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墨書 Inktalez
The next morning, it was not the sunlight or an alarm clock that woke the sleeping person, but the sound of the bedroom door being pushed open and a breakfast that nearly scorched his face. Song Bunan sat up in bed, his still-drowsy mind heavy enough that he could easily fall back asleep. However, the voices around him made it clear that he would have to wait until his older brother left for work before he could do so. He closed his sore eyes and stretched, trying to ease his body a bit. After a yawn, he finally managed to speak: “Brother, what time is it?”
In truth, the person who had been awakened did not know who was standing beside him at that moment. However, he figured that only his brother would come to wake him up at this hour, as he was the kind of person who allowed late-night activities but disdained sleeping in. So, Song Bunan braced himself for a lecture from his brother while preparing to grab the pajamas at the foot of his bed. But instead of the expected scolding, he heard a gentle voice that made his heart race.
“It’s only seven o’clock. I was going to let you know I bought breakfast and remind you to eat when you woke up, but it seems I’ve completely woken you up instead.”
This statement was far more effective than cold water splashed on his face. Song Bunan remained in a kneeling position on the bed, reaching for his clothes but unsure whether to lie back down or get up. Wearing only a pair of loose shorts while sleeping made him feel as if he were on fire, especially his head, which felt like it was submerged in boiling oil.
Unable to see the expression on the person behind him, he swallowed hard and slowly put on his pajamas while standing on the floor. He tucked his chin in as much as possible to avoid letting anyone see how red his face had become. Embarrassed and shy, he managed to say, “Good morning, brother Xinyi …”
At that moment, if there had been a crack in the ground, Song Bunan felt he could have been the first to dive into it and then seal off his escape route with cement.
Clearly aware of how awkward he was feeling, Xin Yi smiled and returned the greeting before heading into the kitchen. As soon as Song Bunan saw him leave the bedroom, his knees nearly buckled beneath him. He leaned against the edge of the bed and took deep breaths in an attempt to dispel his embarrassment, but it was evident that he couldn’t calm down; even his back and waist felt like they were burning.
Splashing cold water on his face in the bathroom did little to cool him down. Outside, Xin Yi called for him to eat while it was still hot. Not wanting to be seen with such a flushed face any longer, Song Bunan steeled himself and grabbed a facial mask from where his mother had left it on a nearby shelf. The butterfly-shaped black film fit perfectly over his face, covering everything except for his eyes and mouth.
Normally, he would tease his mother about how strange she looked while wearing a mask and eating fruit; now he thought it was a miraculous invention.
Emerging from the bathroom with the black butterfly mask on, he ran into Xin Yi who was drying his hands before entering. They both froze for a moment as they stared at each other—Song Bunan was nervous while Xin Yi looked surprised. The awkward silence was broken first by Xin Yi, who stifled a laugh and turned away slightly while covering his mouth with a tissue. When he lowered his hand, only a faint smile remained on his face.
“You have quite an elaborate morning routine,” he said. “The porridge is getting cold; eat something before going back to sleep. I’m heading off to work now. If you don’t want to cook for lunch later, just let me know; we can eat out.”
With that, Song Bunan received a playful ruffle on the head from Xin Yi’s large hand—like petting a plush toy—before Xin Yi decisively withdrew his hand and headed for the door with his bag in tow. “Eat first; there’s plenty of time! See you at noon!” Xin Yi completed these actions in one smooth motion without giving Song Bunan a chance to respond. It wasn’t until the door clicked shut behind him that Song Bunan finally mumbled back a quiet “See you at noon.”
Feeling utterly embarrassed now that he had removed the mask from his face, Song Bunan squatted beside the toilet for quite some time without being able to shake off the image of Xin Yi trying not to laugh at him. He couldn’t decipher what kind of expression had been in Xin Yi’s eyes—something complex and unfamiliar that he had only ever seen in dramas before. But one thing was clear: Xin Yi did not look at him like that.
Song Bunan had intended to think this through carefully when he stood up after feeling numbness in his legs and sat down at the dining table to munch on some slightly cold buns. Just as he replayed scenes from dramas related to those kinds of expressions in an attempt to analyze things further, he heard his phone ringing from across the room.
On the other end was Xiao Mei, saying there was no need for him to come over tonight as she was currently on her way toward him. Before Song Bunan could even ask anything further after processing this information, someone shouted for Xiao Mei to hurry up. Then came hurried footsteps followed by busy signals amidst all that noise.
Feeling something must have gone wrong over there, he wanted to call back immediately for clarification but found that Xiao Mei’s phone had already shut off during those brief moments of hesitation. A chill ran down his spine; something unexpected must have happened for such an issue to arise. But now he had no idea where they were located; if he rushed out looking for them without knowing their whereabouts, it might delay things even further.
For some time afterward, Song Bunan sat upright on the living room sofa with his phone in hand, hoping for another call from Xiao Mei saying she had arrived at the community entrance so she could let him open the door for her. However, even after waiting until Xin Yi walked back through the door carrying lunch boxes for them both, no calls came through again.
