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墨書 Inktalez
Back at Rui Rui's rental apartment, Lan Ningshan shook her head and said, "I didn't see anyone."
"Maybe someone just got the wrong place," Rui Rui replied nonchalantly. "It was just someone knocking on the door; there's no need to make a big deal out of it."
"But..."
Jiang Xue started to speak but then closed her mouth. At that moment, Yang Yu came out from the kitchen, flopped onto the sofa with a grin, and said, "All set, Sister Rui, it's all up to you now."
"Alright, I still have two dishes to cook. You all get ready for dinner," Rui Rui said as she rushed into the kitchen.
"Hey, Brother Qiu, what's going on? It's so lively in here!"
Zhang Qiu recounted the events to Yang Yu. After hearing it, Yang Yu broke out in a cold sweat and said, "Brother Qiu, don't scare me like that. I was just here by myself a moment ago."
"What are you afraid of? Rui Rui often stays here alone; nothing ever happens. Alright, let's drop this topic. When Rui Rui comes out, no one should mention it. We can leave without a trace, but Rui Rui can't; we shouldn't leave her with any shadows."
"Don't worry, Brother Qiu. I promise not to say a word."
Moments later, the sliding door to the kitchen opened, and Rui Rui waved her hand with a smile, saying, "Come over and grab the dishes; everything is ready."
"Let's dig in!"
Zhang Qiu was the first to get up and walked into the kitchen to bring out two plates of food. Soon enough, the table in the living room was filled with dishes. Rui Rui brought over some stools and said with a smile, "The conditions are simple; please bear with it."
Jiang Xue laughed and replied, "Is this what you call simple? We've eaten in our dorms sitting on stools as tables before, haha."
Rui Rui exclaimed in surprise, "Were you all that hard off?"
"Isn't it? The dormitory has nothing but a bed to sleep on and a cabinet for storage."
Rui Rui sighed, thinking it was even worse than when I was in school.
"Let's eat," Zhang Qiu said, looking at the table full of delicious dishes, saliva almost dripping down. After three years of hardships, Zhang Qiu felt that his appetite was excellent.
"Wait, let me say a few words first. Everyone, raise your glasses."
Rui Rui lifted his glass and earnestly said, "Today is the day we celebrate Brother Qiu leaving high school. We fought for three years for this moment. Recently, Brother Qiu has had quite a bit of trouble at the bar, and I want to thank him here. Then, I wish Brother Qiu good grades; you will always be the person I admire the most."
"That's quite emotional. Come on, let's drink to that."
Zhang Qiu clinked glasses with Rui Rui, and the others followed suit, finally downing their drinks amidst the blessings.
Zhang Qiu smiled and said, "Alright, let's talk while we eat. Let's dig in!"
"Yes, yes, let's eat!" Gao Zhi shouted from the side. Unable to hold back any longer, he immediately grabbed a chicken wing and popped it into his mouth.
Everyone laughed at Gao Zhi's eating style and began to dig in as well. Zhang Qiu didn't expect Rui Rui's cooking to be so good and praised, "Rui Rui, how long have you been learning to cook?"
"What? Brother Qiu, is the food not good?"
"Look at you, all nervous. It's delicious, really delicious."
Rui Rui smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it. If you love it, I'll cook for you more often in the future."
"Great! Hehe." Zhang Qiu placed a piece on Jiang Xue's bowl and said, "Xue'er, try this; it's really tasty."
A table full of food was quickly devoured by a few people. Zhang Qiu patted his protruding belly and said with a smile, "I haven't eaten this well in a long time."
"I think it's because you finally escaped from school, right?"
Zhang Qiu pinched Jiang Xue's cheek and laughed, "You really know me."
After the feast, Zhang Qiu and the others swiftly cleaned up the battlefield, tidying up the mess completely. Zhang Qiu reiterated the afternoon's plans to Rui Rui and Yang Yu, and they ultimately decided that all five of them would go shopping together.
Lan Ningshan was particularly curious and kept asking Zhang Qiu what they were going to do. After Zhang Qiu explained, Lan Ningshan insisted on joining them. Zhang Qiu readily agreed, partly because he had a good relationship with Lan Ningshan, and partly because her identity as a police officer provided an extra layer of security. Since the plan was formulated, Zhang Qiu intended to find a reliable person to accompany them on their adventure in the ancient city. If he didn't call within the specified time, that person would report it to the police. After all, the ancient city had been exposed to the elements for years and had suffered continuous damage, making it prone to collapse.
Many items could be found in the supermarket; Zhang Qiu prepared ten ropes alone. Yang Yu looked at Zhang Qiu carrying a large bundle of ropes and exclaimed, "Brother Qiu, isn't this a bit excessive?"
"Of course not! What if the path is long and there are forks? What will we do if we get lost?"
In the end, Zhang Qiu convinced everyone; all five of them carried large stacks of items to the checkout. The cashier looked at the five customers with curiosity as if they were aliens and couldn't help but ask, "What are you all planning to do?"
Zhang Qiu replied earnestly, "Treasure hunting! We found a treasure map."
"Really?" The cashier's eyes sparkled with intrigue.
"Of course," Zhang Qiu responded with a smile, lifting two large bags of items. Yang Yu and the others stepped forward, each carrying two big plastic bags as they headed outside. Rui Rui called out from behind, "Brother Qiu, I think what you bought is enough for ten trips into the ancient city."
