In the lobby of girls' dormitory 441, Qin Yanping's computer automatically played a Twins album. A cheerful, energetic melody emanated from the speakers, and the two young girls' voices filled the room with joy. Xu Zhaodi was chatting casually with her online friends on Qin Yanping's QQ account, typing in pinyin, which was a bit slow.
Fang Yuan finished her last instant noodle, patted her stomach, burped, and raised her head to take a long gulp of the noodle soup. Reluctantly, she set down the bowl, which was left with only the residue.
Just then, she thought she heard a scream, probably from Qin Yanping. She asked Xu Zhaodi, "Xu Zhaodi, did you hear anything?"
"What did you say?" Xu Zhaodi was concentrating on practicing the one-finger Zen technique on her computer keyboard.
Fang Yuan raised her voice, "I thought I heard Qin Yanping scream."
Xu Zhaodi laughed. "No way, I really didn't hear anything."
"How about I go check it out?"
"What are you looking for? Even if Qin Yanping screamed, it was Tao Bing'er teasing her. Don't you know their personalities?"
"That's true."
Even so, Fang Yuan still felt uneasy. A lingering worry lingered in her heart. She called out to the bathroom, "What are you two up to? Be careful not to overdo it!"
No one answered from the bathroom.
Fang Yuan felt even more uneasy. After much deliberation, she decided to go check it out.
"Xu Zhaodi, let's go check on them. I've been a little worried."
Xu Zhaodi had no choice but to temporarily leave her addicted online chat and stand up. "Let's go. We're all women, so there's nothing we can't see. It's a good opportunity to enjoy the spring scenery."
Fang Yuan had no interest in joking with her. Without saying anything, she quickly walked into the bathroom and approached the door.
She listened carefully, only the sound of running water came from inside, not the voices of the two people.
Fang Yuan was anxious. "Tao Bing'er, Qin Yanping, are you in there?"
"Yes, hehe. I just said I saw a ghost. I guess Qin Yanping was scared!" Tao Bing'er said with a hint of pride.
Fang Yuan was a little dissatisfied. "You're really stupid! You know she's timid, but why do you keep scaring her?!"
"I'm doing this for her own good. She's timid, and she needs more practice. Otherwise, how will she enter society in the future?" Tao Bing'er argued softly. Fang Yuan tried to soften her tone, "Qin Yanping, are you okay? Are you alright? Can you answer me?"
Qin Yanping still didn't answer.
Over there, Tao Bing'er also realized the seriousness of the situation. "Qin Yanping, I'm wrong. Okay, I apologize. Talk to me, don't scare us!"
Fang Yuan reached out to push Qin Yanping's bathroom door, but it was locked from the inside.
Xu Zhaodi gritted her teeth and said, "I don't think yelling is any use. Why don't we just be direct? Let's bang the door!"
Xu Zhaodi was tall and strong, so she was the obvious choice to bang the door. She took a few steps back, then sprinted forward, her shoulder slamming hard against the bathroom door.
The door was simply made of plywood. While beautiful, it wasn't very sturdy. Now they were truly grateful for the shoddy workmanship of the door's installer.
With a bang, the door swung open. Xu Zhaodi couldn't stop herself and nearly fell forward. Fortunately, Fang Yuan was quick to catch her.
The bathroom where Qin Yanping was was shrouded in mist, a white haze obscuring her vision. The water had risen to her calves. Xu Zhaodi hadn't spotted Qin Yanping at first glance, but Fang Yuan, with her attentiveness, had seen her completely submerged in the water in the corner, with only the back of her head visible.
Tao Bing'er had also arrived, fully dressed. The three of them lifted her out of the water, draped her clothes over her, and laid her across her bed. They pinched her nose and took turns giving her artificial respiration.
After a while, Qin Yanping still hadn't awoke. Her face was as pale as paper, and she couldn't feel her heartbeat or breathing. Tao Bing'er was so anxious she nearly burst into tears. "It's all my fault! I shouldn't have scared her! Wake up!"
"Don't cry! Now's not the time to argue about who's right or wrong!" Fang Yuan suddenly remembered her father and the Eighth Master. A sense of foreboding washed over her, as if she could smell death.
