Urban Oddities: Soul Contract

Chapter 2 Star Wish

"Come on, laugh one, one, two, three!"

slap.

Several girls were laughing together, the seniors had found jobs and were about to move out, Xie Xiaofang sat in the corner, feeling a sense of loss.

"Xiaofang, let's take a photo together."

Xie Xiaofang's dormitory is a six-person room. Except for her sophomore year, it is all seniors who are about to graduate. Usually, the classes are not together, so it is difficult to get together. Tonight, everyone will meet for dinner.

She drank a little too much juice, Xie Xiaofang, who was huddled together with the senior sisters to take pictures, thought that she should go to the bathroom later.

"Xiaofang, come here and put your arms around me."

"Ouch, I'm coming too!"

At this time, a strange voice sounded.

"The patient's condition has changed! Blood pressure...pulse..."

"Doctor! Hurry up..."

Seems to be nothing, heard some words intermittently, Xie Xiaofang was slightly taken aback, followed the sound, just when the shutter was pressed, Senior Sister Tingting yelled that this picture is not counted, everyone made gestures and came again, Xie Xiaofang had to straighten up and face the camera , but his ears were carefully waiting for the sound.

I took several shots in a row, but the strange voice did not reappear. Is it really an illusion?

One senior sister took out her tablet computer and played the recorded class activity video, and the other senior sister also took out her mobile phone and clicked on the video file.

Now tablets and mobile phones can play movies, Xie Xiaofang thought, maybe someone forgot to pause the movie?

While the seniors were discussing class activities, Xie Xiaofang got up and wanted to go out, but senior sister Tingting called her to stop: "Go to the bathroom? I'll go too!"

The bathroom was at the end of the corridor, several light bulbs were broken, and it was extremely dark in the small space. Senior sister Tingting was timid, she held Xie Xiaofang's arm all the way, and didn't let go until she entered the cubicle.

"Xiaofang, wait for me!"

"Got it." He smiled helplessly and walked into the next compartment.

"Xiaofang! Are you still there?" Through the baffle, Senior Sister Tingting's voice sounded indistinct.

"exist!"

"Oh, the light on my side is flickering, it's so annoying!"

"Ha, who told you to choose that side."

"It only flashes when you come in, woo woo."

"Don't be afraid, I'm next door to you."

sizzle... sizzle...

The light went out and then came back on again. Xiaofang looked up and saw that the light above her head seemed to be in poor contact and flickered again.

"Xiaofang? Xiaofang?"

Xie Xiaofang subconsciously wanted to respond, but she suddenly froze.

It's not the senior sister's voice!

That was... a man's voice!

But this is the women's bathroom!

"Xiaofang? Xiaofang?"

The middle-aged man seemed to be lying furtively outside the door, his voice sounded indistinct through the thick baffle.

"Who?!" Xie Xiaofang became vigilant and asked loudly.

Quiet, is that man gone?Ah...really, have you met a pervert?What a nuisance!

"Who's outside?! This is the women's bathroom!" Xie Xiaofang raised her voice and asked again. This sentence was for Senior Sister Tingting next door, reminding her that there is a pervert outside the door, so don't go out.

For a moment, Xie Xiaofang felt that someone was looking down on her, and quickly looked up, only to see that the lights on the ceiling were slowly going out and getting darker.

Another broken lamp...

No!Not one!

Xie Xiaofang was horrified to find that the surrounding light was fading at a very slow speed.

power cut?Just as she was thinking, a mixed smell of disinfectant and alcohol wafted over. Xie Xiaofang fanned the air. She hated this smell the most. Every time she smelled it, she would think of the scene of getting an injection in the hospital.

The power outage was very short, and soon the lights came back on. Xie Xiaofang said loudly on purpose: "Sister Tingting! The power went out just now, it's so scary!"

The man outside didn't say anything, was he scared away?

"Hey, I don't know if I can survive it."

"Yes, such a young child, oh."

There was a conversation outside the door, great, someone is here!

Xie Xiaofang pushed open the door, but...

There was no one outside the door.

