Chapter 41: Inviting the Guest Into the Jar
After Chu Jiang went into room 401, he didn't come out again. Sun Xiaoman was very curious about what he was doing inside. What was he preparing in those boxes? Black dog's blood? A gossip mirror? A peach wood sword? Sticky rice?
Sun Xiaoman felt both nervousness and a faint sense of anticipation in her heart.
She thought, maybe this boy could really bring her a surprise. Ordinary people wouldn't be so confident in the face of these monsters and ghosts.
During this time, a girl from room 302 came to chat with Sun Xiaoman, mainly asking about Chu Jiang. Probably, in the eyes of this little girl, Chu Jiang's way of doing things was a bit mysterious.
Of course, Sun Xiaoman wouldn't tell her too much; he just casually talked a bit to fool her.
......
At eight o'clock in the evening, at the hotel reception, Sun Xiaoman glanced at the time on her phone, then looked at the surveillance camera in the fourth-floor corridor.
The surveillance camera was quiet, without any figures passing by.
This made Sun Xiaoman hesitate, should she go up and take a look in advance? See how prepared that person was.
But if she goes now, will it disturb his plans?
As for the front desk, there's no need to worry about no one watching. Just close the glass door outside, hang a sign saying "Out on business," and everything will be fine. After all, she's just stepping out for a moment and coming back.
Sun Xiaoman always does this whenever she needs to depart momentarily and the cleaning lady has finished her duties.
......
At nine o'clock in the night, Sun Xiaoman couldn't bear it anymore.
Earlier, at eight-thirty, she dialed the phone in Room 401, but that man didn't answer at all.
This made Sun Xiaoman even more worried. Did something happen to him? Did the lifelike doll sense Chu Jiang's threat and attack him early??
After agonizing for half an hour, Sun Xiaoman decided to temporarily close the glass door, hang the sign, and take out a baton from under the front desk.
Since the last time someone targeted her, Sun Xiaoman not only spent money, but also installed a front desk alarm system, and bought several more self-defense weapons.
Cautiously approaching the elevator, Sun Xiaoman hesitated for a moment, but eventually made a decision.
......
Riding the elevator to the fourth floor, Sun Xiaoman hid the baton behind her.
This thing is very hidden, when folded it's only as long as a flashlight, but when swung out, it becomes a stick.
The fourth floor was very quiet, Sun Xiaoman tried to stay calm as she arrived in front of room 401.
She didn't ring the doorbell, but lightly knocked on the door with one hand and asked, "Are you there?"
Chu Jiang's voice quickly came from inside the door, "Yes, is that you, Xiaoman? Why did you come early?"
Hearing this perfectly normal voice, Sun Xiaoman breathed a sigh of relief. But suddenly, she became nervous again, unable to let her guard down, as it could be the sound of an impersonated doll.
"I just called your room's phone, why didn't you answer?"
"Huh? Did you call? I didn't hear it." Chu Jiang's voice was getting closer to the door, as if he was about to come and open it.
This made Sun Xiaoman instinctively take several steps back, with her hands behind her back, tightly gripping the baton.
"Is it that landline phone that's broken?" As the door opened, Chu Jiang leaned out half of his body and looked at the person outside.
Sun Xiaoman looked over and noticed that aside from a slightly pale complexion, Chu Jiang seemed fine. But she was still a bit nervous. "You, you open the door completely."
Seeing this, Chu Jiang found it a bit amusing. He confidently opened the door and everything in the room looked normal, as if some instruments were even arranged. But he didn't see any ghost-repelling spells or anything like that.
Sun Xiaoman secretly glanced around and didn't notice anything unusual, which finally put her at ease.
Chu Jiang, however, kept his eyes on her hidden hands. "You brought weapons? Afraid that I have already been hurt by something dirty?"
Sun Xiaoman felt a bit embarrassed as she took out the baton. "Well, it's like this, but as long as you're okay."
"I'm going down first, and I'll come back up again when the store closes at eleven."
"Okay, since you've come all this way, would you like to come in and take a look?" Chu Jiang stepped aside to let Sun Xiaoman through the entrance. "I am a Ghost Master, someone who deals with ghosts for real."
"The things I use to catch ghosts are definitely not paper symbols or dog blood or anything like that."
Sun Xiaoman felt very curious. She bit her lip and then said, "Then I'll take a quick look and leave."
"Sure." Chu Jiang walked in first, very casually, not even closing the door.
Sun Xiaoman followed step by step. She still felt a bit nervous, so she didn't let go of the baton she was holding.
As they entered the room, they saw a small master bedroom with a bed, wardrobe, bedside table, and a desk. There was also a separate bathroom next to it.
But at this moment, there was a projector placed on the bed, already plugged in, and a white projection screen hanging on the opposite wall.
On the other side, there was a stack of books on the desk, but nothing else seemed out of the ordinary.
People who know, understand that Chu Jiang is trying to catch ghosts. People who don't know, might think he is giving private lessons or playing a game in the hotel.
Sun Xiaoman was shocked when she saw this scene, it was completely different from what she was thinking. Is he trying to trap the ghosts in a projector? Like in those modern ghost movies?
While Sun Xiaoman was lost in thought, Chu Jiang silently walked behind her.
In less than a second, Chu Jiang took the baton from Sun Xiaoman's right hand and swiftly grabbed her hands, pushing her down onto the bed!
"Ah!" Sun Xiaoman exclaimed in shock, "What are you doing? Let go of me!!"
Chu Jiang calmly taped Sun Xiaoman's mouth shut and then took out a nylon rope that he had prepared earlier from under the bed. He carefully tied her up, looping the rope around her.
During this process, no matter how hard Sun Xiaoman struggled, she couldn't disturb Chu Jiang in the slightest.
She despairingly realized that this seemingly weak and timid boy had a terrifying strength, even greater than the strength of the dismembered criminal.
Only then did Chu Jiang go to close the door.
Just then, the little girl from room 302 ran up the stairs and cautiously asked, "Has anything happened? Why did I hear strange noises?"
Chu Jiang smiled at her and said, "Just making a phone call, didn't want you to worry that I kidnapped the manager. She's downstairs, go see for yourself if you don't believe me."
The girl with the baseball cap left with doubt, while Chu Jiang easily closed the door.
He then went back to his room, brought over a chair, and sat across from Sun Xiaoman, who was tightly bound.
Sun Xiaoman's expression was very complicated at that moment, showing anger, fear, and sadness.
Why was she so foolish? How could she easily trust others? She had just been kidnapped not long ago, and now she was tied up by this heartless villain.
Chu Jiang just smiled slightly and said, "Feeling wronged, huh? Let me clarify, I'm actually a good person, so don't slander me."
Before Sun Xiaoman could show her anger, Chu Jiang said, "I know you don't believe me, so let's look at something interesting."
