Pain
“To hell with it, you say, what’s so great about being rich!” Zhou Li raised his cup, his face was already flushed with two visible smears of red on his cheeks, staggering and looking like someone that would go out to grab people for a chat when drunk. “Say it! “
“..Shut up.” Bian Shengjian rubbed his forehead, “Didn’t you say that you are good at drinking? Don’t make a scene.”
After the photo was taken, a few girls left the restaurant first, leaving a group of men to continue drinking and chatting. It soon resulted in them getting drunk. Zhou Li, the leader, was thoroughly drunk and wasted, and soon enough laid on the table and sobbed. “…Why do you guys want to leave? Isn’t it just haunted?! It’s not big of a deal!”
“I’m sorry, Xiao Li.” The class monitor threw his cup on the table and his eyes were red. “I can’t help it either.”
“Go? Who is leaving?” Bian Shengjian, who was also a little dizzy after drinking for a while, knocked his hand on the table a few times. “Did you get my permission?”
“Young master, you are really domineering.” Zhou Li raised his head and wiped his face which was smeared with tears and snot. The tip of his nose was still red. “Your family is rich, so you don’t know what kind of life we are living.”
“What do you mean?” Bian Shengjian looked up at him.
“Actually, No.4 Middle School was a great school before, and because it is a public school, the tuition fees are low.” Zhou Li lowered his head and looked down at the tablecloth, “But everything has changed since that tragedy, and people started to commit suicide one after another………”
“Suicide?” Bian Shengjian couldn’t help interrupting, “Who committed suicide?”
“Do you know why it is prohibited to approach the lake in our school?” Zhou Li smiled bitterly, “A junior sister. I don’t know if it was because of too much pressure or something, but one day she jumped into the lake after self-study in the evening.”
“Didn’t anyone save her?” Bian Shengjian couldn’t help rubbing his arms.
“She was saved,” Zhou Li glanced at him, “But then, a few days before the college entrance examination, she went to the mountain behind the school without anyone noticing, jumped from a high place, and fell to her death.”
“Ah?” Bian Shengjian felt it was hard to believe. “Why?”
“I don’t know.” Zhou Li shrugged, “Those who really want to die can’t be held back by others.”
Bian Shengjian was silent. Although Zhou Li’s words were cold-blooded, they were somehow true.
But speaking of tragedy… that means Lu Shen didn’t lie to him before?
Bian Shengjian couldn’t help but turn his head and look at Lu Shen. From the beginning, this person said that he won’t drink because his drinking tolerance was low, therefore he just sat quietly on the chair. After they pushed the cups around and had already had a few rounds, he simply moved to the corner and didn’t make much noise the whole time, just like a transparent person.
After feeling Bian Shengjian’s gaze, Lu Shen raised his head and gave him a puzzled look. After staring at each other for a few seconds, Lu Shen lowered his head and continued to play with his mobile phone again. Although he looked calm on the surface, Bian Shengjian felt that this person was always hiding and not saying anything, which made him feel annoyed and helpless at the same time.
“Go on.” Bian Shengjian could only look back at Zhou Li, “Someone committed suicide, and then what?”
“Aside from the junior sister, there were also several freshmen and sophomores, all of whom either jumped into the lake or climbed to the rooftop and said they wanted to jump off the building.” Zhou Li’s tone was very low, “Although I only heard it from others, someone apparently took a photo, saying those that attempted suicide were possessed by ghosts. It caused an uproar and is still an ongoing topic.”
“What’s the reason?” Bian Shengjian couldn’t help but ask, “Too much pressure on their studies?”
“I don’t know. I really don’t know…” Zhou Li’s eyes gradually slackened, he stared at Bian Shengjian in a daze, and almost murmured in his mouth. “Brother, are there really ghosts in this world? Those people who died more than ten years ago, they really…”
“Zhou Li.” Bian Shengjian stretched out his hand and grabbed his shoulder. “Don’t think blindly, how could there really be ghosts in this world, you’re just scaring yourself. Don’t think too much.”
“But since so many people in our school committed suicide, many people in the class have left.” Zhou Li sniffed hard as if reliving his sad past. “There were so many. One by one, all of them are gone. The ones who haven’t left are those like us who have no money or power… and not only the students have left, but the teachers have also left. What have we become now? The famous ghost school. Who’d still be willing to stay in such a broken place…”
Bian Shengtong’s hand on Zhou Li’s shoulder tightened slightly, and it took a long time before he leaned back and closed his eyes. “Damn, aren’t I here?”
