Chapter 31 Night Banquet ⑤ - Liu Qingshan's feelings were indescribable...
"Now we need one player to enter the small suite inside alone to find the 'marriage certificate.' So..."
When the DM guy arrived at the single-line task again, he hadn't even finished speaking when he noticed Lan Shuyin standing in front of the narrow door on the inside of the study, looking at him eagerly.
He paused for two seconds, swallowed back the other name he was about to choose, and announced dryly, "Miss Chen Jingyue, this task is assigned to you."
However, when handing the flashlight to Lan Shuyin, DM gave a particularly earnest reminder: "Don't panic if something happens. You can ring the bell to find me. Don't damage the props."
“No problem,” Lan Shuyin readily agreed.
She entered that gloomy boudoir again, familiar with the place. Instead of looking for the marriage certificate, she went straight to the carved four-poster bed with a tattered mosquito net and sat down calmly.
"It's boring." She seemed to be talking to herself, her voice exceptionally clear in the small space. "No movement, not exciting at all."
However, her provocation went unanswered, and the surroundings fell silent.
Lan Shuyin had a guess in her mind. She got up and walked to the old wardrobe, bent down and opened the embroidered shoes, and took the yellowed marriage certificate into her hand.
Sure enough, she had just picked up the envelope—
"Squeak..."
Suddenly, the old bed behind me emitted a sickening creaking sound, as if its wooden structure was being pressed down. It was as if something unseen had sat down on the bed.
Lan Shuyin silently counted to five, then nimbly turned to the side, raised her vermilion-painted hand, and grabbed the arm that was about to shove her shoulder!
However, what I felt in my palm was not a solid touch, but rather like holding a slippery, cold fish.
In the instant the flashlight beam swept across, a deathly gray male face came into view. A twisted, stiff smile hung on that face, and his pupils were empty.
He seemed completely unaware that he had been caught. After making a shoving motion, he let out a dry, sinister laugh, then opened his arms and made a terrifying lunge.
Lan Shuyin felt the touch in her hand quickly slip away as the other person broke free from her fingers, nimbly crouching low and darting like a crawling insect towards the corner of the room.
Lan Shuyin was prepared. Without hesitation, she pulled a handful of coarse sea salt from her bag and hurled it in the direction the ghostly figure had fled. The action was rough, even somewhat comical, but the moment the coarse sea salt particles touched the illusory figure—
The ghostly figure's momentum slowed down noticeably.
Its outline began to ripple and twist, and within two or three breaths, it seemed to be purified by some invisible force, its figure fading more and more until it finally disappeared beside the carved bed, leaving no trace.
At the same time, the chilling atmosphere that had been lingering in the room also disappeared.
Lan Shuyin stood there, slightly out of breath, the beam of her flashlight swaying gently in the empty room.
The initial excitement and thrill of success gradually subsided, leaving behind a complex feeling that was hard to describe.
She crouched down and began to gather the coarse sea salt scattered on the ground, her thoughts drifting.
From the very beginning, she had a vague feeling that the spirit in the boudoir was a ghost. Its subsequent behavior—unresponsive to external stimuli and acting as it pleased—was exactly the same as yesterday, further confirming her judgment—they weren't ghosts at all, but merely random, residual imprints, a natural phenomenon that repeats itself without a source. Like an image recorded by a specific environment, even without her intervention, they would slowly dissipate over time as their energy depleted. The yin energy accumulated in the room was simply slowing down this process.
"It can be considered as ridding the people of a scourge," Lan Shuyin consoled herself in her heart, "so that it won't scare the later players."
But another voice coldly shattered this self-comfort: When you first came here, did you think so noblely? You were just annoyed that it hurt your hand yesterday.
In her subconscious judgment, anything that could hurt someone was dangerous, and anything dangerous should be dealt with.
But if... they themselves are not malicious, or even conscious, but merely exist there passively like a pre-programmed program, then what is the difference between her behavior just now and venting her anger on a videotape that is played repeatedly?
The thought silently slipped through her mind, and Lan Shuyin unconsciously slowed down and softened her movements as she cleaned the floor.
