Chapter 50 True Chinese Horror

Wen Xishu knew that this was probably the content of the second room.

Suddenly, he felt a bit guilty—an emotion he shouldn’t have had—which made him restless.

Tang Rui wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes.

“Is my voice really that awful now?”

Wen Xishu didn’t shake his head and pretend to comfort her; instead, he nodded and said, “It really is awful.”

Tang Rui forced a smile, uneasy, and poured another glass of wine: “Again, again!”

“I’ll keep you company till the end,” Wen Xishu said as he began to shake the dice.

The girl’s luck had clearly taken a downturn. This time, it landed on an odd number again—seven.

“Name another similar, unforgettable pain,” he prompted.

There were initially four doors.

This meant Tang Rui had endured four events that could be described as utter despair. The monsters she had faced were not limited to her parents and Teacher Yan.

Perhaps affected by the strange nature of the wineglass, the red liquid was especially intoxicating.

Tang Rui felt a mixture of shattering and relief. Her resistance gradually dissolved into a desire to confide. After refilling her glass, her eyes carried a faint sadness and a trace of haze.

“It was my best friend who left me nowhere to stand.”

It was a short sentence.

Yet before Wen Xishu’s eyes unfolded a dense series of suffocating memories.

“My name is Xiao Ru. From now on, we’re roommates.”

“Yeah, you can just call me Xiao Rui…”

“Hey, what’s up with your voice? It’s scratchy and doesn’t match your appearance at all.”

“It’s... nothing. I was born with an unpleasant voice.”

“Hehe, it’s fine, I don’t mind. Hey, since we just met today, let’s go sing together?”

“I—I can’t sing; my singing is awful.”

“No worries, I don’t mind your singing.”

The scene quickly shifted from the freshman dormitory to a karaoke room, filled with male and female students singing.

Though Xiao Ru’s singing wasn’t good, her voice at least sounded normal. Her speech had a slight accent, and despite poor technique, it was the kind of sweet voice that boys liked.

She seemed to enjoy the attention and cheers from the boys. To emphasize how sweet her own voice was, she passed the microphone to her newly acquainted friend, Tang Rui.

The innocent girl didn’t realize this was actually a form of humiliation. She simply believed that after surrendering to fate regarding her parents and entering university, she could finally be loved.

She took the microphone and sang, thinking she could not refuse a friend’s kindness. Every note reminded her of the wounds from high school—the ones that left her desperate.

In the karaoke room, some covered their ears, some frowned, others recorded with their phones the hoarse, unpleasant singing. Only Xiao Ru smiled, utterly delighted.

Seeing Xiao Ru’s smile, Tang Rui persisted in finishing the song, thinking, “How nice... she doesn’t hate my voice.”

Tang Rui mistook Xiao Ru’s smile for acceptance and tolerance, unaware it was merely mockery and amusement.

Life is sometimes like this.

When you grasp a plank as if drowning, yearning to be loved, often what approaches is the evil that pushes you into the abyss.

So early on, Wen Xishu had known that only when one no longer needs love can one truly understand love.

Tang Rui could not see this clearly.

Until graduation, she thought she and Xiao Ru were good friends. She never considered that she was merely a prop.

Deep-seated insecurity made her feel that if someone liked her, she shouldn’t doubt it. If something uncomfortable happened, she should just endure it.

She was willing to hold on to such a friendship until death. But falsehood remains false and cannot become truth.

After graduating, Tang Rui worked hard and was diligent, though she didn’t enter civil service as her parents wished, she did quite well.

Conversely, Xiao Ru was all talk and no skill, with poor academics and no good job prospects.

In the end, Tang Rui arranged for Xiao Ru to interview at her company. From classmates, they became colleagues.

This, of course, was not a tale of enduring friendship.

School is a microcosm of society; the evils hidden in student days only worsen in the adult world.

The seeds of malice took root and consumed every bit of Tang Rui’s life’s soil. One day, the malice blossomed.