No, Qin Yanping won't die so easily. Fang Yuan suddenly pounded her chest with her fists, hysterically pounding.
Qin Yanping let out a "wow" and spat out the fluid in her mouth. She finally woke up, coughing incessantly. The three men were overjoyed and rushed to massage her back. After a long while, Qin Yanping finally stopped coughing, only to let out another "wow" and vomit a large amount of foul matter.
Ten minutes later, Qin Yanping was noticeably better, her face gradually rosy. Seeing that she was fine, the three men dared to ask her what had happened.
Tao Bing'er blurted out, "What's wrong with you? Did I really scare you into fainting? That's not the case, is it? Did you really see a ghost?"
Qin Yanping shook her head and said, "It wasn't a ghost, it was a cat."
"Cat?"
"Yes, a black cat."
Fang Yuan suddenly remembered that the old school worker who had accompanied her into girls' dormitory 441 yesterday had fallen ill with a high fever. She had also seen a black cat then.
"What's so scary about a black cat?" Tao Bing'er was bewildered.
"It attacked me! It jumped over and grabbed me!"
"You can't even beat a cat, can you?"
"I swatted it away with a towel, but then..." Qin Yanping paused, a flicker of fear in her eyes.
"What happened next? Tell me!"
Qin Yanping suddenly burst into tears. "Then, I stepped on something, felt a sharp pain, and passed out. I don't know anything!"
The three of them then discovered a clear bite mark on Qin Yanping's big toe. The mark was clear, breaking the skin and oozing a thin stream of blood. They were so focused on trying to wake her up that they hadn't noticed the wound.
Tao Bing'er hurried to the store downstairs to buy her a Band-Aid. She returned, sweating profusely, and carefully applied it to Qin Yanping's wound.
After she calmed down a bit, Tao Bing'er continued, "Qin Yanping, we all know you're scared, but you have to be brave and strong. Tell us, what exactly bit you?"
"I don't know..."
Fang Yuan prompted, "Then what did it feel like when you stepped on it?"
Qin Yanping tilted her head, thinking for a moment, then struggled to articulate her feelings: "It was furry, like hair, swimming in the water. It was slippery when I stepped on it, and I couldn't find leverage, so I fell."
"Furry... like hair... swimming in the water... slippery," Tao Bing'er muttered a few words, then suddenly cried out, "It was a snake! It had to be a snake bite."
"No!" Qin Yanping firmly denied.
"I don't think so. Snakes don't feel furry. Besides, this is the fourth floor. How could a snake have crawled up here?" Fang Yuan analyzed.
Xu Zhaodi interrupted, "I've thought of something, and I'm not sure if I should say it."
Tao Bing'er was impatient, a little impatient. "Just say it if you think of it. Why are you being so fussy?"
Xu Zhaodi's eyes swept over the others, her lips trembling. "I wonder if it's the head of a female ghost? It has hair, and it bites..."
"Nonsense!" Fang Yuan interrupted Xu Zhaodi brusquely.
Although she didn't let Xu Zhaodi finish, her speculation wasn't entirely unreasonable. A female ghost's head, with hair, would feel furry, and it could swim in water. It wouldn't want Qin Yanping stepping on it constantly, so it would be slippery and wouldn't be able to gain leverage.
The mere thought of this scene was terrifying: you were alone, naked, bathing in a closed bathroom. A ghostly head, bared teeth, swam towards you from the water. Suddenly, before you could react, it opened its bloody mouth, baring sharp white teeth to bite your toes.
The four of you stared at each other, each sensing the fear in the other's eyes. A breeze rustled in through the window, and Qin Yanping shuddered uncontrollably, then trembled uncontrollably.
"Don't be afraid..."
Before Fang Yuan could finish her words, the ballast in the bedroom's fluorescent light flickered a few times, emitted a low hum, and suddenly exploded! The lights went out, shrouding the entire bedroom of Dormitory 441 in endless darkness. Only a faint glimmer of starlight shone through the window, a faint, seemingly endless road of no return, with no end in sight.