The Haunted House - Chapter 9

“Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.” Bai Qingqing, lost in thought, was pulled back to reality by the brief knocking on her door.

“Qingqing, the food is ready. Come out and eat,” her father’s tender voice sounded from outside.

Stumbling, Bai Qingqing opened the door, her dazed expression unchanged as she walked out.

“Qingqing, what’s wrong?” Bai Song asked with concern.

Bai Qingqing remained in a daze, offering no response. Sensing something was off, Li Rang took the opportunity of heading to the toilet to sneak into Bai Qingqing’s room to investigate. What he found was a threatening text message on her phone. Li Rang closed his eyes gently, seemingly lost in thought. Then, suddenly opening his eyes, a sly smile crept across his lips.

“Come, come, everyone take a seat. Let’s eat!” Tang Shan, in his role as host, invited warmly.

“Exactly, exactly. Your Uncle Tang put great effort into this meal, so you should savor it properly. Come on, dig in,” Bai Song urged. Though everyone picked up their chopsticks, their respective minds were far away, making the meal an uninspiring affair.

Bai Qingqing took a few bites before coming up with a casual excuse to leave. As soon as she stepped out the door, Bai Song instructed Li Rang to follow her.

“What do you think? Do you think those two will hit it off? I really wonder if the guy you introduced will be to Qingqing’s liking,” Bai Song mused, sipping his drink as he spoke to Tang Shan.

“Don’t worry. You’ve met Li Rang yourself. What do you think of him?”

“He’s a good man, but-”

“I believe Qingqing doesn’t seem to dislike Li Rang. That’s a promising start. Besides, it all worked out that your old colleague happens to share the same last name. Otherwise, Qingqing might have gotten suspicious.”

“Haha, that’s true. Quite the coincidence. Honestly, I find Rang pretty likable. These next few days, I’m relying on you to put in some effort and help bring them together,” Bai Song said gleefully, raising his glass to clink with Tang Shan’s.

Bai Qingqing wandered down the main street alone. The same old building still stood there, beneath the familiar sycamore trees. The same neighbors lingered around. Whenever she spotted someone she recognized, she nodded and smiled slightly before continuing on her way.

“I still like you like this,” a deep, magnetic voice sounded behind her.

Without turning her head, she mumbled under her breath, “I hate being followed the most.”

Li Rang quickened his pace to walk beside her, giving her a silly, innocent grin.

“Qingqing, is this your boyfriend? He looks so spirited! Your father must be relieved now,” Aunt Wang said cheerfully as she passed by.

Bai Qingqing’s face flushed crimson. She lowered her head, quickening her pace to escape Aunt Wang’s gossipy gaze. However, the persistent sound of Li Rang’s footsteps chasing her from behind stirred something in her. All her pent-up emotions erupted in an instant, and she turned to him, shouting hysterically, “Can you just leave me alone? Do you think just because my dad likes you, I have to like you too? It’s impossible for us to be together!”

Li Rang stood there silently, staring at the almost-maniacal Bai Qingqing. He didn’t say a word, though a faint, somewhat eerie smile flickered at the corner of his mouth.

It was as though time had frozen. The two stood about two or three meters apart, locked in a tense gaze, their eyes filled with unspoken emotions. A sudden cold wind rushed past, whipping Bai Qingqing’s hair into disarray and making the hem of Li Rang’s coat flap noisily against the breeze.

“Buzz-buzz-”

At that moment, Li Rang’s phone vibrated. He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and answered the call with visible impatience. “What is it?”

“Li Rang, where have you been? I’ve been so worried!” a delicate voice whimpered from the other end.

Li Rang stayed quiet, his expression unreadable. The woman on the phone pressed on, her tone laden with worry. “Li Rang, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Li Rang, why are you acting so differently all of a sudden? You’re not yourself anymore,” the woman continued, her voice weak and trembling. Then, as if overwhelmed by emotion, she began sobbing softly. Without a hint of interest, Li Rang ended the call abruptly, not so much as offering a word in response.

