WOOY Chapter 23

This unexpected turn of events left Chang Dong stunned for a couple of seconds.

Cautiously, he took a few steps towards Fei Tang. “Fei Tang?”

After a pause, Fei Tang finally moved. He shakily got up from the ground, his teeth chattering so loudly that it could be heard from a distance.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, then Fei Tang’s nostrils flared, and he suddenly screamed hysterically, “Dong Ge, there’s a ghost, there’s a ghost…”

——

Chang Dong, half-dragging and half-carrying the half-paralyzed Fei Tang, brought him back to the camp. Fei Tang was so terrified that he was a bit out of his mind, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing. In the middle, he desperately tried to climb onto Chang Dong, wailing, “Can’t touch the ground, my feet can’t touch the ground…”

This commotion startled almost everyone.

Hui Ba and the others, bewildered, ushered Fei Tang into the main tent. Finding him heavy, Chang Dong dumped him onto the ground as soon as they entered. Fei Tang, afraid to touch the ground, scrambled onto the mat, trembling all over, his legs drawn up tightly, with snot and tears covering his face.

Looking up, he saw a lot of people around. Ye Liuxi had come in, Meng Jinggu and Simon also joined to watch the commotion.Hui Ba’s men surrounded him, all talking at once, asking, “What happened?”

Seeing people gave him a sense of security.

Chang Dong squatted in front of him, held up a finger, and said, “Follow my finger.”

Fei Tang followed the finger, looking east when it moved east, and west when it moved west.

After repeating this several times, Chang Dong said, “Good, you’re not stupid.”

He handed Fei Tang a tissue, which he took, blowing his nose forcefully. Someone nearby handed him a cup of hot water, which he gulped down, finally feeling warmth spreading from his chest to his cold limbs.

Chang Dong continued, “Now I’ll ask you some questions. Don’t overthink, just answer honestly. Just now, when you were lying on the ground talking, you suddenly slid more than ten meters away. Did you slide on your own?”

Some people understood and looked slightly surprised, while others were confused, saying, “Is the ground slippery? I didn’t feel it.”

Fei Tang shook his head desperately.

“Were you pushed or pulled?”

Fei Tang’s voice trembled, “Pulled, pulled.”

“Did you see who pulled you?”

Fei Tang’s voice changed, “No, no one else was there, just the two of us.”

The surroundings grew quiet, and even the dullest person could sense something was wrong. Hui Ba muttered under his breath, “Saw a ghost.”

Chang Dong pressed on, “What was pulling you? A hand?”

Things happened too quickly for Fei Tang to explain clearly.

“What part was pulled?”

Fei Tang swallowed hard and pointed to his right foot.

Chang Dong looked down and rolled up Fei Tang’s pant leg. The surrounding people gasped: there was indeed a mark around his ankle.

After this exchange, Fei Tang calmed down a bit and finally spoke coherently, “Dong Ge, this place is really eerie. Can we just leave? Let’s drive away, okay?”

He looked around, seeking support.

Hui Ba was skeptical, “Is it really true?”

He had spent some time in Lop Nur and heard many strange stories, but those were just that—stories. He found Fei Tang’s words exaggerated.

Chang Dong said, “Here’s my suggestion…”

Standing up, he addressed everyone, “Bailongdui is not suitable for camping. With the weather being bad these past few days and now this strange incident—better safe than sorry. There’s a town called Yantian about a hundred kilometers away where we can stay. It’s a bit of a drive, but wouldn’t it be better to sleep in a hotel?”

The response wasn’t what he expected.

Hui Ba was the first to complain, “That’s too much hassle. We just settled down. Packing up will take another couple of hours, and in this dark, windy weather, a two-hour drive will take at least four. By the time we reach Yantian, it’ll be almost dawn. I’d say we just tough it out for one night.”

His men agreed:

—”If there were really ghosts, they’d have killed you by now, not played around dragging you.”

—”Close your eyes, pull the blanket over your head, and sleep. You’ll be fine.”

—”At worst, just pee in a water bottle instead of going outside.”

Seeing that Hui Ba couldn’t be swayed, Chang Dong turned to Meng Jinggu.

Meng Jinggu sneered, “Hold on, if you want us to go to Yantian, are you coming too?”

Chang Dong was momentarily speechless.

“If you’re not going, why should we? Besides, it’s just the two of you; no one else saw it…”

He grabbed Fei Tang’s shoulder, showing his worn-out clothes.

“…Who knows what happened? Maybe you dragged him yourself and came back to scare us.”

Chang Dong insisted, “I really think there’s something wrong here…”

Meng Jinggu scoffed, “Seems like once bitten, twice shy. Safety comes from experience, not feelings. If your instincts were that good, back then Camellia wouldn’t have…”

He stopped abruptly, realizing it was inappropriate to bring up the past.

Finding a way to gracefully back out, Meng Jinggu turned to Simon and said, “Boss, let’s go back and rest. We have a fashion shoot tomorrow.”

