With a pale face, Lin Yue’er began to speak, "Last night... I felt as if there was someone under my bed.
"You know? My bed is solid. There’s only a gap of seven or eight centimeters between it and the floor. A person shouldn’t be able to fit in there...
"But I definitely heard it. I heard a scraping sound from under my bed. Not daring to make a noise, I secretly crawled to the edge of the bed to look. That’s when I saw a hand! A hand that quickly retracted into that narrow gap under the bed!
"I was terrified, so I used the phone on the nightstand to call Yuwen Hao. But because I pulled too hard, I yanked the phone off the nightstand...
"It landed right in the gap beside the bed. I didn’t dare pick it up. I just waited from last night until this morning. Only when it was completely light out did I dare to get out of bed. The moment I got down, I ran out immediately, without even looking back..."
As Lin Yue’er spoke, Qing Huan, who was beside her, suddenly interrupted excitedly, "Yes! Me too last night! I also felt like there was someone else in my room!"
Gu Mian turned to look at this Chinese literature graduate, who was excitedly recounting his experience.
"Yesterday, as soon as I got back, I felt something was wrong. The moment I entered, I felt like something was following me.
"I’d look back, but there was nothing. Many times, I felt someone was right behind me, but when I turned around, there was nothing.
"Whenever I was near a mirror or a piece of glass, I’d secretly peek out of the corner of my eye, trying to see if I could spot what was behind me.
"And then... then this morning, I..."
At this point, Qing Huan’s expression twisted, as if he was twitching from excessive agitation.
As a doctor, Gu Mian advised, "Relax. Calm down."
"So what happened to you?" Yuwen Hao asked, staring intently, clearly eager to know.
Qing Huan continued, "This morning, on my way here, I passed a clothing store... That store had already gone out of business. Its doors were closed, but the building hadn’t been rented out yet.
"A lot of the store’s things were piled up outside its doors, including a large, floor-length mirror... The mirror was covered in dirt and very blurry.
"As I passed by, I subconsciously glanced over... and I saw... I saw... a person over two meters tall following me!"
Hearing this, everyone else gasped in shock.
Lin Yue’er repeated, somewhat disbelievingly, "Over two meters tall?"
"Yes!" Qing Huan affirmed. "It was over two meters tall, like a stretched-out puppet, completely white, just following behind me!
"I was so scared I froze on the spot, but then it was gone..."
When he finished speaking, the room instantly fell silent, as if everyone was lost in their own thoughts.
Gu Mian broke the silence. "How far was it from you?"
The question hit the mark. Qing Huan shivered violently, then stammered, "Just... about as far as between you and me..."
They were in a private room, seated opposite each other at a large round table.
Gu Mian visually estimated the distance to be approximately three meters.
And according to the rules of this instance, the distance between Qing Huan and the ghost would continue to shrink.
At this point, Yuwen Hao also began to speak, stammering, "Actually... my situation last night was quite similar to Qing Huan’s...
"Qing Huan felt someone was following him, whereas I... I felt someone was staring at me. I didn’t know where it was.
"It seemed to be behind the curtains, or hidden among the clothes hanging on the rack, or concealed under the table by the window... or even lying at the foot of my bed, staring intently at me.
"I always felt... that if I turned off the lights at night, the moment I turned my head, I’d see a deathly pale face staring right at me.
"Even now, I still have that feeling of being watched."
As he spoke, he touched his chest, seemingly flustered.
Just then, Golden Wings, who had been silent all day, suddenly exclaimed loudly, "That’s nothing! You guys don’t know, last night, that ghost... I heard that ghost’s voice, and I even saw it!"
Hearing this, Yuwen Hao looked at Huang Yu, astonished.
Last night, Huang Yu’s phone line had been constantly busy, yet none of the four of them had been talking to him. It was very eerie.
Huang Yu supported himself on the table with both hands, swallowed, and then continued, "Last night, everything was fine at first. Nothing happened.
"It wasn’t until it was completely dark... I don’t even remember what time it was... that I received the first call...
"I thought it was one of you, so I answered immediately without looking... But there was no sound from the other end, just silence. I got a little scared and looked down at the phone’s display... It showed ’No Number.’
"Startled, I hung up right away. I was about to call you guys, but then the phone rang again. The caller ID showed Lin Yue’er..."
Lin Yue’er looked puzzled. "I didn’t call you."
"I know!" Huang Yu exclaimed.
"After I answered, there was no sound at first, then came a burst of laughter... It was a kind of... muffled laugh, a man’s laugh, with his mouth closed, from deep in his throat...
"It sounded like it came directly from his throat. I was so scared I was about to hang up, but he suddenly shouted in a very, very sharp voice, ’Hang up and you die immediately!’
"I was terrified. I panicked right then and didn’t know what to do. I just held the receiver, not daring to move an inch.
"That man kept talking on the other end... His voice was shrill, like a dying old man screaming desperately. I heard him say... heard him say...
"’I’m downstairs from you.’
Everyone shivered violently upon hearing this.
"I live in one of those run-down apartment buildings... on the fourth floor," Huang Yu continued. "At the time, I was in my bedroom, and my window looks out over the area below...
"Terrified, I secretly glanced over there and saw a person standing at the foot of the building... a dark silhouette...
"I saw him, facing my window... He raised a finger, slowly... bit by bit, pointing with his finger...
"He was counting which floor I live on!
"I was so scared, my mind went blank. I didn’t dare to hear anything else...
"All I remember from last night, the last words I heard were...
"’I’m at your door.’"