The door of Senior Sister Tingting's compartment was ajar, and it was obvious that the people inside had already left. Xie Xiaofang didn't dare to stay for long, and ran out of the bathroom quickly. She wanted to tell the senior sisters that there is a pervert in this shop, and she must leave quickly!

The door of the box was ajar, and it was quiet inside, Xie Xiaofang pushed the door open, and the box was as clean as if no one had ever been there.

The sisters are all gone!Missing together is my own bag!

Xie Xiaofang froze by the door, not knowing what to do, her mobile phone and wallet were in her bag, now she is penniless, how should she go back?

In the depths of the corridor, a voice suddenly came.

"Xiaofang! Xiaofang!"

At the corner, where the restroom is, someone is calling her.

"Dad..." Xie Xiaofang looked over in disbelief, she was sure it was Dad's voice, but why did Dad come here, and... still in the women's bathroom? !

The sound stopped, and the corridor fell into dead silence again. Xie Xiaofang stood outside the door of the box, not daring to move, until her father's voice sounded again, and Xie Xiaofang hurried to the bathroom.

"dad!"

dad-dad-dad-

There was only an echo in the empty bathroom.

In the innermost compartment, the door panel shook, and Xie Xiaofang gently pushed the door open.

"dad?"

There was no one in the cubicle.

"Xiaofang? What are you doing?"

The voice came from behind, Xie Xiaofang's brain exploded, she turned her head, unexpectedly bumped into something, Xie Xiaofang jumped up screaming, Senior Sister Tingting was also frightened by her, she backed up several steps with a scream.

"Xiaofang... are you alright?" Senior Sister Tingting turned pale.

"Sister..."

"Is... er... is there anything here?"

Following Senior Sister Tingting's line of sight, Xie Xiaofang shook her head, there was nothing in the compartment.

"Senior sister, where did you go just now?"

Senior Sister Tingting looked blank: "I just came out."

"what?"

"Didn't the power go out just now? I dare not go out." Senior sister Tingting looked at the lamp on her head with lingering fear, and she took Xie Xiaofang and fled the bathroom together.

In the middle of the night, the lights in the dormitory were turned off, leaving only the faint light of the computer. Tingting and Xiaolu were working on their graduation thesis when they heard the creak of the bed board. Looking back, it turned out that Xie Xiaofang sat up. She couldn’t sleep, as if she closed her eyes I could hear my father's voice, and the inexplicable strange male voice outside the cubicle, Xie Xiaofang took out wool from the bag and started knitting.

"If you don't sleep, be careful not to wake up." Senior Sister Tingting said.

Xie Xiaofang tilted her head and thought for a while: "No class."

"Haven't you finished knitting yet?"

"Soon." Xie Xiaofang flipped through the bag, the wool was almost gone, and it was time to finish it.

The teachers and sisters were very busy with their graduation internships. Those who found internships had already moved out. In just a few days, only Tingting and Xiaolu were left in the bustling dormitory, because their graduation thesis was unqualified and had to be redone , The sound of the two of them typing on the keyboard can often be heard in the dormitory.

Unknowingly, it was dawn, and the campus began to be lively. After saving the documents, Tingting rubbed her eyes. Her nerves, which had been tense for N days, finally relaxed. She turned around and asked Xie Xiaofang, "Shall we go to McDonald's to celebrate?"

Xie Xiaofang's bed was empty.

"Hey, when did she go out?" Tingting asked Xiaolu softly.

"I didn't pay attention." Xiaolu saved the file and breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm going to the bathroom, and Tingting will help copy it into the USB drive."

As long as the thesis is passed, she will be able to graduate smoothly. Tingting recalled her days in school and felt sad. When she was copying the documents, a voice came from behind her.

"Okay, I haven't been to McDonald's for a long time."

Looking back, Xie Xiaofang was sitting by the bed knitting a scarf. For no reason, Tingting felt a chill creep up her back.

"Xiaofang...you...you're back?"

"What?" Xie Xiaofang said something that she couldn't understand, "I haven't gone out all this time."

Xiaolu came out of the bathroom, saw Xie Xiaofang, and said happily: "You came back just in time, but I'm starving, let's go!"

