Chapter 202: Haunted House Extra (III)

Chapter List

Original Translations: Crafted with Care, No Unauthorized Reposting Allowed.

After that, Xiao Lan did not speak to the ghost in the room again, nor did he seem interested in making small talk, and the room fell into silence again.

It was as if Xiao Lan was the only one in the room.

But Xiao Lan knows very well that there is only one "person" in the room, and that the other one cannot be a person at all.

After a quick shower, his bed still unmade today, Xiao Lan lies down on the sofa again and gets ready for bed.

Before he fell asleep, he said to the air, with a jerk in his head, "Good night."

The room was dark, and no sound was heard.

Just when Xiao Lan thought he would not get a response.

Suddenly a breeze blew the curtains, a gentle breeze, not knowing if it was just a breeze, or a "good night" that he could not hear.

Xiao Lan continued his life at work for the next few days.

But after the beating he received on his first day at work, he learnt his lesson and returned home early while it was still light and was never chased by a female ghost again.

For this reason, he has also improved his efficiency and has received compliments from his seniors.

However, he was still a little uneasy at work.

But there were so many people in the office that the popularity of the office made it less intimidating, and with no further paranormal incidents, he slowly relaxed.

Probably, the encounter with the ghost was just an accident.

It's not that easy for a normal person to see a ghost on their way to work.

Time flashed to Friday.

I thought I'd have a break, but the sad newbie Xiao Lan got the news that she'd be working over the weekend.

This was accompanied by a bowl of rancid brainwashing chicken soup about treating the company like a Cheng family and how everyone should work hard to build our family.

Having seen the nature of the workplace, Xiao Lan is no longer fooled.

FFS, employees treat the company like a home, but does the company treat its employees like human beings?

Although she was complaining, she still had to do the work she had to do.

The next day, Xiao Lan still woke up and went to work, but as she was working overtime, the hours were more flexible and she didn't have to report to work on time as usual.

On the way out, Xiao Lan meets Mr. Zhang who is changing a light bulb in the corridor.

After greeting him, Xiao Lan suddenly thinks of something related to the 712 where he lives. Who is the ghost living in the house? Maybe he knows something.

Xiao Lan asks, "Do you know what happened before 712? Why was it empty for so long?"

Zhang chatted idly while changing the light bulb: "712 ah ...... I heard that there was a man living in that house before, and then one day he disappeared, but the property fee was always paid."

Xiao Lan said, "It's gone? Has something happened to that man?"

Master Zhang looked at Xiao Lan: "Young man, are you worried that you are living in a murderous house?"

Xiao Lan thought to himself, not worried, he was pretty sure he had been living in a murder house.

Still he asked, "Something must have happened for this house to be vacant for so long, right?"

Master Zhang laughed, "That's not really true. The man supposedly left on his own and was seen by someone else when he left, but no one knows where he went. Maybe they just had money and were tired of living here and didn't want to come back."

"And do you know the man's name?" Xiao Lan asked.

But Zhang shook his head, "That was ten years ago, and I wasn't the one managing the flat then, I heard it all from an old resident who had moved out before, and no one probably remembers who that person was now."

After bidding farewell to Master Zhang, Xiao Lan heads for the lift.

Maybe he could ask the landlord who had actually lived in the house before, but ...... would the landlord really tell him?

And, although he was a little concerned about the ghost of 712, did the other man really want him to know who he was? Wouldn't it be better not to get to the bottom of it out of respect?

When she reached the lift, Xiao Lan found another man standing in front of it.

He was wearing a black shirt and trousers, and he stood there casually, but still looked elegant.

Hearing footsteps, the man waiting for the lift turned back to reveal a super handsome face.

Seeing Xiao Lan, he smiled and greeted him, "Hello, are you a new resident?"

Xiao Lan nodded back at him, "Hi, my name is Xiao Lan and I just moved in last week."

The man held out his hand to him, "My name is Fei Luo, I'm a painter, I've lived here for a long time."

Xiao Lan put out his hand and shook it. He didn't expect this man, who looked tall and had long legs, to have cold hands.

Could this be the coldness that my mother had mentioned? I didn't know that both men and women could suffer from this problem.

The lift came slowly today, so the two of them chatted.