“That’s why I said you’re a fucking idiot!” Zhou Li jumped up suddenly, pointed at Bian Shengjian, and shouted, “What’s the use of having money in your family!? How come you ended up in such a shabby place with all that money? Is it because you deliberately want to live and die here!?”
Bian Shengjian was shaken in his seat by these words, but he didn’t immediately jump up and point to Zhou Li to scold back, but his whole body suddenly felt heated.
“He drank too much.” Lu Shen suddenly stood up and dragged Zhou Li, who was still scolding Bian Shengjian, back to his chair, “Take him back to sober up.”
“You’re the one who drank too much, sir, I can still drink three more!” Zhou Li shouted in a nasally tone, but after being forcibly dragged by Lu Shen, he became much quieter. He laid on the table and began to murmur to himself, “I…drink a lot, it’s all my…hiccup, sincerity.”
“I’ll take him back.” The class monitor witnessed this somewhat chaotic scene and sighed but then again, he didn’t stop Zhou Li’s rant just now, “Shengjian, this time we’ve troubled you by paying for us, as for Xiao Li’s words, don’t take it to heart. He can’t hold his liquor, and get’s crazy when he’s drunk.”
Bian Shengjian slightly nodded but didn’t actually listen to what the class monitor said. After washing his face in the bathroom, he left the hot pot restaurant and felt a little cold as he stepped out into the wind.
What Zhou Li just said made sense. What was the point of his transfer? To study? To escape? Or…is it because someone wants him to fall further down?
Bian Shengjian suddenly felt a little uncomfortable, and even his stomach was beginning to feel nauseous. As if someone was pinching it hard. He gritted his teeth and ran to the nearest green-skin flip-top trash can by the side of the road. Although he knew the taste would be bad as it rises from his stomach, he still couldn’t hold back and spit the contents of his stomach out with his hand clenching his abdomen.
“Fuck…” Bian Shengjian closed his eyes and touched his pocket, but he couldn’t find any scrap paper inside. He was very irritated when someone suddenly stuffed a bottle of water in his hand and handed him a tissue. “Wipe it. “
Bian Shengjian rinsed his mouth with water and carefully wiped the corners of his mouth. After throwing the crumpled paper into the trash can, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
“At this point, we’re already past curfew.” Lu Shen looked at the time. “We can only find a hotel to make do with the night.”
“Well.” Bian Shengjian massaged his temples hard, “I thought you were going to fight me again.”
“What?” Lu Shen was stunned.
“Didn’t you wait for me when I came back past curfew last time? I don’t know. I just thought that this broken school was opened by your father.” Bian Shengjian’s expression was a little dark under the streetlamp, and his tone was also low.
“…it was different.” Lu Shen was silent for a while and said, “If one missed the access control, it’s advisable to not go back and attempt to climb the walls.”
“Don’t you miss your home?”
Bian Shengjian glanced around and noticed that the streets were full of all kinds of simple lodgings that a steady stream of people kept coming in and out. There was a narrow staircase leading to the top floor. After dark, only a dim yellow light could be seen through the window which was setting an atmosphere for a murder scene.
“That one, it’s the best hotel nearby.” Lu Shen pointed to a glowing neon sign in front of them.
Although the place looked like a dubious hotel where people would stuff all kinds of small cards in the cracks of the door, it was getting late and his head hurts. Bian Shengjian hesitated at first but could only push the door with Lu Shen to enter inside.
“One?” The woman at the front desk didn’t even raise her head when she heard the door open, but still lowered her head and continued to tap on her phone with her pointy fingernails. “How long?”
“Two.” Bian Shengjian gave her a glance, “Just for one night.”
“Oh.”
The woman raised her head quickly and swept a glance at his face and Lu Shen who was standing aside. “You two together?”
“No so two rooms please.” Bian Shengjian said.
“There’s only one room left.” The woman continued to poke her phone with her head down.
“What?” Bian Shengjian stared at her, “You’re saying there is only one room available left?”
“Anyhow, there is only one room, with a double bed, do you want it?” The woman knocked on the table a few times impatiently, “If you don’t want it, then just leave.”
“Isn’t there a room with two beds?” Bian Shengjian was a little annoyed and raised his voice. “A suite is also fine, I’m not short of money.”
“A suite?” The woman paused, her eyes suddenly becoming ambiguous, “There is still one couple’s suite left, do you want it?”
Without waiting for Shengjian to speak, the woman began to introduce all kinds of equipment in their couple’s suite, from free condoms to all kinds of novel toys. Hearing all these made Shengjian’s brain buzzing. “…just give me the room with the double bed.”
