Midnight Bookstore

It was already midnight when they took a taxi back to the bookstore. The door was still open, and there were many people inside.

Zhou Ze remembered that Xu Qinglang had called him earlier and told him that business was good tonight. It seemed like that was indeed the case. It was already so late, but there were still customers.

Pushing open the glass door, Zhou Ze was disappointed to find that there were more than ten people in the shop. They were all alive.

The previous incident with Chief Zhao was a special case. This time, it couldn’t be that more than ten people were special cases, right?

Even during the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the people, oh no, even the ghosts, were not so simple.

They sat together in a circle. There was a person standing in the middle, telling a story. The others were listening attentively. It seemed like they were telling a mystery story. They were telling a human story with cadences and body language, trying their best to create an atmosphere.

Bai Yingying sat behind the counter, playing with her phone.

When Zhou Ze returned, Bai Yingying stood up and poured him a glass of water.

Zhou Ze sat down and subconsciously reached out to cover his chest. Although there were clothes covering it, at least for now, that area was empty.

“Boss, what’s wrong?” Bai Yingying asked curiously.

“Hmm?” Zhou Ze looked at Bai Yingying.

“Something feels different about you. You weren’t like this when you left this afternoon.”

One had to admit that the female corpse was quite sensitive.

“It’s fine.” Zhou Ze did not want to talk now.

“You’re back, so I’m going next door to play games?” Bai Yingying begged.

Zhou Ze nodded.

“The boss is the best.”

Bai Yingying went to the noodle shop next door. Soon, Xu Qinglang walked into the bookstore from the noodle shop. He came to the counter and handed Zhou Ze a cigarette.

“Is this a tea party?”

Zhou Ze shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

“Hey, that sounds like a ghost story.” Xu Qinglang was interested. He found a plastic bench and sat down.

The person in the middle of the circle was telling a story about a ghost baby’s revenge. The climax rose again and again. The story was indeed good, and the people around were also very engrossed in it.

Slowly, Zhou Ze understood. This should be a “club”, similar to a reading club or a riding guild that gathered together because of a particular hobby.

After the last story, the man leading the group took out a large piece of paper. There were some drawings on it, and he took out several pens.

Zhou Ze was too far away to see clearly. Xu Qinglang turned around and mouthed to Zhou Ze.

Pen Spirit.

The Pen Spirit was a game that attracted ghosts. It was a mysterious game. It was said that playing this kind of game would lead to misfortune, and it would attract the souls of the dead.

These people were very excited. Everyone reached out their hands and held the long pen together. A man wearing a yellow coat and black-rimmed glasses seemed to be the leader. After everyone was ready, he said sincerely,

“Pen Spirit, Pen Spirit, Pen Spirit, Pen Spirit, where are you?”

The pen still did not move, but the bookstore fell silent.

The black-framed man continued:

Pen Spirit, Pen Spirit, can we meet a ghost tonight?

Ten seconds after he said that…

The long brush that everyone was holding began to move slowly.

Everyone held their breaths.

Actually, many people grabbed a pen together. As long as the tip of the pen was round enough, it was easy to slide. If one of them played a trick, it would be even easier.

Whoosh!

The tip of the pen suddenly trembled.

It moved horizontally towards Zhou Ze’s seat.

Xu Qinglang opened his mouth slightly. Lucky?

Zhou Ze was still sitting behind the counter, watching the situation with his eyes half-closed.

Because of the movement of the pen tip, most people were looking at Zhou Ze.

“Yes!”

The man pointed at the tip of the pen.

There were two areas, “yes” and “no”, and the tip of the pen happened to be in this area.

“Alright, put your things away. We’ll set off together later. Remember, we’ll be on the move for half an hour. Everyone, charge your phones. In a while, everyone has to start video recording. At least twenty minutes.”

“Okay.”

“Understood.”

“Yeah.”

The rest of them packed up and left the bookstore. The black-framed man walked to Zhou Ze’s counter and apologized.

“I’m sorry, Boss. We’re from the Association of Horror Story Fanatics. We’re just doing some supernatural adventures. Did we scare you?”

Zhou Ze shook his head.

“Boss, you sure are brave. When the girl was here, I asked her if she could play the Pen Spirit here. She agreed. But now that you’re back, I’m really worried that you’ll blame us. Here’s the tea money. Boss, please accept it.”

The man handed over 600 yuan.

Zhou Ze took the money and asked, “Where are you guys going later?”

“It’s the building above your shop. There are no merchants here anymore. There was an arson recently and a few people were burned to death. We’re planning to try our luck there tonight.”

“Do you want to see a ghost?”

“I don’t know, but people should always be curious about the unknown. In fact, everyone gathered together to seek excitement.

“In our social circle, it is difficult to find people who are interested in each other. Our club also provides a chance for us to interact.

“Besides, I’ve already made arrangements for tonight. I’ve already asked someone to prepare something at the cinema that was set on fire earlier in the day. Tonight, our club’s Mr. Chen will confess to Miss Liu.”