……

——

In the silence that followed, it was getting late, and Hui Ba urged everyone to set up their sleeping arrangements. Chang Dong had no choice but to tell Fei Tang to get through the night: there were many people in the large tent, so squeeze into the middle of the crowd; if something happened, others would bear the brunt first.

After giving these instructions, Chang Dong stepped out of the tent and suddenly heard Ye Liuxi’s voice, “Poor thing, your good intentions went unappreciated. You spoke so earnestly, and no one listened.”

Turning around, he saw her leaning against the doorframe, her injured foot resting lightly on the other, her eyes slightly raised, half smiling and half mocking—likely there to see his misfortune.

“I couldn’t convince them. Do you have a better idea?”

“What does it have to do with me? I didn’t invite them.”

Tonight, it seemed everyone had sharp tongues, except him.

Chang Dong returned to the matter at hand, “Grab a flashlight. Let’s go check out the place where Fei Tang had his incident.”

——

The flashlight beam revealed a straight drag mark about ten meters long.

Apart from that, there was nothing unusual.

The force must have been strong and sudden; otherwise, Fei Tang would have struggled, making the mark look twisted like a pregnant worm crawling with difficulty.

Ye Liuxi squatted down, tapping the ground.

The ground was solid, so whatever it was couldn’t have come from below.

She looked up at Chang Dong, “What do you think? And don’t blame everything on ghosts. If they were that powerful, they’d have taken over the world by now.”

Chang Dong shone the flashlight around, “The mark on Fei Tang’s ankle looks like it was made by a rope, but ropes don’t act on their own.”

Ye Liuxi considered, “What about a snake?”

Chang Dong pondered, “There are vipers in Lop Nur, but they’re short and thin. Even if Fei Tang is skinny, he still weighs a hundred pounds. A snake couldn’t drag him that far.”

So they were out of ideas? Ye Liuxi clicked her flashlight on and off, mulling it over. Suddenly, she had an idea. “What if…”

She moved to the center of the clearing, spreading her arms and legs wide, resembling a skinny, distorted “大” shape. Tilting her head back, her hair whipped in the wind. “Whatever it was that dragged Fei Tang could come for me too. If it does, I might figure out what it is.”

The wind was so strong it almost knocked her over. The thought of her plan made Chang Dong’s scalp tingle. He rushed over and grabbed her arm. “Don’t fool around. It stopped last time, so Fei Tang was safe. What if it doesn’t stop this time? Bailongdui is vast; who knows where it might drag you?”

Ye Liuxi replied, “Alright then.”

She stepped back to face Chang Dong, then moved closer until they were about half a step apart. “How fast are your reflexes? If I suddenly fly off from this distance, can you grab me quickly?”

Chang Dong nodded, “I can.”

“So can I. We don’t know what it is. It might target you or me. Let’s not be alone. If you’re grabbed, I’ll hold onto you. If I’m grabbed, you grab me. That way, we share the risk. What do you think?”

Chang Dong said, “You’re playing too wildly. Do you even know what that thing is?”

He had watched plenty of horror movies, and his imagination was quite active. From his experience, to stay alive, it was better to be a little more cautious.

Like right now, Fei Tang is probably safer than they were.

Ye Liuxi replied, “Scared? Then step aside.”

“If I step aside, who will grab you?”

Ye Liuxi laughed, reaching to smooth her hair, which got messed up again right after.

The wind was so strong it made it hard to keep their eyes open. Chang Dong lowered his head, pressing down on his hat to keep it from flying off.

——

The two of them stood face-to-face in the windy night. At first, it was fine, but after a while, it started to feel awkward. Being so close, they couldn’t ignore each other, but there was nothing much to talk about.

Another gust of wind swept through, and Ye Liuxi sniffled.

“Cold?” Chang Dong asked.

“Cold.”

There wasn’t much they could do about it. He wasn’t wearing much either and tried to shield her from the wind, but it came from all directions.

After a while, Ye Liuxi spoke again.

“We should have worn something warmer.”

“Yeah,” Chang Dong agreed.

But neither of them went back to get their coats. Going back and then returning would make them look silly.

…

After another while, Chang Dong checked his watch. It had a luminous dial, and it was a few minutes past midnight.

Ye Liuxi stared at the watch face, “Feels like nothing else is going to happen tonight.”

“I think so too,” Chang Dong replied.

Neither suggested leaving first. Leaving now, having achieved nothing and frozen for hours, would make them look foolish.

…

Another look at the watch showed it was half-past midnight.

In the camp, everyone was probably already fast asleep.

Ye Liuxi said, “Sometimes, the things you’re most afraid of happen, and the things you hope for don’t.”

“Exactly, that’s called Murphy’s Law,” Chang Dong said.

…

At almost one o’clock, they returned to the car.

Their bodies were nearly numb from the cold. Once the car door closed, they shivered even more.

Chang Dong handed Ye Liuxi some cold medicine, and she opened a bottle of water to help him take it.

Neither mentioned the cold they had endured.