The third story is over.

Unlike after the end of the previous two stories, this time, neither boy spoke, they frowned, as if they were still immersed in that bewildering world.

"What's wrong? Lads? Professor Lan smiled and said, "Still reminiscing about this story?" ”

The tall boy looked up: "Professor, ...... in this ghost story"

"Stop," Professor Lan interrupted with a gesture, "I never tell ghost stories. ”

"However, the end of this story clearly says ......"

"It's clear that there are ghosts, right? So, you think it's a ghost story? ”

"Isn't it, Professor?"

Professor Lan shook his head slightly: "There is a five-minute fight scene in a movie, do you define it as a martial arts film?" The Iliad records the love between Prince Paris and Queen Helen, so don't you think it's a love epic? ”

The tall boy lowered his head and smiled, and said, "Professor, I think I understand something. ”

"I get it, Professor." "In the story of the barking dog, the 'ghost' only plays the role of threading the needle, right? ”

Professor Lan nodded slightly and said, "In people's consciousness, 'ghosts' often represent monsters with blue fangs and bloody mouths, and it seems that their task is to harm and frighten people - but if you think about it, have the 'ghosts' in this story done anything bad?" Has it ever hurt anyone? It doesn't seem to be – so why is everyone in the story still so afraid of 'ghosts'? ”

The two boys looked at the professor, waiting for his explanation.

"Because they all have ghosts in their hearts - people who have done something bad will naturally be afraid that one day the 'ghosts' will come to the door to settle accounts, and they will naturally be afraid."

"That is, 'ghosts' only exist in the human heart, right, Professor?" The square-squared boy said.

"Yes, a man of good nature and an open mind will never be afraid of ghosts—even if there is a ghost sitting next to him."

After saying this, the professor looked at the two people meaningfully.

For some reason, Professor Lan's words made the two boys feel a chill in their backs, and at the same time they shivered.

After a few seconds of silence, the tall boy said, "Professor, the end of this story implies that Shaq and Deli are ready to sell the house to the woman named Susan in the same way - is there any symbolism to this vicious circle?" ”

"What do you think?" The professor asked him rhetorically, "What do you think is the point?" ”

"Hmm...... Perhaps, you want to use this story to tell a philosophical idea that in the face of profit, the selfishness of human nature will be exposed. But...... Everyone can't be so selfish, right? ”

"Of course I hope not everyone is so selfish." "But let's assume a situation where a person inadvertently receives a counterfeit $50 bill, what does he do? I'm afraid that the vast majority of people will not be willing to hand it over to the bank to destroy it at their own expense – but will choose to use the counterfeit note unknowingly on the next payment – and the next person to get the counterfeit will pay it to another person in a similar way...... All the way to forming an infinite loop. On the surface, it seems that everyone has not suffered, but the consequence of this selfishness is the gradual decline of social integrity and morality—and in the end, it is we human beings who suffer. ”

The tall boy took a deep breath: "I see, Professor—the true meaning of the story 'Barking Dog'. ”

Professor Lan nodded and said, "I hope you can really understand the meaning of this story. Alright, lads, our conversation should be over tonight. ”

The checkered boy hesitated for a few seconds and said, "Professor, we still want to hear your fourth story!" ”

"Fourth story......" Professor Lan raised his eyebrows, "I'm afraid not." ”

"Why?" The checkered boy asked anxiously.

"As I said before, if I found out that you were frightened in the first few stories, I wouldn't go any further—I've been watching both of you look and move during the story, and I've noticed that you've expressed fear many times. So, I'm not going to go any further. ”

"Yes, Professor, I admit it. There were indeed some episodes in the first three stories that scared me. But, trust me – that's nowhere near beyond my mental capacity, and I can definitely keep listening! The checkered boy said.

"Me too, Professor! I don't have any problems at all – we're all very much looking forward to your fourth story! The tall boy also said eagerly.

"Do you really want to hear a fourth story?" Professor Lan asked, staring into their eyes.

"Yes, Professor!" The two boys replied in the affirmative.

"However, tonight is clearly not appropriate." Professor Lan pointed to the big clock on the wall, "It's eleven o'clock now, you have to go back to the dormitory by twelve o'clock, and I should rest." ”

The two men looked at the time and lowered their heads at the same time, revealing extremely disappointed expressions.

Professor Lan looked at them for a moment—the two boys seemed to have become addicted to listening to stories, and they were still sitting on the couch in silence, with no intention of leaving.

Professor Lan smiled helplessly and said, "Well, I'll tell you this fourth story in another form." ”

The two boys suddenly came to their senses, and they raised their heads and asked, "Professor, are you willing to speak?" ”

Professor Lan shook his head: "I won't tell you the fourth story, I'll lend you the book that records this story, and you can take it and read it yourself, okay?" ”

The two boys glanced at each other and nodded in unison: "Okay!" ”

"Wait a minute." Professor Lan stood up, left the living room, and walked to his study. Two minutes later, he walked out with a thick book in his hand.

