Chapter 54 - 44: Pen Immortal
A pitch-black night, a silent ancient village, cawing crows, a deep, dark riverbank, reckless young people, and a forbidden game.
Su Ran was reminded of a ghost movie he had seen starring Gu Tianle, Yin Yang Road.
’Well... this atmosphere is just like it,’ he thought.
The game hadn’t even started, but the four girls already had goosebumps. Still, each of them put on a calm "I’m not scared" expression.
Socially speaking, "horror games" are one of the best activities for young people to get close to one another. That’s why more and more "escape room" games have been popping up in cities.
Playing this kind of horror game is perfect for new couples. Their hands naturally find each other as they seek a sense of security.
However...
One might have thought that holding Ranran’s hand meant winning his heart, but who knew Ranran was a Thousand-Handed Guanyin.
At that moment, Su Ran was holding the soft, smooth hands of all four young ladies at the same time.
Of course, it was because they were playing the Pen Immortal game, which required their hands to be interlocked over the pen, holding it upright on the prepared paper.
Well... as for whether the so-called Pen Immortal actually existed, the girls were firm believers. Su Ran, a materialist, didn’t voice his opinion and just played along. After all, getting to hold hands with Shanghai’s "Four Young Actresses" was the kind of treatment any guy would be proud of.
The first question came from Aina. She shot a shy glance at the only guy in the group before hesitantly asking, "Excuse me, Pen Immortal, will my future boyfriend be handsome?"
The pen, held by five hands, actually started to move. It slid across the paper, pointing to "YES."
"My boyfriend will be handsome? Mmm, thank you, Pen Immortal." Aina was overjoyed. She lifted her chin and, in a classic humblebrag, provoked Su Ran, "My boyfriend is going to be more handsome than you, hmph."
Su Ran offered his congratulations. "Happy for you."
In reality, Su Ran had looked into the principles behind the Pen Immortal game, so he knew exactly what was happening.
As the saying goes: there is only one truth.
The principle was simple: ideomotor effect plus psychological suggestion.
When "summoning" the Pen Immortal, your entire arm is suspended in the air to support the pen. Over time, due to gravity, your hand naturally starts to shake.
Plus, it has to be done at midnight, with candles lit and the lights off, which sets the atmosphere perfectly. Thanks to the psychological suggestion that "sincere belief yields results," people attribute the pen’s "unconscious movements" across the paper—which are really just due to gravity—to the Pen Immortal providing so-called "answers."
Girls are more susceptible to this kind of psychological suggestion than guys.
Su Ran just treated it as a little party game and didn’t bother to expose the truth.
...
Next up was Xie Yiren.
She asked the same type of question, one about her significant other.
"Excuse me, Pen Immortal, between my future boyfriend and Aina’s boyfriend, who will be more handsome?"
The pen moved again, sliding across the paper in search of an answer, finally stopping on the number "1."
Everyone was a bit dumbfounded. Su Ran asked, "What does ’1’ mean? Are they equally handsome? The Pen Immortal is being so polite."
Xiao Wanqing said casually, "Maybe it means they’re the same person."
"No way. Hmph."
Aina stared at the "1," completely baffled.
Next up was Xiao Wanqing.
She also asked a question about her significant other.
However, she wasn’t as shallow as Aina and Xie Yiren, those two who only care about looks. She wasn’t just going to ask about appearance.
"Excuse me, Pen Immortal... will my future boyfriend be rich?"
The other three girls looked at her with disdain. "Gold digger."
Su Ran kept his opinion to himself.
The pen moved. It slid across the paper in search of an answer, finally stopping on "YES."
Xiao Wanqing: "Nice! I want to ask how much money he’ll have."
Aina: "That’s going too far! No way. I didn’t even ask if my future boyfriend would be rich."
Xiao Wanqing: "And I didn’t ask if my future boyfriend would be handsome, did I?"
One of them knew her future boyfriend would be handsome, but she also wanted to know if he would be rich.
The other knew her future boyfriend would be rich, but she also wanted to know if he would be handsome.
Xie Yiren cut in, "Alright, stop arguing! You only get one question each. If you ask too many, it won’t work. Jinyu, it’s your turn."
Next up was Liu Jinyu.
Actually, with Su Ran right there beside her, she didn’t want to ask about a significant other.
She didn’t know what the future held; it was enough to cherish the one right in front of her.
After some thought, she came up with a question that wasn’t about Su Ran, but about the four of them. After all, youth wasn’t just about romance; it was also about friendship.
"Excuse me, Pen Immortal... will me and these three little dumbasses be friends, eating and hanging out together until we’re old?"
The question might have sounded pretentious, overly sentimental, and cheesy, but wasn’t this the ultimate hope for any friendship forged in the bloom of youth?
After she asked, the four girls held their breath, their eyes fixed on the pen.
Su Ran felt the small hands clasped around his own tighten.
It’s a rare thing in life to find a true friend.
For these young people who had yet to truly step out into the world, who had found something beautiful in their youth—romance could wait. The ability to hang out together, and to keep hanging out together forever, that was the kind of incredible friendship they all yearned for.
To be honest, Su Ran was quite envious of their friendship.
’Sigh, I guess Ranran will have to help you silly girls out just this once,’ he thought.
’DING! Finger Technique Fragrance has been activated.’
This time, Su Ran cheated.
He felt it was a necessary cheat.
He silently activated Finger Technique Fragrance and took control of the pen.
