Chapter 47: Drama School

Chapter 47: Drama School

As a matter of fact, if Zhu Meng truly disliked someone, she didnt bother to waste words on them, much less speak ill of them; she would very much rather just wreak vengeance on the spot. Although that fellow, Li Dongyuan, seemed to have changed ways after having become absolutely smitten, Lin Qiushi still couldnt forget when the other plotted against them. Had it not been for Lin Qiushis luck at the time, perhaps all of them would have played right into Li Dongyuans hands and fallen into his trap.

Those who passed their eighth door were, by no means at all, fair or kind, and this could especially be said for Li Dongyuan, whose charismatic appearance inside the door world was completely different from his harmless baby-faced image in the real world.

The next door they were to enter with Li Dongyuan was the fourth door of a White Deer member. They didnt exactly who this member was, but regardless, Ruan Nanzhu had already received the clue to this door in advance.

There was but a single word written on the note: Satchan1.

After receiving the clue, Ruan Nanzhu instantly went to work, researching almost everything he could on it, before giving Lin Qiushi a brief rundown on what he had found. Satchan was a Japanese urban legend that had been composed into a nursery rhyme. Legend had it that a young schoolgirl was hit by an oncoming train on a winter night; immediately on impact, her legs were severed from her torso, and she slowly bled out, eventually dying a tragic death. Several days after her accident, someone wrote a song dedicated to her. The lyrics were, as follow2:

Satchans name is actually Sachiko

But shes called herself Satchan ever since she was little

Oh, how funny!

Satchan really loves bananas

But she can only eat half of her favourite bananas

Oh, how pitiful!

Satchan has left for a faraway place

And shell soon forget about me

Oh, how lonely, Satchan!

However, the person who wrote this song mysteriously died not too long after. His lower body, missing

There was also one final verse to this song: My legs are gone, so wont you give me yours?

It was said that Satchan would always pay a visit to those whove sung this song, and rip off their legs.

Upon hearing the backstory of the clue, Lin Qiushi rubbed the goosebumps on his arms, This is pretty scary.

Its not that bad. Ruan Nanzhu, on the other hand, thought it wasnt scary at all. He appraised the note, The hint this time is quite useful and concise. At least its told us one very important condition for death.

Well, thats true, agreed Lin Qiushi. So, when will we go in?

Ruan Nanzhu: In three days. Are you ready?

Lin Qiushi: More or less.

Ruan Nanzhu: Good.

In the next few days, Lin Qiushi, who had already put on his special bracelet, simply roamed about in the villa, while Ruan Nanzhu, who had long changed into womens clothes, continued making preparations. It was truly incredible just how natural he looked, it was though he was born for this; there wasnt anything even slightly off or weird about him in womens clothes. Lin Qiushi had seen him crossdressing plenty of times before, so he was almost accustomed to it by now. He secretly thought in his heart that the female Ruan Nanzhu was too beautifulof course, he only thought this and didnt dare say it aloud.

Three days passed by rather quickly. Lin Qiushi was watching the television, calmly awaiting the doors arrival, when he suddenly felt an abnormal change in the atmosphere around him. No sooner, he realized that everyone in the villa had vanished into thin air.

He stood up from the sofa and randomly opened the nearest door to him. Sure enough, he was greeted by the sight of twelve familiar doors.

Three of the twelve doors had been sealed. Lin Qiushi stepped forward and pulled on the handle of the fourth door.

The iron door creaked heavily as it opened. The scenery before Lin Qiushis eyes distorted, and before he knew it, he was walking down a black trail. The dark path was shadowed by a dense shroud of foliage overheard. Lin Qiushi scanned his surroundings, and quickly ascertained his locationhe was at an academy, surrounded by neat school buildings. As of right now, the first glimmers of dawn had kissed the skys horizon and a strange tranquility had blanketed the world. The only sounds that could be heard were the faint whispers of the mild breeze, gently caressing the leaves at the treetops.

Lin Qiushi cautiously proceeded onward, when he soon caught sight of a man observing his surroundings up ahead. Although the man had an unfamiliar face, his temperament was inexplicably familiar. Lin Qiushi hesitated for a moment. He then removed the bracelet on his wrist and called out to the other.

The man turned around and smiled at Lin Qiushi, Did you also come through a door?

Lin Qiushi hummed, before tentatively uttering the secret code they had all agreed upon, Friend, do you like to chew honeydew-flavoured gum?

Yup. The man replied. But I have to watch out for my sensitive fourth tooth.

Li Dongyuan? inquired Lin Qiushi.

The man nodded, Lin Qiushi?

