491. The Glowing Grave【1/40】
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At night, Lin Nan felt like something was off.
She was half-reclining on her bed, staring at an old television that looked like it had seen better days.
On the screen, a popular idol drama was airing, and she had to admit, the characters were all ridiculously good-looking. Unfortunately, Lin Nan wasn’t really interested in handsome boys. Instead, she was filled with jealousy that they could be so dazzling.
If only she had looked that good back in the day, maybe she wouldn’t have had to settle for being a girl without ever dating a boyfriend.
And if she did happen to date one, it was a guy she didn’t really want!
She pulled the blanket up to her chest and turned to look at her lively cousin, Wu Jiaming.
Earlier in the afternoon, he had taken a nap that lasted from noon until six-thirty in the evening when someone yelled at him to wake up for dinner. Now, deep into the night, he was still enthusiastically glued to his phone, playing games.
Lin Nan wasn’t quite comfortable being in a room alone with a guy, and she wanted to video call Chen Yao, but having her cousin around made a lot of things feel super awkward.
She furrowed her brow and asked, “Aren’t you going to sleep?”
“Not sleepy,” Wu Jiaming replied, lifting his head. “Wanna hit up an internet cafe for an all-nighter?”
“Pass. I don’t feel like going out tonight,” Lin Nan shook her head. “I’m not really into games anymore.”
Plus, she figured if Chen Yao found out, he would definitely worry.
Wu Jiaming shrugged. “I’m not really into it either; I’m just bored. All my friends are out working, and I can’t even find anyone to go to a bar with.”
“What about your girlfriend?”
“Broke up,” he said flatly.
He seemed to be quite the ladies’ man—Lin Nan had heard that since way back, he had three or five girlfriends, and who knows about the ones she hadn’t heard about.
He must be a pro in the romantic department, huh?
If Lin Nan had broken up with Chen Yao, she couldn’t imagine being that calm.
She didn’t really like her cousin’s attitude, but she didn’t say much, instead shifting her gaze away from him with mild disdain.
“You must be busy with work over there, right?” Wu Jiaming crossed his legs, putting down his phone to ask Lin Nan.
“Not too bad? It’s a big city, so you could find work if you wanted,” Lin Nan’s eyes were glued to the idol drama. “Just hope you’re not too picky.”
“I’m not picky,” he complained. “I just don’t want to do sales anymore! I’ve been looking for jobs after the new year, and no matter how good the description is, it’s all sales when you get in—just dressed up differently!”
While Lin Nan felt her cousin’s bright personality actually suited sales pretty well, she nodded in agreement. “How about finding a job more aligned with your major?”
“I studied civil engineering; the only thing that aligns with my major is hauling bricks on a construction site.” Wu Jiaming looked at the television, not seeing what was so great about the idol drama. He thought about how his cousin was becoming more feminine, making him feel a bit awkward around her.
Last time during the New Year, Lin Nan had just started wearing dresses and gradually started to adapt to the feminine mindset and behavior. Overall, she was very pretty but her personality had softened, yet he could still see traces of her old self.
But now, it felt like she had transformed completely.
His gaze inadvertently drifted to Lin Nan’s torso, but since she was lying back, all he could see was her slender, pale neck covered by the blanket.
“Hauling bricks after graduating?” Lin Nan was stunned. “That can’t be right, you’re a university grad!”
“Pretty much. If you work on a construction site, how nice do you think the environment will be?” Wu Jiaming sighed, “I interned there for two months, ended up three shades darker, and ran off quick!”
How tragic.
Lin Nan noticed her cousin’s gaze lingering around her neck, and when she touched it, she found a stray grain of rice.
God only knew how that rice grain ended up on her neck while she was eating!
She raised her head, eyebrows furrowing as she shot him a glare. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
“I wanted to see how long it took you to figure it out,” Wu Jiaming said, holding back laughter. He quickly changed the subject, looking at the TV and asking, “Which actor do you think is the most handsome?”
“None of them stand out.”
“I guess, since you already have a boyfriend, the most handsome one is your boyfriend, right?”
His teasing made Lin Nan feel a bit flustered. She asked with a huff, “Aren’t you going to the internet cafe tonight?”
Even though she didn’t say it outright, her tone had a clear “hurry up and leave” vibe.
Wu Jiaming checked the time. “Let’s wait half an hour. After ten, it’ll be cheaper to pull an all-nighter at the internet cafe.”
“Ugh.” Lin Nan turned her head but suddenly noticed the curtains hadn’t yet been drawn. Through the window, she could see a nearby hillside and a massive grave halfway up.
And that grave seemed to be glowing a bit.
Chills shot down her spine, and her body felt like it was covered in ice.
“Y-You see that?” she pointed at the distant grave, her teeth chattering.
Wu Jiaming followed her finger out of curiosity. Upon seeing the eerie glow, he froze for a moment. “Maybe some kids snuck in with a flashlight? Just like we did when we were kids.”
“But that light doesn’t look like a flashlight…”
“Then it’s probably will-o’-the-wisps?” Wu Jiaming scratched his head. “Could be someone waving around a glow stick? You know, the kind you bend to light up?”
That was a possibility, though Lin Nan hadn’t seen a glow stick in years.
She still felt icy all over and trembled as she asked, “That grave is the biggest on the hill, right?”
“Yeah! We even went in there as kids, remember?”
Now Lin Nan was even more terrified. She took a deep breath. “Let’s go to the internet cafe tonight, okay?”
The once-bright room started feeling increasingly creepy, sending shivers down her spine. She didn’t dare stick around any longer.
“Scared, huh?” Wu Jiaming laughed at her, teasing, “Come on, you’re educated! Why are you thinking about ghosts? Can’t you come up with a scientific explanation?”
Because magic and ghosts are not exactly scientific!
You don’t know anything, so of course, you’re not scared!
Lin Nan’s face darkened as she quickly turned off the television, got up from the bed, hurriedly slipped on her sandals, and tugged at Wu Jiaming’s arm, dragging him outside. “We’re going to the internet cafe! I’m sleeping there tonight!”
Sure, the internet cafe was loud and reeked of smoke, but at least it was lively.
Better than sleeping alone in here.
Just as they reached the bedroom door, Lin Nan shoved her cousin out, saying, “Go turn on the hallway lights!”
Behind her, it felt like a ghost was watching with a chilling stare, making Lin Nan panic even more.
Her fright was contagious, and Wu Jiaming moved quicker without thinking. After turning on the hallway lights and glancing back, he saw her bouncing out of the room in a hurry.
“The lights in there…”
“Relax! Grandpa will turn them off when he gets back!”
“He’ll probably just call you and tell you to get back home from the internet cafe.”
Forget about that! Why worry about the small stuff!
