Midnight Bookstore

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

“Did you go upstairs?” Zhou Ze asked.

The little girl shook her head, “It’s too dark up there. I can’t see anything.”

The little girl walked down from the stairs and stood in front of Zhou Ze.

She was very short, and was wearing quite a few layers. Her face was as delicate as a fine piece of artwork.

However, Zhou Ze knew her tongue could grow very long… long enough to make his scalp turn numb.

“Uncle, I’ll continue on with my reading.” The little girl smiled and returned to the plastic stool. She picked up the illustrated storybook and started reading it again.

Zhou Ze stood behind the little girl with his hands behind him.

-Strangle her to death, just strangle her to death. No matter what she is up to, it is time to put an end to it.

-Strangle her to death, just strangle her to death. No matter what she is up to, it is time to put an end to it.-

A voice echoed in Zhou Ze’s heart. It was not someone else’s voice, but Zhou Ze’s own.

Compared to the owner of the restaurant opposite the bookstore, he found the little girl much more annoying and agitating.

It was he that had saved her life.

She was adorable, thoughtful, clever, and sensible. She was a lot mature than most kids her age.

Perhaps his first impression of her was too good, so when he saw her true colors, the shock was just so great that Zhou Ze subconsciously felt a strong disgust for her.

The little girl was still reading the book. She seemed totally unaware, or unbothered by Zhou Ze standing behind her.

Zhou Ze stared at her. He could even see the little hairs on the back of her neck.

Strangle, or not strangle, what should he do?

——

“Mum, dad, I’m resting today.”

Xu Qinglang prepared a few dishes and placed them on the table. There were two glasses of alcohol, too.

One was Maotai, his father’s favorite when he was still alive.

The other was homemade rice wine. His mother did not drink much, and was displeased by her husband’s habit of drinking. She would only drink some rice wine when she went to some functions.

His mother always said that rice wine was good for the body.

The two ends of the table were placed with candles. The little flames were swaying slightly.

Two human skins were hung at the back, swaying despite the absence of wind.

Xu Qinglang drank a toast with his father, then drank another toast with her mother.

He picked up his chopsticks and said, “Let’s eat, dad, you’re taking my meat again!”

He took a few pieces of meat and gulped them down.

In his memories, his father kept pretending to take his meat when he was young, forcing him to gulp the meat down. He would always end up with puffed cheeks as he struggled to swallow it.

His mother would be patting him on the back while scolding his father.

Today was the New Year. Many people would remember the dead before New Year, but Xu Qinglang was different. He had chosen today, as his parents had died in an accident on this day.

Normally, people would complain about how each New Year was worse than the previous year, but for Xu Qinglang, it simply meant his time to grieve had arrived once again.

Xu Qinglang took a deep breath and smiled.

“Mum, dad.” Xu Qinglang twisted his lips.

He poured a glass of white wine and finished it in one go. His delicate face blushed instantly as the burning alcohol went down his throat.

He was a man, yet he was like a femme fatale.

If he was born in ancient times, he would surely have ended up being kept as an exclusive slave by the emperors or the princes. Even in modern times, he could easily make a name for himself if he wished.

Words were not needed to describe how terrifying a man that could turn a heterosexual man into a homosexual was.

After prolonged hesitation, Xu Qinglang finally could not stand it any further.

He said, “The man…the man next door, I’ll find a chance to ask him… ask him how he managed to come back!”

Xu Qinglang was not drunk, but he was starting to stammer.

He already knew the man next door would not just sit down and tell him the truth in a casual chat between them.

He knew it was going to turn ugly, thus he would have to use some other tricks.

The two human skins stopped swaying, as if they were not pleased with the suggestion.

“Mum, dad, it’s fine, I promised that I’d bring you back!”

Two pairs of chopsticks fell to the ground.

Xu Qinglang, who was still holding his chopsticks, was startled, but he soon shook his head, “No way, I’m not listening to you two this time. I will pry open his mouth, even if you don’t agree!”

——

-To strangle or not to strangle? That is the question…-

The question was still bothering him.

He did not know why he was so hesitant, nor did he know why he was struggling to make up his mind.

He was a ghost, he was no longer a doctor.

He was in great danger. The situation was not favorable to him. As such, it was necessary for him to strangle the danger in advance.

The little girl was the danger.

She had taken the initiative to come find him, just like how her spirit had come to talk to him. She must have had her eyes on him for quite some time.

Every kid knew the story about the farmer and the snake. Zhou Ze was not naive to believe that he was safe just because he saved her.

