HP - Chapter 11

Typhoon Night Murder Files 06

"Where was this insulated lunchbox found?"

The lunchbox and the phone were placed side by side on the table. Everyone gathered around.

"On the towel rack in the bathroom," Mu Xingchao recalled the earlier discovery. "After throwing up, I washed my hands and was about to grab a towel to dry them when I saw the lunchbox."

"Luo Fang putting the lunchbox in the bathroom is just too weird," Cui Shuying said, covering her mouth. Just thinking about the diary entries made her expression twist with disgust. "Anyway, whatever he was doing, it definitely wasn’t normal."

"Boss Song."

Zhong Xu, who had been slacking off, suddenly felt all eyes on her. She blinked and realized they were calling for her.

Zhou Zhi looked up at her and asked, "This afternoon, when you were sneakily eating the strawberries, were you sure that Luo Fang baked the strawberry pie himself and brought it to the dining table after it was done?"

Zhong Xu replied, "Sneakily eating? I was just checking whether the strawberries were sweet, and supervising to make sure everyone was doing their work properly."

"Alright," Zhou Zhi said gently. "So, what were the results of your supervision?"

"I confirmed that he baked the strawberry pie himself and brought it to the dining table."

Everyone fell into thought. "Then..."

"The strawberry pie in the insulated lunchbox might not have come from Luo Fang."

As soon as Zhong Xu said that, Zhou Zhi immediately followed up, "It was from the murderer."

Amid the brief silence, a sudden bang echoed from afar, shaking the room and startling everyone.

"Sounds like the wind—probably a window wasn’t shut tight," Zhou Zhi suggested. "Let’s each go back to our rooms and check if the windows are closed."

"I was thinking... should we move Luo Fang somewhere else?" Mu Xingchao proposed. "Everyone will end up going back to the first floor, and it’s a bit creepy having him just lying there. The girls are scared just looking at him."

No one objected to the suggestion. Conveniently, there was a storage room on the first floor.

"I’ll go with Xingchao."

Surprisingly, Ji Zhou stepped forward voluntarily.

So he hadn’t been scared stiff after all.

Although the storage room wasn’t large, it didn’t contain much. After moving aside two shelves, they cleared out a space.

Zhou Zhi brought a quilt and laid it on the floor. Ji Zhou and Mu Xingchao worked together to carry Luo Fang inside and then used a bedsheet to cover him completely from head to toe.

After that, everyone quietly dispersed and returned to their rooms to check the windows.

In her room, Zhong Xu opened her suitcase.

Inside were numerous delivery boxes.

Looking through them, Zhong Xu realized they were all from different senders. Comparing them with the listings on the Xianyu second-hand app on her phone, she confirmed these were all used items the character had bought.

However, these items...

Wreaths, black-and-white photo frames, white candles...

None of them looked like something a normal, well-adjusted person would buy.

After rummaging through the boxes, Zhong Xu finally found the only item that seemed relatively normal.

It was a second-hand book titled Lonely Island. She flipped through a couple of pages and found the content normal as well—it seemed to tell the story of a lonely author who, after enduring hardships, decided to live on a deserted island.

It felt like a mirror of the inner world of the character 'Song Musi.'

As Zhong Xu stepped out of her room, Mu Xingchao happened to be coming out of his as well.

"I’m going to check the windows on the first floor again. Has anyone checked the third-floor windows?" he asked.

Zhong Xu didn't respond and turned to head upstairs.

Mu Xingchao watched her back as she ascended the third-floor staircase, deep in thought.

Pushing open the door to the third-floor audiovisual room, Zhong Xu saw someone crouched in front of a drawer, rummaging through it. The person froze, then slowly turned around.

Their eyes met—both wore faint smiles.

Zhong Xu’s, however, was mocking.

Zhou Zhi stood up, still perfectly composed, not the least bit embarrassed at being caught. His smile was gentle and polite, his tone sincere:

“Boss Song.”

“Dr. Zhou, you’re so thoughtful. Helping me inspect drawers in my own guesthouse.” Zhong Xu approached. “Well? Are my drawers clean and sturdy?”

“The materials aren’t great. Some formaldehyde—I'd recommend good ventilation,” Zhou Zhi replied calmly. Then, taking something from one of the drawers, he handed it to her. “But I found this.”

Zhong Xu took it and saw it was a disc. Written on it in marker was the title: “Typhoon Night.”

“Since this is your guesthouse, Boss Song, I assume you know what this is?”

“No idea. But we can find out right now.”

Zhong Xu inserted the disc into a player.

It was a portable wireless disc player—fairly new, a recent model. She quickly figured it out, and the image projected onto the screen.

It was a thriller.