Xiao Lan learns that Fei Luo likes to read books in his spare time.

According to Fei Luo, books on all kinds of subjects are interesting, and the process of reading them inspires him to create.

This reminds Xiao Lan of the large bookcase in his own room, which Fei Luo would have loved.

However, thinking that it belonged to the original tenant and that he had saved his life, Xiao Lan was too embarrassed to take it out as a favour.

Suddenly, Fei Luo's words changed: "Are you interested in paranormal events?"

Xiao Lan thought for a moment, "I used to be uninterested, but recently I'm not sure."

Fei Luo gave a meaningful smile, "It's best not to be too interested in these things, otherwise you'll easily get caught up in them."

Without waiting for Xiao Lan to continue the conversation, the lift arrives.

Xiao Lan, who has to go to work, steps into the lift, but Fei Luo does not follow.

Faced with Xiao Lan's puzzled look, Fei Luo said, "I was waiting for the lift to go upstairs to see a friend."

"Oh, see you then." Xiao Lan said, pressing the ground floor.

"Bye." Fei Luo's words fell, and the lift doors slowly closed.

-

When she arrived at the office, Xiao Lan realised that not everyone had to work overtime.

There were only a few people sitting sparsely in the office.

They all looked morose, and it was not pleasant to be the chosen one to work overtime on a day when everyone else was off.

Despite feeling depressed, the Chosen Ones had to get on with their work.

Xiao Lan is printing something at the printer.

The printing process is mechanical and boring, uninspiring.

As Xiao Lan reaches out to pick up the printout, a cold, stiff hand jerks out of the printer and grabs his wrist in a deadly grip.

The hand still has long, red fingernails that have cast a deep psychological shadow over Xiao Lan.

Xiao Lan was startled by this movement and subconsciously withdrew her hand.

But the retraction went smoothly and he didn't feel any obstructing force at all.

Xiao Lan looked over again and saw that everything was as normal around the printer, there was no sudden hand, and his printed materials were still in place.

It was as if what had just happened was nothing more than a hallucination on his part.

Xiao Lan turned his eyes suspiciously to his wrist, only to find a handprint that had not yet faded, even the traces of his fingers were clearly visible on it.

This was no hallucination.

Xiao Lan's heart felt heavy. It seemed that the ghost had come back to haunt him.

He feels really unlucky that whenever he works overtime, he meets this Sister Xiao. It's bad enough that he works overtime, but the ghost has to treat him like this.

Xiao Lan hurriedly put away the file and returned to his seat, trying to calm his emotions and get himself to focus back on his work.

But after staring at his computer for several minutes, his mind was still on the hand that had just appeared.

Xiao Lan decided to have a glass of water to calm down.

He picked up his cup and went to the pantry.

The pantry was quiet today, as a large proportion of his gossip-loving colleagues hadn't come to work, and the rest who wanted to chat had no desire to do so.

Xiao Lan gets a glass of water and looks out of the window with it, hoping to relax a little.

The city outside the window is still bustling with people because of the weekend, and the streets look very busy.

Xiao Lan raises his glass as he looks out of the window.

Suddenly, Xiao Lan felt her lips touch something.

It was thin and long, very soft, but not the touch of any kind of food.

The water in his mouth also suddenly took on a strange fishy taste, making him feel a wave of nausea as he smelt it and almost throw up.

Xiao Lan hurriedly took the glass of water away from him.

He looked at the glass of water in his hand and saw that the water, which had been clear and pure, was now as murky as river water, with a few hairs floating in it.

Xiao Lan looked so numb, he just about drank the stuff!

God knows what would have happened if he had drunk it.

He hurried over to the sink and poured the entire glass of water straight into it.

Then he turned on the tap and, after observing that the water was clear, began to gargle frantically, and it took a while to wash away the odd sensation that remained on his lips.

After all this, Xiao Lan was propped up on the edge of the sink, feeling like her head was about to explode.

How come the female ghost didn't stop there?

He was a rookie in the workplace, and it was his first time in the city, so he had no grudge against this female ghost, so why was she after him?

Xiao Lan's earlier commotion also attracted the attention of the others.

A small, serious-looking flathead in a professional suit approached him, "What's wrong with you?"

Xiao Lan looked up and realised that this man was his project manager, and he quickly said, "Hello manager, I'm fine."

