Chapter Text
Lang Qianqiu couldn't help scrunching up his nose.
“It's ugly.” He deadpans.
And really, the doll was rather distasteful. It was a raggedy old thing, and the fact that it was able to sit up on its own, was a phenomenon. Decked out in green, with crudely stitched on facial features, it stared up at him with beady eyes blacker than when Xie Lian cooked chicken, and that was saying something.
Hua Cheng snorted. “Ugly, is a compliment.” Xie Lian made a small gasp, and he lightly elbowed his husband.
“San Lang! Guzi might hear you!” Even Xie Lian didn't defend the ugly thing, and that alone, spoke for itself. Alas, not even he could deny the truth. It wasn't anything personal, but Lang Qianqiu hoped that in the future, the kid would develop better taste. The sudden sound of the little boy's quick footsteps announced his arrival. Guzi, the small child Xie Lian and Hua Cheng were fostering, slid around the corner in his socks.
Upon spotting him, the little boy's face erupted in an adorably goofy grin “Oh! It's the dumb Gege!” Guzi happily chirped, scampering towards Lang Qianqiu at top speed. He slid to a halt, and hugged his waist.
Hua Cheng snorted at the address, and Xie Lian gave a heavy sigh. Obviously, Hua Cheng had come up with the nickname, and Lang Qianqiu awkwardly, yet fondly patted Guzi’s head. The boy probably had no idea what he just said. Damn it Hua Cheng! Don't be a bad influence!
“Sorry A-Qiu, San Lang forgets how much Guzi actually retains.” Lang Qianqiu only shrugged, but still cast a glare Hua Cheng's way, whose shoulders were shaking rather suspiciously.
“It's alright laoshi, I'm getting extra help for a relatively easy subject after all.” Xie Lian smiled, and chuckled before shaking his head.
“Don't say things like that. You're picking everything up nicely. College is hard, and it's been a pleasure tutoring you.” Guzi stepped back, and gazed at him curiously. Lang Qianqiu raised an eyebrow.
“Do I have something on my face? Or am I the ugly Gege too?” He teased. Guzi only wordlessly blinked up at him, and narrowed his eyes, as if he was searching him for something.
“You're gonna stay here while we're gone?” The kid asked. Lang Qianqiu frowned. Why did he have to phrase it like that? And why did he suddenly feel like he was being interviewed?
“Uh, yeah.” However, Guzi only narrowed his eyes further.
“All week?”
Eh? Nevertheless, Lang Qianqiu nodded, looking very puzzled.
“Oh, it's cus Scrap Gege said that college is school for adults, and Rich Pirate Gege says that adults who fail college are deadbeats….so is Dumb Gege sure he can watch my house–”
“Wow look at the time! We should get going!” Xie Lian placed a warning hand on Guzi’s shoulder, and gave Hua Cheng an exasperated look over his shoulder. “Pirate Gege” on the other hand, looked like he was trying not to lose it, clutching his stomach, lips pierced in a thin line. Honestly though, the kid did have a point. Hua Cheng's eye patch did sorta make him look like a pirate. “Okay sweetie, go put your shoes on.” Xie Lian ushered.
“Wait! I wanna say bubye to Papa first!” Lang Qianqiu frowned again. Papa? Who's papa? Obviously not Hua Cheng or Xie Lian, he already had names for both of them….
Oh.
As the realization stuck, Lang Qianqiu watched as the little boy clambered over to the doll, and hugged it. The hug was thorough, and personal, like he was bidding a treasured friend farewell. Guzi then looked at the almost deformed lump of rags with a sad expression.
“Sorry you can't come. Scrap Gege says you might get lost, or stolen,” (Lang Qianqiu couldn't fathom anyone stealing it) “But Guzi will be back soon Papa! I'll even bring you a gift!” The little boy then patted its hideous wooly head, before running off in search of his shoes.
The doll leaned over on itself, its ratty body falling against the floor with a thud.
–
Lang Qianqiu helped carry their luggage to their car.