That day, Tang Rui arrived at work to find almost everyone whispering and pointing at her.

“How could she be such a person?”

“Oh my god, I never imagined she had such a past.”

“Tsk, I said it—those who seem cold on the surface are often the most promiscuous in secret.”

“Back in school... oh, never would have guessed, really never.”

In her memory, there was a dim, yellow candle flame, with layers of dark shadows forming a turbulent sea of darkness.

“Slut.”

“Seducing the boss.”

“Shameless.”

“She probably did those things just to get a good price from the boss, right?”

Those shadows hurled insults, rising and falling like a tide of bats, washing through the girl’s soul.

She had been diligent and conscientious for years, never making enemies, quietly working and overtime, bearing all burdens without complaint.

The boss had noticed her earnestness and began assigning her more important tasks.

She did everything well, giving her all with extreme caution, afraid of being despised, afraid of causing embarrassment.

She once thought such a life was not bad—that maybe the gods of misfortune had forgotten her. Maybe she would finally receive some small luck.

But she was wrong.

Tang Rui could never have imagined that Xiao Ru would twist and embellish her past into malicious rumors, spreading them throughout the office building.

Despite the graduation photo of the two still on her desk, despite once being best friends.

“You see? That’s my best friend, Xiao Ru.”

Tang Rui suddenly looked at Wen Xishu with a bitter laugh:

“She wanted things I never competed for. She wanted to be the center of attention, so I was willing to be a dim firefly in the shadows.”

“Because many years ago, when I was most alone, she handed me the microphone, and I thought… that was a turning point in my life.”

“I truly believed in her. Her smile healed me. I never considered the malice behind that smile.”

“I even confided my experiences to her, just like I told you now. But I could never have imagined she would slander me with such malice.”

“Just because the boss rejected her invitation, because I was favored by the boss… she believed I had stolen her happiness.”

“To make people hate me, she distorted my past, saying all those pains I suffered were things I asked for!”

Tang Rui almost gritted her teeth as she spoke.

She had struggled to live, spending years trying to cover those wounds.

As if she had finally become a normal bird that could blend into the forest.

But her best friend, just as her life was about to turn a new page, tore open her wounds again, reminding her in even crueller ways…

She was a parrot, never leaving her cage.

Wen Xishu sighed softly, finally understanding why Wen Renjing regretted so deeply.

This girl, who had never truly been loved, indeed longed to be loved.

But Wen Renjing had thought simply—that a good lover could make up for the loss of family and friendship.

“I couldn’t stay there. The rumors about me grew worse and worse. They even said I had an abortion and slept with many different men.”

“Am I a terrible person? I’ve asked myself that more than once.”

After saying this, Tang Rui fell silent for a long while, her voice growing faint:

“I thought I wasn’t. But then I realized, I am. Only if I’m such a terrible person will they leave me alone.”

“If I tried to defend myself, they would only torment me more.”

“I started drinking heavily, getting tattoos, changing my appearance, becoming what they wanted me to be.”

“Then everything made sense. Their stories… finally complete.”

Yes, their stories were finally complete.

The girl fit the rumors perfectly: a degenerate who drank, tattooed, frequented nightclubs, indulged in vices—exactly the stereotype everyone expected.

All the gossip about her perfectly matched her current behavior. The lies and malice became labels stuck to her.

Wen Xishu thought, fortunately, Wen Renjing hadn’t truly anchored this story.

To meet the most perfect person in the world from such a shattered world… that might be wonderful.

But that person would vanish.

Perhaps Wen Renjing realized this—that what he did was cruel—

In an endless darkness, you ignite a flame. Others think it’s a lamp, and flying toward the light, they believe the lamp’s owner will lead them out of darkness.

But you only lit a fire and then left.

That was what Wen Renjing did: loving a girl in a seven-day world, letting her feel happiness, then disappearing completely. Thinking love could overcome everything, that being loved healed past misfortunes.

