Unexpected Encounters and Ghostly Whispers

Jiang Lengleng, engrossed in her book, was suddenly startled by her own thoughts!

Despite her outward calm, the girl couldn’t shake the unease that gripped her.

After bidding Chen Ran farewell, she watched as the boy left the hotel room, a space she shared with her sister.

A long while passed…

Finally, her sister emerged from the bathroom, seemingly having taken a shower.

“Oh? Has Chen Ran left already?”

Wrapped in a towel, her wet hair dripping, Jiang Zilin poked her head out of the bathroom and asked her sister.

“Yes, he’s gone back.”

“I was hoping he could help me dry my hair!”

“…”

The woman spoke with a feigned nonchalance, oblivious to her sister’s intense stare.

[Dry her hair?]

[Sister, you’re not even changing clothes! Wearing just a towel is indecent. If Chen Ran helps, won’t he see everything?]

[What if he starts touching you while drying your hair? Isn’t that what boyfriend-girlfriend couples do?]

[Maybe Sister is wearing a towel so he can easily do that?]

A moment of realization struck Jiang Lengleng, her eyes widening.

Her sister’s deep cleavage, exposed and tantalizing, left the girl breathless and dizzy.

“Oh, why don’t you come help me dry my hair, Lengleng?”

“No.”

“Hmph!”

Jiang Zilin sat on the tatami mat, beginning to dry her own hair.

In truth, Jiang Lengleng’s thoughts weren’t far off the mark. Jiang Zilin was ready to make her move on Chen Ran, seeing him as part of their family.

But how could a man and a woman, without blood relations, be family forever?

They’d have to get married, of course!

This vacation, she had to win Chen Ran over—completely!

Thinking about what had just happened, Jiang Zilin’s body grew hot with anticipation.

“Mmm…

Mom was right. Chen Ran is…

So firm.”

He had pressed against her earlier, the naughty boy!

That was why Jiang Zilin had rushed to take a shower, needing the hot water to soothe both her mind and body.

Thinking of this, Jiang Zilin began to fidget, her movements captivating Jiang Lengleng, who watched in disbelief.

“Sister must be in heat!”

But once Jiang Zilin made up her mind, she felt a strange relief.

The woman began to hum a tuneless song, her free hand reaching for her phone to video call their mother, Jiang Ruohua.

Jiang Ruohua, a beautiful woman, was resting in her hotel room.

As soon as the video connected, the mother and daughter began to chat about their day’s adventures—Jiang Ruohua knew Chen Ran and the sisters were out for a vacation.

From shopping to dining, buying souvenirs, and even feeding the fish, the mother and daughter talked endlessly.

“Oh, and we saw a celebrity today! It was that national idol, Duanmu Hui.”

“Really? Was she filming a movie?”

“It seems so.”

Jiang Zilin fiddled with her phone, searching for information.

“Found it! She’s filming a horror movie.”

“A national idol in a horror film? I thought she’d be in a youthful idol drama.”

“Who knows? But they say Duanmu Hui is known for her pure image, avoiding even kissing scenes, let alone physical contact in her roles!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Jiang Zilin spoke confidently.

“Look, it says our hotel has a ghostly reputation, which is why they chose it for the horror film.”

“Like those online stories about suicide spots?”

“Something like that.”

Mother and daughter exchanged information, suddenly realizing their hotel had a notorious ghostly history, which was likely the reason for its online fame.

“Lengleng, go call Chen Ran. Let’s all sleep together tonight, just in case he gets taken by a ghost!”

“No.”

Jiang Lengleng rolled her eyes, thinking her sister was just testing her.

“Sister is just trying to trick me, hmph.”

Chen Ran staying over would be disastrous. If he did, her sister might attack him in the night, and Jiang Lengleng would be right there, unable to sleep with the strange noises they’d make!

“Mom, see how Lengleng is so unlovable!”

“That child has never been very lovable.”

“Mmm… I suppose so.”

“Mmm…”

The sisters’ conversation drifted, and they hardly took the ‘ghost’ talk seriously.

Meanwhile…

****

Back in his room, Chen Ran was about to take a shower when he received a message from Jiang Zilin.

[Chen Ran, the hotel is haunted. Why don’t you come sleep with me and Lengleng tonight?]

[…]

Chen Ran stayed silent for a long time, finally replying in Jiang Lengleng’s manner.

[No😶😶😶.]

What ghosts. He had told them so many times, don’t be superstitious!

Putting down his phone, Chen Ran heard a strange, irritating sound coming from above, like a child scraping a plastic foam board across the floor or fingernails scratching wood, intermittent and annoying.

The hotel’s soundproofing wasn’t great, he thought.

The rented hotel was an old-fashioned inn, a three-story wooden building with long corridors and a large garden, reminiscent of a traditional ryokan.

It was only missing an onsen—actually, there was a natural hot spring nearby, but it cost extra.

Chen Ran had planned to visit, but Jiang Zilin had seen news reports about the high bacterial content in the springs, saying they hadn’t been cleaned in decades and were disgusting.

So he had decided against it.

Opening the window, he saw only the dark forest and strange animal cries that sounded like a child’s wail.

“…”

Chen Ran closed the window and began to undress, heading for the shower to relax.

The warm water from the showerhead soothed his mind and body.

Then, it struck him: he was on the third floor, so there shouldn’t be any rooms above him.

So, why was that strange “creak creak creak” sound coming from the ceiling?

“…”