Days passed by, and their relationship, which was never close to begin with, drifted further apart, the so-called "going their separate ways" didn't make much of an impact on their day-to-day life.
He would still occasionally think about Lin Xingjie, but more often, he was troubled by the trivial matters of study and daily life.
"Sister won't be coming home again tonight, should I buy groceries, or just go out to eat... The monthly exam results were not bad, but the gap from the top scorer is still so big, I really don't know how that person does it... Weird, why is it so quiet today?"
Xu Xiangyang stopped in his tracks, his view ahead obstructed by the continuous shadows. He looked up, gazing forward.
At the end of this road stood a three-story house.
This place seemed to have been abandoned for quite some time, overgrown with wild grass and ivy covering the entire wall. Beneath the house, a collapsed wooden gate leaned to one side, revealing a deep, dark entrance. Most of the glass windows on the first floor were broken, boarded up with wood and newspapers as substitutes, dimly colored and covered in dust; the second and third-floor windows had curtains drawn, while others were pitch black, revealing nothing.
There was a sense of desolation everywhere, the vicinity had become a playground for stray cats and dogs, and the whole house exuded a sinister feeling, as if not even the sunlight could reach this place.
Xu Xiangyang had passed by here more than once, but each time he felt an odd sensation. That chill rising from the bottom of his heart, he could never get used to it no matter what. Therefore, he generally chose to take a detour, preferring to walk a longer path.
But this morning, he found himself here without realizing it.
The figure of Lin Xingjie, who had been walking in front of him, was long gone.
There wasn't a soul around, just the gloomy sky and the motionless trees, as though frozen in an oil painting.
Just then, from the thick underbrush beside him, came rustling noises.
He stood in front of that house, with odd, faint sounds coming from the other side of the road. It was like the murmur of voices, both male and female, and not just one person speaking.
What, what's going on?
Xu Xiangyang suddenly felt scared.
Despite desperately telling himself not to look, not to look, he couldn't help but want to turn his head; as he did so, his neck made "crackling" noises, like an old, rusted gear-filled machine.
The house in his sight was still the same house, nothing unusual about it, Xu Xiangyang stood frozen on the spot, only able to hear the sounds from inside getting louder and louder.
After a while, Xu Xiangyang could no longer bear it, driven by fear, he quickly walked to the side of a tree and hid behind it.
...
A moment later, two men and one woman emerged from the dense undergrowth near that strange house.
They were dressed youthfully, wearing loose school uniforms from the same school as Xu Xiangyang. But with their torn jeans and long, dyed hair, it was immediately clear they were the delinquent type.
The girl had a flushed face with messy hair, one of the boys was leisurely smoking, while the other was still pulling up his pants. It wasn't hard to imagine what they had just been doing inside, as they walked and talked.
...Thank goodness it's just people.
Xu Xiangyang breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but mock himself, "What do you mean 'just people'? Could it really have been a ghost? At this age, I can't believe I still get scared by such things."
He shifted slightly to avoid being noticed, planning to leave after they had gone. He didn't want to be caught eavesdropping.
Perhaps because there were no pedestrians around, their tones were excited, and they had no intention of lowering their voices.
"Doing it here feels pretty good."
"Just a bit dirty."
"Doesn't it have a special flavor?"
A greasy-haired, slimy-looking young man with long, oily hair took a puff of his cigarette and asked his companions with a smile:
"How about it? That girl before, are you confident about getting with her? I heard..."
"Not yet. I'm the one who spread that rumor. That woman is like she's covered in thorns; she must be targeting something else, but after this time, she won't have a say anymore."
The guy with a crew-cut, whose physique was strong for his age, answered confidently.
"Is this okay? She's still a chick."
"Because she doesn't know anything about this stuff, that's why she needs us, her considerate classmates, to kindly instruct her."
The two guys started talking about such a lewd topic and couldn't help but burst into loud laughter. The girl next to them was clearly displeased and slapped her companion on the shoulder.
"Hey, hey, I'm still standing right here, and you're talking about that kind of stuff?"
"Don't be jealous," the buzz-cut guy said with a laughing face, affectionately hugging the girl's shoulder, "We both need you here. Otherwise, if it were just the two of us guys, she might run away halfway through."
The girl slapped him a few more times hard, but soon started laughing along.
…
It wasn't until the trio had left that Xu Xiangyang stepped out from behind the tree.
He recognized their faces. Xu Xiangyang had never spoken to this group, but knew that these people were considered "big shots" at school, belonging to the type who often skipped classes, fought, and hung out with bad crowds off campus.
One of them somehow seemed familiar. Xu Xiangyang furrowed his brows and pondered for a while before he remembered—
Right, that guy was Shi Hui.
Although the experience was unpleasant, it was thanks to Lin Xingjie that he was able to remember that name. Previously, he could only remember that face belonged to a certain "school bully," but couldn't connect it to a name.
According to what his classmates said that day, wasn't he Lin Xingjie's so-called "rumored boyfriend?"
He hadn't known whether it was true or not, but judging from their conversation, it seemed to be false. They just knew each other.
But that was not important. What was more important was the words they had just said. To Xu Xiangyang, an outsider, they were clearly emitting a signal that was both lewd and dangerous.
Who knew what these lawless school bullies might do. Xu Xiangyang felt that he should go and report the situation to a teacher. And, what else could he do?
The only thing he could probably do was to warn Lin Xingjie to be more aware of her situation. But if he really brought it up to her, would she scold him again for "meddling?"
Xu Xiangyang shook his head.
He wasn't so petty as to let that deter him.
Having made a decision, Xu Xiangyang picked up his backpack, ready to leave. But in that instant—
A shocking chill ran up from his spine like an electric current, and he felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him from head to foot.
As if receiving a signal deep in his brain, Xu Xiangyang suddenly looked up.
…
For some unknown time, inside the second floor glass window of what used to be an empty, dark place, stood an old man.
The old man was tall and thin, dressed in a dark Zhongshan suit, standing upright, giving off the impression of being full of vitality; Xu Xiangyang only felt as if the man's face was covered by something blurred and unrecognizable.
But, one thing was certain.
He was "looking" straight at him.
In that pitch-black sunken eye socket where the eyeball should have been, Xu Xiangyang felt an icy gaze on him, an abnormal and evil force gradually eroding his body and spirit, making his willpower dissipate and his body stiffen.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Xu Xiangyang could hear the pounding in his own eardrums, the blood rushing wildly, his heart beating like a drum. In a moment, cold sweat dripped down his back, and the shirt inside his school uniform stuck to his body.
What, what was that?!
Was it a person, or a ghost?
The eyeless old man, immobile like a statue, loomed above him.
Something was very wrong, very wrong!
Regaining his senses, Xu Xiangyang nearly bit through his lip, and without a word, turned and ran, nearly tumbling onto the road.
At this moment, the only thought in his mind was to "run away."