The bell had stopped ringing.
Xu Xiangyang walked out of the office. Not far ahead was a flower bed with a sturdy and tall Guang Yulan tree in the center, its layers of green leaves dripping with vitality, the fragrance of flowers pleasant and refreshing.
Just now, he had told the homeroom teacher about what he had encountered on the roadside this morning—of course, excluding the encounter with the spirit. The teacher said he would report it to the grade leader and school authorities, reminding him to be more careful during this period.
Honestly, even though Xu Xiangyang was still a student, he knew this didn't sound like a very good solution.
Even if the homeroom teacher wasn't just brushing him off, by the time the school came up with an effective measure, it might already be too late.
According to Xu Xiangyang's thinking, outright expelling those troublemakers was the best way to deal with the problem for the good of the students in the school.
He knew that was unrealistic.
Should he call the police? He felt it was necessary, but the information he had heard was too vague after all. He could discuss it directly with his sister when he got back to see what she thought.
After coming out of the office, he still couldn't relax. Xu Xiangyang wanted to do everything within his power, so he wouldn't regret it later.
But he had wandered around the school and couldn't find Lin Xingjie anywhere.
"Did she go home?"
As Xu Xiangyang thought this, he started on his way home.
...
Despite his mind screaming, "Don't go!" his legs wouldn't obey, and Xu Xiangyang found himself once again at the abandoned old house on the street corner.
He stared at the building, the second-floor windows hollow and pitch black, devoid of the eyeless old man he had seen that morning. The events from earlier that day replayed vividly in his mind, sending an uncontrollable shiver down his spine.
Curiosity had outweighed the fear just a moment ago, but as he actually arrived here, alarm bells were sounding loudly in his heart, the fear nearly making it difficult to breathe.
"I should just leave..."
He muttered to himself, taking a few stiff steps forward, then suddenly stopped again.
Xu Xiangyang's eyes widened as he saw several school bags lying quietly on the grassy meadow in front of the abandoned house.
Had someone gone inside?
He swallowed and mustered the courage to move closer to the fence, crouching near it to take a closer look for a while.
One of the school bags looked familiar, as if seen often during class time...
Was it Lin Xingjie? What was she doing here?
At that moment, a flash of insight struck Xu Xiangyang's mind, connecting the pieces of the conversation he had overheard that morning with the rumors he had previously heard.
Xu Xiangyang licked his lips. A familiar frustration and gloom rose in his heart, driving him to stand up and step toward the threshold.
However, after a while, he realized he was still crouched in place, unmoved.
The thoughts in Xu Xiangyang's mind seemed frozen, his legs utterly unable to move.
He was afraid.
The image of that black, lifeless, and aged face seemed to sway before his eyes, the chilling impression lingering and indelible.
If it were just a group of hoodlums, he could gather the courage; at the very least, he could call the police. But, but, inside this house, there was clearly something else—
Could it really be as he suspected? Calming down to think, could he be mistaken?
Of course, considering the place was truly strange, perhaps he should warn the people who had gone inside to leave sooner rather than later... But after all, why should he bother with the lives and deaths of these people?
This was not the same as standing by and doing nothing: whether it be the "haunted house" or the "spirit," both were beyond common sense. If he really went inside, he could end up being seen as a troublemaker.
The most important thing was, he might get entangled by some strange entity! From the horror stories he had heard, some monsters could be dealt with, and some could not, but the safest method was definitely to keep as far away from them as possible!
No one would blame him for this, so why should he cause trouble for himself?
That day, the girl's voice once again resounded clearly in his head.
...
Actually, after that afternoon self-study session, something else had happened, something that truly brought the relationship between the two of them to a freezing point, beyond redemption:
The incident occurred during an exam period. During the lunch break, as students were studying in the classroom, Xu Xiangyang came out to take a walk and relax his mind.
Under the shaded trees on the sports field, there were one or two students with books; he walked all the way to the front of the school gate, where no one was by the spacious fountain, only the occasional vehicle passing by the gates making noise. Even the security guard wasn't there—probably gone off to slack somewhere.
Then, Xu Xiangyang noticed several figures moving near the school gate.
He went closer to look and found that one of them was Lin Xingjie. Standing opposite her were several young men who weren't wearing school uniforms and weren't clearly identifiable as students. They each looked either fierce or smirked smugly—none of them seemed to have good intentions. The girl stood on guard, the object in her hand shining under the sunlight. Despite apparently being at a disadvantage, she showed no sign of backing down.
The scene clearly indicated what was happening. Xu Xiangyang almost didn't think, immediately shouting out loudly:
"Hey, what are you all doing?!"
The few people clustered around the school gate turned their heads.
The men who were surrounding Lin Xingjie spread out a bit, not leaving immediately, evidently still harboring ulterior motives.
Without hesitation, Xu Xiangyang ran straight to the nearest teaching building to get help from the office.
