Извращенная сверхъестественная академия

Глава 8

"Hmm."

"Later... I heard... someone actually saw it, and I thought it was true at the time. But compared to now, it's nothing. Has your skill increased with age?" She actually joked, but I wasn't in the mood at all, because I sensed something terrifying in her words again, though I couldn't quite place it. She laughed and continued, "But luckily I didn't know you back in provincial university. If I had been scared like this all this time, I'd have been scared to death..."

"Wait, wait, wait, what did you just say?" I interrupted her, frowning.

"What's wrong?"

"Tell me what you just said?"

"Just now? I said it was a good thing I didn't know you back then..."

"Not this one, go further ahead."

“I said that compared to now, those stories from back then are nothing.”

"It's not this one either, it's still further ahead."

"When I told people about the basketball ghost, many said it was true."

I sat up abruptly: "You said a lot of people say it's true?"

"Really? What happened now?" She blinked. "It's just talk, I've never actually encountered it."

I understand what's wrong!

It's not about hatred! It's about the story itself!

I made up a story back then, and some people believed it to be true; now that Qiu Hong is telling a story, I've actually encountered it!

What terrified me most was that she told the story first, and then I encountered strange things! Just like when I made up a story first and others believed it!

Whether the stories I told can come true is impossible to verify. But what Qiu Hong said has indeed happened to me.

Could such things be predicted?

I didn't tell Wei Weiwei about this. I lay in bed, silently smoking. Wei Weiwei wasn't asleep, but she seemed less scared now, because she was drawing circles on my chest with her finger, making me very ticklish. So I decided to scare her again: "What did you just see?"

"Oh, stop talking." Her circling finger paused.

Are you scared?

“Hmm,” he paused, “but it’s alright.”

"how?"

She reached out and hugged me: "Because of you."

I was a little touched. I looked down at her. Her hair, damp with sweat, clung to her face. I smoothed it with my hand and asked, "Are you hot?" She started writing on my chest.

"A little."

"Take off your clothes and get some sleep."

She remained silent for a while, still relentlessly writing on my chest with her hand. I stubbed out my cigarette, and my other hand started to wander as well. She looked up and smiled sweetly: "What do you want to do?"

Suddenly I realized she had been writing something; it was three words: "I love you".

In an instant, the fear in my heart vanished completely, and another equally strong desire took over.

Being with Wei Weiwei, I no longer felt so bored. Perhaps that's just how people are; if life only has one emotion, it will eventually become tiresome. Only by constantly adding new elements and new feelings can life continue. I started to think that my previous fear and subsequent boredom might have been caused by work pressure. The terrible experience with Wei Weiwei last week was quietly eroded and offset by the subsequent deep affection between us. But on this matter, we both tacitly agreed that our conversations only extended to what happened after she entered my home; we would absolutely keep quiet about what happened in the elevator, even when we were alone together. Perhaps it was a shared illusion created under the pressure of our secret relationship for various reasons?

Although my relationship with Wei Weiwei developed faster than I expected, it seemed perfectly natural to everyone else. In any case, Wei Weiwei and I were already an open secret on stage. While not many people knew yet, the truth would eventually come out. But I was no longer afraid of being known, and Wei Weiwei felt the same way. So what if the truth came out? Enough people already knew; they couldn't expect us to break up, could they? Just kidding, we were the two pillars of the station, the entire ratings depended on us. If they angered us, we'd just quit and leave. We could just take Wei Weiwei and write horror stories to make money, right? Besides, with our abilities, what difference did it make which radio station we went to? Things change, and we'd see who could handle it then.

As I walked into the office, before I could even settle into my seat, the person at the next desk picked up a newspaper and started shaking their head: "Xiao Tao's ghost stories have come true! Host Xiao Tao has encountered a ghost again! It's true that enemies are destined to meet; today's loving couple never knew they were once bitter enemies..."

What the hell is this newspaper? I snatched it away and read: "CPC Central Committee Chairman Hu Jintao meets with Zimbabwean President," then flipped to the next page: "Bush makes a firm decision, tensions rise in the Persian Gulf." Then another page: "Yao Ming wins, the NBA goes crazy, Barkley is dumbfounded..." Below that was a picture of Barkley kissing a donkey's rear end.

That scared me half to death! Damn it, they were just kidding. Oh well, let them make a scene. They'll get used to it eventually. They're so naive. Huh? Xiao Tao encountered a ghost again? Again? How did he know I'd had another strange experience? No one but Wei Weiwei knows this. I threw the newspaper back at him, and before I could even ask a question, I saw Wei Weiwei come out of the station director's office. "The boss is looking for..." She pointed to the door of the station director's office behind her and winked at me.