After the opening scene, the directors’ names appeared on screen:

Xu Hangquan and Xu Hangjia.

Zhong Xu and Zhou Zhi exchanged a look.

She swiftly hit fast-forward and skimmed through the entire film in a matter of minutes. The story followed twelve friends gathering on a typhoon night, when a series of terrifying events unfolded.

“Well shot,” Zhou Zhi commented objectively. “But a gathering of twelve friends… the Xu siblings really do have a twisted sense of humor.”

The film had been burned onto the disc, and at the end, there was a bonus segment—an interview recorded two years ago, featuring Xu Hangjia.

The host congratulated “Typhoon Night” on winning an award.

Xu Hangjia, beaming, didn’t hold back on showering praise on her brother—it was clear she had a major brother complex.

Facing the camera with a radiant smile, Xu Hangjia said:

“This project my brother and I worked on was inspired by a typhoon night a year ago—a night when our twelve close friends gathered… I guess you could call it a dark joke?”

Host: “Haha, sounds like you’re all very close friends. But if the story’s based on real people, won’t your friends get upset?”

Xu Hangjia: “Not at all. They’ve always known how my brother and I are—we joke around constantly. Especially my brother. He’s so good at directing horror because he’s loved pranks since we were little. He always tested them on our friends. That typhoon night? I even helped him prank someone—we set it all up together!”

Host: “Wow, I’d love to know how a horror director pulls pranks on his friends. Must be wild!”

Xu Hangjia: “We made this terrifying human-shaped figure out of bedsheets and curtains and set up a mini camera to capture everyone’s reaction… but sadly, the wind was too strong and blew the camera away. Anyway, those pranks—those jokes—they’re just how we show our love to our friends!”

Host: “It’s too bad Director Xu Hangquan couldn’t join us for this interview. But I heard he left a message he asked you to pass on?”

Xu Hangjia: "My brother and I will work hard to bring the audience more interesting works! Also, I want to say something to the girl my brother likes... The reason he started making horror films was because of your encouragement! Even though I don’t really like you, I still want to thank you for helping him find his true calling. Jiang Zhi, you really have no taste—my brother loves you more than anyone else in this world."

The video ended.

Zhong Xu and Zhou Zhi exchanged another look.

Zhou Zhi removed the disc.

"Shall we go ask the Xu siblings?"

"Up to you," Zhong Xu replied.

Just as she turned to leave, Zhou Zhi called out behind her:

"I'm not the killer—and I don’t think you are either. Maybe we should consider working together. Share clues and items, gather more information."

"Not interested," Zhong Xu said flatly without even looking back.

All the players gathered on the first floor.

"I'm just too scared," Xu Hangjia said softly, eyes red. "I'm sorry, but I can’t stop myself from being afraid."

"It must be the sound of the typhoon—it’s terrifying. Maybe we should play some music?"

Hearing the suggestion, Cui Shuying fetched a wireless speaker from her room and placed it on the table.

Soft music drifted through the room, muffling the eerie howls of the wind.

"This is much better."

Zhou Zhi pulled out the disc and looked at Xu Hangquan.

"Alright, Hangquan, your turn."

"I've loved horror stories since I was a kid. Then I met Jiang Zhi. She once said to me, 'If you love it that much, why not make horror films?' That’s how I became a director," Xu Hangquan began, facing the clues laid out. "But I’m not really cut out for it. Apart from Typhoon Night, which won an award two years ago, all my other works have gone completely unnoticed."

"Jiang Zhi had a boyfriend, but you still liked her?"

"I’ve liked her for years, but I never confessed. I thought I should wait until I was successful first. But before I could do that… she started dating someone else." Xu Hangquan’s eyes shifted toward Ji Zhou (Sang Long), seated silently on the sofa.

"And later? Did you ever confess?"

"Once. I heard Jiang Zhi and Sang Long had fought and were breaking up. I got drunk and confessed... but it didn’t work."

"When was this?"

"A year ago. The day before the party we threw to celebrate Jiang Zhi’s photography award."

Xu Hangquan answered honestly. Just as someone was about to ask more—

A powerful gust slammed into the island. The wind roared, louder than the music—so loud it couldn’t be ignored.

The living room lights flickered.

"Ah—!"

With a collective gasp, the lights went out completely, plunging the room into utter darkness.

"Don't be afraid. It’s just a power outage," Xu Hangquan immediately pulled his sister close. "I’m here. There are no ghosts in this world."

"Mhm, not scared..." Xu Hangjia quickly pressed against her brother. She only felt safe with him next to her.

Cui Shuying switched on her phone’s flashlight and grabbed Zhong Xu’s arm.

"Where are you going?"

"To check the breaker. See if it tripped."

"I’ll go with you!"

