Is this the opening scene of a horror movie?
A group of people gathered around playing the Pencil Spirit game?
Hua Qian’an silently scoffed at the thought in her mind, but on her face, she showed surprise.
Zhao Yingying picked up the conversation.
“Forgot to tell you earlier. Just think of it as a dorm team-building activity.”
“Since you’re here now, come play with us.”
She wore a nonchalant attitude.
He Yi looked happy nearby. “Come on, come on, it really feels like a youthful girls’ campus vibe!”
She seemed like the type who loved watching all kinds of movies and TV shows.
Even though it was so late, she was still full of energy.
Maybe it was because she was excited about what was coming next.
Seeing Hua Qian’an remain silent, Zhao Yingying wanted to say more.
But the former suddenly let out a light laugh.
“I never said I wouldn’t play.”
“I was just thinking about something.”
Somehow, these three felt like they were pushing their luck.
Though a bit annoying, it was still within what Hua Qian’an could tolerate.
At this level, playing along with them wasn’t a problem.
Back in middle school, she was a commuter, but she remembered hearing from girls in her class dorm that one day they sneaked around the dorm supervisor to secretly play this so-called “spiritual communication” game.
Nothing happened.
Since then, Hua Qian’an had always held a subtle skepticism toward this game.
Considering she was brave enough to take on haunted house vlogs for work, playing the Pencil Spirit game was child’s play for her.
She had just finished showering not long ago, wearing loose pajamas, her body still wrapped in lingering steam.
That casual smile carried an unintentional hint of drawing attention.
He Yi couldn’t help stealing several glances at her but didn’t say anything.
Seeing Hua Qian’an agree, Zhao Yingying shrugged.
“Ah, it’s midnight. Shall we start?”
As if remembering something, she looked back at Hua Qian’an.
“By the way, we moved this table here ourselves. Qian, could you help move it back when we’re done?”
“We’re all on the same floor, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble, right?”
Hua Qian’an didn’t respond, and Zhao Yingying naturally took that as a yes.
Maybe unable to stand it, He Yi stepped in to smooth things over.
“This table’s pretty heavy; I’ll help too.”
“Xiao Zhenzhen, can you quickly confirm the process again?”
With that, she shifted the topic to Li Xiao Zhen.
Li Xiao Zhen pushed up her glasses, took out her phone, and flipped through the saved post outlining the procedure.
“First, the four of us hold the pen, then quietly recite the invocation three times: ‘Pencil Spirit, Pencil Spirit, you are my past life, I am your present life. If you wish to continue our bond, please draw a circle on the paper.’”
“If the pen draws a circle, it means the ‘Pencil Spirit’ has been summoned, and we can continue asking questions.”
Hua Qian’an listened with little interest; she’d heard of these rules before but never had the chance to try it herself.
Thankfully, she’d slept long enough today to have enough energy to deal with these three.
Zhao Yingying pulled out a lighter from the bag Hua Qian’an had seen her carrying since evening.
The bag, once full, was now considerably emptier.
It seemed the things Zhao Yingying bought outside were just for playing the Pencil Spirit game now.
She placed two white candles at opposite ends of the table, then lit them with the lighter.
After finishing, Li Xiao Zhen stood by the light switch and turned off the lights.
Hua Qian’an’s Hangyang University dorms had no power outage at night, so even at this hour, the lights could be switched on or off at will.
Suddenly, the room plunged into darkness.
Only the faint candlelight illuminated the four girls.
The flickering shadows cast by the candles made everything seem eerily distorted.
“Well then, let’s begin.”
Li Xiao Zhen put her phone back in her pocket and was the first to grip the pen.
The square table was just the right size for one person per side.
Zhao Yingying and He Yi also placed their hands on the pen.
Since the pen was quite slim, their hands inevitably overlapped.
In the end, Hua Qian’an awkwardly rested her hand on top of He Yi’s.
“Qian, your hands are so cold.”
He Yi teased.
“Already scared before we even start?”
What sounded like concern was actually Zhao Yingying mocking her timidity.
Hua Qian’an didn’t bother arguing and showed her universal accommodating smile.
Zhao Yingying snorted inwardly.
Hua Qian’an adjusted her hand position to find a relatively comfortable angle.