"Boss, you were looking for me?"

"Yes, sit down, sit down and talk."

"What is it?" I plopped down without any hesitation.

"Well, let me put it this way," the station director interrupted his official tone, "I first heard about this from other colleagues, and then I just asked Wei Weiwei about it. You're dating Wei Weiwei, aren't you?"

I shrugged: "Yeah."

"No, don't be like that," the boss noticed my obvious resistance. "We're all adults, dating and marriage are personal freedoms, and I'm not against it. It's just that our industry is special; it's media. News spreads quickly, and any rumors or gossip originate from here. I mean, I have no personal opinion on you dating, but you absolutely cannot bring it to work. If it affects your work, the impact will be absolutely negative, and not only on your colleagues and work, but also on the public."

"Understood." A load of rubbish.

"Yes, at work, everything still has to be done as usual, and business is business."

"Of course."

"Furthermore, I will try my best to arrange your work schedules. After all, this isn't a bad thing. You two are both popular hosts on our Dadi Entertainment Channel. If you two get along well, it will actually benefit everyone. You are both young and have a bright future. Recently, the city government compiled a list of listenership for all programs on the twelve radio stations in the city." The boss took out a stack of papers and slowly opened them: "Xiao Tao's 'Ghost Talk' ranks second in the city, behind the information channel program on the traffic radio station."

This was quite unexpected. Although I was very confident in the listenership of "Xiao Tao's Ghost Talk" based on the ratings over the past few weeks—I knew that even ranking first in the city wouldn't be low—I never imagined it would be this high. Regardless, this is fantastic news. For a moment, I didn't know what to say. Then I saw my boss flip through another sheet of paper: "Music Encyclopedia is also on the list, ranking eleventh. The programs in the top ten are either news or economic information. You're the only entertainment program, and Wei Weiwei's Music Encyclopedia is also ranked quite high. Of course, we're an entertainment radio station, and entertainment programs are naturally our strength. But to stand out among so many talented people, it has to be said that you and Wei Weiwei are both excellent hosts, what you young people call NJs. Of course, in terms of relationships, we're all human, and we all have emotional needs. But I hope that you won't let relationships ruin your burgeoning careers."

Is this what you call using a combination of soft and hard tactics? I stood up: "Yes, thank you for your understanding and support, Director. Please rest assured, I will do my best to do my job well."

"Okay." The boss nodded his chubby head and added, "By the way, don't rush off. The city is holding an event to select outstanding journalists, and I've already nominated you and Wei Weiwei. You two, don't let me down."

"yes."

"Alright, that's all. Oh? By the way, I heard some people downstairs saying you've encountered a ghost?" Having finished the important matter, the boss's long face relaxed. I quickly said, "No way! Don't listen to their nonsense. Weiwei and I are going crazy from all this talking lately."

"Hehe, that's good then."

The boss is the boss; he wields both the stick and the handkerchief, using a combination of coaxing, deception, and discipline—making it impossible for anyone to disobey him. But... how did even the boss find out about that?

"...Hello, listener."

“￥#@$%^*&…” That strange conversation again! I knew it, Qiu Hong was here! She was here again! I was gradually able to distinguish that the conversation Qiu Hong made when she called was different from the resonant sound of a phone placed next to a radio. Every time she called, it sounded like… a person screaming hysterically. In the darkness, I felt a chill seep into my heart, making every hair on my body stand on end. A sinister laugh came from the other end of the line, “Hey, hehehehe…” I didn’t need to listen much to know that it was the person I feared most, one of my listeners.

"...You know who I am, right?"

"Chou... Hong?" I was startled, and my gallbladder twitched.

"Hehe, not bad."

"Miss Qiu Hong... what will you be bringing us today?"

"It was a dark, rainy night, and I was in the study room above the third teaching building of the provincial university. The rain was pouring down, making the leaves of the trees next to the teaching building rustle loudly."

Just like last time, she started talking straight to herself. Is this her style? But as soon as she started, my fear gradually subsided. Since she was already here, whatever happened was inevitable. I should just listen to what she had to say.

"Suddenly all the lights went out, I don't know why. Because the third teaching building's study room is always open all night."

"So the students all stood up, packed their bags, and prepared to leave."

"I followed everyone downstairs, but I stopped at the door because the rain was pouring down, and the splashes of water were already seeping into the Third Teaching Building." Huh? Hearing this, I wasn't scared anymore; I almost burst out laughing. I remembered I was the one who told the story of the Third Teaching Building at the provincial university. This girl actually brought it up here? Doesn't she know I'm the original author? I shook my head with a wry smile. Fine, fine, go ahead and tell your story.

