The moment he recognized Ouyang, Li Xiu’s body went tense. It was as if he’d happened to discover a snake crawling on his instep as he walked.

“Li Xiu, come here, Teacher has something to tell you.”

Ouyang spoke to him from the shadows in a low voice.

Li Xiu unconsciously bit his lip. He took a deep breath and answered reluctantly: “I….I have to go to class. The next one is about to start.”

“Li Xiu, obey.”

But in the face of Li Xiu’s evasion, Ouyang continued to insist.

He straightened up, raising one of his arms beckoningly to Li Xiu.

There seemed to be a subtle sense of disharmony in the man’s movements, but at this moment, resistance to Ouyang was like an inflating black balloon, completely occupying Li Xiu’s mind. Li Xiu was unable to notice anything at all.

He just instinctively felt that the air conditioner in the complex had been turned down too low. The cold made his body stiff and his head dizzy.

“But…..” Li Xiu pressed his lips together and struggled to get out one syllable. Just as he was about to stubbornly resist for the last time, there was a sudden strong force on his arm.

It was Fang Qian’an, who grabbed Li Xiu in front of Ouyang.

At this moment, a ding came from the elevator behind them. Silver metal hissed as the doors opened on both sides to reveal an empty compartment.

“Ah, the elevator is here,” the tall boy called out toward Ouyang without a hair of respect.

Right after, he gave Li Xiu no chance to react and directly hooked the young man to walk him into the elevator.

“……Teacher, I’m injured and can’t take care of myself. I need Classmate Li Xiu to give me a hand. Don’t mind us, Teacher, we’re going.”

The elevator doors slowly closed to Fang Qian’an’s voice, completely blocking out the man’s distant figure.

From beginning to end, the tall man named Ouyang remained in the shadows, never taking a step forward. And in the face of Fang Qian’an’s brazen contempt and robbery, he didn’t make a sound.

It was just that under the flickering light, that handsome face that once drew the obsession of others had obtained a dark blue hue.

At the last moment before the doors closed, Fang Qian’an casually met Ouyang’s eyes and couldn’t help but frown.

Maybe it was because of the light, but Ouyang’s eyes looked abnormally resentful and vacuous, almost like he was about to rush forward and eat someone. As a pampered young master, Fang Qian’an had been coming to Qiming for so long but had never seen any teacher dare to look at him like that.

“Tsk, what’s with the look in that old man’s eyes, ah—”

Fang Qian’an couldn’t help but find fault.

“So, since when have you been injured to the point that you can’t take care of yourself?”

A faint question reached Fang Qian’an’s ears. He immediately forgot about Ouyang and turned to look sideways at Li Xiu, who had a strange expression on his face.

Li Xiu was caught off guard by Fang Qian’an, and couldn’t tell whether he was in a good or bad mood. After all, unlike a young master such as Fang Qian’an, after offending Ouyang, Li Xiu didn’t know whether he would succeed in getting the school scholarship or continue to live a peaceful life.

But it couldn’t be denied that after slipping away from Ouyang, Li Xiu immediately relaxed.

As for Fang Qian’an, when he heard Li Xiu’s question, he self-righteously raised a finger toward him.

“My hand hurts,” he said. “Ah, it hurts so much that I can’t even press the elevator button.”

A 1.9-meter boy said this to Li Xiu, feigning weakness. 

Li Xiu: “……”

Fine.

The elevator had begun to descend on its own at this time. Li Xiu didn’t pay it much attention, thinking that someone downstairs had pressed the button.

After casually pushing the “1” button on the elevator panel, Li Xiu stood quietly and waited for the elevator to arrive on the first floor. However, the boy beside him clearly didn’t intend to leave him in peace. He opened his mouth after just a few seconds of silence: “Hey, that old man seems pretty popular at school?”

Li Xiu: “…..That could be.”

Fang Qian’an crossed his arms over his chest, casting his eyes on Li Xiu. Sure enough, the other’s body was tense again.

“Tsk, I don’t understand the aesthetics of those young girls.” After a moment’s pause, Fang Qian’an looked at Li Xiu from the corner of his eye intentionally or otherwise and whispered as if talking to himself, “I don’t think that kind of man is very handsome, ah.”