During the shift, her hand casually brushed against He Yi’s.
He Yi’s face, unlike before when she was lively, tightened for some unknown reason.
“Let’s close our eyes and silently recite it together.”
As the game’s host, Li Xiao Zhen spoke, and the others followed her lead.
Hua Qian’an obediently closed her eyes.
The world plunged into darkness.
All she could hear was the faint crackling of the candles burning, and the faint scent of shampoo lingering in the air from her recent shower.
With her vision gone, the warmth from the small flames felt especially noticeable.
“Pencil Spirit, Pencil Spirit, you are my past life, I am your present life. If you wish to continue our bond, please draw a circle on the paper.”
The soft voices of the three roommates reciting the phrase echoed in her ears.
The pen in their hands felt still.
According to the rules, the phrase had to be said three times.
Before Hua Qian’an could react, they began the second recitation.
By the third, she reluctantly joined in.
If it failed, they’d blame her for not saying the words, which felt like a hassle.
Better to just go through the motions.
“Pencil Spirit, Pencil Spirit, you are my past life, I am your present life, if you wish to continue our bond—”
Before she could finish, something unexpected happened.
The pen in her hand suddenly started to tremble.
Startled, Hua Qian’an instinctively opened her eyes.
She saw her three roommates had also opened theirs, and the four exchanged glances.
“Xiao Zhenzhen, are you moving it?”
Since Li Xiao Zhen was the one closest to the pen, she would have to exert the least effort to move it.
But Li Xiao Zhen shook her head in confusion.
“If I were moving it on purpose, what’s the point of playing this game?”
She wasn’t wrong; deliberately moving the pen would defeat the purpose of a spiritual communication game.
Adjusting her glasses, Li Xiao Zhen tried to stay calm.
“Scientifically speaking, holding your arm up for a long time might cause muscle spasms, making the pen move.”
“No need to make a fuss.”
But the pen they were all holding, like a slap in the face, moved far beyond just trembling.
It began to draw a circle on the paper.
“Th-this means the summoning was successful?”
Zhao Yingying stared excitedly at the pencil circling on the paper.
“Are we supposed to start asking questions now?”
Li Xiao Zhen was the first to regain composure.
“Pencil Spirit, Pencil Spirit, is that you?”
The pen was pushed with a force toward the “Yes” option, then drew a circle on it.
Seeing this, Zhao Yingying’s eyes lit up.
“Pencil Spirit, Pencil Spirit, are you male or female?”
Watching the pen move across the paper, Hua Qian’an blinked. It actually moved?
What was the explanation?
Looking at the expressions of the other three, it really didn’t seem like a prank…
Like being pushed, the pencil Hua Qian’an held drew a circle on the character for “female.”
Makes sense.
After all, this was an all-female dorm; a female Pencil Spirit was logical.
Like finishing some kind of routine prelude, Zhao Yingying eagerly began asking the questions she had prepared in advance.
“Pencil Spirit, Pencil Spirit, does my goddess like girls?”
Her sexual orientation wasn’t a secret in the dorm.
But hearing her question, Li Xiao Zhen couldn’t help but comment, “Your goddess is Chen Zhiyan, the finance department’s campus beauty, right?”
“She’s got a ton of admirers but still no boyfriend. Maybe she just doesn’t want a relationship… your ideals are pretty high.”
Zhao Yingying didn’t deny it. “What if she really likes girls? Wouldn’t that be fate hinting at me?”
She believed that Chen Zhiyan hadn’t dated anyone because she hadn’t met her destined person.
Maybe, like her.
Hua Qian’an had some impression of the person they mentioned.
She thought she’d encountered her once while volunteering to earn some quality points.
Pretty, right?
She couldn’t remember clearly.
“Shasha—”
The pencil seemed to respond to someone’s hope, circling “Yes.”
Zhao Yingying visibly brightened.
Maybe because the topic was about romance, He Yi also seemed a bit eager.
She glanced at Hua Qian’an, who was silent at the moment.
The flickering candlelight cast a soft glow over her.
“Pencil Spirit, Pencil Spirit, do you think the person I like will like me back?”
He Yi asked shyly.
The candle’s flame suddenly flickered ominously.