"Mingran, we..."
Lu Mingran blinked: "It said we have to write three people's names, right?"
Ten minutes later, Lu Mingran stood in the study, took out a calligraphy brush and handed it to Jack, instructing him to write the three names in a crooked vertical line in the empty space.
Jack was completely unaware of its purpose, while Cheng Yungui smiled with satisfaction after reading the three names and patted Lu Mingran on the back:
"Thank you, I finally feel safe."
——————————
The next day, everyone set off on time.
The story also includes scenes on the plane, where the three experience an unusual period of extreme drowsiness. Once they finally arrive in China, Jack immediately perks up and starts arguing with Lu Mingran over a trivial matter.
Cheng Yungui walked ahead, and after walking a long way, he looked back and saw that the two people were still standing there, continuing to argue.
So Cheng Yun went back and said something to Jack earnestly:
“Your mother often complains to me that she wants to discipline you with a feather duster but can’t because children cannot be physically punished in other countries.”
Jack looked at him blankly.
Cheng Yungui smiled and said:
“But son, we’re in China now, so I can hit you.”
The world was silent for two seconds.
Two seconds later, Jack yelled at Cheng Yungui, "Uncle, why did you only hit me and not him! I'm your nephew, do you love him more than me?"
Unfortunately, he didn't get a reply and Cheng Yungui turned and walked away. Lu Mingran suppressed a laugh, patted him, and chased after Cheng Yungui.
...
Outside the airport lies my long-lost homeland.
It was indeed the first month of the lunar calendar, and the streets outside were deserted, with many shops closed. However, the red couplets and the character "福" (fortune) still conveyed a joyful atmosphere.
It was getting late, so they found a hotel to stay in. Since there were three of them, they decided to split up and each have their own room.
After recalling what Jack encountered in the novel, Lu Mingran insisted on booking a double room and a single room.
“You live with your uncle, I will live alone.”
As soon as Lu Mingran finished speaking, Jack objected: "I'm a grown man, why should I live with my uncle?"
It seemed that Cheng Yungui thought so too. Just as Lu Mingran was about to say something, Jack had already walked quickly to the front desk and booked three single rooms.
Sigh. Lu Mingran walked over and knocked on the front desk:
"Miss, I have a request."
"Please speak, sir."
“We don’t want the last room.” Lu Mingran emphasized the words “last room”.
The girl operating the machine seemed flustered, her eyes darting around, before mechanically saying:
"I'm sorry, sir, our hotel is the only one open around here, and it's almost full."
She acted first and informed him later, handing over the three room keys:
"Although room 604 is at the very back, it's very quiet there, which is good for your rest. If you give us a good review, we'll also give you a snack gift pack."
Upon hearing the girl's polite offer of a reward for a positive review, Jack reached out and directly took the room key for room 604, unstoppable.
The first to be unable to stand it was Cheng Yungui. After getting on the elevator, Cheng Yungui advised him:
"Why don't we try looking for other hotels? We really can't stay in the last few rooms."
Lu Mingran had given up arguing with Jack. He tugged at Cheng Yungui's sleeve and stared at the screen in the elevator: "Forget it, he's bold. Let him stay."
The elevator reached the fifth floor, where Lu Mingran and Cheng Yungui's rooms were located. Lu Mingran pulled Cheng Yungui out, and then, as the elevator doors closed, he saw Jack standing inside, staring blankly at his phone listening to music.
Lu Mingran thought: Anyway, I've already tampered with the name, nothing serious will happen. Tonight... I'll just scare him a little.
————————
The walls in the hotel corridor were covered with reflective material. As soon as Jack stepped out of the elevator, he was almost startled by his reflection on the opposite wall.
604… The corridor was designed to be winding and circuitous. Jack looked at each room number one by one, slowly moving towards the innermost part. Perhaps because he was too focused on finding his room, he didn't notice a cleaning lady in front of him and bumped into her.
"It's alright..." the aunt smiled magnanimously.
“Oh, by the way, ma’am,” Jack asked quickly, “where is room 604?”
As soon as he said that, the cleaning lady's expression changed immediately.
“There.” The aunt pointed to the far right and looked at him somewhat uneasily.
