Chapter 126 The Ouija Board (3) "Nothing will happen today."...
"Huh? Really?" Sun Enze asked in surprise.
So surprised, he blurted out, becoming the first to speak. His voice echoed clearly in the empty travel agency, causing him to instinctively flinch and examine his words and actions.
He's exaggerating a bit. Under normal circumstances, haunted places are rare.
But he forgot that this was Diqiu City, and schools were haunted places mentioned in nine out of ten horror stories. In this respect, Diqiu University, as the most representative institution of learning in Diqiu City, was renowned.
Xi Rui shook his finger: "It's just as you think, Xiao Ze. In the entire Di University, only the building you're in now has never been 'actively' haunted."
Xia Wujin's doubts were also answered.
The roses from last time were brought into the club building from outside. The names were already written on the red paper petals, which were made of paper money. They didn't appear after she entered the building. No ghosts appeared. She was just startled and accidentally flung them out.
Similarly, Xie Tan thought that the travel agency sign in Wonderland didn't count either, because it wasn't even in the club building; it was just a source of Chang Ming's memories for Wonderland.
There have never been any ghosts or monsters in the clubhouse, so things like being trapped, chased, or dying are even less likely to happen. It's practically a sanctuary, a "safe house" for Di University.
No wonder the suicide incident happened; the carnival is almost certainly going to be canceled. So many people are still staying in the club building tonight, it's even more lively than the rehearsals a few days ago.
It turns out they were seeking refuge.
"Is there anything special about this building?" Xia Wujin looked around as if he were seeing the building for the first time. "Feng shui layout, spell formations?"
Xi Rui: "I don't know, I can't figure it out, but I guess the donor is special."
Xia Wujin was astonished. Even Xi Rui couldn't see through it? Who on earth did this?
"This was donated by alumni to give back to their alma mater, right?"
"Yes, Director Jiang is also in this organization. She said that everyone originally wanted to build another building as an academy, but another senior suggested that since the library at Didi University is big enough, why not build a club building for the kids to play in and enrich their interest life? Most of the designs here are hers."
As Xi Rui spoke, he smiled at Xie Tan, whose eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he lowered his eyes again.
No wonder Xi Rui kept looking at him; it turned out to be Xiao Liu's idea.
These are the things she would say and do.
"That's truly a blessing for everyone," Xia Wujin remarked.
"This mysterious senior is still at the top of the school's gratitude list. Even though she does good deeds anonymously, everyone created an account for her called 'Living Lei Feng' and voted her to number one." Xi Rui sighed, "After all, this is not just about donating a building. It's about building music classrooms, instrument studios, dance studios, art rooms, tailoring rooms, skateboard plazas, and so on. Her greatness needs no further explanation."
"Since it was designed by this senior, then the ability to ward off evil spirits must also be her doing, right? She knows so much."
"So don't worry, what should we play? I'm serious, if you really have any questions, playing Ouija board here won't cause any problems, okay?"
Xia Wujin: "Then why don't we go find Miss Qi? It's safer that way."
Chang Mingai, who had been dozing off for a while, half-opened her eyes and said, "...Just say you want to die."
With the internet connection in between, Xi Rui could communicate normally with Chang Ming'ai, but face-to-face, he wasn't as natural as usual and didn't initiate conversation much. Seeing that Chang Ming'ai fell asleep as soon as she arrived, the PTSD curse of sleeping secretly kicked in again. He kept observing Chang Ming'ai's reaction and saw that she was indeed just resting for a while, which reassured him a bit. Listening to Chang Ming'ai complain about him made him feel much better.
"No way! Two vetoes right away, so disheartening. What about the opinions of the rest—Xiao Ze! Want to do something exciting?" He immediately targeted the most agreeable guy.
Sun Enze fidgeted: "Hey? Maybe we should skip it... It sounds too dangerous. Um, how about we play Monopoly instead?"
Sun Enyou remained silent behind him, but these twins, who were essentially one, always shared the same opinion.
