How could it be, how could it be Cheng Li?!
Her clothes clearly belonged to Qin Yanping, but her face…
An ancient and terrifying legend surfaced in Fang Yuan's mind—the resurrection of the dead!
No wonder "Qin Yanping's" hand felt so cold to her; the dead have no body temperature.
If "Qin Yanping" was Cheng Li, then what about Tao Bing'er? The two of them had always been together, so it was impossible for her to be alone. Who could she be?
Fang Yuan stole a sidelong glance at "Tao Bing'er."
Sure enough, as she'd imagined, "Tao Bing'er" had glassy eyes, her hair disheveled, and she smiled foolishly at her.
She was Xu Yan!
Wasn't Xu Yan insane? Wasn't she still in Qingshan Mental Hospital? How could she be possessing Tao Bing'er's body again? Could she be dead too?
Fang Yuan's mind was in turmoil. At this moment, she knew only one thing: she had to stay calm. Calm! Calm! Calm again! Act as if nothing had happened. No matter how tragic or terrifying the fate she faced, she must first remain calm!
Perhaps they didn't realize they had discovered their identities.
Fang Yuan thought this, trying to control her emotions and appear normal. But her pale face betrayed her.
"Then why are you shaking all over?" The one-eyed "Qin Yanping" stared at her gloomily.
Fang Yuan managed a smile and said, "It's really okay. I'm probably just too cold!"
"Then let me help you in!"
"Don't bother you. Go ahead and have fun. I can still hold on."
Fang Yuan's scalp tingled. With all her strength, she slowly turned around, lifted her heavy legs, and walked step by step towards the bedroom.
"Then be careful, Bing'er. Let's continue listening to the music!"
From beginning to end, "Tao Bing'er" didn't say a word, simply standing there with a silly smile at Fang Yuan.
In her heart, Fang Yuan kept encouraging herself: Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm not afraid... Persevere, persevere, I persevere...
Finally, she reached the bedroom, pushed the door open, and stumbled inside. She slammed it shut, then slumped down on the floor, her back against the cold door.
A lock of hair fell, obscuring her face. Droplets of water trickled down from the ends—it was sweat, cold sweat. Her forehead was soaked.
Legend has it that those who shed cow's tears can see things they shouldn't. Was she able to see their true selves just now because her eyes had been washed by tears? Could human tears also have this effect? Or was it because she saw a shooting star?
Since ancient times, it has been said that the vast starry sky holds a powerful and mysterious power, and the practice of astrology has permeated the entire civilization of the Eastern world.
Now, Fang Yuan's most pressing problem was how to get rid of these ghosts.
The door was closed, but the window was still open. Even if the window was closed, sealing the entire bedroom, there was no guarantee they wouldn't get in. After all, they were ghosts; perhaps they could even walk through the walls.
A feeling of loneliness and despair washed over her, and she sadly realized that in her desperate situation, she had no one to lean on.
The bedroom was utterly silent. Besides her own heartbeat and breathing, the only sound was Xu Zhaodi's steady, rhythmic snoring. She slept soundly.
Besides, something seemed missing.
What was missing?
Fang Yuan was startled. She couldn't hear Su Ya breathing.
Was it because Su Ya's breathing was too faint for her to hear, or was she not breathing at all?
Fang Yuan pricked up her ears, listening carefully.
Still, nothing. She stood up with determination and approached Suya, leaning close to her.
Suya's sleeping position hadn't changed at all, lying on her side. A faint blush seemed to gently flow across her face, a dazzling glow.
Fang Yuan saw clearly that Suya's nostrils hadn't even flared. She didn't know where she found the courage, but she reached out and placed her hand in front of her nostrils, feeling her breath.
There was no air flowing.
Fang Yuan's heart suddenly tightened. She took a few steps back, staring at Suya with wide eyes. Her face was still as bright and charming; her sleeping posture was still as endearing. How could she possibly be associated with death?
