Une relation tragique

Chapitre 30

Kiki nodded gratefully and said, "Even if I can't find it, I will try my best to overcome it!"

Xiao Jie touched Qi Qi's chin and teased, "That's more like it! Little girl, give me a smile first!"

"Get lost!" Qiqi slapped Xiaojie, and the two burst into laughter.

Volume 3, Chapter 1: Ghostly Tales (1)

Lin Feng lay in bed for more than two months before he was able to get out of bed and walk. It was late November, and the sky was filled with heavy snow, with the temperature dropping day by day.

In the classroom, Lin Feng was teaching his "Art Appreciation" class to students he hadn't seen in over a year. Today, he was talking about "Gothic Culture"!

"The highest achievement of Gothic art is reflected in architecture. It arose in northern France in the late 12th century, following the Roman Nasque style, and flourished throughout Western Europe from the 13th to the 15th centuries. The term was coined by Italians in the 16th century and gained widespread acceptance. In reality, Gothic art has no connection to the Goths themselves. The artistic trend of the 16th-century Italian Renaissance admired the art styles of ancient Greece and Rome, while Gothic art differed greatly from this, and was denigrated as a semi-civilized and barbaric style. Furthermore, Europe viewed the Goths as barbarians, thus the term 'Gothic' was imposed upon this art form. In fact, Gothic art is the greatest achievement of the Middle Ages, possessing significant value in both content and form, reaching astonishing heights in both architectural engineering and artistic techniques. The characteristics of Gothic art..." This characteristic is reflected in church architecture. It replaces the Romanesque semicircular arches with pointed arches, concentrating the building's weight and tensile forces on the columns and arched walls. The exterior features numerous towering spires, thinner walls, and larger windows adorned with stained glass. The interior has slender columns, allowing for ample light, and the entrances are decorated with vivid reliefs and stone carvings. Gothic architecture met the requirements of the church; the soaring spires draw the eye to the ethereal sky, allowing one to forget this life and contemplate the afterlife. Many of the carvings on Gothic buildings are vivid and natural, exhibiting a realistic style. There are over 200 well-known surviving Gothic architectural remains, such as Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Cologne Cathedral in Germany, Milan Cathedral in Italy, and Salisbury Cathedral in England. "Lin Feng spoke eloquently to his many students."

In fact, in the otherwise dull and tedious medical school, the "Art Appreciation" course was the students' favorite. Last semester, Lin Feng was busy handling various matters, so he only taught three classes throughout the entire semester. However, the students had a deep impression of Lin Feng, not only because of his extensive knowledge and humorous lectures, but also because of his easygoing personality and the fact that he wasn't much older than the students, so he usually chose to talk about topics that the students wanted to hear. The other two teachers who substituted for him weren't as popular.

After discussing "the embodiment of Gothic art in architecture," Lin Feng also mentioned "Gothic films."

"The term 'Gothic film' doesn't exist in film art dictionaries, and even in the Encyclopedia Britannica, we can't find an entry for 'Gothic Movie/Film.' In other words, 'Gothic film' isn't a standard, universally accepted concept—at least not in rigorous academic circles. However, the term 'Gothic film' isn't meaningless; it wasn't fabricated for sensationalism or to attract attention. At least, using this term to describe the common characteristics of a certain type of film is effective." As Lin Feng finished speaking, a student asked, "So, what are some classic 'Gothic films'?"

Lin Feng laughed and said, "That's a good question. In 1990, director Tim Burton and famous actor Johnny Depp collaborated to give us a film called *Edward Scissorhands*—and from then on, the curtain was completely raised on the revival of Gothic cinema in Hollywood. As a landmark Gothic film of our time, the significance of *Edward Scissorhands* cannot be overstated. This film has no vampires, no witchcraft, and no religious background, but it still weaves a dark and wonderful Gothic tapestry that tells a story of loneliness, death, and pain… The genius Tim Burton seamlessly blended ancient Gothic culture with the contemporary context, injecting new vitality into the Gothic genre and fundamentally expanding the subject matter of Gothic films. Tim Burton has gradually become one of the greatest Gothic film masters of our time, and his partnership with Johnny Depp is also seamless."

Lin Feng's commentary on the Gothic film drew applause from the students. After the applause subsided, one student asked, "'Gothic films' have a somber atmosphere and dark scenes, and typically include elements such as vampires, werewolves, zombies, and other dark creatures. So, Professor Lin, I'd like to ask you, what is your attitude towards these things that people talk about?"

"How did you come up with the idea to ask this question?" Lin Feng was a little surprised by the student's abrupt change in thinking.

"Because I heard that some supernatural events happened at school today, and you were involved in them. Moreover, it is said that you also know traditional Chinese Taoist arts. Last time you were hospitalized, some people said that you were not hospitalized because of a car accident, but because you were injured in an exorcism battle."

