kingnovel Chapter 782 Miss Liu
Chapter 782 Miss Liu
Faced with Chen Nanxing's questioning, Lin Bufan shrugged, his expression so frank it was almost roguish: "Well, that's beyond my control. My abilities are limited; I only want to protect the people around me. As for others... I can only wish them good luck."
Although these words were so blunt as to be almost selfish, the undisguised favoritism and protection towards Xu Hongdou made the other three women exclaim "Eh—" in unison. They exchanged glances that read "so cheesy," "goosebumps," and "shameless," and even shuddered in unison, looking as if they were being squeamish by this "deeply affectionate confession."
Xu Hongdou seemed not to hear the others' jeers. She looked at the rare, serious expression on Lin Bufan's face, devoid of any mockery, and remained silent for a few seconds before softly asking, "What you said... is it all true?"
Lin Bufan and Xu Hongdou stared at each other for a moment, then Lin Bufan suddenly burst out laughing. The seriousness on his face vanished instantly, replaced by his usual teasing smile that was a little irritating: "Of course it's fake! You actually believe such nonsense? I'm a staunch materialist! Science is the primary productive force, and feudal superstition is unacceptable."
"cut--!"
Xu Hongdou let out a disdainful hiss, then felt speechless and even a little amused that she had actually believed Lin Bufan's words!
At the same time, Lin Bufan's words instantly shattered the strange atmosphere that had been built up among the group because of the ghost story.
……
At night, the courtyard was quiet, with only the chirping of insects.
After Xu Hongdou finished washing up and lay down on the bed, Chen Nanxing snuggled up to her, her eyes sparkling in the darkness. "Hongdou, aren't you curious?" she whispered, her voice slightly seductive. "Why doesn't Lin Bufan want us to go to Boss Li's guesthouse? Could there be some secret inside...?"
Xu Hongdou closed her eyes: "I'm not curious. Go to sleep."
"Hey, don't be so boring!" Chen Nanxing shook Xu Hongdou's arm. "That Lin Bufan guy, he talks a lot of nonsense. If he says even half of what he says is true, that's a good thing. What female ghost, what ill-fated relationship, what ominous sign—he's definitely making it all up to fool us! Think about it, the more he doesn't want us to go, the more it means there might be a big secret there... Hehe, once we know his secret, won't he be able to manipulate us however we want?"
Xu Hongdou was so shaken by Chen Nanxing that she couldn't sleep. She said helplessly, "He's just talking nonsense out of boredom. What secret could he possibly have?"
Besides, going to a construction site that's still under construction so late at night is incredibly dangerous!"
"Oh, it's okay, it's okay!" Chen Nanxing shook Xu Hongdou's arm persistently, his voice even lower, with a clingy, pleading tone: "We'll bring flashlights and be careful, nothing will happen. Besides, think about it, there's no one there, it's pitch black, how exciting is that! Isn't this much more interesting than going to those expensive haunted houses? Let's just treat it as... a nighttime adventure!"
Xu Hongdou, unable to resist Chen Nanxing's nagging and also curious about what Lin Bufan was hiding, relented: "Just take a look from afar. If the construction site is locked or dark and there's nothing special about it, I'll come back immediately."
"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you!" Chen Nanxing immediately beamed and nimbly climbed off the bed, pulling two flashlights out of the drawer: "Let's go, let's change into some dark clothes so they don't reflect light."
The two women quietly changed their clothes and tiptoed into the room. The moonlight in the courtyard was like water, and it was quiet; the lights in the other rooms were already off. They held their breath and tiptoed down the stairs.
As soon as they stepped into the courtyard on the first floor, the door to room number one next door creaked open. Nana and Damai slipped out one after the other, both dressed in dark clothes, with Nana carrying a powerful flashlight.
The four women bumped into each other in the middle of the courtyard. Under the moonlight, they looked at each other's "night-walking" attire and all four women felt a little embarrassed.
I clearly said I didn't believe it in the afternoon, but I still wanted to go in the evening, and what's worse, I got caught!
If the four women hadn't been so thick-skinned, they might have just smashed their heads against a block of tofu and died on the spot!
Chen Nanxing blinked and asked in a low voice, "You guys too...?"
Nana nodded a little shyly, lowering her voice, "I'm a little curious..."
