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墨書 Inktalez
Fortunately, nothing else happened afterward. As soon as the photo was taken, I eagerly pulled Lin You away. It wasn't until we stepped into the brilliant sunlight outside that my heart began to calm down.
"Anxin, what's wrong with you? You don't know how to cherish such a great opportunity? Others would fight tooth and nail for this, and here it is being given to us for free. How did I end up with a friend like you?"
I had just taken a deep breath when Lin You stood in front of me, unleashing a torrent of scolding. In the past, I would have shrugged it off, maybe exchanged some banter with her, and then we would both laugh and head home together.
But this time, her tone was excessively harsh, and her expression was filled with blame and anger, clearly showing her disgust.
"Xiao You, what's wrong? I just felt stifled inside and wanted to leave."
"Stifled? You think such good service is stifling? I see that all you care about is that jerk. Who knows if he’s going to eat you alive one day? I wouldn’t even know how you died! Anxin, let me warn you—I like Shizui. If you try to stop me from pursuing him, we’re done."
Lin You's words struck deep; my heart ached. Although we had argued and insulted each other before, we had never reached this point. It felt like being rejected and despised.
"You're willing to end our friendship over a man?" I chuckled bitterly. "Xiao You, after all these years of friendship, how can you be so heartless?"
"It's not about being heartless. In front of the man I like, all women are enemies, including you. Don’t think I don’t notice how much Shizui cares for you, but remember—he's mine!"
With that, Lin You stormed off, leaving me feeling unsettled. Based on her initial reaction to Shizui today, it seemed like mere infatuation; who knew it would escalate to this?
Lin You had changed so much in such a short time. Though I felt sad, I also sensed something was off. Turning back to glance at the "For You in This Life" photography studio, I couldn't shake the feeling that something strange lingered there.
A chill ran down my spine as I worried about Lin You and decided to chase after her.
"She clearly came this way; where could she have gone?"
I stood in front of an alley diagonally across from the back door of In This Life for You Photography Studio. I distinctly remembered Lin You turning left at the store entrance and then right; she should have ended up here.
But the surroundings were empty, devoid of anything.
Although it was just a street away, this place was not a commercial area; the hustle and bustle had no connection here, only a few alleys remained.
I remembered someone mentioning that this area had bad feng shui. It used to be part of the commercial district, but the shops here seemed to lose money every day, eventually renting out to migrant workers. Who knew that those living here would die for no apparent reason?
Such news spread like wildfire; regardless of its truth, there were always believers, especially among those who took feng shui seriously. Gradually, rumors grew, and this place fell into disrepair.
Several alleys were blocked off, and buildings had been torn down. Now, only the alley in front of me led to the road across.
Once, I passed through here at night; the darkness scared me so much that I chose to take a detour instead of entering.
But today, I watched Lin You walk this way. Coming from that direction, there was no other way out.
“Xiao You, where are you? Xiao You?” I called out loudly several times, but aside from the echo, there was no response. “Maybe she went back from the front?”
Thinking this, I steeled myself and walked in. It was broad daylight, yet this place felt chillingly cool.
I couldn’t tell if it was just my imagination, but I felt as if someone was following me. Each time I turned around to look, there was nothing there. It made my heart race; if Jun Chong found out that after everything I had been through I was still afraid of ghosts, he would surely laugh at me. Even Molin would be rolling on the ground with laughter.
I clenched my fists tightly and looked up at the glaring sun to encourage myself. “There’s nothing to be afraid of; after all, Hairpin is here to protect me. It’s still daytime; everything will be fine.”
I took a deep breath and decided to push through the alley in one go. But after walking quite a distance, I realized I was still halfway to the exit.
The exit was so close, yet no matter how I walked or ran, I always found myself stopping in the middle.
I tried both sides and finally closed my eyes to walk out. It was useless; this alley was empty—nothing at all. The wind howled softly, and the ancient walls were mottled with patches that looked like something had stuck to them and dried up. Occasionally, a stone would be recessed into the wall; from a distance, it seemed like pairs of eyes were watching me.
I couldn't tell if it was just my imagination, but suddenly, the alley felt eerily similar to the one I had seen in yesterday's newspaper about a murder case.
"It should be around here somewhere. It can't really be this one, can it?" I shivered and tried to reassure myself, "Don't think about it. If it were true, the police would definitely have set up a checkpoint here."
Just then, a loud bang echoed through the air, startling me so much that I jumped. When I looked up again, I found the exit ahead completely blocked. I quickly turned to look behind me, and it was the same there.