"I waited and waited there, hoping the rain would let up, but the rain just wouldn't let up, and it even looked like it was going to get heavier."

"Those with rain gear had all left, leaving only seven or eight without rain gear, like me, still lingering at the gate. A few boys finally couldn't stand it anymore and ran out in the rain."

"After a while, the other girls also had friends or boyfriends bring them rain gear. So, I was left alone there waiting."

"Later, I got tired of standing, so I found a study room in the dark and sat down. Just then, I suddenly heard a noise outside."

"There are people talking outside! Who's here so late? I'm trembling with fear."

"The footsteps were getting closer and closer, heading towards my classroom! I crawled into a corner, hugged my schoolbag to my chest, and didn't dare to move."

Suddenly I heard a burst of laughter, a woman's giggling laughter. I was so frightened that I almost screamed. I quickly covered my mouth with my hand because I had heard that if you encounter a ghost, you must hide so that it can't find you.

"The footsteps got closer and closer, and I realized there was more than one person; there was also a man's voice. It turned out to be a couple outside. I breathed a sigh of relief; I had scared myself."

"The girl suddenly said she needed to go to the restroom, so they went upstairs."

Hearing this, I turned on the desk lamp and unconsciously took out a cigarette and lit it, because I didn't know why, but something felt off. Qiu Hong's narration made me fully recall this story. I told this story, but—I glanced at the newly installed mirror; my reflection was deathly pale, beads of sweat glistening on my forehead under the lamplight. I was startled by my own appearance. Was this really me? Qiu Hong's slightly hoarse voice continued:

"Oh, right, I forgot to mention. The Third Teaching Building is a very large teaching building with four floors. The men's restrooms are on the first and third floors, and the women's restrooms are on the second and fourth floors. The Third Teaching Building is a U-shaped building with a small garden in the middle. The staircase is located at one corner of the U-shape."

“I heard them walking toward the restroom. The man said, ‘Let’s just do it on this floor.’ The woman said coquettishly, ‘No, what if someone’s there?’ So they walked toward the corner of the stairs.”

"I suddenly had a mischievous idea. They scared me so badly just now, so it wouldn't hurt for me to get a little revenge, I thought. Hehehe."

Qiu Hong laughed again for no apparent reason, but this time I wasn't surprised; I had a vague premonition of what she was going to say.

"So I quietly followed them, and they had no idea that someone was following them. They were even flirting with each other."

"I went up to the second floor with them. In the darkness, a cherry-red spot hung in mid-air, flickering between light and shadow. The man was smoking by the toilet door, and the woman must have been inside."

"So, while the man was facing me, I suddenly rushed into the bathroom."

"The woman was in the restroom, her raincoat hanging outside. I suddenly had an idea, so I quietly put on the raincoat and went outside."

"I linked arms with the man and deliberately walked very fast, quickly drawing him away from the restroom. The man was puzzled: 'Why are you wearing a raincoat?'"

I lowered my voice and hummed, "Cold..."

"The man no longer suspected anything and put his arm around me as we walked towards the stairs."

"A strange thing happened: when we got to the corner, the stairs disappeared! There were no stairs!"

"'We must have gone to the wrong place,' the man said to me. I could only nod, but I was already starting to get scared. I remembered very clearly that we hadn't gone to the wrong place. The stairs should be in this corner! But I couldn't speak. I prayed that I was mistaken, since it was pitch black that day without any streetlights."

"So we went to the next corner of the character '回'. Still nothing!"

I glanced at the mirror again, and the more I looked, the more horrified I became. The desk lamp was dim, barely enough to see my own face; the rest of the huge live-streaming room was pitch black. This made me even more terrified. Who knew what was lurking in the darkness behind me? I felt a chill run down my spine—cold sweat. Damn Wei Wei! What a load of rubbish that mirror is; I have no idea what she's thinking.

"The man started to get anxious, and so did I, so we started jogging."

"We reached the third corner. Still no stairs! The man was still fooling himself, saying, 'Aren't we going in the wrong direction, going around in circles?' I could only nod again. Really, how can two people be wrong at the same time?"

"So we walked to the fourth corner, and the man started to feel something was wrong, because the toilet was right next to the fourth corner, so the fourth one was also the first one!"

"I felt my hand trembling as I held it. Suddenly, the man shook off my hand and sped off. So I could only silently follow behind him. Hehehehehe..."

Qiu Hong laughed again for no apparent reason, but this time I wasn't surprised; I had a vague premonition of what she was going to say.