Chapter 32: The Haunted Inn

Lin Rou had clearly been crying; traces of tears shimmered at the corners of her eyes, and her delicate body trembled, as though she were suppressing her pain. “Xiao Fan, do you really not want me anymore? Do you not love me?”

Zhang Xiaofan replied coldly, “Lin Rou, we were never truly together. I admit I once had feelings for you, but now it’s over.”

Lin Rou’s body quivered, and suddenly a chilling coldness flashed in her eyes—a look that not only Zhang Xiaofan, but even Su Qianqian, had never seen before. Yet that expression vanished as quickly as it appeared. Lin Rou spoke in a trembling voice, “I wasn’t willing then. Can’t you… forgive me?”

Though Zhang Xiaofan found this somewhat strange, he remembered the time Song Feng had spoken to him like this, and Lin Rou had remained unmoved. Rage welled up within him, and he said coldly, “Forget it. We’re finished.”

With that, he took Su Qianqian’s hand and prepared to leave.

Lin Rou watched their retreating figures and called out, “Xiao Fan, you’re mine, always…”

Her lovely face was streaked with tears, as if she’d lost something most precious. She walked along the road back, passing a narrow alley, where a few thuggish young men spotted her alone and approached.

“Well, well, pretty girl all by herself.”

“Hey, look, she’s been crying. Did your boyfriend dump you? Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.”

“Don’t cry, pretty thing. My place is just ahead. Let me take you home and pamper you.”

The group drew closer, but Lin Rou’s gaze was icy. She murmured, “Zhang Xiaofan doesn’t want me anymore, but I’ll make him love me again. Before that, I must become stronger, powerful… I must live well and make myself beautiful.”

Suddenly, she lifted her head and looked at the thugs, and a smile broke across her face. “Only by becoming strong can I protect Xiao Fan. As for scum like you—die!”

As soon as her words fell, the air around her turned cold, frost seeming to crystallize in the atmosphere. The thugs didn’t even have time to react before they were frozen solid. Lin Rou’s mental strength pulsed, and their bodies were transformed into fine frost, dead beyond all hope.

“Though I don’t know what power you’ve given me, the feeling is truly wonderful,” Lin Rou murmured. She drew out a jade pendant, black in color and no larger than a thumb, carved with the image of an ancient maiden. At this moment, the maiden seemed to smile at Lin Rou; a wisp of gray mist floated in the air, then was entirely absorbed by the pendant.

“Lin Rou, grow strong. Only by becoming powerful can you seize your beloved. As for the others, they should all be eliminated…” The pendant spoke, then fell silent once more.

Lin Rou clenched the pendant tightly, murmuring, “Yes, you’re right. I must become strong. When I return, it’s time to exchange my constitution. Which should I choose? Perhaps the one that makes me more alluring—only then will Zhang Xiaofan love me more…”

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaofan had quietly led Su Qianqian to his dormitory. Su Qianqian, shy and nervous, asked, “What did you want to show me?”

Zhang Xiaofan grinned mischievously. “Something nice.” With that, he closed the door and suddenly embraced her, kissing her passionately.

Su Qianqian realized what he wanted and was immediately flushed with anger and embarrassment. She tried to escape but couldn’t, and soon desire flared between them. Just as they were about to fully surrender to passion, the phone rang again.

Damn, he thought, ready to flip the table.

Zhang Xiaofan answered, irritated—damn, it wasn’t even his phone.

“It’s mine,” Su Qianqian said apologetically, straightening her disheveled clothes. She checked her phone and frowned. “It’s Tang Youcai and the others. They’re asking if we’ll go to the Xitian Hotel.”

Su Qianqian had told Zhang Xiaofan before: Including herself, six people would enter the hotel to hunt ghosts.

The hotel was the same place Ma Ying had shown them the ghost video.

Zhang Xiaofan frowned. “Did you send them the video Ma Ying gave you?”

Su Qianqian nodded. “Yes, I sent it over. They’re scared, but there’s no choice. The task must be completed.”

She sighed and stood up, saying, “I have to do this with them, so I must go. Wait for me to return.”

Zhang Xiaofan suddenly grabbed her hand. “I’ll go with you.”

“But it’s dangerous.”

“My future wife is about to head to such a dangerous place—how could I let you go alone?” he replied firmly, then whispered, “Once your task is done, we’ll finish what we started.”

Su Qianqian’s face flushed bright red. She lowered her head, unable to speak, her silence a tacit consent.

Zhang Xiaofan was overjoyed, thinking his springtime was finally approaching.

The two arrived at the entrance of the Xitian Hotel. They had searched for information online; it was an old establishment, built ten years ago. Once, it had been among the top hotels, but as society advanced and more luxurious places appeared, it gradually declined.

Now it was just a small hotel, and after the haunting incidents, fewer people dared stay. Still, some unsuspecting guests checked in, and many had died unexpectedly nearby.

“You’re finally here,” Tang Youcai greeted them, glancing at Xiaofan. “Oh, you came too.”

“Qianqian is my girlfriend, so I’m accompanying her.”

Tang Youcai’s face lit up. “Great.” For them, one more meant greater strength, and they’d already witnessed Zhang Xiaofan’s intelligence and bravery, so his arrival was welcome.

Zhang Xiaofan looked over the group. Besides Tang Youcai, Huang Kaijian was also present, apparently assigned the same task. The other three were Xu Jiaojiao, Vice Monitor Shen Fengxing, and the chubby girl Zhang Hua.

Shen Fengxing, as ever, played the bureaucrat. He approached Zhang Xiaofan, adjusted his glasses, glanced at Su Qianqian, masking the jealousy in his eyes, and said, “Xiaofan, it’s wonderful you could make it.”

Zhang Xiaofan replied, “It’s only right.”

He had little fondness for the vice monitor—Shen Fengxing was too adept at currying favor, always flattering teachers and acting as a leader among classmates, especially fearful of Song Feng, Murong Feng, and Wang Hu, but bossy with others, which Zhang Xiaofan disliked.

“Let’s skip the idle chatter. This task is dangerous. While the sun is still strong, let’s go in and observe, figure out the ghost’s weaknesses, and then buy the necessary supplies,” he said.

At that moment, the chubby Zhang Hua spoke up, draping her arm around Zhou Liping. Ever since she had, for the sake of completing a task, slept with Zhou Liping, he had followed her everywhere.

“Alright, no time to waste. Let’s hurry inside,” said Su Qianqian.