As a matter of fact, most hatred in the world originated from kindness.

Zhou Ze’s fingernails slowly grew longer. Meanwhile, a black mist was circling his fingertips too.

A black light was flickering deep inside Zhou Ze’s eyes.

He had to strangle her to death right now!

Zhou Ze kept repeating the same words in his mind. He finally had a chance to come back to life. He still wanted to live, and there were things he wanted to do.

He wanted to slack off more, to remember more, and to think more. He did not want to walk numbly on the Yellow Spring Path like the dead he had seen.

Zhou Ze raised his hands and slowly moved closer to the little girl.

The little girl was focusing on the book. She was wearing an adorable smile.

Suddenly, she felt two fingers touching the sides of her head.

She asked curiously, “Uncle?”

“Rubbing your temples a little, it helps to protect your eyes.”

“Mm,” the little girl replied. She continued to read her book.

A perfect pressure was applied to her temples. The little girl felt rather comfortable.

The little girl then saw the man walking slowly toward the counter and sit down on the chair.

“Uncle, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Zhou Ze waved his hand.

The little girl lowered her head to read the book.

PA! A loud slap was heard.

The little girl lifted her gaze and glanced at the counter. She realized that Zhou Ze’s face was extremely red.

“Uncle?”

“There was a mosquito,” Zhou Ze inhaled deeply and leaned against the chair. He let out a sigh in his heart. Damn it, I just couldn’t do it, why am I so useless?

The little girl did not seem to realize that there were no mosquitoes in winter. She rose to her feet and looked around. She seemed to be looking for the mosquito.

Go ahead. Just keep putting up an act. Are you a drama queen? How good is her acting? Just show me your tongue, let’s fight one another to death! Do you seriously think I won’t dare to hurt you just because you have the face of a little girl?

It…it was true that he could not force himself to do it.

F**k!

Zhou Ze was helpless. He went to the washroom and turned on the tap. He splashed cold water onto his face.

“I was once a doctor, saving people’s lives was my obligation, my job, but even when I have turned into a ghost, I still try to be a good person! I’m such a useless prick!” Zhou Ze yelled into the mirror.

Zhou Ze immediately realized that he had been scolding himself a lot more than scolding Xu Le lately.

Meanwhile, the little girl put the book down and glanced thoughtfully at the washroom. However, she walked out of the bookstore and went to the restaurant opposite the bookstore instead.

——

“Mum, dad, it’s no use changing my mind. I want you to sit at the table and eat with me. If he can do it, you can do it too! Our family can still live together just like before,” Xu Qinglang was still murmuring to himself.

Suddenly, the two human skins hung close to the table started shaking vigorously.

Xu Qinglang was astounded. He looked up and saw some of the yellow magic papers he had attached to the walls of the room had turned gray.

He quickly flipped the curtain and went out to the dining area.

He saw a little girl standing in front of his restaurant.

The little girl opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out. It was terrifyingly long!

A deep voice came out of the girl’s mouth. “The order of Hell has to be maintained, the deceased must depart.”

The two human skins inside the kitchen started to wilt. They were no longer lustrous and tender. Two puffs of white air flowed out from the human skins and landed beside the little girl. They had the outlines of a middle-aged man and a woman.

They were staggering, as if they had completely forgotten everything. They were walking numbly on the tongue that the little girl had spit out, as if the place that her tongue was leading to was where they belonged.

Their figures gradually faded away and turned blurry.

“You…you…you are…”

Xu Qinglang pointed at the little girl he just lifted up not long ago. His face was filled with astonishment. However, when he saw his parents fading away, he hysterically ran forward. However, he fell to the ground as if his legs had been chained to the ground.

He reached out his hand and pointed at his parents. He begged, “Don’t take them away, don’t take them away from me. I have never hurt anyone. I just want us to be together. They have never hurt anyone either! Please, I’m begging you. I’m begging you…”

However, the little girl did not react to Xu Qinglang’s plead. She withdrew her tongue when the two souls vanished into thin air, regaining her adorable appearance.

Xu Qinglang felt like two pieces of meat had been dug out of his chest. His parents had left him…

Xu Qinglang’s eyes were bloodshot. He slammed his fists onto the floor.

He suddenly realized something. He pointed at the bookstore opposite the restaurant and yelled, “He is not human. He is not human either! Why didn’t you take him? Why didn’t you? That’s not fair, not fair! Why are you only taking my parents only!? He’s not human! It’s not fair! Not fair!!!”