"My knowledge of ancient Chinese Taoist arts is only superficial," Lin Feng said truthfully. He thought of Zhang Xiang's inexplicable Taoist spells and incantations, realizing he was far inferior to him. "Furthermore, I haven't specifically studied them; it's just out of curiosity and interest in ancient culture. As for my hospitalization, it was indeed because of a car accident, but whether any evil spirits were haunting the car, I have no idea!" Lin Feng's words drew laughter from the students.

"And what about the red thread on your hand? What does it represent?" the student pressed on. Lin Feng wanted to see which student was trying to expose his secrets.

"What does that mean? It's something you're born with. There's nothing I can do if it grows that way!" Lin Feng replied easily.

"Teacher Lin, what are your thoughts on the paranormal events that have been circulating widely at the school recently?"

"A paranormal event?" Lin Feng wondered if he knew something strange had happened again. "I just got back to teach you today, so I don't know much about these things."

The students below were about to tell Lin Feng something when the bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class.

After class, Lin Feng and most of the students had left the classroom before he headed out. As he reached the classroom door, a boy approached him and said, "Teacher Lin, could I have a few minutes of your time?"

"It's alright, is there anything I can help you with?" Lin Feng asked.

"It's about the recent paranormal events at school. Are you interested in knowing about them?" The boy looked at Lin Feng expectantly.

“Alright! Let’s talk as we walk!” Lin Feng agreed.

"Great! My name is Zhao Long, Teacher Lin can call me A-Long!" the boy said happily.

Lin Feng nodded and said, "Okay!"

Volume 3, Chapter 2, Ghostly Events (2)

Half a month ago, while Lin Feng was still lying in the hospital drinking pork rib soup cooked by Xiao Jiejie and acting like a big shot, a strange incident occurred at the school.

The anatomy building of the medical school is built next to an artificial hill, and because it is backlit, it has always been known as gloomy and terrifying on campus.

Evening self-study is generally mandatory at school, and except before exams, the anatomy building is rarely used for self-study in the evenings. The anatomy room on the first floor is even less crowded; most students go to the second or third floor to study. Some students find other study rooms too noisy and often come to the anatomy building to study.

Zhao Long's roommate, Liu Shenghu, was someone who loved studying in the anatomy building. Liu Shenghu came from a poor rural family, so he studied exceptionally hard. The study rooms in other buildings were basically dating spots, nicknamed the "Mandarin Duck Buildings" by medical students. Couples would date while studying, and singles would wander around looking for potential partners. As soon as the teachers who checked on them left, it became complete chaos. Everywhere you looked, there were couples whispering and cuddling. Liu Shenghu went a few times, and the noise almost drove him crazy, like his head was being constricted by a tight band. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he searched everywhere for a quiet study room and discovered that the anatomy building's study rooms were the quietest. There were only about ten people there each day, and they were all studying; nobody made any noise. At most, some people would quietly discuss problems.

After arriving at the anatomy building, Liu Shenghu was finally able to settle down and study. He spent several evenings studying without any problems.

That evening, Liu Shenghu, as usual, finished his self-study session, packed up his books and notebooks, and planned to go back to his dormitory. After he finished packing, he realized he was the only student in the entire study room that night. The other students who had started studying had all left sometime earlier.

After leaving the classroom, the lights in the hallway were still on. Liu Shenghu closed and locked the door, and suddenly heard faint crying coming from the next classroom.

He figured it was probably just some lovesick fool, Liu Shenghu thought, without giving it much thought. But then he realized this was the last classroom to be locked; the lights in the other classrooms were already off. Which classroom was the crying coming from? Curious, he listened in each classroom one by one.

When he walked to classroom 2-9 at the very front and put his ear to it, he heard sobbing and continuous choking sounds coming from inside.

Liu Shenghu knocked on the door and said, "Classmate, stop crying, the door downstairs is about to close, go out!"

The crying inside paused for a moment, then continued.

Liu Shenghu pushed the door open, and it creaked open a crack. It turned out this classroom was different from the others; while the others used concealed locks, this one used an exposed lock.

The chain on the lock was quite long, and the door was only a crack about two inches wide. He peered through the crack and saw that the inside was empty, except for a few broken tables and benches piled up at the back. The crying had stopped. He shook his head vigorously. Was he just hallucinating from studying too hard?

Just as he was wondering what was going on, the sound of crying came from inside the classroom again. Liu Shenghu pushed open the door and looked inside, but there was still nothing there, only the crying became clearer.

He suddenly felt his hair stand on end, and then he remembered that this was the anatomy building, which was usually gloomy and terrifying. Could there really be something evil here?