By the time the staff from the security division and several teachers arrived, the group of guys had already left, leaving Lin Xingjie alone under the eaves, to be called back by the homeroom teacher.
That afternoon, after the exam ended, Lin Xingjie emerged from the office and entered the classroom; everyone stared at her in surprise, yet the girl, as if she didn't notice, walked to her seat, picked up her backpack, and prepared to leave.
Xu Xiangyang noticed the gauze on her arm that was revealed when she rolled up her sleeve, as well as the bruise on her cheek that hadn't faded, and couldn't help but frown.
He recalled the awkward encounter with the young woman a few days earlier and hesitated inside. But he felt that he had indeed helped her this time, and showing some concern shouldn't be a problem... So, he couldn't resist asking:
"Are you alright?"
Lin Xingjie carried her backpack with one hand behind her back and strode boldly toward the door. Hearing his words, she stopped, turned her face to stare at him. Her eyes were obscured by the long black straight hair that fell, making it impossible to see the emotions within her pupils. Only her voice could be heard:
"From now on, mind your own business."
After dropping that remark, Lin Xingjie turned and left. Xu Xiangyang, left standing there, felt his face flush with embarrassment, feeling as if the gazes from the other students were like needles pricking his skin.
...
A week later, the monthly exam results were released. The effort that Xu Xiangyang had always put forth had finally paid off. As a transfer student, he not only caught up with the learning process quickly but also ranked second in his grade in this exam, naturally earning a praise on stage from the homeroom teacher.
Standing alone on the stage, listening to the teacher use him as an example to encourage others, he should have felt happy. Instead, his mind began to wander.
Below the podium, Lin Xingjie's seat was empty.
He later heard that during that class, Lin Xingjie had been called away to receive punishment. She hadn't even participated in the exam but instead got into a fight with someone outside the school, and that outcome was expected.
"Don't meddle in others' affairs"...
Yes, wouldn't it be better just not to get involved?
His mind swirling with countless chaotic thoughts, when Xu Xiangyang came back to reality, he was startled to find that, without realizing it, he had somehow reached the door.
Indeed, no one else knew about this house.
But Xu Xiangyang couldn't lie to himself.
Thinking about that girl's issues only made him feel that he had to face himself honestly.
I don't want to meddle in anyone's business, he thought, only to do what is right, something future me won't regret.
Just like at the school gate that time, he would shout to stop without hesitation, and if it were to happen again, he would make the same choice.
Should he give up on his actions just because someone mocked him coldly, making him feel as though his good intentions were treated as a donkey's liver and lungs, as if his warm face was met with a cold butt? That would mean he cared too much about what others thought.
He looked up to see the window on the second floor still empty, and the unease in his heart slightly eased. After taking a deep breath, the young man who tried to calm down furiously placed his hand on the door and pushed hard inward...
...Huh, it won't budge?
Xu Xiangyang's eyes widened in disbelief.
It was clear from the outside that the lock on the door was already broken, with a big hole on the inside; it definitely couldn't be closed!
He tried to pull hard once more, but the door remained immobile, as if it had fused with the building itself.
Xu Xiangyang withdrew his hand, only to find his palm was slick with sticky perspiration.
This isn't normal...
He stepped back a few paces, standing in front of the wall, looking up at the three-story building before him, his hands and feet beginning to tremble uncontrollably.
There was no wind, and everything around was silent, but Xu Xiangyang felt an unceasing coldness creeping up from his feet.
To the young man, this quietly standing old house seemed like a Monster crouching at the roadside, ready to open its gaping maw at any moment and chew people up, swallowing them into its pitch-black belly.
Courage nearly deserted Xu Xiangyang in an instant, and his body turned back involuntarily.
Should I find someone to come over?
But just then—
"...!"
He heard shouting from inside the house.
It wasn't just one person; it was multiple cries filled with either anger or terror.
Just as he had lifted his foot, he put it back down, turning his head toward the firmly locked wooden door.
The panicked shouting abruptly stopped, as if someone had hit the pause button on a radio, unnaturally cutting off midway, as if swallowed by something.
He instinctively realized that it was the doings of this house—it was as if it had its own self-awareness, allowing the sounds to disappear within, not wanting any attention.
Xu Xiangyang was silent.
This street was rarely frequented on ordinary days, and by the time he actually found someone to come over, it would probably be too late...
He scratched his head, scratched his cheek, and bit his teeth.
Then, he threw his backpack to one side and took a few steps back.
Xu Xiangyang took one last look at the second floor. It might have been his imagination, but it seemed like a dim and obscure shadow flitted by, but he no longer had the mind to think about it.
He rushed forward with large steps, the wind whistling past his ears, his heart pounding "thud thud," blood surging, sounding like distant drum beats in his ears.
He kicked the door with one foot and then rammed against it with his shoulder forcefully.
"Open... Open for me!"