Translator: InkyDragon (https://puukkiss.wixsite.com/inkydragon)

    “Wonderful,” Henry’s voice carried a note of satisfaction, his eyes gleaming with sinister delight. “Stories like these, so closely connected to the fabric of reality, have an unmatched allure.”

    Qin Lei felt a surge of fear, and tightened his grip on his wife, Zhang Shu’s shoulder. He forced a smile and said, “Can we share a story as a couple?”

    Henry raised an eyebrow, his expression inscrutable. “If you have the guts, sure.”

    Zhao Lan cleared her throat, finally deciding what to say. “I’ll be next.”

    She paused for a moment before starting, “Back when I was in high school, there was a tale circulating about a student who decided to rent an apartment close to the school for convenience. At first glance, the apartment seemed fine, but there was an eerie element to it. From the moment he moved in, he experienced a constant unease around his neck. This feeling was particularly pronounced at night, when he was studying. He would frequently feel a chilling touch at the back of his neck, which would distract him from his work.

    His mother tried everything to help him, from making him wear more layers to rubbing ointments on his neck. However, none of these remedies seemed to have any effect. One day, while walking down the street, she unexpectedly encountered a blind fortune teller. Desperate for answers, she approached him and inquired about her son’s fortune. The fortune teller hesitated for a moment before asking, “Has your son been experiencing any unusual occurrences recently?”

    The mother nodded and asked what was happening. The fortune teller suggested that it could be something unclean (脏东西*) in the rented apartment. Startled, the mother asked what should be done. The fortune teller explained that unclean things are often concealed from human sight. However, if they were to return home that night and use a mirror to survey the house, they might spot some hidden dirt that is usually invisible.

    That night, as the student was studying, his mother wandered around the house with a small mirror. Suddenly, the student felt a twinge in his neck and groaned.

    His mother had an idea and directed the mirror towards her son. Suddenly, she noticed a flicker in the mirror, just behind her son’s neck. She instinctively looked up and was horrified to see a rope hanging from the ceiling, with a figure suspended from it. The feet of the figure were positioned exactly where her son’s neck would be.

    The wind blew in through the window, causing the figure on the rope to swing back and forth, with its feet brushing against her son’s neck.”

    (*脏东西 (zāng dōngxī): Dirty things. A euphemism for ghosts, spirits, demons, or other supernatural entities that are considered evil, harmful, or unclean. In Chinese culture, people often avoid mentioning these things directly, especially at night, for fear of attracting their attention or anger. Instead, they use vague or indirect terms, such as dirty things, strange things, etc.)

    Zhou Xiao Zhen leaned forward, her eyes wide with curiosity. She was a high school student who loved horror stories, and this particular one had caught her attention. “And what happened next?” she asked eagerly. “Did the blind man exorcise the ghost for them?” S~ea??h the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhao Lan shook her head. “No, they just moved out.”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen felt deflated as her excitement faded. She had anticipated a more thrilling climax, something that would make her shiver and scream. This story was too anticlimactic for her taste.

    Zhao Lan concluded her story with a shrug.

    Henry’s eyes scanned the group, until they settled on Ripley. He smiled wickedly, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Dear Ripley, I’m sure you have a wonderful story to share with us. Something that will make our blood run cold and our hair stand on end, right?”

    Ripley was a young lad, barely out of his teens, with a timid and nervous disposition. His face was pale and sweaty, and his hands were trembling. He could feel Henry’s mocking gaze on him, and desperately wished he could disappear. Stammering, he managed to say, “I… I don’t have a story. I can’t think of anything.”

    Henry feigned sympathy, his smile turning into a sneer. “Oh, that’s too bad. But don’t worry, there is a solution. You can simply stay in that room over there—the one where the girl hanged herself and still haunts the place. How about that?”

    Ripley felt a surge of fear, and his lips quivered. He took two deep breaths, attempting to calm himself. As he lifted his head, a glimmer of determination appeared in his eyes. “No, I’ll… I’ll tell a story. I have one.”

    Henry scoffed, his expression full of disdain. “Fine, let’s hear it then. But it better be good, or else…”

    Ripley ignored him and looked down at his lap. He spoke in a soft voice, one that still carried traces of his childhood innocence. “I grew up in the countryside (乡下), in a small village. There was a superstition there that if someone died in a family, you should never let a cat into their house. They said cats were creatures of the yin and could disturb the balance of the dead. They believed it could even bring the dead back to life.