Professor Lan handed the book to the checkered boy and said, "The fourth story is written in this book. ”

The checkered boy took the thick book and found that the cover of the book was pure white, without a word. Curious, he wanted to open the book and see what was written inside.

At this time, Professor Lan pressed his hand with a serious expression.

"I can lend you this book, but you have to promise me two conditions." Professor Lan said.

"What conditions, Professor?"

"First, this book cannot be lent to anyone but you. Second, you can't watch it tonight—at least, until after twelve o'clock today, that is, tomorrow. ”

"Why is that, Professor?"

"From a psychological point of view, it is best for a person not to stimulate his nerves continuously for too long, otherwise it will cause some psychological discomfort. You've been listening to me tell horror stories since seven o'clock, and your nerves have been on tension - so, no more horror stuff tonight - I mean, it's better to rest your brains for a while, understand? ”

The checkered boy frowned slightly: "Professor, is this fourth story really so terrifying?" ”

"It's up to you to think it's scary or not." Professor Lan smiled mysteriously, "Okay, boys, it's time to go back - remember what I told you, don't read this book before twelve o'clock today, don't even open it, do you hear that?" ”

"Got it, Professor." The two young men stood up, said goodbye politely to Professor Lan, and walked to the door.

Before going out, the checkered boy seemed to remember something, he turned around and asked, "Professor, I remember you told us at the beginning of this evening that these three stories of yours are definitely stories that we have never heard before—I feel a little strange, could it be that you have never told them to anyone before us?" ”

Professor Lan said with a smile, "My storytelling varies from person to person, and I tell different stories according to everyone's different needs. I'm telling you these three stories, and I'm telling others three other stories — normally, I don't repeat them. ”

The checkered boy opened his mouth slightly, then nodded, "I understand, Professor." Thank you for telling us three wonderful stories. ”

"Yes, thank you very much, Professor. These three stories you tell are a great inspiration for our creation. The tall boy said gratefully.

"That's good." The corners of Professor Lan's mouth remained the same, "Goodbye, young man. ”

"Goodbye, Professor, and I wish you a good night." The two bowed to Professor Lan and left the professor's house.

Part 1 - Night Talk of Four Part 1 (60) "The Fourth Story"

As they walked downstairs from Professor Lan's house, the two did not say a word. It wasn't until he was walking back to the dormitory that the tall boy finally broke his silence.

"It seems that what those guys from the Suspense Association said is true." He said.

The checkered boy walked slowly and said, "Yes, Professor Lan really told three stories. ”

"And it's about three other stories that a few of them haven't heard."

"No, it's four." Fang Gezi raised the book in his hand.

They walked in silence for a while. Suddenly, the square-cut boy stopped.

"What's wrong?" The tall man asked.

"I ...... There's an idea, I don't know if you've thought of it. ”

"What?"

"You also heard Professor Lan just now, and it seems that the three stories he told us have not been told to others."

The tall boy nodded: "So what?" ”

"And we're going to compete in a national suspense contest......"

The tall boy was stunned for a moment, then opened his mouth in surprise.

"Oh my God, do you want to ...... Plagiarize Professor Lan's three stories? ”

The checkered boy frowned and said, "Don't say it so ugly! This cannot be considered plagiarism, Professor Lan told us through oral narration. And we're writing it down with a pen. ”

"I don't see the difference."

"Alright, don't be serious." The checkered boy was a little bored and said, "Don't you want to win the prize?" Don't forget, we're here for Professor Lan for that purpose! ”

The tall boy pondered for a moment, then hesitated and said, "However, if we do this, Professor Lan will find out sooner or later......"

"So what's the matter, Professor Lan hasn't told anyone else these stories anyway - who knows if we created them ourselves?"

The tall boy bowed his head and remained silent.

The checkered boy looked at him with a bright eye: "Think about it, the ideas and plots of these three stories are very good, as long as we put our pen to work hard and write these stories more excitingly, it will not be a problem to win the grand prize at all!" ”

The tall boy hesitated for another minute, then turned his face to look at his companion and nodded.

"Okay, you choose first, which of these three stories do you like the most?" The square-cut boy asked.

The tall man thought for a moment and said, "'Black Secret'." ”

"Well, I'll choose 'barking dog', that's it."

"Hmm...... Wait, don't we have a fourth story? Maybe this story is even better. The tall boy pointed to the big book.

The checkered boy looked at him, "You're right. We can now see what this fourth story is about. ”

"Now?" The tall boy was surprised, "But we promised the professor to read it tomorrow—besides, we can't finish such a big book now." ”

"We're just flipping through the front and looking at the general plot - hey, don't say you're not curious. Don't you want to see this mysterious 'fourth story' right away? ”

"I do, but ......," the tall boy looked up at his watch, "and it's twelve o'clock in thirty minutes, and if we don't go back, the dormitory door will be closed." ”

"Herein lies the problem. The professor told us to read the book after twelve o'clock, but we were not in the same dormitory at all—if we didn't read it now, either of us would take it back to the dormitory, and the other would only be able to read it tomorrow morning—and I would like to say that I could not wait that long, and that I must read this fourth story tonight. ”

The tall boy bit his lip and thought for a while, then said, "Okay, let's open it now." ”

The two of them walked directly under the street lamp. The checkered boy looked at his companion, swallowed his saliva, and opened the big book.

