At about 10:00 pm, we closed up shop and prepared for departure. Dali suggested we have supper first since it was late. Bingxin’s presence was like a dose of adrenaline for him.
"Forget supper!” I snorted. “Make it a quick trip. We’ll go and prove it’s false. Do you really think I’m that interested?"
"But we hardly hang out together!" argued Dali.
Dali insisted on having supper and found a stall selling seafood porridge. While he went to order, I briefly explained Dali’s dismal emotional life to Bingxin, and with her high EQ, she soon understood the situation. “I’m not gonna be the bitch who breaks people’s relationships. I promise I won’t reply to Dali’s text messages in the future..." she said, covering her mouth with a giggle.
I nodded, "I’m worried. This idiot's emotional intelligence is shockingly low!"
Bingxin poked my cheek, "Pot calling the kettle black! In fact, I text Dali to talk about you most of the time!" She took out her cell phone and said, "Song Yang-gege, please play Honor of Kings with me!"
"Now?" I arched an eyebrow.
"Isn't this a good excuse for ignoring Dali?" she smiled.
"Alright!"
A while later, Dali came back with the food. Seeing how much fun we had, he said, "Honor of Kings? Let me join too!"
"No way, you suck!" sniffed Bingxin.
When Dali insisted on joining our game, Bingxin retorted, "Stop disturbing us, alright? Why don’t you spend some time with Luo Youyou?"
With nothing else to do, Dali and Luo Youyou chatted about the latest movies.
After supper, we headed for Redbud Road. There were few people on the streets. Dali and Luo Youyou walked in front while Bingxin and I trailed behind, her hands tightly gripping mine.
"It's so hot! Don’t you think so? My hands are sweating,” I frowned.
"You told me to draw a clear line between Dali and I. Well, here I am, putting words into action,” she smiled cheerfully. “By the way, what do you think of my outfit?"
She was wearing a bright-colored dress and carrying a cute bag while her hair was neatly pinned with a velvet hair clip. "You look beautiful!" I complimented.
"Xiaotao-jiejie showed off the dress you sent her the other day,” she pouted.
"It was a bet!" I chuckled.
"In which you lost?" Bingxin looked surprised.
"She lost!"
"What? So she gets pretty clothes when she loses?” Bingxin grabbed my arm, “I want to bet with you as well!”
"What's the bet?" I sighed.
"I bet this ghost bus really exists!"
I never even considered the possibility of such a supernatural phenomenon to be real. "That’s absolutely impossible! It’s fake, I’m sure of it," I scoffed.
Bingxin raised her eyebrows, "Alright then. If you lose, buy me a dress that I like."
"And what if you lose?"
"Up to you!" Bingxin puffed up her chest.
I didn’t need new clothes, so after a moment’s contemplation, I added, "The store is hiring a part-time worker to hand out flyers. How about working half the day on the weekends?"
"It sounds boring, but alright!"
Then she stretched out her little finger and hooked mine.
When we arrived at Redbud Road, there were almost no cars on the street. The four of us stood on the sidewalk like fools for about twenty minutes when I suggested, "Let’s go home. The ghost bus is nonsense. It’s some urban myth made up online."
"Let’s wait a while more," Dali interjected.
Noticing Bingxin yawn and lean lazily against me, Dali acquiesced, "Why don't we just forget it? Send Bingxin-meimei home to rest."
"I’m not sleepy!" declared Bingxin.
Luo Youyou’s smile immediately dimmed.
Right then, a voice sounded from behind. "Excuse me, are you guys waiting for the ghost bus?"
We turned around to see a boy with a digital camera slung around his neck, dressed in hip-hop style–he had a cool cap and baggy trousers.
"I’ll introduce myself. My name is Zhou Yang and I’ve traveled from another city to verify this urban legend,” he said. “You may have heard of my Weibo. It’s called ‘Nighttime Ghost Encounters’!"
“You’re the blogger from that paranormal account!” Luo Youyou burst out in excitement. “I’ve been following you for several years. Your paranormal research is amazing!"
Zhou Yang scratched his head and smiled shyly, "You’re flattering me. I was able to write those posts because I personally visited each and every paranormal location."
"Wow, really?” gushed Luo Youyou. “The cat-faced old lady, the home of eighty-one ghosts and the subway mummy were all investigated by you? That’s incredible!”
As the two chatted enthusiastically, Dali looked displeased instead.
Bingxin whispered in my ear, "Luo Youyou’s enthusiasm is intentional. She’s trying to annoy Dali."
"How can you tell?" I looked at her in astonishment.
Bingxin held her tummy in laughter and pointed to her forehead. “That’s because I have a pair of invisible antennas on my head that can read people’s thoughts!"
I knew exactly what she was implying–it was a sarcastic jab at my lack of emotional intelligence!
Zhou Yang didn’t seem genuine to me. The subject of their conversation soon turned to Luo Youyou. His flirtatious eyes lingered on her chest and the bottom of her skirt.
Pushed past the point of tolerance, Dali walked over and joined the conversation, deliberately diverting Zhou Yang’s attention.
Meanwhile, Bingxin searched online and cautioned, "You should advise Luo Youyou to be careful! This guy doesn't make very good comments online. A number of netizens have revealed that he likes sleeping with his fans."
"To be honest, I don’t have a good opinion of these internet celebrities," I remarked.
We waited for another half hour and I glanced at the time–it was almost midnight. There wasn’t a car in sight and I was beginning to think this whole investigation was a waste of time.
Bingxin leaned sleepily against me. "Why don’t I take you home?" I persuaded.
Bingxin shook her head and kept her eyes closed. "No, I want that dress! Let’s wait until midnight!" A few minutes later, she shivered and hugged her shoulders. "Song Yang-gege, why is it so cold?"
Her clothes were too thin to keep her warm so I removed my coat and placed it over her body. Bingxin muttered a low thanks.
Suddenly, Zhou Yang shouted, "Look! Over there!"
Dashing to the curb, he frantically snapped photos. I looked straight ahead and found nothing but fog.
Wait a minute, there seemed to be something hidden in the fog!
Right then, the overhead street lamp flickered and the outline of a bus slowly emerged from within the fog.
Luo Youyou squealed, "I told you it’s real!"
Filled with disbelief, I stared wide-eyed at the bus.
It was an old-fashioned bus that had been out of commission for a long time. Broken and decrepit, it drove through the night. The lower part of the bus was completely shrouded in fog so we couldn’t see the wheels turning. It was as if the bus was gliding silently on the road.
The dimly-lit bus was devoid of passengers.
There was no light on the driver's seat where a man wearing a cap was seen slowly turning the steering wheel. His movements were stiff and his face expressionless, much like the dead...