At this moment, the phone rang suddenly, it was Xie Xiaofang's.

"Hello, you have a courier, please come and get it."

Huo Minghai put the phone away, and studied the small package. This package has been sent back and forth several times, and I don't know what it is. There are several couriers in the same campus, and others have taken away their own one after another. Only Xie Xiaofang, who waited left and right, hadn't arrived yet.

Huo Minghai buried his head in sorting out the express delivery list, when a voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

"Hi, I'm here to pick up the courier."

As if appearing out of thin air, Xie Xiaofang stood in front of Huo Minghai.

"Huh, I'm startled." Huo Minghai clutched his frisky darling.

"Ha, I've called you several times."

when did she comeHow many times did you yell?Huo Minghai was sweating, but he didn't notice at all...

Tingting, who was walking far behind, quietly asked Xiaolu: "Hey, don't you think she's a little strange recently?" Since the dinner together a few days ago, she always felt that something was wrong with Xie Xiaofang.

Xiaolu looked puzzled, she was busy with her graduation all this time, she didn't notice her junior sister at all, she only knew that Xie Xiaofang was going to finish knitting a scarf soon.

"Hey, look, the courier guy is very handsome." When Xiaolu saw the handsome guy, she immediately shifted her attention, leaving only Tingting staring at Xie Xiaofang's back in a daze.

Huo Minghai handed Xie Xiaofang a small package, and after she signed for it, he got on his bike and was about to leave when Xie Xiaofang suddenly called to stop him.

"Excuse me, if I want to send something, can I contact you?"

Huo Minghai often came to deliver packages, and Xie Xiaofang had his number in his phone.

Huo Minghai explained to her that he was in charge of delivering the package, and if he wanted to send something, he would just call the number on the list. At the end, he asked curiously, "What are you sending?"

"Hey, a scarf!"

VIP customer Xie Xiaofang is finally sending something!

When Huo Minghai rode away on the bike, he thought to himself, when he got the package, he must give it to her first!

In McDonald's, Xie Xiaofang opened the package and found a bottle of beautiful little star.

"Sent by your boyfriend? You have several jars beside your bed." Xiao Lu looked at the jars over and over again, "Wow! It's a lucky star!"

Before Xie Xiaofang could speak, Tingting, who was looking at her mobile phone, shook her arm and knocked over the Coke, splashing the black liquid all over her body.

"Hey, be careful." Xiaolu took out a tissue and handed it over, but Tingting didn't take it, she just stared at the phone screen with wide eyes.

"Tingting?"

"You...you accompany me...to the bathroom, okay?" Tingting put away her phone with a livid face, and took Xiaolu to the bathroom. Xie Xiaofang winked and told her to wait.

Tingting took Xiaolu to the bathroom, took out her mobile phone, and clicked on a photo.

"Look... look at this photo..."

"What's wrong with the photo?" Xiaolu took the phone and began to study it. The photo was a group photo taken by several girls huddled together.

"I originally wanted to pick some for Xiaofang... You know, I've been too busy these days to forget..." Tingting's face was frighteningly pale, "But... you can look through the photos..."

First the group photo, and then the personal photo, Xiao Lu quickly flipped through it: "What's the problem?"

Tingting clicked on one, which was her personal photo, and she pointed to the corner: "Look."

In the corner, Xie Xiaofang only took pictures of her back.

Xiaolu watched, her eyes gradually widened.

She saw a bottle of soda.

On the tea table, the soda that should be blocked by Xie Xiaofang loomed on Xie Xiaofang's body.

"And this one..."

Tingting clicked on the last one. In the photo, she leaned over and smiled towards the camera with a victory gesture.

However, this should be a double photo.

The one next to Tingting should be Xie Xiaofang, but for some unknown reason, Xie Xiaofang disappeared.

Xiao Lu switched back to the first photo and looked at it again. The photos were arranged according to the time they were taken. Xie Xiaofang was in the group photo, but...

"Xiaofang is like... slowly becoming transparent... and finally disappearing!"

As soon as Tingting finished speaking, the lights above her head flickered, and then she saw Xie Xiaofang washing her hands in the mirror at the sink which should be empty.

