Chapter 2 Villa No. 1 at Mingjing Lake Resort
Maybe people will really rebound when they hit rock bottom. When the staff of Mingjing Lake Resort called, Gao Xing was looking for a bed in the urban village that could be checked in without a deposit. After hearing the news, she still felt it was unreal when she looked at the two bright lines of words on the lottery announcement page.
"Congratulations on winning the prize!"
"Obtain one-year residency rights in Villa No. 1 at Mingjing Lake Resort!"
Gao Xing couldn't believe that such a huge pie would actually fall into his lap.
The staff told her she needed to arrive at the resort within 15 working days to claim her prize, otherwise the results would be void. Gao Xing didn't dare delay and took the subway to the resort's office building the next day.
After meeting her, the receptionist guided her through the award ceremony in front of the camera, and even had her hold a koi doll and repeat the resort's promotional lines for a long time in front of the camera. A full few hours later, a manager named Zhao took her to sign the residence agreement.
"Take a look and sign if you think it's okay."
Manager Zhao casually placed the residence agreement on the coffee table in the reception area, squeezed his fat body into the low sofa, and stretched his black suit tightly.
Gao Xing flipped open the four- or five-page contract in front of him and was about to take a closer look when he was urged, "Basically, it states that you only have the right to live in Villa No. 1 for one year. You cannot rent it out, transfer it, or use it for profit. In addition, you must cooperate with the resort's promotional activities and cannot do anything that damages the resort or make any negative comments about it. Otherwise, the resort has the right to claim compensation from you..."
"That's about it. Take a look quickly. I have something else to do later!"
At his urging, Gao Xing flipped through the contract briefly and signed it. Although some of the terms were beyond her expectations, there was no such thing as a free lunch. Since they were offering free accommodation, they naturally had to recoup their costs elsewhere, which Gao Xing understood.
After signing, Gao Xing got the key under the guidance of Manager Zhao, dragged the suitcase he had just packed out of the dormitory, and prepared to go to Villa No. 1 in the scenic area.
"I won't take you there. You know the way, right?" Manager Zhao perfunctorily pointed her in a direction. "It's over there. There are signs on the road. Just follow them."
Gao Xing knew that he might not really have something wrong, but was just looking down on her because she was single. She had seen this kind of invisible discrimination many times, and she chose to endure it simply because she really needed a place to stay, and she needed it so badly that she couldn't afford any mistakes.
"I understand." Gao Xing replied.
When I followed the signposts in the scenic area and found the door of Villa No. 1, I looked at the old building in front of me and felt a moment of confusion.
It was a single-family villa located at the foot of the mountain, not in the same direction as other buildings in the resort. The exterior of the villa looked like a product of the last century, with doors and windows that looked very old, and a patch of ivy growing on the red brick walls.
When I came here happily, I searched for many real-life pictures of the resort's interior on the subway. All the buildings in the pictures were brand new and luxurious. Why did the villa in front of me look old and shabby, as if no one had lived in it for many years?
Gao Xing was a little confused, and went to search for Villa No. 1 carefully again. Only then did he find a few lines of words written above the concept map of the lottery page: "Historical protected building" and "Century-old house".
Happy:"……"
It turns out to be a protected building, no wonder it looks like this. But it’s free, so why do you need a bicycle?
Gao Xing took a deep breath and opened the black latch on the courtyard gate. For her, having a place to stay was already good enough.
The afternoon in July should be the hottest time of the year, but because it is inside the scenic area, adjacent to Mingjing Lake, and surrounded by trees and vegetation, a gust of wind blew and it felt a little chilly.
Gao Xing touched his arm and walked in. He didn't notice the sudden eerie and weird abnormality here. Instead, he was glad: It's better to be cooler. I can save some electricity bills in the future!
The villa's exterior resembled a Western-style building from the Republican era, and Gao Xing had initially assumed the interior would resemble the same style. However, as soon as he opened the door, he was struck by a strong sense of the millennial era: floral curtains, a wooden backdrop, a khaki sofa, and the patchwork of new and old white tiles beneath his feet...
Everyone was so happy that they were stunned. For a moment, they couldn't understand the aesthetic of the resort designer.
Maybe in the eyes of some designers, alternative is beautiful...
Don’t understand, but respect.
After walking around the living room, she found that although the house was old, it was fully equipped with various home appliances, furniture, and daily necessities, and there were even fruits and drinks in the kitchen refrigerator!
"Such thoughtful arrangements?" Gao Xing murmured, and she couldn't believe it when she thought of the attitude of the resort staff when they received her.