There was a hint of a chill in Li Xiu’s eyes: “What does it have to do with you?”

“Nothing,” Fang Qian’an said with a shrug. “I just look at him and see an eyesore. This kind of old man who still pretends to be young is generally not a good guy. Well, next time you don’t want to pay attention to him, just say I need you for something. Anyway, none of those old things at school dare to cause trouble for me.”

There were two seconds of silence in the elevator car.

Li Xiu: “Oh.”

He lowered his head to stare hard at the floor, as if there was some exquisite and unparalleled math problem on the fake marble floor beneath his feet.

And in fact, it was precisely because he didn’t know what expression to wear that Li Xiu chose to remain expressionless.

He didn’t quite get Fang Qian’an.

Generally speaking, those who engaged in school bullying were a bunch of empty-headed fools who only exposed their hollow hearts when bullying the weak.

But Fang Qian’an didn’t seem to be as empty-headed as he’d thought.

Li Xiu felt that his ability to control his emotions was rather good, and Fang Qian’an seemed to notice his resistance toward Ouyang at a glance…..also, Fang Qian’an was the first person he’d met at school who showed obvious disgust toward Ouyang.

His feelings were complicated.

In the brief moment Li Xiu fell into silence, Fang Qian’an’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t miss how Li Xiu’s body had suddenly tensed, and then involuntarily relaxed just a bit. Thinking back to how Li Xiu’s body instantly stiffened when he saw Ouyang just now, his face going pale, a sudden and unfamiliar emotion began to surge in his chest.

Fang Qian’an put his hands in his pockets and said a little abruptly: “Cough. Actually, you can come to me for other things too.”

He could sense Li Xiu glance in his direction.

“I have nothing to come to you for.” Li Xiu’s tone was cold.

Fang Qian’an raised an eyebrows: “Hey, you—”

“Fang Qian’an.” Li Xiu interrupted him. The young man pointed at the numbers dancing on the elevator panel, his expression becoming serious. “…..Is the elevator malfunctioning? Why haven’t we reached the first floor yet?”

When Li Xiu called his attention to this, Fang Qian’an returned to his senses.

Right, ah, the two of them had been standing in the elevator talking for so long with the elevator running smoothly. Although the complex was a high-rise building with over ten floors, it wouldn’t take so long to get to the first floor without people going up and down frequently.

Fang Qian’an and Li Xiu looked at the numbers of the floors and soon realized that something wasn’t right.

13th floor, 12th floor, 13th floor…..

10th floor, 9th floor, 8th floor…..

12th floor, 7th floor, 3rd floor…..

-2nd floor, 5th floor, -12th floor…..

“The floors are jumping all over the place,” Li Xiu pointed out.

“But isn’t the elevator going down continuously?” Fang Qian’an asked with a frown.

Yes, although the floors on the panel were a mess, judging from the physical sensation, the elevator they were in was descending smoothly, with none of the momentum of the elevator jamming after malfunctioning.

“En.” Li Xiu was pressing the elevator’s emergency button.

However, no matter how hard he pressed, there was only ever silence on the other end of the emergency channel.

Several minutes had passed, and the numbers on the elevator panel had long since changed to floors that were not available in normal elevators. 

“-12th floor” and “-27th floor” came, but their elevator…..was still going down.

“Could it be a mistake?” Liu Xiu murmured, a few points more anxiety on his face.

He raised his hand and pressed all of the buttons on the panel. Then he saw the button lights, which were originally orange, turn blood red right at that instant.

“What’s going on with this?”

“Wait, I’m calling—fuck, no signal?”

Fang Qian’an’s expression was grave, and a hint of disbelief flashed through his eyes.

It should be known that in order to prevent kidnapping and other dangers, his cell phone had been specially modified. Let alone inside an elevator, there should be a full signal even in the deep mountains and old forests.

But currently, the expensive cell phone lying in Fang Qian’an’s hand had become a brick at this minor incident.

Moreover, the elevator descending for so long without stopping was a complete violation of common sense.

Fang Qian’an was no fool. He realized that things seemed to be…..odd beyond the scope of science.

