A Xiu, why are you—I'm relying on you, I'm relying on you—"
Fang Qianan was originally walking in front with Li Xiu in his hand. When he felt the young man behind him suddenly lose strength, he quickly turned around and grabbed him.
Then, he met the densely packed eyes of those paper people.
The young school bully burst into a string of curse words and was so scared that he almost fell to his knees.
It had been only a short while ago that everything around them was pitch black. Even Fang Qianan had no idea when these paper figures had appeared beside them. Fang Qianan was still afraid of ghosts. In the past, just one look at these things would have frightened him to the point of crying, hugging Li Xiu beside him.
But now is not usual.
Li Xiu had just been terribly frightened, and his face was pale as a sheet, looking as if he would fall down if the wind blew.
Fang Qianan only glanced at Li Xiu's face lightly, and his heart, which had shrunk into his throat, was forcibly pulled down and stuffed back into its original place.
"Don't be afraid, seriously. Don't be afraid. What's there to be afraid of? They're just a bunch of paper figures. I could tear one apart with my bare hands on the way here..."
Fang Qianan swallowed hard, mustered up the courage and said soothingly.
However, his trembling voice seemed unconvincing, because as he spoke, Li Xiu's face became paler and paler.
The young man clung to Fang Qianan's arm tightly, the corners of his eyes, which had turned slightly red due to tears, were now damp.
"Fang, Fang Qian'an." Li Xiu's voice was as soft as a mosquito. "Do you feel that they are... still moving..."
Li Xiu is no longer sure of the boundary between reality and illusion.
It's so scary and so weird.
The eyes on the paper figures were clearly crudely drawn, but Li Xiu still felt that the way they stared at him was very strange.
Like something alive.
Moreover, in the short pause of a few minutes just now, he felt that there seemed to be more paper people - as if they were moving towards him and Fang Qianan at a very slow speed.
After he expressed his doubts, he clearly felt that every muscle in Fang Qianan's body beside him was tense.
Cold sweat kept dripping down the school bully's neck and forehead.
"rustle..."
"rustle..."
…
In the darkness, there was a faint sound of papers rubbing against each other.
"No, it's okay. There's nothing to be afraid of, really, there's nothing to be afraid of. By the way, put this on—"
Fang Qianan held the candle high and glanced at the smiling paper figures.
After a brief hesitation, Fang Qianan seemed to suddenly think of something. He suddenly pulled off the paper mask on his head and hurriedly put it on Li Xiu's face.
The paper mask looked exactly like the paper man's face, with some very rough cracks on the neck.
It looked as if someone had just pulled it off the paper doll's neck.
The mask also had two blood-red blushes and a brilliant smile that stretched from ear to ear. The only difference was the two crude holes dug for the eyes.
It's strange to say, the paper mask looks scary no matter how you look at it, but once the mask is put on, the feeling of being stared at by countless people disappears instantly.
The subtle rustling sound in the darkness also stopped instantly.
Li Xiu turned to Fang Qianan in confusion, her voice terrified: "Wait, this mask? What will you do if you give me your mask?"
"I came to see you, and I have a candle in my hand, which Teacher Xu gave me. The paper mannequin seems to be afraid of it."
Fang Qianan spoke to Li Xiu in a stern tone.
"Put on the mask and these paper figures won't notice you. It's not a big problem for now. Ah Xiu, come, follow me. We have to leave here quickly. As long as the candles don't go out, we can definitely leave. We can definitely leave..."
As if to comfort Li Xiu, or as if talking to himself, Fang Qianan turned his head, held Li Xiu's hand tightly, and walked step by step out of the encirclement of paper people.
His back was completely soaked with cold sweat.
Li Xiu's lips moved together. At that moment, he felt as if his throat was blocked by something. He had a lot to say, but when he opened his mouth, his mind went blank.
…
Not long after they put on the paper masks, the strange paper people no longer appeared around them.
As he moved forward, Li Xiu's eyes unconsciously adapted to the extreme darkness of the environment.
The flame of the candle in Fang Qianan's hand would occasionally explode. With the help of the instantaneous strong flame, Li Xiu could see the situation around him more clearly.
Only then did Li Xiu realize how strange the place he and Fang Qianan were in was.
Everything he saw, from the layout to the decorations, exuded a familiar aura. The more Li Xiu observed, the more familiar it seemed. Finally, with a cold sweat breaking out, he suddenly realized that the place they were in was exactly the same as the Xiao family villa.