That night, Tingting and Xiaolu moved out in a hurry, only bringing money and some clothes, and didn't care about packing other things at all.

In the dormitory for six people, only Xie Xiaofang was left alone.

Xie Xiaofang was lying on the bed and couldn't sleep. She couldn't figure out what happened to Senior Sister Tingting and Senior Sister Xiaolu. In McDonald's, she also went to the bathroom. The partition doors were open, and Tingting and Xiaolu were not there.

While washing her hands, she heard the middle-aged man's voice again.

"Tomorrow is the key. Whether we can pass or not depends on her..."

"Who?!" Xie Xiaofang turned her head to look, she was the only one in the bathroom.

Strange, illusion?

Xie Xiaofang, who lowered her head to wash her hands, didn't notice that Tingting and Xiaolu appeared in the corner of the mirror with terrified faces.

There are too many strange things recently, Xie Xiaofang is upset.

After knitting the last stitch, Xie Xiaofang shook off the scarf, very satisfied with her masterpiece.

I really want to send it to my mother as soon as possible.

Xie Xiaofang dialed the number on the courier slip, and suddenly remembered, it's so late, the courier company should be off work, right?

Shaking her head mockingly, Xie Xiaofang wanted to hang up the phone, but she didn't expect that there was a sudden connection...

"It's so late, are you still going to work?" Huo Minghai looked at Du Jiajun curiously.

"Well, there's an urgent message." Du Jiajun walked to the door and winked at Huo Minghai, "Do you want to come together?"

There was only one courier order, and the two went to the company to report, picked up the car and went to the destination.

The car provided by the company to the receivers is spacious and domineering. Sitting in the car, Huo Minghai suddenly had the illusion of being taken for a ride by a rich man.

"The person who placed the order is Xie Xiaofang." Du Jiajun, who was driving, said suddenly.

Huo Minghai's heart skipped a beat: "Ha, I know what she wants to send."

"Oh? You actually know?"

"A scarf." Huo Minghai smiled, "I wonder if it was sent to my boyfriend?"

It was Xie Xiaofang's first time knitting a scarf, and she learned it from reading. Of course, the quality is not as good as the ones bought in the mall, but she finally finished knitting it before her mother's birthday. She wrote a card to wish her mother a happy birthday.

Du Jiajun provided a box, and the scarves and cards were neatly placed inside.

As if fulfilling a great wish, Xie Xiaofang returned to the dormitory feeling much more relaxed.

"I should be able to arrive tomorrow, right?" Xie Xiaofang lay on the bed with a smile on her lips, closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

In a trance, the strange man's voice sounded again.

"Quick! Transfer to the operating room and prepare for cardiopulmonary resuscitation!"

Da da da……

A lot of people are running, bang bang bang bang, is it the sound of wheels?

so noisy...

Xie Xiaofang put on the earphones and turned on the MP3 player. The soothing music covered up her father's voice.

"Xiaofang! Xiaofang!"

Xie Xiaofang couldn't hear it, she slowly fell into a dream amidst the sound of music, and after an unknown amount of time, she was awakened by an inexplicable chill, as if the temperature on her body was losing at a terrible speed, Xie Xiaofang got up in a daze, thinking She tried to close the window, but when her hand touched the window, her movements paused.

What seems to be wrong?

Why is it so dark?

In the boy's dormitory opposite, there are always several houses with lights on all night, but now it is pitch black, and even the dim light of the street lamps has disappeared.

In the darkness, she could no longer see the male dormitory building opposite.

Touch the switch, press it, the light tube is not on.

Is there a power outage?

Xie Xiaofang found the phone in the dark, but... no matter what she did, the phone didn't respond!

"one two Three!"

Pfft!

"Come again! One two three!"

Pfft!

An ethereal, unfamiliar male voice, and some unexplained noises came from the darkness.

What's wrong with this world?

Xie Xiaofang was getting colder and colder, sitting alone on the edge of the bed, she felt as if the whole world was leaving her at an alarming speed, in fear, she covered her face and cried aloud.

"Woo...Dad...Mom..."