It seems we should be more cautious about dealing with these "things" in the future.
Lan Shuyin silently said to herself.
Perhaps she had stayed in the secret room longer than expected, because before she could ring the bell, DM hurriedly pushed the door open and came face to face with Lan Shuyin, who was about to leave.
"Marriage certificate." She handed over the envelope she had found, her tone somewhat cold due to her previous thoughts.
DM took the marriage certificate, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment longer.
Lan Shuyin immediately realized that her emotions were showing, and she couldn't help but scold herself inwardly: Lan Shuyin, Lan Shuyin, what storms haven't you weathered? How could you let this little thing affect your state?
She quickly adjusted her facial expression, putting that unnecessary internal conflict behind her.
"Lan Shuyin".
Just then, Su Wei, who had just returned from another solo mission, leaned closer, her voice filled with the excitement of discovering a secret, and whispered, "Did you... do something just now?"
Lan Shuyin paused, "What?"
"I saw it!" Su Wei's face lit up with a sly smile. "You put something on the mirror, didn't you?" She gestured towards the dressing table. "I just went around to take a look. Guess what I saw?"
Lan Shuyin frowned as she looked at her.
"There are red marks on the mirror." Su Wei blinked, her smile inquisitive. "Is it lipstick? Or... something else, like cinnabar?"
“It was already there on the mirror, wasn’t it?” Lan Shuyin readily agreed.
Su Wei suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist, her fingertips gently brushing against her fingertips stained with cinnabar. "Then what's this red stuff on your hand?"
Lan Shuyin's heart skipped a beat, wary of the sudden physical contact. But seeing the other person grinning like a cat that had just stolen some fish, she immediately put on a look of realization mixed with disgust. "What is that?" she asked, turning to DM beside her, her tone reproachful. "What kind of props are in your room? They're all sticky and got my hands dirty. I'm going to wash them!" With that, she turned and strode toward the bathroom.
However, Su Wei followed.
She asked with a grin, "Lan Shuyin, you were... actually catching ghosts just now, weren't you?"
Lan Shuyin paused, turning back to look at her in surprise.
"I've heard that cinnabar is used to catch ghosts. Is this book really unclean?"
"What nonsense! This is just some filth I picked up in the secret room. If I really had the ability to catch ghosts, I would have already started a class and made a fortune. Why would I need to work as a waitress in a bar?" Lan Shuyin shook her head and walked into the restroom with a speechless expression.
This time, Su Wei did not come in.
However, Lan Shuyin sensed something strange about the girl.
Most people, even if they saw her touch the mirror, would probably just assume it was out of curiosity or unintentional and wouldn't investigate further. But Su Wei not only keenly caught that fleeting detail, but also confidently pointed to the cinnabar, and even asked her if she was exorcising ghosts.
This insight goes far beyond the scope of the average player's curiosity.
However, Lan Shuyin always adhered to the principle of "I won't move unless the enemy moves." There are so many strange people in this world, and if she were to investigate every single one of them thoroughly, she would probably die from exhaustion.
She turned on the tap and bent down to wash the remaining red stains on her fingertips.
The effects of cinnabar and coarse sea salt were far more potent than she had imagined.
After washing her hands, Lan Shuyin returned to the old room with a normal expression, as if the conversation outside the washroom had never happened.
Su Wei also returned to her previous enthusiastic and innocent self, still sticking close to her, chatting and laughing, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
Until the very last step.
DM brought in three paper "grooms." Two of them were no different from yesterday's—life-sized paper dolls, their heavy bodies wrapped in dazzling scarlet robes, their faces painted with exaggerated, stiff smiles in bold strokes, exquisitely crafted yet eerie.
The other one, however, seemed particularly out of place: it was not only smaller in size, but also made of a noticeably thinner and rougher material, like a half-finished product hastily made with inferior paper, and even the facial features were drawn perfunctorily.
DM's eyes flickered slightly. "Well, some props were accidentally damaged yesterday, and the new ones haven't arrived yet, so this is just a token gesture to make up the numbers."
