As I passed the traffic light intersection, I glanced at the place where the food offerings had been placed last night, then looked away. The voice calling my name from last night still echoed in my mind. When the light turned green, I didn't want to stay in this godforsaken place for another second, so I hurriedly rode away on my electric bike.
When I arrived at the courier station, I saw An Lili's electric scooter. I thought I had arrived early enough, but I didn't expect An Lili to have arrived ahead of time.
I clocked in and was about to head to the sorting room when Zhang Guangyin stopped me on the way.
"Station Chief Zhang, what's the matter?" I really didn't like Zhang Guangyin, so I asked abruptly. I was in a good mood today, but being blocked by this big water buffalo first thing in the morning made me feel terrible.
"Changming, there's something I'd like to discuss with you," Zhang Guangyin said with a smile.
When I saw Zhang Guangyin's smile, my heart skipped a beat. I felt that something bad was going to happen, so I tried to walk past him towards the sorting room.
"Hey, hey, don't go! It's nothing serious. Old Li from the main gate broke his leg last night, and there's no one guarding the courier station at night. I've already talked to the boss, and you can stay here for a while tonight. Once Old Li recovers, you won't have to stay here anymore," Zhang Guangyin hurriedly stepped in front of me, saying somewhat apologetically.
I thought it was something serious, just staying here for a while, and I didn't think it was a big deal. But Zhang Guangyin's attitude puzzled me. It's just staying for a while, such a small matter, why does he sound so pleading?
Our courier station used to be a processing plant. After the factory closed down, the courier station owner rented part of it, and another part was rented by a children's dance institution.
Last month, a major incident occurred at the dance training center called Xingmeng. A young girl twisted her waist while practicing dance and lost consciousness on the spot. She was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved.
“Zuo Changming, considering that you are currently single and An Lili is a girl, you are the most suitable. Don’t worry, you will be paid according to Old Man Li’s salary on a daily basis after you stay here for a while.” Zhang Guangyin rarely explained the reason to me.
"Okay, okay." I think it's fine to stay here for a while. At least it's a flat-roofed house, which is much better than my home. Plus, I can earn an extra salary, so it's pretty good.
"Okay, I'll call the boss right now." Zhang Guangyin took his phone, looking excited as he made the call and left.
Seeing Zhang Guangyin's smug look, I felt like I'd been tricked, but I didn't think anything was wrong. I shook my head and walked towards the sorting room.
"Good morning, Zuo Changming."
As soon as I arrived at the sorting room, I saw An Lili scanning packages. She looked up, saw me, and greeted me with a smile.
"Good morning." I nodded to An Lili as well.
"Zuo Changming, my grandma ran away last night. Luckily you saw her. Thank you." An Lili reached out and smoothed her hair at her temple, expressing her gratitude.
"It's alright. Anyone would have informed us if they encountered something like this." I glanced around the sorting room and only saw Xu Dalong and Feng Enbin, not Zhong Lingui. I asked An Lili, "Are Zhong Lingui and his wife still not at work?"
"I heard from Xu Dalong that Zhong Lingui will be coming today. The boss already knows about their family situation and has arranged for the two of them to take turns staying home to take care of the child, with one of them coming to work. You don't need to work so hard today. You must be exhausted from working so late last night," An Lili said with a smile.
An Lili thought I was delivering packages last night, which is why I came home so late, but I didn't want to explain too much to her.
After a brief chat, I went over and squatted down to sort the packages with Xu Dalong and the others.
"Changming, did Big Water Buffalo just come looking for you, asking about your overnight stay at the courier station?" Feng Enbin patted my shoulder and leaned over to ask.
Xu Dalong also turned his gaze to me, with a question in his eyes.
"Um, did he contact you too?" I asked curiously.
"Of course we contacted him, but neither of us paid him any attention. You didn't agree to be with him, did you?" Feng Enbin asked, his eyes wide and his voice rising.
"Okay, I agreed." I was even more curious. It's just staying at the courier station for a while, why make such a fuss?
"What? You don't know the problem here?" Feng Enbin and Xu Dalong stared at me intently, their eyes full of sympathy.
My feeling intensified; I had a nagging feeling that Zhang Guangyin was up to no good. Sure enough, something fishy was going on. So I asked, "You two, stop keeping me in suspense and just say what's on your mind!"
"Changming, actually I don't know if it's true or not, but everyone's saying that the Xingmeng Dance Class was haunted last night." Xu Dalong said in a low voice, looking terrified.
"Who saw it?" My heart tightened. We just saw Ma Jiajie off, what if another one comes along?
Zhang Guangyin, that sixth brother, was indeed up to no good.
“Old Li, I heard that he got up to pee at midnight last night and heard music coming from the Xingmeng Dance Studio. The lights were on, so he was very curious because the dance class is never empty at night, they only rehearse during the day. So he went up to check, and guess what he saw?” Xu Dalong said, his expression becoming more and more terrified.
A chill ran down my spine, and I pressed, "What did he see?"
Xu Dalong glanced around, swallowed hard, and said with a look of horror, "Old Li saw that girl named Xu Huihui dancing alone in the training room."
"Which Huihui?" I asked, looking at Xu Dalong's terrified expression.
"Damn it, you forgot? She's the girl who twisted her back in the dance studio a month ago. Old Li saw her last night, ran away in fright, and that's how he hurt his leg." Xu Dalong tapped my head, his voice filled with fear.
"What? She...she's already dead in the hospital, isn't she?" I was so shocked that I got goosebumps all over my back.
“I’m not entirely sure either, but I heard from a rumor that Xu Huihui died on the spot in the dance studio. The ambulance hadn’t arrived yet, and they only took her to the hospital to try and save her,” Xu Dalong whispered in my ear.
"Who told you that?" I was terrified too. We just got rid of one, and now another one has appeared. And I'm going to have to spend the night here. Damn it, when will this end? That damn water buffalo, all it does is hurt me.
"Hey, what are you two whispering about, getting so close?" A voice suddenly rang out behind me, startling both Xu Dalong and me.
I turned around and saw that it was Zhong Lingui who was speaking, and I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's nothing, just about the haunted dance studio. Changming is staying here tonight, so I'm giving him a heads-up," Xu Dalong said, shrinking back in fear.
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