Chapter 78: Joyful Wedding, Mourning Cry 9 Part 1
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After Yan Shixun left, the guests who had initially wanted to continue the storytelling session looked at each other and for some reason felt that the room had become colder.
An Nanyuan shivered and quickly got up to close the nearby window, chuckling nervously, “It’s, um, autumn now, so it gets a bit chilly at night.”
The male celebrity didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “It seems like Brother Yan is the one who should be telling ghost stories. Why are you all so easily scared?”
The variety show celebrity retorted with a bit of annoyance, “Weren’t you scared just now? You acted scared even faster than anyone else!”
The male celebrity coughed awkwardly, attempting to salvage his image in front of the camera, “Can you blame me? Brother Yan’s story was just too terrifying.”
And, most importantly, he didn’t mention that what Yan Shixun had said was actually accurate. Later, his grandmother had told him that there was indeed a person who had hanged themselves from a tree in the village.
If it had been fake or a hallucination, it would have been one thing, but this was something that had truly happened, an experience he had personally gone through. Yet, Yan Shixun had guessed it correctly without him mentioning it. His accuracy was spine-chilling.
After a while, the other guests gradually calmed down. Their desire to hear more stories from the male celebrity had completely vanished. They just wanted to return to safety. Especially since there was still some time until midnight, delaying their return to their rooms would likely result in them being scared out of their wits.
As a result, the guests each found an excuse and left the male celebrity’s room in pairs. As for An Nanyuan, who had to sleep alone and had the farthest room, he tightly grabbed Zhao Zhen’s arm, insisting on leaving hand in hand.
Zhao Zhen: “Are you a child needing someone to hold hands to go to the bathroom together?”
An Nanyuan, with a mournful expression, refused to admit her fear, “Haha, I just want to get closer to Brother Zhao. What if someday you can introduce me to a supporting role?”
Zhao Zhen was speechless, “Though many have thought about it, you’re the first to say it directly in front of the live audience.”
The chatroom immediately filled with laughter.
[Who still remembers that this Brother didn’t believe in ghosts at the beginning?]
[Poor Brother! He started as an idol and now Brother Yan has turned him into a scaredy-cat. This is too funny! Two grown men insisting on holding hands, hahaha.]
[Although I’m smiling and enjoying watching the screen right now, I feel like if I were in An Nanyuan’s situation, I might not be able to laugh. For instance, I really need to go to the bathroom, my bladder is about to burst, but I just can’t bring myself to get out of bed. My brain has disconnected from my control and started conjuring up some horrifying images. There’s someone standing in the living room, or maybe someone outside the window on the street, looking up at my house… Ugh, forget it, I’ll hold it in a bit longer.]
[Oh my goodness! When we were telling stories, I was scared but okay. I had the window open, sitting on the couch, snacking away. But when Brother Yan came out, the atmosphere instantly changed! My gosh, I’m on the verge of tears. I didn’t even put on my slippers; I just rushed to close the window and draw the curtains. Now I’m huddled in my bedroom trembling.]
[Mainly, what’s bothering me is that when others were telling stories, I knew it was just a story, so I didn’t feel too scared. After all, it wasn’t really happening around me. But when Brother Yan said those things, it didn’t seem like he was joking at all! I feel like Brother Yan wan’t telling a story; he’s educating us! Sob, I miss my college days when I had so many people in my dorm with me. Now I’m all alone at home. What should I do?]
[Hey, in front, maybe you’re not alone at home. There are probably many people with you; you just can’t see them. Didn’t Brother Yan say that even if there are ghosts right in front of you, you can’t see them?]
[F*ck! Thanks to the person in front, I thank your whole family! You always draw N cards! Now I feel like my house has suddenly become lively, it’s so crowded. A weary smile.jpg]
As the male celebrity smiled and saw everyone off at the door, he quickly closed it and locked it behind him.
The variety show celebrity found this a bit puzzling and asked, “Why did you lock the door?”
The male celebrity was taken aback for a moment after being prompted, and then he responded with an apologetic smile, “It’s just a habit.”
“But come to think of it, I’ve heard someone say before that you seem to really like locking doors. Last time, in another variety show, the makeup artist said you lock the door as soon as you finish talking. When they want to see you again, they have to knock.”
The variety show celebrity half-jokingly added, “Most people want to keep their doors open all the time, to let others know they’re not up to anything shady. So, do you have something shady to hide?”
The male celebrity was taken aback, realizing that the variety show celebrity was setting him up to explain himself in front of the camera, allowing him to clarify things.
Due to his peculiar habits, many people had accused him of being pretentious. Recently, in a competition with a rival, he had been tarnished by paid smear campaigns. One of the major allegations was his pretentious behavior. And there was photographic and video evidence, making it difficult for him to refute.
However, if he explained…
The male celebrity glanced at the variety show celebrity gratefully, hesitated for a moment, and then began to speak. “Let’s consider it an extension of the storytelling session we just had. You can think of it as listening to a story.”