Da Mai explained in a low voice, "Although the ghost story that President Lin told was far-fetched, it was still a good source of writing material. I wanted to find some inspiration, so I went to see Nana..."
The four women looked at each other, seeing the same thought in each other's eyes, and then nodded in unison—a tacit understanding to team up for the adventure!
They didn't say anything more, gently pushed open the courtyard gate, and their figures quickly disappeared into the hazy night of the village road.
……
The guesthouse construction site at the east end of the village, which was bustling with activity during the day, is now shrouded in complete darkness and silence. Only a few temporary, pale lights flicker in the night wind, casting menacing shadows on the unfinished building frame and piled-up building materials.
The chirping of insects all around added to the eerie feeling of the empty space, making it look almost like it was haunted.
Of course, this was also related to the ghost stories Lin Bufan told in the afternoon. Whether you believe it or not, it still had some influence!
"It doesn't seem like... anything special." Chen Nanxing muttered to himself, shining his flashlight and sweeping the beam across the uneven ground and cement bricks, trying to bolster his courage.
"It's just... kind of creepy." Da Mai stayed close to Nana, not daring to leave her side for even a moment.
Xu Hongdou and Nana remained relatively calm, but their hearts were racing involuntarily. They carefully avoided the debris on the ground and walked deeper into the construction site. The night wind blew through the unsealed window openings, making a soft "whooshing" sound, like sobbing.
At first, apart from the darkness and clutter, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The four women relaxed a little and even began to whisper about how the place would be decorated in the future.
However, just as they walked to the area that should have been the backyard, near a large iron barrel used for holding water, a faint singing voice drifted over.
The singing was extremely ethereal, intermittent, with an ancient and mournful melody. It was in a language they couldn't understand, similar to an ancient dialect, and the voice was ethereal and high-pitched, clearly a woman's voice. In this silent, desolate construction site, it sent chills down one's spine.
"Did you...did you hear that?" Da Mai grabbed Nana's arm, his voice trembling violently.
Nana froze, the beam of her flashlight trembling slightly: "It... sounds like... a woman's singing?"
Chen Nanxing and Xu Hongdou also stopped and held their breath. The singing seemed clearer, as if it were not far away, but they couldn't see anyone.
"Could it be... that Lin Bufan's jinx really came true?" Chen Nanxing panicked a bit this time and subconsciously moved closer to Xu Hongdou.
Just then, a sudden gust of cold wind whipped up dust from the ground, swirling past them. In the blink of an eye, behind a broken wall a dozen meters away, a blinding flash of red appeared!
"Ah!" Da Mai cried out sharply, covering her mouth tightly.
From behind the broken wall, a figure slowly and silently emerged.
The figure was dressed in a bright red wedding gown of an ancient style. Her long hair was loose, covering most of her face, revealing only a small section of her pale, bloodless chin. She... or rather, "it," seemed to have no feet on the ground, hovering a few inches above the ground, swaying gently and eerily.
The singing voice was coming from "her," and it became even clearer, mournful and piercing, drilling straight into one's bones.
“Red… Red Bean…” Chen Nanxing’s teeth were chattering as he tightly gripped Xu Hongdou’s hand, which was ice-cold.
Xu Hongdou was also terrified, barely managing to maintain her last shred of rationality, her voice trembling: "Go...go quickly!"
It's unclear who turned first, but the four women burst into a frenzied scream and ran with astonishing speed, no longer caring where they were going, scrambling and stumbling back the way they came. The beams of their flashlights swirled wildly in the darkness, footsteps, gasps, and screams mingling together; only one thought occupied their minds—get out of there!
The red figure didn't seem to be chasing after them, but the mournful song seemed to linger behind them, refusing to dissipate for a long time.
They ran all the way back to the Windy Courtyard. The four of them practically smashed open the gate and rushed inside. Leaning against the tightly closed gate, their chests heaved violently, their faces were deathly pale, and their backs were soaked with cold sweat.
"Just now...you all saw it, right? No...I'm not seeing things, am I?" Da Mai asked, her voice trembling with tears.
“I see it…a red dress…floating…” Nana’s voice trembled.
Chen Nanxing and Xu Hongdou exchanged a glance, both seeing lingering shock in each other's eyes. Chen Nanxing now completely believed Lin Bufan's "nonsense," and said in a tearful voice, "Hongdou, what Lin Bufan said...it can't be true, right? There really is...that Miss Liu?"