She casually took out a bottle of Coke and took a sip, then prepared to go upstairs to take a look.
As I was walking through the living room to go up to the second floor, I passed the bathroom door on the first floor and slipped without noticing. After holding onto the wall to steady myself, I realized that the gap between the living room and the bathroom was not a staircase, but a gentle slope. There was a puddle of water and a few tire tracks on the floor tiles.
Strange, why is there water?
She followed the rutted path, winding forward with traces of watermarks, and finally stopped in front of a door...
She looked up at the closed door in front of her, frowned, and put her hand on it in confusion.
With a light "click", the door handle was gently turned. In the silent room, the flowing air rushed towards people due to the change of air flow. The cool wind blew towards them, making them shiver with cold.
Just as he was about to look up to see what was inside, something hit him on the head.
She was startled and quickly turned her head to avoid it. With a crisp "bang", the thing hit the door and shattered into pieces on the ground.
Gao Xing was so frightened that she broke out in a cold sweat. When she looked down, she realized that it was an alarm clock that attacked her! If it had hit her on the head just now, her head would have been split open!
"Who are you!" A vigilant shout came from the room.
Gao Xing looked in the direction of the sound and found a young man lying on the bed in the room, staring at her with hostility.
The man was wearing pajamas, his short black hair was a little messy, and there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, as if he had just woken up.
Gao Xing didn't expect there was someone else in the house. He was even more confused than him and asked, "Who are you?"
The man ignored her and continued to ask, "How did you get in?"
Gao Xing was stunned: "How did you get in?"
"If you don't tell me, I'll call the police!" The man pretended to make a phone call and fumbled for his phone on the bed.
Gao Xing was full of questions: "I want to call the police!"
She immediately took out her cell phone to call Manager Zhao, but for some reason, the signal in the room suddenly went out, and she couldn't get through after trying several times.
Because it was too absurd and speechless, Gao Xing had to withdraw first and went outside with his mobile phone to find a signal.
At the same time, Shen Xingjian had also gotten out of bed. He moved his legs and sat on the wheelchair, and drove out quickly.
Shen Xingjian had a habit of taking naps, but his sleep was always very light. A few minutes ago, he heard a noise in the living room and woke up from his bed in a daze. At first, he thought he had misheard, but it was not until the footsteps got closer and even turned the doorknob that he was sure there was someone outside.
He thought there was a thief in his house, so he picked up the alarm clock on the bedside table and threw it at the thief, but he didn't expect the thief to react quickly and missed.
Shen Xingjian found his cell phone in the crack of the sofa in the living room and dialed 110 immediately.
"What's going on? Why can't I get through?"
Gao Xing tried again and again, but the signal was still intermittent. She turned around and saw the man in a wheelchair chasing her out, pointing at him and warning, "Don't come over here! I've called the police. Just wait!"
Shen Xingjian was also waiting for the call to be connected. Upon hearing this, he said coldly: “I should be the one saying this!”
The two of them stood in the living room holding their phones for five minutes, but the notification tone indicating the call was connected did not ring in their ears.
Happy:"……"
Shen Xingjian: “…”
Gao Xing suddenly remembered that the resort's security booth was nearby, and the man was in a wheelchair, limiting his mobility. He mustered up the courage to put down his phone and try to scare him off. "I don't care who you are or why you're in my house. If you leave now, I can pretend nothing happened. Otherwise, when the police get here, you won't be able to leave even if you want to!"
"Your house?" Shen Xingjian seemed to have heard something extremely funny. He chuckled twice and pulled up the corners of his mouth to emphasize: "This is my home!"
"Impossible! I just signed the contract with the resort this morning!" Gao Xing said firmly.
Shen Xingjian didn't know what was wrong with the signal and network at home. Suddenly, he couldn't connect to any of them. When he was speechless, he didn't forget to glance at her: "What resort? It's inexplicable!"
Gao Xing simply pulled the residence agreement out of her bag and unfolded it vertically in front of him. "The resort has authorized me to live in this villa for one year. It's written in black and white with a red fingerprint. From today on, this is my house! You'd better get out right now, or I'll report you to the police for trespassing!"
Breaking into a private house? ?
This was the first time Shen Xingjian heard such a ridiculous joke. A crazy woman who came out of nowhere ran to his house and accused him of trespassing? Where did she get her confidence from?
He looked up disdainfully, glanced at it, and after glancing at the date and time at the bottom of the contract, he laughed. "Even if you're forging something, at least use some common sense. 2024? Do you think you've traveled through time?"
