The corridor was dim and unnervingly silent. Though it was daytime, it gave her the same sensation of darkness and cold she’d felt alone in her bathroom last night. It was as if a wisp of frigid air was slowly crawling up from her ankles.
The apartment building she lived in was very old, lacking even an elevator. The hallway was saturated with a thick, pungent odor of disinfectant, as if deliberately masking something. Looking around, even the stair railings were coated with a layer of black filth—a “patina” formed by years of accumulated dust.
Yet, the surrounding walls were freshly painted a pristine white. One could tell the white plaster had only been applied within the last few months.
Zhao Mingyue knew that only her floor and the one above had been repainted. The walls on all other floors remained a sickly yellow.
“Why is this happening?”
Zhao Mingyue shouldered her pack from the ground. She recalled an old saying from her hometown: once trapped in a Ghost Wall Maze, there were two ways to break it. One: a stranger intrudes upon the area. Two: close your eyes and walk backwards a hundred steps while vigorously cursing the ghost, letting it know you aren’t to be trifled with.
Taking a deep breath, she had no way to retreat. She simply closed her eyes and began walking backwards up the stairs. She didn’t curse out loud, but frantically called out Bai Yu’s name in her heart.
She believed it wasn’t Bai Yu’s doing. She didn’t seem like that kind of ghost.
“Don’t panic, keep walking backwards. That thing is up the stairs.” Bai Yu’s ethereal voice sounded in her ear. Zhao Mingyue was so moved she could have cried. For the first time in her life, a Fierce Ghost’s voice felt so reassuring.
“Okay!”
Zhao Mingyue responded inwardly and carefully, step by step, retreated up the stairs. Normally, she avoided touching the railing, thinking it was dirty. Now, she was forced to place her hand upon it. As she reached the landing between the fourth and fifth floors, she suddenly noticed the railing became incredibly sticky, slippery, and disgustingly revolting, as if coated with a layer of fresh blood.
“Don’t let go.”
Just as she wanted to release it, Bai Yu’s voice came again. She had no choice but to steel herself and continue retreating upwards.
There was no obvious sensation during the process, just a bit of a chill—a deep, bone-marrow-penetrating coldness—and a feeling as if someone behind her was staring fixedly at her back.
Not daring to stop, she took one step after another. In her memory, there were twelve stairs between floors. After reaching what should have been the twelfth step, expecting to arrive on the fifth floor or remain stuck on the fourth, her heel instead touched another step.
“Why is there an extra step?”
“Stop!”
The voice in her mind commanded. The foot Zhao Mingyue was lowering hadn’t yet firmly touched down and froze mid-air.
“Alright, stop going up. Open your eyes. You can go on to work now.”
With Bai Yu’s instruction, Zhao Mingyue opened her eyes. The first thing she did was look at the handrail. Fortunately, there was no blood or any other disgusting substance. That sticky, slippery sensation had vanished completely.
The second thing she did was look behind her. However, there was nothing there, only the overly whitened wall of the silent corridor.
She was finally not on the fourth floor anymore. But before Zhao Mingyue could let out a long sigh of relief, she pulled out her Mobile Phone. Seeing 7:00 AM displayed on the screen, her heart plummeted.
“Crap, I’m late!”
Briefly forgetting about the ghostly matter, Zhao Mingyue bolted down the five flights of stairs. Exiting the apartment building, she quickly unlocked her Bicycle and furiously pedaled towards the convenience store where she worked.
What she didn’t notice was that during her descent, on the stairs of the fifth floor, a bluish, swollen face with bulging veins had been silently watching her.
It wasn’t until she was almost at the door of the convenience store that Zhao Mingyue remembered that matter.
“Bai Yu, what was that just now? Was it a Ghost Wall Maze?”
“Yes.”
“Really a ghost? On the fifth floor? Wasn’t that ghost eaten by you?”
“There’s another.”
“An… another one?!”
She tried calling out to Bai Yu again, wanting to ask about that ghost, but Bai Yu stopped responding.