The first page of the book is printed with four big characters: Four Night Talk.

"It turns out that the name of the fourth story is "Night Talk of Four". The checkered boy said to himself, and he turned the second page.

In this way, they read the big book with the help of the dim light of the street lamp, and when they looked at it, their faces gradually changed-

The general plot of the book is:

"One night, three college boys came to the psychology professor's house and asked the professor what was the most feared and feared thing in the human psyche. The professor replied that he should use three stories to illustrate, but on the condition that whatever happened to them after the three stories were told was irrelevant to the professor. The three students said yes. So, the professor began to tell the first story, 'July 13'......"

Seeing this, the two boys opened their frightened eyes and opened their mouths wide. They couldn't believe what they saw.

"Oh my God! What's going on? The tall boy looked terrified, "This ...... Isn't this the story about what happened to us tonight? ”

The checkered boy quickly flipped through the book, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead: "That's right, the second story is 'Black Secret', and the third story is 'Barking Dog'...... It's exactly the same thing that happened to us tonight! ”

"How is this possible...... This...... What the hell is going on? The tall boy was so frightened that he couldn't speak, "We went to see Professor Lan this afternoon and suddenly remembered it, and we didn't make an appointment with him beforehand...... Why is this book exactly the same as what we are experiencing? ”

The checkered boy pressed his hand to his forehead to force himself to calm down, and after a few minutes, he looked at the tall man and said, "I guess this could be a prank that Professor Lan played with us?" ”

"What?" The tall boy looked at him puzzled.

"If we think about it this way, we must be the only ones who have visited Professor Lan. Therefore, Professor Lan can prepare such a book in advance, and if he encounters a similar situation, he can pretend to mysteriously lend them the book after telling three stories - and everyone who sees the book will be as shocked as we are! ”

The tall man thought for a moment and said, "Indeed, Professor Lan was very sure that the fourth story would scare us, and we were indeed taken aback just now - could it be that the fourth story is like this - although it can ensure that it is scary, it is just a prank?" ”

"That's probably it." "One more thing, did you notice, is that the book says that three people are visiting Professor Lan, and we only have two of us tonight—this is different from the book, which further confirms that this book is not an evil sect, just a prank tool." ”

The tall man nodded repeatedly. After a pause of a few seconds, he said, "By the way, did you read the end of the book - what happened to those three boys after listening to the story?" ”

"I haven't seen it yet," said the square, "but we'll find out soon." ”

With that, he flipped straight to the last pages of the book.

The two men were putting their heads next to each other, and were about to watch the ending of the 'Fourth Story', when suddenly a boy from the same dormitory building ran past them - apparently he was hurrying back to the dormitory.

The boy saw them reading under the streetlight, frowned, looked at his watch, and turned back to them as he ran, and shouted to them:

"Hey! The dormitory door is closed in a few minutes, and the three of you still haven't gone back? ”

When Fang Gezi and the tall man heard this, they raised their heads in the twilight, and the two of them first looked at each other, and then looked around in unison—

Where's a third person around here besides them?

In an instant, the two people's cold hairs stood on end, and a cool air rushed from their toes to their scalps, and their faces suddenly turned pale.

After a few seconds, their nerves finally collapsed, and they could no longer control their fears—the two let out a heart-rending scream, dropped the book, and ran for their lives towards the dorm building.

After the big book was thrown on the ground, it was still open to the last few pages, and a light breeze blew, and the paper was blown slowly, as if an invisible person continued to look at it.

Five minutes later, the boy who had just run over returned, picked up the big book, patted it gently, and carefully blew off the dust on it.

He looked in the direction the two panicked men were running, and the corners of his mouth tilted upwards slightly, revealing an unpredictable sly smile......

When the clock struck 12 o'clock, Professor Lan sat on the warm sofa in his living room, holding a cup of coffee with a strong milky aroma in his hand.

He took a sip of his coffee, then placed the cup on the coffee table and smiled faintly.

Those two young people with impure motives should have read the book by this time and were punished.

Professor Lan sighed softly.

Very few people understand exactly what psychology really means, and unfortunately even those who have only met a psychologist face-to-face are among them. What is the point of psychology if a psychologist is unable to discern the true purpose or change of mind after four hours of contact with a person?

What is the reason why the two young people who were eager for quick success did not feel the fear from their hearts after listening to the first three stories, but they were frightened by the "fourth story"?

From the end of the third story, the "ghosts" enter their hearts, take possession of their souls, and consume a part of their bodies—and from that time on, they become one with the "ghosts". With the slightest moment, the ghost can immediately jump out from behind them, with a hideous face and a terrifying description.

I hope everyone doesn't get scared by the ghost hiding behind them.

Good night to all.