“Thanks again for house-sitting on such short notice. When San Lang bought the tickets for the cruise, we forgot to account for Yin Yu’s time off. You're actually a life saver.” Xie Lian beamed, as Lang Qianqiu passed him a couple suitcases for the trunk.
“I wouldn't have passed all those exams without laoshi’s help. If anything, watching over a whole mansion is the least I could do. Heck, it's more like a free weeklong vacation.” Xie Lian laughed as he lowered the hood of the trunk.
Lang Qianqiu waved as Xie Lian slid into the passenger seat. Hua Cheng rolled his window down. “Stain my sofas, and I'll kill ya.” He chuckled, though Lang Qianqiu didn't doubt his sincerity.
“Noted.” Lang Qianqiu gave a mock salute. Hua Cheng rolled his eyes with a light smirk.
“Watch after my Papa for me!” Guzi shouted from the backseat as Hua Cheng rolled up his window. Lang Qianqiu’s smile froze on his face, and he stood there like a statue, hand frozen in mid-wave, eyes trailing after their car as it rolled down the long driveway, and turned out of sight.
A young child being oddly attached to a toy was a super normal thing.
But…
He didn't know. There was no real explanation for why he felt the sudden chills. Or why the house suddenly felt like a gigantic looming presence against his back, its shadow swallowing him whole.
Hua Cheng was filthy rich. No doubt about it. He'd been here before, multiple times. Heck, he had even been invited to their wedding. It had been an extremely extravagant event, and so when Xie Lian had moved their tutoring sessions from his homey little house, to this giant living room bigger than his whole apartment combined, he couldn't even be surprised. (Alas, he was anyway. And it wasn't like Lang Qianqiu wasn't already well off himself, Hua Cheng was just on a different level.)
He hadn't seen the rest of the mansion, only the living room. So strolling up the steps to the second floor guest room felt less like he was walking in a house, and more like he was about to tour a museum.
The upstairs felt like another house, on top of a house. Sheesh! The third floor was likely the same. What the heck did Hua Cheng need all this space for? It's not like the guy was the partying type. And why were only Yin Yu and Ban Yue on staff? Surely Hua Cheng could afford more servants!
Lang Qianqiu's footsteps echoed against the almost white walls. They were a peachy, off white color, kinda homey, if it weren't for the fact that the hallway mostly consisted of random rooms, and windows overlooking, well…everything. Lang Qianqiu squinted to peer out of one window facing the yard.
Calling it a backyard felt like a grand discrimination though, for it too was ridiculously humongous, and immensely immaculate. There probably wasn't a single speck of dirt out of place amongst the pedicured plants and flowers.
Just thinking about how much work the upkeep must be was making him dizzy.
He eventually found his room. It was a nice room, plain white bedsheets on a queen sized bed, with a roomy closet and a large window. Lang Qianqiu tossed his backpack onto the bed, and flopped face first onto the mattress. It was comfy, and smelled nice.
Hua Cheng and Xie Lian could totally run a bread n breakfast or something, (as long as Xie Lian didn't take part in the breakfast part.)
Sitting up, Lang Qianqiu dragged his bag onto his lap, and dug around for his laptop. It was spring break, but that was just college code for: no new assignments assigned during this period, but other things are still due.
He sighed. Well, at least he could study in peace. It wasn't like there was anyone here to distract him. Yeah.
He was alone.
In a giant ass mansion.
Completely alone.
Solitude…Complete solitude.
Lang Qianqiu shook his head, before slapping his arm a couple of times to shake off the sudden silly sense of unease. For heaven's sake! He was acting like an idiot! And he'd only been alone for less than 30 minutes!! Quit scaring yourself!
Lang Qianqiu grumbled something about watching way too many horror movies, before making his way downstairs into the familiar living room. He could explore the rest of the place later.
–
Lang Qianqiu flopped onto the couch, and opened his laptop. He squinted as he logged in. Shit, did he have his reading glasses? He reached to dig in the back pocket of his jeans. Did he leave them upstairs? Did he even bring them in the first place? He could work without his glasses, but it was going to be a pain in the ass….
