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墨書 Inktalez
The next morning, it wasn't the sunlight or an alarm clock that woke the sleeping person, but the sound of the bedroom door being pushed open and breakfast that was nearly hot enough to scorch his face. Song Bunan sat up in bed, his still-drowsy mind heavy with sleep, making it tempting to drift back off. However, the voice nearby reminded him that he could only return to sleep after his older brother left for work. He closed his sore eyes and stretched, trying to ease his body a bit. After a yawn, he finally managed to speak: "Brother, what time is it?"
In truth, the person who had been awakened didn't know who was standing next to him at that moment, but he figured that only his brother would come at this hour to wake him up—someone who allowed late-night gaming but couldn't stand lazy mornings. So, Song Bunan braced himself for a lecture from his brother and prepared for the inevitable scolding that would accompany the sound of clothes being put on. Just then, a gentle voice filled with warmth reached his ears, quickening his heartbeat.
"It's only seven o'clock. I was going to let you know I bought breakfast and that you should eat when you wake up, but it seems I've completely woken you up instead."
This statement was far more effective than cold water splashed on his face. Song Bunan remained in a kneeling position on the bed, reaching for his clothes but unsure whether to lie back down or get up. Wearing only a pair of loose shorts while sleeping made him feel like he was on fire, especially his head, which felt as if it were submerged in boiling oil.
Unable to see the expression of the person behind him, he swallowed hard and slowly put on his sleepwear while standing on the floor. He tucked his chin in as much as possible to avoid letting anyone see how red his face had become. Embarrassed and shy, he managed to stammer out, "Good morning, Brother Xin Yi..."
At that moment, if there had been a crack in the ground, Song Bunan felt he could have been the first to dive into it and seal himself in with cement.
Clearly aware of his awkwardness, Xin Yi smiled and returned the greeting before heading into the kitchen. As soon as Song Bunan saw him leave the bedroom, his knees nearly buckled beneath him. He leaned against the bed and took deep breaths in an attempt to dispel his embarrassment, but it was evident that he couldn't calm down; even his back felt like it was burning.
Splashing cold water on his face in the bathroom didn't help at all. Outside, Xin Yi called for him to eat while it was still warm. Not wanting to be seen with such a flushed face any longer, Song Bunan steeled himself and grabbed a facial mask from where his mother had left it on a nearby shelf. The black butterfly-shaped mask fit perfectly over his face, covering everything except for his eyes and mouth.
Normally, he would tease his mother about how strange she looked while wearing her mask and eating fruit at the same time; now he thought this invention was nothing short of miraculous.
Stepping out of the bathroom with the black butterfly mask on his face, he bumped into Xin Yi just as he was drying his hands before entering. They both froze for a moment—Song Bunan out of nervousness and Xin Yi out of surprise. The awkward silence was broken first by Xin Yi, who stifled a laugh by turning away slightly and covering his mouth with a tissue. When he lowered his hand, only a gentle smile remained on his face.
"You have quite an elaborate morning routine," he said. "The porridge will get cold; eat something before you go back to sleep. I'm heading off to work now. If you don't want to cook for lunch later, just let me know so we can eat out."
After saying this, Xin Yi ruffled Song Bunan's hair affectionately as if petting a plush toy before decisively withdrawing his hand and grabbing his bag as he headed toward the door. "Finish eating before you sleep some more; it's still early! See you at noon." Xin Yi completed these tasks seamlessly without giving Song Bunan a chance to respond until the door clicked shut behind him. Only then did Song Bunan mumble a soft "See you at noon."
Feeling utterly embarrassed now that he was alone again, he peeled off the mask from his face and squatted beside the toilet for quite some time without being able to shake off the image of Xin Yi trying not to laugh earlier from his mind. He couldn't analyze what kind of expression had been in Xin Yi's eyes; it was something complex and unfamiliar that he'd only seen in dramas before. But one thing became clear: Xin Yi's gaze toward him was definitely not like that.
Song Bunan had intended to think this through carefully when he stood up after feeling numb in his legs and sat down at the dining table to nibble on some slightly cold buns. Just as he replayed scenes related to those kinds of expressions in dramas in an attempt to analyze things further, he heard his phone ringing from afar.
On the other end was Xiao Mei, saying there was no need for him to come over tonight because she was already on her way here. Just as Song Bunan opened his mouth to ask about it further, someone shouted for Xiao Mei to hurry up from her side of the call. Then came hurried footsteps followed by busy signals amidst all that noise.
Feeling like something must have gone wrong over there, Song Bunan wanted to call back for clarification but found that Xiao Mei's phone had already died during those brief moments of hesitation. A chill ran down his spine; something unexpected must have happened for such an issue to arise. But now he had no idea where they were; if he rushed out looking for them without knowing their location, it might delay him even more.