Helpless, she parked her Bicycle by the store entrance and pushed the door open. The moment she stepped inside, she heard the Wind Chime hanging by the door gently sway. A series of ringing notes, clear as flowing water, rang out.
She remembered the Store Manager once saying that if this wind chime ever rang at night without any wind, no matter what she saw, she had to stay calm and call him immediately.
There wasn’t any wind just now, was there?
She’d just glanced at the wind chime when a deep, low voice belonging to a middle-aged man sounded.
“Mingyue.”
“Ah, Store Manager, I’m sorry I’m late today.” Zhao Mingyue snapped back to her senses and looked pitifully at the man behind the counter wearing the convenience store uniform.
What was the worst thing today? Undoubtedly, being late for work.
And what was even worse? Being caught by the Boss right as she was clocking in late.
“It’s fine, I’ll let it slide this time. I know your situation. You have to go to school, then come here to work part-time. Doing it all yourself is tiring. And it’s only ten minutes, no big deal. Don’t blame yourself.” The Store Manager spoke with a chuckle, his voice warm.
He took off the outer uniform, resembling an apron, revealing a sharply tailored suit, his hair meticulously groomed. He was tall and broad-shouldered. Because his face always held an easygoing smile, he seemed like someone very easy to get along with.
“Store Manager, why are you on shift today?” Zhao Mingyue went behind the counter and took his place, blinking as she asked softly.
“Well, Little Lu resigned last night. Said his family wouldn’t let him continue working here.”
“Ah, makes sense. His family is so wealthy, yet he ran off to work part-time. His family definitely wouldn’t agree. If it was just for life experience, a month’s probably enough.”
In Zhao Mingyue’s impression, Lu Liangting’s family wasn’t just ordinarily rich—they were fabulously, immensely wealthy. Their assets were a number she couldn’t even begin to imagine. And yet, this second-generation rich kid had come here to work as an employee.
It was also worth noting that Lu Liangting was her classmate.
Shaking her head, she didn’t dwell on it. “I never understood why he came in the first place.”
“Why come to work part-time?” The Store Manager glanced at Zhao Mingyue with a meaningful look but didn’t elaborate. “Mingyue, until I hire a new night-shift employee, I might have to trouble you to be in the store alone at night.”
“Alone, huh? I’m fine with it, Boss.”
“Alright, then I’ll add an extra three hundred to your pay at the end of the month.”
At the mention of money, the originally hesitant Zhao Mingyue’s eyes lit up instantly. Her attitude shifted remarkably fast.
“Thank you, Boss!”
“Alright, I have some matters to attend to. I’ll head out first.”
“Take care, Boss!”
She watched the man leave. As he opened the door, Zhao Mingyue purposely tilted her head to observe, confirming that the door opening didn’t allow any outside wind to blow in and sway the Wind Chime hanging above.
“Could it be because of her?” she muttered to herself, glancing down at her own figure.
She suspected this wind chime had some special property. She’d never seen it sway before, yet today, of all days, it rang the very moment she pushed the door in. So, the question was: what had she brought with her today that she didn’t normally have?
Taking Miss Rabbit out of her Backpack and placing it on the counter, Zhao Mingyue sat down, resting her cheeks in her hands. “Bai Yu, Sister Bai, can this wind chime detect a Ghostly Monster entering? Why would the Boss put a wind chime like this here?”
“Could it be… that Ghostly Monsters come in here?”
She waited a long time but didn’t receive an answer from Bai Yu. Instead, she got someone else.
Close to noon, the convenience store door was pushed open once more. The Bell on the door frame chimed, but the Wind Chime remained still.
Seeing the person who entered, Zhao Mingyue was somewhat surprised.
“Lu Liangting, what are you doing here?”
Beneath the counter, a ripple of darkness stirred. The rabbit doll on the table subtly turned around. Bai Yu had Possessed it. She wanted to take a look at this comic’s Male Lead.
According to the intelligence she’d obtained, the Male Lead of this world was named Lu Liangting.
She hadn’t even sought him out yet, and here this person came, delivering himself to her doorstep.
.
