Room 1303 (Conclusion) Part 2

Song Qingluo said, "Yeah."

Li Su asked, "For how long?"

Song Qingluo took an old-fashioned pocket watch from his inner pocket. "Seventeen seconds."

"Are you serious?" Li Su's pale pink eyes were filled with disbelief as he looked at Lin Banxia. "Where did you find such a treasure? He's that amazing? Does he... know about your business?"

Song Qingluo said, "I haven't told him yet."

"Oh, remember to notify the other side soon," Li Su said. "I'll be going now."

"Go on," Song Qingluo nodded.

Li Su turned and left, leaving a quiet room behind.

Lin Banxia felt a bit awkward. He was about to turn on the TV for some background noise, but Song Qingluo placed a hand on his, stopping him. His fingertips were soft and cool, just like his name, with a touch like silk.

Song Qingluo asked, "Aren't you curious?"

Lin Banxia said cautiously, "Curiosity killed the cat?"

Song Qingluo said, "The pay is very high."

Lin Banxia immediately perked up. "How high?"

Song Qingluo: "High enough to pay off your mortgage very quickly."

Lin Banxia said carefully, "Then why are you living next door to me?"

Song Qingluo: "..."

Lin Banxia: "In a rented place, no less..."

'Lin Banxia, oh Lin Banxia, every word you say is a stab to the heart,' Song Qingluo thought. He sighed and said that it was a long story, better left untold.

The two were silent for a while. Lin Banxia ventured, "Can you explain to me what Natural Aging is?"

Li Su had mentioned the term earlier. He remembered it was used for some high-precision parts. For example, after a part is machined, its shape changes, and it will undergo certain dimensional changes over time. This change has little effect on ordinary machinery, but for high-precision machinery, it can easily lead to malfunctions. Therefore, before use, these parts are placed in a natural environment for a period of Stress Release, which is called Natural Aging.

But Song Qingluo clearly wasn't in the machining business. So what did Li Su's "Natural Aging" mean?

Song Qingluo said, "It's exactly what it sounds like. In this world, there exist many Aberrant Objects. Some are good, some are bad, but most are dangerous. So, before they cause any danger, they need to be recovered and sealed. The act of sealing changes them, so to avoid excessive backlash, we conduct a period of Natural Aging before sealing them." His voice was soft, his tone casual. "This apartment of yours is an item currently undergoing Natural Aging."

Lin Banxia was stunned. "Is there some history to this apartment? Like, did someone die here or something..."

Song Qingluo said, "There's nothing wrong with the apartment itself. It's a new complex. Besides, isn't that already stated in the purchase contract?"

'That's true,' Lin Banxia thought. 'Then why?'

"The problem is your doorplate," Song Qingluo said. "Haven't you noticed? Is there anything different about your doorplate?"

Only after Song Qingluo's reminder did Lin Banxia remember. There was indeed one time, when he was in a hurry to get home, that the doorplate felt very strange to the touch, like human skin. He hadn't thought much of it then, but recalling it now, it was a bit creepy.

"How terrifying," Lin Banxia remarked.

'Your expression is not convincing at all,' Song Qingluo thought.

"That's not right. Why are you guys buying and selling houses for your Natural Aging process?" Lin Banxia felt wronged. "I worked so hard to buy this house, and you just slapped a doorplate like that on it."

Song Qingluo sighed and said, "It was an accident." They had specifically chosen this complex because there were few people around and no other residents, making it less likely for danger to arise. But unexpectedly, during the handover, the person who was supposed to liaise with the homeowner had a sudden accident and is now in critical condition. The matter of the house was thus delayed. They never expected that an unlucky guy like Lin Banxia, trying to get a good deal, would buy the house before they could react.

When the other side learned of this situation, they immediately sent Song Qingluo over to handle it. Song Qingluo's workload was extremely heavy, so he simply moved in next door to Lin Banxia. He was originally still wondering how to approach Lin Banxia, but who knew that Lin Banxia would come knocking on his door himself.

"If there are no ghosts, then what did Ji Leshui see?" Lin Banxia felt that his head was still filled with countless unanswered questions.

"That would depend on what he was afraid of at the time," Song Qingluo said. "You should be glad that only the two of you live in this house."

Lin Banxia said, "Why?"

Song Qingluo said, "Because in this house, fear can solidify into reality. So whatever he fears, you will see too."

Lin Banxia's spirits lifted. "Does that mean I should make him afraid of money?"

Song Qingluo: "..." After the business genius Ji Leshui, it seemed this Lin Banxia also had a knack for making money.

Seeing Song Qingluo's speechless expression, Lin Banxia chuckled twice and said he was just kidding, who would be afraid of RMB? He pondered, "According to what you said before, once you move in, you can't leave this house. So you might see tangible, terrifying illusions even when you're outside?"

Song Qingluo said, "Not exactly. To be precise, you'll only see them if you have the intention of moving out."

The smile on Lin Banxia's face froze.

Song Qingluo said, "What's wrong?"

Lin Banxia said, "Well..."

Song Qingluo: "?"

Lin Banxia: "I just remembered, I think I saw a hallucination on my way home from work yesterday."

Song Qingluo looked at Lin Banxia with confusion. "You were thinking of moving out?"

"No, no," Lin Banxia said innocently. "Absolutely not. And before he was scared silly by this house, Ji Leshui seemed to have seen something in the same place too."

Song Qingluo asked, "Saw what?"

Lin Banxia repeated the scene Ji Leshui had seen that day. After repeating it, he belatedly felt a bit scared, rubbing the goosebumps on his arms timidly.

Song Qingluo: "What did you see this morning?"

Lin Banxia once again vividly described the scene he had witnessed.

After hearing it, Song Qingluo's expression was complicated. He glanced at the genuine goosebumps on Lin Banxia's arm and said, "You... didn't find the situation this morning scary?"

Lin Banxia honestly shook his head.

'Fine,' Song Qingluo thought. 'Lin Banxia's reactions are entirely up to fate. He'll only react when the time is right.'

The author has something to say:

Lin Banxia muttered to himself: I'm afraid of RMB, I'm afraid of RMB, I'm afraid of RMB.

The next day, he felt his wallet, and the money was gone.

Lin Banxia broke down: Ahhhhh, the fear has become real! Ahhhhh! Song Qingluo, save me! Ahhhhh!!!

Doorplate: Hmph, trying to bully me for being uneducated?