113: Not crazy, but a pervert.

Ye Xi curled up on the piano bench, the phone with pink stickers in her hand feeling like an ice brick radiating cold at this moment.

The text on the screen was not dense, one could even say it was sparse, yet every single character pierced into her sensitive nerves.

The novel continued.

"Midnight."

"This is a convenience store located on the edge of the city, with the address Convenience Store No. 444. The red neon sign, due to a bad connection, constantly emitted a buzzing electrical sound, which in the silent night, sounded like the wheezing of some dying creature."

"Xia Dongqing sat behind the checkout counter, holding a cup of freshly brewed pickled cabbage instant noodles. The steam rose, yet it could not drive away the cold in his bones. He was the night shift clerk here, and also one of the loneliest types of people in this city: no money, no friends, preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam."

"But the reason he could find this job wasn't because of good luck, but because this store couldn't hire anyone. The previous night shift clerk went crazy, and the one before that, died."

Ye Xi subconsciously wrapped her school uniform jacket tighter around herself.

The piano room's thermostat clearly showed 26 degrees, yet she felt a chill blowing into the back of her neck.

The text continued to flow downward.

""Ding-dong—""

"The sensor door opened."

"Xia Dongqing looked up. Standing at the door was a little boy wearing cartoon clothes, about seven or eight years old, holding a ball. The boy lowered his head, his face as pale as if it had been coated with putty, without a trace of blood."

""Little kid, why are you alone so late?" Xia Dongqing asked subconsciously."

"The boy didn't speak, just raised his hand and pointed outside."

"Following the direction of the finger, Xia Dongqing saw a woman standing under a street lamp. That woman... her neck was bent at an eerie ninety-degree angle, her head hanging on her shoulder, staring fixedly at him through the glass door."

"Xia Dongqing's hand trembled, and the noodle soup splashed onto the back of his hand. He lowered his head abruptly, staring fixedly at the cup of noodles, silently chanting to himself: Can't see, can't see, I can't see..."

Ye Xi held her breath.

Is this "soul ferry"?

There was no breathtaking dash for love across the wasteland, no romanticized redemption.

Here, there was only the most straightforward horror, the most oppressive reality.

That Xia Dongqing didn't look like a protagonist; he looked more like prey that could be devoured at any moment.

""Big brother, you can see me, right?""

"The little boy's voice suddenly rang out in front of the checkout counter, close at hand."

"Xia Dongqing was stiff all over, still keeping his head down and eating noodles, even though the noodles had turned to mush, even though his stomach was churning. Because he knew the rule: once you respond to them, they will latch onto you."

"These eyes, this damned Yin-Yang eye, were the greatest curse of his life."

Reading this, Ye Xi couldn't help but pull the phone a little further away, then couldn't help but lean in closer.

This writing style was too gripping.

The Dream Weaver had abandoned all flowery language, using a technique bordering on plain description to outline a cold and damp world.

In this world, ghosts were not props that existed just to scare people; they were more like "residents" living in the cracks, carrying the obsessions of their lives and the confusion of their afterlives.

On the screen, the plot continued to advance.

Just as the little boy was about to crawl onto the checkout counter, a black jeep pulled up at the door.

"The car door opened, and a man stepped out."

"He wore a black trench coat, with an incongruous silver ornament hanging around his neck. The man looked to be in his thirties and was quite handsome, but this handsomeness contained a hint of evil, like a reckless rogue, yet also like an unfathomable hunter."

"The man pushed the door open and entered, not even glancing at the little boy. He walked straight to the freezer, grabbed a bottle of beer and a pack of cigarettes, and finally slapped a hundred-dollar bill onto the checkout counter."

""Keep the change." The man tore open the beer can and took a gulp, looking with amusement at the little boy who was preparing to make a move on Xia Dongqing."

""Little ghost, this isn't a place where you should stay.""

"The little boy gave a sinister smile, let out a shriek, and rushed out the door."

