Aula 407

Capítulo 1

The Strange Tales of Room 202 Author: Black Cat

Chapter One Yang Mian

Gu Xing was sleeping on the bed in room 202; his three roommates had all gone out. He was the only one left reading. He loved reading supernatural novels, but he was also very timid, so he only indulged in this hobby during the day. At that moment, the door opened, and the slender Li Xu walked in, holding Buddhist prayer beads in his hand.

"Huh? 'White Bone Demon,' aren't you a Catholic? What are you doing with those Buddhist beads?" Gu Xing put down his book and asked.

"In order to demonstrate my profound patriotism, I have decided to believe in the Chinese gods."

Gu Xing thought for a moment and said, "However, Buddhism originated in India."

Li Xu was momentarily speechless. Gu Xing smiled and said, "Anyway, you shouldn't say these things too openly in the dorm. If 'Da Kai' hears you, then there will be more drama."

Upon hearing this, Li Xu slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Song Dakai is despicable! He's practically depriving me of my freedom of religious belief! We must resist to the end!"

After Li Xu finished speaking, he sat back on the bed and asked, "By the way, where are Da Kai and Zhang Da?"

"I heard there was a lucky draw on Renmin Avenue, so they all went."

Just then, the door was pushed open again, and it was Yang Mian. Yang Mian was Gu Xing's childhood playmate and also a student at this university. He often came to the dormitory to see Gu Xing. Over time, he became familiar with the other people in the dormitory. His family was also very wealthy. His parents had gone to Hong Kong, leaving him and his sister to rent an apartment off-campus.

"Gu Xing, lend me a few hundred yuan." Yang Mian seemed very anxious.

"You can sell me, maybe you'll get a few hundred yuan. Or you can go to the canteen and ask Chef Chen for a kitchen knife."

"What do you need a kitchen knife for?" Li Xu asked Gu Xing.

“Robbery,” Gu Xing said seriously.

"Fine, I won't ask you anymore, 'White Bone Demon,' do you have a few hundred?"

"We only have a few dozen yuan. We're all poor. If you're rich, why would you need to borrow from us?"

“My parents sent me several thousand a few days ago, and I’ve spent it all. My sister went on a trip, and I can’t borrow from her, so I’m asking you.” Yang Mian finished speaking and sighed, “Sigh…”

"Okay, don't say we're not good friends. I'll ask Da Kai and Zhang Da for you when they get back. But is there something urgent that you need the money for? Tell me about it."

"Sigh... Didn't a new upscale restaurant just open near where I live?"

"So..." Gu Xing seemed to have guessed something.

"So I was thinking of borrowing some money to have a meal there," Yang Mian said casually. (Gu Xing guessed correctly.)

After hearing this, Gu Xing slammed his fist on the bed: "Unbelievable! You actually thought of something like this? You even have to borrow money from us poor bastards to eat? Damn it!"

"Wait, don't be angry, I'm not going to eat alone," Yang Mian called out.

"I've been waiting for you to say that. Are you going to eat with me, or with the rest of us?"

"And Xiaohui."

"Get out!..." Gu Xing threw a pillow at him.

Yang Mian didn't dare linger. As he walked out of the dormitory, he called out, "I'll come back tonight. You should talk to Da Kai and the others first..."

Once on the street, Yang Mian thought back to what had just happened and muttered to himself, "Gu Xing isn't really angry, is he? Sigh, I can't blame myself. Having a girlfriend is like playing a raising game. I have to make her happy every day, buy her things, and treat her to meals. It's awful~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~" Lost in thought, he arrived home. He went straight to his room, lay down on his bed, and drifted off to sleep. After a while, he heard a noise outside. Remembering the recent spate of burglaries in the neighborhood, he jumped up and rushed out of his room. There stood a girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, with two bags at her feet. She called out to him, "Brother." Yang Mian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Why are you back? You scared me to death! I thought there was a thief. The neighborhood isn't very safe..." It turned out the girl was his sister, Yang Yi.

"Brother, I'm exhausted. Can you help me take my luggage inside?"

"Didn't you say you were going to stay for a week? Why are you back in just two days?" Yang Mian said as he helped carry the luggage.

"I didn't find it fun, so I came back. Have you eaten? I'll cook for you."

"Okay, hurry up." Yang Mian had been penniless these past few days, even out of rice. He'd been eating at the school cafeteria, mooching meals from Gu Xing. Now that his sister was back, they could finally have a decent meal. Yang Yi walked into the kitchen, then came out and asked Yang Mian, "Where's the rice?"