Guzi's doll was sitting in the middle of the other long, white couch on the opposite side of the coffee table. Lang Qianqiu froze, hand still twisted in his back pocket. He blinked a few times. What was so odd about the doll sitting there that disturbed him so much? He glared at the small, worn out thing.
Oh.
He knows now.
It had been sitting on the floor up against the suitcases before.
Not on the couch.
Funny, had Guzi moved it? Maybe, Lang Qianqiu didn't remember.
Lang Qianqiu silently rose to his feet. For reasons he didn't understand, his steps were slow and tentative, as if he was approaching a small, flighty creature, and not the most detestable doll he's ever seen.
It wasn't until he was crouched down in front of it, and he flicked its hideous little head, that he realized how stupid he must look. What the heck was he doing?
It's a doll.
A doll.
A doll no bigger than his forearm.
Flushing furiously, he shot up on his feet, frantically looking about the room. He’d been told there weren't any cameras installed yet (hence, the need for a sitter), but he looked so silly just now, that he just had to double check.
Satisfied with his search, he frowned down at the doll. Tsk. He roughly yanked the thing by its crusty head, and carelessly tossed it onto the coffee table face first. Hua Cheng had said not to dirty his couches, and the thing was likely super filthy.
It was totally not because its beady eyes were staring into his soul.
Yeah.
Definitely not.
Besides, not having to see its face made its insufferable presence slightly tolerable. Just slightly.
It was a good thing college was slightly more sufferable than a radioactive pile of rags and yarn. Soon enough, his mind was overtaken by rude professors and unnecessarily required lengthy essays, therefore he promptly fell asleep mid study session without an issue.
Ugly creepy doll forgotten.
Luckily, he's a heavy sleeper, unluckily, he's a heavy sleeper. He fell asleep in an uncomfortable position, so he woke up in an uncomfortable position. This is why he doesn't fall asleep on couches. Lang Qianqiu groaned, eyes blinking blearily against the morning sun in a sleepy haze.
He winced in pain as he tried to shift his stiff limbs. Sitting up, he rolls his shoulders and neck, rubbing at his eyes and temples with his palms. Now, where did his laptop get to–
No way.
The doll was no longer face planted, now sitting up against the pristine porcelain flower vase.
Was it even face planted to begin with? Did he set it like that yesterday? No matter how grotesque, it was Guzi's “Papa” after all, he shouldn't be too rough with it….
“...”
Did he just call it “Papa”? Even though he hadn't admitted it out loud, he still cringed and died a little on the inside.
It was way too early for this.
He forcefully pushed any thoughts revolving around fraying yarn to the very trenches of his brain, and dragged his stiff and aching body to the kitchen.
Xie Lian said he could help himself to whatever was in the fridge, (and to finish the milk if he could, he didn't want it to expire), so he was pretty happy to see that they were fairly well stocked.
Selecting a couple eggs and vegetables, Lang Qianqiu very quickly fixed himself a notably decent breakfast.
Setting his plate on the counter, Lang Qianqiu scrolled through his socials as he ate. He hummed thoughtfully at the first photo. Huh, Yin Yu had posted a couple pictures. He rarely ever posted, and when he did, he typically wasn't the main subject. The photo depicted a fenced cliff overlooking a beautiful mountain scenery. A young man was leaning against the railing, back facing the camera, but his head slightly turned, a bit of his profile visible. However, it was his curly head of hair, and that somewhat familiar childlike excitement that gave his identity away immediately.
That was definitely Quan Yizhen. He only knew him because they shared a couple of classes. They had also worked on a few projects together. (Despite his infamously short attention span), Quan Yizhen was a great guy. Lang Qianqiu smiled, and liked the post. He would drill them about this later.
He hastily washed the dishes he used, before going back to the living room. He yoinked his laptop from where it landed on the ground, and headed for the stairs. Did he put a little extra pep in his step? Maybe. Was it to avoid eye contact with a certain doll? Well, you'll never hear him admit it.
