CH 2

The last sentence of the landlord’s comment stopped at these words from the xiao-jiemei. The post had not been updated for a long time.

Below that was an explosion from an all-nighter champion.

“Landlord, landlord, absolutely do not go up! I don’t think that’s your xiao-jiemei ah!”

“I didn’t think anything was wrong at first, but once I saw upstairs’ comment, I got goosebumps.”

“There must be a problem ah. Maybe it’s the back shadow from behind the windows on the extra fourth floor…”

“Green!* This is too fake, after seeing an extra floor appear, how can you possibly be brave enough to want to go home? Landlord, come back and testify…”

[T/N: 绿: not sure what it means, but since ‘green’ is associated with being cuckolded, I’m assuming it means ‘liar/cheat’ in this context]

Ye Zun scanned through this scalp-numbing development and scrolled down quickly. After finally refreshing, he saw the landlord’s update.

【 Xiao-jiemei’s voice calling out my nickname made me feel better. Like a wimp, I said, “I’m a little scared. I told you before, the corner on the first floor is really dark, it’s even a little scary during the day. And, I don’t know why, but when I was staying alone in the room at night, I felt scared for some reason.” 

Voicing your fears usually lifts a weight off your body, but this time, my back was leaning against the iron gate and somehow, I was very resistant to the idea of going up. However, I couldn’t just ask the xiao-jiemei, who was exhausted from working the night shift, to come out with me in the middle of the night.

“If you’re scared ah, I’ll come down and pick you up ba.”

I said dully, “But you’re already so tired from working all day.”

“I’m very tired, but who told you to be so scared? How about this ba, I’ll come out and walk downstairs, and you walk upstairs. We’ll meet in the middle.” 

This landlord’s personality is dependent on people, yet afraid of owing favours. The xiao-jiemei sounded so tired and sacrificed so much for this landlord. How could I be so inconsiderate?

From past to present, I have always had this mentality towards the people around me.

This time too, because the xiao-jiemei thought of this idea, I mustered up the courage to go up, not wanting to disappoint her and make her think this landlord is inconsiderate.

However, the more I went up, the closer I was to the third floor, and the more frightened I became.

“Please don’t hang up the phone ah.”

“Okay.” 

I didn’t dare to say at the time, but in the bottom of my heart, I would think of the red window and the tall black shadow behind the window. The shadow was really tall, and it almost seemed to poke through the ceiling——it was as if, as if someone was hanging there.

I could not help thinking, when I walked to the dark third floor or the fourth floor that appeared out of thin air, a door would suddenly open…

I counted floor by floor. From the unit door to the first floor, everything was normal; from the first floor to the second floor, everything was normal.

From the second floor to the third floor… The third floor was completely dark. The sensor light was broken and there was no other source of light.

I did not dare to walk any farther.

“Where are you?” I asked the xiao-jiemei on the other end of the phone.

Xiao-jiemei was wearing high heels and the sound of her footsteps coming downstairs were very slow; you could tell she was a little tired.

“I didn’t pay attention, probably about to reach the third floor. When will the sensor lights on the third floor be repaired ah, it’s so dark?”

Because of the xiao-jiemei’s complaining, I wasn’t too afraid. Hearing the high heels approaching, I mustered the courage to head up and quickly pass the third floor, so that I could meet her between the third and fifth floors, so I could avoid facing the fourth floor that might appear out of thin air alone.

I was holding my phone, almost afraid to look left and right, keeping the farthest distance from the door of the tenant on the third floor, and ran up as fast as I could.

Nothing happened. No one came out, and no one opened the door.

However, I couldn’t help but turn my head back for a glance.

With this glance, I found that the door on the left side of the third floor was actually opened, but it was just slightly closed and not locked. It’s as if the owner had gone out for a short time and would be back soon.

“Why are you so slow?” As expected, the xiao-jiemei walked to the stairway corner and reached out to grab my hand. “Why is your hand so cold?”

“Is it oh.” My mind was still on the slightly shut door. Could there be someone behind the door who was secretly watching us through the gap?

Xiao-jiemei pulled me to walk upstairs. “Let’s hurry back ba, I’m exhausted.” 

I didn’t pay attention before, but when we started making our way up, I slowly realised that my hands really were ice cold. Not only me, but the xiao-jiemei’s hands were, too. Soft and clammy.

Xiao-jiemei was very beautiful. She had long brown curly hair and was wearing a checkered coat. The checkered patterns were of an ochre and dark red colour that intertwined. This outfit may have a very empowering aura during the day, but at night, it reminded me of a blood-stained shroud buried in the soil.

We did not speak, walking to the entrance of the sixth floor step by step.

Xiao-jiemei lowered her head, her hair covering her face.

She kept a hold of me with her right hand and pulled me along, taking the key from me with her left hand and inserting it into the keyhole, opening the door to the room.

When she twisted the key in the lock, I saw her hand that was painted with dark red nail polish.

Xiao-jiemei’s hands were very good-looking, but she never did any kind of nail art because long nails would get in the way of typing in her customer service job, so she almost never painted her nails.