    When I was eight years old, my grandma… she died. She was the kindest person I ever knew, and I loved her more than anything. I stayed up all night for her wake to pay my respects. But I was too young, and I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I fell asleep, without meaning to. Later, I was awakened by a loud and piercing meow. I opened my eyes and saw a black cat sitting on my grandma’s coffin.

    I chased the cat away, but as soon as I did, I heard a sound coming from inside the coffin. It was like someone was scratching the wood with long and sharp nails. Terrified, my legs turned to jelly, and I couldn’t move. I waited and waited, and waited, until the sound finally stopped.

    I thought it was over. I thought nothing had happened. The next day, I told my dad what I saw and heard. He turned pale and ran to find the village doctor. They opened the coffin, and the doctor said… my grandma hadn’t actually been dead yet. She had a rare condition where her heartbeat slowed down to a faint pulse. Last night… last night she woke up, but I was too scared to help her…”

    He could not utter another word, his voice strangled by the lump in his throat. Tears spilled from his blue eyes, blurring his vision.

    “Ha ha ha ha~…”

    A loud, mocking laughter cut through the silence, making him flinch. Henry stared at Ripley with contempt, as if he were a pathetic joke. “You call that a horror story? That’s the most hilarious thing I’ve ever heard. A living person in a coffin! How original! How terrifying!” He cackled, clutching his stomach.

    Ripley felt a surge of humiliation and grief, and buried his face in his hands. He sobbed quietly, wishing he could disappear.

    The other patients looked at Henry with annoyance. He was such a jerk. But then, there was always one in every horror story, wasn’t there? The one who made fun of everything, the one who never believed, the one who got what he deserved. Maybe Dr. Qu had seen too many of those movies, and dreamed up a character like Henry.

    “Only two left.” Brother Nan spoke up, breaking the tension. He had been quiet the whole time, listening to the others. “I guess I’ll go next.”

    He swung his legs off the table, still casual and relaxed. “I’ll tell you one… just one about the ghost in the bed.

    There was this guy who drove a lorry, and one night he was so tired that he hit a woman on an electric bike on her way home from work. He lied and said he didn’t see her because of the blind spot on his lorry. And he had some friends in high places, and some insurance, so he got away with it pretty easily.

    One night he had a bad dream and woke up, feeling thirsty. He got up and went to the kitchen for some water. Outside, there was a storm, and as he was drinking, a flash of lightning lit up the living room. He saw something on the floor, something that looked like a pile of mud. He walked over and turned on the light, and then he saw her. A woman, or what was left of her, with no limbs, no skin, no organs, just a mass of flesh and blood. She had half a head, and with her one eye, she looked at him.

    He screamed and ran back to his room, locking the door behind him. He jumped on the bed and wrapped his arms around his wife, who was soft and warm. He shivered, trying to forget what he had seen.

    He calmed down after a while, and wondered if he was still dreaming. He decided to wake up his wife, and ask her to go with him to the living room.

    But then he smelled something. Something like petrol and blood. And his wife, in his arms, was cold. He turned on the lamp, and saw her. The woman from the living room, the woman he had killed, smiling at him.”

    Henry’s applause rang out in the dimly lit room, his eyes shining with admiration. “Wonderful! Brother Nan, you’re incredible, a master storyteller!”

    Brother Nan beamed, his face flushed with pride. “Oh, come on, you’re too kind. All of you have shared such wonderful stories, such captivating tales…”

    Yu Xiao rolled her eyes, her patience wearing thin. She slammed her palm on the wooden table, making the cups and plates rattle. She glared at Henry and snapped. “Is that the only word you know, wonderful? We’ve all taken our turns, what about you? Don’t you have a story to tell?”

    Henry gasped, his hands flying to his chest, feigning surprise and fear. “Me? Tell a story? Now?” he asked.

    Then he flashed a wicked grin, his teeth gleaming in the candlelight. “Well, then, I suppose I have no choice. Let me share with you the final story of the night.”

    He swept his gaze over the faces of his companions, lingering on each one for a moment, as if memorising their features. And then he said, in a low and ominous voice. “My story is this: starting from tonight, the stories you just told will become your reality.”

    **

    The bloodied corpse of the hare lay on the table as if a silent reminder of the deadly game they were playing.

