Volume 3 Chapter 1 Part2 (2/2)
”Uh, not bad.” This was the truth. Jiang Ziya didn't feel pressured to say that. Occasionally coming to the club to watch a movie was indeed not bad, but could they stop collectively staring at him? I feel like I'm getting forced into prost.i.tution… No, I mean, getting forced into a club.
”Then, how about joining our club?” Jian Zhi gazed at him full of antic.i.p.ation.
Jiang Ziya hesitated for a moment. It was just a club. Even if it was really very bad, he could just quit. The school didn't have a rule against quitting any clubs. Besides, everyone here was a student, and Lin Zhixiang was here, too. It shouldn't be an ”invitation.”
He nodded in agreement. ”Okay.”
”Hurray!” Jian Zhi was so moved that he had almost jumped up.
The other club members likewise were full of joy and cried out, ”We have finally reached the minimum number of club members required and won't have to disband… Ah!”
The club members abruptly realized that they had let slip the truth. They all looked nervously toward Jiang Ziya.
So that's how it is. No wonder even the club fees were waived. Jiang Ziya gave them an innocent smile, pretending that he didn't know what they were so frantic about.
Following that, the other people immediately brought a club application form over and had even prepared a pen for him. Then, they all surrounded him to watch, making Jiang Ziya feel like he was currently signing a contract to sell his body. Fortunately, what was written on the form was indeed ”club application.”
”All you have to do is sign. You're majoring in Foreign Languages, right? The rest has been filled for you.”
Jiang Ziya nodded and signed it, officially becoming a club member. He returned the application and asked off-handedly, ”Is the club activity always a movie screening?”
Jian Zhi smiled until his eyes closed. He lowered his head to look at the application form. He casually answered, ”Of course not. It's not like we're the Films Studies Society.”
”… Then what society are you?” Jiang Ziya felt that he might have made a grave error.
Jian Zhi stilled. He looked at him guiltily and nervously said, ”W-We're the Supernatural Phenomena Studies Society.”
…No wonder you're going defunct!
”You thought we were the Films Studies Society?” Lin Zhixiang asked in shock. ”Didn't Jian Zhi tell you?”
Expressionless, Jiang Ziya shook his head.
Jian Zhi quickly said, ”I didn't mention it, but it's on the flyer!”
Where? Jiang Ziya looked at him doubtfully. The latter hurriedly grabbed a flyer, but the room was too dim for the words to be read, so he immediately went to turn on the lights after that.
Before Jiang Ziya could even scrutinize the flyer, he discovered that there was something wrong with his surroundings. The floorboards were stained black and gray all over, the original color completely obscured. The four walls were mottled and stained with water residue, and water was even dripping from several places, and in more than one location, a bucket had been placed below to catch the water.
The rooms along the two corridors had no gla.s.s on the windows, and they didn't even have doors. The condition of those rooms was even worse than the great hall! Why was there even a need to decorate? This place looks even more like a scene out of a horror movie without the lights off!
Fl.u.s.tered, Jian Zhi said, ”Before this, the bas.e.m.e.nt was filled with junk and was leaking water, while the school didn't have anyone to deal with it, so they originally only asked us to clean it up, and they would give us the entire bas.e.m.e.nt to use.”
As expected, there is no free meal in the world. Seeing how the place currently was, he could imagine how horrifying the original condition was. No wonder no club wanted to take this place. Jiang Ziya looked at these ten or so people who made up this society, suddenly impressed by them. Cleaning up the entire bas.e.m.e.nt with so few people must have taken them a lot of effort.
”We worked hard painting the walls! But the ceiling and walls are all leaking, so the paint job wasn't up to snuff for very long. The technician for fixing leakages said that this one is a difficult case and would require a lot of money, so we're still in the middle of requesting money from the school.”
As Jian Zhi explained, he snuck a glance at Jiang Ziya's expression. They were really at their wit's end. Even though the school was grateful that they had cleaned up the bas.e.m.e.nt, club rules were still club rules. They had to reach the minimum members.h.i.+p in order for the society to remain functioning. There was no exception. If Jiang Ziya was unwilling to join, then their society was really going to go defunct!
Jiang Ziya stopped scrutinizing his surroundings, lowering his head to look at the flyer. On it, in fancy lettering, was:
Do you like the supernatural? Have you seen any paranormal activity without knowing what was happening, and you had no one to share it with? Come and join the society to study it with us.
The font for ”Supernatural Phenomena Studies Society” was different from the rest of the words, but if he hadn't known that this was the name of the club, he would never have put these words together in his head.
Jiang Ziya almost felt the need to vomit blood on the flyer. Supernatural Phenomena Studies Society? You might as well call yourselves the Fraudulent Society!