Having confirmed each others identity, the two gripped the others outstretched hand and shook lightly. Although it was already a given, Lin Qiushi had to admit that Li Donyuans appearance in the door world and in the real world were vastly different. In the door world, the other was much taller, and his cute babyface was nowhere to be seen. Although he exuded a particular gentleness, one could clearly perceive a hidden imposing presence within him.

Lets move on. The gathering spot should be the school building up front, reckoned Li Dongyuan, who was experienced with such situations. He then added, My name in the door worlds is still Meng Yu. Dont call me by the wrong name.

Lin Qiushi said, My name is Yu Linlin.

As the two walked to their destination, they engaged in a small conversation about the door worlds. Naturally, both sides were very cautious when discussing this topic; when all was said and done, they were still opponents, so they didnt want to reveal too much.

As they approached the school building, Lin Qiushi spotted around eight or nine individuals standing near the building.

Five men and four women. Thats eleven of us in total. Li Dongyuan swept his eyes over the crowd. Zhu Meng should be there, too.

Lin Qiushi replied, Lets look for her.

In truth, Lin Qiushi had already recognized Zhu Meng at first glance, because he was the tallest among the four women. He was wearing a pastel-coloured dress Lin Qiushi had seen him wear before, and had a crystal rabbit brooch pinned to his chest.

He raised his head when Lin Qiushi came over; his eyes curved into lovely crescents as he let out a sweet smile. Lin Qiushis heart thumped at the sight of the others beauty.

Li Dongyuan didnt react with such exaggerated excitement as he did in the real world. He merely asked, Is that her?

Lin Qiushi nodded.

Li Dongyuan calmly praised, She truly is as beautiful as ever.

Lin Qiushi thought to himself, it sure wouldve been nice if you gave the same mild reaction when Zhu Meng cursed the hell out of you in the real world

They walked over to the crowd, only to see a raging individual, roaring and lashing out at everyone. Lin Qiushi had long become used to such unsurprising sights. The other probably thought he had been kidnapped, and that the situation he had been thrust into was some damned TV program.

This time around, there were two newcomersa male and a female. The womans face was drained of blood, and she looked to be on the verge of fainting; the man wasnt looking any better than her, either. On the brink of a mental breakdown, the two cagily questioned everyone, demanding where they were, who they were, why they were here, how they could call the police

If no one is going to do anything, then I will! Having yelled for a long time, only to be completely disregarded, the man finally blew up and furiously declared that he would leave. The others simply glanced at him with pity or impatience, but not a single person concerned themselves with him.

Lin Qiushi had originally wanted to stop the other, but Li Dongyuan grabbed his arm and shook his head slightly.

Why? asked Lin Qiushi.

Li Donyuan replied, Fear not, hell come running back sooner or later.

Lin Qiushi uttered, Oh.

Sure enough, it was as Li Dongyuan had said. Not even five minutes had passed after the man angrily stormed off, before he returned, the expression on his face, even worse than when he had first left. He looked as though he would completely collapse in the very next second; god knew what ghastly things hed seen out there.Follow current novels at novelhall.com)

At any rate, however, he quieted down and didnt continue causing a loud ruckus with his clamourous shouts.

As the group stood below the roof of the school building, they began to mingle with each other, slowly approaching the best-looking and most agreeable in the group and softly introducing themselves.

Lin Qiushi and the other eventually managed to get a turn to meet Ruan Nanzhu.

Ruan Nanzhu flashed a lovely smile and greeted, My name is Zhu Meng. And you?

Meng Yu. Li Dongyuan stretched his hand towards Ruan Nanzhu.

After they inspected their entire room, it was almost time for lunch. Upon exiting their room, they came across a group of members, who had been assigned to another room, quarrelling amongst themselves.

Are you fucking insane? Why the hell would you keep these things?! What if its cursed and summons a ghost! A large pile of red paper talismans was crumpled in the speakers hands. It seemed as though the others had also found those items in their room just now.

The other individual was just as unhappy, if not more so, If youre afraid that theyd summon ghosts, then tear the ones on your own goddamn side! Im not scared of that! You say that those will attract evil spirits, but I say theyll ward against them!

Fucking psycho! None of my words are getting through that thick skull of yours; I cant reason with you anymore! You know what, you just sleep there then! I dont want to share a room with someone like you anyways! Xiao Qin, well move to the room next door. The man hatefully threw the talismans into the trash bin. Wards off evil spirits, my ass. You really believe that, huh? Tell me, which NPC isnt looking forward to us dying? And you say theyre trying to help us ward off evil spirits? Bullshit. With that last statement, the man turned around and took the girl to the next room; a loud bang soon resounded in the halls following the man angrily slamming the door shut.

