I caught up with Xia Mengmeng downstairs. She heard the footsteps and looked back at me. I got shy every time I talked to girls, so I stammered, “Um, it’s very late right now. I’ll accompany you to the taxi.”
She smiled a little and uttered, “Thank you.”
I felt uncomfortable walking with her alone. I understood why Dali didn’t come to send her now. When she heard that two people were fighting, Xia Mengmeng got worried.
“Please tell Dali not to associate himself with that kind of person,” she asked me. “When Dali was singing, Ye Shiwen tried to touch my hand. I hate those kinds of sleazy guys the most.”
“Well, you can’t blame him completely, I guess. After all, his parents got divorced since he was young. No one probably taught him how to behave properly.”
Xia Mengmeng sighed. “You’re being too generous!”
My face reddened. I then remembered to put a good word in for Dali. So I changed the subject quickly. I mentioned how much of a loyal friend Dali was, and how he was always respectful towards girls.
Xia Mengmeng turned out to be a very civilized and polite girl. She responded to everything I said with a nod and listened to me intently without interrupting me. When I finished, she asked, “Is your name Song Yang?”
I glanced at her. I had been talking about Dali the whole time, but in the end she turned the subject back to me instead.
“Yeah,” I replied.
“I have a feeling that you’re not a normal college student.” She smiled.
“What am I like, then? A hooligan?” I laughed.
“No, no,” Xia Mengmeng considered for a while. “It feels like although your outer appearance looks nave, you are actually very mature inside.”
“Seriously? But I was born in 1995.”
“Which month?” she asked.
“October.”
“Then I’m older than you. I was born in March of the same year.”
“Oh!” I fell silent for a while, then remembered my job as Dali’s wingman. “You know, Dali he’s…”
Xia Mengmeng sighed. “By the way, Song Yang, are you really studying applied electronics?”
In the end, we chatted all the way until she got into the taxi. Xia Mengmeng even took my number. After sending her away, she sent a text message to me, “Thank you for tonight. I hope we can be friends in the future.”
I pondered about it for a bit. What did it mean? Could it be that Dali had hope?
After returning to the private room, I saw Dali and Ye Shiwen were both tired, and they each occupied a corner of the sofa. Both of them were frowning. Zhang Yan was singing Happy Breakup.
“Where’s Mengmeng?” Dali asked me.
“I sent her off in a taxi. Also, I got you her number.”
Dali was overjoyed and promised me that he would invite me to dinner the next day. He then gave Ye Shiwen a scornful look.
Even after all that had happened, the three of them went on to sing and had fun for the rest of the night. I really couldn’t understand these people at all.
At 10:30 pm, Ye Shiwen drove us back to college. Originally, he refused to drive us back, but I subtly threatened him, “I have a classmate who is an editor at the school literary society. Would you like me to publicize your glorious deeds tonight?” He gave me a look and reluctantly agreed to take us back to school.
But what I never expected happened. Halfway back, Ye Shiwen’s car stalled. Dali asked, “Your car is broken? It must be a used car!”
“If you don’t shut your mouth, I will leave you right here!” yelled Ye Shiwen.
He then went down to check the engine. Zhang Yan went to the bushes by the road and relieved herself. This was a rather desolate road. When Zhang Yan came back, she nervously said , “There is actually a big mansion over there, but not a light was on. Could it be a haunted house?”
“What’s so scary about a haunted house?” Dali patted his chest. “Not trying to brag, but I’ve seen loads of ghosts.”
Ye Shiwen suddenly asked, “Do any of you have any water?”
“What happened?” I asked.
“I forgot to refill the water in the water tank. It’s all dried up. I have to pour some water into it.” Ye Shiwen explained.
No one had water. There was a mineral water bottle in the car, but it was empty. Although there was a possibility that we could fill the bottle with urine and add it to the car, because a girl was with us, we were all too embarrassed to mention it.
Any time guys were in the presence of girls, even if the girls weren’t pretty, the guys would often become more reserved.
There was no convenience store around, either. Ye Shiwen sat in the car and smoked a cigarette in a sullen mood. Suddenly, he cried, “Wait! Did someone say there’s a house nearby?”
“Are you trying to suggest going to that haunted house to get some water?” asked Zhang Yan. “Forget about it! It looks scary!”
“What are you afraid of? There are four of us here,” answered Ye Shiwen.
“What if the house is unoccupied?” Zhang Yan asked again.
“There must be a faucet there at least. We’ll just take some water and leave. That can’t be counted as trespassing, right?”
Although Ye Shiwen was very annoying, it would be very troublesome to go back to the dormitory after eleven o’clock. We were now in a dire situation. He locked the car and took the mineral water bottle and the four of us went to the house.
It was an old European-style two-story mansion. It stood in complete darkness, and dense wild grass grew around it. The house was quite stylish, but it somehow made people feel uneasy when they got closer to it. You could say that it was because the feng shui of the house was bad.
