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墨書 Inktalez
They all remembered the scene in the cafeteria earlier, and regarding what Hao Hongtao had said, that girl seemed completely unaware. Her strong reaction after hearing it only proved that their relationship was indeed very close. However, if what Hao Hongtao said was true, then Zhuo Xiaoman was not sincere towards that girl.
It was already evening, so the group decided to head back to rest. What puzzled them was that Chu Feifan had not returned, and his phone went unanswered before it was turned off.
"Jin'er, aren't you worried about Chu Feifan?" Ruan Hongmei asked while walking back to the dormitory.
"Of course I am! But he isn't answering his phone, and there's nothing I can do," she replied with a hint of disappointment. After all, Chu Feifan was her boyfriend. He had gone out to dinner with another woman and still hadn't come back; how could she not be worried?
"Exactly! Why would he turn off his phone while going out to eat? Could it be—"
"What could it be?"
Ruan Hongmei stuck out her tongue and said, "It's nothing. I was just overthinking."
Su Jin'er knew what she was hinting at, but she didn't want to believe that Chu Feifan could be that kind of person. Once they returned to the dormitory, she called Zuo Yi and asked him to call her when Chu Feifan returned, no matter how late it was; she would answer.
The two talked about Zhuo Xiaoman's case for a while before they unknowingly fell asleep. Because Su Jin'er had something on her mind, she did not sleep soundly. In her dreams, her brows were tightly furrowed as ethereal singing echoed in her mind, as if someone were singing in her ear but from a very far distance.
Unable to bear it any longer, she slowly opened her eyes. To prove she wasn't dreaming, she pinched her arm hard; the sharp pain confirmed that she was indeed awake. She was covered in sweat and felt sticky and uncomfortable. Ruan Hongmei was still sleeping soundly, but her blanket had been kicked onto the floor. With a helpless shake of her head, Su Jin'er picked it up and covered her again. Then she went into the bathroom to wash her face. Standing in front of the mirror, she suddenly recalled the dream she had on the night Ruan Hongmei arrived; it felt so real that she had always believed it wasn't a dream. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she noticed that her complexion had become increasingly pale lately—so pale that there seemed to be no color at all—and her body felt like it was slowly growing weaker; she constantly felt exhausted.
She smiled weakly at herself in the mirror before washing her face and stepping out. Ruan Hongmei's blanket had fallen again, so she picked it up once more and covered her before returning to her own bed, but sleep eluded her. She thought about the song she had heard in her dream; although she couldn't make out the lyrics clearly, it felt familiar—she must have heard it recently. But where exactly had she heard it?
She got out of bed again and walked to the window. The moon outside was bright, almost blindingly so. She squinted slightly as a gentle breeze lifted her hair, causing a strand to flutter and get caught on her eyelashes.
Suddenly, a melodious song floated through the air. She listened quietly; it was Teresa Teng's "Alone at the Western Tower." The voice was distant yet clear, as if coming from far away but resonating perfectly in her ears. She tilted her head slightly and listened intently.
The song seemed endless; she even felt that the singer would continue forever while she would listen endlessly as well.
Gradually, she felt an urge to see who this person singing in the midnight hour was—what kind of person could sing such beautiful songs?
Thinking of this, she slowly walked to the door, opened it, and stepped outside. If someone happened to see her at that moment, they would have witnessed a girl in a white nightgown, moving stiffly yet smiling as she descended the stairs. Unfortunately, it was midnight, and everyone had already fallen into a deep sleep. Occasionally, one or two students might wake up to use the restroom, but tonight was eerily quiet.
Su Jin'er moved awkwardly down the stairs and headed toward the front door. Upon discovering it was locked, she turned and walked toward the back door, still wearing a smile.
The back door was also locked, yet she continued to walk forward as if she didn't see it.
Bang—
Her head collided with the door, and the pain jolted her back to reality. She looked around in confusion.
"How did I end up here?"
She remembered standing by the window when she first heard the singing.
Singing?
Yes, she had slowly lost consciousness after hearing that song. Could that strange melody have brought her here?
Was the owner of that song trying to lure her? Who was singing? Was it a person or a ghost?