So Xi Rui turned to the oblivious young couple, and Lu Jinzhao finally seemed to grow bones and moved slightly—changing his position to continue holding Xie Tan, saying, "I'm fine with anything! They all sound fun, what do you think, A-Tan?"
"I thought you were aware of the destructive power of your sudden inspirations," Xie Tan said, raising an eyebrow at Xi Rui.
After all, he was a long-time reader of "Strange Tales". In every episode featuring Xi Rui, this guy's skill at courting death was truly profound, and he could always find the closest place to danger.
Xi Rui was dissatisfied and was about to complain to Lu Jinzhao when Lu Jinzhao cleverly changed his mind: "Then let's play Monopoly!"
Xi Rui's eyes widened, then he said with a weary expression, "Forgetting friends for the sake of beauty, even today is no exception. In the end, friendship always loses to love..."
Everyone said in unison, "Unsubscribe."
"Ugh, fine, nobody loves me anymore." Xi Rui said resentfully as he pulled out Monopoly, but quickly became engrossed in the game.
The Ouija board was just something I thought of using as an example; I wasn't really interested in it. As the young lady said, if people like them really wanted to know something, they would seek out professionals like Qi Shiheng, rather than relying on ghosts and monsters of unknown origin.
The soundproofing of the club building is very good, after all, there are clubs such as the instrument club and the choir. But at this time, there are many people in the building, and you can still feel the lively atmosphere with people coming and going.
However, as time went on, they inevitably became tired. In order to allow the students to have fun, the monthly quizzes were all finished before Christmas. Studying and preparing for activities were going on simultaneously, and they were working non-stop during this period. As a result, several people fell asleep halfway through their playtime, including the energetic Lu Jinzhao.
Xie Tan didn't sleep; he just sat on the sofa scrolling through his phone. To make Lu Jinzhao comfortable and not wake him, he didn't change his posture much.
Time ticked by, and it was already past ten o'clock. Every place in the house where people could rest had collapsed.
Meanwhile, Xi Rui yawned, having just woken up for a while. There was still a note on his face from losing at Monopoly. His eyelids drooped as he refreshed his phone, muttering, "Why hasn't the notification been sent yet..."
Sun Enze was already a restless sleeper, and he fell asleep on the blanket he was playing games on, covered with the clothes that Sun Enyou had given him.
He rubbed his eyes and happened to see the local specialty dolls that the club had bought during their trip to Southeast Asia last year. They looked like Annabelle's twin sisters. He was immediately jolted awake. He looked around and saw that the lights in the room were off. He broke out in a cold sweat.
"When will the light come on...?" Of all the people, he had the least experience with ghosts and monsters and the lowest resistance. He whispered, "Are we really okay here? Are we going to have to spend the night here?"
Xi Rui closed his eyes again, as if talking in his sleep: "Soon... There will definitely be a notification before lights out..."
He gestured vaguely behind him: "If you're really worried, ask your savior."
After saying that, his head slumped down and he fell asleep again.
His suggestion struck a chord with Sun Enze, so Sun Enze timidly turned his gaze to Xie Tan, whose phone's blue light was the only source of light and was easy to find.
Xie Tan stared at his phone screen, currently focused on the newly released preview image from the comic app.
Just now, when Cat Number 7 appeared on the table wagging its tail, he realized that the comic had been updated.
He said that Xi Rui is the most likely to court disaster and the best at finding fault.
The teaser image is dimly lit, suggesting it was taken at night without the lights on.
The main element is a black and white chessboard viewed from above, with a piece of white paper on it bearing letters, numbers, dynasties, whether or not, male and female, etc.
Two hands extend from the top and bottom of the chessboard, one real and one virtual, clasping together on the paper, with a pen standing upright.
The hand below has a watch on its wrist, showing eight o'clock, which is eight o'clock in the evening.
The hand reaching out from above was as ethereal as a shadow, with sharp fingertips and a dark gray color; it was clearly the hand of a ghost.
