Chapter 30: Midnight
After ordering takeout, Li Mu pointed the small mirror on the table at the TV. He placed the remote control in front of the mirror, then curled up on the sofa.
The mirror ghost could affect the real world from inside the mirror. Earlier, she had turned the lights on and off in the mirror, and the real lights flickered in response.
So now she could also use the TV remote from the mirror world and choose whatever show she wanted to watch.
To be honest, Li Mu had no idea how it worked.
It didn’t make any sense at all.
When Yu Fan came out of the bathroom, he happened to see Li Mu sitting with his legs up, lazily leaning on the sofa.
He’d never seen Li Mu look so relaxed back when they were in school.
Even though Li Mu had a clearly male body and appearance, his posture gave off a soft, lazy charm that felt kind of... feminine.
Li Mu noticed the sound of footsteps and glanced up briefly, then went back to watching the idol drama on TV.
“You like watching this?” Yu Fan carefully sat on the other end of the sofa, quietly observing Li Mu’s actions.
He had already noticed that although Li Mu still moved like a guy, he often had a few subtle, feminine traits. He’d even mentioned it yesterday, but Li Mu didn’t seem to care.
“No, Xiao Jing (Little Mirror) wants to watch it.”
“Xiao Jing?”
“The ghost in the mirror,” Li Mu said coldly. “I gave her that name.”
"It's quite catchy."
What kind of naming skill is that...? Yu Fan complained in his head.
He munched on some leftover fruit while looking at Li Mu, who didn’t act like he had a guest at all. But even so, Yu Fan felt a little nervous and kept sneaking glances at him.
Maybe it was because “Li Mu” had confessed to him once, or maybe it was because he had reacted to that back then, even though they both had their reasons, he still couldn’t completely relax when they were alone.
There was a knock at the door, making Yu Fan sit up straight in surprise.
Li Mu calmly got up, walked to the door, opened it, took the food, and casually told the delivery guy.
“It’s late. You should head home soon.”
The delivery guy looked a bit confused, but Li Mu didn’t explain. He just closed the door and went back to the sofa, tossing the takeout on the table.
“Midnight snack.”
“You’re treating me?”
“Who else?”
Yu Fan looked surprised. “That’s not like you. Aren’t you usually broke?”
“Being poor doesn’t mean being stingy.” Li Mu opened the box and pulled out a skewer of grilled chicken legs.
Honestly, he didn’t like barbecue that much, too greasy, too heavy, and too expensive. But he didn’t know what Yu Fan liked, and barbecue was a pretty safe choice.
After all, most people their age loved it. It was just a bit pricey for him.
Sure enough, when Yu Fan saw it was barbecue, his eyes lit up. He happily grabbed two skewers and smiled brightly like a sunshine boy.
Li Mu kept a straight face, eating his skewer with his legs curled up, not even bothering to look at him.
After eating, they watched some TV and played on their phones. Before long, it was almost midnight.
The streets in the small town grew quieter after twelve. There were fewer people and cars, and only the occasional roar of a loud motorcycle could be heard.
Yu Fan stood up silently and reminded Li Mu, “If I’m not out in five minutes, you have to come get me.”
“Okay.”
Honestly, these spirit games weren’t that dangerous. They were really popular online, and most people never actually saw any ghosts.
Last time was just bad luck. They really had attracted a ghost through one of those games.
“I’m going in, okay?” Yu Fan was a little nervous but also excited. His hands were even starting to sweat.
“Go ahead.”
Li Mu kept watching the TV, not paying any attention to Yu Fan’s upcoming spirit-summoning game.
This made Yu Fan feel a bit disappointed. After all, they had been through danger together and could be considered friends. But Li Mu didn’t seem to care about him at all.
Yu Fan walked into the bathroom and slowly took off his clothes.
He didn’t turn on the light. The bathroom was completely dark, lit only by a bit of moonlight coming through the small window.
Feeling his way in the dark, he lifted his foot and stepped into the bathtub, which was already filled with cold water.
The freezing water touched his skin, and goosebumps quickly spread from his legs to his whole body.
His heart rate started to rise, and his breathing got faster.
Both his feet were now in the tub, and the cold made him sneeze.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Yu Fan said to himself. He took out a lighter from his backpack and lit the candles placed on both sides of the faucet.
The white candle flames flickered a little at first, then became steady.
But the fire didn’t make Yu Fan feel any warmer.
He turned his head and looked at the square mirror attached to the end of the bathtub.
The mirror faintly showed his face, but under the unsteady candlelight, his reflection looked twisted and warped, almost like a ghost really was inside.
“Even if I don’t believe in ghosts, this atmosphere is scary enough,” Yu Fan muttered as he sat down in the tub. The freezing water rose past his waist, making him shiver again.
“Cold water is used to feel like a ghost’s energy... the mirror messes with your eyes…”
Plus, the small space in the bathroom, and the spooky time, all worked together to mess with his mind.
Whether or not the spirit game really lets you see ghosts, it was definitely scary.
Yu Fan glanced at the time on his phone, then placed it on the floor outside the tub.
Ten seconds left.
He leaned back, letting more of his skin touch the cold water. The icy chill hit every part of his body, going through his skin and muscles, reaching deeper inside.
His muscles started twitching slightly, and the cold wrapped around him like a blanket.
Yu Fan closed his eyes and suddenly lowered his head, submerging his entire head in the water.
The water rushed into his ears and around his nose. He held his breath and stayed still so he wouldn’t float back up.
In the small, closed bathroom, the two candle flames flickered softly. Their orange-red light reflected on the rippling water, faintly lighting up his naked body underwater. Opposite the candles, the mirror also reflected the warm glow.
Then, as if something was waking up, a pair of eyes slowly opened in the mirror, cold and emotionless, quietly watching from inside.
Holding his breath for three minutes underwater was hard for Yu Fan, but not impossible if he really tried.
Anyway, the spirit game didn’t need to be fully finished to work. If he couldn’t take it anymore, he could just lift his head out of the water.
“1, 2, 3...”
Counting in his head, Yu Fan didn’t feel anything strange. It was just cold, very cold. He could hear the sound of water moving with his body.
His whole body was tense. His skeletal muscles were twitching on their own, making him shiver slightly. His blood was rushing to the center of his body, while his fingers and toes started to feel numb and lose feeling.
To keep his body warm, his system started using up oxygen and breaking down nutrients to produce heat.
But right now, he couldn’t breathe.
His lungs were tight, and his brain was getting less and less oxygen.
In a daze, Yu Fan suddenly felt like something was watching him from straight ahead.
That was... the mirror.
Was the ghost in the mirror watching me? I heard it’s a little girl, the one Li Mu called “Xiao Jing.”
Only thirty seconds left.
His body had gone stiff from the cold. He tried to lift his head, but suddenly realized he couldn’t move.
It felt like the water in the tub had turned into cement, freezing him completely in place.
No way…
A sense of unease was felt by him.