“Confession?”

“That’s right. Actually, the rest of us know what happened tonight. Only Miss Liu doesn’t know. Our club has been established for five years. Everyone is on good terms, so everyone is willing to help.”

“Are you Japanese?” Zhou Ze asked the black-framed man.

“Yes, I’m considered a Japanese Chinese expatriate. I returned to the country five years ago. There are many clubs with such interests in Japan. After I returned, I realized that everyone was too introverted, so I’m basically the one who organized daily reading sessions or haunted house expeditions.”

The man slapped his forehead and handed over his name card.

“My Chinese name is Cui Yilang, please take care of me.”

Zhou Ze took the name card from him.

“Then we’ll go organize the event first. Thank you again for your hospitality.”

Cui Yilang walked out of the bookstore. Xu Qinglang, who had been standing at the side and not saying a word, immediately held his stomach and laughed out loud.

“Hahaha, it’s killing me. They’ve really seen a ghost this time.”

Xu Qinglang smiled. When she realized that Zhou Ze was no longer smiling, she reached out and punched his chest.

“Not funny?”

Zhou Ze immediately bent down and covered his chest with one hand.

sp; “Are… are you all right? I didn’t use much strength, did I?”

He was just punching you in the chest.

“No.” Zhou Ze gestured for Xu Qinglang to stay away from him. “I’m just laughing until my heart hurts.”

“You’re exaggerating?” Xu Qinglang pursed his lips. “Are you hungry? I’ll cook you… a bowl of egg fried rice.”

“No, I’ve eaten.”

“Have you eaten outside?” Xu Qinglang asked curiously. “Aren’t you not used to eating outside?”

“That thing is delicious.”

“What dish is it? If you can eat it, I’ll buy some for you tomorrow.”

Zhou Ze shook his head.

A person only had one heart.

Zhou Ze could not produce a whole basket, so he handed it to Xu Qinglang. “Fried, fried, boiled, steamed.”

“What do you want to eat recently?” Xu Qinglang asked.

Zhou Ze looked at Xu Qinglang and said seriously, “I suddenly feel like eating that.”

“Sure, I’ll get it tomorrow.”

Suddenly, the lights in the bookstore went out.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

“I’m going to eat chicken! My dog is three times six and three times five!”

Bai Yingying rushed out of the noodle house and wailed outside.

Zhou Ze felt that when she was being drowned in a pigpen in the past, her shouting was probably not as intense as now.

Blackout.

Zhou Ze and Xu Qinglang also walked outside.

Xu Qinglang made a call, then put down the phone and said helplessly,

“F*ck, it’s said that someone will come tomorrow for maintenance. Old Zhou, this place is really not good anymore. Even after the blackout, people are too lazy to come here directly. Now it has become a place for interested Haunted Houses to explore.”

Xu Qinglang pointed at the tall window above their heads. “How did they think of confessing to each other in that dead cinema?”

“It’s very romantic. In a scary environment, coupled with the suddenness of love, the contrast is enough to make people intoxicated.”

“Why do you sound weird today?” Xu Qinglang looked at Zhou Ze.

Zhou Ze shook his head.

“You look like you’ve been hollowed out. Did you take that step today?” Xu Qinglang asked carefully.

“You think too much.”

However, the word “empty” made Zhou Ze’s eyelids twitch slightly. Xu Qinglang caught this detail.

Zhou Ze looked up.

Hello.

It’s useless even if you look at the sky.

Was he feeling guilty?

Am I right?

Seeing that Zhou Ze did not reply, Xu Qinglang also looked up.

Sky Gazing.

Then…

The two of them saw a person wearing white clothes standing at the glass window on the fifth floor.

Due to the blackout, there was no light around. However, the moon was bright today, and the color of the other party’s clothes could be easily distinguished in the dark.

Xu Qinglang puffed out a smoke ring. “They’re really…”

Xu Qinglang stopped talking.

Because he saw the white figure descending from above.

It was very fast.

He fell to the ground less than ten meters away from Zhou Ze.

Pa!

A heavy thud sounded.

A person fell to the ground, motionless. Blood slowly spread out from under her.

Zhou Ze felt his face turn cold.

Some blood splattered onto his face.

Xu Qinglang immediately ran over to check on the fallen.

Zhou Ze reached into his pocket and took out a napkin, intending to wipe the blood off his face.

Dead… to save… to check on the situation…

Zhou Ze looked conflicted.

However, his hand still trembled as he pulled out a tissue.

He slowly and carefully wiped away the few drops of blood.

Xu Qinglang looked up and shouted at Zhou Ze, “Hey, come over and see if there’s still a chance to save him!” Then, when he saw Zhou Ze standing there without even taking a step, he shouted,

“Do you have a conscience? Wiping your face at this time!”

Zhou Ze was stunned.

That’s right.

Heart.

Gone…