As he spoke, his gaze unconsciously drifted towards Lan Shuyin, his meaning clear: he wanted to assign this temporary substitute to her.
However, before he could call her name, Su Wei spoke first, timidly twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, "I'm a little scared. Those two dolls are too realistic. They give me the creeps... Can I choose this one?" She pointed to the simple paper doll, "This one looks cuter and isn't as scary."
Helpless, DM could only look at Lan Shuyin, her eyes filled with obvious pleading, "This guest, the props are very precious. In case, I mean in case, something unexpected happens again, please, please stay calm and don't do anything!"
He was clearly still upset about the paper figure that had been smashed to pieces yesterday.
Lan Shuyin noticed his nervousness and nodded, saying, "I understand."
If something were to happen again, she certainly wouldn't act as impulsively as she did yesterday.
Adjusting her breathing, Lan Shuyin calmly lay down beside the eerie paper figure.
Time passed by, second by second.
The anticipated anomaly did not materialize. The paper figure beside him remained silent, the cold paper clinging tightly to the bed sheet, showing no signs of life, nor any of the chilling aura that had tried to invade yesterday.
Until DM reappeared and loudly announced "The ceremony is complete," it was still just a lifeless paper doll lying there.
This concludes the "Wedding Invitation" series.
After listening to the debriefing, Lan Shuyin declined Su Wei's invitation to have dinner with them and went to the front desk alone to find the DM guy.
"I'm so sorry I accidentally broke that doll yesterday. I thought it was just a regular paper figure." She took out her phone. "How much was it? I'll pay for it."
Unexpectedly, the DM waved his hand and said, "Money isn't important. The main thing is that those three dolls are very special. They were made by hand by a friend of mine... who used to work as a DM in the shop."
Lan Shuyin paused. "Ah, I see." A guess suddenly flashed through her mind, and she couldn't help but ask, "Is he in the store?"
DM was silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly, "No, he had a heart attack last month and passed away."
Lan Shuyin's heart skipped a beat, and she tentatively asked, "Does he like wearing blue overalls?" Seeing the other person's sudden surprise, she added calmly, "I heard from a friend who often comes here that there's a handsome guy in your store who wears blue overalls."
This was naturally a hastily made-up excuse.
Unexpectedly, DM nodded, a look of reminiscence in his eyes, "Your friend has good taste. That's right, that's Qingshan, my good brother."
He told Lan Shuyin that Liu Qingshan was his good friend since college, and the two had worked part-time together at this shop. Qingshan was skillful with his hands, and many of the exquisite props in the shop were made by him, especially the three dolls. He was meticulous in his work, and would even go to the dressing room every day to iron the clothes that the players changed into.
“He always wears that blue overalls, telling the store manager it’s for cosplay… but I know.” DM’s voice lowered, “It’s because his father used to be an electrician, and he died in a construction accident. He misses his father very much.”
Liu Qingshan has a persistent pursuit of immersive experiences and has repeatedly suggested adding some clever mechanisms to "Wedding Invitation" to enhance the horror atmosphere, but the store manager has repeatedly rejected the suggestion.
"Once, he was unwilling to give up, so he secretly went to scare people by sticking his face up to theirs, which terrified the players and resulted in a complaint... When the store manager found out, he was furious and fired him." DM said in a low voice, "A few days later, he had a heart attack and passed away... But Qingshan is very gentle. If he knew that the doll was broken by a customer out of fear, he might actually be happy. Because he always felt that a horror doll is only successful if it scares people."
It matches up.
Everything matches up.
Lan Shuyin listened in silence, the puzzle in her heart now complete.
The ghostly figure in this shop is undoubtedly Liu Qingshan.
Whether it's the blurry outline in front of the changing room, the frightening male face in the boudoir, or the abnormality of the doll yesterday, all of these are caused by the ghostly shadow left behind by Liu Qingshan.
It's said that a ghost is a mark formed by the intertwining of a strong obsession and a specific environment, a fixed behavioral pattern. For some unknown reason, he imprinted the final echo of his existence on this murder mystery game shop where he had poured countless efforts and obsessions.
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