"We just ate yesterday. Go downstairs and buy some more. Remember to pick up some vegetables and eggs while you're at it." Yang Mian had already prepared his lines.

"Brother, tell me honestly, you didn't spend all the money Mom and Dad sent you, did you?"

"Smart, and I'd also like to borrow some money from you."

"No, you can borrow from Brother Gu Xing. I'm going downstairs to buy something." With that, he dashed off.

Yang Mian thought to himself: I still need to find Gu Xing and the others. I must ask them for help tonight no matter what. But will Yi really stand by and watch me die? I'll try to appeal to her emotions and explain the greater good later. She'll definitely lend me the money.

Yang Mian felt that the problem could finally be solved. He lay on the sofa, sighed, and said a profound truth: "Sigh, love is really tiring."

Fifteen minutes later, the phone suddenly rang. Yang Mian jumped up easily and answered, "Hello."

The voice on the other end of the phone was a girl's: "Brother."

"What's wrong?" Yang Mian heard his sister's voice and the sound of waves.

"I've arrived in Hainan now. I just wanted to let you know I'm safe. Didn't you say you'd call me as soon as you got there?"

"Oh, I know, have fun."

"Oh, that's fine then."

Yang Mian put down the phone, then suddenly thought: Wait a minute? Didn't she come back? How come she's in Hainan? The voice is hers, that's right, and there's even the sound of waves. Yang Mian stood there lost in thought when Yang Yi returned. "Brother, what are you thinking about? Help me get these things." She held up the "supplies" in her hand. Yang Mian blankly replied, "Oh." Then she went over and helped Yang Mian carry the things into the kitchen.

Just as he came out of the kitchen, the phone rang again. Yang Mian picked up the phone and said, "Hello."

"Hello, it's Dad. How are you? Have you eaten yet?" It turned out to be Yang Mian's father in Hong Kong. Yang Mian casually replied, "Yes, I have."

"Oh, Ayi just called long-distance and said she's already in Hainan. When she gets back, you should talk to her about how she's always thinking about having fun, okay?"

Yang Mian reluctantly replied, "Oh," and hung up the phone. Instantly, he felt a chill run down his spine and spread throughout his body.

"She said she's already in Hainan..." Yang Mian's father's words kept echoing in his ears.

Yang Mian stared at the kitchen in horror. He heard the sound of dishes being washed coming from inside. He slowly walked to the kitchen door and peered out. He saw a familiar figure—his sister. He softly called out, "Yi." Yang Yi turned and asked him, "What?"

"It's nothing," Yang Mian said, then turned and left the living room.

"You're crazy," his sister cursed.

Yang Mian went out into the living room and sat down gently on the sofa. He took a deep breath, stood up, walked to the phone, and checked the call log. He saw that there was indeed a call record. He sat back down on the sofa, thinking: Could it be that the stress of studying lately is causing him to hallucinate? He immediately thought: That's impossible. He hasn't listened to a single lecture since starting his sophomore year, so where would the stress come from?

Just as he was racking his brains but couldn't come up with a solution, he suddenly saw a person on the balcony with their back to him, squatting on the ground.

Yang Mian's first reaction was: There's a thief.

But when the person turned around, Yang Mian couldn't help but gasp; the person squatting there was his sister.

Yang Mian rushed to the kitchen and saw his sister cooking. Yang Mian came out again and saw "that person" squatting there.

"Brother, come in and help!" Yang Yi's voice came from the kitchen. Yang Mian opened his eyes wide and looked at the person squatting down who looked exactly like Yang Yi.

At that moment, the person who was squatting suddenly stood up and jumped off the balcony. Yang Mian immediately rushed to the balcony and looked down, but could not see anyone or any corpse.

Yang Mian wanted to go into the kitchen to tell Yang Yi, but he ran into Yang Yi coming out of the kitchen.

"Gah!" Yang Mian only uttered a sound after seeing Yang Yi come out, then stood there pale-faced.

Yang Mian saw his sister's neck was bent to one side and touching her shoulder, one hand was bent in a knotted shape, and her face was covered in blood.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Yang Yi looked at him worriedly.

"Wow...!" Yang Mian shouted, rushed out of the door, ran all the way back to the school, shouting all the way, and when he arrived at the dormitory, he kicked the door open.

Gu Xing, Song Dakai, and the others were watching pornographic videos on the computer when they saw someone break in. These usually well-trained individuals didn't even look at who was barging in. Gu Xing immediately turned off the monitor, and Dakai directly turned off the main power switch.