The bloodstains slid down the pen, turning into ready-made ink, leaving four crooked, bright red characters, "Pen Fairy Pen Fairy," in the center of the white paper. The pen tip stopped at the last stroke of the last character.
Xie Tan wanted to sigh, but when he looked up and met Sun Enze's uneasy gaze, he didn't want to scare him, so he said first, "I turned off the light because I saw you were asleep."
He calmly added, "Nothing will happen today."
Anyway, the time on the teaser image is 8 PM, but it's already 10 PM for them.
The club building was brightly lit all night, only because he had just turned off the lights with his cane not long ago.
So the ghost story isn't something that happened today.
Even if it really happened at 8 PM tonight, since Xi Rui specifically mentioned Xiao Liu in front of him to test his reaction, then what this guy said must be true. He saw how tired they were, and they would definitely sleep here tonight. It just so happens that nothing will happen in the club building.
Xi Rui himself must have realized that the carnival was off, so he called them over to keep them in the safe house and prevent anything from happening to them.
Sun Enze's shoulders relaxed, as if he wanted to say something. At that moment, Lu Jinzhao seemed to hear their voices, so he moved and muttered something in a coquettish tone. Xie Tan then raised his index finger and put it to his lips.
Sun Enze nodded slightly, and the cat went back inside.
Xie Tan said softly, "Go to sleep, it's good to get some rest." He was both comforting Sun Enze and coaxing the person leaning against him.
The room quieted down again. Listening to Lu Jinzhao's steady breathing, he unconsciously became sleepy in Lu Jinzhao's warm embrace.
He put down his phone and fell asleep.
The night sky outside the window was equally tranquil, with the moon like a silver hook, starlight twinkling, and a vast expanse of light shifting from one side to the other.
A cheerful alarm clock suddenly rang, and Xi Rui, who was lying in the doll, reached out and turned it off.
It's time to turn off the dormitory lights.
He looked up, only his eyes showing, to confirm the news. Sure enough, the counselor had already posted in the group that this year's carnival was canceled.
Xi Rui was not surprised. He struggled to his feet and was about to tell everyone when he looked into the room and instantly became alert.
Inside the huge room, everything was arranged exactly as it had been when they finished playing, but everyone was gone.
He checked the time again and confirmed it was 10:30. He hadn't slept through to the next day.
Xi Rui sighed heavily.
It seems even Xie Tan makes mistakes sometimes.
He wasn't fully asleep at the time; he was listening intently, and as a result, the ghost story didn't end today.
And it's in the student club building?
Is it true? He's not joking. The clubhouse building has never been haunted. Could his mouth really be blessed?
Xi Rui pushed open the door and went out. The corridor was pitch black, so dark you could hear a pin drop, as if he were the only person in the entire building.
He habitually pressed the elevator button, then realized that when something is haunted, it's best to take the stairs; being trapped in a ghostly maze is better than a drop tower.
So he turned and walked towards the stairs. When he got to the stairwell, the elevator came up and opened with a "ding".
Xi Rui paused as he pushed the door open, and suddenly felt a chill down his back.
He turned around, and balloons floated out of the elevator lobby in clusters, like bursts of fireworks, swirling quietly in the dark corridor, with smiling faces appearing and disappearing on the balloons.
Amidst the ups and downs, the text on the back spells out "Happy Carnival".
These are balloons tied to the warehouse on the first floor. There are many more. Tomorrow, as soon as the carnival begins, they will be released from the windows of each floor of the club building to mark the official start of the carnival. This happens every year.
Wait, tomorrow?
Xi Rui suddenly remembered Xie Tan's words again: "Nothing will happen today."
He turned and pushed open the door of the opera club. To maintain the atmosphere, the opera club had preserved many old customs, such as hanging a calendar on the wall and tearing off a page each day.
At this time, the calendar date is not "26th", but "27th".
December 27th, the first day of Carnival.
Today is over.
Xie Tan... he really never talks nonsense.
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