Zheng Shaoming called Steward Zhang over and said a few words to him. The steward smiled and nodded in understanding, then arranged for several of the female classmates to stay in the best rooms by the lake.
The other students felt it was a bit of a shame, but this was someone else's property, so they couldn't really complain. They each picked a room, sharing with two or three people to a room.
Jiang Chen, Li Jie, and Zhao Erhu chose a room near the outer end of the corridor.
After they put down their luggage, Steward Zhang led everyone to dinner. The dining hall was the gray-and-white building with the glass roof over there, and dinner was lavish, featuring all sorts of mountain delicacies and wild game.
After dinner, the students headed off in groups of two or three, excited to explore.
Some went to take photos at the lakeside pavilion, some planned to swim, and others went to admire the flowers and trees. The Resort Manor was huge, and before long, almost all the students had scattered.
Jiang Chen also planned to have a look around.
He had just stepped outside when he turned to Li Jie. "What are you doing?"
This guy had already started flirting with a girl on the way here. Instead of going to find her and take things further, he was following Jiang Chen around. That wasn't his usual style.
"Lao Jiang, something's wrong with this place." This time, Li Jie wasn't fooling around. His expression was deadly serious.
"Oh?" Jiang Chen was surprised.
If Zhao Erhu had noticed something, he would have considered that normal. But Li Jie was just an ordinary person. What could he have discovered?
"When I went to the restroom in the dining hall earlier, I suddenly heard two people whispering in the next stall. They were speaking very quietly, like they were plotting to kill someone."
"My first thought was that some classmates were playing a prank, but they'd thought through every single step in detail. It didn't sound like a joke at all."
"They said they'd wait until everyone was asleep tonight, sneak into that person's room, cover his head with a quilt, then stab him in the neck with a knife!"
"The more I listened, the more frightened I got. They even discussed how to dismember and bury the body, and planned how to establish alibis." At this point, seeing the fascinated look on Jiang Chen's face, Li Jie couldn't help cursing inwardly. You freak.
You hear a story this terrifying, and you actually seem excited?
"Lao Jiang, do you think I'm making this up?"
"Keep going." Jiang Chen looked all ears.
Li Jie hesitated, his lips parting. The corner of his eye twitched involuntarily, a sign of extreme nervousness. "What happened next might overturn everything you've believed for the past twenty-odd years. Lao Jiang, do you really want to hear it?"
Jiang Chen patted his shoulder. "Little Jie, just spit it out. Your old man here has seen it all."
Zhao Erhu stepped up and patted Li Jie's shoulder too. Though he didn't say a word, his meaning was obvious-your other old man had, too.
Li Jie: "..."
Their joking at this critical moment did ease some of the fear in his heart.
Li Jie gritted his teeth before saying in a trembling voice, "I listened for ages before I finally heard the name of the person they wanted to kill. Do you know who it was? Li Jie! The person they wanted to kill was me!"
"At the time, I still didn't realize anything was wrong. I only became more certain it was a prank by our classmates. I ran out and shoved open the door to the next stall, but there was nobody inside!"
"I thought I'd picked the wrong stall, but one glance showed me that all six stall doors were open. I searched every corner of the restroom, and finally reached a conclusion that made my skin crawl-"
"I'd been the only person in the restroom the entire time!"
"The scariest part was that I found the stall ahead covered in the word 'death,' written over and over in red. The writing was twisted, with strange strokes, as though someone had scratched it out with their fingernails."
When Li Jie finished, he was breathing heavily, staring at his two classmates with a grave, serious expression.
Then he saw the gleam of keen interest in both their eyes.
"Interesting. Looks like some nasty things have set their sights on you." Zhao Erhu nodded.
"Not bad. You managed to attract two ghosts at once. Badass!" Jiang Chen gave him a thumbs-up.
Li Jie: "???"
Do you two even know how to have a fucking conversation?
"You think I ran into ghosts too?" Li Jie asked solemnly.
"Almost certainly." Jiang Chen nodded. He gathered demonic power in his eyes and saw wisps of black resentment rising from Li Jie's body. The color wasn't very dark, though, so it wasn't too serious.
"But don't worry. I know a little about exorcising ghosts."
Hearing this, Li Jie's eyes widened with excitement. "I knew it! Lao Jiang, you're always fucking good at everything. You even know how to do this! Quick, teach me!"
"Simple. Those two ghosts said they'd come kill you tonight, so jump into the lake and kill yourself now. Catch them off guard," Jiang Chen suggested.
Li Jie stared, dumbfounded. "Lao Jiang, could you try being a decent human being?"
From beside them, Zhao Erhu spoke in his deep, muffled voice. "I've actually got a reliable method."
Li Jie breathed a sigh of relief. Erhu's the dependable one after all.
"Didn't they say they'd wait until you fell asleep tonight, then quietly kill you? Just don't sleep tonight. Party until dawn and don't give them a chance!" Zhao Erhu said.
Li Jie considered it for a moment and felt that might actually work. But he soon thought of another problem. "So as long as I make it through tonight, I'll be safe?"
Zhao Erhu shook his head. "No. Once a ghost latches onto you, you'll never be free of it for the rest of your life."
"But don't worry. As long as you never sleep again, they won't be able to hurt you."
Li Jie: "..."
If I never sleep again, I won't have to wait for the ghosts to hurt me. I'll fucking drop dead on my own first.
So you want me to kill myself too, just to deny the ghosts the kill, huh?
"Stick close to Erhu or me, and you won't die," Jiang Chen said, then suddenly walked ahead. He had spotted an employee sweeping the Arch Bridge in the middle of the artificial lake.
Her movements were strange. Holding the very end of the broom handle, she stretched it far out to sweep the edges of the bridge. She seemed willing to expend more effort rather than get close to the water.
Jiang Chen walked toward her. Zhao Erhu gave him a meaningful look, while Li Jie remained where he was, lost in thought.
"Hello, beautiful. Let me introduce someone. That guy over there is the young heir of the Li Group. He just told me he thought you were very pretty and wanted to get to know you. Unfortunately..."
At Jiang Chen's words, the employee, a woman in her twenties, looked up toward the lakeshore. Seeing Li Jie dressed head to toe in designer brands, then comparing his appearance with that famous business tycoon in Jiangbei City, she instantly concluded that he might really be the young heir of the Li family.
"Unfortunately what?" she hurriedly asked.
"Ah, unfortunately, the way you're sweeping makes you look like you're not very bright." Jiang Chen sighed.
"Oh, you mean this." Rather than getting angry, the employee explained, "There's a reason for it. Did you know a woman died in this lake? Since then, several more people at the manor have fallen in and drowned for no apparent reason. Everyone says a vengeful ghost is taking lives!"
"By the way, could you share my WeChat contact with Young Master Li?"
Jiang Chen nodded. You had to risk something to gain something. If he wanted to fish out useful information, Li Jie would have to make a little sacrifice.
As they spoke, he took out his phone, and she displayed her QR code.
"The name is my real name. Hehe, did Young Master Li really say I was pretty?" The employee's eyes shone. She couldn't even be bothered to play coy anymore.
But as Jiang Chen looked at the information on WeChat, his brows furrowed.
Sun Die?
The employee badge on her chest clearly read Liu Guihua.
Before you continue