Go all out

Chapter 50: A Strange Name

It rang for a long time before Tian Zhan finally answered. He said he was already on his way here but wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow morning. I carefully explained the situation to him—after all, it was so strange. How could there be no one named Zhang Fei’er in Zhangcun? I asked Tian Zhan if he’d made a mistake, but he immediately shook his head and said he hadn’t. Tian Zhan’s tone changed slightly; he told me to find another household to ask about it and then call him back. I nodded and hung up, then walked over to another house and knocked on the door. A man opened the door, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. He looked just as puzzled as I did and asked who I was looking for. I asked if he knew a college student named Zhang Fei’er, but he shook his head and said he didn’t. I asked again, more carefully, but he still shook his head. He said that although this was Zhang Village, there was no one here named Zhang Fei’er. I could only say “thank you,” but, not giving up, I asked at the next house. The result was the same—all three people said there was no one named Zhang Fei’er. This really puzzled me, so I had no choice but to call Tian Zhan again. “All three households said they didn’t know her?” Tian Zhan sounded surprised. “Mm-hmm.” I nodded, then asked, “Where exactly did I go wrong?” “It’s hard to say. Maybe you went to the wrong place,” Tian Zhan said. “There’s only one Zhangcun in the neighboring city—how could I have gotten it wrong?” I instinctively looked around. Even though I’d never been to Zhangcun before, surely I’d recognize the house numbers posted on every door? It was definitely Zhangcun. Besides, my IQ isn’t that low. Tian Zhan paused for a moment and said, “Here’s what we’ll do, Xiao Tian: find a place to stay for the night, and once I get here tomorrow morning, we’ll go look for Zhang Fei’er together.” “But what if something happens to Zhang Fei’er?” I asked. After all, Zhang Fei’er had essentially asked for help, hadn’t she? If we wasted time tonight, something might happen to her. “Don’t worry about her for now. What could possibly happen to a ghost? Remember, you’ve only known her for a few days—you’re not even ordinary friends. Coming all the way out here in the middle of the night is already more than enough for her. Besides, she’s just a ghost!” “Okay.” I could only nod. “Remember, if you stay at a hotel, don’t stay in a room on the second floor, and don’t stay in the last room on any floor,” Tian Zhan warned. “Why?” I was taken aback. I’d actually heard that before—aren’t you supposed to be able to stay at any hotel you want? “There’s no ‘why.’ Just remember what I said. And if someone knocks on your door at night, don’t open it under any circumstances—whether it’s a woman claiming to be from housekeeping or anyone else. Just remember not to open the door.” I was speechless inside. I’m not that kind of person, okay? After hanging up, I opened the map app on my phone and searched for the nearest hotel. It was really close—just a few hundred meters away. I set the navigation, confirmed the direction, and headed toward the hotel. This village was part of a “New Rural Construction” project, so the houses were all arranged in neat rows. Compared to the scattered households in my own village, this place looked much more planned out and was a pleasure to look at. I found the inn pretty quickly. The place was called “Night Inn”—not a bad name, though the sign wasn’t very noticeable. It must have been some kind of farmstay, since it was just a small four-story building; I guessed it probably had only about ten rooms or so. The door was open, so I walked right in. Right by the door was a small counter, and a woman was asleep with her head resting on it. I had no choice but to tap the counter. The woman jolted awake. She seemed about to curse at me, but when she saw that I was a stranger, she immediately put on a friendly face. She stood up enthusiastically and said, “Young man, looking for a room? Come on, come on—give me your ID so I can check you in.” As she spoke, she reached out toward me. I furrowed my brow—I wasn’t too fond of women like this. She hadn’t even mentioned the price yet, and she was already trying to take my ID? Plus, she had a chubby face, arched eyebrows, a upturned upper lip, and a red tip of her nose—the classic type of sharp-tongued, spiteful person. A woman like that probably wouldn’t even bat an eye at doing something underhanded. Furthermore, her Wealth Palace was very vibrant, but this “vibrancy” was different from the usual radiance that indicates good financial