Chapter 1

2013 Words
"See you in an hour and a half." Su Yang typed the last line of words lightly, closed the chat software, leaned back in his chair, and smiled - tonight, it seems that there is another exciting encounter waiting for him. In this brightly lit city, the online world is full of unknowns and temptations. It is these heart-pounding moments that make him never tired of it. He quickly changed his clothes and stood in front of the mirror to fix his hair. The man in the mirror had clear facial lines. Although he could see the erosion of time, he still had a hint of perseverance. It was just that his eyes were less sharp and more tired. The night in this city has gradually made him indulge in the hustle and bustle and emptiness. Su Yang took the bus to an unfamiliar place. The address left by netizen Zhu Su was not close to his home. He calculated that it would take more than an hour to get there. He looked down at his watch. The time was 6:55. He could arrive at about 8:30. The next night seemed to be foreseeable. Thinking of what was about to happen, he couldn't help but feel happy and whistled a relaxed whistle. Internet encounters and chance encounters with strangers were not unfamiliar to him, but this time it seemed to go surprisingly smoothly. The two chatted online for only half an hour, and Zhu Su couldn't wait to leave him her mobile phone number, address, and even photos. In the photo, she looked gentle and charming, with a hint of indescribable charm, which made Su Yang feel an urge to hunt. "The small attic where she lives must be very narrow and cold..." He thought to himself, and his mind echoed the apartment she had described during the chat. Su Yang replied with a sentence: "The coldness of two people will turn into warmth when they are together." Perhaps it was this sentence that made her decide to invite him to her residence. The car drove faster than expected. There was rarely any traffic jam on the streets at night. It took only more than 50 minutes to cross the center of Guangzhou. The place where Buyun Garden is located seems to be extremely remote. There are no street lights around, and the darkness seems to swallow everything. Such a scene makes Su Yang a little uneasy-since he came to Guangzhou, it is the first time he has encountered such a desolate place. After getting off the bus, Su Yang sent a text message to Zhu Su, telling her that he had arrived at the station. Not long after, she replied: "Can you come up by yourself? I live in No. 602, Building 6, Buyun Garden." He walked into Buyun Garden carrying two kilograms of red grapes he had just bought at the fruit store. Although this community is old, it is not much different from the places he has seen before. The only thing that puzzled him was that the buildings here did not have a small attic on the top floor, and the small attic mentioned by Zhu Su did not seem to exist. Su Yang stopped in front of No. 602, Building 6. The old wooden door and the rusty security door exuded a dull atmosphere. The "Good Luck and Good Fortune" couplet posted on the door had faded and was almost unrecognizable. The dust-covered door frame seemed to have been unattended for a long time, and all of this exuded a sense of desolation and loneliness. Standing in front of the door, Su Yang suddenly felt a hint of coldness, and an inexplicable chill rose in his heart. He sent a text message to Zhu Su: "I'm here, just outside your door." He didn't choose to knock on the door, fearing to disturb the neighbors. But time passed by, and there was no response from the inside. Su Yang was a little uneasy and began to get anxious. After waiting for a few minutes, he called Zhu Su, but no one answered the phone. "Are you kidding me?" An ominous feeling spread in his heart. He sent another text message: "Are you changing your mind?" Less than a minute later, a text message alert sounded from the phone, and Su Yang hurriedly picked up the phone to check. Zhu Su's reply was simple and casual: "Wait for me a little longer, I have something to deal with." His heart was relieved, he breathed a sigh of relief, and then walked to the end of the corridor, overlooking the night view of this old community. Buyun Garden is an old-style apartment building complex. There is no closed wall in front of the building, which is common in high-end communities now. On the contrary, a half-person-high concrete guardrail is built in front of each unit, separating the world outside the building and giving Su Yang the convenience of peeping. The lights in the building opposite are like an isolated island in the city at night, and several residents in pajamas are walking around vaguely. However, after a few minutes, such a scene can no longer attract Su Yang. His interest gradually dissipated while waiting. About ten minutes later, there was still no news from Zhu Su. He was a little impatient, and lowered his head to send another text message: "Are you done?" The phone screen was still quiet, as if there was no response as if it had sunk into the sea. Su Yang's mood quickly changed from expectation to anxiety. He no longer hesitated and directly dialed Zhu Su's number, but there was still a long tone on the other end of the phone. Su Yang's hands began to tremble slightly, and a sense of uneasiness surged in his heart. At this moment, footsteps came from the corridor, and an old man slowly walked up, frowning and looking at him: "Young