When did I arrive at the Xiao family villa?
No, this is not the Xiao family villa at all.
Li Xiu's doubts soon dissipated as the two of them groped their way forward. After walking for a while, Li Xiu realized that this place only "looked" very similar to the Xiao Family Haunted House, but as long as he looked closely, he would find that everything here was just a replica.
Even though the real Xiao family villa has been abandoned for more than ten years, it still cannot hide its former luxury and decadence.
But here, there is a sense of rough and rushed work everywhere.
The most important thing is that all the furnishings here are made of paper.
Yes, it's made of paper.
The rice paper, which had been in the darkness for who knows how many years, had begun to turn yellow, and some places had even fallen off, revealing the blackened bamboo strips and straps inside.
He and Fang Qianan were now walking in a "Xiao Family Villa" filled with paper furniture.
After realizing this, Li Xiu paused slightly.
If the layout here is exactly the same as the Xiao family villa, then he should be in... the restaurant?
Li Xiu suddenly looked somewhere, and the candle in Fang Qianan's hand burst into flames at this moment.
A dark green light flashed, and Li Xiu saw three figures sitting upright in the restaurant.
Paper men, women, and old people.
Unlike the crudely crafted paper figurines upstairs, the ones in the restaurant were incredibly lifelike, practically lifelike. The only flaw was the neck of the male figurine. The bamboo strips had probably rotted over time, so a few had broken off, leaving the man's head drooping against his chest.
In the illusion that Li Xiu had experienced before...his "father" always kept his head down at all times.
However, Li Xiu didn't feel anything was wrong at that time.
In front of the three paper figures, there were three bowls full of raw rice.
The extra empty space is occupied by an empty plate.
On the plate, there are circles and squares cut out of paper.
There was a small amount of ash on the thin piece of paper.
...like something's ashes.
Li Xiu recalled everything he had experienced in the illusion, and suddenly felt a chill running through his bones.
If I hadn't instinctively resisted and not eaten the so-called "breakfast" at that time, would Fang Qianan still be able to find me?
The flicker of a candle lasts only a moment.
Soon, thick darkness surrounded Li Xiu again.
But Li Xiu had a strong intuition that at this moment, the three paper figures were sitting quietly in their seats, staring at him outside the restaurant without blinking.
In the darkness, Li Xiu's breathing became very rapid.
"Follow me, don't be afraid."
Fang Qianan held Li Xiu tightly.
The former school bully was so incredibly strong that Li Xiu could almost hear the creaking sound of his elbows being gripped by Fang Qianan.
It was very painful, but this pain did wake Li Xiu up.
Li Xiu shuddered and quickly turned his head away, no longer staring at the things in the restaurant.
"Let's go, Fang Qianan, let's go quickly——"
The lame boy suppressed his trembling voice and urged the boy beside him in a low voice.
…
More than ten minutes later, Li Xiu and Fang Qianan stopped again.
The limp leg, which had long been unable to bear the weight, was in excruciating pain, and the experience of running nervously in the dark had exhausted Li Xiu's remaining strength.
Just at this moment, the candlelight flickered again.
Li Xiu turned his head and met three pairs of wooden eyes that were staring at him without blinking at the dining table.
*
Li Xiu and Fang Qianan returned to their original positions.
*
This path is obviously very simple.
Shortly after passing through the restaurant, a replica gate appeared. Pushing it open, it revealed not the Xiao family's garden, but a long, narrow corridor. It was the kind of office corridor you'd find anywhere in the complex. The floor was tiled, and on either side were rows of locked offices.
The corridor did have many forks, but Li Xiu and Fang Qianan never turned a corner.
They were walking straight ahead.
However, it was too dark around.
When they finally noticed, they would find that they were standing inside a replica villa filled with paper furniture without knowing when.
"Ghost wall."
A similar process was repeated several times, and in the end even Fang Qianan, who had amazing physical strength, became extremely weak.
The boy stared at the darkness in front of him and muttered with a bleak expression.
Li Xiu was currently being carried on Fang Qian'an's back—long ago, he had been unable to walk any more. This haunted house, or rather, this darkness, seemed to possess some special magical power that could quickly drain a person's strength and energy. When Li Xiu could no longer walk, Fang Qian'an simply carried him on his back.
However, after repeating it countless times, they still couldn't find a way to leave here.