The lifelong pain others endure seemed to him a trivial problem solved by a single act of love.

How arrogant.

“Fortunately, Wen Renjing didn’t anchor this story, so your tragedy isn’t sealed.”

The past cannot be undone, but the future can be reckless.

Perhaps because of the alcohol, Wen Xishu suddenly wanted to pull Tang Rui up and do something wild.

He glanced at the date and was surprised to find it close to the “evolution” date of Jack in Moen City.

He suddenly thought maybe it wasn’t just Moen City, but the entire human world that would collapse at some moment.

The apocalypse was everywhere.

So the countdown to the collapse of all rules, to humanity losing order, had begun.

Wen Xishu didn’t know how to heal a person, but he knew how to find joy—especially through revenge.

He just hadn’t gotten the final information yet.

He already knew what the three items corresponding to the three scenes were. Returning to the eerie tower, he could quickly complete all three scenes.

But there were four doors, with one last door corresponding to the final item.

He was eager to take this broken girl and do something wild.

“Continue?”

“Of course!”

The dice fell: one and four, five points. Tang Rui smiled indifferently and drank another glass.

She was getting drunk.

Her consciousness blurred, and those around her seemed influenced by some force, each recalling some sorrowful memory.

“Ask, ask everything… I’ll tell you. After all… it’s all about to end.”

“What was the fourth thing in your life that made you feel shattered?”

Wen Xishu asked more directly than before. To his surprise, Tang Rui shook her head:

“There isn’t one... no fourth thing.”

The truth serum’s effect remained; those who drank couldn’t lie. Indeed, there was no fourth event.

Though puzzled, Wen Xishu didn’t press further. He fell silent for a long moment, as if gradually understanding.

At the end of this truth-telling chat, he raised his glass and drained it boldly.

Tang Rui propped her head up, weary and confused:

“What... what are you doing?”

“I’ve learned everything I wanted to know, so here’s a secret for you.”

Tang Rui smiled faintly, asking vaguely:

“Then why... why have you never been loved? I’ve always been curious; you have such a happy family.”

Her shattered life left her no time to care about others’ pain, yet she was intrigued by this young man who wielded the magical wineglass and had stormed into the end of her life.

He clearly had such a beautiful childhood; why say he was never loved?

Wen Xishu smiled:

“Because we’re of the same kind.”

He smiled as he said this, but it was not a pleasant smile.

Those familiar images were just carefully polished lies. Only now did Tang Rui see the full memory.

“Xiaoshu, Xiaoshu, look, look! This is the ROG handheld console mommy bought you. Are you happy?”

Of course the child was happy. But as the camera panned away, when his hand touched the packaging box, his eyes suddenly went blank.

“Mommy, is this another empty box?”

The woman didn’t answer; she was happily staring at the video on her phone, adjusting beauty filters, thinking how many likes it would get.

The child didn’t ask again. Knowing better, he took the empty box and walked home.

“Xiaoshu, mommy brought you some food. After school, we’ll celebrate your birthday together! Hehe.”

The scene returned to the classroom door. Countless children gazed at Wen Xishu with envy. Such a beautiful and loving mother.

But they didn’t know that once outside the classroom, the boy’s smile faded:

“Mommy, my birthday was many days ago. You don’t… you don’t remember, do you?”

“That doesn’t matter. Come, Xiaoshu, sit here, open the lunchbox mommy made with love, and smile. Yes, be happy.”

The boy smiled. The camera used a warm filter, and the caption read: Mommy will always love you.

But the filter could not hide the undercooked rice.

The memory continued.

“What about daddy and mommy? Are they high-level NPCs too?” the boy asked.

The man shook his head:

“To others, mommy and daddy are powerful NPCs. But whether you end up poor or rich, successful or not…”

“From the moment you were born, we have been on your team, never to change.”

When he said this, the boy felt happiness. For a moment, he thought he had been happy.

