The Cigarette That Couldn't Be Lit
Er Lengzi shook off the waiter's hand and walked towards the spot he was pointing at.
<r>The waiter had intended to stop him, but after glancing at the booth Er Lengzi was pointing to, and then at Er Lengzi himself, he hesitated and didn't try to stop him further.
<r>At this moment, Er Lengzi's face was plastered with a foolish grin. Under his gaze, a long-haired woman sat in the booth. In the dim lighting, the woman's features were hard to make out, but her long hair held a considerable allure for Er Lengzi.
<r>The reason Er Lengzi shook off the waiter and insisted on heading to that booth was his discovery that a woman was sitting there alone, without companions. For Er Lengzi, this was an excellent opportunity to pick up a girl, a chance to perhaps break his long-standing record of never having success in a bar.
<r>He had just remembered that the booth was empty a moment ago, so he hadn't expected a woman to suddenly appear there. While it was somewhat unexpected, it was mostly a pleasant surprise.
<r>"Beauti-beautiful woman, are you alone? " Er Lengzi wasted no time, plopping down beside the woman and asking with a drunken grin.
<r>Due to being so utterly drunk, Er Lengzi's speech was slurred and somewhat stuttering, but he felt no embarrassment, only immense excitement.
<r>The woman didn't turn around; her long hair obscured her face, so it was impossible to tell her expression—whether it was disgust or approval. However, she didn't ignore Er Lengzi, instead giving a slight nod as a response.
<r>
"Drinking alone can be really boring, and I happen to be alone too. How about we share a table? " Er Lengzi asked with a smile.
<r>Although his words were somewhat tactful, Er Lengzi's true intentions were anything but. Whether the girl agreed or not, he wouldn't leave; he was practically latching onto her tonight, vowing not to give up until he achieved his goal.
<r>The woman didn't directly answer Er Lengzi's question. Instead, she asked him, "Aren't you afraid?"
<r>The woman's sudden question struck Er Lengzi as odd. He burst into boisterous laughter. "Afraid? Afraid of what? What is there to be afraid of? I, your daddy, have always been fearless!"
<r>As his words fell, Er Lengzi bellowed, summoning a waiter.
<r>"A dozen beers, two glasses, and some snacks! " Er Lengzi declared.
<r>The waiter's expression was peculiar, but knowing Er Lengzi was a drunkard, he didn't say much, immediately bringing the drinks and snacks as requested.
<r>"Beautiful woman, come on, let's have a drink first."
<r>Er Lengzi filled his glass, his face fixed in a drunken smile, and spoke. He raised his glass, wanting to drink with the woman, but she didn't pick up hers.
<r>"Hehe, beautiful woman, don't be shy! Since you're here to have fun, you should let loose, right? Being too reserved won't make it enjoyable."
<r>Er Lengzi laughed heartily, drained his glass, and refilled it, preparing to find a topic to open the woman's "chatterbox" and narrow the distance between them.
<r>However, he had just refilled his glass and hadn't even had a chance to speak when the woman spoke before him.
<r>"Handsome man, you have a point. If you're out to have fun, you should have it to the fullest. But what if it meant risking your life to have fun? " the woman asked.
<r>The woman's voice was very pleasant to the ear. Although he hadn't seen her face, with such an enchanting voice, Er Lengzi was certain she must be a beauty.
<r>Besides, even if the woman wasn't as beautiful as he imagined, it didn't matter, because her voice alone was enough to set his heart racing. When the lights went out at night, whether she was good-looking or not wouldn't make a difference, but a pleasant voice versus an unpleasant one was a whole different story.
<r>Er Lengzi's mind was completely filled with thoughts of women at this moment. He paid no attention to what the woman was saying, and with the music playing in the bar, he didn't hear her words very clearly.
<r>"Beautiful woman, what did you just say? Your big brother didn't hear you very clearly. " Er Lengzi leaned closer to the woman, pressing his face into her long hair, his nose vigorously sniffing her locks.
<r>Er Lengzi didn't smell any fragrance, but an expression of utter bliss spread across his face. At this moment, the absence of scent was better than any fragrance; he felt like his entire world was bursting open with ecstasy.