“In any case, Li Xiu, you go into a corner first. If the elevator crashes, the person in the corner is more likely to survive,” Fang Qian’an said in a tense voice. As he spoke, he couldn’t help but shiver.

Was the elevator actually out of order? Why was it so cold in here?

These thoughts passed quickly through Fang Qian’an’s mind, but didn’t stay for long.

Ding—

Because at that moment, the elevator stopped.

*

[B13]

Negative thirteenth floor.

Before the elevator doors slowly opened, Li Xiu subconsciously raised his eyes to look at the display screen.

The faintly flashing red electronic light showed the floor they were currently on.

…..Naturally, this was the wrong floor.

After all, it was not the city subway. Their school complex had at most three underground floors, so how could it be possible to dig down to thirteen?

Li Xiu’s mind was in turmoil, countless thoughts passing through it.

The moment the elevator doors opened, Li Xiu’s heart almost jumped out of his throat.

And when they opened, darkness appeared before them.

A biting chill enveloped Li Xiu the moment the doors opened. He shivered, and a cloud of white mist rose from his mouth and nose.

“Hey, Xiu’er.”

A hand with a warm palm reached over and grabbed Li Xui.

“You…..stay behind me. Blocking the door with your thin arms and legs, do you think you’re a guardian door god, ah?”

Fang Qian’an took a step forward and intentionally or otherwise pulled Li Xiu toward him.

Because of this near-protective gesture, Li Xiu’s lips moved slightly, but he was unable to open his mouth to address that incomprehensible “Xiu-er.”

“Where the fuck did this shitty elevator stop?”

Fang Qian’an raised his phone and turned on the light, shining it into the darkness. Judging by the area the phone was able to illuminate, there seemed to be a hallway outside the elevator — an extremely netherworld-like layout that was similar to other floors. However, it seemed like this floor was not in use at all, with no lights or emergency exits.

More importantly, it was as cold as a morgue.

Li Xiu raised his hand and found that he was so cold that the hair on his arms was standing up.

While Li Xiu and Fang Qian’an stood there looking at each other on a completely unfamiliar floor, the elevator suddenly made a harsh screech, and the compartment shook hard.

It felt like the entire elevator was about to collapse in the next second.

“Fuck, fuck—” Fang Qian’an cursed, rushing out of the elevator with Li Xiu in tow.

As a result, as soon as he and Li Xiu stepped out, the elevator closed directly on their heels.

“Ding—zizi—elevator going—d-d-d-d-d-d-down—”

It was unknown if there was something wrong with the electronic door closing reminder, but the sound was so long that it sounded like a wail.

And more importantly, it was still going downward?

But Li Xiu and Fang Qian’an couldn’t focus on such trivial matters right then, because once the doors closed, the only source of light they had left was the cell phone in their hands.

Staring at the lifeless elevator door, Fang Qian’an complained gruffly: “What kind of broken elevator is this?! Where does the money donated to this bullshit school go every year, ah, such garbage…..”

Then he turned and said to the silent Li Xiu: “Okay, let’s go find the emergency exit and take the fire escape.”

“……Okay,” Li Xiu said in a low voice.

He was very uncomfortable. His head and shoulders were as heavy as if he was unknowingly carrying a corpse. The chill spread, making his hands and feet ice-cold. Li Xiu would feel uncomfortable every time he entered a damp and humid place with few passersby, and his low-grade fever today made the situation even worse.

There was a stale smell lingering in the darkness, that of a long-vacant building, a mixture of dust and moisture.

It was a bit like the smell in the Xiao family villa, Li Xiu thought as he walked slowly forward with Fang Qian’an.

Along the way, Fang Qian’an shook his cell phone hard as he tried to quickly find an emergency exit. However, the long, narrow corridors seemed like an endless maze. After searching for a long time, there were nothing but locked doors one after another. They were unable to find the stairs or the iconic green light indicating an exit.

After walking for a while, perhaps because the rustle of their footsteps in the passage was too depressing, Fang Qian’an finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. He spoke first with a faint cough: “The design of this place is so trashy.”

“En.”

“It’s said that they hired such a famous architect, but this building actually looks really ugly.”

“En.”

“Oh, right, shouldn’t you know?”

