Chapter 282: Chapter 243: Dancer
"How did you know there was money inside?" Yang Xiao asked again.
"I’ve helped Fu Changxue with that briefcase before. I secretly felt through the bag, and there was something shaped like a wallet inside," Li Qingxuan explained in a low voice, "I thought that kid dressed rather well, so I assumed there had to be at least 100 yuan inside, but it turned out to be just this little."
Yang Xiao looked Li Qingxuan up and down, "Tell me the truth, do you have a side job in the real world?"
"I don’t, I swear I don’t!" Li Qingxuan raised his hand to vow.
Yang Xiao looked at the 10-yuan note in his hand and eventually accepted it, "Your kindness is rare, so I’ll take this money. This is a 10 yuan note, and none of us currently have a denomination this large. If it remained with you, once Fu Changxue realizes it’s gone, you would inevitably fall under suspicion."
Putting himself in Fu Changxue’s shoes, if one were to discover their life-saving money had been stolen, they would try to kill the thief without hesitation.
"I understand, Teacher Yang. You have a task tonight, and you’re partnered with Mo Daidai again. Be extra careful, and if you really encounter danger, you can come hide in my room," Li Qingxuan said before slipping away quietly.
Returning to his own room, Yang Xiao collapsed on the sofa, closed his eyes, and began to review the information obtained that morning.
The identity of the ghost couple had been confirmed. They were not some terribly wicked partners in crime, but rather the apartment’s managers, and the one who delivered the blood letter was indeed the Ball-slapping Ghost.
Still unclear was one detail: the Ball-slapping Ghost had pointed out in the posted tenant notice to be wary of outsiders in the apartment, marking them as dangerous. Their own task was to investigate who these so-called outsiders really were.
Yang Xiao thought the outsider should be the Source Ghost, and it was precisely due to it that the apartment had turned into its current ghastly state.
To find clues about the Source Ghost, they would have to locate the two managers first. Direct interaction with their ghost forms after midnight was far too dangerous. The safest method was to find the room where they resided.
Yang Xiao had a feeling that the managers’ room might have some connection with that nonexistent room numbered 85, or it might even be the same room.
If he had to guess a floor, Yang Xiao thought it was most likely that the managers’ room was on the third floor of the apartment.
He clearly remembered that on the first night of his task, he had seen the elevator stopped on the third floor, and coincidentally, Cheng Ya’s task involving the elevator’s strange noises later also took place on the third floor.
Without a doubt, this critical piece of information had to be gathered from the other ghost tenants, which was a skillful and particularly dangerous endeavor.
As time ticked by, Yang Xiao knew he needed rest. He had taken on the security task for the night, and he planned to return to his room during the task as Mo Daidai had suggested. If all went well, he might be able to see a ghost and extract important information from the ghost residing in his room.
Of course, that was contingent on Mo Daidai not being an Evil Cultivator and having told no lies.
...
At 11:10 p.m., Tong Han relaxed her crossed legs on the floor, slowly stood up, having spent time in meditation.
Clearing her mind of distractions was essential for maintaining focus during the task ahead.
Arriving punctually at room 2024, Tong Han took a deep breath, put on a radiant smile, lifted her hand, and knocked on the door—she had come as the expected dance partner for the night.
Moments later, sounds emanated from behind the door, their clear rhythmic quality invoking an image in Tong Han’s mind of someone approaching with tap-dancing steps.
"Creak—"
The door opened, revealing a heavily made-up woman standing on the other side. The woman towered over her by a full head, dressed in a dark red gown. As her gaze flowed, it was captivating and enchanting.
"Hello."
The "woman" spoke, but the slightly deep voice instantly jolted Tong Han awake; this was not a woman but a man.
"Mr. Hou, I am Tong Han. Thank you for your invitation." Tong Han gave a slight nod. Despite feeling puzzled, she showed no sign of it on her face. She even managed to express a touch of shyness, perfectly capturing the emotion.
Mr. Hou, dressed in bizarre women’s attire, stepped aside. With obedience, Tong Han walked into the room. She looked around to find the room was sparsely furnished, with a large open space cleared in the living room.
The room was dim, a colored disco ball hanging above, much like those found above dance floors in old dance halls. A large box-style record player stood in the corner, flanked by brightly colored fairy lights on both sides.
Dark red full-length curtains adorned the walls around the room; the place hardly resembled a living apartment, more so a small dance hall.
Tong Han looked around with interest and complimented, "Mr. Hou, your home is so beautiful. You can tell that you are a true dancer."
"I’m flattered. It’s just a hobby," Mr. Hou said with a peculiar look, openly admiring Tong Han without any hint of evasion in his gaze. "Ms. Tong, you have such great body proportions, and your feet—they’re made for dancing. To be honest, sometimes I really envy you women."
"May I have this dance with you?" Mr. Hou extended his hand in a very cliché fashion, but Tong Han noticed something odd about the way his palm faced downward.
This was off. Typically, when a man invites a woman to dance, the palm should be facing up. The lady would then extend her hand palm down, laying her fingertips in the man’s hand as per customary etiquette. But Mr. Hou... seemed to want to be the female dance partner.
Without any hesitation, Tong Han also reached out her hand, palm up, and naturally took Mr. Hou’s hand. The next moment, the colored disco ball above began to spin, casting broken fragments of light throughout the small dance room.
Simultaneously, the record player started to turn, and a dance number filled with the feel of bygone years began to play. The two danced in perfect harmony, stepping through the chaotic light scattered across the floor.
Tong Han could dance, and she wasn’t bad at it. She was proficient in many styles of dance. She could feel Mr. Hou’s skill level was way above her own, and during the dance, he was entirely lost in the dance.
Throughout the dance, Tong Han remained on high alert, but until the climactic part of the dance number just before the final section, she didn’t notice anything amiss.
She tried to stand on tiptoe and raise her hands as high as possible to match Mr. Hou, allowing him to spin elegantly in front of her. But soon, Tong Han realized something was wrong—the speed of Mr. Hou’s spins was increasing rapidly, with no intention of stopping. Meanwhile, the music from the record player became more intense, and a woman’s desperate, hysterical screams began to emerge from the background.