man, who are you looking for?" "I'm waiting for someone, 602." Su Yang subconsciously raised the red grape in his hand and tried to explain his purpose. "She has something to do and can't open the door for the time being." "602?" The old man showed a suspicious look on his face, with a hint of vigilance in his eyes. "Are you sure? No one has lived here for a long time." Su Yang was stunned for a moment, and a doubt rose in his heart: "Isn't it impossible? Doesn't Zhu Su live here?" The old man shook his head slightly, and said in a low voice: "Zhu Su did live here, but she hasn't been back for several months." "Haven't been back for several months?" Su Yang was even more confused, "Then is there no one else living in her family?" "No, her parents immigrated to Australia a few years ago, and she lives here alone. But, since she left, there has been no one here." The old man waved his hand and turned to walk upstairs. Su Yang was stunned, looking at the old iron door, and a series of questions surged in his heart. He didn't want to believe that this was a scam. Zhu Su's performance on the Internet was too real, and it didn't seem like she was deliberately teasing him. However, the old man's words also made him unable to ignore the reality: this apartment seemed to have been vacant for a long time. He reluctantly called Zhu Su again. This time, he put his ear close to the iron door and listened quietly. The apartment was dead silent, without a trace of the phone ringing. Su Yang glanced at the door lock and found that the lock and the door handle were covered with a layer of dust. Obviously, the door had not been opened for a long time. The doubts in his heart gradually condensed into a cold reality. Su Yang sighed and put the red grapes at the door of 602. Although he didn't know the truth of the matter, he still felt that he should show his trustworthiness. He had a feeling that the person who teased him should have some kind of relationship with Zhu Su, otherwise he would not be so familiar with her address and photos. When he got home, it was almost ten o'clock. Su Yang took a simple shower, sat in front of the computer, and read the QQ chat history again. The more he read, the more unhappy he felt. He thought it was a lucky peach blossom luck, but it turned out to be like hitting a cold wall. "Damn it!" He cursed angrily, and decided in his heart that he would not let the person who tricked him go easily. He picked up his mobile phone and sent a text message to the person who called himself Zhu Su: "Why are you tricking me for no reason?" After a while, the phone rang again: "I didn't trick you, I just didn't have the courage to see you." Su Yang was stunned, full of questions: "Are you Zhu Su? If not, who are you?" "I can swear that I am Zhu Su." "Then why did your neighbor say that no one has lived in 602 for several months?" "I have always lived here, but they just can't see me." Seeing this, Su Yang felt a strange chill in his heart. He decided to test and confirm the other party's identity: "Then did you see the fruit I put at the door? What do you say it is?" The other party was silent for a few minutes, and finally replied: "I saw it. You are so nice and gave me red grapes, even though I lied to you." Su Yang breathed a sigh of relief, as if this person was indeed Zhu Su. However, this conversation made things even more confusing. In order to break this depressing atmosphere, Su Yang replied half-jokingly and half-teasingly: "Then tell me, how should you compensate me?" "How do you want me to compensate you?" "I want you to come to me now." Su Yang's text message was a little tentative. "Do you really still want to see me? Then how can I find you?" The other party responded quickly. Su Yang felt that he was in control of the situation, smiled slightly, and sent the address: "Take bus 545 to the Sports Center Station, then take another bus to Shangshe Station, and take a motorcycle to Shangling Apartment. I will pick you up downstairs." The text message was silent for a moment. Su Yang's excitement gradually cooled down, and the uneasiness in his heart emerged again. Is the other party still playing tricks on him? Time passed by minute by minute, and just when he was about to give up, the phone rang again: "I'm out, on my way to your place." Su Yang was so excited that he almost jumped up, and hurriedly replied: "Okay, how long will it take to arrive?" "Around 12:30." "Why so late? Didn't it arrive in an hour?" "It's not easy to wait for the bus at night, so I won't say anything. I'll text you when I get there." Su Yang reluctantly put down his phone and glanced at the time on his computer. It was just past 11 o'clock, and he still had to wait for an hour and a half. He simply turned off the computer and lay on the bed to take a nap. In a daze, the phone suddenly rang. Su Yang jumped up and opened the text message: "Come out to pick me up, I'm downstairs." He ran downstairs, but the surroundings were unusually quiet. Except for a few people drinking outside the restaurant in the distance, there was no movement. His heart tightened and he called Zhu Su's number. There was a shrill scream from the other end of the phone, which scared Su Yang so much that he almost threw the phone away. He hung up the phone abruptly, his heart pounding.
Free reading for new users
Scan code to download app
Facebookexpand_more
  • author-avatar
    Writer
  • chap_listContents
  • likeADD