As expected, Zhen Zhu headed straight for Room 205, where Liang Sheng and the others were staying. She paused at the door, hesitating for a few seconds.
A cold gust swept through the corridor, making the girl shiver and sneeze. She glanced around warily; the dark hallway exuded an eerie vibe, everything cloaked in murky gray shadows.
“Uh!” Cold sweat beaded on Zhen Zhu’s forehead. She wasted no more time, raising her small hand to rap gently on the door a few times.
Inside, the three girls slept like the dead, utterly plastered. Liang Sheng, in particular, had abandoned all pretense of ladylike grace, her mouth gaping wide—though mercifully, she wasn’t snoring.
Eh? No response? Zhen Zhu tilted her head in confusion and pressed her ear to the door. Not a peep from within.
The corridor’s atmosphere turned downright creepy. Whether from nerves or something else, Zhen Zhu swore she heard a faint “rustle” of footsteps—and they were drawing nearer.
That did it for the little bear child. Pure terror gripped her; she balled her tiny fist and hammered the door “bang-bang-bang,” pounding as viciously as any debt collector on a rampage.
“Mmm? Mmm?” Liang Sheng sat up, bleary-eyed, half-convinced it was dawn and someone was summoning them for breakfast.
She pried her eyes open slowly. The room was pitch black. At first, she figured the curtains were drawn, but then it hit her—no, even without them, daylight would sneak through a crack.
Fumbling under her pillow, she grabbed her phone and lit up the screen. One a.m.
Oh my god! Liang Sheng prodded Cha Susu, who had rolled over and dozed off again beside her, and Ou Lu, sunk deep in slumber from that post-coffee crash. Who the hell knocks this late? Middle of the freakin’ night—don’t tell me it’s…
The thought sent a jolt through her, goosebumps prickling up her arms.
“Hey! Hey! Get up, quick!” Liang Sheng kicked both girls hard.
They finally stirred, rubbing sleep from their eyes as they sat up. “What’s going on, Shengsheng?”
Liang Sheng jabbed a shaky finger at the door. “Didn’t you hear? Someone’s smashing the door!”
Ou Lu snapped alert and grinned at the words from her bedmate. “This hotel’s super safe—I’ve crashed here tons of times. Could be staff, or maybe one of your little pals hit a snag and needs our help?”
“Mmm…” Liang Sheng eased up a tad. Made sense. This was a campus romance story, after all. No room for ghosts here—it wasn’t some horror flick.
Ou Lu hopped out of bed first, slipped into her slippers, and sidled up to the door. She squinted through the peephole. Nothing.
“Huh? No one’s there?” She glanced back. “Come check it out—hallway’s empty!”
That reignited Liang Sheng’s nerves. Clutching Cha Susu’s hand, she shuffled stiff-legged to the door.
“S-Sister Ou Lu,” Liang Sheng stammered, “d-don’t mess with me.”
Ou Lu chuckled. “Why would I? It’s real—look for yourself.”
She stepped aside, making room.
Liang Sheng crept forward, trembling, her brain flooded with horror movie tropes. Like spotting a bloodshot eye glaring back through the peephole, or a doppelganger version of yourself, or worst of all, Sadako with her flowing black hair.
Steeling herself, she shut one eye and peered out.
“Whoa! Totally! Super weird!” Liang Sheng reeled back several steps, clutching her pounding chest. “I-I just saw total darkness!”
Ou Lu: “…”
“Um… Shengsheng,” Cha Susu whispered from nearby, “you closed the wrong eye.”
“…”
Talk about mortifying—another girl-moment blunder. Liang Sheng slunk back, face burning, and this time shut the right eye.
“Y-Yeah… no one’s out there…”
Ou Lu rubbed her chin. “Guess they bailed ’cause we took forever.”
Right on cue, the pounding resumed—not knocking, full-on bashing.
No, not again! Liang Sheng quivered, itching to bolt, but her two roommates were right there. Ditching them would tank her favorability for sure.
Ou Lu checked the peephole once more. Still zilch.
She frowned. “Some kid from another room pulling a prank, probably.”
“I-I’ll call the front desk—” Liang Sheng started.
“Eek~”
Ou Lu flung the door wide.
“Bang!”
“Waa~”
A choked sob followed.
Liang Sheng froze in the iconic “Scream” pose. F-female ghost!
But no—it was Little Zhen Zhu, the pitiful blonde loli, plopped on the floor looking all woebegone.
“Y-You dummy!” Tears streamed down Zhen Zhu’s cheeks. “Why swing the door open without peeking? It huuurts!”
Turns out, Ou Lu’s speedy yank had slammed right into Zhen Zhu, who was glued to the door eavesdropping.
Spotting her, Liang Sheng exhaled in relief. The kid was dressed paper-thin in PJs, so she dashed over, scooped the half-sprawled little loli into her arms, and hustled her inside.
“Achoo! Achoo!”
Zhen Zhu unleashed a barrage of five or six sneezes, sniffling as her chilled face twisted into a comical grimace.
“Hee hee hee, little rascal.” Liang Sheng bundled the little loli under the covers. “What’s up with you, banging away in the dead of night? Need something?”
Right—Zhen Zhu hadn’t prepped an excuse.
“Sleepwalking!” she improvised.
Liang Sheng snorted a laugh. Kid probably woke up craving playtime; she’d barely given Little Zhen Zhu the time of day amid yesterday’s chaos.
“So you snuck over to hang with me?” Liang Sheng beamed. “Then why hide before? We didn’t spot you—gave us the creeps!”
“I wasn’t hiding!” Zhen Zhu hollered. “I totally wasn’t! I stood right there at the door!”
“?”
Liang Sheng traded baffled glances with equally puzzled Ou Lu. “Nuh-uh. Sister Ou Lu and I didn’t see a soul outside—no thing, I mean, no person.”
“Hah?” A chill raced down Zhen Zhu’s back. “You don’t think it’s turning into a horror movie, do you?”
Liang Sheng winced. “Nah, don’t say that—you’ll jinx it, super spooky!”
Only level-headed Ou Lu sauntered back to the door, eyeing it intently.
Suddenly—
“Ha ha!” Ou Lu’s stifled giggles bubbled up as she clapped a hand over her mouth. She rejoined the group. “Ghosts? Pfft—kid’s just too short. That’s why we missed her.”
Zhen Zhu: “…” Low blow.
“So you didn’t hear us chatting out there?” Liang Sheng pressed.
Zhen Zhu shook her head. “Nope. Why?”
The room’s mood thickened once more.
