The Haunted House - Chapter 2

Bai Qingqing never expected that scammer to get this anxious, taking the initiative to call her. His voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

“Not at all. Today is actually the last day the road is open, one day later than what was announced online. You should still be able to make it over if you take a bus now. I came over here this afternoon to wait for you, but after waiting all afternoon, I didn’t see you. If Miss Bai isn’t coming, then I’ll just head back. Let me know when you have time to meet again.”

A spark of thought flashed through Bai Qingqing’s mind like lightning. He said he came to this house this afternoon, and now that he’s leaving, he would definitely pass by these people. They probably don’t know the bus isn’t running anymore, so they will either return to this bus stop to wait or must have driven here. Either way, if Bai Qingqing could see this so-called landlord, she might be able to tell if he was a bad person or not. Thinking of this, Bai Qingqing quickly replied, “Alright, let’s meet another day when I’m free. Sorry about this.”

After hanging up, Bai Qingqing ran toward a large rock not far away. Hiding behind the rock offered a clear view of the bus stop and the entire stretch of road. If the scammer came out, Bai Qingqing would definitely see him.

Wild, overgrown grass surrounded the large rock. Bai Qingqing crouched down tightly behind it, so nervous she barely dared to breathe.

Ten minutes passed, and the small building over there remained perfectly quiet.

Twenty minutes passed, and still, no one came out.

Half an hour.

An hour.

Bai Qingqing felt like an entire year had gone by, yet no one emerged from the white building. Frustrated, she straightened up, only to realize something-if it really was a scammer, he might stay there and wait indefinitely. After all, he might not care about making the first move. She sighed at herself for having spent too much time writing novels, always imagining such unrealistic scenarios.

Rising to her feet, she wandered back to the bus stop, standing there aimlessly, pondering how she would get back home.

Suddenly, her phone rang again, the sharp sound jolting her nerves. It was the same number from earlier. Should she answer?

The ringtone seemed to taunt her, persistently chiming again and again. Weighing her options, Bai Qingqing hesitated for a long time before finally picking up the call.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Miss Bai. Can’t go back now, can you?”

That single line made Bai Qingqing’s eyes go wide with surprise. How did he know she couldn’t go back?

“What do you mean?”

“Miss Bai, I live in this building. Right below the apartment that’s up for rent. From my window, I can see the bus stop.”

Realization dawned on Bai Qingqing. No wonder no one had shown up in so long-this scammer had been sitting comfortably inside the building, watching her struggle and laughing at her expense!

“You must be mistaken. That wasn’t me at the bus stop.”

“Miss Bai, there’s no need to deny it. I saw you. You came here earlier but decided to leave again. It’s not a big deal. People get scared when they hear about a haunted house. If you’ve changed your mind, just say so. This place doesn’t get many visitors, so when you showed up, I noticed right away. I’ve been watching for a while-since no more buses have come to the stop, I’m assuming you caught the last one here. That means you’re stuck now, right?”

Bai Qingqing felt like a child whose lie had just been exposed. She had no idea how to respond.

“Well… yes, but… but I actually really do have something urgent I need to get back to!”

“If it’s so urgent, Miss Bai, then why have you been waiting here for over two hours?”

Bai Qingqing felt like she was the scam artist here, caught red-handed. She lowered her head in embarrassment, unable to come up with an answer.

“How about this, Miss Bai? Since you’re already here, why don’t you come take a look at the apartment? It’s not as scary as those novels make it out to be-there’s nothing to worry about at all. Some bored people just spread rumors about this place being haunted, and that’s scared everyone away from renting. When you arrived, I was curious because it’s been ages since anyone’s even considered checking this apartment out. I watched and saw no buses coming after yours, so I figured you were stuck. If you’re afraid after seeing the place, I won’t force you to stay. I’ll drive you back myself. But if you don’t take a look, how will you go back anyway?”

The steady, calm tone of the voice on the other end of the phone was oddly reassuring. Still, Bai Qingqing couldn’t help but ask, “Why don’t you just move into that apartment yourself? Wouldn’t that be easier than jumping through all these hoops?”

“Well, Miss Bai,” the voice replied with a faint sigh, “all these rumors were started by the neighbors in this building. There’s a guy upstairs who makes a racket every day-loud music, shouting, the works. I confronted him about it multiple times, and he didn’t take kindly to it. Next thing I know, he’s spreading stories that I’m some creepy weirdo hiding in the shadows. Over time, that grew into ridiculous tales about this place being a haunted house. No matter which unit I move into, they say it’s haunted. First, they said the upstairs apartment was cursed, so I moved downstairs. But now they’re saying the downstairs unit is haunted. It’s gotten to the point where I’m burning money on heating and maintenance fees for an empty unit I can’t rent out.

“That’s why I need someone, just like you-a young woman who’s unafraid of these silly rumors-to stay here for a while. If people see someone like you living here comfortably, it’ll shut down all the gossip. Once the rumors die off, I can finally rent the place out properly. If you’re willing to stay, I’d be extremely grateful and would make sure you’re well compensated for your trouble.”

