Chapter Twenty-Three: Eerie Rumors
The Qingshan Hotel’s interior was decorated in a classical style. A long corridor led through a landscape of artificial mountains and rocks, dotted with sparse pines and vibrant flowers, creating an antique atmosphere.
It was clear that the owner had put a lot of effort into the decor. Wooden railings lined the lakeside, suggesting attention to detail. But how had such a meticulously designed hotel fallen into such disrepair?
Even Silly Goose couldn’t help but admire the tasteful arrangements.
The rooms were designed to resemble ancient dwellings, complete with writing desks, tea tables, collections of scriptures, tea sets, and even incense burners in the corners. After Lu Li chose a room, the other girls seemed to intentionally choose rooms around his. Sister Yameng and Chen Jianing were to his left, An Baili and Chu Jingyi to his right, and Wen Hupo directly opposite.
The cleaning lady, a woman in her fifties, seemed to have difficulty hearing and couldn’t quite understand what Lu Li was saying. She brought them comfortable, loose-fitting robes to wear as everyday clothing. This was Lu Li’s first time wearing such a robe, and he struggled with the sash until Sister Yameng, with a chuckle, helped him tie it.
“This place isn’t as bad as I thought,” Zou Yameng said, adjusting his collar. “Didn’t wash your hair today, did you? The back is all messy. You have to comb the back too.” She smoothed his hair with her hand. She was standing so close, her loose robe revealing a sliver of her cleavage. As she reached up, one of her breasts practically brushed against his lips, and he caught a faint whiff of milk.
He couldn’t try anything now; the other girls were still unpacking in their rooms.
“The environment is decent, and it’s quiet. It’s like we have the whole place to ourselves,” Lu Li agreed, thinking, You haven’t seen the menu yet. You’d be furious at the prices.
By the time everyone had settled in, it was already evening. The girls emerged from their rooms, one by one, dressed in plain robes, the loose fabric accentuating their slender shoulders and waists, creating an elegant and alluring look. Imagining the single, thin layer of underwear beneath the robes, Lu Li’s thoughts wandered.
This is the life… he thought. Living with the girls he cared about, his only worries their occasional chatter, his most important family member by his side… Wasn’t this the life he’d always dreamed of? If only it could last forever…
A shadow of unease flickered across his mind, his expression darkening slightly.
“What’s wrong, Li?” Sister Yameng easily noticed the subtle shift in his demeanor.
“…N-nothing… Just thinking about some troublesome matters.” The more idyllic his life became, the more he worried about the unresolved price. This happiness felt like a dream, or perhaps the calm before the storm. Maybe next week, maybe tomorrow, the cruel price would descend upon him, tearing his world apart.
An Baili raised her hand. “Let’s go eat barbecue!”
They headed towards the outdoor area. The cleaning lady had already prepared the grill and ingredients, even lighting the charcoal. Despite the receptionist’s poor attitude, the cleaning lady was quite diligent. Lu Li thanked her, but she didn’t seem to hear, bowing silently before leaving.
The sea breeze was different from the city’s, carrying the salty tang of the ocean, cool and refreshing. The outdoor area where they were seated offered a panoramic view of the distant coastline. The evening sea had shifted from a cool blue to a deeper, darker shade, transforming the world into a vast, lonely landscape painting.
Barbecuing here felt strangely exhilarating, like standing on a mountain peak, intoxicated by the solitude.
An Baili and Chen Jianing, the most eager to eat, busied themselves with grilling the meat. Wen Hupo stared out at the quiet sea, lost in thought, perhaps sharing Lu Li’s melancholic mood. Zou Yameng and Chu Jingyi sat on either side of him, their gazes fixed on his profile.
Speaking of barbecue, Lu Li preferred beef with thick layers of fat. He enjoyed watching the fat slowly render, dripping onto the coals, sending up a burst of flames, the shrinking beef emitting a mouthwatering aroma. A bite of the juicy, flavorful meat—that was the essence of barbecue.