Thinking of this, he didn't bother to find out the source of the sound and hurriedly ran outside.

By the time he ran back to his dormitory, he was drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

Seeing Liu Shenghu's terrified expression, Zhao Long, who was reading a book, said, "What's wrong? You look so pale, did you see a ghost?"

Zhao Long's words made Liu Shenghu's heart skip a beat, and he quickly covered it up, saying, "It's nothing, I'm just feeling a little unwell, probably from studying too much!"

Zhao Long got out of bed, took out a lipstick, and said, "I'm tired. Let's relax a bit tonight. This lipstick is waterproof; I got it from the girls' dormitory today. After those two guys fall asleep tonight, we'll give them a 'bold, freehand' smear on their faces. Tomorrow they'll look like Native Americans, haha."

Liu Shenghu pushed Zhao Long's hand away and said, "I'm not interested, I'm going to sleep!" After saying that, he got into bed and fell asleep without even washing his feet.

Zhao Long looked at Liu Shenghu with a puzzled expression for a while, thinking that this guy was studying too hard and was exhausted. Playing alone wasn't very interesting, so Zhao Long put away his lipstick and went back to bed to continue reading.

After reading for a while, Zhao Long felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier. Unable to resist the waves of drowsiness, he tilted his head, threw the book on the ground, and fell asleep.

The clock on the table pointed to twelve o'clock, and my two roommates still hadn't returned. I guess they were off having a romantic time with their girlfriends somewhere.

Suddenly, Liu Shenghu, who had been in a deep sleep, sat bolt upright in bed, his eyes glazed over. He got out of bed mechanically and walked to Zhao Long's bedside. After looking at Zhao Long for a while, seemingly to confirm if he was asleep, he reached under Zhao Long's pillow and began to grope around.

After fumbling around for a bit, Liu Shenghu pulled out the waterproof lipstick. Looking at the lipstick in his hand, Liu Shenghu gave a seductive smile, his expression indescribably terrifying. To suddenly see a fine young man displaying such a charming and alluring smile is truly both terrifying and disgusting.

But Liu Shenghu was completely unaware. He walked to the bathroom by the door, looked in the mirror on the bathroom door, and carefully applied lipstick to his lips.

He applied the lipstick for quite a while, until his lips turned a deep, bright red, but he still didn't seem satisfied. He continued applying it until half the tube of lipstick was used up, at which point he seemed finally pleased and smiled at himself in the mirror.

Just then, the door opened, and it turned out to be the two guys in the room who had finished their romantic time and come back to sleep.

As soon as they entered, they saw Liu Shenghu's bright red lipstick and the lipstick in his hand. One of his friends, Wang Feng, immediately said, "Damn, buddy, are you okay? Did you go crazy from studying? Or is this just a natural fetish?"

Wang Feng's words made Liu Shenghu shudder. Liu Shenghu asked blankly, "What's wrong? Wasn't I asleep? How did I end up here?"

Wang Feng pointed at Liu Shenghu's face and said, "Look in the mirror!"

Liu Shenghu was furious when he saw that his lips were painted a bright red, monkey-bottom-like color. He assumed Zhao Long had played a prank on him while he was asleep. He was about to rush over and shake Zhao Long awake when he saw the lipstick in his hand. He froze, and cold sweat immediately poured down his forehead again.

Wang Feng patted Liu Shenghu and said, "Dude, go to sleep!" After saying that, he and another buddy went inside to get their things and went to the water room.

Lying in bed again, Liu Shenghu really didn't know why he was like this. He was sleeping peacefully in bed, so why did he go and get lipstick to put on makeup?

The more he thought about it, the more confused he became, and soon he fell asleep again.

Book 3, Chapter 3: Ghostly Tales (3)

Zhao Long woke up groggily, vaguely remembering having a nightmare that had startled him awake. He couldn't recall anything about the dream. "Oh well, I'll go back to sleep," Zhao Long thought, turning over.

There seemed to be some noise, so Zhao Long peeked out from under the bed. He saw a person sitting on a stool in front of the mirror by the bathroom door, combing their hair. They were combing very carefully, and the sound was the sound of them combing their hair. In the moonlight, their movements were slow, each stroke going all the way through. Although their hair wasn't very long, they were very focused.

Zhao Long sensed something was off. Who was this, admiring themselves in the middle of the night? He glanced around and saw only Liu Shenghu's bedside beauty; the woman in the mirror must be Liu Shenghu.

Zhao Long frowned and said, "Liu Shenghu, what are you doing? What are you doing admiring yourself in the middle of the night? Go to sleep now, or you won't be able to get up tomorrow."

Liu Shenghu ignored him and continued to carefully comb his hair.

Zhao Long sat up and said, "Hey Tiger, are you alright?"