Ruan Nanzhu and the others all witnessed this commotion from start to finish. Xia Rubei, who was already quite frightened, grew even more afraid after seeing this. With a trembling voice, she fearfully asked, Big brother Meng, do you think they might be telling the truth? What if those things will really attract ghosts

Before Li Dongyuan could even respond, Ruan Nanzhu leaned against Lin Qiushis, buried his head into Lin Qiushis shoulder, and whimpered in the same exact frightened tone Xia Rubei used, Big brother Linlin, Im so afraid.

Lin Qiushi: What are you afraid of? Are you afraid that you wont be admitted into the drama school of your dreams with a talent like yours?

As soon as Ruan Nanzhu snuggled up to Lin Qiushi, Li Dongyuan instantly whipped his head around and maliciously glared daggers at Lin Qiushi, seemingly wanting to stab him to death.

Lin Qiushi: Its no use glaring at me like that, brother.

Seeing that Li Dongyuan completely ignored her, Xu Rubei resentfully bit her lower lip. Deep pain marred her features, and she appeared to be on the verge of sobbing. If this were the previous world, perhaps Li Dongyuan wouldve comforted her. Unfortunately for her, this was the world where Ruan Nanzhu, a man who played the role of a heroine better than any true heroine, existed. Just the inexplicably captivating slight of him with sorrowful downcast eyes was enough to arouse the pity of others. Faint glimmer of tears glistened within those beautiful crystal eyes of his. He gently bit his lower lip, and softly whispered, Ill try my best not to be afraid.

It was undoubtedly the same exact expression, but the impact couldnt be any more different. Ruan Nanzhus destructive power was simply a force that couldnt be reckoned with. Even though Lin Qiushi clearly knew the person before him was a man who was even manlier than him, he still couldnt help but reach out to touch his shoulders, tenderly comforting the other and affectionately reassuring, Leave everything to me.

Naturally, Li Dongyuan wasnt an exception either.

The current expression on Li Dongyuans face all but screamed that he couldnt wait to chop off Lin Qiushis filthy hand that was resting on Ruan Nanzhus shoulder and replace it with his own.

And, unbeknownst to these men, Ruan Nanzhu and Xia Rubei were secretly communicating with their eyes.

Xia Rubei: You sure are something else. Just you wait and see.

Ruan Nanzhu: Im fine with just waiting. Goodness, youre so scary.

In any case, Lin Qiushi couldnt be any more oblivious to the unspoken battle between the Xia Rubei and Ruan Nanzhu. He was still lost in thought, mulling over the purpose of those talismans; he wondered whether or not they were truly meant to ward off evil, whether or not they should actually tear them, and what consequences they would incur should they rip those talismans apart.

Before long, it was time for lunch. The four of them chatted amongst themselves as they made their way to the cafeteria.

The student body population at this school was quite large, so it was only expected that the cafeteria would be packed with countless students. This was the very first time in the door worlds that Lin Qiushi had walked into such a normal, cheerful scene. Faced with such liveliness, he momentarily forgot that he was actually in a world of nightmares.

I find this quite terrifying. Ruan Nanzhu expressed. Who knows what the people before us are hiding; for all we know, they may not even be human.

Li Dongyuan didnt respond to Ruan Nanzhus statement. With a kind smile, he diverted the topic and asked the other what he wanted to eat.

Ruan Nanzhu: I will eat whatever big brother Linlin eats.

Li Dongyuan:

Lin Qiushi: Please stop glaring at me like that, brother. I swear Im innocent.

At long last, the four individuals sat at the table with a bowl of fresh noodles in front of them. Ruan Nanzhus bowl of noodles was slightly different from everyone elses; he was the only one who had two eggs in his bowleggs that Li Dongyuan had specially brought for him.

Xia Rubei saw the extra egg in the others bowl, and she gnashed her teeth so hard that they almost snapped off. She was deeply interested in Li Dongyuan, but Li Dongyuan never responded to her advances, let alone looked her way. She truly believed Li Dongyuan would eventually yield under her persistent stalking and harassment, but then this godawful woman named Zhu Meng suddenly barged into their relationship. No matter how beautiful that woman was, she was still a complete bitch at heartand, frankly speaking, Xia Rubei had never met any girl whose bitchiness could outrival her own.

Ruan Nanzhu leisurely relished both eggs, before expressing his gratitude towards Li Dongyuan.

Li Dongyuan beamed brightly and heartily replied with, As long as youre happy.

Ruan Nanzhu only returned the others reply with one suggestive sentence, Of course, this white stuff was very delicious, but I would be much happier if I could get a taste of big brother Linlins.4

Li Dongyuan:

Numbed, Lin Qiushis expression froze on his face. He had already realized he couldnt escape from Ruan Nanzhus scripts, but why did his body have to be brought up like this? Ruan Nanzhu, can you please speak clearly and not cause any unnecessary misunderstandings?

