Chapter 59

“Recently, two wild animal attacks have occurred in our city, suspected to be animals escaped from the zoo. Citizens are advised to take protective measures…”

Tang Qiaoqi swiped away this short video, bored out of her mind as she scrolled through Weibo.

She swiped past another post—a misogynistic rant by a male internet celebrity with millions of followers, Cui Zijin, denouncing an unfilial daughter fighting for family assets. Gross. Swipe.

“Tang Qiaoqi, why haven’t you been doing your volunteer work lately?” The question came from Tang Qiaoqi’s roommate, Huang Lili. The other two were equally curious.

The fact that Tang Qiaoqi was bravely venturing into danger, infiltrating some superstitious fraud studio to find evidence and bring them to justice, was no secret. All four of her dormmates knew about it.

Tang Qiaoqi sighed mournfully. “Don’t even mention it. That studio boss guards against me like I’m a thief. I never get a chance to search through cabinets. I just end up cleaning all day. And every time she leaves to take a job, she avoids me. It’s insane. I can’t even catch her in the act.”

Huang Lili looked at her sympathetically. “So you’ve been working for nothing this whole time? Are you still going to go?”

Tang Qiaoqi mumbled, “I don’t know. I doubt I’ll get a chance to find evidence.”

“No way!” Bao Zaozao, the most hot-tempered in the dorm, bristled with righteous indignation. “Giving up like this is letting them off too easy! Since she’s always on guard and avoiding you, why don’t we lure her into a trap instead!”

Tang Qiaoqi’s eyes lit up. “Right! We can make her walk right into it!”

Suddenly, the four close friends grew excited, chattering over each other with ideas. Before long, a plan was set.

They would stage a scenario to make Zhu Ming come and put on a performance. They would secretly record her act, then publicly expose her, revealing her con-artist nature!

Hah! They’d see how she talks her way out of it then!

“But how do we lure her into the trap?” Huang Lili asked.

“Oh, that’s simple. Just find some random campus ghost story, embellish it a bit, and we’re good,” Bao Zaozao said.

“What if she doesn’t believe it? I mean, people in this business must know deep down that ghosts aren’t real. They’ve seen everything.”

“We’ll prep some ‘evidence’ beforehand. Hehe.”

“Yes, that could work.” Tang Qiaoqi rubbed her chin decisively. “We’ll say I ran into a ghost, then beg her for help. Lure her with money—she’ll definitely take the bait!”

You can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing a lamb. To get proof of Zhu Ming’s deceptions, Tang Qiaoqi was ready to go all out!

…

“Boss Zhu, you have to help me! I’ve encountered a ghost!”

That day, Tang Qiaoqi burst into the Little Fire God Strange News Studio, shouting at the top of her lungs the moment she entered.

Zhu Ming was reading a book. She looked up curiously at the commotion. “What ghost would dare bother our Qiqi? Aren’t they afraid our Qiqi will beat them with a broom?”

Tang Qiaoqi angrily shoved her phone in front of her. “I’m not joking! It’s real!”

This time, Zhu Ming finally got serious. She took the phone, put down her copy of Microbiology, and tapped into the video.

The video content was monotonous. It was shot in the middle of the night, and the leading actress was Tang Qiaoqi. She was shown lying in bed, brows tightly furrowed, making unintelligible sleep-talk sounds. It took several pushes from someone else to wake her up.

Here was the key part: Tang Qiaoqi, now awake, gasped for air in terror. She said fearfully, “I was awake earlier, but I just couldn’t move.”

The girl filming replied, “You must have been ghost-pressed!”

Zhu Ming watched for a moment, then silently looked at Tang Qiaoqi.

Tang Qiaoqi was frantic. “I’m experiencing sleep paralysis!”

Zhu Ming coughed dryly. “Ghost-pressing is just a sleep disorder phenomenon. The reason you couldn’t move is because your muscles were still in a state of low tension. Medically, it’s called sleep paralysis. Don’t worry, it’s normal.”

“…” Tang Qiaoqi was stunned. Why was this spirit medium more scientific than she was? No, this way, all her effort would be for nothing!

Tang Qiaoqi quickly added, “Of course, that’s not all! The thing actually started three days ago. No, it should start with a legend from our school.”

According to the legend, in the now-abandoned old teaching building on their campus, there was an ancient tree that had gained sentience. As long as you tied a red cloth strip with your name and your crush’s name onto a branch, and offered incense with a prayer exactly at midnight, it would bring the two of you together.

Tang Qiaoqi wanted to find love but was afraid of rejection, so she secretly did just that, following the legend.

But after praying, she kept feeling like something was off, as if something in the shadows had its sights set on her!

“For the past two nights, I’ve had nightmares every night. I’ve been feeling weak, getting night sweats, and I always feel like something is clinging to me.” Tang Qiaoqi grabbed Zhu Ming’s arm and shook it. “What should I do? Just help me, please!”

The approachable and kind Boss Zhu shook her head, her red-dyed streaks of hair swaying, as she pretended to think. “Well, considering the time and energy costs involved…”

“I’ll pay!”