Jack seemed oblivious to all this, and walked to the innermost part of the house under his aunt's watchful gaze.
"Oh, what a tragedy." The aunt shook her head, turned around, and pushed her cart away, disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Meanwhile, Jack had already pushed open the door and gone inside.
604. The furnishings here look like those of an ordinary hotel. Jack comfortably lay down on the bed and turned his head to see the Bluetooth speaker on the table.
Great, there's this too.
He quickly connected to a Bluetooth speaker and started listening to music, closing his eyes comfortably as he listened.
Not long after, the speaker suddenly made a hissing sound.
Huh? The speaker is broken?
The next moment, Jack's eyes widened.
He heard a woman crying coming from the speaker.
The crying was intermittent, but becoming increasingly clear.
It's like someone is lying on their pillow crying.
————————
Lu Mingran's room was right across from Cheng Yungui's. Feeling bored being alone, he went to Cheng Yungui's room to play games.
They said they were playing games, but actually they just wanted someone to give them courage, because Lu Mingran knew what might happen in the middle of the night. Cheng Yungui, on the other hand, sat at the table, analyzing the script.
This time, the script was presented step by step, increasing the difficulty. Now, Cheng Yungui felt that the extra invitation must be suspicious.
"By the way, you said Jack lives alone in the back room, he should be fine, right?" Cheng Yungui tapped on the paper with his pen.
Although Cheng Yungui wasn't as kind and generous as his senior, Xiao Tao, he had a good heart and still treated Jack as a friend.
However, Cheng Yun could vaguely sense that no matter how friendly they spoke and acted, Jack always seemed to be wary or even hostile towards them.
Take the issue of the last room as an example. Westerners also have certain customs when staying in hotels. For instance, if you see a Bible spread out on the table after entering the room, you should either check out or sleep peacefully for the night. You should never turn to another page of the Bible, because the Bible is used to ward off evil spirits.
Is Jack's insistence on staying in the last room actually a way of going against them?
Cheng Yungui shared his thoughts with Lu Mingran.
"So he's still just a kid. In my opinion, he should suffer a little."
As she said this, Lu Mingran glanced at the time displayed on her phone.
It will be midnight in two minutes.
“Yun Gui”.
His tone changed: "No matter what noises are outside, absolutely do not go out!"
After saying that, Lu Mingran sent the message to Jack upstairs.
————————
In the middle of the night, the elevator doors on the fifth floor opened, and a drunken man stepped out.
He staggered along, his vision blurred with drunkenness, and he saw what appeared to be a woman standing in the corridor. The woman was dressed strangely, wearing a dark purple cheongsam. To make matters worse, she was barefoot, carrying a pair of red cloth shoes in her right hand.
The woman had her head down, and her long black hair obscured her face, so the man couldn't see what she looked like.
Just as the man was considering whether or not to avoid the woman, he heard her voice.
She spoke, each word chilling and filled with resentment, accompanied by the sound of fingernails scratching on a door.
All I heard was her shout:
"Prosperity, democracy... prosperity, democracy..."
ah?
The man suddenly sobered up.
...
Inside the room, Lu Mingran and Cheng Yungui stared at each other.
Lu Mingran took advantage of a loophole in the script. It said the names were for three people, but it didn't say they had to be the three of them. So, the three names Lu Mingran wrote were: Prosperity, Democracy, and Civilization.
Since the invitation is mandatory, the female ghost will definitely appear, but at least she won't call anyone by name anymore.
Cheng Yungui listened intently to the commotion outside. He didn't react much when the female ghost shouted "prosperity and democracy," but when another rough male voice suddenly came over, he and Lu Mingran both looked up sharply.
The noise outside started to rise higher and higher.
"Prosperity and democracy!"
This is a female ghost's voice, full of resentment and lamentation, like a lovelorn woman accusing her heartless lover.
The drunk man shouted back:
"Civilization and Harmony!"
Author's Note: I've been asked to listen to a lecture livestream tonight... and the old teacher's home internet is incredibly slow, lol. I'll be updating this Saturday!
Chapter 56 Want to be the King of the Night? No way (8)
Cheng Yungui has completed quite a few instances in this world, each time either leaving him either terrified or calm and composed.
This time, however, he didn't know what expression to make.