After hearing those words, Bai Qingqing felt a sudden pang of guilt, realizing that perhaps she was being overly suspicious. The explanation sounded reasonable, after all. Since she had already agreed to come check out the house, it didn’t seem right to overthink things so much. Besides, if she didn’t go into that house, she really had no way of leaving this desolate place. With that thought in mind, Bai Qingqing resolutely walked toward the grayish-blue building.

The doorbell by the front entrance was equipped with a camera. Cautiously, Bai Qingqing stood just around the corner of the stairs, trying to avoid showing her face directly. The building’s door soon creaked open, and a pale-skinned young boy in fuzzy slippers stood behind it, expressionless as he looked at her.

“Are you Miss Bai Qingqing?”

For some reason, Bai Qingqing suddenly felt like she was looking at a little brother, and all her wariness vanished. The boy appeared to be only in his early teens, short and incredibly thin. His overly pale complexion gave him a fragile, almost sickly look. Bai Qingqing thought to herself that even if this kid had ill intentions, he probably wouldn’t pose much of a threat to her.

“Yes, that’s me.”

The boy gave a strange smile. “Please follow me, Miss Bai.”

She followed him upstairs, where a massive security door was already wide open. Bai Qingqing hesitated briefly before stepping inside.

The moment she entered, Bai Qingqing realized there was no way she could leave. The setup of the apartment seemed tailored perfectly to her tastes.

A spacious sofa, lush pothos vines climbing up the window frames, a roomy bathtub-and most striking of all, the balcony. It held an entire bookshelf packed with books and even a simple wicker swing! This was nearly identical to the kind of environment she had described in countless novels. It was the kind of home she had dreamt about for years. Bai Qingqing was so thrilled she could hardly contain herself. She even thought, if this were really some kind of scam, she’d willingly fall for it.

“Alright, you win. I’ll move in here!” Bai Qingqing exclaimed.

“Great. Since you’ve made your decision, Miss Bai, let’s go ahead and sign a lease agreement,” the boy said with a smile.

The very next day, Bai Qingqing packed up her few belongings and moved in. Her new landlord even drove over to pick her up. During their casual conversation in the car, Bai Qingqing learned that his name was Wang Chenxi. Though he looked young, he was actually twenty-eight years old. He explained that his pale and slender appearance was likely due to his work in the IT industry, which kept him glued to a computer screen and indoors most of the time. Wang Chenxi also shared that his late mother had been a renowned writer, famous for penning many romance novels during her lifetime.

“Women love to daydream about romantic love, no matter how much they imagine, it’s never enough. So, Miss Bai, have you published any major works so far?” Wang Chenxi asked casually as he drove, navigating a detour on the highway since the direct road from the urban area had been closed.

“I’m nowhere near as amazing as your mom. Most of my submissions get rejected, and the few that do get picked up are only bought as filler content. I’ve already made a promise with my dad – if I remain this useless by next month, I’ll quit writing for good!” Bai Qingqing admitted with an embarrassed smile.

“Oh? That’s quite intriguing. But how do you determine whether you’re ‘useless’ or ‘successful’?” Wang Chenxi asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

“My dad and I made a deal: I would use his pen name to write a book. If any publisher shows interest in it by next month, I’ll keep pursuing my writing career. But if no one cares about what I write, I’ll go back home, start going on blind dates, and settle down with marriage and kids,” Bai Qingqing explained, a deep melancholy pooling in her heart as she spoke.

“Don’t worry. Hard work leads to success. As long as you have ambition, you’ll definitely make it. I believe in you!” Wang Chenxi encouraged.

The conversation continued, and before they knew it, they were back in front of the grayish-blue building. The weather that day had become noticeably warmer, the wind had died down, and Bai Qingqing’s pent-up mood finally began to ease a bit. Determined to make this month count, she threw herself into tidying up her new home. After making the bed and scrubbing the windows, she moved on to the kitchen, where an unexpected surprise awaited her-a complete set of cooking utensils, alongside neatly stocked supplies of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. Delighted, she murmured to herself, “This house is amazing! Even the condiments are fully prepared. How thoughtful!”

“And how else would you cook for me, my dear?” a playful voice suddenly chimed in.

Startled, Bai Qingqing whirled around to see Wang Chenxi, who had somehow entered the house without her noticing. He stood there smiling mischievously at her, but as soon as he finished saying those words, it was as if he realized something and abruptly stopped himself. His expression grew awkward, and there was a moment of poignant silence.

“What… what did he just say?” Bai Qingqing’s mind buzzed with confusion.

Wang Chenxi seemed equally startled by his slip of the tongue. His gaze turned complicated as he looked at Bai Qingqing, then muttered a quick “Sorry” before hastily leaving the house.

Standing there, Bai Qingqing felt a wave of puzzlement wash over her. She had always been aware that getting such a perfect place for herself couldn’t possibly be sheer luck. She had even mentally prepared herself for worst-case scenarios. But Wang Chenxi’s sudden odd behavior baffled her. Was she somehow caught up in the plot of a melodramatic soap opera?

Bai Qingqing sat down on the freshly made bed, her mind spinning. She realized she wasn’t sure what kind of situation she’d stumbled into. Who was this Wang Chenxi? And what on earth was happening? Her head felt like it might explode just trying to make sense of it all.