The boss clearly didn't want to say more. Faced with Si Yan's questioning gaze, he hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "You guys go upstairs and rest first. We'll explain everything together when you've rested enough."
Then he looked at everyone again and gave them serious instructions.
"There are many rules in town. If you are going out, please be sure to ask me or my wife about the precautions for that day."
Qi Lin: "What happens if the rules aren't followed?"
The boss's eyes narrowed. "The consequences will be severe."
But the boss didn't elaborate on the specific consequences.
I hate people who only say half of what they mean!
Boss: Anyway, the consequences will be serious; I don't care what the consequences are.
The group took the keys and headed upstairs on the left. They had only taken a few steps when they heard someone singing.
Jiang Nuo looked in the direction of the sound and saw a little girl sitting on the opposite stairs, singing and swinging her legs. Her voice was childish and pleasant, but the tone was strange.
It's more like a chant than a ballad.
Jiang Nuo stood there listening for a few seconds, and then her eyes met those of the little girl who had looked up.
The little girl had crescent-shaped eyes, clear dark green pupils, and when she smiled, she revealed her pearly white teeth.
Jiang Nuo smiled at her, a smile like that of a strange older brother about to kidnap a child.
Little girl. "..."
The singing stopped, and the little girl lifted her skirt and ran upstairs as if a ghost were chasing her.
Jiang Nuo continued upstairs, satisfied.
Whether it was the boss's deliberate arrangement or not, the eight contestants, although living on the same floor, were separated from each other by the circular, open second-floor corridor, and went to the left and right respectively after going up the stairs.
The entire second-floor corridor was carpeted, with black and gray accents highlighting the dark patterns. As soon as Su Yi stepped on it, she keenly noticed the lingering ghostly aura on the patterns.
She quietly lowered her hand to make sure she wasn't mistaken before looking at Jiang Nuo and gesturing towards the carpet.
Jiang Nuo gave her a reassuring look, "Go to your room and put your luggage down first."
"Okay." Su Yi nodded, glancing subtly at the Wa Country people on the other side of the cantilevered railing. They seemed unaware of her presence and went straight into the room.
Jiang Nuo and Si Yan stayed in the first room next to the corridor, and locked the door immediately after entering.
Si Yan took off his black coat, looked around at the room's decor, and frowned in surprise, "It's almost like a hotel abroad."
"It's not just this hotel, the streets outside are too." Jiang Nuo felt the same way.
Si Yan: "It looks like an old European building."
Despite his complaints, he was actually quite satisfied with the place.
"The cleanest journey in five phases." Si Yan sat down on the black leather sofa, stretching out his long legs casually, quite emotional.
Jiang Nuo casually pushed the empty suitcase towards the window, smoothed a strand of hair from Si Yan's forehead, and said with amusement, "Don't make promises you can't keep."
Si Yan exclaimed, "Then I won't say anything."
He pulled Jiang Nuo into his arms, gently pinching her cheek, his voice low and deep, "It seems Nuonuo put something strange in her pocket before we came."
"Uh-huh?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuo pulled an ugly doll out of her pocket. "Well..."
"... Is this a puppet?" Si Yan's eyes stung from the sight, and she poked the ugly doll's face. "Where did it come from? It's so ugly."
I found it at the antique market.
Jiang Nuo chuckled, shook the Ugly Doll, glanced at the bionic bee that had followed them in for filming, and whispered in Si Yan's ear.
" Zhang Quan is inside."
Si Yan: "... Huh?"
Why bring him here?
"Just in case," Jiang Nuo said, nodding slightly towards the door with her chin.
Since Zhang Quan went from being a solo fan to a suspected CP (couple) fan, Si Yan has had far fewer complaints about him.
At this point, all he could do was click his tongue and sigh, "He actually agreed to stay in such an ugly doll."
Jiang Nuo pursed her lips, her smile a little guilty, "Actually, I prepared three for him to choose from, and this one is the best looking."
Si Yan: "..."
Well, his wife always seems to have some weird taste.
As they were talking, they both heard children laughing outside, seemingly coming from downstairs.
Si Yan looked at the door in surprise, "Is the soundproofing this bad?"
"I'm going out to take a look."
Jiang Nuo got up from his arms, opened the door again, and her laughter became clearer and more distinct.
Standing by the corridor railing and looking down, you can see everything in the lobby. The laughter comes from inside the lobby, where there is a black swing facing the high wall.
The little girl who was singing on the stairs just moments ago is now playing on the swing, her little leather shoes swaying, looking very happy.
But with each swing, the little girl flew towards the wall, and the dark wall looked inexplicably oppressive.
Jiang Nuo was observing when she suddenly noticed someone staring at her. She quickly turned around and saw Qi Lin, who was also walking out of the room.
Qi Lin was startled. "What's wrong?"
"Fine."
Jiang Nuo looked away. "Was anyone else in the corridor just now?"
"I don't know, I just came out."
Qi Lin followed his gaze to the corner of the stairs but didn't see anything. He quickly walked a few steps to Jiang Nuo's side.
"Do you feel like someone's watching you on the stairs?"
Meeting Jiang Nuo's questioning gaze, Qi Lin frowned, somewhat uncertain, "I felt the same way when I came up, but that feeling was fleeting."
Hearing him say that, Jiang Nuo looked at the corner of the stairs again, her left pupil flickering slightly, but she still couldn't see anything.
"Relax." He patted Qi Lin on the shoulder, his smile light. "Maybe it's just your imagination."
"Waaaaah--"
The two people who heard the crying froze and instinctively looked towards the window.
At the end of the left-hand corridor, there is a half-person-high fan-shaped stained glass window from which you can see the street outside the hotel, and the crying is coming from there.
Qi Lin quickly went over to look, and Jiang Nuo glanced downstairs again as she lifted her foot. The little girl playing on the swing had left sometime earlier, leaving only the black swing swaying with inertia.
[It's quite startling to see this so suddenly...]
The little girl disappeared so fast! Could she be a ghost? Holy crap!
"That can't be... Coexisting with ghosts doesn't have to be done like this."
The crying outside clearly attracted all the contestants, who crowded around the windows on their respective sides of the corridor to look out.
A large crowd had gathered in the street, their faces filled with sorrow, slowly walking around the fountain, sobbing softly as they went.
This scene was extremely eerie. Jiang Nuo hissed and looked back at the hotel's decor.
"Why is everything here black, white, and gray?"
"No one—not the hotels, the streets, or even the residents—wore colorful clothes."
Si Yan agreed, "It's like someone wearing mourning clothes."
Su Yi speculated, "Could it be because too many townspeople died, and the town coexists with some kind of vengeful ghost, that's why they need to mourn or something?"
Qi Lin peered down, "So this is a memorial service? They even have candles."
I can't even imagine how terrifying it would be if this happened at night.
It has a strange medieval ritual feel to it...
[China has its own Europe O_o]