The project manager looked him over, "You're the new trainee, Xiao Lan, right?"

Xiao Lan said, "Yes."

The project manager's expression became slightly odd, his eyebrows knitted together and he looked at Xiao Lan as if he were looking at a piece of rubbish: "You've had a trainee in your position before."

Xiao Lan was a bit confused as to why the manager was telling him this, was he telling him that if he didn't work hard he would become an ex?

The project manager didn't wait for his answer and said to himself, "I remember that it was a rather pretty woman and many of my male colleagues were discussing her in private. All she did was slack off in the pantry and put on make-up like she was going to be a star. The most annoying thing was that she suddenly left a fortnight ago, without even going through the exit formalities."

He looked at Xiao Lan with disgust: "Hm, if you're like that, you'd better quit early, it's a waste of my time."

The project manager finished hammering the newcomer and simply left without looking back.

Xiao Lan felt a chill in her heart after hearing this.

It wasn't the warning implied by the other man's words, but the timing of the disappearance of the female trainee.

A fortnight ago, exactly one week before he had started, what had happened to make her not even go through the exit procedure.

Xiao Lan couldn't help but think of the gossip she heard on her first day at work.

Could this be the one who had jumped off the building earlier?

But that was even stranger, he hadn't even come to the city then, and he hadn't even gotten the offer until afterwards, so how could the female ghost be on to him?

Is it because smelly men are sitting in their seats?

Not really. ......

Xiao Lan thought as she absentmindedly left the pantry.

I didn't expect to bump into someone.

"I'm sorry." Xiao Lan hurriedly apologised, feeling so out of it today that he was having a nervous breakdown.

"It's all right." The man he'd bumped into wasn't angry.

It was an older man in a loose suit, round, chubby and balding, looking at him with a kind smile, "Are you not feeling well?"

After the sarcastic project manager, this older man made Xiao Lan feel warm as a spring breeze.

But Xiao Lan couldn't say he'd seen a ghost, he could only say, "It's okay, just take a break."

Looking at Xiao Lan's not-so-good face, the older man said, "It's good for young people to know how to work hard, but they should also take care of their health. If you're not feeling well, it's okay to take a few days off. If you want to take time off, just tell your project manager that I asked you to take time off, don't worry."

Xiao Lan was a bit confused: "You are?"

The older man smiled, "Oh, I'm your boss. I usually host the staff birthday party at the end of the month, you haven't seen me before, so you must be new this month, right?"

Xiao Lan nodded, "Well, I've only been here this week."

The boss looked at Xiao Lan and seemed to understand something, he lowered his voice and asked, "Did you hear some rumours and got scared?"

Xiao Lan: "......"

Is he saying yes or no?

It feels like both options are in danger of being fired ......

The boss had an understanding expression on his face: "No, it's just a gossip among the staff."

He took an amulet out of his pocket and slipped it into Xiao Lan's hand, "If you're afraid, this is for you, I've always carried this amulet close to me, it's said to have been enlightened by a master."

Xiao Lan hastily refused, "No, it's too expensive for me to accept.

The boss shook his head, "It's fine, my mother believes in these, she always buys them for me, I don't know if they work or not, but it's better to believe in them than not."

"Besides, every employee is the most valuable asset of the company, and the company will only be good if you are good. Don't be embarrassed, I have more at home, if it doesn't work I'll get you another one some other time."

Xiao Lan had no choice but to accept his boss' offer.

After thanking his boss, the two of them parted ways and Xiao Lan headed for his workstation.

Since he came to this company, his boss was the first person he had ever met who was nice to him, and he had never expected him to care so much about his staff.

With the amulet, I don't know if it was a psychological relief, but Xiao Lan did not encounter the ghost again.

Without the ghost to interfere with his work, he was able to continue with his work in peace.

But because of the delay, Xiao Lan tried hard to catch up today, but by the time he had finished the work at hand, it was still dark.

Xiao Lan left the office with some trepidation.

On the way, he couldn't help but take out his amulet and hold it tightly. Probably the amulet really worked, and the journey out of the office went smoothly without hearing the sound of high heels that made his scalp tingle again.

Xiao Lan was finally relieved to see the flat in sight.

