**Rules for House No. 20**
"Rules for House No. 20? Where did you find this?" Li Tao asked, puzzled, as he took the paper from Luna.
Luna sighed, "Don't you have one in your room? I found mine under the mattress. I'm a bit of a neat freak, so I moved the bed while cleaning and found it."
Li Tao examined the old, yellowed paper closely and began to read:
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**Rules for House No. 20**
Hello tenants,
If you're reading this paper, it likely means that strange things have already started happening. If you found this paper before anything unusual occurred, congratulations. As long as you follow the rules below, you may be able to leave this house unharmed:
1. Do not enter the kitchen on the first floor after 1:00 AM.
2. Return to your room by midnight and do not leave until 6:00 AM.
3. Absolutely do not enter the black room.
4. After 10:00 PM, do not enter the living room directly from the backyard.
5. Every Saturday night at 11:00 PM, all tenants must gather on the first floor to discuss the events of the week.
6. Tenants on the first and second floors are not allowed to enter the basement. Basement tenants must spend no more than three hours a day on the first floor.
7. Between 1:00 and 3:00 AM, make sure all doors and windows are locked.
8. If you find anything in your room that doesn't belong to you, place it under your desk. It will disappear on its own the next day, but you must not keep it.
9. If you hear strange noises in your room, ignore them and pretend nothing is happening.
10. Stay alert and remember who you are.
Finally, I wish each tenant a pleasant time at House No. 20.
---
Li Tao finished reading the paper and felt a chill creeping up his spine. "What does this mean?"
Luna's voice trembled slightly. "I don't know, but ever since I found this paper, I've felt like someone is watching me from behind."
"Could it be a prank?" Li Tao asked.
"I'm not sure, but it's pretty scary. I usually enjoy reading horror novels, and this feels like a creepypasta," Luna's voice trailed off.
Li Tao fell silent for a moment, his fingers lightly tracing the edges of the yellowed paper. A wave of unease washed over him. He looked up at Luna, trying to reassure himself with logic. "It could be a prank from a previous tenant, maybe intended to scare newcomers." Even as he spoke, he found it hard to convince himself.
Luna lowered her head, rubbing her arms as if trying to dispel the chill in her heart. "I hope that's the case, but... last night, I think I actually heard something strange. It was like someone was moving around in the living room and whispering occasionally. But when I opened the door, the living room was empty, and even Kiki didn't react."
Li Tao frowned, realizing things were becoming more complicated. He glanced at the paper again, his eyes lingering on the sixth rule. "Basement tenants? I heard Alex say that the basement should be occupied by three people, but they're supposed to arrive today."
Luna nodded. "Yes, it should be an Indian brother and sister, and a French person. The American next to your room is also arriving today."
"Does Alex know about these rules?" Li Tao asked.
"I'm not sure. After all, he's been living here much longer than we have," Luna sighed. "But it's odd. Since I moved in, I've never seen him, not even when you arrived."
Li Tao felt increasingly uneasy. "When I arrived, he was waiting for me at the door. I assumed he had been in the house before that. He told me he was going back to China and gave me the car keys. Maybe we should test this out tonight? Try going into the kitchen after 1:00 AM and see what happens."
Luna immediately shook her head, her face growing paler. "Don't take risks! The rules are very clear about potential consequences for non-compliance. I don't know what will happen, but this doesn't seem like something we can just experiment with." She paused and added, "And also, last night I saw some things in the kitchen that shouldn't have been there..."
"What things?" Li Tao asked urgently.
"The food in the fridge was rotten, like it had been there for months, and it smelled terrible. But when I woke up in the morning and checked, everything was back to normal," Luna said, trembling. "I can't explain it. Such things don't happen elsewhere."
Li Tao frowned deeply. Although he found it hard to believe in supernatural explanations, he couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation either. Finally, he took a deep breath. "Alright, let's play it safe and follow these rules for now. If we encounter anything else unusual, let me know."
Luna nodded, forcing a faint smile. "I will. Let's hope we're just overthinking things."
Li Tao and Luna had a troubled breakfast at McDonald's. Later, Luna took Li Tao to get a new phone card and bank account. Strangely, during the process, they encountered issues with the address search. The staff kept entering the address into the computer but could never find it. The staff even complained, "How can there be no No. 20? We can find No. 18 and No. 22, but this is strange." The staff ended up writing the address by hand on the contract and set up online billing for Li Tao. Li Tao and Luna exchanged uneasy glances, their anxiety growing stronger.
As noon approached, Li Tao invited Luna to lunch. They walked into a Japanese ramen shop, where Li Tao ordered a bowl of tonkotsu ramen, and Luna chose a curry rice dish.
"So, still no luck reaching Alex?" Luna asked.
Li Tao checked the time. It had been about 15 hours since Alex left. Flights from Toronto to China usually involve layovers, and phones can be used during layovers, but the chat with Alex was still stuck on the morning Li Tao had asked about the rules.
"What an irresponsible landlord!" Luna said angrily. "Maybe we should move out?"
Li Tao paused his eating and said, "If the rules are fake, moving out would mean we'd lose a lot of money for nothing. If the rules are real, then the paper wished us safe passage, which means this house won't let us go easily. Besides, if we move out, who will take care of Kiki? There aren't many places that allow pets."
Mentioning Kiki, Luna fell silent. Although they had only spent one night together, she had grown very fond of Kiki. The thought of leaving Kiki behind nearly brought her to tears. "Maybe the rotten food last night was just a hallucination," Luna tried to comfort herself.
"Let's finish eating and buy some supplies. We need to get some essentials and food, and then head back quickly. Our new roommates might have arrived by then." Li Tao, noticing Luna's distress, quickly changed the subject.