Xu Shuangyuan instinctively reached to turn on her phone’s flashlight but hesitated and stopped herself.

Better to conserve battery until they understood what caused the outage.

Everyone seemed to have the same thought. Only Xu Hangjia turned on her phone screen, its soft glow lighting up her face and her brother’s vague silhouette beside her.

The typhoon howled on, unrelenting. The windows rattled nonstop. The whole guesthouse felt like it was trembling—instilling a creeping fear that sooner or later, the wind would tear the building apart.

Fortunately, someone turned up the wireless speaker’s volume. The rhythmic music, though surreal in the moment, eased the tension a little.

Zhong Xu and Cui Shuying returned with bad news.

“Because of the typhoon, the power and water are both out.”

"Then let’s all try to save our phone batteries from now on."

Xu Hangjia instinctively turned off her screen.

The room grew darker—so dark they could barely see their own hands.

“There are flashlights and scented candles in the storage room,” Zhong Xu, the owner, tapped the table. “Who’s brave enough to go get them?”

The problem was... the storage room also held Luo Fang’s corpse. No one wanted to step into that space.

In the end, Zhou Zhi, the doctor used to life and death, stood up first.

Ah—!

A scream tore through the darkness.

No one could tell whose voice it was—distorted by fear, swallowed by the music. It could have been anyone.

1. 保温盒 (bǎo wēn hé) - Insulated lunchbox; a ubiquitous container in Chinese culture for keeping home-cooked meals warm, often used by students and office workers.

2. 兄控 (xiōng kòng) - Brother complex; a term from anime/manga culture (derived from Japanese kyōkon) describing a character, usually a sister, who is obsessively devoted to her brother.

3. 恶趣味 (è qù wèi) - Twisted sense of humor / morbid curiosity; describes a liking for strange, dark, or prankish humor.

4. 恶整 (è zhěng) - To prank/play a mean trick; implies a mischievous or slightly malicious practical joke.

5. 没眼光 (méi yǎn guāng) - To have no taste / poor judgment; a direct and critical insult, highlighting the character's strong opinion and loyalty to her brother.

6. 咸鱼 (Xián yú) - Xianyu; the name of Alibaba's popular second-hand marketplace app (literally "salted fish").

7. 民宿 (mín sù) - Guesthouse / B&B (Bed and Breakfast); a type of accommodation, often family-run and more personal than a hotel.

8. 跳闸 (tiào zhá) - The circuit breaker tripped; a common phrase used during power outages to describe the electrical switch cutting off.

Characters (Players)

• 终栩 (Zhōng Xǔ)

  • Role: Protagonist 

  • Game Role: Later assumes the identity of 宋慕思 (Sòng Mùsī), the idealistic guesthouse owner with a hidden agenda tied to her friend’s death.

• 季舟 (Jì Zhōu)

  • Role: Self-proclaimed "萌新" (newbie)

• 老玩家 (Lǎo Wánjiā, Veteran Player)

  • Role: Experienced survivor

• 瘦弱男人 (Shòuruò Nánrén, Thin Man)

  • Role: Terrified newbie

• 眼镜男 (Yǎnjìng Nán, Glasses Man)

  • Role: Silent observer

~~~~~~

• 宋慕思 (Sòng Mùsī) – The protagonist; a quiet, introspective young woman who organized the friends' gathering and owns the 民宿 (guesthouse). Hides complicated past relationships.

• 江栀 (Jiāng Zhī) – Outgoing and sociable; Song Musi’s close friend (闺蜜) but also entangled in a love triangle involving Sang Long.

• 崔书颖 (Cuī Shūyǐng) – Another extroverted friend in the trio; makes Song Musi feel like a third wheel at times.

• 桑隆 (Sāng Lóng) – Jiang Zhi’s current boyfriend and Song Musi’s ex; their past relationship is a hidden source of tension.

• 骆方 (Luò Fāng) – A timid, cowardly classmate whom Song Musi dislikes. Later revealed to have a peanut allergy. [Dead]

• 徐杭泉 (Xú Hángquán) & 徐杭佳 (Xú Hángjiā) – Self-centered siblings; both are classmates disliked by Song Musi.

• 周至 (Zhōu Zhì) – A smooth-talking, socially adept classmate (possibly a surgeon); Song Musi finds him insincere.

• 梁青 (Liáng Qīng) – An insecure and overly sensitive classmate; another person Song Musi dislikes.

• 牧星朝 (Mù Xīngcháo) – A hypocritical rich kid (富二代) with a photography hobby; Xu Shuangyuan’s boyfriend.

• 许双园 (Xǔ Shuāngyuán) – Proud and arrogant; Mu Xingchao’s girlfriend, whom Song Musi resents.

Sevyn here ~~~

Next death?