–
After a quick shower, Lang Qianqiu decided to tour the house. And all it did was further prove how ridiculously rich Hua Cheng was. There were at least six living rooms downstairs. Six! They were all different sizes too, but it was clear which one was used the most, for the one he studied in had a couple mismatched pillows, a throw blanket, and the cushions were obviously worn from constant use.
Not to say that these ones weren't decked out. (Was a flat screen tv in each one really necessary?)
There was a wrap-around porch outside, one which Lang Qianqiu walked while sipping a cup of coffee. By the time he had walked it all, he wished he'd thought to bring at least brought two coffees.
There were two indoor and outdoor pools, (each completely spotless), and a ridiculous amount of random hand painted paintings of Xie Lian. What the heck? Why so many? One or three were understandable, but after seeing the fifteenth one…
Well whatever, everyone had their thing, and if Hua Cheng’s thing was painting Xie Lian in a million different scenarios and scenes (yes scenes, creative ones too. One of them was him swinging on a swing from a branch of a maple tree), then……..
You know what, he's just gonna keep it to himself.
The moral of the story here, was that this was the mansion to rule all mansions. The final boss mansion. How many fricken companies did this guy own? Every single one in the country!? Maybe even the ones in the next country over.
Xie Lian hadn't mentioned that the estate was this huge. It looked smaller on the outside, and the outside was insane.
Lang Qianqiu slumped on the couch, limbs feeling like jelly. Yin Yu and Banyue better be having the best vacations of their lives. They definitely deserve it. Thinking about having to clean the place made him want to jump in both pools with his clothes on. There was no way not one of them was at least a little bit superhuman.
Just as he was finally getting comfortable, his eyes fell onto the coffee table.
The doll no longer leaned against the vase.
Lang Qianqiu sprung to his feet immediately. He scoured the floor for a brief moment, before he caught sight of an edge of tattered green cloth behind the table. The doll lay there, flat on its face.
Now, Lang Qianqiu was completely certain that he had placed it on the table.
Completely certain.
Did it have batteries or something? Either that, or a breeze of some sort knocked it over. Ignoring the blaring fact that all the nearby windows were sealed shut, Lang Qianqiu yanked the sack of rags from the ground, and tossed it a few times in his hand. It weighed like how a rag doll should weigh, and a ragdoll shouldn't have batteries.
But there was a first time for everything.
His phone began to buzz in his pocket, making him startle so bad he dropped the doll. Quickly fumbling for the device, he failed to notice the thing landed on its bum, and remained upright.
It was Xie Lian. Lang Qianqiu answered, and was met with the sound of chatter in the background, and the clinking of dishes.
“Hey A-Qiu. Just checking in, how are things going?”
Welp, he was feeling like he was losing his mind, but Lang Qianqiu didn't say so. He plopped onto the couch, feeling slightly relieved to be talking to another person. “It's been smooth sailing so far. All I've managed to do is fall asleep on the couch while studying, so no house fires yet.”
“Or ever.” Hua Cheng's voice sounded somewhere in the background. Xie Lian laughed.
“That's good to hear, I wouldn't want you to burn.” Lang Qianqiu smiled, and opened his mouth to reply.
“Can I see Papa?” Guzi's voice was almost drowned out by the noisy background of the restaurant. Lang Qianqiu grimaced at the creeping feeling of unease crawling down his spine, but nevertheless, he forced a smile on his face as he switched the call to FaceTime.
“Sure, he's right over here.”
The phone was promptly snatched from Xie Lian, and Guzi's babyish face filled the screen. Lang Qianqiu crouched in front of the doll, and switched the camera around. Guzi smiled brightly. “Papa!” He giggled.
And then he stopped.
“Papa can't see me, he's just looking at the back of the phone.” He grumbled. “Can you give the phone to Papa?” Without another word, Lang Qianqiu turned the camera back around, before using one of his shoes to balance the phone in front of the doll.
“Papa! It's Guzi! Are you doing well?” And the conversation, no matter how one-sided, continued on for more than a few minutes. With Guzi happily babbling about their trip, and the doll sitting listlessly on its bum, staring into the camera like a dead fish. The warm light from the phone flickering against its ratty form, only managed to make him all the more uncomfortable. Lang Qianqiu sat on the couch, trying to focus on the fact that Guzi was a normal child, with a normal(ish) attachment to a toy.