“Generous! As expected of a young lady from the Tang family.” Zhu Ming gave a thumbs up, her sharp eyes curving into happy crescents.

Zhu Ming fetched the contract template and wrote down a series of numbers on it. “Total fee is one hundred and three thousand two hundred. An upfront deposit of fifty percent, which is fifty-one thousand six hundred. Let’s round it up. Just give me fifty-two thousand first.”

Hearing the price, Tang Qiaoqi’s face turned green.

This was daylight robbery… She mentally repeated her mantra: can’t catch a wolf without risking the lamb. Calm down. This was an investment, a necessary expense!

“Fine, I’ll give it to you.” Tang Qiaoqi forced a smile and endured the pain as she transferred the money to Zhu Ming’s account. Sigh. She might be a rich second-generation kid, but it didn’t mean she didn’t care about throwing money away. Spending on actual goods was one thing, but tossing even ten yuan to a scammer would sting.

“Boss Zhu, the money’s been sent. When do you plan on handling this?”

“No time like the present. Let’s do it today.” Zhu Ming handed back the phone. “You said the strange things happen at night. Then we’ll go to your school tonight.”

“Usually around midnight,” Tang Qiaoqi said, trying to scare her. “So you come to our school gate at eleven thirty. I’ll meet you.”

“Alright, little sponsor. See you there.”

Tang Qiaoqi left hastily to return to school and make preparations, while Zhu Ming picked up her book and continued reading.

Eleven o’clock at night.

Zhu Ming rode off on her little three-wheeled vehicle, heading to the back gate of Tang Qiaoqi’s school. Tang Qiaoqi had arrived even earlier and was already waiting.

“Over here!”

Zhu Ming walked over empty-handed.

Tang Qiaoqi complained, “You didn’t bring a single ghost-catching tool.”

Zhu Ming blinked her large, bright eyes and retorted, “How do you know it’s definitely a ghost?”

Tang Qiaoqi froze, then stammered, “I… I guessed.”

Zhu Ming just smiled and didn’t press further, walking alongside her. “Let’s go check out that old tree first. Since the matter began with it, it should end there too.”

“Okay. You absolutely have to help me solve this.”

Tang Qiaoqi discreetly dropped two steps behind and texted her friends: Prepare to act.

On the other end of the line, Huang Lili received the signal. She waved a hand. “Go!”

Soon, Bao Zaozao would hide in the shadows and secretly record the entire process. Huang Lili would “coincidentally” run into Tang Qiaoqi halfway, then pretend to encounter a ghost and disappear. Finally, their remaining roommate, Zhuang Guigui, would make her entrance pretending to be a ghost—wearing a white dress and letting her long, thick hair hang loose.

Heh, whether that studio boss was scared stiff or pretended to be calm while performing an exorcism, she would ultimately expose herself!

The three girls ran through the plan one more time, confirming it was flawless, before they started to move.

…

“Qiaoqi! Wait up, I’ll go with you!”

Near the abandoned teaching building, Huang Lili jogged over to catch up. The building’s electrical circuits had long since failed, leaving the area in pitch-black darkness. Only a single streetlamp outside the building provided a circle of warm, dim, yellow light.

“No, Lili, this is too dangerous! Boss Zhu and I will just go in ourselves.” Tang Qiaoqi refused with a noble, self-sacrificing air. “I don’t want to drag you into this!”

“But we’re best friends! How could I let you take the risk alone? Boss Zhu, I’m Qiaoqi’s roommate. You don’t mind if I tag along, do you?”

Zhu Ming shrugged and said with a beaming smile, “Of course not. There’s safety in numbers.”

“See, even Boss Zhu says it’s fine. Qiaoqi, don’t be so stubborn.”

Tang Qiaoqi agreed hesitantly. “Fine, then… you have to be careful.”

The three of them walked into the abandoned teaching building, flashlights in hand. They crossed the entrance hall, and Zhu Ming looked at the dust-covered corridor. “Where’s that tree?”

“In the courtyard out back.”

The abandoned building was shaped like a figure eight, with a courtyard at the front and back. It was pitch-black, eerie, and frightening.

Because it was so quiet, their footsteps were incredibly distinct, as was their breathing. Even though Tang Qiaoqi knew the fear was just a product of the darkness—there were no actual monsters or ghosts—she couldn’t help but clutch Huang Lili’s arm.

Huang Lili nudged her: Don’t hold on so tight, I need to disappear soon!

Tang Qiaoqi: Got it, I’ll let go in a moment.

“Ah!”

Tang Qiaoqi suddenly leaped, bumping into Huang Lili, giving her a huge fright. It wasn’t time for the ghost appearance yet!

“What’s wrong?”

“I… I thought I saw something behind the door just now.” Tang Qiaoqi’s heart was pounding wildly. She knew logically there was nothing, yet she was still terrified.

Zhu Ming aimed her flashlight over there. She laughed. “It was just your shadow.”

It was a bit embarrassing to be scared by her own shadow. Tang Qiaoqi lowered her head and silently psyched herself up. Having come this far, she had to succeed tonight!