At the thought of "ghost," she shivered involuntarily. Standing alone at the back door of her dormitory on such a quiet night, pondering whether the singer was human or ghostly would frighten anyone!
What she didn't realize was that at that moment, she resembled a wandering female ghost in the night.
The singing continued, and her awareness returned to normal. It must have been that song controlling her, leading her out of the dormitory to this place.
Taking a deep breath, she decided to find out who was singing in the middle of the night.
Since she didn't have a flashlight, she returned to her dormitory to grab one and also took the wire that Chu Feifan had given her earlier. A while ago, Chu Feifan had taught her a method for picking simple locks.
Returning downstairs, she began to pick the lock with a piece of wire. Since it was her first time trying this on her own, she struggled quite a bit, but fortunately, she managed to open it. Throughout this process, the singing never ceased, as if it were deliberately luring her closer.
Stepping out of the dormitory, the moonlight outside was still bright enough for her to see her shadow on the ground. Although she was curious, a sense of fear was innate to her, and she was no exception. Walking alone in the silent night, her heart raced as if it might leap out of her mouth at any moment. Her footsteps grew heavier, and the sound echoed sharply in the stillness of the night. She held her breath and tried to quiet her steps, but slowing down only made her feel more terrified. Regretting her reckless decision to come out, she realized she couldn't just turn back now. Gritting her teeth, she continued forward; the direction of the singing seemed to be coming from the Old Laboratory Building. She was reluctant to go there, as too much had already happened in that place.
As she got closer to the Old Laboratory, the singing became clearer. She even felt as though she could hear the other person's breathing. If there was breathing, it meant that person was human, and that made her feel less afraid. With this thought in mind, she quickened her pace, hoping to see the person soon.
The Old Laboratory had become a ruin, and when the school demolished it, they discovered a basement inside where Cheng He had been killed. Looking at the ruins, she recalled being trapped down there half a month ago, nearly becoming a victim herself. Now it felt like just yesterday. She gazed silently at the wreckage; strangely enough, when she arrived at the Old Laboratory, the singing suddenly stopped as if it had never existed. The surrounding silence allowed her to hear her own rapid breathing and pounding heartbeat.
Suddenly, she spotted a figure—a White Shadow quietly sitting on a stone.
She approached quietly; it was a girl in white clothing with long hair. All she could see was the girl's back.
The song from earlier must have been sung by her; it made sense since the school was currently holding a Singing Competition. Perhaps she was just practicing. With this thought, she felt a surge of courage and slowly moved closer.
To avoid startling the girl with her sudden appearance, she intentionally made heavier footsteps so that the girl would be aware of her presence.
However, despite her efforts to make noise—kicking stones on the ground—the girl remained motionless as if she were a statue.
A statue?
She startled herself with this thought and immediately halted her steps. A strange sense of panic surged through her head; she stood frozen in place, unsure whether to advance or retreat.
Her body felt cold all over, and her head began to tingle. She stood there dazed, not knowing whether to move forward or back.
Just when she felt lost and confused, the girl slowly turned her head. The movement was so slow it resembled a scene from a movie in slow motion—almost making one forget to breathe.
She held her breath and waited for about five minutes; the girl's face still hadn't turned around while Su Jin'er felt like she was running out of air.
"Um—classmate," she finally spoke up, "why are you sitting here alone so late?"
Su Jin'er seemed to have finally regained her voice. Although she spoke, it was clearly trembling.
She was afraid!
At the moment her voice rang out, the girl turned her head but stopped mid-motion. However, she could already see her profile. The girl's face was pale, devoid of any color. Su Jin'er thought her own face was pale, but seeing the girl's profile reminded her of paper; the girl's face looked just like it.
Then, she recalled something she had read before about a sorcery from Miaojiang that involved using paper to create people, known as "Paper Man." These Paper Men could be controlled by their masters and moved freely. Even more terrifying, these Paper Men could kill or have names and birth dates written on them for cursing purposes. Once burned, the cursed person would die.
Could she be a Paper Man?
As if to validate her thoughts, the girl's arm in front of her suddenly lifted as if blown by the wind, twisting bizarrely and floating in the air as if pulled by invisible threads.
Su Jin'er widened her eyes in terror, staring at the person before her. Her breathing became rapid, and her whole body felt cold.
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