Lu Li turned a skewer of beef on the grill when An Baili suddenly said, her voice hushed, “Did you know? I was searching online this afternoon, and I found out that there was a murder at this hotel.”
Just then, the setting sun dipped below the horizon, its light swallowed by the indifferent sea. In the sudden hush, An Baili’s words sent a chill down their spines. Lu Li continued grilling, but the other girls tensed.
An Baili continued, “I looked it up. Seven years ago, a family of three was burned alive in this hotel. The police said it was a suicide, but an anonymous netizen revealed the truth online…”
An Baili’s voice and expression were so convincing that even Lu Li’s heart skipped a beat. This silly girl, she can’t be serious, can she?
The only sound was the crackling of the charcoal.
Chen Jianing, easily frightened, asked nervously, “Little country bumpkin, are you making this up to scare us?”
“What happened next?” Wen Hupo asked.
“What happened next? People said that there’s a mentally ill person working at this hotel. They seem normal most of the time, but they occasionally go berserk. A former guest said they heard the sound of a chainsaw at night. Who would walk around with a chainsaw outside guests’ rooms in the middle of the night?”
“The netizen said that the family of three didn’t commit suicide. They were tied up by the madman, doused in alcohol, and set on fire. Their screams were horrifying, and the madman was just jumping around, watching.”
“After that, fewer and fewer guests came to this hotel. Now, it’s just the six of us. And that madman is still here, wandering around. Who knows when they’ll snap again?” An Baili seemed to have scared herself. She shivered, feeling a chill down her spine, and turned her chair around, her back to Lu Li.
Silly Goose, a seasoned horror movie fan, immediately started piecing together the “clues.” “Now that you mention it, the cleaning lady was a bit strange…”
Chen Jianing quickly agreed. “Yes, yes! Did you notice? She never shows any emotion, like a robot. And she barely talks to us, just silently does her work and leaves…”
“And that receptionist, there’s something off about her too.” Sister Yameng, why are you joining in?
“Are we staying in a murderer’s den?” The five girls looked at Lu Li. In this moment, the only man present became their pillar of strength.
Chapter Twenty-Four: Cat Under the Moon
Life isn’t a stage play; it doesn’t have so many dramatic twists and turns, although Lu Li felt he’d had more than his fair share. He picked up a piece of grilled beef, no bigger than his little finger, sprinkled it with seasoning, and said calmly, “This isn’t some lawless wasteland. The police station is just a few miles away; you could get there in no time on a shared bike. There are no chainsaw-wielding maniacs here.”
An Baili opened her mouth wide. “I want that one.”
Lu Li instinctively held the skewer to her lips, watching her swallow the beef with satisfaction, then wiping the grease from her mouth with a napkin. Only then did he notice the four pairs of envious eyes fixed on him.
Silly Goose pouted. “I want some too.”
Zou Yameng crossed her arms, accentuating her ample bosom, and let out a dissatisfied humph.
Wen Hupo sat upright, the sea breeze ruffling her platinum blonde hair.
Chen Jianing poked at the ground with her sandal, digging a small hole in the dirt.
Lu Li quickly grabbed four more skewers and placed them on the grill. He had only intended to grill one for himself, but when An Baili had acted cute, he’d instinctively given it to her, forgetting that things were different now. This was a new problem in this life. With so many girls around, there were so many more details to consider.
After he’d given each girl a skewer, their smiles returned. Chen Jianing even looked surprised, uncharacteristically praising his grilling skills. Was that sarcasm?
An Baili picked up the conversation again. “What if, and I mean what if, we actually encountered a chainsaw maniac? Could you protect us, Lu Li?”
Silly Goose frowned. “Let’s not even think about it. What if Lu Li got hurt?” Lu Li felt a surge of warmth. Even faced with a maniac, she’s worried about me. That’s what it means to truly care.
Zou Yameng sucked on a bamboo skewer. “Everyone has weaknesses. There are six of us against one; we can take him down. It’s not like those horror movies where the monsters are invincible. We can easily overpower him.” If it came to a bare-knuckle brawl, Lu Li thought, Sister Yameng would probably be the one chasing the maniac.