He pressed the lift, perhaps because Master Zhang had repaired it, and today the lights did not flicker and it looked perfectly normal except for being a little old.

Xiao Lan enters the lift and presses the 7th floor.

Soon the lift felt like it was running and Xiao Lan was looking at his mobile phone while waiting for the lift to open.

But after a while he did not wait for the door to open.

Does it take so long to get to the 7th floor?

Xiao Lan looked up in confusion, was the lift broken again?

Instead, he saw an image that sent a chill down his spine...

The lift's floor display reads "-2".

Then, as Xiao Lan watched, it slowly changed to '-3', then '-4', and it was still going down.

Xiao Lan felt as if he had been packed off to the Antarctic wilderness to survive, and his whole body felt cold.

This flat ...... doesn't even have a basement!

Where was he going?

Xiao Lan tried to press the floor again, but the button didn't respond in the slightest. He tried again to press the emergency call, still no response.

At this moment, Xiao Lan is trapped in a cramped lift and feels her heart beat faster.

The power of a high-risk environment in a horror movie really lives up to its name.

It's a good thing Xiao Lan drank less water today, otherwise he would have pissed himself.

Xiao Lan once again gripped the amulet in his hand, hoping that it would be powerful.

Probably because the gods were off duty, this time the amulet did not work as well as before.

The next second, the lift was plunged into darkness and all sounds stopped, including the sound of the lift running.

In this silent darkness, it's almost as if one has to forget where one is.

Suddenly, a pair of cold, stiff hands wrapped around Xiao Lan's neck.

Xiao Lan could clearly feel the slender fingers and long, sharp nails of these hands, a feeling that was all too familiar.

It was the female ghost from yesterday.

The female ghost's hand grew harder and harder, almost snapping his neck.

It was accompanied by a coldness that seemed to come from the depths of hell.

Xiao Lan desperately resisted, trying to break the hands that looked so beautiful, but were like iron and stone.

But the suffocating sensation continued to grow, and Xiao Lan felt the ghost's cold, damp hair sweeping against his face and arms, rubbing out a goosebump-inducing sensation.

In the struggle, the amulet that he was holding fell to the ground.

Xiao Lan didn't have time to pick it up. It seems that the old man had been fooled when he bought something, what kind of master had opened it up?

Xiao Lan felt as if his chest was about to explode and the blood vessels in his brain were about to burst open.

He stumbled a few steps as he was unsteady on his feet.

Just when Xiao Lan felt that he might end up here today, the lift suddenly lit up and the hand of the female ghost around his neck disappeared instantly.

"Cough cough cough ......" Xiao Lan coughed desperately, struggling to absorb the outside air.

Before he could feel the joy of being back from the dead, the lift doors suddenly opened.

Xiao Lan, who was already in shock, was startled by the movement.

Subconsciously, he turned his head and saw Fei Luo standing at the lift door.

Fei Luo was still the same as he had seen before, dressed in black, with an elegant posture and the light outside the lift with him.

Xiao Lan looked at Fei Luo's face and felt that he was incredibly handsome.

Especially at this moment, it was as if he was covered in holy light, as if he could take to the sky with his wings.

Fei Luo seemed a little puzzled: "Why have you stayed on the ground floor and not pressed the button?"

Xiao Lan now snapped back to his senses and stopped looking somewhat unreasonably straight ahead.

He looked behind Fei Luo and there was no mistaking that it was indeed the ground floor of the flat.

He turned his head again to look at the buttons on the lift.

The buttons were all grey, and the 7th floor he had pressed earlier, and the lift all the way down, seemed to be just an illusion.

He had actually stayed on the 1st floor without moving.

Xiao Lan couldn't help but touch his neck, was the choking just now an illusion?

Fei Luo suddenly frowned: "What unclean things have you brought with you?"

Xiao Lan was a little puzzled, but he could not help examining himself.

At that moment, his light swept up the amulet that had fallen to the ground earlier.

He had just stepped on it at some point during the struggle and had broken the seal of the amulet.

The amulet is left slightly open, as if to tempt prying eyes.

--------------------

Author's Comment.

The ghosts and ghouls who have been beaten up by Xiao Lan in the main article have given a nod to Sister Xiao, the female ghost.

Published at: 08/18/2022 06:00