    Yu Xiao felt a surge of anger and frustration. She wished she could just point at Henry and get rid of him, but she knew that any of the six people in the room could be the elusive Dr. Qu.

    She snapped. “Let’s vote already.” She had no patience for more arguments. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted and I need some sleep.”

    Henry placed a paper box on the table and handed out pens and slips of paper to everyone. He smiled smugly, as if he was enjoying the show.

    Yu Xiao stared at the blank paper, unsure of who to choose. She heard a faint whisper from her side. “You can go in yourself… jerk.”

    She leaned closer to Zhou Xiao Zhen, who was sitting next to her, and whispered back. “Don’t vote for Henry.”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen gave her a puzzled look.

    Yu Xiao explained. “He could be Dr. Qu. We can’t afford to lose any of the NPCs.”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen scoffed. Her face twisted with resentment. She wanted to see that bully suffer.

    They finished voting soon enough.

    Henry grabbed the paper box and held it close to his chest. He paused for a moment, as if savouring the suspense, and then slid the box to Brother Nan. “Brother Nan, why don’t you do the honours and announce the results?”

    Brother Nan accepted the box with a grin. He stood up and began to pull out the papers one by one. He read the first one aloud. “Yu Xiao”

    “— Tan Qiao Yin.”

    “— Brother Nan.”

    “— Ripley.” A vote.

    “— Ripley.” Another vote.

    And another. And another. And another.

    Five votes for Ripley. The haunted room was his fate.

    Ripley felt numb. He simply gazed vacantly at the paper in his hand, as if it held the answers to why he had been voted for.

    After the result came out, Brother Nan decided to take charge of the dinner. He announced that he would roast the hare for everyone, and Henry and Zhang Shu offered to help.

    The patients, meanwhile, slipped out of the house, pretending to need some fresh air. They gathered in a secluded spot, away from the prying eyes of the others.

    Tan Qiao Yin looked around at the small group and asked in a low voice, “Any of these six people could be Dr. Qu, you know. You didn’t vote for them, did you?”

    Zhao Lan shook her head firmly. She positioned herself in front of Yu Xiao and Zhou Xiao Zhen, as if to shield them from harm. “The three of us voted for ourselves.”

    Tan Qiao Yin and Zhu Miao Miao nodded in agreement. “We did the same.”

    That left only Ma Shan and Kang Jun, who shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny of the others. Ma Shan cleared his throat and said to Tan Qiao Yin, “I voted for you.”

    Tan Qiao Yin raised an eyebrow. “I figured,” she said, with a hint of sarcasm. “I got two votes, after all.”

    Yu Xiao turned her gaze to Kang Jun, who was silent and pale. “You voted for me, didn’t you?”

    Kang Jun couldn’t bring himself to speak. He felt guilty and ashamed. He had no reason to vote for Yu Xiao.

    Tan Qiao Yin changed the subject, worried about Ripley. “Do you think he’ll be safe tonight?” she asked. “I don’t think he’s Dr. Qu, though. He’s too obvious.”

    Zhao Lan nodded. “Then who do you think is the most likely suspect? Yue Yue?”

    “Yes!” Tan Qiao Yin clenched her fists. “She’s the one. Don’t you agree?”

    Before anyone could answer, they heard Brother Nan’s voice from inside the house. “What are you whispering about out there? Come on, everyone, Brother Nan’s roasted hare is ready. Don’t be shy, dig in!”

    They all filed back into the house, resuming their seats as if nothing had changed. But everything had changed.

    Yu Xiao’s eyes darted to Yue Yue and her timid family. In her eyes, they had always seemed like a family of weak little rabbits, too scared to do anything wrong. However, she was mistaken. Even with the protection of anonymity in the vote, they had not dared to cross Henry, the bully. Instead, they had willingly chosen Ripley as the sacrificial lamb.

    Yu Xiao had a plan. She shot up from her chair, startling everyone.

    “I want to switch rooms!” she declared.

    The others gaped at her, as if she had grown a second head. Henry frowned, puzzled. “Switch rooms? With who?”

    “Ripley.” Yu Xiao pointed at the hapless man, who looked even more bewildered than before. “I want to switch rooms with him.”

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    (猫属阴 (māo shǔ yīn) Cats are considered to be yin animals, because they are nocturnal, secretive, and agile, and they can sometimes see things that humans cannot. Therefore, they are often linked to ghosts, spirits, or other supernatural phenomena.)

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