It wasn't really working.
Thank god for Hua Cheng, who, after a thorough description from Guzi on how smelly some of the public restrooms were, finally interrupted. “Alright, that's enough. Dumb Gege probably has things to do.”
“...”
Nevermind, he'll take that ‘thanks’ back.
He didn't feel like cooking, therefore when the takeout arrived, he wasted no time lounging on the couch, and he flicked on the tv.
Lang Qianqiu hadn't touched the doll since he hung up the phone. It remained in the same position, sitting upright on the ground. He never thought that paying attention to the TV would ever be this difficult. The doll’s beady eyes glimmered from the light. Soon enough, the dramatic sounds of whatever action movie Lang Qianqiu had selected, were drowned out by his heart pounding in his ears.
Has his heartbeat always been that loud? Lang Qianqiu fidgeted with the empty carton of rice. It shouldn't have been this pressing, but it was as if the doll’s presence was commanding. The more he tried to ignore it, the harder it was.
The doll continued to do nothing, just slumping there like a sleazy rat playing dead. Its appearance didn't change, but Lang Qianqiu couldn't unsee what looked like a sort of conscious intelligence in those inky black beads.
That's it!
This was getting ridiculous!
He was ridiculous!
Lang Qianqiu swiftly began to clean up his leftovers, and abruptly shut off the tv. Afterwards, he stomped about, and turned off all the lights he'd turned on downstairs.
He was going to sleep! Lately, he'd been going to bed later than intended due to homework assignments. Clearly, the lack of sleep was finally getting to him, messing with his brains. He'll go to sleep early, and maybe rest off the fatigue, obliterate the stress, and fix everything!
It better fix everything. Lang Qianqiu didn't think he could stay here all week if his brain was in a constant state of committing mutiny.
With all the lights finally turned off, Lang Qianqiu stumbled past the living room in the dark. Just the stairway light remained, but even that was slightly flickering something manic in the doll’s eyes.
Lang Qianqiu finally plucked the stupid thing off the ground, sprinted down a dark hallway, threw it in one of the linen closets, before sprinting up the stairs.
It wasn't one of his proudest moments, but the lack of cameras made his mad dash to his room all the less embarrassing.
It's the type of painful light that's so sudden and bright, that wakes him up. His first instinct is to turn around, and go back to sleep. His second instinct, tells him to get up and turn the light off. His third instinct is to remember that he isn't in his own bed, and instead, in the ultra mansion’s guest room.
His fourth instinct is to remember that he closed his door before going to sleep, the hallway light casting a line of light on the dark wall.
It was right smack dab in the middle of the night, it was way past “too late for this”.
There's a loud thump in his room. Lang Qianqiu is really hoping that he's dreaming. He's had multiple of those dreams right? Yeah. Those dreams that are super realistic, and he's fooled into thinking it's reality. Yup, that's what this is. No doubt about it. He's been dwelling too much on silly things, and now he's having a nightmare….
The sudden rustling at the foot of his bed wasn't doing him any favors though. Even if this was a nightmare, his brain could cut him some slack. Lang Qianqiu decided to ignore it. Refusing to be the horror protagonist was one way to deal with a less than ideal situation. A dream situation…..however, dream or not, he's hopping the sudden scuttling around is a rat–
It stopped.
He held his breath. All the horror protagonists held their breaths in paranormal situations, and it was typically done by the ones that survived, so maybe it was a good strategy…
Lang Qianqiu slowly turns on his back. He squinted through the darkness. Nothing. Nothing but the room and suspicious shadows. Huh.
Well, he was too sleepy to actually get up and out of bed to close the door, so it looks like he's sleeping with his eyes triple squeezed shut and–
Something leaped onto his chest. Something small and light, but it was so unexpected that Lang Qianqiu gasped like a 300 pound man had sat on him. The familiar silhouette could only be registered for barely a second, before something glinted within its shadow. It was not an uncommon shine.
But the knife was already plunging down on his face.