The four people in the dormitory calmed down and realized it was Yang Mian.

Gu Xing: "What is it?"

Zhang Da: Are you alright?

Li Xu: "Yang Mian, are you alright?"

Song Dakai cursed, "Damn it! You scared me to death!"

Yang Mian walked to a chair and sat down, his mind blank, not knowing what to say. Gu Xing walked over and sat down next to him, and the others stood in front of them.

Yang Mian, his eyes vacant and expressionless, said, "Maybe I'm having a really bad hallucination, or maybe... I'm seeing a ghost!" He then let out a long sigh.

Upon hearing this, Li Xu chanted, "God... no. No, no, Namo Amitabha Buddha."

Song Dakai shoved Li Xu aside and said, "You idiot, Yang Mian, tell me, what kind of hallucination did you see?"

"I...I don't know either. You all know I only have one younger sister. She came back from her trip...but I think I saw two of her, but then..." Yang Mian said in a panic.

Gu Xing and the others had no idea what Yang Mian was talking about.

Da Kai said to Yang Mian, "What do you mean by one sister or two sisters? Just ask your parents how many sisters you have."

Gu Xing gestured for Da Kai to be quiet, then said to Yang Mian, "Are you under a lot of academic pressure, so..."

"Impossible," the other three, including Yang Mian, said in unison.

Gu Xing felt the same way and continued to say to Yang Mian, "Since it's not related to studying, think about what the reason might be."

"I don't know," Yang Mian said, scratching his head.

Gu Xing said, "Here's what we'll do: you go home and rest first. If anything happens, just call us at the dorm."

Zhang Da interjected, "Why don't you go see a psychiatrist?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Mian didn't say anything, stood up, and walked out of the dormitory. At this moment, Gu Xingcai looked at Zhang Da and said, "Can't you speak properly? Even if we're going, I'll take you there."

Yang Mian walked out of the school, and suddenly it started raining heavily. He quickly walked to the roadside to take shelter and saw a girl standing on the other side of the road, her feet together, holding an umbrella. Yang Mian slowly realized that it was his sister. Yang Yi stood there for a while, and seeing that he didn't come over, she walked over herself. Yang Mian didn't know what to say and just stared at her blankly.

"Brother, what's wrong? Is something the matter? Don't be like this, I'm so scared." Yang Yi was almost crying.

Yang Mian didn't know what to say, so he just said, "I'm fine. I just had something to discuss with Gu Xing and the others, but it's all over now, so don't worry."

The two returned to the house, where the food was placed on the table. Yang Mian said to his sister, "Let's eat first." Yang Yi responded, looking at her brother with confusion, before sitting down and starting to eat. After sitting down, Yang Mian had little appetite and only ate a few bites before telling Yang Yi that he was full and going back to his room.

That night, Yang Mian groggily woke from a dream, glancing at the clock on his bedside table—nine o'clock. He recalled what had happened a few hours earlier: could it have been a dream? His sister might not have come back at all. He made up his mind to go out to the living room and check, to confirm it. He struggled to get out of bed. The room was dimly lit. Yang Mian thought about what had just happened—whether it was a dream or reality—and a chill ran down his spine.

He cautiously opened the door a crack, and what he saw was terrifying and unbelievable. Instantly, cold sweat poured down Yang Mian's body like water.

In the darkness of the living room, only a faint green light emanated from the dining table. His sister sat at the table, slowly, slowly putting food into her mouth, her face expressionless. But his sister wasn't the only one at the table; his father was also there, sitting expressionlessly with his eyes fixed ahead. Opposite him sat his mother, who appeared even more terrifying: she held a package wrapped in a black paper bag and kept making sinister "heh, heh... chuckle..." noises.

Sitting opposite his sister was another person—Yang Mian.

The person sitting in the living room was himself! He bit his right index finger, partly to avoid making a sound from his fear, and partly to see if he was still dreaming. He felt a piercing pain in his finger. He gently closed the door, then turned on all the lights in the room, and dialed the school dormitory number: "Hello... hello, I... I'm looking for Gu Xing in room 202."

"Okay, wait a moment."

Yang Mian, panting heavily, anxiously awaited Gu Xing's arrival, glancing at the door.

"Hello, who's looking for me?"

"Hello... this is Yang Mian..." Yang Mian swallowed hard and continued, "You... you come to my house quickly, quickly..."