Liu Shenghu said slowly, "I'm fine!" His tone was flat and his voice was icy, sending chills down one's spine.

Zhao Long, a little panicked, said, "Tiger, are you really alright? Don't scare people in the middle of the night, okay?" He then got out of bed and walked towards Liu Shenghu.

The two men's voices woke up Wang Feng and Liu Hong, who were sleeping. Liu Hong muttered, "What time is it? Why aren't you asleep? What are you talking about?"

Zhao Long said, "No, something's not right with Hu Zi!"

Zhao Long had reached Liu Shenghu and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Alright, Tiger, stop combing your hair and go to sleep." Liu Hong and Wang Feng chimed in, "Yeah, go to sleep!"

Under the cool moonlight, Liu Shenghu slowly turned his head and said, "Do I look beautiful?" He pinched his throat, trying his best to turn his male voice into a female voice, and deliberately added a touch of coquettishness.

After Zhao Long saw his face clearly, he screamed in fright, took a few steps back, and pointed at Liu Shenghu with trembling eyes, saying, "You...you..."

Liu Shenghu's eyebrows were shaved into two thin lines, his face was covered with a white layer of something, and his lips were as red as blood. His expression had a strange, seductive quality that sent chills down one's spine.

Wang Feng and Liu Hong were startled by Zhao Long's scream and quickly got out of bed to turn on the light.

As soon as the lights came on, Liu Shenghu fell off the stool with a thud and landed on the ground, motionless.

Wang Feng and Liu Hong quickly helped Liu Shenghu up. Seeing Zhao Long standing motionless to the side, Liu Hong said, "Damn it, what are you standing there for? Aren't you going to come and help?"

The three men turned Liu Shenghu over and gasped in shock. Zhao Long then realized that Liu Shenghu's face was completely unpainted; it was bloodless, deathly pale, like a corpse that had just crawled out of a grave.

Wang Feng shook Liu Shenghu vigorously, saying, "Tiger, Tiger, are you alright? Wake up!"

Seeing that Liu Shenghu didn't move, Liu Hong checked his mouth and nose, and found he was still breathing evenly. Liu Hong frowned and said, "Could he be sleepwalking? He just got back and he took a lipstick and started drawing all over himself in the mirror, looking like a ghost!"

"Huh?" Zhao Long said in surprise, "This is the second time?"

Wang Feng nodded, then said, "Even if someone is sleepwalking, their face wouldn't be this pale. I think something's wrong. I wonder if..." He paused, looking at the two of them. Zhao Long and Liu Hong knew what he was going to say from his expression. They both had the same thought: Liu Shenghu was possessed by a ghost. Otherwise, he wouldn't be behaving so strangely and incomprehensibly.

Zhao Long said, "Let's carry him to the bed first!"

The three of them lifted Liu Shenghu onto the bed, and Zhao Long took a towel to wipe the lipstick off Liu Shenghu's lips. It took them a long time to finally wipe it clean, and Liu Shenghu's face slowly regained its color.

At that moment, Liu Shenghu suddenly let out a soft groan. "He's awake!" Wang Feng said.

Liu Shenghu slightly opened his eyes and said, "Ah, what are you all doing here? I'm so dizzy!"

Zhao Long reached out and touched Liu Shenghu's forehead; it was icy cold. Zhao Long said, "What's wrong with this guy? His forehead is so cold. Could he have a low-grade fever?"

Liu Hong took a towel, poured hot water from the thermos to heat it up, and then placed the towel on Liu Shenghu's forehead, saying, "Go to sleep, you'll feel better after a nap!"

Liu Shenghu said nothing and drifted off to sleep.

Wang Feng glanced at Zhao Long and Liu Hong and said, "What should we do? I think this guy is really possessed. We need to think of a way; this can't go on like this."

Liu Hong said, "I heard from the elders that hanging a mirror at the door can ward off evil spirits. I don't know if it's true, but I don't have any other choice now, so I'll give it a try!"

The three of them searched high and low for a long time before finally finding a round mirror. Wang Feng went outside, hammered a nail into the door frame, and then hung the mirror on it.

After finishing all that, everyone was exhausted and went back to bed. Only Zhao Long couldn't forget what he had seen Liu Shenghu look like in the mirror, and he tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

The pale, cold moonlight shone directly on Liu Shenghu's face as he slept soundly. He was breathing evenly, as if he was truly alright.

Zhao Long felt relieved. Perhaps his roommate was really sleepwalking, or maybe the mirror had worked. In any case, he didn't want anything to happen to his roommate. After all, they had been together for two years and had developed a strong bond.

Seeing that Liu Shenghu's face wasn't so pale anymore, Zhao Long finally relaxed. His tense emotions eased, and drowsiness crept in. Before long, his consciousness began to blur, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.