Turning slightly to Bai Qingqing, he spoke as if acknowledging his mistakes, “So this is what it feels like to be pestered by someone. Qingqing, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been hounding you like this.” With that, he turned to leave.

But as she watched his retreating figure, Bai Qingqing’s curiosity was inexplicably piqued. Her voice rang out firmly, stopping him in his tracks. “Come back. Did I say you could leave?”

Hearing her commanding tone, Li Rang’s heart secretly leapt with joy. But he turned back slowly, keeping his expression stoic and his head slightly lowered, saying nothing.

“Who exactly are you? Why did you suddenly appear in my life?” Bai Qingqing asked coldly, scrutinizing him.

“I… my dad is one of Uncle Bai’s colleagues at the magazine agency,” Li Rang stammered, some guilt flashing in his eyes.

“What’s your name?”

“Uh… Li Maochen,” he blurted out, clearly inventing something on the fly.

Bai Qingqing shot him a sidelong glance, her skepticism evident. Then, unexpectedly, she smiled. She knew all of her father Bai Song’s coworkers inside and out. Not once had she heard of a man named Li Maochen. Yet, instead of exposing him, she decided to play along. She wanted to see what game Li Rang-and potentially Tang Shan-were up to.

“Is that so? I’m actually not too familiar with my dad’s colleagues,” Bai Qingqing said, her tone feigning nonchalance. “But since my dad likes you so much, I guess I can take some time to get to know you. I’ll be staying at home for about a week, so why don’t you keep me company these next few days?”

Her words seemed to lower Li Rang’s guard significantly, and he nodded enthusiastically, a trace of happiness flashing across his face.

By the time they got home, it was already past seven in the evening. Bai Song and Tang Shan were sitting in the living room playing Chinese chess, completely unaware of Bai Qingqing and her companions entering the apartment.

Bai Qingqing glanced at Bai Song and then helplessly headed to her bedroom. Once she stepped into her private space, memories of the text message she received during the day flooded her mind. She had hidden her phone in a very discreet spot. After quickly tidying up, she lay down on her bed and fell asleep.

Just as she was about to drift into a deep sleep, Bai Qingqing suddenly felt cold sweat starting to seep from her back, gradually spreading throughout her body. Then, dark green sprouts began to emerge from her scalp. Her lips turned from pink to a dirty green, and her teeth became extraordinarily sharp. Her fingernails began to fall off one by one, with thick green blood flowing out instead of the alarming red. Even the blood running inside her body was slowly losing color, fading from transparent to green, just like the green tears she had once shed. Suddenly, two grotesque hands, stained and full of blood, extended from the ceiling and slowly moved toward her face. One of the hands gently stroked her cheek, leaving bloody marks on her smooth, delicate skin.

Bai Qingqing suddenly sat up, touched her forehead that was sweating profusely, and then focused on her hands. Letting out a long sigh of relief, she hesitantly raised her head, glancing at the ceiling, which looked as pale as ever. She sighed again, realizing it was just a dream-a dream that felt so real. Ever since leaving that apartment, she hadn’t had such vivid dreams. With sleepy eyes, she organized her thoughts and lay back down, but suddenly felt a drop of liquid trickle down her left cheek. When she touched it, she found it was sticky-it was blood! Almost suffocating, she glanced at the ceiling again and suddenly noticed a crack beginning to form. She could clearly see it filling with blood, about to overflow, flowing ominously. She nearly screamed, but at that moment, her hidden phone began to ring loudly. The once pleasant ringtone now sounded sharp and terrifying, ringing continuously. Trembling, Bai Qingqing crawled off the bed and pulled out the cursed phone. Once again, she saw an unfamiliar number appearing on her screen. Taking a deep breath, she pressed the call button.

“Hello, is this Miss Bai Qingqing? I’m with Fengxin Magazine. I apologize for calling so late. Is this a good time to talk?” A pleasant voice came from the other end of the phone.

