9 009. It's me, it's me_1

An hour ago.

In the virtual anchor Li Baitu's group chat, the forwarded video sat lonely at the end of the conversation, unanswered.

This was normal since anchors were night owls. Even if prime time for streaming was from 8 pm to midnight, they tended to secretly play games and snack until three or four in the morning before going to bed.

Staying up late led to waking up late. It wasn't until after eleven o'clock that someone in the group woke up.

Her name was Qin Tiantian, also a virtual anchor, who presented herself as a girl with dog ears, grey short hair, and a red scarf. Her character, named "River Oblivion", was created by Li Baitu, so she affectionately called herself Li Baitu's "daughter" during her streams.

Although Qin Tiantian had ended her stream at eight last night, she had sneakily played games until past midnight. When she got up at eleven the next morning, groggy and half asleep, she picked up her phone and saw the video Li Baitu had posted in the group.

Little did she know.

At a glance, Qin Tiantian's whole being was thrown into disarray.

She wasn't very brave to begin with, and the video effect was strongest on her phone. When she heard the scratching sounds coming from the speaker, Qin Tiantian felt her scalp tingle and threw her phone unconsciously. It landed by the bed. When she reached to pick it up, she caught sight under the bed.

Then she was startled into convulsions by the radiant smile of a spokesperson printed on a box she had put there before.

Gosh, it was frightening enough to kill.

What's more critical, Qin Tiantian realized that the room in the video was identical to her rented apartment.

It was definitely her housing complex. Qin Tiantian was certain of it. This peculiar one-bedroom unit couldn't be found anywhere else in Jiangcheng!

With this realization, Qin Tiantian grew even more frightened.

Folk customs, legends, and ghost stories might seem like fun to listen to.

But once these things were associated directly with one's surroundings, with the place one lived, even one's own room, they became much more horrific.

Who doesn't have a space under their bed?

That dark, dirty, dust-filled space under the bed always harbored a presence spying on you, and that presence might not even be human.

Every time night fell, that twisted, indescribable being would come to your side, caress your body, and leave its mark...

Just thinking about it made Qin Tiantian feel an empty, chilly sensation both behind and in front of her.

Therefore, Qin Tiantian, jittery with fear, lost interest in her computer and rushed out to find someone she knew to get something to ward off evil.

She dressed in a slightly oversized pink printed T-shirt with denim shorts and had just stepped out when the petite Qin Tiantian, with her middle schooler's physique, felt hungry. She decided to walk into the yellow-sauce chicken rice shop at the entrance of her community.

As she composed herself and waited for her meal, Qin Tiantian suddenly realized that the handsome guy sitting opposite her seemed to be the person from the video!

It couldn't just be a resemblance; he was the spitting image!

Gosh, was this really happening???

"...are you a living person?"

Qin Tiantian blurted out.

"...thanks to your blessings, very much alive and healthy," replied Lu Ban.

He had no idea what yellow-sauce chicken the girl had eaten to ask such a question, but he replied very politely.

"...is that you in this video?"

Realizing her blunder, Qin Tiantian hastily took out her phone and brought up the video from earlier.

Seeing this, Lu Ban instantly understood the whole story.

She must have been scared by the video and then lost her sanity upon seeing him.

Thankfully, her symptoms weren't severe.

"Yes, it's me," Lu Ban confessed openly.

"Tsk, you really are fearless... What happened to that puppet at the end?"

Qin Tiantian couldn't help her curiosity.

The video's ending, with the shot pulling back to reveal the puppet on Lu Ban's shoulder, was particularly memorable.

The focus of this shot initially was on Lu Ban's face, coupled with the buildup that had viewers instinctively fear what was under the bed. Only when the frame fully widened did people realize the puppet on Lu Ban's shoulder, resulting in a unique shock effect, ending the video abruptly, leaving a lingering terror and extremely chilling upon reflection.

"Threw it in the trash can," said Lu Ban, telling the truth.

Honesty was his most precious trait, and he never lied.

"?"

Qin Tiantian was taken aback.

Wasn't that thing some kind of evil monster under the bed?

A trash can?

What was this subtle feeling that it was like a chainsaw-wielding killer who slipped on a banana peel, hit his head, got rushed to emergency surgery, only for the surgeon to be distracted because of last night's affair being exposed, and then the surgical scalpel ended up forgotten in his head, resulting in death?

Qin Tiantian didn't know how to respond for a moment.

"...Are you specialized in 'that kind of' work? An Exorcist? A Taoist?"

After a long while, once her small portion of braised chicken and Lu Ban's medium portion were served, the two of them ate in silence for a while before Qin Tiantian found an opportunity to ask.

"No, I work in film and television."

Lu Ban continued to tell the plain truth.

"So all that... was special effects?"

Qin Tiantian seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

When she thought about it, it made sense!~

There are no ghosts in this world, it's all computer graphics; no matter how realistic, it's just effects!

"That's not exactly true; what happened was real."

Lu Ban remained truthful, without any embellishment.

"??"

Qin Tiantian's eyes turned into the shape of question marks.

"By the way, you mustn't follow the practices in the video. It could really lead to trouble. Well, I deliberately blurred the gameplay, so you probably can't learn it."

Lu Ban spoke earnestly and truthfully.

He definitely wouldn't try that game again. Lu Ban wasn't sure if the problem was with the game or his own system, but it's always best to be cautious.

"???"

Qin Tiantian was completely confused.

Wasn't it just a scare video for entertainment?

Why did it sound like there was actually something to it?

Which should I believe?

A shiver crept up her smooth back, even though it was broad daylight inside the restaurant, Qin Tiantian felt difficulty breathing and a chill over her body.

She felt a slight weight on her shoulder, as if something was perched there. Qin Tiantian didn't dare turn around, only feeling the weight on her shoulder growing heavier.

"How about this, we add each other on WeChat. If you run into any trouble later, you can contact me directly."

Seeing Qin Tiantian's pale face, Lu Ban took out his phone and displayed the QR code.

Hearing Lu Ban's words, Qin Tiantian felt a great relief, the pressure on her shoulders seeming to vanish as if her earlier sensations were just an illusion.

Qin Tiantian obediently added him on WeChat, and upon checking, saw that Lu Ban's WeChat name was "Motionless", with a profile picture of a road stretching into the distance and a small white flower, which paradoxically gave off a somewhat refreshing vibe.

...Did I just get cunningly added on WeChat?

Qin Tiantian realized afterward.

She saw Lu Ban finish his meal, put down his chopsticks, and prepare to leave.

As Lu Ban reached the door, he seemed to remember something and looked back at Qin Tiantian.

"What's up?"

Qin Tiantian held her chopsticks, puzzled.

"It's best if you don't wander around today. Just stay at home, honestly."

Lu Ban said and then turned to leave.

Qin Tiantian nodded in bewilderment, but soon she realized something.

—Lu Ban hadn't been looking at her, but rather at a certain spot on her shoulder, when he said that last sentence.

*

Thanks to the readers who voted with recommendation tickets!

Asking for recommendation votes and for adding to favorites~