“I was raised by my grandmother in the village when I was a child. There was this one year when something strange happened. The village, along with the neighboring ones, seemed to have an unusual number of deaths. Every month, we could hear the sound of suona horns and mourning from outside the village. The old, the young, and everyone in between… My grandmother said it was because it was the Year of the Ghost, and the Yama was angry. He wanted to capture those who had done wrong and bring them to the underworld for judgment. Those who were innocent would be released, and those who were guilty would be kept in the underworld. Because many people in the village had drowned female infants, they held lives in their hands, so they couldn’t withstand the Yama’s scrutiny and were detained.”
“I was too young to understand what was happening. All I saw was people scattering paper money into the sky, which looked beautiful and fun. I used to follow the funeral procession to catch the falling paper money to play with. Then, one day, after bringing home some paper money, I stood behind our fence and suddenly noticed that something was off outside.”
“Men, women, old, young… Faces I recognized and faces I didn’t, they were all wandering on the village roads. They appeared as blurry and translucent figures. What was even more peculiar was that they had all recently undergone funeral rituals. Some of them were standing in front of their own yards, confused and trying to enter but seeming to fear the door gods painted on their gates.”
“When they saw me looking at them, a grandmother from a neighboring village even waved at me and said she wanted to see how much I had grown. I was terrified and dared not go outside. As a result, these people walked toward me from all directions, from the village road outside the fence, from the fields, from every direction. Since I hadn’t locked the door when I came home, they pushed it open and entered my yard. The grandmother even said she had no grandchildren, so she wanted to take me with her and make me her beloved grandchild…”
The variety show celebrity was astonished, not expecting to hear such a reason.
What’s more, if this had happened before, he would have dismissed it, thinking that the person couldn’t explain themselves properly and that it wouldn’t do any good for their image. He would have considered the story too fake for anyone to believe.
However, since joining this show and experiencing what happened earlier, the variety show celebrity suddenly felt that the person wasn’t lying.
Everything he said had actually happened.
The male celebrity sighed and said, “Luckily, my grandmother was in the nearby field pulling weeds at the time. When she heard me cry, she rushed back, found me in a state of shock, and carried me into the room, locking the door. Both of us stayed in the house. My grandmother covered my mouth, and I dared not cry loudly. We stayed like that until those things outside left. My grandmother then rushed out to lock the yard’s main gate.”
“My grandmother told me that when someone is being buried, other families along the way would lock their doors early to prevent the lost souls of the recently deceased from entering their homes. Some families would even place bread and fruits at the door as a road offering, telling the newly departed to eat and quickly move on.”
“Because of my negligence and love for playing, I didn’t lock our own front gate, which allowed those ghosts to enter our home, trying to capture me. Also, because I had been catching paper money to play with, it influenced the souls of children who were already unstable, allowing me to suddenly see those ghosts.”
The male celebrity’s gaze toward the screen was sincere, not like he was lying.
“This could be considered a childhood trauma for me. Even though I know my grandmother might have been trying to scare me and keep me from going out to play, I was genuinely frightened. So, even today, I still have the habit of locking doors at all times.”
The audience didn’t expect the male celebrity to have such an experience. Some of the casual viewers who had developed negative feelings toward him due to recent marketing articles sympathized with him.
[I didn’t expect there to be such a story. If I were in his shoes, I’d probably do the same. No, if it were me, I wouldn’t leave the house unless absolutely necessary!]
[Oh my God! I came here just to admire his looks. After all, Brother Yan doesn’t show his face onscreen, and An Nanyuan is turning into a comedian. Besides, this guy’s face happens to match my aesthetic. I stayed for the eye candy. I didn’t expect to be hit with this! I was already half-terrified by the previous story, and now I’m completely terrified. I feel like my home is surrounded by ghosts, and everywhere is dangerous.]
[Ah, damn it! Why did they make me listen to this story? An elderly person in my neighborhood just passed away recently, and there are still paper effigies, paper horses, and wreaths left in the community. They play funeral dirges every day until late, and now I can still hear it! My goodness, I’ve got goosebumps. Listening to funeral dirges and ghost stories in this environment, I feel like there are ghosts wandering on my community’s streets! I want to go check if I locked my door, but I’m too scared. Someone help this poor soul!]
[Isn’t this person a celebrity? His face is even printed on the drinks we bought at home. But now, he looks like a storyteller? He’s telling this story so well. Are you interested in joining the D.O. Society after hearing this? After listening to the story, I’m expressionless, and I’m too scared to speak.]
[!!! We live in a coastal area, and it’s been very hot lately. We’ve had the windows and doors open for ventilation. At night, we even sleep on the rooftop with a blanket. Thanks to this, this child is scared to death. I hurriedly closed all the doors and windows, fearing that someone who got lost might enter our home. My mom came out and asked me what I was doing, sobbing! How do I explain to her that I just listened to a story? My soul is nearly scared out of me, and I feel like I won’t forget this story for at least ten days or half a month. As for sleeping on the rooftop… no way! I’d rather sweat to death!]
[Oh, really? Do you all think this is just a story? Why does it sound like he’s narrating his own personal experience, something that actually happened to him?]