Bai Qingqing, grasping onto the call like a lifeline, responded in a slightly trembling voice, tinged with emotion, “Yes, yes, this is Bai Qingqing. I can talk.”

“Great! Our magazine has been closely following your work and would like to discuss the possibility of signing a contract with you. Specifically, we’re interested in acquiring the rights to your next book. So sorry for reaching out at this hour, but I only just managed to get your contact information.”

“Oh, sure. That’s fine. I’m open to signing,” Bai Qingqing replied almost absentmindedly. At that moment, she didn’t dare lift her head to glance at the ever-shifting ceiling above her. Her mind wasn’t even fully on the conversation as she muddled through the call.

“Really?” The person on the other end sounded unexpectedly excited but followed it with a slight hesitation, “Miss Bai, there’s one unavoidable condition for signing the contract with us. Would you be able to accept it?”

“What condition?” Bai Qingqing asked, her voice flat, distracted by the unsettling thoughts racing through her mind.

“You would need to write based on the outline and book title provided by our magazine,” the voice explained.

Desperate to end the call and too unnerved to think critically, Bai Qingqing agreed almost instantly. “That’s fine. I can do that.”

“Great,” the voice continued, now with a deeper, sinister undertone. “Then let me reveal the proposed title of your book-it’s called ‘Welcome to the Haunted House.'” The once-gentle voice shifted to an eerie, chilling tone as they slowly enunciated the title. Before Bai Qingqing could respond, the call abruptly ended with a sharp click. The only sound left was the monotonous beep, beep, beep of the disconnected line.

The sinister title echoed in Bai Qingqing’s ears, sending a shiver down her spine. Her terror consumed her, and she burst into uncontrollable sobs, tears of emerald green streaking down her face. Avoiding any glance at the ceiling above, she sat frozen on the floor, trembling. Her phone lay discarded to the side, as if it, too, was cursed.

Hearing Bai Qingqing scream from her room, Bai Song hurriedly threw on a jacket and rushed in.

“Qingqing, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” he asked, his tone drenched in concern. Yet, as soon as Bai Song stepped through the door, everything returned to normal. The ceiling was pristine, unblemished. The phone lay silent and still. Even the room seemed eerily calm once more.

Desperate to hide her emerald green tears, Bai Qingqing bit her lip and buried her face into Bai Song’s shoulder. Her trembling body leaned into his for comfort, her eyes half-closed like a frightened kitten seeking refuge.

“My darling, did you have a nightmare? It’s okay, it’s okay. Dad’s here now,” Bai Song murmured soothingly. His heart ached as he looked at her sweat-drenched face and fragile state.

He gently helped her back to bed, tucked her in, and sat beside her, holding her hand tightly. “Rest, sweetheart. Daddy will stay right here with you,” he said, his voice full of affection.

Clutching Bai Song’s hand as if it were her last anchor to reality, Bai Qingqing gradually closed her eyes, though her heart was still far from calm.

Outside the room, a shadowy figure lingered in the darkness. Its darkened face bore a satisfied smile as it watched the scene unfold. With a slight shake of its head, the figure turned and vanished silently into the endless abyss of night.

Awakened by Bai Qingqing’s scream, Li Rang sat silently on his bed. He never once glanced at Bai Qingqing, knowing there were some things he truly couldn’t change. Trying to force a solution would only make matters worse. He thought about the woman who had called him earlier that day and let his head droop in regret.

The next morning, Tang Shan woke up early and prepared a hearty breakfast. Bai Qingqing, gradually stirred awake by the warm sunlight streaming through her window, saw Bai Song leaning against her bedframe. It was only then that the events of the previous night came rushing back to her mind. She silently repeated to herself, “Thank you, Dad.”

“Ah, Qingqing, you’re up! Come on, get out of bed,” Bai Song said, snapping out of his dozing state. He looked at his pale, visibly frail daughter with a heart full of concern.