"It’s moving, it’s moving!"
"Ah, no!"
They watched, scared to death, as the pen drew circles on the paper and drifted toward the word "NO." Then, after a brief pause, it slid over to "YES" and stopped.
PHEW...
"This Pen Immortal is so naughty! It’s playing a trick on us."
"I think the great Pen Immortal must have seen how beautiful we are and decided to tease us a little."
Su Ran facepalmed. Aina’s inexplicable self-confidence had already surpassed Zhou Bailin’s.
Seeing the "YES," they were completely satisfied. They even turned to question Su Ran authoritatively, "Didn’t you say this stuff isn’t real? What do you have to say now?"
Su Ran nodded with great sincerity. "Congratulations, you’ll know each other for a lifetime."
Xiao Wanqing was already starting to daydream with delight. "Oh my~ If we’re together in the future, we should all live in the same gated community! We’ll see each other every day, go shopping together, get spa treatments together, raise our kids together, and tame our husbands together."
Su Ran spoke up in defense of their future husbands. "Why ’tame’ them? A man’s life isn’t easy. You should dote on your future husbands, not constantly be thinking about how to train them. That’s how you get relationship problems and let a homewrecker get her way."
Queen Xiao retorted domineeringly, "He’d dare?! I’d break his legs! How could I, Xiao Wanqing, allow another woman to sleep in my man’s bed?"
Su Ran fell silent. ’Say whatever you want. It’s your future husband, not my problem,’ he thought.
The four girls said in unison, "Su Ran, your turn."
Su Ran shook his head. "I’ll pass. I don’t have anything to ask."
The four girls were stern. "Ask!"
Ugh... fine.
’So annoying,’ he thought. ’Once you get to know these four, there’s not a trace of the "goddess" left in them. They’re all just queens.’
’Not worth the trouble.’
"Alright, I’ll ask one too. Excuse me, Pen Immortal, what are the digits of pi?"
What the...
The four girls nearly coughed up blood from exasperation.
They didn’t know whether to be angry or to laugh.
"Su Ran! Are you trying to work the Pen Immortal to death?"
"Can’t you show a little reverence for the Pen Immortal?"
"Oh, great Pen Immortal, please don’t be angry! He’s just a child, don’t stoop to his level."
The four girls "complained" as they playfully "pummeled" Su Ran with their small fists. Having spent so much time together, any initial barriers had long since fallen. They were truly interacting like real friends.
Since Su Ran already knew the principle behind the Pen Immortal, the game had lost all its flavor for him. He had nothing he wanted to ask.
And so, the game ended unceremoniously.
The evening wind was slightly cool.
The four girls, feeling like the fun wasn’t quite over, got back into the RV.
Xiao Wanqing was arranging the bedsheets, thinking, ’My future boyfriend is a rich man? How rich? As rich as Su Ran?’
Aina munched on a potato chip, thinking, ’My future boyfriend will be handsome? How handsome? As handsome as Su Ran?’
Xie Yiren crossed her arms and stared at Aina, thinking, ’"1"? What the hell was that about? Does that mean I’m really going to fight Aina over a man? No way. Her taste is so low.’
Liu Jinyu didn’t have much to think about; she was perfectly satisfied with her answer.
"Su Ran, are you going to take a shower?"
"Of course."
"There isn’t much water left."
"Oh. Then you girls wash up first. I’ll go fetch some more water to fill the tank."
"Okay."
The man went to fetch water, and the four girls began to shower.
Getting all fragrant and squeaky clean.
Liu Jinyu, the last one to finish, walked out wearing one of Su Ran’s white button-down shirts, rubbing her long, damp hair. The hem of the shirt just barely covered her thighs.
From any angle, she looked like a stunningly beautiful photo ready to be a phone wallpaper.
After retracting the outdoor awning, Su Ran got back on the RV and closed the door.
The cozy RV cabin was filled with a sweet fragrance. Curvy and slender, a lively flock of four young women bustled about in thin pajamas, each going through her own pre-bedtime beauty routine.
Honestly, going on an RV trip with them was definitely one of the peak experiences of a life of financial freedom.
Su Ran took out his suitcase and opened it. WOW. The girls’ faces were a picture of astonishment. It was filled with nothing but luxury brand clothing.
Su Ran pulled out a pair of slippers and his pajamas.
The slippers were a pair of Hermès Izmir sandals, which retailed for 6,900 yuan on the official website.
The pajamas were the same model of high-end Louis Vuitton silk pajama set that Cristiano Ronaldo had shown off in a selfie on his private yacht, priced at around 2,000 pounds sterling.
The four girls looked at Su Ran’s pajamas, then back at their own.
Comparisons are odious. The cost of all their pajamas combined probably didn’t even add up to the price of one of his slippers.
They couldn’t understand it. Why were rich people’s pajamas so expensive? Was it really necessary? Was it necessary to buy a 7,000-yuan pair of slippers?
That was just daily wear for the rich.
Su Ran had plenty more back at the Mushroom House.
The four girls sighed internally. They were truly clueless about the lives of the wealthy.
"I’m going to take a shower now."
"Go ahead."
Su Ran went into the bathroom, closed the door, and after a quick rinse, stepped out.
One man and four women, all freshly showered. It was time to rest.
Uhh...
"I have a question. Where am I sleeping tonight?"
The four young women, who were kneeling cross-legged on the bed and goofing around, all turned their heads to look at Su Ran.