If driving from Dragon Garden to their neighborhood took over an hour under normal circumstances, then surely something must have happened if they hadn’t arrived yet after all this time.
He shared these concerns with Xin Yi while still holding onto his lunch bag. However, Xin Yi merely shook his head slightly and said: “Have you considered that you don’t actually know her very well? Based on what you’ve said so far, it sounds like you two are just online acquaintances who’ve only recently met.”
Upon hearing this statement from Xin Yi, Song Bunan suddenly realized why everything felt off lately: during these past few days since returning from Dragon Garden when recounting adventures at home with Xin Yi present beside him listening intently while maintaining smiles mixed with looks of helplessness—it dawned upon him how those expressions resembled someone watching a child play.
“ brother Xinyi,” Song Bunan lifted his gaze towards Xin Yi’s deep brown eyes and asked earnestly: “Do you believe in ghosts?”
With equal seriousness in response: “Young people seem fond of strange stories these days? I respect your imaginative spirit but I don’t believe.”
“Then do you think everything I’ve told you recently—including what I just mentioned about Xiao Mei—is just storytelling?” He sensed an answer forming within himself: “Children’s tales are often filled with fantasy and adventure.”
Thus came clarity about why worrying over Xiao Mei’s safety seemed unnecessary after all. Song Bunan tucked away his phone and nodded at Xin Yi: “True enough; I initially planned on posting this story online anyway—to see if anyone else might enjoy it.”
【Reacting appropriately based on whom one is facing has always been something Song Bunan understood since childhood—and how best to apply such knowledge too.】 Now it became clear that since Xin Yi held no understanding nor belief regarding these matters whatsoever—therefore moving forward into every minute henceforth—he wouldn’t need share anything related about them anymore.
While eating together with Xin Yi discussing upcoming work starting next week—he admired how dedicated Xin Yi appeared towards work—and became increasingly convinced this person truly embodied pure atheism himself too! Fortunately though news finally arrived from Xiao Mei via text message detailing their meeting time later today; glancing over address details surprised Song Bunan as well regarding why Xiao Mei chose such location!
"Three o'clock, Jiang Family Courtyard."
The change came too quickly. Xiao Mei and Zhang Long were conducting their routine inspection of the house when they were suddenly caught off guard by danger. The Dragon Garden, known for its occasional nighttime incidents, revealed its unexpected side in broad daylight: a hungry ghost, trapped on the first floor by Xiao Mei, suddenly broke free from its seal and charged at them, heedless of the sunlight streaming in through the window.
The skeletal figure of the hungry ghost, with its oversized head and slender body, emitted a hissing sound from its straw-sized mouth, reminiscent of a snake or a person inhaling. The silence of the room amplified this noise slightly, sending shivers down Zhang Long's spine as he faced the ghost for the first time. He took a step back, trying to figure out how to escape, while Xiao Mei stood in front of him, pulling out a dagger from her pocket, her brow furrowed in thought.
Something was definitely wrong. Each door in the house was sealed; unless someone forcibly broke through, these trapped spirits could not escape on their own. Even if, hypothetically speaking, a spirit managed to break free from its confinement, it would be unable to move in broad daylight under the sun. Yet this hungry ghost was not only more ferocious than usual but also showed no reaction to the sunlight that directly hit it—this was perplexing.
"Isn't this thing supposed to be one of the milder ghosts? Why does it seem like it wants to eat us now?!" Zhang Long exclaimed as he dodged an attack from Xiao Mei. He glanced back at the closed door, gauging how far away it was. In his moment of distraction, he caught a whiff of a foul odor coming from behind him—an unmistakable stench mixed with moisture and decay. Turning around, he saw a damp water ghost crouching in the shadows not far from him.
He recognized this water ghost all too well; he had gone through great lengths to pull it out of a pond and hand it over to Xiao Mei, nearly losing his life in the process. Now, seeing its decaying face again made his stomach churn at the sight of its hanging eyeball.
The two stood back-to-back, silently communicating their feelings as they faced two ghosts that could attack at any moment. The hungry ghost hissed and writhed on the ground while the water ghost remained crouched in the shadows, staring at him with one eye. Water dripped from its body onto the floor, and the foul stench wafted into their noses, making them feel nauseous.
"Someone has broken Master’s seal and released them, using some means to make them fearless of daylight..." Xiao Mei murmured as she gripped her dagger tightly. "This person’s goal isn’t us; they don’t seem to care who comes here—they just want these things out. But why? Why must it be these ones on the first floor?"
As Xiao Mei began analyzing the situation behind him, Zhang Long rolled his eyes helplessly and interjected, "We can figure out the reasons later once we get out of here; otherwise, if those two come at us together, I’ll be the first to meet my end without any weapons."
The mention of "meeting my end" startled Xiao Mei, making her realize what this person’s intentions might be.
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