Shen Jingqi donned his white coat and hurried to the hospital.
When Li Minghui saw Shen Jingqi standing before him, a glimmer of clarity flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly drowned out by fear.
"You're a doctor, please, save me! It... it's right beside me!" Li Minghui clutched Shen Jingqi's arm tightly, his nails nearly digging into the flesh.
Shen Jingqi looked at Li Minghui's pained expression and felt very worried. He arranged for Li Minghui to be admitted to a ward and decided to treat him personally. However, no matter what method he used, he could not calm Li Minghui down. Li Minghui's eyes were always filled with fear, as if something was perpetually hovering behind him.
"Li Minghui, look at me, look at me!" Shen Jingqi tried to soothe him with his gaze, but Li Minghui only trembled, his eyes wandering aimlessly.
"It... it's in the photo! It's out! It wants to kill me!" Li Minghui suddenly screamed, curling up on the bed, shivering.
Shen Jingqi realized that the photo might be the key. He decided to examine it again to see if he could find any clues. With heavy emotions, he returned to the lab and rummaged through to find the old photo that Li Minghui regarded as the source of his nightmare. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on ɴovel(ꜰ)ɪre.nᴇt
In the dim light, Shen Jingqi carefully scrutinized the figure in the photo. He tried to analyze it from a scientific perspective, but the more he observed, the more he felt an indescribable chill. That figure seemed to genuinely be staring at him, harboring a malice that transcended life and death.
"How... how is this possible?" Shen Jingqi murmured to himself, a wave of unprecedented fear surging within.
Could it be that some things indeed lie beyond the realm of understanding?
At that moment, the lab door suddenly opened, and a cold wind blew in. Shen Jingqi turned around abruptly but saw nothing. However, he had a strong sense that something had come in, standing right behind him.
"Who?" Shen Jingqi asked bravely, but the only response was dead silence.
He took a deep breath, mustered the courage to turn around, only to find that the figure in the photo had vanished! The photo showed only the ancient courtyard, empty, as if no one had ever appeared there.
Shen Jingqi's heart tightened, realizing that the true horror had only just begun. He hastily put away the photo, deciding to leave the lab first and find a safe place to calm down. However, as he reached the door, he heard a deep sigh, as if from the depths of Hell, filled with endless sorrow and resentment.
Shen Jingqi froze, not daring to turn back or move forward. He knew he was already trapped in some unknown predicament, and to escape, he must face the truth he had always tried to avoid.
"Come on." Shen Jingqi whispered, his voice trembling but revealing a resolute courage, "No matter what you are, I won't let you harm Li Minghui!"
Just then, a powerful force slammed into him, and Shen Jingqi's vision went black as he lost consciousness. When he woke up, he found himself lying in a hospital bed, with an anxious Senior Sister Huang, Senior Brother Sun, and Senior Brother Gao by his side.
"You're finally awake!" Senior Sister Huang said excitedly, "We found you unconscious at the lab door based on the number Li Minghui left, and quickly brought you here."
Shen Jingqi struggled to sit up, looking around, but noticed that Li Minghui was not there.
"Where's Li Minghui? How is he?" Shen Jingqi asked urgently.
"He's still in the ward, stable," a colleague replied, "But the doctor says he may never return to normal."
Shen Jingqi fell silent, guilt and remorse filling his heart. He knew all this was caused by his curiosity and desire for the unknown. If he had heeded the warning in his heart and stayed away from that photo, perhaps none of this would have happened.
However, it's too late to say that now. Shen Jingqi decided that no matter the cost, he must find the figure haunting Li Minghui, uncover its true nature, and set him free.
Moreover, this also concerned Lin Xiaocan's safety, which he could not ignore.
Shen Jingqi realized that the figure might not be a supernatural phenomenon but a consciousness trapped in time and space. This consciousness, for some reason, could not leave this world and could only wander in that courtyard, searching for its rightful resting place.
To verify his theory, Shen Jingqi decided to return to the lab and use scientific methods to attempt communication with the figure. He prepared various instruments and equipment, hoping to capture the presence of that consciousness and find a way to send it away.
However, when he re-entered the lab, he found it in complete disarray. The photos on the wall were torn to shreds, the tables and chairs overturned, as if an invisible force had wreaked havoc here.
Shen Jingqi's heart sank, knowing that the figure had already sensed his presence. He took a deep breath, mustering the courage to enter the lab, ready to face the unknown that lay ahead.
Just then, a low and mournful voice echoed in the empty lab.
"Why have you come to find me?" the voice asked.
Shen Jingqi turned around abruptly but saw nothing. Yet he knew the figure was by his side, communicating in a manner he couldn't understand.
"I want to help you," Shen Jingqi said, mustering the courage, "I want to let you leave this place and find your home."
The voice fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly: "I... I have always been searching for my way home. But here... here is cursed, I cannot leave."
Shen Jingqi was moved and asked, "A curse? Who cursed you?"
The voice fell silent again, and after a long while, spoke slowly: "It was myself. I exchanged my life for a wish, not realizing that this wish would become my eternal prison."
Shen Jingqi was stunned, not expecting such an answer. He tried to comfort the figure, saying that everything was in the past and it was okay to let go of the obsession and start anew. But the figure only wept silently, seemingly unable to emerge from the shadows of the past.
Shen Jingqi knew he could not force the figure to leave.
And Lin Xiaocan's album was about to release and go live.
Though the shadow in the photo still existed, the production team had many ways. In the latest promotional material, they used some technology to extract Lin Xiaocan's image and create an anime version, adding a romantic starry sky pattern and background to create a dreamy image.
"Brother Jing, how's my look!"
Lin Xiaocan sent a video to Shen Jingqi.