Xu Hongdou's lips turned pale, and she didn't answer, but her rapid heartbeat spoke volumes.
Just as they were still in shock, the door to room number five on the second floor creaked open.
Lin Bufan rubbed his eyes, looking like he had just been woken up, and came out in his pajamas, his face showing just the right amount of confusion and concern: "What's wrong? What are you all doing in the yard so late at night? You all look so pale, what happened?"
His appearance gave the four women, who were still in shock, a sense of security and support.
As soon as Chen Nanxing saw Lin Bufan, she grasped at a lifeline. She rushed up the stairs to the second floor, her voice trembling with tears, and hugged Lin Bufan tightly around the waist, burying her face in his chest, her body still trembling slightly.
"Extraordinary... There's a ghost! We really saw it!"
Xu Hongdou, Nana, and Da Mai, though a step behind Chen Nanxing, followed closely upstairs and almost unconsciously gathered around Lin Bufan. It seemed only by being near this usually unserious but now unusually reliable man could they dispel the lingering chill and fear. Under the moonlight, their four faces were deathly pale, etched with terror.
Lin Bufan was taken aback by Chen Nanxing's hug, then gently wrapped his arm around her and patted her back reassuringly. With his other hand, he gestured towards Xu Hongdou and the other two, speaking in a gentle tone: "Don't panic, don't panic, tell me slowly. What happened? Shouldn't you all be sleeping in your rooms?"
“We…we went to the homestay construction site at the east end of the village…” Chen Nanxing’s muffled voice came from Lin Bufan’s arms, trembling with lingering fear: “Then…then we heard a woman singing, it was an ancient tune, we couldn’t understand it, it was really creepy…and then…we saw a woman in a red wedding dress…floating, floating behind the broken wall…Is she…is she the Miss Liu you mentioned?”
Upon hearing this, Lin Bufan's expression instantly changed. His previous sleepiness and gentle concern vanished, replaced by an extremely rare seriousness and gravity. He yanked Chen Nanxing upright, his sharp gaze sweeping over the four still-shaken faces. His voice unconsciously rose a few decibels: "What?! You really went to Boss Li's guesthouse construction site? And you saw...Miss Liu?! This is terrible!"
Lin Bufan's reaction made the four women, who were already frightened, feel their hearts sink even further.
Chen Nanxing was almost in tears, clinging to Lin Bufan's arm and refusing to let go: "What's wrong, Bufan? Aren't we already back? Don't scare me!"
Xu Hongdou's originally rosy complexion was now deathly pale. She tried to remain calm, but her voice was strained: "What... went wrong? Did we cause a big problem?"
Nana remained relatively calm, but there was obvious fear in her eyes. She swallowed hard, her voice strained, "President Lin... that Miss Liu... could it be... that she followed me back?"
Upon hearing this, the other three women shivered and instinctively huddled closer to Lin Bufan, practically clinging to him like Chen Nanxing.
The four women scanned the dimly lit courtyard with terrified eyes, as if that blinding red light would drift out from some corner at any moment!
Lin Bufan felt four warm, soft bodies huddled together, still warm from their fear, their tension tinged with dependence. The faint scent of women, mixed with the coolness of the night dew, lingered around his nose, causing a subtle, almost wicked sense of satisfaction to rise in his heart.
However, before Lin Bufan could fully experience it, Da Mai, who was standing next to Nana and had the palest face, suddenly seemed to have thought of something even more terrifying. She looked up abruptly, her gaze darting back and forth between Xu Hongdou, Chen Nanxing, and Nana in terror. Her voice was barely audible, yet it carried the force of a thunderclap: "President Lin... that Miss Liu... didn't she say that she needed to possess a beautiful girl's body to... to fulfill her wish? The four of us just went... could she... could she have already possessed one of us?!"
These words were like a huge rock being thrown onto the still-shaken water!
The four women, who had just been huddled together seeking comfort from each other, suddenly felt as if they had been pricked by invisible needles, and almost instinctively took a small step back in unison!
The fragile bed of friendship was shattered by a single sentence from Da Mai!
Lin Bufan: “…”
Watching helplessly as the "beautiful scene" that had just filled his arms vanished in an instant, Lin Bufan glared at the instigator, Da Mai, with annoyance. Why did he have to bring up the sore spot!