There was a gravel road that led to the front door, but it had been overgrown by grass. There were a few piles of dried manure around. I couldn’t tell if it was left by people or animals. The glass windows facing the street were almost all broken. It was clear that it was an abandoned house.
Zhang Yan stuttered, “This house looks so scary! Ye Shiwen, why don’t you go in there alone?”
“You coward!” Ye Shiwen spat. “There is no ghost in this world! Don’t be ridiculous!”
“If you’ll go inside, then I’ll go too! I’m not afraid!” Dali proclaimed.
“Okay, let’s go,” I waved my hand.
Zhang Yan was afraid to be left behind, so when the three of us went ahead, she cried, “Wait for me!”
As soon as we entered the house, we were inside what used to be the living room. The wallpaper on the walls had peeled off because of the wind and the sun. The curtains were also ragged, and they swayed slightly in the wind. The floor creaked with every step we took.
There was a grand staircase right beyond the front door. Faint starlight streamed down from the top. It looked just like a scene in a horror movie.
When we reached the stairs, Ye Shiwen frowned and hesitated to go up. Dali laughed and jeered, “You’re the one calling other people cowards, remember? What are you afraid of now?”
Although I might point out that as Dali was saying those words, his hand was tightly clutching my clothes.
“It's too dark up there!" Ye Shiwen made an excuse. “What if I accidentally fall down the stairs? It won’t be worth it.”
“Just hold up your phone to light the way,” Dali suggested.
“It’s out of battery. Why don’t you go ahead and lead everyone?”
“Sorry, but my phone is out of battery too!” Dali shook his head frantically.
I’d had enough of these people.
“Forget it, I’m going ahead. Follow me.”
With my Cave Vision, there was no need for any light at all. I walked up the stairs calmly, but the three people hesitated to catch up with me. I looked back and saw that all three were holding up their phones. Who was it that said their phone was out of battery? Idiots!
When we were halfway up the stairs, Zhang Yan suddenly screamed, “A hand is grabbing me! A hand is grabbing me!”
We looked around, but it turned out that her skirt was just caught by a wire. Zhang Yan smiled apologetically.
There were quite a lot of rooms on the second floor. I told them to stop first, then listened to the sounds. Dali asked me what I was listening to. Was there really a ghost?
“Ghosts aren’t half as scary as people!” I shot back.
“You’ve got to be kidding!” Ye Shiwen interjected disdainfully. “There won't be anyone here.”
“Are you sure? This kind of abandoned house often house tramps at night, and even rogue murderers,” I countered.
When they heard those words, all of them turned pale. I really didn't mean to scare them. It was just a fact to prepare them for the worst.
I listened carefully. There should be no one here. Therefore, there was no reason to be afraid. I didn’t care about things that posed no real threat. Even if there was a ghost in the dark, I would be shocked for a while, but ultimately nothing else would happen.
We checked the room one by one. Zhang Yan said, “Aren’t bathrooms usually at the end of the hallway?”
“You’re right,” I nodded. “Let’s go!”
The corridor was very dark and it felt like a long tunnel. It was, after all, a moonless night.
I deliberately stopped to let Ye Shiwen go first. Who knew that he actually stopped too? He used his eyes to signal me to lead the way.
“You first.” The smile on my face widened.
His face turned sour as he stepped back and said, “No, you go ahead. My eyes aren’t as good as yours. I’m afraid I might fall.”
I secretly laughed. Why couldn’t he just admit that he was afraid? Was he so worried that people might look down on him?
I took the lead and walked in front. There really was a bathroom at the end of the corridor, but there was no running water. The water pipe had already rusted. Ye Shiwen cursed in frustration. Zhang Yan asked, “So, are we going to spend the night in the car?”
“It’s much better in here than the car. Let’s stay here instead!” I then pulled the shower curtain, and everyone jumped in fright at the sudden noise.
“Song Yang, don't scare me, okay?” urged Zhang Yan. “I don't want to stay in this haunted place for a second!”
“Okay,” I nodded. “Let’s go out and try the car engine again.”
We were about to go outside when the door of a room in the hallway suddenly opened.
Zhang Yan stammered, “H-How d-did the door just open like that? It’s just the wind, right?”
She glanced up into the room and screamed at the top of her lungs. It almost pierced my eardrums. After that, she collapsed into tears. Ye Shiwen was stunned. He asked, “What’s wrong?”
Zhang Yan’s lips quivered, but she was so shaken she couldn’t utter a word.
Ye Shiwen went in to see it himself. Then he ran back out—his movements were stiff and his face was pale. I patted his shoulder to get his attention, but he was so frightened by the touch he almost jumped out of his skin.
“What is it?” I asked.
“T-There are… There are dead people in the room!” shrieked Ye Shiwen.