Luna nodded, managing a forced smile. "Okay, let's get some groceries. I threw away all the food from the fridge this morning, so it's empty now." They quickly finished their lunch and decided to head to a nearby supermarket to buy some daily necessities.
As they wandered through the supermarket aisles, Li Tao felt an unsettling sense of being watched. He glanced back occasionally but saw nothing unusual, just the regular flow of shoppers. The feeling of unease grew stronger, as if invisible eyes were observing their every move.
After finishing their shopping, they carried their bags and walked out of the supermarket. The sunlight warmed them, but it did little to dispel the chill in their hearts. They hurried back to House No. 20.
When they arrived, Li Tao noticed that the front door was slightly ajar. Luna frowned in confusion. "Didn't we lock the door when we left?"
Li Tao, feeling uneasy, cautiously pushed the door open. The living room was eerily quiet, with only Kiki jumping off the sofa and wagging her tail to greet them. The silence suggested that their new roommates hadn't arrived yet. Li Tao set down the bags and walked to the kitchen. Suddenly, a foul smell of decay hit him. He covered his nose, opened the fridge, and found it empty but emitting a strong, unpleasant odor.
Luna came over and gasped when she saw the scene. Her face went pale. "This can't be! There was nothing in there. How could this happen?"
Li Tao frowned and quickly unplugged the fridge. "There must be something wrong. Maybe something was hidden in the fridge's crevices. I'll clean it after unplugging it; that might help. Let's check the rest of the house for any other issues, especially since the front door was ajar." He felt a growing unease, particularly given the warnings on the rules paper, which seemed to hint at hidden dangers.
They went upstairs, where the hallway remained quiet. The more silent it was, the more their fear grew. Luna stayed close to Li Tao, holding Kiki's collar, and the only sound was Kiki's heavy breathing.
Just then, they heard the sound of a door opening downstairs.
Luna jumped back in fright, her face pale. "Let's get back to our rooms!" She grabbed Li Tao's hand and rushed back to her room, slamming the door behind her.
"This is too strange," Li Tao said, leaning against the door, his chest heaving. He pulled out his phone, trying again to contact Alex, but received no response. The warning to "stay alert and remember who you are" echoed in his mind, filling him with an indescribable fear.
At that moment, there was a soft knock on the door, breaking the silence inside. They exchanged worried glances. Luna, holding Kiki, carefully went downstairs to the door. Peering through the peephole, she saw a young man with dark skin and a headscarf standing outside. He was their new roommate from the United States.
"Hi there," the man said with a smile as Luna opened the door. "I'm the new tenant who just moved in. I saw no one in the house, so I decided to take a walk to get familiar with the area. I didn't bring my phone and was afraid of forgetting the code, so I didn't lock the door. When I returned, I found it locked, so I knocked. Luckily, the wind didn't blow it shut. I'm Darius, from the U.S., here to work as a fitness trainer for a gym."
Darius flexed his muscles as he spoke.
Luna and Li Tao exchanged uncertain glances. Li Tao forced a smile. "Welcome. I'm Danny, from China, here for graduate studies in architectural design."
Luna added, "I'm Luna, a sophomore majoring in computer science. This is Kiki, Alex's dog, whom I'm taking care of."
Darius smiled even more broadly. "Nice to meet you both. By the way, did you two know each other before?"
Luna replied, "No, we just met today. We're both Chinese, so we might seem familiar."
As they spoke, they heard the sound of a suitcase being dragged along the ground and the complaints of a man and a woman. Turning around, they saw an Indian man and woman pulling large suitcases toward the house. The woman had long black hair, deep-set eyes, and a high nose, while the man was very tall, around 190 cm. It was clear they were the Indian siblings living in the basement.
Li Tao felt a pang of discomfort. With Alex at 180 cm, Darius at 185 cm, and now this 190 cm Indian, Li Tao felt like a thorn had been driven into his side. He thought, "Why can't I be among those tall people?" Since middle school, he had been self-conscious about his height. Growing up in northern China, where people are generally taller, even girls taller than him made him feel constantly insecure.
While Li Tao was lost in these thoughts, Darius had already rushed over to help the Indian siblings with their luggage. By the time Li Tao came back to reality, they were standing right in front of him and Luna.
"Let me introduce myself," Darius said. "I'm Darius from the U.S., currently a gym trainer." He pointed to Li Tao and Luna. "This is Luna, a sophomore majoring in computer science, and her dog Kiki. The other person is Danny, a grad student. What's your major again?"
"Architectural design," Li Tao replied, looking at the out-of-breath siblings. "Didn't you call a cab?"
The Indian girl spoke first. "We did, but the driver couldn't find the place. We had to get out at No. 22, but when we saw this path, which seemed too wide for a driver to miss, we decided to walk in. By the way, I'm Ashima, and this is my cousin, Dev."
Li Tao and Luna nodded at Ashima and Dev. Luna said, "You've got quite a bit of luggage. Let's not stand in the doorway. Come in and rest a bit. By the way, did Alex give you the code for the front door?"
Dev, walking in, said, "He mentioned it, but I can't remember. Was it 4…4 something?"
"4255," Ashima said. "Dev has never been good with numbers. Sorry about that. Dev is a truck driver, and I work at an outdoor goods store. We moved here due to a job transfer."
So, the five of them chatted as they entered the house.
"This place is really nice!" Ashima exclaimed, genuinely impressed. "Much better than where we lived before."
They all sat at the dining table, and Luna poured a glass of water for each person. Ashima asked, "Aren't we still missing one person?"
Luna replied, "Yes, there should be a French guy still to come. But before that, I need to tell you something."