As they ate their meal, they asked the students beside them if something had happened in the school recently.

Most of the students were rather perplexed after hearing the others question. It wasnt until they asked a third-year student, that they got a reaction. Upon hearing that question, the students expression changed instantly, and he immediately denied knowing anything. He then hurriedly stood up with his meal tray, wanting to leave.

However, he was blocked by Li Dongyuan.

Student, we havent finished with our questions yet. Li Dongyuan smiled gently; the expression on his face couldnt be any kinder or harmless. Yet, the threateningly oppressive aura he exuded was anything but kind or gentle. Its not very polite to just leave like that, you know? Werent you taught any manners?

The third-year student coolly responded, Its useless to ask me about this. If you really want to know what happened, just go to the school library and look for newspapers dating back to the past few days.

Ruan Nanzhu quirked his brow, What are you afraid of?

The third-year student shook his head, not daring to answer.

Lin Qiushi noticed that the students hands that were gripping onto the meal tray were trembling slightly as he spoke. Although he was pretending to be calm, anyone could tell he was deeply terrified.

Forget it. Leave him be. Ruan Nanzhu waved his hand dismissively. See you later.

Li Dongyuan frowned, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, he didnt say a word. He simply released his hold on the student, letting him go.

A third-year student in Class 3. Ruan Nanzhu observed. Although we dont know his name right now, we can easily find out later.

How did you know? Xia Rubei looked at Ruan Nanzhu in astonishment.

Ruan Nanzhu pointed towards his chest, Did he not have his student ID number tag hanging down to his chest? It was all written on it.

Xia Rubei:

Ruan Nanzhu: Oh my, so you didnt notice it?

Xia Rubei:

Ruan Nanzhu: Its fine. At least one of us noticed it. He deliberately threw a sickeningly wide, insincere smile towards Xia Rubei, smirking sanctimoniously.

Xia Rubei nearly cried out of sheer frustration and rage at Ruan Nanzhus shamelessness

Authors Comment:

Ruan Nanzhu: Acting is one of my greatest joys in life.

Lin Qiushi: Not recruiting you is truly the greatest loss for the entertainment industry

Translators Comment:

As everyone can tell, this is a Japanese-themed door, so I will be using Japanese names to refer to the NPCs and such; however, do realize I know zero Japanese aside from most basic, popular terms, so names might not be perfectIm only basing how the Chinese character wouldve translated otherwise. For instance, the characters directly translates to Zuozi in Chinese. But, according to Google-sensei, those characters translate to Sako/Sachi in Japaneseshort for Sachiko, which is where the nickname Satchan is derived from. For those who are more familiar with the language, please feel free to correct me in any way. At any rate, Ill edit names and parts of the arc itself, should there be any discrepancies with later chapters.

Also, a warning for those curious individuals who scare easily: no one is forcing you to click the links of the legends I put up, so dont feel that you need to read more about them. Seriously. Yes, theyre real Japanese legendsall doors refer to real-life stuff. Are they actually true? God I truly hope not. After researching all of the tales this door was referencing for translation purposes, I was literally scared shitless to the point I couldnt sleep for days.

Lastly, a notice in advance: updates will probably start slowing down again, as I will now be dying from uni on top of work and all. Ill see how long I can keep this pace up for, but 6.5k+ every chapter, which is literally 3x the character count Im used to, is honestly a struggle to translate without forgoing sleep and study, lol. Ill try my very best to keep updates somewhat consistent though, but please keep in mind Im not a chapter-churning robot but human OTL.

1A famous Japanese childrens song that has become associated with a legless schoolgirl. Several other similar, well-known scary legends are said to have been derived from this tale, which this arc will be referencing: Satchan || Teke-Teke || Reiko Kashima || Hanako of the Bathroom ||

2These arent the full original lyrics. The lyrics above have been shortened, and the author also changed parts up slightly for creative purposes. The full original lyrics are in the Satchan link above.

3Fulu in Chinese: LINK || Ofuda in Japanese: LINK || (Bujeok in Korean: LINK)

4This joke doesnt flow as well as it does in Chinese, so I took liberties to make sense out of it in English, butits pretty bad. The word egg in Chinese is , but add two eggs together () and you get balls/testicles. RNZ says he wants a taste of LQS eggs/balls, and LQS pretty much thinks, I expected to be dragged into RNZs act, but whyd you have to bring up my eggs/balls like that? However, eggs in English are usually associated with females, so I thought it wouldnt fit. If anyone has suggestions with how to phrase this entire part, please do share.