The bathroom was pitch black. All Fang Yuan could see was endless darkness.
The darkness, like a beast from the wilderness, exuded a cold, decaying aura, lazily engulfing the entire bathroom in Dormitory 441.
It reminded her of a black hole. A black hole that sucked in anything that approached.
A black hole could devour everything, even the fastest-moving light.
Now, Fang Yuan's bathroom was just like the black hole she imagined, exerting a fatal attraction on her. She knew she should leave quickly. But another strange force flowed within her, firmly controlling her.
The voice kept reminding her, "Time's up! Go in!"
She walked in slowly, reaching out her hand like a blind person.
Soon, she found the light switch.
With a click, the lightbulb in the bathroom flickered on. A soft glow filled the room.
The bathroom was empty.
The faucets, reflecting a metallic sheen, stood neatly arranged, none of them open.
The gurgling sound of water faded at some point.
Was it when she entered, or when she turned on the light?
Fang Yuan didn't know. She looked up at the black, filamentous lightbulb, its glare blinding. Suddenly, nothing seemed real.
Yes, it was unreal. Everything filled Fang Yuan with a sense of emptiness. Everything she saw seemed like an illusion, ready to vanish at any moment. She reached out to touch the wall beside her; it was solid and firm, a reminder that it wasn't an illusion.
The feeling of unease intensified, and Fang Yuan wanted to leave the bathroom. But she couldn't—before her, a coffin lay!
The glossy black coffin of fine sandalwood appeared silently before her, blocking her path.
It hadn't been there when she entered. Could it be calling her?
This coffin looked so familiar.
Fang Yuan remembered. Eighth Master's coffin was this type, and so was her father's coffin!
Fang Yuan's breathing quickened. She finally understood what awaited her was a fate she could not escape.
She heard the ticking of the quartz clock's second hand. "Tick, tick," it seemed to hammer away at her heart. Her heartbeat, inexplicably, resonated with the clock's second hand!
"Tick, tick."
"Thump, thump."
The two sounds were perfectly synchronized!
There was no quartz clock in the bathroom, no quartz clock in the hall, no quartz clock in the bedroom. There wasn't a quartz clock in the entire girls' dormitory 441! Fang Yuan had cleaned and tidied it during the day, and she remembered it clearly!
The quartz clock rang in her heart.
Second by second, the sound kept approaching! She inexplicably thought of midnight, this legendary and eerie hour.
Legend has it that at midnight, when the yin energy is at its heaviest, ghosts lingering in the mortal world awaken.
The final seconds ticked, a sharp, shrill shriek as if exerting all their strength, then abruptly stopped.
Time's up!
A long yawn echoed from the sandalwood coffin, as if someone slumbering for a thousand years had suddenly awakened.
Who was inside?
Is it the Eighth Master?
Is it her father?
Is it Cheng Li?
Fang Yuan's heart tightened. She clung to the wall, her eyes wide open, unblinking as she stared at the shiny black sandalwood coffin. Parts of the wood caught the light, stinging her eyes.
Finally, there was movement. A hand reached out from within the coffin. With seemingly no visible force, the lid lifted easily.
A figure, its back to Fang Yuan, slowly rose from within. Long black hair, a graceful figure—a young woman.
Her figure was gloomy, the light casting a shadow on her completely ineffective, seemingly absorbed by her like a dark celestial black hole.
Fang Yuan's eyes ached, as if—as if this eerie figure were absorbing her gaze, trying to rip it out.
She still wanted to see!
Even if it was an inescapable fate, she wanted to see it clearly.
The figure sighed softly and turned to face Fang Yuan. Fang Yuan finally saw the figure's face: that of a young girl utterly melancholy and sorrowful.
A closer look would have revealed a beautiful face, were it not for the deep melancholy shrouding it. Fang Yuan felt something soften deep within her, as if the melancholy of that face had infected her.
She vaguely sensed something was off, but she couldn't quite place what it was.
"What's wrong? You don't recognize me?" the young woman sneered at Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan shook her head; she couldn't pronounce the young woman's name.
"Take a closer look, and you'll remember." The young woman's smile deepened.
Fang Yuan closed her eyes, deep in thought.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her. She finally understood why she felt something was off—the young woman looked so much like her. If she weren't so melancholy, she'd be exactly like her!
She was horrified by her own terrifying speculation. How could it be possible? How could there be another me?
It couldn't be possible. It had to be an illusion. Everything that had happened in the bathroom was fake.
Sure enough, when she opened her eyes, the young woman was gone, and so was the sandalwood coffin, as if it had never been there.
She scurried out of the bathroom. Then, she saw two girls standing by the computer, staring at her with wide eyes.
It was Tao Bing'er and Qin Yanping, who had been thought missing.
Fang Yuan panted heavily, then slowed her breathing and asked, "What are you two staring at?"
Qin Yanping looked puzzled. "You've been standing there in a daze. Bing'er and I called you several times, but you didn't respond."
Fang Yuan was also puzzled. "No way! I didn't see you two when I came over just now."
"We've been here the whole time. If you don't believe me, ask Tao Bing'er."
Tao Bing'er nodded heavily.
Fang Yuan was stunned. The computer was playing Twins' new song, "Next Stop Queen." Two sweet voices sang in unison:
How many love songs do you sing for me, but it's still a stretch.
How can you shine on stage?
It's hard to compare to whispering softly in my beloved's ear.
In fact, my greatest wish is to go home with him and sing for him.
Then the song ended.
Fang Yuan was stunned.
Before this, she hadn't noticed the song playing, nor had she seen the two of them.
Intentionally or unintentionally, she approached them and held Qin Yanping's hand. Though cold, it hadn't vanished; they were truly and vividly standing before her.
Fang Yuan said nothing more, silently turning to gaze out at the starry sky beyond the balcony.
The sky was brilliant, and a meteor suddenly streaked across, its body igniting into a dazzling display of fireworks.
Isn't human life like a shooting star? It may seem magnificent, but in reality, it's fleeting and filled with so much helplessness.
Fang Yuan thought of her father, and warm tears gently welled up in her eyes, sliding down.
Not wanting them to notice her weakness, she found a tissue and wiped away the tears. Her eyes began to ache and swell.
Amidst the tears, everything she saw blurred and shaky.
The sky suddenly darkened. The bright fluorescent lights vanished, replaced by dim, ghostly lights that flickered in the air.
Fang Yuan's entire body shuddered, as if she were in an ice cellar, surrounded by a chilling air.
She lowered her head, unable to see the ground. A thick, eerie black mist drifted above, creeping upwards, slowly rising like a reservoir.
"Fang Yuan, what's wrong with you? Are you okay?" Qin Yanping said, her voice concerned, supporting Fang Yuan.
"It's—it's—" Fang Yuan's teeth chattered.
The Qin Yanping she saw, her face distorted and bloodied, one eye socket empty, the other fixed upwards, a strange smile on her face—it was Cheng Li's face.