”Cla.s.smate…”
Jiang Ziya lifted his head and saw a pasty-faced male cla.s.smate walk over. He was tall, skinny, and pale, with such dark eye bags that it was like he had been punched. His footsteps were rather airy, his entire person akin to the existence of a specter.
Jiang Ziya was a bit speechless. If he had met him on the streets, Jiang Ziya would definitely have treated him as one of those inexplicable existences and directly ignored him.
”h.e.l.lo, I am the club president, Xu Xikai.”
”I'm Jiang Ziya.” Jiang Ziya gave his name, and the other person wasn't all that surprised. Jian Zhi must have already mentioned it before.
Xu Xikai had an inviting smile as he said, ”Cla.s.smate Jiang, even if you don't partic.i.p.ate in club activities, could you help us make up our numbers and not leave the society?”
Hearing that, Jiang Ziya thought it to be a pretty good deal. Of course, it wasn't that he would never show up, as he wouldn't be able to appease his sis like that. He had to at least be able to tell her what kinds of things the society did, but a society that studied supernatural phenomena—I really wonder what kind of reaction Jiang Yu would have?
With how his sis was like, he bet that she would only say that it seemed very amusing.
Thinking of that, Jiang Ziya nodded in agreement. ”I will come and partic.i.p.ate in club activities, but I might not be able to attend often, especially on the weekends. I have work.”
Jiu Ge Bookstore was busier on the weekends. He couldn't say the two words ”Vacation please.”
”No problem.” Xu Xikai immediately nodded and agreed.
At this time, a ringtone sounded among them. The sound was very close. Jiang Ziya looked at Xu Xikai.
The other person reminded helpfully, ”Isn't it your cell phone that's ringing?”
Jiang Ziya was taken aback until he remembered that this was the ringtone of his new cell phone. It was even a trendy song that Lu Yang had set for him. He quickly picked up the call. It was indeed Lu Yang on the line.
”How's the club?”
”Fine, I already joined.”
”While you're at it, help me fill out an application, too? Or do I have to go in person?”
Jiang Ziya lowered his voice and said, ”But this is the Supernatural Phenomena Studies Society. Are you sure you want to come?”
”…You sure know how to pick them.”
He couldn't refute that.
”Of course I'm going. Why wouldn't I go? Remember to help me fill out the form. Ah, the food's here. I'm off to eat.”
Jiang Ziya echoed ”enjoy your food” and then hung up. He said, ”My cla.s.smate wants to join too. Give me another application form…”
Before he even finished saying that, President Xu and Jian Zhi both rushed over and hugged him without letting go. The way they looked at him was even more fervent than the way one would look at one's lover in the throes of love.
”Our savior!” Xu Xikai was near tears.
Jiang Ziya felt that Lin Zhixiang, who was standing to the side, had more of a right to call him that.
”You really are a good person!” Jian Zhi grabbed Jiang Ziya's hand tightly. ”My judgment wasn't wrong!”
Receiving the good person award, Jiang Ziya felt defeated. These two grown men just had to look like they were on the verge of tears. He really didn't know how to react. He could only look around to see if anyone could help him.
Lin Zhixiang laughed and walked over, pulling the two of them away to free him.
”So, what does the club do?” Jiang Ziya felt that he should learn more about it first. Then, he could discuss how to deal with it with Lu Yang later.
Xu Xikai seriously said, ”We study all sorts of paranormal phenomena that cannot be explained.”
”Can you be a bit more specific?” Jiang Ziya felt that this president definitely wasn't in charge of the everyday running of the club.
”Exploring ghost houses,” Lin Zhixiang simply said.
”…That's clear and succinct.”
Jiang Ziya glanced at Lin Zhixiang. He hadn't thought that she would enjoy exploring ghost houses. What, you didn't feel that incident from last time to be scary enough? If he didn't have an eye that he couldn't escape from, he wouldn't want to get involved with these matters.
Jian Zhi looked at him with expectant eyes and said, ”We have an event coming up this Thursday even. Do you and your cla.s.smate want to come?”
”To a ghost house? Is it far?”
”It'll be right at the school. We're researching school legends.” Jian Zhi said a bit nervously, ”But it starts at midnight. We've gotten permission from the school, so you don't have to worry about breaking school rules.”
”All right, I'll partic.i.p.ate. Later, I'll ask if my cla.s.smate wants to come, too.”
Hearing about the location, Jiang Ziya nodded. The location isn't bad. The school is such a familiar place. If there really were any scary ghosts or demons, Lu Yang must have already gotten rid of them by now, right?
It's just an outing at midnight. I'll go!
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