“Mm, Dad, you should go back to your room and rest,” Bai Qingqing replied softly. Bai Song nodded with a weary smile, stretched, and turned to leave. Bai Qingqing stared blankly at the pristine white ceiling above her. Her mind struggled to piece together everything that had happened the night before. The fear still lingered, but for Bai Song’s sake, she forced herself to smile lightly and maintain an air of calmness.

Determined to be brave in the daylight, Bai Qingqing picked up her phone again to check it thoroughly. Aside from the inexplicable text message she had received the day before, there was no record of the phone call she distinctly remembered answering last night. What was going on?

Knock knock knock.

A series of urgent knocks came from the door. Moments later, the muffled voice of a neighbor shouting reached her ears. Bai Qingqing quickly tidied herself up and stepped out of her room. She caught sight of Bai Song closing the front door and asked hurriedly:

“Dad, what’s going on?”

“Your Aunt Wang passed away last night,” Bai Song replied sorrowfully. “Only in her forties, and she’s gone just like that.”

Bai Qingqing was dumbfounded by this revelation. She had seen Aunt Wang just yesterday and had even exchanged greetings with her. How could such a sudden thing happen?

“Dad, do you know what happened?” Bai Qingqing asked, still reeling from the shock.

“She was fine around seven o’clock last night, but not long after, she suddenly started behaving erratically-muttering to herself, pacing aimlessly. Then she just collapsed. By the time they rushed her to the hospital, it was too late,” Bai Song explained, his voice heavy with sadness.

The moment Bai Qingqing heard “around seven o’clock,” something clicked in her mind. It was the exact same time she had experienced her horrifying nightmare. She couldn’t stop herself from wondering if there was some connection between the two events. Without saying another word, she dashed out the door, heading straight for Aunt Wang’s apartment. Li Rang quickly followed her, keeping a close distance.

“It’s such a shame, passing away so young,” the neighbors murmured amongst themselves, their voices filled with curiosity and pity.

“Excuse me, Aunt Wang, how did she die?” Bai Qingqing asked, feigning concern as she joined the conversation.

“Ah, Qingqing, I heard it was quite strange. Her husband found a large puddle of green stuff on her body. No one knows what it was, really,” one of the neighbors explained animatedly, clearly relishing the gossip.

The mention of the green liquid froze Bai Qingqing in place. Her face paled, and her mind raced in silent panic. Everyone around her assumed she was simply grieving, but no one knew the storm of fear and anxiety brewing inside her.

“How can someone who seemed fine just disappear like that?” Li Rang muttered, his face clouded with doubt as he directed his question to Bai Qingqing. Yet, she remained frozen, her eyes locked in a vacant stare, completely ignoring him.

Moments later, a group of police officers arrived on the scene, their presence immediately scattering the nosy neighbors. “Please step aside, everyone. Stop crowding around, we need to secure the area and investigate,” one of the officers announced firmly.

“Hey, you two! Didn’t you hear me? Move along and stop standing around!” barked another officer, turning his strict attention to Bai Qingqing and Li Rang.

“Ah, I’m sorry, officer. We live nearby and had a good relationship with Aunt Wang. We were just shocked and saddened to hear about her passing, so we came to see what happened,” Li Rang explained politely while pulling on Bai Qingqing’s arm, urging her to leave.

After walking about five hundred meters, Bai Qingqing finally snapped out of her daze. Her face was tense as she nervously asked Li Rang, “Did the police say anything about how Aunt Wang died?” As she uttered the word “died,” her lips quivered, and an involuntary shiver ran through her.

“They don’t know yet. The police just got there,” Li Rang replied thoughtfully. Then, after a brief pause, he added, “How about this-I’ll head to the police station this afternoon to ask. But…” His voice trailed off as he stared at her hesitantly.

“But what? Do you know something?” Bai Qingqing’s nerves went taut again, her heart pounding as she narrowed her eyes at him.

Li Rang let out a wry laugh and shook his head. “Why are you so worked up? What I meant was-I don’t even know where the police station is. You’ll have to come with me.”

Annoyed, Bai Qingqing shot him a glare before turning on her heel and heading toward the road home, her shoulders still tense with unease.