" The pink-haired girl took out her phone and called her boyfriend.
The proprietress then turned around and demonstrated the "Ouija board" to several middle school students.
"Watch closely, if the pen shakes three times, the immortal master will arrive. At that time, answer any question..." I pretended to look around curiously.
I also took the opportunity to look around.
The price list behind the counter was written in highlighter:
Ouija board experience area.
A single ticket costs 88 yuan (including a red pen, yellow paper, and a candle).
Group of four: 328 yuan (includes a "marriage charm").
Professional formation arrangement (for career/health inquiries) 588 yuan.
Ouija Board Exclusive Zone.
Includes an owl specimen and a crystal ball arrangement. Price: 888 yuan.
An additional fee of 300 yuan will be charged for inquiries about matters related to the deceased's passing.
Several female college students with high ponytails huddled in the corner of a purple velvet sofa, plastic milk tea cups swaying between their legs, creating ripples.
The girl in the white hoodie's voice was trembling.
"It's true! That night I dreamt that a red pen was writing 'death' on a piece of paper by itself, and the nib was dripping black oil... When I woke up the next day, there really was an oil stain next to my pillow!"
"You're under too much pressure!"
The girl with pink highlights poked her forehead, and the glitter on her nail polish rubbed against the other girl's hoodie.
"My sister played a Ouija board before the exam to ask if she could pass, and the pen drew a big checkmark on her paper. Now she's in the police station having tea!"
She pulled a red pen from her canvas bag, with a red string tied to the cap. "Look! This is the pen we used back then. My sister said keeping it would bring us good luck!"
"But I heard that some people are playing Fever..."
The girl with pigtails said while biting a straw, "There are people standing on the rooftop for no reason. It's terrifying. They say they're sleepwalking. If someone hadn't found them, they probably would have jumped. Isn't that scary?"
"Damn! Don't scare me!"
The short-haired girl suddenly shrank back into the sofa, knocking over the candles on the table.
"I just broke up with my boyfriend yesterday, and I was just thinking of asking about new romantic prospects!"
She took out a small mirror to touch up her lipstick.
"If you ask me, this is psychological suggestion."
The girl with glasses pushed up her glasses, her notebook spread out on her lap: "Have you heard of the 'Rosenthal effect'? It's when the more you believe something, the more likely you are to think in that direction..."
"Come on, you academic genius!"
The pink-haired girl snatched her pen and drew a funny face on the notebook: "You even sneaked over here to play before your CET-4 exam last time! Don't pretend to be so high and mighty!"
"That was..."
The girl with glasses blushed and suddenly lowered her voice: "Haven't you noticed? Every time we finish playing with the Ouija board, the proprietress charges an extra hundred yuan as a 'disaster relief fee,' saying it's because the 'spirit master wants incense money'..."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