The three finally reached the back courtyard and saw the old, gnarled tree standing in its center. There was no moon tonight. The sky was dyed a faint red by the city lights, the stars hidden by haze, leaving everything dark and mysterious.

The ancient tree’s branches were sparse and withered. Its rugged, jagged limbs stretched out in all directions and towards the sky, like countless human hands trying to escape an aging body. The cloth strips hung from them, dangling silently. They had been bleached white by rain, wind, and frost. In the dim light, they looked like paper funeral money covering the entire tree.

Zhu Ming was just about to step closer for a better look when a figure suddenly flashed in front of them.

“Who’s there!”

All three saw the figure. Tang Qiaoqi knew it must be Zhuang Guigui, but she still jumped in fright and cooperatively cried out in alarm.

The figure didn’t respond. Zhu Ming narrowed her eyes, peering towards the corridor, which was an abyss of darkness. She didn’t speak.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the shadow flash past a spot on the second floor. Tang Qiaoqi hurriedly pointed in that direction. “Over there!”

Though she looked terrified, inside she was deeply moved. Zhuang Guigui was really going all out to help with this act. She must be using all the energy she’d normally save for the 800-meter physical test.

Huang Lili quietly retreated, tiptoeing back into the darkness.

Once she was far enough away, presumably having joined up with Bao Zaozao, Tang Qiaoqi frantically grabbed Zhu Ming and pretended to cry. “What is going on? Where did Lili go? Lili! Lili, where are you?!”

Zhu Ming: “…”

“It must have been a monster that took Lili away!” Tang Qiaoqi declared firmly. “We can’t abandon her! We have to save her!”

Zhu Ming mused thoughtfully, “This time, you might actually have a point.”

“Then let’s hurry up and find her!”

“No rush. Let me call the police first.”

Slap! Tang Qiaoqi subconsciously slapped Zhu Ming’s hand away. “No!”

“Why not?” Zhu Ming raised an eyebrow.

“Because this kind of thing… this occult stuff… the police will definitely think we’re lying. They won’t believe us, and they’ll just waste precious rescue time!” Tang Qiaoqi racked her brains to come up with a plausible reason.

“You’re right. Looks like we have to save her ourselves. Calm down, let me look at this tree first.”

Tang Qiaoqi had to bottle up her impatience and wait for Zhu Ming to examine the tree up close.

She had no idea what was so interesting about a tree. She only knew that when she looked up, she saw that dark, blurry figure again on the higher floors. Wow, she went up that high. Guigui is seriously hardcore.

On the other side, Huang Lili entered a classroom with a broken door to meet up with Bao Zaozao. Bao Zaozao was already there with her camera, and had been recording for a while.

The entire old classroom was caked in dust, black as the gaping maw of a monster. Huang Lili crept over and crouched down below the window, peering at the gloomy corridor and courtyard. She whispered, “This woman is way too calm. When is she going to finally slip up?”

Bao Zaozao gave a light snort. “Don’t worry. If Guigui tries a bit harder, she’ll definitely scare a reaction out of her.”

Because from their current perspective, even if they hadn’t known the figure was Zhuang Guigui in disguise, they would have been spooked.

It lurked in the darkness, appearing and disappearing without a sound. From their current angle, they could perfectly see the shadow of Zhuang Guigui on the high floor across from them. Silent. Motionless.

Even knowing the truth, Bao Zaozao still got goosebumps all over her arms, because Zhuang Guigui was acting incredibly well.

Tap tap tap tap…

Just then, the soft sound of footsteps running approached. A girl with long hair quietly slipped into the classroom, scaring both of them out of their wits.

Huang Lili nearly screamed, barely managing to suppress it at the last second.

“Who?” she hissed.

“It’s me, Guigui.” Zhuang Guigui said apologetically. “The barbecue I ate tonight didn’t sit well with my stomach. I just went to the bathroom. I’m not too late, am I?”

Huang Lili and Bao Zaozao: “…”

Zhuang Guigui looked at the two people down in the courtyard. “You’re not mad, are you? Hold on, I’ll do the Sadako crawl now.”

But just before she could crawl out, Huang Lili seized her sleeve.

“What’s going on?” Zhuang Guigui was completely baffled.

“You… just now… you weren’t here this whole time?” When Huang Lili asked this, her teeth were chattering. Click-clack, click-clack. She couldn’t control it at all.

“Yeah. I was just a little late. It won’t affect anything, right?”

How could it not affect things?!

Huang Lili pointed towards the opposite high floor, on the verge of tears. “Look there!”

Zhuang Guigui looked over, confused. “There’s nothing there?”

“Right, there’s nothing…” Even the normally short-tempered Bao Zaozao sounded weak now. “Because it ran off again. I saw it with my own eyes.”

Complete silence fell over the pitch-black classroom, a silence so deep their own breathing was deafening. Huang Lili felt a chill spread all over her body. A terrifying, hair-raising fear rose from the bottom of her heart along with that coldness.

In her daze, she felt as if that black shadow was lurking right behind her in the darkness, wearing a hideous grin, pressing close, gently exhaling icy breath against her skin.