<r>"I asked, if it meant risking your life to have fun, would you still be willing? " the woman continued to ask.
<r>"Haha, of course I'd be willing! Playing with your life is even more exciting! " Er Lengzi replied, then couldn't resist reaching out to caress the woman's long hair.
<r>Ordinarily, when sober, Er Lengzi wouldn't dare say much to strangers, but now, utterly drunk, he was as bold as if he'd swallowed the guts of a bear and a leopard. There was nothing he wouldn't dare do.
<r>As if sensing Er Lengzi's movement, the woman slightly tilted her head, then brushed her long hair aside, revealing a profile.
<r>Although the bar lighting was dim, Er Lengzi was very close to the woman, allowing him to clearly see her profile.
<r>It was an incredibly beautiful profile. In Er Lengzi's world, he had never seen anyone with such a stunning profile. For a moment, Er Lengzi's expression froze, and then, as he came to his senses, he felt as if he'd been injected with a stimulant.
<r>"Drink, drink! Come on, come on! Beautiful woman, drink!"
<r>Besides encouraging the woman to drink, Er Lengzi couldn't think of any other tactic. In his eyes, only by getting the woman drunk could he stand a chance.
<r>This time, Er Lengzi was more proactive than before. He picked up the glass in front of the woman and eagerly handed it to her.
<r>The woman didn't take the glass. Instead, she turned her head to look at Er Lengzi.
<r>Although he had guessed the woman was beautiful from her profile, after seeing her entire face clearly, Er Lengzi couldn't help but be stunned again. Her face was even more beautiful than he had imagined.
<r>Looking at the dumbfounded Er Lengzi, the woman didn't show any disgust, but maintained a calm expression.
<r>"You're about to die, do you know that?"
<r>At the woman's words, Er Lengzi, who had been dazed, snapped back to reality. With a drunken laugh, he put down his glass and said, "Beautiful woman, you're really good at joking! I'm only *hic*. . . hehe, I'm not even forty yet, it's far too early for me to die."
<r>The smell of the alcohol burp was quite foul, yet the woman seemed not to notice it as she continued to speak to Er Lengzi: "Do you know that you're already haunted by a ghost?"
<r>Er Lengzi was unconcerned. Instead, he chuckled, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and took one out to light it.
<r>"Yeah, I'm haunted by a ghost alright, haunted by a pauper ghost, *hic*! Been haunted for almost forty years, it's truly terrifying, haha. " Er Lengzi chuckled, burping as he spoke.
<r>But then, he felt something strange. The cigarette in his mouth seemed different. He remembered clearly lighting it, but no matter how he drew on it, there was no response.
<r>Puzzled, he took the cigarette from his mouth and examined it closely. He saw that the cigarette indeed bore marks of having been lit by a flame, but it didn't seem to have properly caught fire.
<r>Er Lengzi chuckled, thinking he must have been careless due to his drunkenness, which would explain the situation. So, he pulled out his lighter again to light the cigarette dangling from his mouth.
<r>The lighter successfully produced a flame, but it failed to light the cigarette Er Lengzi held in his mouth. As the flame touched the cigarette, a crackling sound erupted, accompanied by a faint smell of something burnt—it was extremely bizarre.
<r>Er Lengzi found it strange. He wondered if he was so drunk that he'd lit the cigarette the wrong way around, so he took it from his mouth and examined it carefully.
<r>The cigarette was not lit backward, nor was it different from any ordinary cigarette. But as he stared, the cigarette in his hand began to change. What was an ordinary cigarette just moments ago had transformed into a bloody, severed finger. The fingertip had been partially charred by the lighter.
<r>Seeing this, Er Lengzi's drunkenness instantly vanished by more than half. His face contorted in horror, and he let out a shriek as the bloody finger dropped to the floor.
<r>He dared not look at the finger lying on the ground. The terror in his heart made his mind go blank for a moment. His only thought now was to escape this place, to flee far, far away.
<r>However, just as he rose, intending to escape, a small, boneless hand grasped his arm.
<r>"If you don't want to die, quiet down. Rushing out in such a panic will get you killed!"
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