After the door to our room opened, the sensor light in the corridor by our doorway went black.

She didn’t have her phone in either of her hands.

My phone was in my right hand. My left hand was being pulled by her all this time and it wasn’t easy to operate with one hand, so I had forgotten that I never hung up.

“Wei, I’m about to reach the first floor, why haven’t I seen you yet? Lin Lin, where are you? Yi, shouldn’t I be on the first floor now? Why is there another set of stairs…” The phone suddenly hung up. 

The room was dark. The lights inside were not turned on.

The xiao-jiemei beside me is still holding my hand. In the dark, she is always watching me. 

……

Right now, I am sleeping in bed, and the xiao-jiemei is still holding my hand, sticking to my body and sleeping behind me.

Her body is very, very cold. So is my body.

The clock on my phone shows it is ten past three in the early morning. When I went downstairs, I was also this time.

After so long, time has returned to its original point.

I feel that I may never wait for the break of dawn again.

This landlord’s name is Lin Youlin, living in Paradise Apartments*, Building 14, Unit 2, on the 6th floor. The co-renting xiao-jiemei is called… Oh, come to think of it, since this landlord moved into Paradise Apartments, she has lived by herself. There is no xiao-jiemei. 】

[T/N: or, Heaven Apartments]

In the darkness, the phone crashed and showed a black screen for a moment. Ye Zun immediately unlocked the phone with his fingerprint and scrolled up, refreshing a dozen floors of replies.

But the strange thing was, he didn’t see the landlord’s last long ghost-story-like response.

【 Where’s the landlord? The landlord disappeared suddenly? 】

【 Trembling on the spot. Landlord, did you go up or not? Are you sure that is your xiao-jiemei? Wu wu wu, I’m completely suffering from insomnia, scared awake by my own brain. 】

【 Hehe, telling ghost stories in the middle of the night and turning into a eunuch once you reach the climax, I wish you a very get-caught-by-a-ghost! 】

【 Upstairs, why are you so vicious, cursing people randomly? 】

【 She was the one who deceived people by posting these green posts first, tricking people in then wasting their time on half a story. Not wishing her 800 yards* when she goes out is already kindness on my part, you’re very welcome. To the people who scolded me, may all of you be taken away by ghosts, not accepting any rebounds! Hee hee hee*. 】

[T/N: 出门八百码 not sure what this means]

[T/N: 嘻嘻嘻/xi xi xi; mischievous laugh]

【 How disgusting ah, how can there be people like the upstairs floor owner. Maybe something happened to the landlord, didn’t you see her say how scared she was? 】

【 Going out at three o’clock in the middle of the night is a brain-dead move, she deserved to run into a ghost. Will she choose to be brain-dead or admit that the green posts were to trick people? Since you’re speaking for her, you wouldn’t be her dear xiao-jiemei ba. Your sister wrote you as a ghost and cursed you to die, don’t you mind? Hee hee hee… 】

Ye Zun refreshed the page again, but still didn’t find that floor where the landlord replied, as if he was the only one who saw it.

It was originally horrifying, but the unprovoked malicious hostility of strangers revealed in the post made the horror brought about by the post disappear.

Sure enough, no matter when or where, people are much scarier than ghosts.

Ye Zun exited the post, turned off his phone, and closed his eyes, but he soon opened them again, looking out the window in the dark.

Ye Zun had just finished moving houses during the daytime. His new rented house, if he remembered correctly, the contract address vaguely made out to be: Paradise Apartments…Building 14, Unit 2… 6th Floor?

It seemed to be the same address mentioned at the end of the landlord’s post.

Duo, duo, duo.

The door near the bedside was suddenly knocked on.

“Lin Lin, it’s me, open the door ah, I’m back.” Outside the door, a female voice gently but strangely spoke in a quiet voice.

In the bed in the dark room, Ye Zun opened his eyes, his whole body stiff and motionless, almost holding his breath.

In this situation, you obviously don’t answer.

“Open the door ah, Lin Lin.” The sound of a twisting doorknob, suddenly paused. “Oh, you didn’t lock the door ah.”

No, I locked it!

Ye Zun was absolutely certain. He had made sure he locked the door before going to bed.

However, in the next moment of darkness, the doorknob twisting echoed in the room, and the cylinder lock was opened with a crisp sound.

Ye Zun’s body immediately sat up. He stared at the door with wide eyes.

Squeak, slowly. The sound of the wooden door being pushed open.

A dim and hazy beam of light snuck in, leaving a long and thin shadow on the room’s floor.

Ye Zun’s pupils dilated. He wanted to see whatever the thing at the doorway was, holding the door open .

Suddenly, the light outside faded.

Ye Zun blinked, unable to adapt to the sudden darkness.

At this time, a pair of iron-cold arms hugged him from behind.

The author has something to say:

Get up early, and then even earlier~

Actually it’s not all that scary, but if you are really scared, wu, dove wings will lend you protection.

[T/N: since doves are a symbol of peace?]