A few cans of little stars placed on the bedside suddenly gave off a soft light, the dots of light were connected together, and a luminous road stretched out, leading directly to the depths of the darkness...

When Huo Minghai was packing up the delivery in the morning, he saw Xie Xiaofang's package.

Arriving at the community, it happened that an old woman was leading a little girl to open the anti-theft door.

"Grandma, where are we going?"

With tears in her eyes, the old woman avoided the subject and just said, "Hurry up, Dad is already driving over."

The car stopped on the side of the road, and Huo Minghai saw the old woman get in with the little girl.

If I remember correctly, they are Zhang Yun's family members, right?Now, is there anyone at home?

The elevator buzzed up and stopped on the 23rd floor. Huo Minghai pressed the doorbell of Zhang Yun's house.

"Hey, no one's here." Aunt Wang said kindly after returning from grocery shopping, "You didn't see them just now, they all went out."

"Ah... what happened?"

"Oh, there was a car accident in this family. One died and the other was injured. The eldest girl is still lying in the hospital and has not woken up."

It's unlucky that someone died in this house. Aunt Wang didn't want to talk too much. She opened the door of her house and was about to walk in. Huo Minghai hurriedly called her: "Excuse me...what's the name of that big girl?"

"Xie Xiaofang." It was the young mother who opened the door who answered him.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Seeing that the door of the house that should be empty suddenly opened automatically, Aunt Wang yelled and fled into the residence, closing the door tightly with a bang.

Huo Minghai stood in the empty corridor, with the draft blowing his hair.

"Xie Xiaofang? Strange, I only saw her last night."

Zhang Yun smiled without saying a word, took the package, opened it, and wrapped the scarf around her neck: "Does it look good?"

Huo Minghai smiled and said, "It's really beautiful."

"Thank you."

Zhang Yun signed the form.

Xie Xiaofang felt that she should walk along the road paved with stars.

The darkness is boundless, and the road of stars is endless. Where does this road lead?Xie Xiaofang walked halfway, and suddenly stopped.

It seems that if you keep going, something strange will happen.

Forget it, let's go back.

Xie Xiaofang turned around and walked back, she was thinking about the scarf, the same city courier can deliver it within a day, the package should be home by now, right?Then call and ask.

The wool was bought by shopping with my mother, I hope my mother will like this gift.

Today is my mother's birthday, I have to wish her a happy birthday.

"Xiao Fang."

Xie Xiaofang turned her head, her mother was standing in the distance smiling at her.

"The scarf has been received, and the courier brother also said that my mother wears it very beautifully! Come and take a look."

"Mom!" Xie Xiaofang ran in the direction of her mother, obviously more than ten meters away, Xie Xiaofang ran for a long time, but the distance between the two was still so far.

"Xiaofang..." Mom's figure faded away, "Thank you for your birthday present, mom will always love you."

"Mom...where are you going? Wait for me..."

Xie Xiaofang was running, and suddenly her feet were empty!

The road to the stars came to an end, Xie Xiaofang yelled, lost control and fell...

"Wake up! Wake up!"

It was that strange man's voice again, who was it?

Xie Xiaofang opened her eyes in a daze, and the doctors and nurses in white coats couldn't help cheering.

Beside the bed was a father who was weeping with joy, and a grandmother who was wiping away tears, but my younger sister, Xie Xiaoyuan, was puzzled.

"Sister, what's wrong with you?" Xie Xiaoyuan lay on the edge of the bed and asked curiously, "Are you feeling unwell?"

When Xie Xiaofang and her mother Zhang Yun went out to buy wool, they encountered a car accident. Her mother was crushed under the wheel and died on the spot. Xie Xiaofang was pushed away by her mother. Although she avoided the wheel, she was seriously injured. The family did not tell Xiaofang what happened Girl, afraid of bringing bad memories to her childhood.

However, Xie Xiaofang's condition deteriorated too quickly, and she was rescued all night, and a critical illness notice had been issued. The family members were asked to be mentally prepared, so grandma decided to bring Xie Xiaoyuan over to see her sister for the last time.