For some time afterward, Song Bunan sat on the living room sofa with his phone in hand, hoping it would ring again with Xiao Mei saying she had arrived at the neighborhood so she could get inside without needing help opening the door. However, even after Xin Yi returned home carrying lunch bags without any calls coming through again from Xiao Mei’s side, anxiety gnawed at him.
If they were driving from Dragon Garden to their neighborhood, it should take just over an hour by car; yet they hadn't arrived after all this time—something must have happened.
He shared these concerns with Xin Yi while still holding onto lunch bags in hand; however, Xin Yi merely shook his head slightly at him. "Have you considered that you don't really know her well? From what you've said so far today, you're just acquaintances who met online not long ago."
Upon hearing this statement from Xin Yi, Song Bunan suddenly understood why he'd felt something was off lately: during these past few days since returning from Dragon Garden when he'd shared stories about their adventures at home with Xin Yi present beside him all along—Xin Yi always maintained a smile paired with an expression of helplessness while listening. That kind of look felt like one directed toward a child playing around.
"Brother Xin Yi," Song Bunan raised his head and looked earnestly into Xin Yi's deep brown eyes as he asked seriously: "Do you believe in ghosts?"
The answer came back just as earnestly: "Young people love strange stories don’t they? I respect your imaginative spirit but I don’t believe in such things."
"Then do you think everything I've told my brother recently—including what I just said about Xiao Mei—is just storytelling?" He waited for an answer based on what he'd sensed earlier: "Stories among children are often filled with fantasy and adventure."
So that's why he'd felt worried about Xiao Mei being in trouble was unnecessary after all. Song Bunan tucked away his phone and nodded at Xin Yi: "You're right; I actually planned on posting this story on a forum later—to see if anyone would be interested."
【React according to whom you're facing】—he'd known this saying since childhood and always understood how best to apply it. Now it became clear that since Xin Yi held no understanding or even maintained a dismissive attitude toward such matters moving forward from this moment onward—he wouldn't need to share anything related with him anymore.
While eating together at lunchtime discussing work starting next week—praising Xin Yi’s serious attitude toward work—he became even more convinced that this person truly was an avowed atheist. Fortunately though news finally came through from Xiao Mei; a text message briefly stated where they would meet later that afternoon along with timing details which surprised Song Bunan regarding why she chose such a location.
"Three o'clock, Jiang Family Courtyard."
The sudden turn of events caught them off guard. Xiao Mei and Zhang Long were conducting their routine inspection of the house when they were about to leave, only to be met with danger before they could react. For the first time, the Dragon Garden, known for its occasional nighttime incidents, revealed its unexpected side in broad daylight: a hungry ghost, trapped on the first floor by Xiao Mei, suddenly broke free from its seal and charged towards them, completely unfazed by the sunlight streaming in through the window.
The skeletal hungry ghost emitted a hissing sound from its straw-sized mouth, reminiscent of both a snake and a person inhaling. The silence of the room amplified this unsettling noise, causing Zhang Long to feel his scalp tingle as he faced the ghost directly for the first time. He took a step back, trying to figure out how to escape, while Xiao Mei stood in front of him, pulling out a dagger from her pocket, her brow furrowed in deep thought.
Something was definitely wrong. Each room in the house was sealed; unless someone forcibly broke through, these trapped spirits could not escape on their own. Moreover, even if a ghost somehow managed to break free during the day, they would typically be unable to move under direct sunlight. Yet this hungry ghost was not only more ferocious than usual but also showed no reaction to the sunlight hitting it—this was perplexing.
"Isn't this supposed to be one of the milder ghosts? Why is it acting like it wants to eat us?!" Zhang Long exclaimed as he dodged an attack from Xiao Mei. He glanced back at the closed door, gauging how far away it was. In that moment, he caught a whiff of something foul coming from behind him—an odor thick with moisture mixed with decay. Turning around, he saw a damp water ghost crouching in the shadows not far away.
He recognized this water ghost all too well; he had gone through great lengths to pull it out of a pond and hand it over to Xiao Mei, nearly losing his life in the process. Now, seeing its rotting face again made him feel nauseous at the sight of its dangling eyeball.
The two stood back-to-back, silently communicating their fear as they faced the two ghosts that might attack them at any moment. The hungry ghost hissed and writhed on the ground while the water ghost remained crouched in the shadows, one eye fixed on him, droplets of water dripping onto the floor and releasing waves of foul odor that made him want to gag.
"Someone has broken Master’s seal and released them, using some means to make them fearless of daylight..." Xiao Mei murmured while gripping her dagger. "This person isn’t targeting us; they seem indifferent to who comes here—they just want these things out. But why? Why must it be these ghosts on the first floor?"
As Xiao Mei began analyzing their predicament aloud, Zhang Long rolled his eyes in exasperation and interjected, "Whatever the reason is can wait until we get out of here. If those two decide to attack together, I’ll be the first one sacrificed without any weapons."
The mention of sacrifice jolted Xiao Mei, making her think about what this person’s true intentions might be.
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