“Know what?”

“That this building actually has a history.” As Fang Qian’an spoke, he seemed to forget his bad temper caused by the previous elevator incident, and there was a hint of excitement in his tone. “There aren’t many people who don’t think this building looks particularly strange. In fact, it was deliberately designed—seen from a high altitude, this building looks like a concave mirror, doesn’t it? And the concave surface directly faces the Xiao Family Haunted House. This design is actually to continuously suck the ghosts from the Xiao Family Haunted House into this building. And the reason the hallways are designed to look so spooky is also intentional, so that those ghosts are prevented from finding their way out once they enter. They will continue to wander these hallways for eternity…..”

Li Xiu: “Oh. Then what about if they transform?”

Fang Qian’an: “Ah? T-transform into what?”

The youth’s faint question in the darkness inexplicably made the lofty school bully stutter.

But Li Xiu’s voice was as calm as ever, without any fluctuations: “According to this theory, the complex absorbs the resentment and ghosts of the haunted house into its own structure, so isn’t it necessary to set up a layout that can eliminate evil spirits? For example, there are large fountains, waterfalls, or spiral decorations, but none of these are in the complex. But if it only absorbs evil spirits and ghosts without finding a way to eliminate them, over time, the entire building will become a place of great evil. Also, the wandering ghosts will eventually turn into fierce ghosts in such an ominous place.”

“Uh…..it’s said that it’s designed like this to, to suppress the resentment in the old Xiao Family Haunted House…..”

There was a trace of awkwardness in Fang Qian’an’s dull response.

“The recent selling price of a property near the school is 97,000 per square meter. Although the school’s land can’t be calculated according to commercial terms, to build on a piece of land at this price point just to turn it into a dangerous place, and in the middle of the city?” There was a trace of genuine confusion in the youth’s clear voice. “So, if someone deliberately planned this…..what were they trying to do?”

Fang Qian’an was now entirely at an impasse.

After a long time, he said to Li Xiu very stiffly: “You—you’re not afraid of this at all?”

Li Xiu could only sigh.

“Fang Qian’an, you used to bully me so miserably. Wasn’t it because my family are ‘fraudsters?’”

When Fang Qian’an heard Li Xiu’s abrupt reminder, he directly choked on his saliva and coughed.

After a good while, he heard him say in embarrassment: “I forgot.”

Behind him, Li Xiu lowered his eyes.

The hallway was very quiet. Only the footsteps of Li Xiu and Fang Qian’an could be heard in the distance, echoing back in the empty corridor. When they overlapped with the original footsteps, it was like…..

Like there were actually a lot of people walking here.

Li Xiu’s footsteps gradually slowed. Sharp pain came from the underdeveloped ankle on his right side, like a silent reminder of the humiliation Li Xiu suffered as he was bullied time and again for his disability.

Because of the problem with his foot, he couldn’t even escape.

“You’re actually afraid of ghosts.”

Li Xiu’s suddenly cold voice echoed in the corridor.

In the dim light of the cell phone, Fang Qian’an’s figure almost seemed to stumble. “Ha? M-me, afraid of ghosts?”

The boy’s voice instantly rose, as if Li Xiu had said something particularly funny.

However, Li Xiu disregarded the boy’s bluff. 

“You’ve been very nervous since we left the elevator door,” Li Xiu said lightly. “That’s why you’ve gotten so noisy…..every time you let those people bully me at school, you would rather play on your phone than talk much.”

“Hey, that doesn’t mean anything—”

“You tried to scare me just now, but when I talked about ghosts turning into evil spirits, you got even more scared.”

With all of his thoughts revealed by Li Xiu, Fang Qian’an felt bad all over. 

“Me, afraid of ghosts? How could I be afraid of ghosts?” Fang Qian’an unconsciously donned the lofty and arrogant mask of the Fang family’s eldest son. “Xiu’er, come to think of it, aren’t you afraid of ghosts? You’re practically squeezing my hand off.”

When he heard these words, Li Xiu’s pupils shrank.

Due to the cold, he’d had his arms crossed the whole way. 

He…..wasn’t touching Fang Qian’an at all. 

---

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Chapter 11 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 13