"It's a miracle." An old expert doctor personally examined Xie Xiaofang, and all the indicators had returned to normal. A few hours after the critical illness notice was issued, she returned safely!

"Where's mother?" Xie Xiaofang looked around, her father was there, her grandmother was there, her younger sister was there, where's her mother?

Dad winked at grandma and told her to take Xiaoyuan out to avoid it, but Xie Xiaoyuan said something unbelievable.

"Mom is at home."

Xie Xiaoyuan took out a little star from her pocket to show her sister, and told her that her mother always folded stars at home these days.

Nine hundred and ninety-nine lucky stars were given to my sister, and my mother folded another one for her.

"Mom said that if you have folded nine hundred and ninety-nine pieces, something lucky will happen."

"Yuanyuan, what are you talking about, mom, she... went on a trip."

In the evening, when Xie Xiaoyuan came home, her mother was not there.

"When will Mom be back?" On the dinner table, Xie Xiaoyuan set up three bowls and three pairs of chopsticks, her own, her father's, and grandma's.

It was difficult to answer the question, and it was grandma who read the storybook that diverted Xie Xiaoyuan's attention.

Dad sat on the sofa, smoking a cigarette blankly.

Xie Xiaofang also said that she has been in school and received a few bottles of lucky stars from her mother.

Everyone thought she was dreaming, and Xie Xiaoyuan's one was probably secretly broken by her father or grandma.

Only Dad knew otherwise.

When Xie Xiaofang was in a coma, there were always four bowls and four pairs of chopsticks on the dinner table. Was the extra one for her mother?Was Zhang Yun sitting next to him?

"Honey, are you there?" Dad asked the air.

Of course, no one answered him.

Zhang Yun is no longer there.

A tear rolled down Dad's face.

"Honey, happy birthday..."

"Do you believe in the existence of the soul?" In the ramen shop, Du Jiajun suddenly asked Huo Minghai.

"What? Soul?" Huo Minghai raised his head with a mouthful of noodles in his mouth, "I don't believe it."

"Maybe you have seen it, but you just don't know it." Du Jiajun poured mustard into the noodles, stirred it, and ate with relish.

The waiter brought a plate of shelled prawns, Huo Minghai’s favorite boiled prawns, it’s delicious when eaten with minced garlic!

The waiter squeezed a ring of wasabi and drizzled it over the shrimp.

Huo Minghai: "..."

Du Jiajun picked up one and put it in Huo Minghai's bowl.

"Try it, it's delicious to eat shrimp with mustard." Seeing Huo Minghai standing there in a daze, Du Jiajun raised his eyebrows, "Oh, are you scared?"

Huo Minghai took a bite without changing his expression, nodded: "The taste is really good."

Turning his face, tears came out disobediently, Huo Minghai calmly took the water beside him and drank it down.

"Why... hot water again..."

Du Jiajun: "The waiter came to refill the water just now, didn't you see it?"

Huo Minghai: "..."

Du Jiajun picked up a few more shrimps for him: "Look, you're almost out of your body, come here, eat some more."

Huo Minghai: "..." How much hatred?

Du Jiajun smiled, and put his frozen beer in front of Huo Minghai, who was pear blossom and raining.

Of course, Huo Minghai, who has a poor capacity for alcohol, ate too much mustard, and when he encountered cold beer, he couldn't wait to drink a whole bottle, and then vomited all the way.

Du Jiajun: "It's all for nothing! What a waste!"

"I'll eat it right away!" The drunk man tripped over his left foot and tripped over his right foot, and was supported by Du Jiajun so he didn't fall.

The drunk man had an opinion, and yelled that he was not drunk and could go away while breathing out alcohol. After yelling for a long time, he found that his feet were hanging in the air at some point, and Du Jiajun carried it on his shoulders as a package.

The drunk man kicked his legs: "Put me down! I'm not a package!"

Du Jiajun: "That's right, you are not a package, you are a thing."

"It's not!" To emphasize his position, the drunk beat his chest and kicked his legs, "I'm not a thing! Woohoo! I'm really not a thing!!!"

Passers-by tilted their heads to watch.

Du Jiajun: "..."

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