The candle in Fang Qianan's hand was almost burned out. The originally long and thin flame was now only a short piece, and the light was so dim that he couldn't even see the road clearly.
"What a joke... How could I lose to something like that..."
Li Xiu vaguely noticed that Fang Qianan was in a bad mood.
"Fang Qianan." He patted the boy under him weakly, "Put me down. Don't worry about me, just go on your own."
The young man lowered his head and spoke word by word.
"Just shut up."
The tall boy is now hunched over and has to hold on to the wall with one hand to move forward.
He cursed at Li Xiu rudely.
"You're as heavy as a chicken, don't act like I can't carry you. Why are you walking by yourself? I came all the way here just to chat with you and then leave by myself? Don't you think this behavior is crazy?"
"Go back first... His target is me. It's not too late for you to run now."
Li Xiu ignored Fang Qianan's scolding. He struggled and tried to jump off Fang Qianan's back.
Fang Qianan tightened his grip on his thighs in frustration.
"Fuck, it's already this late, Li Xiu, can you please stop messing around?!"
The boy growled through gritted teeth.
"…There's a time limit, right?"
The next second, he heard Li Xiu's question.
"W-what?"
Fang Qianan suddenly stuttered.
The young man who had been frightened and crying loudly by the illusion not long ago, now spoke in a numb voice that was almost indifferent: "Fang Qianan, there is a time limit for the two of us to get out of here, right?"
"What nonsense are you talking about again? Damn, I might even be able to find the way by chatting with you for a while——"
"Candle." Li Xiu interrupted Fang Qianan before he could finish his words. "The candle represents the time limit, right? Fang Qianan, you've been staring at the candle. The longer it burns, the more anxious you become... Tell me, what will happen if you don't find a way out before the candle burns out?"
*
"Student Fang Qianan, I must warn you. Your behavior is truly dangerous."
"'That thing' wanted Li Xiu so badly that even the red string I gave it couldn't stop it from taking that child away… If you went, you'd probably die there with Li Xiu."
"If He refuses to let you go, you might not be able to escape either."
["…I can only maintain the exit for a limited time. This candle is your timer."]
"If all the candles have burned out and you haven't gotten out yet, then you really can't get out."
*
"It's nothing."
In the darkness, Fang Qianan spoke stiffly.
"Li Xiu, please stop twisting around like that. Don't you know it's dangerous to twist around a guy my age?"
In order to change the subject, Fang Qianan said this deliberately.
Li Xiu's movements indeed stopped.
"Really, it has nothing to do with the candle. It's just that the candle went out and it was pitch black. It was really scary."
Fang Qi'an suppressed the fear of the deadline and spoke word by word.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Fang Qianan heard the young man's whisper with a slight tremor in his ear.
"Fang Qianan, if you lie to me, you are a puppy."
Fang Qianan stared closely at the dying candle beside him, his eyes burning. It would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid, but...
"I lied to you I was a puppy."
The boy repeated it word for word.
But Li Xiu still refused to let him go.
"Not only do I have to become a puppy, I have to become a masculine w."
The boy said while biting his ear.
"…"
"Fang Qianan, swear again, if you lie to me you will be impotent."
"…"
Fang Qianan took a deep breath and stopped suddenly.
He stared at the darkness in front of him that seemed to have no end. His strong unwillingness, anger and fear all turned into roars.
"Fuck your mother's shit, you shameful, wretched bastard! If you want to keep someone, just keep me. Why would you keep Xiu? He's not even an adult yet! He still has to take the college entrance exam—"
"Fang Qianan?"
Li Xiu's voice was drowned out by Fang Qianan's increasingly rude and furious curses.
"He's just a skinny little chicken. Even if you eat him like ribs, you won't be able to get much meat, right? You just keep bullying such a weak person. What kind of man are you?! Fuck, forget that you are not even a human being! If you don't bully him, can't you let him go to school? If you have the guts, come from me! If you stay with me, I have plenty of meat for you to eat!"
Li Xiu listened to Fang Qianan's anger in astonishment. As he listened, his eyes turned red in the darkness.
"Fang Qianan, don't be like this, don't talk nonsense..."
He hugged Fang Qianan unconsciously, shaking with panic.
"Don't bully him!"
In the thick darkness, Fang Qianan's roar kept repeating, over and over again, like an echo.
The author has something to say:
High school boys' self-esteem is...
I can be a puppy.
However, it cannot be impotence.