"Where did this door come from?"
I dashed forward, easily reaching the exit this time. Just as I was about to burst through, I realized that what was blocking the exit was a mass of black hair, writhing and moving. A bloodied face emerged from the dark strands and flashed me a strange smile.
"Ah—"
I turned and ran in terror. Thankfully, the alley was only as tall as I was, so I used the light above to step on the uneven wall and prepared to climb out.
But suddenly, hair from both sides stretched up towards the sky, completely covering the rectangular patch of light above me. Darkness fell like a heavy blanket, knocking me to the ground.
My face burned with pain.
And this alley was now completely sealed off.
Although I didn't have claustrophobia, I felt a surge of panic at that moment. Just earlier, I had been relieved that there was sunlight and those things wouldn't come out to harm anyone.
But now, this place felt like a pitch-black dungeon where I couldn't see my own hand in front of my face.
I quickly pushed myself up against the wall to stand, only to find that it was sticky all over. Unable to see what it was, I brought my hand to my nose and took a sniff. A nauseating stench hit me like a wave, making me gag.
"Come on, come here, come play with us."
"Come on, join us! We are so lonely, so in pain. You should taste what we feel and become one with us!"
The mournful female voice pierced through my ears, sending shivers down my spine. I could almost feel countless icy hands touching my skin, the chill penetrating even through the fabric of my clothes, just like the sensation in that photo studio.
"Stop, let me go, let me go!"
I was genuinely panicking, my hands and feet trembling uncontrollably. Sweat beaded on my forehead and dripped down from the corners of my eyes, my heart racing wildly. Grandpa had once said that if you encounter a ghost and can't escape, shouting and cursing might help.
At this moment, I couldn't care less. I opened my mouth to curse, but unlike Lin You, I struggled to find the right words. In the end, I could only crouch on the ground and cry.
Tao Wu had left with Jun Chong, and Molin was at home. Having grown accustomed to their protection, I now found myself unable to bear this situation.
"Hairpin, right, Hairpin."
In a flurry of panic, I recited the incantation while gripping the Hairpin tightly. It emitted a faint yellow glow that pushed back the darkness before me.
"Ah—"
As I adjusted to the light, I suddenly saw a pale face with blood oozing from its seven orifices, revealing sharp fangs as it grinned at me. Terrified, I wildly jabbed at it with the Hairpin and then ran.
But I couldn't escape; the narrow alley felt like the Dark Continent, stretching endlessly around me. In the end, I could only huddle in a corner with the Hairpin clutched tightly in my hand, watching every movement around me intently.
Tears fell one by one as I realized how much I missed Jun Chong. But I couldn't show weakness; being weak would only hold him back. I wanted to walk alongside him, so I couldn't afford to be afraid.
"Anxin, you can do this." I barely noticed that the flower bud at the tip of the Hairpin had moved slightly, beginning to open.
I wiped away my tears, stood up again, and prepared to charge forward.
With the glow of the Hairpin, I suddenly saw a hand gradually reaching towards me from the wall.
I gripped the Hairpin tightly, staring at the hand. Just as it was about to grab my collar, I turned and lunged at it.
"Anxin, it's me."
Qizhe sidestepped, avoiding my attack with the Hairpin, and frowned at me.
The scene before me abruptly changed, and I struggled to adjust to the sudden sunlight, shielding my eyes with my hand.
"I just passed by here and saw you wandering back and forth, crying and cursing. No matter how much I called you, you didn't respond. What happened to you? And why is your face injured?"
As the tension in my nerves eased, my legs suddenly gave way, and I fell to the ground, tears streaming down my face.
I had truly been terrified just moments ago, almost believing I would die here and become a ghostly couple with Jun Chong. It made me realize that what I had said to Jun Chong earlier was exaggerated; when faced with real fear, I didn't want to die.
Seeing me cry, Qizhe immediately crouched down. "What’s wrong? Did Chu Fan bully you?"
I could only shake my head vigorously while crying, trying to stand up but finding myself too weak. I could only cling tightly to his clothes.
Seeing me in such distress, Qizhe picked me up without hesitation, his face filled with anger. "No matter what, you're coming back with me."
I wanted to refuse, but at that moment, I realized I couldn't leave Qizhe's side. I was afraid that if I did, I would end up locked away again like before. My heart trembled violently as I rested my head against Qizhe's chest and unexpectedly fell asleep.
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