But she was clearly not breathing. Her soul had long been taken away by the god of death. What lay before Fang Yuan was just an empty shell.
The souls in girls' dormitory 441 were silently carried away by death, Qin Yanping, Tao Bing'er, Su Ya...
Now, it was just Xu Zhaodi and herself.
Xu Zhaodi was so sound asleep, how could she be completely unaware of all this?
Fang Yuan reluctantly made her way to Xu Zhaodi's bedside, leaning in close, and softly called out, "Xu Zhaodi, wake up, wake up!"
Xu Zhaodi didn't respond, and her snoring only grew louder. Deep in her dreams, unaware of the impending doom—was it a blessing or a curse?
Fang Yuan had no other choice but to desperately shake her shoulders, moving closer to her, and continued to call out, "Xu Zhaodi, wake up, wake up..."
Fang Yuan called out carefully, wanting to wake Xu Zhaodi quickly but also afraid of disturbing the two ghosts listening to music in the hall.
After shaking for a long time, Xu Zhaodi finally opened her sleepy eyes and looked at Fang Yuan with a puzzled look. "What's wrong, Fang Yuan? It's so late, why aren't you sleeping?"
Fang Yuan raised her middle finger to her lips and shushed her, hushing her voice. She whispered, "Su Ya is dead. Qin Yanping and Tao Bing'er are also dead. Their bodies are now occupied by Cheng Li and Xu Yan."
Xu Zhaodi laughed. "Are you kidding me?"
Fang Yuan eagerly declared, "I'm not kidding. Believe me! It's true..."
Fang Yuan was about to explain the situation when she noticed Xu Zhaodi's expression change, staring intently behind her.
From bed number 8, Su Ya slowly rose and walked over. The bedroom door also opened. "Qin Yanping" and "Tao Bing'er" mechanically floated over. The three figures met behind Fang Yuan and surrounded her. Their figures, reflected in Xu Zhaodi's pupils, caught Fang Yuan's eye.
Fang Yuan gritted her teeth and turned to face them. This time, she could see them clearly. The three figures were indeed ghostly, especially "Qin Yanping" and "Tao Bing'er." Those faces were indeed the Cheng Li and Xu Yan she had seen on her computer today!
Qin Yanping's empty eye sockets were still dripping with crimson blood, dripping onto the snow-white bedsheets like blooming red flowers, vibrant and poignant.
Fang Yuan couldn't help but recoil, losing her balance and falling onto Xu Zhaodi.
Xu Zhaodi's cheekbone stung her painfully. With a slight push, she felt something powdery sprinkle onto her face.
"How could you be so careless!" Xu Zhaodi raged.
Fang Yuan looked up at Xu Zhaodi, her whole body shuddering, her mouth unable to close.
A large chunk of Xu Zhaodi's skin had been rubbed off, revealing a dark skull beneath. It looked as if the skin had been glued to a skull.
And then there was Xu Zhaodi's eyes, the same venomous look Fang Yuan had seen in the strange woman she'd seen cleaning the windows that day. Could it be that Xu Zhaodi had long been possessed by that witch-like ghost?
Fang Yuan cried out in horror, "You... are all ghosts!"
Everyone chuckled, and someone said, "Fang Yuan, are you kidding? Aren't we just like you?!"
"Just like me?"
Xu Zhaodi sighed softly, "Alas, Fang Yuan, you're confused again. Let me show you a mirror."
Someone handed Fang Yuan a mirror. She took it and looked in it. A melancholy young woman appeared—the same woman she had seen crawling out of the coffin.
"No, no..." Fang Yuan threw the mirror away, muttering to herself, "You're all lying to me. I'm not a ghost..."
Then she frantically scratched at her face. Like Xu Zhaodi, her skin peeled off easily, shattering into powder without a trace of blood. Even her eyeballs could be easily removed without any pain.
Fang Yuan scanned the crowd with her remaining eye. Each one of them had a sneer on their face, sneering at her with a harsh laugh. Finally, she broke down and screamed, "Ah—"