Gao Xing didn't understand what he was saying in a sarcastic tone, and since he wouldn't cry until he saw the coffin, he simply turned on the camera on his phone.
Her original intention was to take a picture to capture evidence of this person breaking into a private house, but she didn't expect the scene in the camera to be completely different from what she saw with her naked eyes!
On the phone, the spacious living room seemed to have changed its appearance, with a simple black sofa and brown wood-grain floor. As the camera turned, the refrigerator in the kitchen became a three-door refrigerator, and even the Coke that he had just placed on the island disappeared out of thin air!
In an instant, fear swarmed into her heart like ants. Gao Xing stood there in a daze, looking in disbelief at the man in front of her who did not exist in the camera.
Seeing her face change from red to green and then to white, Shen Xingjian thought she was guilty and was about to speak when suddenly, the woman in front of him seemed to be extremely frightened. She screamed "Ah", the phone fell out of her hand, and she stumbled out, as if there was a ghost chasing her.
Just as he was wondering, the moment he looked up, an incredible scene came into his sight:
A dozen meters away, in front of the courtyard gate, the woman's body suddenly disappeared like a player logging off in a game. In just a moment, she disappeared out of thin air!
His eyes widened in disbelief!
Gao Xing subconsciously rushed out of the villa and tried to find someone at the security booth as if he was running for his life. However, due to extreme fear, his limbs were out of control and he ran wildly on the road and bumped into Manager Zhao who was driving his car and was about to get off work.
Manager Zhao was so frightened when he saw a person suddenly rushing out on the road that he braked suddenly, and the car tires made a sharp friction sound with the ground.
At that moment, Manager Zhao felt like his soul was about to leave his body. Fortunately, he was not driving fast, otherwise he would have received a pair of silver bracelets by now!
Recognizing Gao Xing as the person slumped on the ground, Manager Zhao was furious. He unbuckled his seatbelt and stormed down the stairs: "Do you want to die?"
Seeing Manager Zhao glaring at her, Gao Xing felt like he had found a savior. He quickly stood up and grabbed his arm: "Manager Zhao! In Villa No. 1, there is... there is..."
"Yes, yes, yes, what's wrong? I think you are sick!" Manager Zhao pushed her away impatiently.
"There's a ghost!" Gao Xing said loudly.
Manager Zhao was already annoyed after nearly getting scammed, and now he was hearing such nonsense in broad daylight. He immediately pointed at her nose and cursed, "I saw you were a little girl and didn't want to argue with you, but if you keep talking nonsense to me, I'll be rude to you! Your illness is your business, but don't forget the agreement you signed with the resort. If you dare to say such nonsense outside or online, think about whether you can afford to pay the compensation first!"
After Manager Zhao finished speaking, he snorted, opened the car door, and drove away in a cloud of dust.
After Manager Zhao left, Gao Xing gradually came to her senses. She soon realized a problem: no one would believe such a thing as a haunting in broad daylight. Even if someone believed it, then what?
She called the police, who sealed off the villa, suspended the resort's operations, and professionals came to investigate. She was kicked out, and then she had to wait for the results of the investigation, which she didn't know when, and for the house to be unsealed, which she didn't know when?
After all these operations, not only did I lose my only place to stay, but I might also be sued by the resort. What's worse, the police might even contact Xijiang and send me back to their hands after I finally escaped.
Thinking of this result, Gao Xing suddenly felt that even ghosts were not so scary.
If there really are ghosts in this world, there is only one kind of ghost - poor ghost!
At this point, Gao Xing took a deep breath, brushed off the dust from his knees, and walked back the same way as if ready to die.
Her phone was still there, the installments hadn't been paid off yet, and she couldn't lose her phone any more than she could give up the entire year's free accommodation.
Anyway, she has only one life left, so whoever has the ability can come and take it!
When she returned to the door of Villa No. 1, Gao Xing found that her suitcase had somehow appeared at the door. When her foot crossed the edge of the yard again, the next second, the man who had just appeared outside the yard suddenly appeared, and was less than one meter away from her!
Gao Xing was frightened and jumped again, keeping a distance of three meters from him.
"You, you, are you a human or a ghost?"
The man frowned, ignored her question, and looked away from the date on her phone screen.
Shen Xingjian suppressed the turmoil in his heart, stared at her and asked word by word: "Where are you now, what year and month is it?"
Happy:"?"
July 5, 2014.
July 5, 2024.
Ten years later, time and space overlap here.
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