"Better safe than sorry! Although I've never been inside, I've heard stories. After finishing the first level, there are stairs leading down for further exploration."
"Down? Brother Qiu, there won't be many bugs inside, right? Like scorpions or centipedes?"
"That's indeed a concern." Zhang Qiu fully agreed with Rui Rui's worry. Just thinking about those creatures with numerous legs gave him goosebumps.
Jiang Xue also said, "Yeah, Zhang Qiu, what if there are those things inside? I'm most afraid of those."
"I have a temporary solution that doesn't really solve the problem."
"What is it?"
"Just wear thicker clothes, put on a hat and gloves, and tighten the sleeves. That way, even if there are bugs, they won't crawl into our clothes."
Rui Rui sighed, "Your method really is just a temporary fix."
"There's no other way unless we give up going in," Zhang Qiu shrugged helplessly. Nature created these creatures; what can we do about it? We can't just wait until winter.
"Then let's make do with it. I'll listen to you and wear thicker clothes, hoping for fewer of those things."
"I hope for fewer too. I only like crabs with many fuzzy claws."
Zhang Qiu's words eased the atmosphere, and soon their conversation shifted from bugs to other topics. Zhang Qiu and his group transported their gear to White Day Fire. They wanted to take Lan Ningshan out for some fun, but at this time of day, there wasn't much interesting to do; the real highlight of the bar was always at night.
Zhang Qiu took Lan Ningshan to a private room on the second floor to sing. They had all the karaoke songs here, and even those that weren't available elsewhere. Zhang Qiu brought up a guitar from the first floor, plugged it into the speaker, and started playing and singing along with the rhythm. Jiang Xue, Rui Rui, and Lan Ningshan sat quietly on the sofa, smiles on their faces, while Yang Yu sat in the corner quietly smoking.
After Zhang Qiu finished a song, Jiang Xue and Rui Rui applauded enthusiastically. Lan Ningshan smiled mysteriously and reached out, saying, "Give me the guitar; help me pick a song 'Please Walk on the Sidewalk.'"
"You want to sing rock?"
"What's wrong with that?"
"Of course it's fine." Zhang Qiu immediately went to help Lan Ningshan choose a song.
Lan Ningshan picked up the guitar and skillfully strummed the strings, her left hand rapidly changing chords. Zhang Qiu watched from the side, secretly amazed that Lan Ningshan was also a practiced musician; her playing technique was far from that of a novice.
As the music began, Lan Ningshan's hands moved quickly across the fretboard and strings, her graceful posture could easily be described as dancing. When she started to sing, Zhang Qiu was stunned by her deep and powerful voice, full of strength. Lan Ningshan's singing brought the song to life, rivaling even the original artist.
After finishing the song, Lan Ningshan smiled and asked, "How was that? Still okay?"
"That was amazing!" Zhang Qiu sincerely gave a thumbs up. No wonder Sister Lan chose to be a police officer; it turned out she had a passion for it deep down.
Jiang Xue and Rui Rui applauded enthusiastically, with Rui Rui encouraging Zhang Qiu and Lan Ningshan to perform a duet. While Zhang Qiu and Lan Ningshan hesitated, Yang Yu had already brought another guitar for Duck, insisting that they had to sing.
Zhang Qiu and Lan Ningshan discussed briefly and tuned the guitar for acoustic sound, relying solely on the guitar to produce beautiful melodies without electronic accompaniment. They sang "Who Accompanies Me on My Journey," the same song Zhang Qiu had sung for Rui Rui during their first performance. The combination of two guitars created a richer melody, while Zhang Qiu's voice paired with Lan Ningshan's deep harmonies fully conveyed the song's sorrowful atmosphere.
Sitting back on the sofa, Zhang Qiu curiously observed Lan Ningshan and said, "Sister Lan, I never expected you to play the guitar so well."
Lan Ningshan replied with a smile, "I played it out of boredom in college; I even formed a band."
While Rui Rui went downstairs to fetch some drinks, Zhang Qiu leaned closer to Jiang Xue and whispered, "In Rui Rui's apartment, did you have something to say?"
"Yes, I was afraid Rui Rui would be scared, so I didn't continue."
"What did you see?"
"An old lady, but her face is something I will never forget."
Seeing Jiang Xue tremble, Zhang Qiu immediately hugged her and comforted her, saying, "It's okay; I'm here. What kind of face did you see?"
"A gray face, pure gray like paper, wrinkled all over, with eyes staring straight ahead. Even though there was a door between us, I felt like she could see right through me. It was really terrifying; I've never seen such a strange face."
Zhang Qiu felt a layer of cold sweat on his back as he gently stroked Jiang Xue's head and said, "It's okay, it's all over now."
"But," Jiang Xue raised her head, "Sister Lan didn't see anyone when she opened the door, did she?"
Zhang Qiu was not an atheist, but when supernatural events truly happened around him, he hesitated. Could it be that there really are ghosts in this world?
"Yang Yu, come here."
Zhang Qiu called Yang Yu over, and Yang Yu asked, "What's up?"
"Find a few brothers to check Rui Rui's rental apartment. Ask the neighbors around too; I want to know what happened in that place before it was rented to Rui Rui."
"Brother Qiu, are you saying that place is really not clean?"
"I don't know."
Zhang Qiu shook his head. Rui Rui brought in some drinks, and Zhang Qiu, Jiang Xue, and Yang Yu pretended nothing was wrong and continued to enjoy themselves.
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