But soon the camera shut off. The man urged the boy to sleep, then left the bedroom and closed the door.

The woman said:

“Honey, how much longer? I want to have a child of our own.”

“Soon, wife. We’re almost financially free. Look, everyone online says we’re a happy family, praising how much we love children. Many even imitate us and make parent-child videos.”

“In a few days, we’ll just need to cry, and countless people will sympathize with us. No one will suspect us!”

“When our own child is born, they’ll bless us too.”

The man and woman embraced and laughed, unaware that on the other side of the door, a barefoot child pressed his ear to it, silently shedding tears.

Tang Rui shuddered, looking at Wen Xishu in disbelief.

She never expected that the boy before her, younger than herself by several years, had such a terrifying past.

She seemed to understand why the memory showed a child standing in the firelight, saying those words about loving himself. She felt fear that chilled her to the bone.

Suddenly, rain poured heavily outside the bar—a sudden, torrential downpour, as if to extinguish some distant flame.

Wen Xishu smiled softly:

“Tonight, we’ve exchanged secrets.”

“You see, I’m also a dead child nobody wants. But so what?”

Tang Rui didn’t know how to respond.

In another version, Wen Renjing once gave Tang Rui ultimate love.

But now, Wen Xishu’s mission was to teach Tang Rui how to please herself.

He raised his glass again and took a sip, signaling that he spoke the truth.

His smile grew charming once more, but the deep coldness lurked beneath his words:

“When I was a child, I loved watching horror movies. Everyone says Chinese horror is scary, eerie, filled with resentment, more chilling than American gore-centric horror. But I didn’t think so.”

“Chinese horror is fascinating. As a vengeful ghost, repaying grudge with grudge, revenge with revenge, sometimes I think from a ghost’s perspective, Chinese horror is just like a fairy tale.”

“People don’t realize true Chinese horror is when you’re clearly being bullied but can’t express your grievance.”

“When you want to laugh, they tell you to keep your composure; when you want to cry, they say tears are precious. When you want to be angry, they teach you to endure.”

“They don’t love you, yet constantly tell you everything they do is for your own good.”

“They show all their light to outsiders to prove how good they are, but leave the darkness to us.”

“They’re the honorable, praised good people; we are the twisted monsters.”

Wen Xishu’s smile softened further:

“The place I come from is beautiful, where everyone lives by unspoken rules, loving each other. But because of this, those who break the rules never have good ends.”

“I believe those things people praise really exist; they just don’t belong to cursed people like us. In that world, bad seeds like me can only accept their misfortune.”

“But now it’s different.”

Wen Xishu drained his glass again, emphasizing the truth of his words:

“I won’t lie to you. This world is about to shatter; all order will be wiped away. All the chains binding you will break.”

“You will evolve, grow strong, and make everyone fear you. Maybe then many will beg for your protection. But that won’t be love—it will be because they need you.”

“Promise me, when that day comes, don’t do anything foolish like reconciling with your past self.”

Tang Rui was slightly stunned. Though the man still wore a charming smile, his eyes blazed with ferocity and malice.

She inexplicably found it captivating.

Wen Xishu seemed like a demon tempting humans to sin, his voice rising:

“In your unfortunate life, you should have one cathartic release, right? Retaliate for grievances, avenge betrayals; let scum have scum’s end, let losers have losers’ fate. Those wrongs cannot and should not be forgotten.”

“I promised to bring you luck. If you want to be a parrot, tonight is just a usual drunken night. Whether you jump off a building in a few days or wallow in self-pity, that’s your freedom.”

“But if you don’t want to be a parrot, if you still harbor hatred, unwillingness, anger, and resentment, then come with me!”

Facing Wen Xishu’s outstretched hand, listening to the rain pounding outside, Tang Rui trembled as she asked:

“Where… where are we going?”

Wen Xishu smiled gently, speaking deliberately:

“Of course, we’re going to kill them all.”