Chen Jianing suddenly said, “What if it’s not human?”
The air grew still. The girls exchanged glances, no one speaking.
“There are no such things as ghosts or spirits,” Wen Hupo, the most rational of the group, declared, trying to dispel their fears. “Right, Lu Li?”
Wen Hupo’s sudden question caught him off guard. Normally, he would have agreed without hesitation. But after the Shanzhu Village incident, could he honestly say that ghosts didn’t exist?
“Lu Li?” Wen Hupo was puzzled by his hesitation.
“Uh… yeah, right,” Lu Li replied uncertainly. He instantly regretted it. What am I doing? My hesitation is only making them worry.
Chen Jianing, always oblivious to social cues, said, “You’re hesitating. Have you seen a ghost before? …I saw one when I was little, in my village.”
“Is that why you’re so short? Did the ghost scare your growth away?” An Baili quipped.
Chu Jingyi defended Chen Jianing this time. “Baili, let Jianing finish. What kind of ghost did you see?”
“I lived in a village when I was little. There was a bamboo forest behind the mountain. I went there to pick tea leaves—our canned tea is really good, you know, especially with rose and longan…”
“Shorty, just tell us how you saw the ghost! You’re killing me!”
“Oh, oh…” Little Tiger seemed dazed. “I saw a tall, thin figure in the bamboo forest, taller than even basketball players…”
And so, the topic shifted from the “Qingshan Hotel maniac” to “supernatural encounters.” The girls were both fascinated and terrified by such stories, shivering as they huddled around the grill, sharing their experiences. Lu Li listened, mentally taking notes, planning to use their stories in the script for Evening Collection 2. Can it be called stealing if it’s for literary purposes?
Two hours later, the girls, their stomachs full and their excitement waning, started to feel sleepy. Lu Li, on the other hand, having spent the entire time grilling for the girls, had barely eaten anything. Sister Yameng, always thoughtful, had saved him a few skewers of grilled squid, much to his relief.
He followed behind the girls, watching them whisper to each other, a sense of contentment filling him. If only they could always get along like this. They exchanged goodnights and headed to their respective rooms. Before leaving, An Baili tugged on his sleeve. “Li, I’m scared.”
“Scared of what?”
“Their ghost stories were so scary, especially Wen Hupo’s. She… she was deliberately trying to frighten us, even playing spooky music on her phone… I’m not going to be able to sleep…” An Baili complained, her eyes tearing up.
“There, there. Go to sleep. There are no such things as ghosts. If you can’t sleep, call me.”
“Can’t I sleep with you?” The girl’s face flushed. “It’s been a while since we… you know… Can we tonight?”
Desire surged through Lu Li. He smiled wryly. “If Jingyi finds out, we’re doomed. She’ll be devastated.”
An Baili pouted. “Ever since Wen Hupo came, I haven’t had any time alone with you. What if there are more girls in the future? Will I ever see you again?”
“There won’t be any other girls.” Lu Li tapped her nose. “I promise, when we get back, we’ll go out, just the two of us.”
An Baili stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “I love you.”
Her simple words were filled with affection, warming Lu Li’s heart. “I love you too.”
After seeing An Baili back to her room, Lu Li returned to his own, showered, and lay in bed. He stared at the wooden ceiling, his thoughts wandering from tomorrow’s plans to tonight’s dinner, to whether he should change the trash bag. Then, Zhu Xi’s face suddenly appeared in his mind.
Anything involving the Fourteenth Princess seemed to carry a heavy weight.
Unable to sleep, Lu Li put on his robe and slippers and walked towards the silver beach, bathed in moonlight. Wearing slippers on the beach wasn’t the wisest decision; fine sand seeped in between his toes and the straps, making his feet feel like a static-filled television screen.
The moon was bright, casting long, hazy shadows on the silver sand. The faint silhouette of an island loomed in the distance. He wondered if anyone had ever set foot on that tiny speck of land. As he strolled along the shore, he noticed a slender figure sitting on a rock ahead.
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