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Song Bunan stood in the elevator, holding a bag of takeout, feeling puzzled as to why he was the one sent out to fetch it. His back was itching from a healing wound, making it hard for him to stand up straight as he twisted and turned. Despite being the one unwell, he felt like his brother was bullying him. Frustrated, he noticed that the elevator seemed to stop at every floor today, yet each time the doors opened, no one was waiting outside.
Living on the Fifteenth Floor, it took him twice as long to reach the Tenth Floor. He reluctantly set the bag down and decided to scratch his itchy back. Just then, an elderly lady entered the elevator, leaning on a cane. She stared at the button panel for a long moment before pressing the button for the Seventeenth Floor.
Standing almost side by side with her, Song Bunan felt uneasy in the dim light of the elevator, which had been out for some time. A stray glance caught the old lady's fierce expression; her silver hair was braided and pinned up with what appeared to be a silver clamp. Curious, he discreetly looked closer at the clamp and noticed it had intricate and beautiful patterns.
The elevator continued its slow journey, stopping at each floor while the old lady stood quietly beside him. Song Bunan lifted both bags of food and kept sneaking glances at that clamp. When the doors opened again and the old lady slowly walked out, he finally got a good look at it just as he realized he had arrived at the Seventeenth Floor.
As the doors began to close, he heard a strange melody coming from above. The tune sent shivers down his spine, prompting him to quickly press the button for his floor and shake his head to forget about it.
Lost in thought about the old lady's hairpin, Song Bunan opened his front door only to bump into Xin Yi. The older boy caught him by the shoulder with barely any effort, helping him regain his balance. "Have you been waiting long?" Xin Yi asked as he took the bags from Song Bunan's hands.
Shaking his head, Song Bunan replied, "No, the elevator kept stopping today. Are you hungry? Let's eat."
The dining table was already set with bowls and chopsticks. As Song Bunan excitedly opened the bags, a large hand suddenly covered his forehead. The warmth radiating from Xin Yi's palm made him feel as if his pores were opening up. "The fever has gone down; are you still feeling unwell?" Xin Yi's deep voice resonated in Song Bunan's ears—something he rarely heard in real life. It reminded him of powerful characters from animated shows whose voices brought comfort to young protagonists.
Feeling flustered, Song Bunan shook his head vigorously and replied, "Not anymore."
He admired Xin Yi; despite being somewhat aloof and quiet, there was something undeniably mature and attractive about him that drew Song Bunan in. He had always held a soft spot for good-looking people—something he had been teased about many times but felt was not a flaw—and after enjoying this eye candy, he happily continued unpacking food containers.
"I say," Song Buxian said as he emerged from the bathroom, noticing his younger brother looking at Xin Yi with an expression he'd never seen before—one so gentle it seemed like it could drip water. What he initially intended to ask morphed into another question: "Are you dating someone?"
Both boys reacted to this question; Song Bunan shook his head innocently while Xin Yi paused before calmly looking at Song Buxian.
Understanding what was going on in their minds, Song Buxian elongated his tone and asked what he originally intended: "Xin Yi said he's looking for an assistant; would you be interested in trying out an internship?"
"But I don't study that kind of major; won't I be a burden? And aren't you two working together?" Song Bunan felt unprepared for this sudden job arrangement just ten days after graduation.
Fortunately, Xin Yi responded first: "I have a secretary handling professional matters; an assistant only needs to do some minor tasks. There will be training provided so you don’t need to worry about your major."
"And as for me," Song Buxian chimed in, "I'm much busier than him, so you don’t have to worry about me checking up on you every day."
"Have you two already arranged everything?" After receiving confirmation, Song Bunan pouted slightly and murmured, "Then why ask me..." He watched as Xin Yi opened the last takeout box and handed him a pair of chopsticks: "Because if you're not willing, I won't force you."
"That wouldn't be necessary. As long as you're okay with it, I'm fine." Song Bunan preferred straightforwardness when it came to serious matters. Though slightly annoyed by his brother's approach, he agreed since job-related decisions often required family input.
Dinner turned out to be enjoyable; Xin Yi explained what tasks would be involved in detail while they discussed their start dates together. As they wrapped up their meal and prepared to say goodbye, Xin Yi helped clear away dishes and grabbed the trash bag as he headed for the door. Song Bunan insisted on accompanying him out.
In the elevator again, Song Bunan heard that strange music once more. He tilted his ear to listen closely but noticed that as they descended, the sound gradually faded away. "Xin Yi, did you hear that music?" Once outside in the cold breeze that slipped through his collar made him shiver.
Xin Yi nodded before opening the building door first: "I heard it; it’s probably funeral music from someone who passed away in our building. It's chilly outside; don’t linger too long—call me if you need anything."
Back inside the elevator with a silly grin on his face after adding Xin Yi on WeChat, Song Bunan was so happy that he forgot to press any buttons for their floor. The elevator ascended without raising any alarms until it stopped again at the Seventeenth Floor where that same old lady stood waiting outside with not just her cane but also a medium-sized black plastic bag in hand. The music could be heard clearly now along with a faint smell of burning paper wafting through the air.
Thinking back to what Xin Yi had just said about Funeral Music, he couldn't help but lean out to see what was happening outside. Just as one foot was about to leave the elevator, it was suddenly tapped by an old lady's cane. It didn't hurt, but it startled him. Rubbing his leg, he looked at the old lady with a puzzled expression and suddenly noticed in the elevator's mirror that there was an old man in a Zhongshan suit standing outside the door.
However, when he turned to look, all he saw was darkness; nothing was there. Surprised, the elevator doors began to close, and the old lady, who merely glared at him without speaking, pressed the button for the fifteenth floor and then the ground floor. Confused about what had just happened, Song Bunan felt it best not to ask further questions and straightened up to wait for the elevator to reach his floor.
After stepping out, he wanted to thank the old lady but turned around only to find that the old man was still standing inside the elevator next to her, staring at him with a rather unsettling smile. The old lady seemed oblivious to everything, coldly switching her cane to the other hand.
The night before, after being chased by ghosts, Song Bunan stood in the hallway for a long time. After thinking it over, he sent a WeChat message to Xiao Mei: "Xiao Mei, I think I saw a ghost."
Meanwhile, Xiao Mei had just settled down in her large house after tidying up and was chatting with Zhang Long beside her, complaining about how foolish people had been during their adventures in Dragon Garden over the past two years. As both of them began to feel sleepy and were ready to drift off, Xiao Mei's phone suddenly dinged beside her. The message left her momentarily stunned as she stared at the screen without reacting. It wasn't until Zhang Long, half-awake, leaned over and asked who it was that she abruptly sat up and started changing her clothes.
According to Song Bunan himself, he had never seen any ghosts or monsters in real life before going to Dragon Garden; he had only encountered them in dreams. He wasn't one to lie easily and promised he would tell her if anything like that ever happened again. Now that he claimed to have seen a ghost, it might very well be that this ability had been activated.
Zhang Long yawned and sat up as well, asking what was so urgent. Xiao Mei smiled and replied, "Do you remember that person I mentioned earlier?"
The now more alert Zhang Long took a sip of water and asked, "The one from Dragon Garden who came alive? What's wrong with him?"
"He said he saw a ghost."
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