Chapter 6
Chapter 6
The more Man-Eating Crocodile thought about it, the angrier he became. Finally, unable to let it go, he turned around to head to Room 4005 to confront the man. Just as he was about to twist the doorknob, a short, sharp scream suddenly echoed through the hallway.
The sound was high-pitched and filled with agony. As if struck by an electric shock, he immediately let go of the handle. While the man inside the room continued his muffled cursing, Man-Eating Crocodile forced himself to suppress his fear and plucked up the courage to peek through the peephole.
He only managed to see the man clutching a wad of cash as he hurried away.
At that moment, the woman in red lying on the floor slowly sat up. The second she raised her head, Man-Eating Crocodile’s eyes widened in horror. Covering his mouth, he began to back away step by step.
Except for the very first broadcast, veteran streamers who entered the Live Stream Room would receive a preview.
The female ghost in his dream looked exactly like the woman in the hallway. She had a chilling smile on her face as she walked toward him step by step, holding a dripping kitchen knife…
Previously, he had thought it was just a lingering side effect of participating in the Nine Lives Live Stream. He hadn’t expected that last night’s dream wasn’t caused by fear, but was actually a preview of his next entry into the Live Stream Room.
Man-Eating Crocodile covered his mouth, terrified that he might make a sound and attract the woman’s attention. He retreated carefully, one step at a time. In his daze, his calf hit something. His body, already barely holding itself up, instantly went weak, and he collapsed onto the sofa in exhaustion.
The soft sofa allowed him to relax slightly. His palm brushed across the cushion, and the delicate texture of the leather caught his attention.
Man-Eating Crocodile forced himself to forget about the female ghost outside the door, trying his best to focus his attention elsewhere. Naturally, the sofa became his primary target.
Under the dim, yellow light, the white leather sofa emitted a warm glow, looking quite expensive.
In a cheap, dilapidated place like Ping’an Apartment, it felt completely out of place.
Man-Eating Crocodile felt something was wrong. He subconsciously rubbed his palm against it, and almost instantly, he realized exactly what was off.
The texture of the sofa! It was… exactly… the… same… as his own skin!!!
The courage he had managed to gather vanished in an instant. He leaped up and bolted out of the room as if fleeing for his life.
Fortunately, there were two other streamers in the hallway. Regardless of any previous conflicts, seeing living people now brought him more peace of mind than anything else.
“A human skin sofa?” the Slightly Chubby Man cried out in surprise. His gaze shifted toward Room 4003, his face showing hesitation.
Just as he was considering whether to go in and gather clues, a figure stepped into Room 4003 ahead of him. That ‘Foolhardy’ guy walked inside, clicking his tongue in wonder.
“A human skin sofa? Impressive! I’ve never seen one of these before…”
Brother Crocodile’s raised hand froze because of Qiao Yu’s ‘villain dialogue’-the kind of lines spoken by characters who wouldn’t survive more than three episodes.
*Sob*… He had originally wanted to pull the guy back.
Inside, Qiao Yu walked further into the room. Room 4003 was much more spacious than expected. A large fan stood in the corner, providing some relief from the midsummer heat. As for the human skin sofa Brother Crocodile had mentioned, it sat quietly opposite the television, looking quite harmless.
Qiao Yu, showing no fear of death, stepped forward and gave it a stroke, inwardly praising the sight.
Man, this thing wasn’t even a high-quality imitation; it really was a human skin sofa. My Live Stream Room is truly something else~
“He really has a death wish,” the Slightly Chubby Man tutted from outside. Just as he was about to offer more mockery, the sound of a door opening drew everyone’s attention back.
Li Xiaoqin emerged from Doctor Zhuang’s room, clutching a bag of traditional Chinese medicine wrapped in brown kraft paper. Beneath her neatly styled hair was a strikingly beautiful and delicate face, possessing the petite, refined grace typical of women from the water towns of the south.
The Slightly Chubby Man was momentarily stunned, his gaze uncontrollably lingering on Li Xiaoqin’s face for a few seconds.
Brother Crocodile, being particularly timid, didn’t even dare to glance at Li Xiaoqin. He froze mid-sob, looking utterly torn as if weighing whether it was safer to stay out here or return to his room to face the human skin sofa.
Hearing the commotion, Qiao Yu ran out and came face-to-face with Li Xiaoqin. Setting aside her initial ghostly and sinister appearance, the current Li Xiaoqin looked like nothing more than a poor woman ravaged by domestic violence. Subconsciously, he called out to stop her: “Are you alright?”
Li Xiaoqin seemed somewhat unaccustomed to sudden concern. She hesitated, stopping in her tracks to look at Qiao Yu. After a long silence, she forced a small smile that tugged at the bruises on the corners of her mouth. “I’m fine,” she replied softly. “Sorry you had to see that. Are you new tenants?”
Seeing that Li Xiaoqin didn’t want to elaborate, Qiao Yu nodded. “We just moved in today. My name is Qiao. I hope we can look out for each other from now on.”
“I wouldn’t say ‘look out’ for you, but while this apartment is quite old, the location is excellent. The street behind us is a wet market, there’s a park not far ahead for walks, and a primary school is diagonally across from us. There’s also a high school about ten minutes away, so it’s very convenient for children’s education.”
“There are utility rooms at the end of every floor with washing machines for laundry. Mops and brooms are kept in the corners of the hallways; you can use them when you clean your rooms.”
“Oh, right… the Landlord runs a small supermarket at the entrance on the first floor. If you need anything, you can buy it there…”
Li Xiaoqin spoke at length. Right now, she appeared harmless and even warm-hearted.
Qiao Yu couldn’t tell if she was being genuinely kind or digging a pit for them, but he didn’t let it show on his face. He simply nodded and thanked her.
Just as he thought the conversation was over, Li Xiaoqin hesitated before leaving, adding out of concern: “You look quite pale. Are you sick? The resident in Room 4001 up ahead is a surgeon, a Mr. Zhuang. If you’re feeling unwell, you can go see Doctor Zhuang and have him check you out.”
Qiao Yu glanced at the tightly closed door of Room 4001 in the direction she pointed and politely declined. “It’s nothing serious. I probably just caught a cold from the chill in the Basement. I’ll go buy a jar of canned yellow peaches from the Landlord’s supermarket later. I’ll be fine once I eat them.”
Qiao Yu mentioned the Basement on purpose, but Li Xiaoqin didn’t seem to catch the underlying meaning. Instead, she frowned slightly, a hint of confusion on her face. “Canned yellow peaches?”
Qiao Yu grinned, his smile clean and somewhat innocent. “Canned yellow peaches protect every child from the North.”
Li Xiaoqin: “…Alright then. I’ll head back first. Good luck with your move.”
Brother Crocodile had been listening to their conversation with fear and trembling. Once it ended, his face was filled with even more admiration for Qiao Yu. “Aren’t… aren’t you afraid?”
Qiao Yu was genuinely puzzled. “Afraid of what? I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I?”
Hearing this, Brother Crocodile’s expression of admiration turned into one of shock. “Big boss, can I move in and hang out with you?”
“…” The Slightly Chubby Man silently rolled his eyes from the side. It seemed this guy wasn’t very bright either. That wasn’t a ‘big boss’-that was clearly just a reckless fool.