“Then you should’ve said it earlier!” The woman glared at him as if complaining that he wasted her eloquent words. “If you don’t have money, just say so. Why pretend to be rich in front of this old lady!? The room fee is 200 and the deposit of 50!”
“Here, 300. Keep the change.” Bian Shengjian held back his irritation, slapped the money on the table, almost rudely snatched the card key from the woman’s hand. He turned his head and walked in the direction of the elevator.
“Third brother!” Lu Shen chased after him, “It’s all trivial matters, don’t be angry.”
“You. Go and buy some medicine for me.” Bian Shengjian stopped and rubbed his forehead with his hand, “I’ll pay you back later.”
“Okay.” Lu Shen looked at him with a worried look, “Would you like to drink some honeyed water? To ease your hangover.”
“Where would you get it at this time,” Bian Shengjian waved his hand impatiently, “Just buy some ibuprofen, go quickly. “
Lu Shen nodded and walked towards the door. Bian Shengjian stared at his back for a few seconds before turning to the elevator. After stepping through their room’s door, he frowned and observed the room first. He checked the bedside table, the bottom of the bed, and the bathroom carefully. Fortunately, he didn’t find anything strange. After looking around twice, he sat down on a chair next to him.
“I’m so tired.” He whispered, as if afraid of being heard.
When Lu Shen came back from buying the medicine, Shengjian had already taken a bath and was laying on the bed. Hearing the locked door knob being twisted, he stood up vigilantly, “Who is it!?”
“It’s me.” Lu Shen said outside the door.
Bian Shengjian was stunned for a moment before slowly getting out of bed to open the door for him. Lu Shen was also a little stunned when he saw Shenjian come out wearing only his boxers. “…here, your medicine.”
“What are you looking at? Don’t you have what I have?” Bian Shengjian gave him a sidelong glance, opened the water, and took the medicine.
“You have a good figure.” Lu Shen said.
“Go and take a shower,” Bian Shengjian pointed to the bathroom. “Also, take off your pants when you sleep. Or else, I won’t let you sleep on the bed tonight.”
Hearing the sound of Lu Shen taking a bath, Bian Shengjian laid back on the bed and closed his eyes, trying to empty his mind to quickly fall asleep but he failed several times. What Zhou Li said to him still kept ringing in his mind, like the buzzing mosquitoes on a summer night.
“Shit.” Bian Shengjian cursed.
The sound of the water in the bathroom had stopped. Lu Shen carefully opened the door and came out. His feet were light on the ground, hardly making any noise as if he was afraid of waking Bian Shengjian up. When Bian Shengjian felt a slight dip from the other side of the mattress, he suddenly opened his eyes. “Damn it!”
“…I thought you were already asleep.” Lu Shen remarked, staying still in a position where he was about to lay on the bed.
“Turn off the light.” Bian Shengjian glared at him and didn’t speak again. He covered his body with the quilt and turned his back to Lu Shen.
The room turned dark, and only a little bit of moonlight was scattered on the ground through the curtains.
Bian Shengjian was not used to sleeping in the same bed with others. Moreover, he came out to the person next to him for no apparent reason. This uncomfortable feeling only became stronger, and he couldn’t help turning over several times in the ten minutes after the lights were turned off.
“Can’t sleep?” Lu Shen asked softly in the silence.
“Already fell asleep.” Bian Shengjian said.
“You were squirming and tossing.” Lu Shen turned his head slightly to look at him.
“Mind your own business.” Bian Shengjian sighed.
“I…” Lu Shen hesitated, looking at the distance between the two of them where a third person could’ve laid between them, and said slowly. “I don’t mind if you like men, just lean over a little, be careful of catching a cold.”
“Where do you think I would have that kind of idea on you?” Bian Shengjian’s head was still hurting, and just quietly added. “Shut up and go to sleep.”
“Okay,” Lu Shen tucked the quilt towards him, “Good night.”
Bian Shengjian didn’t speak but responded in a low voice. Lu Shen was about to lie down when he suddenly heard a very slight sniffling sound.
“…Are you crying?” Lu Shen leaned over to him with his hands propped on the pillow.
“Who’s crying.” Bian Shengjian pulled the quilt to cover his head, but his voice was nasally. He didn’t know if it was because of Lu Shen’s prodding but he suddenly snapped, “I fucking said to go to sleep!”
“Third brother.” Lu Shen stretched out a hand in the darkness, gently and slowly landed it on top of Bian Shengjian’s head. “I’m here, don’t be afraid.”