Ye Xi let out a long breath, feeling her heart finally settle back into her chest.

Who was this man?

A new the ferryman?

He was completely different from the gentle, forbearing Tristan in Jian Shen's writing, who could defy the whole world for Dylan.

This man exuded a sort of casual domineering air, and a kind of... indifference that saw through life and death.

"Xia Dongqing looked up, covered in cold sweat: "You... you can see them too?""

"The man laughed, his smile carrying a hint of mockery and a hint of pity. He leaned closer to Xia Dongqing, his deep eyes seemingly able to see through Xia Dongqing's soul."

""Of course I can see them." The man pointed to his own eyes, then pointed to Xia Dongqing's eyes."

""Not only can I see them, I can also see you.""

""Zhao Li." The man spat out a name. "The night shift at this store is under my management. As for you... Xia Dongqing, welcome to Convenience Store No. 444, the place where Yin and Yang intersect.""

Zhao Li.

Ye Xi silently recited this name in her heart.

If Tristan was a protector, then this Zhao Li was more like an arbiter, or perhaps... an administrator?

The progress bar only had a sliver left.

Ye Xi's heart jumped into her throat.

Following that mad author's habits, the ending of this first chapter definitely wouldn't let anyone sleep peacefully.

Sure enough, the final paragraph revealed the true intent.

"Zhao Li turned to leave, but Xia Dongqing suddenly called out to stop him."

""Wait! Who exactly are you? Why can you see them? Why can I see them too? These eyes... what is going on? I've been an orphan since I was little, no one ever told me why!""

"Zhao Li stopped, his back to Xia Dongqing. The convenience store lights flickered once, stretching his shadow long and casting it on the ground."

"He slowly turned around, and for the first time, that cynical face revealed a chilling expression. It was not an expression a human should have; it was a coldness that was high and mighty, looking down like an ant."

"He walked up to Xia Dongqing, extended a finger, and gently tapped it on the center of Xia Dongqing's forehead."

"In that instant, Xia Dongqing felt a cold current pierce through his entire body, as if something had exploded deep within his mind."

"Zhao Li's voice was very soft, yet it exploded like a thunderclap in Xia Dongqing's ears, and also in the mind of Ye Xi in front of the screen."

""You ask me why you have these eyes?""

"Zhao Li laughed, revealing his stark white teeth."

""Because... these eyes, I gave them to you.""

Clatter.

Ye Xi's hand shook, her phone slipped directly, and it smashed onto the black and white piano keys.

A harsh discordant noise echoed in the piano room.

She couldn't care about the phone; she was frozen on the piano bench, her scalp tingling, goosebumps rising all over her body.

"I gave them to you."

These five simple words instantly tore a huge black hole into the scope of the entire story.

So none of this was a coincidence; so the protagonist Xia Dongqing's tragic fate had been designed from the very beginning?

Who exactly was this Zhao Li? Or rather... was he not human at all?

This sense of fatalism, this fear of being manipulated, was ten thousand times scarier than mere ghosts and monsters!

Ye Xi gasped for air, her chest heaving violently.

She felt that she hadn't just been reading a novel, but had actually walked through that Convenience Store No. 444.

If "the ferryman" was an exquisite French dessert, then this "soul ferry" was a bowl of strong liquor—burning to the throat, but addictive.

Those who said he plagiarized would probably shut up before even finishing the first chapter.

Ye Xi scrambled to pick up her phone, not caring if the screen was cracked or not, quickly switched out of the reading interface, opened WeChat, and clicked on the chat box named "Mu Xia".

Her fingers typed rapidly:

""Fugitive Beethoven": Teacher Lin, have you read it?! Zhao Li is so cool! That line "I gave you these eyes" is absolutely killer!"

""Fugitive Beethoven": I take back what I said before, the Dream Weaver isn't a madman, he's a pervert! A super genius pervert!"

""Fugitive Beethoven": Reply quickly! I know you're reading! (Seeing through everything.jpg)"

(I poked "Mu Xia")