fortune. The light in her Wealth Palace was scattered, and the color was off—indicating that this hotel had made a lot of money from dubious sources. This kind of wealth was tied to sexual services, meaning the hotel likely provided such services. I have to admit I’m impressed with Tian Zhan. No wonder he told me never to open the door if someone knocked at night—I suppose he must have encountered this kind of thing often in the past. “How much does it cost for one night?” I asked casually. The landlady shot me a look. “Oh my, young man, you’re quite cautious, aren’t you? Do you really think I’d rip you off? My hotel isn’t big, but it’s nice and clean, so the minimum is fifty for one night. There’s an extra twenty for an air-conditioned room or a room with a computer.” “Then I’ll take the fifty-one-room.” “It’s so hot out—you’re not going to use the AC? Can you really handle that, young man? Listen to me—staying in an air-conditioned room is no big deal. When you’re traveling, don’t skimp on those twenty or thirty yuan; it’s not worth it,” the landlady said earnestly. I shook my head with a smile. The landlady looked helpless. I handed her my ID, and she quickly registered me. I gave her a hundred—fifty as a deposit—and then she took a set of keys and led me upstairs. “Oh, by the way, I’m not staying on the second floor.” When I saw she was leading me to the second floor—the hallway was pitch-black—I said with a smile. The landlady glanced at me. “The second floor is a bit cooler.” “No thanks, I’ll stay on the third floor.” “Sure, whatever you want.” She took me to the third floor and led me to the very last room there. I hesitated for a moment, then spoke up again, “Aren’t there any other rooms? I don’t want to stay in the last one.” The landlady seemed a bit put off. “Young people shouldn’t be so picky. This room faces south—if you open the window at night, the breeze will keep you nice and cool while you sleep.” “No, thanks.” I shook my head and pointed to a random room. “Is anyone staying in this one?” “No.” “Then I’ll take this one.” “This room doesn’t have any windows. Don’t tell me you’ll change your mind later.” The landlady said this with a hint of displeasure. She fished out a key and unlocked the door. When she turned on the light, I saw the room was about fifteen square meters. Right in front of me was a bed, and the bathroom was on the left—it was a bit old, but still reasonably clean. “This one,” I said, “satisfied.” “All right, then. Bring the key downstairs to check out by noon tomorrow,” the landlady said, taking the room key and heading downstairs. I closed the door and locked it from the inside. The room was small and indeed a bit stuffy, but at least there was an electric fan I could use. I took off my clothes, took a shower, and lay down on the bed, but I couldn’t fall asleep right away. So I pulled out my phone to see if the hotel had Wi-Fi. To my surprise, as soon as I turned on the Wi-Fi, a series of strange network names popped up one after another. The first one was, “Come on over, I’m in 203.” The second was, “Come on over, I’m in 205.” The third was, “Come on over, I’m in 306.” What was that supposed to mean? I was left feeling both amused and baffled. Rooms 203 and 205 were both on the second floor, while 306 was the very last room on the floor where I was staying. No matter what was inside, since Tian Zhan told me not to go there, I certainly wouldn’t. Just as I was hesitating over which one to hack, another Wi-Fi network popped up. When I saw the name, I was even more puzzled: “Never Stay in 302.” I froze. Isn’t my room 302? What does this mean? Sure, the room is small, but it’s still just barely livable for one night, right? Could this be some little trick the landlady played to get me to check into those three rooms earlier? I muttered to myself a few times—this landlady really is a shrewd businesswoman. Shaking my head in exasperation, I randomly selected one to crack. To my surprise, I couldn’t crack it. I tried the next one, but still couldn’t crack it. I was speechless. Is it really necessary for a place like this motel to have such a complicated combination lock? Or maybe no one who’s stayed here before has ever used a master key to crack it? It’s pretty strange. After all, usually, the passcodes at places like this can be cracked with a universal key app—unless everyone staying here uses an i Phone, which is unlikely, right? Could it be that no one with an Android phone has ever stayed here before? Just as I was about to turn off the Wi-Fi, another network popped up—and its name left me even more speechless: “I’m Coming to Find You—Watch Out Tonight!”