Not only was the barrage of comments filled with cries of fear, but even the variety show celebrity in the same room as the male celebrity quietly shifted backward, pressing himself against the wall as if it would provide safety.
“Uh, well,” the variety show celebrity swallowed nervously and tremblingly pointed at the window, “I’ve already taken off my shoes and lied down in bed, so could you please close the curtains for me?”
The male celebrity looked at the variety show celebrity suspiciously and scanned him up and down. He asked, “Bro, you’re not too scared to get out of bed, are you?”
The variety show celebrity insisted with a tough tone, “No!”
Meanwhile, Zhao Zhen, who had returned to his own room, felt something was strange.
Earlier, everyone had thrown their luggage into the room and left without paying much attention. But he vaguely remembered that his backpack and charger were placed on the table before, and now they were near the door. Not only that, many things had been moved around, and some small items like earphones were on the edge of the bed.
But he didn’t take a lot of stuff out of his backpack, so how could something fall on the floor? Even if someone went through his backpack, it’s a specialized mountaineering bag with many hidden compartments. It shouldn’t expose all these small items. Plus, nothing is missing; everything is still there. So, what’s the motive behind rummaging through his bag?
While Zhao Zhen pondered this puzzling situation, Song Ci, who was sharing the same room, asked him in confusion, “Zhao Zhen, have you seen my towel? I just took it out and placed it on the bed, getting ready for a shower in a little while. How did it disappear in just a few seconds when I turned around?”
Zhao Zhen looked over and indeed noticed a faint crease on the bed, indicating that something light had been placed there before. However, at this moment, it was empty, and there was no sign of the towel that Song Ci mentioned.
Song Ci and Zhao Zhen had returned together, which meant that Song Ci’s towel had vanished while both of them were in the room, right under their noses.
However, they had blinked for just a moment, and the towel had disappeared without a trace.
Seeing that Zhao Zhen didn’t respond, Song Ci didn’t pay much attention, thinking Zhao Zhen hadn’t noticed.
He scratched his head and wondered, “Could I be remembering wrong? I’m in my twenties; is my memory already declining?”
But Zhao Zhen felt as if he had plunged into an icy abyss.
He wanted to ask Song Ci if he believed there was someone standing in the room, taking their things and playing with them out of curiosity while they weren’t looking, but neither of them could see that person.
It was just like the ghost story they had just heard.
However, when Zhao Zhen tried to speak, he felt as if his throat had been locked, and he couldn’t say a word.
It was as if there was something nearby, watching them with cold, eerie eyes.
Through the crack in the closet door.
In the shadows under the bed.
Behind the curtains in the corner of the room.
That gaze, constantly like a shadow, lurking in places unnoticed by people, fixing them with an ice-cold, emotionless stare from behind.
……
After taking turns using the bathroom and freshening up, the guests gradually turned off their split-screen livestreams and prepared to rest early.
After all, Yan Shixun had just informed them that the roadblock on the way wasn’t going to be cleared anytime soon.
If they wanted to visit the rural farmstay in Family Tomb Village, they would have to cross the mountains. So, tomorrow they would be led by a young man named Yang Tu to climb the mountains and reach Family Tomb Village together.
Therefore, in anticipation of the expected fatigue on the following day, the guests didn’t party too hard. Instead, they chose to get some rest and recharge.
The small building began to fall into a quiet atmosphere.
As for Yan Shixun on the fourth floor, since one of the young men’s rooms was on the same floor, and that young man had been sitting in the corridor enjoying the breeze, he patiently waited the whole night without finding an opportunity to talk to Yang Han again.
Since he knew that Yang Han’s situation was a sensitive topic in the village head’s house, Yan Shixun didn’t want to act recklessly and disturb the people in the village head’s house, raising their suspicions about him.
With no other choice, Yan Shixun had to return to his room first, planning to go out later in the night.
However, the young man seemed to be chatting with someone online. He sat in the corridor, enjoying the breeze while chuckling at his phone screen, showing no signs of wanting to sleep.
Yan Shixun lay on the bed with his eyes closed, using his excellent hearing to listen to the sounds coming from outside, waiting for the young man to return to his room and go to sleep.
A little past midnight, there was the sound of a chair being dragged in the corridor, followed by the young man humming a tune and the sound of a door closing…
Finally, everything fell silent.
Yan Shixun, lying flat on the bed, slowly opened his eyes and smoothly rolled out of bed. He stood behind the door, listening attentively, making sure everything was in order.
The corridor was quiet, as if everyone on the fourth floor, whether from the village head’s house or the production crew, had already closed their doors and gone to sleep.
Yan Shixun’s long fingers rested on the door handle. He was about to turn it when he suddenly heard a series of urgent and fierce dog barks coming from outside the window, shattering the peaceful night in the village.
His hand froze.
He recognized the sound of these dog barks. It was from a household they had heard along the way when the production crew and the village head entered the village.
It was a good dog, barking fiercely at unfamiliar strangers to alert its owners.
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